OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GRAND LODGE OF MISSOURI A.F. & A.M.
VOL. 60 NUMBER 2 • SPRING 2015
MISSOURI
S N’ O AS 33 M ge I R Pa OU B • S IS M LIM C A O: RD R JA ECO AN D R M LI RL KI O W
When I was appointed as Senior Grand Marshal, I was advised by the Past Grand Masters to start looking for my replacement — a good man that will become a great Grand Master. In addition, I need to pick a Brother who excels in one or more facets of Masonry to be named as the 2015 Truman Medal Recipient. No one made suggestions about my message — what I should communicate to you, my Brethren of the Grand Lodge. As I proceeded up the line, I was constantly looking at what I thought the Grand Lodge needed to hear that, inevitably, would be my message to the membership. The first several years I considered "Freemasonry, A Way of Life," a short paper that I was given by WB Frank Demme, my Lodge's chaplain in the early 1990s, and discovered it again on the Internet, presented by WB Byron Hams. The article discusses the history of Freemasonry, the many good ideals Freemasonry stands for, why a man should want to join our fraternity and, of course, how to join. In other words — it is a membership tool. Membership is the life blood of our organization. We want and need to share our message and life goals with like-minded good men. Brethren, our Fraternity is down to just over 38,000 members. But I began to notice other problems, more important problems that the Grand Lodge needed to address, Lodges fighting within themselves and between one another. What I saw felt contrary to our goals and beliefs. One day at lunch, while speaking with MW John Nations, he said to me, "If we didn't spend so much time fighting with each other, we could get a lot more done." As our funeral service points out, "Change is the universal law of mortality and the theme of every page of history." After much thought, I switched gears and my message. I began to look for a way to bring our membership closer 30
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together and my approach for this issue became, at first, Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, and finally, my message — that of Brotherly Love. SO WHAT IN THE WORLD DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH TRAVELING? Decades ago I worked for a company that had a booth at a conference twice a year — Philadelphia in the fall and San Francisco in the spring. During the days I manned the booth and at night attended banquets, hospitality suites and networked and sold my company and its benefits over the competition. After a couple of years, I began to look for a more rewarding evening activity and discovered that the Masonic temple was only several blocks away, so I began carving out time to attend a local Lodge meeting in the beautiful temple in the heart of US history. It was great! The other jurisdictions were excited to have a visitor, especially one from out of state. Realizing how much fun it was to attend out-state, I started attending more often in the St. Louis area. After all, I was in town much more than I was out of town. I met many good men and broadened my friendships. This year, visiting Missouri Lodges is fantastic! The first six weeks went past with lightning speed with fifty and sixty-year pins, area meetings, presentations, installations, speeches and a cornerstone laying at the new Shrine Hospital in St. Louis. What made it fantastic? You, the members! You are always as excited to see me. Even driving down the street, I receive waves when a Brother recognizes my license plate. As part of all my speeches, I include slowing down and remembering our basic tenet — Brotherly Love. It is well-received at Lodge meetings, OES Chapters, DeMolay, Rainbow and Jobie functions.
However, as important as the message is, the brotherhood before and after the meeting is more so. Making friends and sharing each other's company is one of the things our Fraternity does best. MAKE FRIENDS AND ELIMINATE FRICTION! Visiting other Lodges is the best way to get to know your Brethren throughout Missouri. If you only stay in your home Lodge, you miss the fellowship and camaraderie that traveling and meeting new brothers gives you. In addition to building friendships, you also help your own Lodge because those you meet will come and visit you. When a Lodge is having degree work there will be help and assistance. "Be a Traveling Man" and always remember to take the trowel with you, spreading the Cement of Brotherly Love to all with whom you come into contact. You can't have too many friends. Fraternally, David W. Haywood, GM SPRING 2015
Contents
The
Missouri
FREEMASON ON THE COVER:
Published and copyrighted under the direction of the Committee on Masonic Publications COMMITTEE ON MASONIC PUBLICATIONS: David W. Haywood, Senior Grand Warden C. Brent Stewart , Junior Grand Warden Ronald D. Miller, Grand Secretary Steven L. Harrison, Editor, Chairman EDITOR: Steven L. Harrison P.O. Box 1120 Kearney, MO 64060-1120 816-558-0436 / editor@momason.org
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Worshipful Brother Robert Wheeler (Past Master of St. Louis Missouri Lodge #1) together with his son Jack (Doylestown Lodge #245, Pennsylvania) stand triumphantly at the top of Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro after their climb last September. WB Robert has now been certified as the oldest person to climb to the top. (Page 33)
The Missouri Freemason (USPS 573-920) is the official publication of the Grand Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Missouri, and is published four times yearly. Articles to be considered for publication should be e-mailed to editor@momason.org, not later than the first day of the month preceding publication in February, May, August and November. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy of the Grand Lodge A.F.&A.M. of Missouri. The Editor reserves the right to accept, reject, subedit and rearrange material submitted for publication. Pictures submitted for publication will not be returned. The Missouri Freemason does not accept forms or clippings for publication. Please do not submit materials in PDF format. It is the policy of the Grand Lodge of Missouri not to publish pictures or personal information about children under the age of 21, without written permission from the child’s parents, guardian or sponsoring group. OFFICE OF PUBLICATIONS: Grand Lodge of Missouri, 6033 Masonic Drive, Suite B, Columbia, MO 65202-6535. Printed by Tribune Publishing Co., Columbia, Missouri. Periodicals Postage paid at Columbia, Missouri. POSTMASTER: Please send Address Forms 3579 to Grand Secretary, 6033 Masonic Drive, Suite B, Columbia, MO 65202-6535. SUBSCRIPTIONS: The Missouri Freemason is mailed to every member of this Masonic Jurisdiction without charge. Domestic subscriptions elsewhere are $12.00 annually. PERMISSION TO REPRINT: All recognized Masonic publications have permission to reprint original articles from The Missouri Freemason with credit to the author and the publication. PLEASE, contact your Lodge Secretary with your address change at 573-474-8561
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37
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32 That “DeMolay Thing”
42 Which Fight Are You Fighting
33 Missouri Freemason Robert Wheeler Becomes the Oldest Person to Conquer Mt. Kilimanjaro
43 The Tie That Binds
34 Saint Francois Lodge #234 and the Cement That Unites
35 Naphtali Lodge #25 Celebrates 175th Anniversary 36 The Lewis Jewel 37 The Passing of a Giant in Missouri Freemasonry 38 Paulding Celebrates Brother Washington 39 Lodge #147 Celebrates 147 Years 40 Occult Forces
45 Rainbow Girls 46 Job’s Daughters 47 Missouri DeMolay 48 Masonic Home of Missouri Welcoming a New Face 48 Masonic Home of Missouri When Someone is in Need 49 Masonic Home of Missouri Vincil Society Program Information 51 Masonic Home of Missouri Introducing the Armed Forces Program 52 Masonic Home of Missouri Penny-A-Day Updates
SUBMIT ARTICLES TO: EDITOR@MOMASON.ORG
✮ MISSOURI FREEMASON DEADLINES ✮ Summer, ‘15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 1, 2015 Fall, ‘15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 1, 2015 Winter, ‘15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 1, 2015 Email all articles and pictures! Send service award info to: rpence@momason.org THE MISSOURI FREEMASON
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Fr o m t h e E d i t o r ’s K ey b o a r d
That “DeMolay Thing” by Steven L. Harrison, PM, FMLR A long time ago at a kitchen table far, far away... my dad and I were finishing breakfast and reading our respective sections of the morning paper. Seemingly coming from left field, he started telling me about a group he had been involved in as a kid; it was called “DeMolay.” The more he talked, the more interesting it got – an unusual occurrence for a mid-teens know-it-all in a conversation with his dad. When he finished, he asked a question that literally changed my life, “Would you be interested in that?” I played it cool, because that’s what you have to do when you want to send the message that you know more than your father, “Yeah, it sounds OK.” Inside, however, I’m thinking, “You bet I would!” So I petitioned. A few weeks later I arrived at the local Masonic Lodge for my initiation. I walked up the steps remembering all those cool things Dad had said about DeMolay – the connection with the Knights Templar, social activities, charities – I was ready. No, I wasn’t. I went into the Lodge and found the first floor lounge bustling with activity. Guys were playing pool, billiards, table tennis, cards and socializing. DeMolay, back then,
was a group for boys 14-21 years old. When you are 14 years old, guys on the upper end of that scale are, in your eyes, adults. At 14, I was the youngest person there. Even the next-youngest initiate that night was a year older. I looked around that room and thought, “This is no youth group... it’s a men’s club. I’m not in their league.” The Master Councilor, Steve Cooper, introduced himself. Yikes! He had a pack of cigarettes in his pocket. (Remember, this was back in the day when smoking was not just acceptable, it was a sign of sophistication). MC Steve, who was about 20, piled on by telling me about his new car. I declined to tell him about my old bicycle as feelings of insecurity and intimidation hit me like a freight train. “This DeMolay thing,” I thought, “isn’t going to work out.” Well, I’ll bet you can guess that “DeMolay thing” did, in fact, work out. Over the course of the next few years I got my share of recognition, had merit bars down to my toes and served as Master Councilor. I became the “MC Steve” who greeted the new, possibly intimidated, candidates at the door. I ran the show and loved it. The point is, during that time I went from being an insecure kid to learning how to be a leader. There were other factors in that
On November 29, 2014, RWB Tim Thomas, Senior Grand Deacon, presented WB George Arnold his 50-year pin and certificate from the Grand Lodge of Missouri. The ceremony took place at WB Arnold’s home.
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transition – parents, church, scouts, school – but make no mistake about it, DeMolay had a whole lot to do with my personal growth. That is a big part of what our youth organizations, not just DeMolay but also Rainbow and Job’s Daughters, are about. They deserve our support — as advisors or just attending their activities. Under the direction of dedicated adult leaders they help mold children into productive adults. Even insecure kids like me.
Steve Harrison, Editor
The members of Bonhomme Lodge #45 purchased 45 Fruit Baskets from the Fenton Masonic Temple (their fund raiser) and on December 19, distributed them to Veterans and some staff members of Jefferson Barracks Hospital. Pictured (left to right): Ron LaBoe, SW; RWB Mike Apple, Secretary; WM Troy Galloway; WB Keith Schilb; Joe Puff , Masonic Service Association Representative for Jefferson Barracks Hospital.
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Mt. Kilimanjaro
Missouri Freemason Robert Wheeler Becomes the Oldest Person to Conquer Mt. Kilimanjaro
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uinness World Records has just confirmed an 85 year-old Missouri Mason from St. Louis, Robert Wheeler, has set a new world record as the oldest person to climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. His feat demonstrates old people with worn out joints and deteriorated muscles do not have to be couch potatoes and can be active enough to climb a high mountain. Research has shown a major factor in personal health is activity, both physical and mental. This event is an example of how that can be done. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest free standing mountain in the world, with a top elevation of 19,340 feet. It is one of the most popular mountains with an estimated 35,000 climbers each year. The climb does not require technical skill, but it is physically demanding, requiring about 20 mIles of hiking to reach a base camp at 15,500 feet on the shortest route. The steep summit climb is a challenge for even experienced mountaineers, because of altitude sickness. The park service there estimates less than one half of the climbers make it to the summit. The mountain consists of three volcanic peaks with the tallest and largest in the center. The rim of the main volcanic peak is reached by a steep 4-mile, 8-hour climb into subfreezing temperatures, with another hour of steady ascent along the rim to reach the summit. Worshipful Brother Bob Wheeler (Past Master of St. Louis Missouri Lodge #1) had in earlier days climbed mountains such as Fuji in Japan, Aconcagua in Argentina and Whitney in the United States. On many of these climbs he was accompanied by his son, Jack (Doylestown Lodge #245, Pennsylvania) who, as a naval aviator, was accustomed to special challenges. Those were many years ago, but even now as a corporate pilot, Jack stays in good shape with running and mountain biking. As a result, no special preparation was required for him to go on this Kilimanjaro adventure. For Bob though, there was work to do. His second knee replacement had been in January and there was a question about regeneration of the leg muscles by the climbing season in September, 2014. In St. Louis the closest thing to mountain climbing is hiking the Chubb Trail in West Tyson Park. It ascends only about 400 feet, so seven laps are required to simulate a 2,800 foot climb (the average ascent for a day’s climb on Kilimanjaro is 3,000 feet). Meeting people on the Chubb Trail was a fascinating experience of making friends with interesting Missourians, but when the temperature and humidity rose to the 90° range, outdoor training became difficult. Under those conditions Bob found the local Club Fitness gym had a stair climbing machine that accomplished the same workout in air conditioned comfort. That workout was sufficient. By September, WB Wheeler felt enocouraged about his ability to make the climb. SPRING 2015
Getting to and from Kilimanjaro was not easy. With layovers in New York, Paris and Amsterdam, about 25 hours of airline travel was required. An agent in Colorado made arrangements for a climbing team, consisting of Bob, Jack, a guide, assistant guide, cook and eight porters who carried camping gear, food and provisions.
Robert Wheeler (right) and his son Jack at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. At 85, WB Wheeler is the oldest person ever to make the climb.
Everything went smoothly until the summit climb that was made at night up a steep rocky slope of switchbacks. After seven hours of that, Bob said his lungs ached, legs hurt, back was sore, and it was a battle to put one foot in front of the other. He did, though, and as daylight came the team emerged onto the rim of the volcanic crater. He even summonsed enough energy to continue with the team up the ridgeline one hour to the summit, a rejuvenating experience. The view from the summit was inspiring, with a steep drop-off into the crater on one side and a steep drop-off to a billowy cloud layer covering southern Africa on the other. There was a pressing need to get down to a lower altitude where breathing would be easier. Going down was tough, but where the ascent was five days, the descent was two. They made it! As a departing celebration, Bob and Jack invited guides Rashid and Rama to join them for a memorable dinner at the hotel. They had been through a lot together creating a lasting bond similar to those developed during strenuous military service or difficult fraternal projects. Jack and Bob had much to think about during the long series of flights back to the United States. The task then was readjustment of biological clocks and digestive systems. It is amazing that no adverse events occurred and no climber experienced any symptoms of altitude sickness. Oxygen was available, but not used. Diamox (an altitude sickness inhibitor) was used and probably helped. It is amazing that an 85-year old body could meet such a demanding challenge, showing the human power of adaptation. Planning, preparing for and accomplishing such a challenge is both exhilarating and healthfully stimulating. Bob recommends it for others. Fortitude, together with perseverance and vitality, is indeed an important virtue. THE MISSOURI FREEMASON
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The Cement That Unites
Saint Francois Lodge #234 and The Cement That Unites by RWB Ty G. Treutelaar, Junior Grand Steward, Grand Lodge of Missouri, AF&AM
T
he home in which I stood on a hot July day in 2013 was built during the Civil War, and spent the last hundred years in the family of MWB P. Vincent Kinkead, Past Grand Master (1986-1987) of the Grand Lodge, AF&AM, of the State of Missouri. MWB Kinkead was born in this house, as was his father and his grandfather. The home stood the test of time with the addition of rooms and utilities, and was filled with memories of multiple generations in the form of artifacts and photos — each with a story to tell. A large Victorian curio filled a corner of an upstairs room and two unassuming objects rested on a shelf. Evelyn Kinkead stood behind me while she conveyed every story and nuance of the items
in her home that she shared with her beloved Vincent since their marriage in 1960. As I turned to ask Evelyn about the two objects in the cabinet, my eyes became fixed on a diploma from the University of Missouri (Columbia) mounted on the wall with the name of Paca Vincent Kinkead. She told me about the objects in the curio cabinet, but when I asked her about the first name on the diploma she simply told me, “you’ll need to let Vincent tell you that story.” It was with real anticipation that I posed this very question to MWB Kinkead who gave me a brief answer, but it was just enough of an answer to lead me to further research. When I next visited his home, MWB Kinkead handed me a file with notes about Saint Francis Lodge #234, which he asked me to read at his kitchen table. After reading the notes, MWB Kinkead asked my thoughts on the content and I told him there was a good story here. He looked at me for a long time without a sound, and I knew it was not an optional request when he said, “So do I, and you should write it.” We copied the notes and then promptly set them aside as we began a conversation that lasted several months. This is the story that he did not want forgotten, which hailed to a time before the founding of the United States.
This historic photo taken during the occasion of the presentation of the 50-year pin to Gladden Kinkead on March 9, 1972 at St. Francois Lodge in Libertyville shows (left to right): Robert Kinkead, Gladden Kinkead, RWB Alfred Frager and P. Vincent Kinkead. 34
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Robert Paca (1631-1681) traveled to this country from England. His son, Captain John Paca (1712-1785), became a wealthy Maryland planter. John was fiercely supportive of the colonies, serving in the Continental Congress and as a Captain in the American Revolution.
Most Worshipful Brother P. Vincent Kindead
Captain Paca had two sons, Aquila and William; it is through Aquila that P. Vincent Kinkead has descended. Both brothers worked at great personal risk to assist in creating our country with William signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and Aquila signing the lesser known Bush River Declaration of 1775. This earlier declaration was signed by 34 men at Bush Tavern in Harford County, Maryland, and is sometimes characterized as the First Declaration of Independence. Aquila went on to become a Revolutionary War hero and a member of the Maryland Governing Council; and William served in the Continental Congress, as Governor of Maryland and held many other offices in the state. Both of the Paca brothers and their families remained close, even as they began to expand in this newly formed country. Meanwhile, the Kinkead family moved westward out of North Carolina and had become a solid part of the settlement near present day Farmington, Missouri. This area has been known variously as Cooks, Kinkead, Locust Ridge and Libertyville. There was even a territorial fort in the area that was called Fort Kinkead. It was here that Justice Samuel Kinkead entered a tract of land in 1832. The area grew and prospered and several local Master Masons decided it was time to create a local Lodge. To initiate a Lodge, you apply to the Grand Lodge for a Dispensation and, if approved, you begin work as a Lodge Under Dispensation or UD. Saint Francois Lodge, UD, nearly lost its dispensation because Cement that unites, continued on page 44… SPRING 2015
Naphtali Lodge
Naphtali Lodge #25 Celebrates 175th Anniversary by Christopher Newbold, Worshipful Master, Naphtali Lodge #25, St. Louis
M
Lodge events in the late 20th century presented by Naphtali Lodge’s oldest living Past Master, WB Eugene Barken;
Those in attendance enjoyed a delicious dinner in the dining hall followed by a program held in the adjoining Lodge hall. The program included the following:
Keynote address given by MWB David Haywood, Grand Master, about the “Longevity of Freemasonry.”
embers and guests of Naphtali Lodge #25 held an anniversary celebration to mark its 175th year of being chartered by the Grand Lodge of Missouri. The event was held on Saturday evening October 25, at the New Masonic Temple building located on Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis.
Posting of colors and an informational presentation about the history of the American Flag given by the National Sojourners St. Louis Chapter #22; Musical selections by the Moolah Shrine Chanters with appropriate and moving patriotic performances by the talented group; A history of Brethren and events throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries presented by RWB Christopher Newbold, current Worshipful Master;
Interesting and valuable artifacts from the New Masonic Temple museum as collected over the years presented by WB John Vollmann, Past President of the Temple Association;
At the conclusion of the program, guests were presented with commemorative lapel pins and a book chronicling the 175 years of Naphtali Lodge #25, entitled A History of Friendship and Brotherly Love. Attendees reported having a good time and the evening came to an end with peace and harmony prevailing. Naphtali Lodge is the second oldest continuously meeting Lodge in the State of Missouri with an original charter from the Grand Lodge of Missouri.
On December 16, 2014, Larry F.Walters, Masonic Home Representative of Grand River Lodge #276 in Freeman, presented a $1,200 check to Drexel Public Schools. Laurie Jacklovich, Elementary Principal, accepted the funds, which will help replace playground equipment.
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WB Eugene Barken, oldest living Past Master of Naphtali Lodge.
Moolah Shrine Chanters El Koran
Lamar Lodge #292 hosted the 33rd District’s annual Christmas party on December 15. Area Lodges prepared a meal of brisket and turkey, with guests providing side dishes and desserts. DDGM John Rummel presided over a gift exchange, and then served as auctioneer at an impromptu charity auction of Christmas ornaments crafted by a member of the local Lodge.
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L e w i s J e we l
The Lewis Jewel | A Masonic link to our past by WB Dan Flynn
A
t the 2014 Grand Lodge Communication in Columbia, members of the Fraternity voted to authorize the Lewis Jewel for use in Missouri Freemasonry.
A “LEWIS” is a simple but ingenious device that has been employed by operative Masons since early Roman times to raise heavy blocks of stone into place that would be damaged or scarred by chains or external clamps. Examples include the closing stone in a string course, cylindrical column drums, decorated column capitals and coping stones in a pediment. Heavy ashlar stones are also bedded using a Lewis. But its symbolism goes much deeper than simply commemorating a man’s membership in the same organization as his Father. One is reminded of the Baal Bridge in Ireland, where an engraving was found on the underside of the bridge which read, “I will Strive to Live with Love & Care. Upon the Level. By the Square.” The engraving was dated 1507. It also brings to mind Shakespeare’s Henry V, “We Few, We Happy Few, We Band of Brothers.” The Lewis Jewel is a pact, a creed that a family line has pledged to uphold. Those who wear the Lewis Jewel have helped to keep the Flame of Freemasonry alive. The Lewis Jewel may be worn by a Mason if, at the time of his Raising, his father is a Mason in good standing (or was, at the time of his death). Under the rules adopted in Missouri, additional bars may be added for the Grandfather, Great-Grandfather, etc. Under these same rules, the relationships must be by blood (not marriage) and a generation cannot be skipped.
On November 18, twenty-one people met at Sampson Masonic Lodge #298 in Theodosia to witness the presentation of a 60-year Masonic Service Award to Eldon Dene Hughes. Wayne Calhoun, District Deputy Grand Master of the 42nd Masonic District, conducted the ceremony. Dene’s wife Imogene affixed the pin to his lapel. Dene recounted some of his experiences since becoming a Master Mason in November of 1954, including being one of the men who worked on the construction of the current Sampson Lodge building dedicated in 1964. Pictured from left to right: RWB Wayne Calhoun, Dene Hughes, Imogene Hughes, Senior Deacon Mark Jarman.
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On December 26, 2014, Daggett Lodge #492 in McKittrick, Missouri, hosted a “Lewis Jewel Dinner” to honor the families who have been “Keepers of the Flame.” Members and their families filled the Lodge hall and brought food fit for such a festive occasion. Included in their ranks was the Bezold family, whose men have been members of Daggett Lodge for SIX consecutive generations. Daggett’s Worshipful Master, Keith Walter and his wife Angie (Worthy Matron of the local Eastern Star), welcomed Most Worshipful Brother David W. Haywood. Accompanying MWB Haywood were Junior Grand Marshal Jeffrey Parrotte and Junior Grand Steward Ty Treutelaar. This was the first time in its 138 year history Daggett Lodge had received a visit from a sitting Grand Master. Most Worshipful Brother Haywood presented the jewels to six families of the Lodge, including the 4th, 5th and 6th generations of the Bezold family in attendance.
Most Worshipful Brother David Haywood presented Harold A. Schnarr his 60-year pin and certificate at Bonhomme Lodge #45 on October 21, 2014. LaVerne Schnarr, Harold’s wife of 55 years, placed the pin on his lapel. The ceremony was a surprise to Brother Schnarr, who was overwhelmed by the support and also by the fact that the Grand Master presided.
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S t a n t o n T h aye r B r o w n
The Passing of a Giant In Missouri Freemasonry | Stanton Thayer Brown’s service to his fellow man was genuine, sincere and it endeared him to the Brethren.
M
issouri Freemasonry lost one of its true giants on December 18, 2014, with the passing of Right Worshipful Brother Stanton Thayer Brown. His influence continues to reverberate throughout the Fraternity even for those who never had the privilege to personally meet him. For those of us who knew him he was a combination of coach, mentor, father figure, drill sergeant, confidant, brother and friend. No one could ever question his strong personal commitment to the Craft. In many ways he defined the Craft as much as it defined him. The ritual we perform today continues to bear his unique mark.
consulted with his wife, with his pastor and with others for whom he held a high regard. God answered that prayer by helping Stanton understand it was not a question of one or the other; God presented Stanton with the challenge that he could do both if Stanton would allow God to lead. Stanton knew men are at their personal best when they are humble spiritual leaders of their families, their churches and their communities. He understood the ritual committed to memory within the Mason acted like seeds of sacred wisdom, waiting for life experiences to soften and prepare the heart to receive those seeds. And, once that seed took root, the heart would be engaged in sincere service to others. Stanton accepted the position of Grand Lecturer and so began his ministry of service through Masonic avenues.
Right Worshipful Brother Brown was born January 31, 1926. He was initiated as an Entered Apprentice in Buckner Lodge #501 on March 16, 1954; passed to the degree of Fellowcraft on April 20, 1954; and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on June 1, 1954. He served as Master of Buckner Lodge #501 in 1961 and then again 50-years later in 2011. He served as District Deputy Grand Lecturer of the 59th Masonic District from 1967-1972. He then served as Missouri Masonry’s fifteenth Grand Lecturer from 1972-1992. He was his Lodge’s Secretary from 1998-2007 and was a 50-year member. He was a member and a leader of almost all of the Masonic Appendant Bodies that can be named, holding both statewide and national offices.
of opportunity that seemed to be made just for him. The Masonic ritual provided the wisdom and guidance he needed to establish his life on the firm foundation of service to others. He became so enthralled with it, that he was soon traveling with his Lodge Brethren to other Lodges on his side of the state, helping them with their degree work. His two Brothers, Richard and Emerson, were also Masons and that added to the unity of the family.
The Masonic career of Right Worshipful Brother Brown is one that includes a family involved in Freemasonry. It began when he was not yet thirty years of age and had a wife and three children. Having been raised in a home of an RLDS minister, Stanton was steeped in the belief that there was a purpose for being here in this time and in this place, but each individual must find his niche in the order of life. In 1954, he was searching for his niche when he knocked on the door of Freemasonry. Although strongly guarded, once the West Gate was opened Stanton discovered a world
Stanton’s involvement soon gained the attention of the Grand Lodge and he was appointed District Deputy Grand Lecturer. He served in that position until 1972, when he was offered the appointment as Grand Lecturer. Stanton struggled over the decision to accept this position. The opportunity to serve the Grand Lodge was happening at the same time he was being called to a priesthood office with his church. How would he be able to fulfill his role as priesthood member of his local church and travel all over the State of Missouri as Grand Lecturer? Stanton prayed and then
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Being Grand Lecturer meant he was obligated to hold a Lodge of Instruction in each of the 60-plus districts throughout the State of Missouri at least once every year. Often times this obligation meant he was away from his wife and children for periods lasting ten days or two weeks. It was not an easy time, but his good wife seemed as committed to the task as Stanton. With the support of his wife and family, Stanton faithfully and expertly taught the ritual throughout the State. His humble approach generated a sincere affection from his fellow Masons who saw the ritual come to life and gain meaning they had never considered. Often the Lodges of Instruction would include his recitation of poems such as “I’d Rather See A Sermon” or “The Touch of the Master’s Hand.” Stanton’s service to his fellow man was genuine and sincere, and it endeared him to the Brethren. Many a brother still carries with him one or more buckeyes as a reminder of Stanton’s unique touch. Stanton completed 20 years as Grand Stanton Brown, continued on page 38… THE MISSOURI FREEMASON
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Pa u l d i n g v i l l e
Pauldingville Celebrates Brother Washington
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n Thursday evening November 20, 2014, Pauldingville Lodge #11 in Wright City, Missouri, held a banquet to honor the 262nd Masonic birthday of Brother George Washington, who was Initiated on November 4, 1752 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The banquet featured food Brother Washington very well could have eaten in his day, all of which was made by members of the Lodge (or their
spouses). After dinner, RWB Bill Gatewood presented a brief program followed by remarks from Grand Master David W. Haywood. Also in attendance from the Grand Lodge were Junior Grand Warden Ronald D. Jones, Junior Grand Steward Ty G. Treutlaar, Senior Grand Marshal Richard W. Kaeser and Junior Grand Marshal Jeffery A. Parrotte. Pictured are MWB Haywood and RWB Bill Gatewood.
Stanton Brown, continued from page 37…
Lecturer when he retired from his position, but he wasn’t done. He continued to be active in many of the Appendant Bodies of Freemasonry. Stanton utilized connections he had developed throughout the Masonic world and he was instrumental in helping to initiate many chapters, councils and colleges for the State of Missouri. He served the Masonic Fraternity and its Appendant Bodies until his body would no longer allow it. There are not words that can express the depth of affection
the Brethren feel for Stanton. He truly fulfilled the role of a Temple High Priest; he was a teacher of sacredness, a mentor and a servant. On December 18, 2014, Stanton entered the Celestial Lodge Above wrapped in the love and esteem of his fellow Freemasons.
the West Gate to always bring men of quality and character into our Craft so they too might receive the gift of Freemasonry and share the beauty of the work so admirably demonstrated by Right Worshipful Brother Stanton Thayer Brown.
The many titles Stanton received will soon be forgotten, but the love he expressed through service to his fellowman lives on. May we all emulate his virtues, strive to share his commitment to the Craft, and guard well
Submitted by Right Worshipful Brother Brent Stewart, Deputy Grand Master, borrowing from the Masonic Service conducted by Right Worshipful Brothers David and Stanton Brown II.
On November 15, 2014 Hermann Lodge #123 honored Calvin Grannemann with a 50-year pin and certificate from the Grand Lodge of Missouri. Friends, family, and Brother Master Masons were in attendance, and enjoyed a meal before the ceremony.
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Lewis Nauss, left, Senior Warden and Masonic Home Representative of Sampson Lodge #298 in Theodosia presents a check in the amount of $350 to Mike Wallace, Thornfield R-I School principal and administrator. The December 11 donation will help to enhance funding of the school’s backpack program, which provides food for students who qualify for the supplementary support. With them is Nichole Hambelton, school counselor, and Wes Frazer, Master of Sampson Lodge.
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Cass Lodge
Lodge #147 Celebrates 147 Years
Cass Lodge Brethren Gather to Commemorate the Lodge’s 1867 Founding. by Luke Klenke
H
istory, quite literally, surrounds Cass Lodge #147. Situated just north of Harrisonville’s historic town square, the current Masonic Temple was built in 1932, but the origins of the Lodge have a much deeper past. Rising from the ashes of the Civil War, the Cass County community was awash in veterans just home from far away battles and refugees returning to see what was left of their frontier homesteads. The first area Lodge (Prairie Lodge #90, chartered 1847) suspended operation at the onset of the war and was forced to send back its charter. A final communication to Grand Lodge was sent in 1862 and stated, “The war had set in and the officers and members went south. The Lodge was robbed and all furniture taken.” Clearly, the community was in need of the return of an institution that would bring men together rather than tear them apart.”
On October 17, 1867, this healing began as Cass Lodge #147 was chartered under the first Worshipful Master, William A. Jack. The original meeting location is unfortunately lost to the ages; however, by the middle of the 1880s records indicate the Lodge met “on the southwest corner of the (Harrisonville) square on the second floor above the grocery store.” The Lodge moved again in the 1890s, this time to the northwest corner of the square, on the third floor of the Evans Opera House. In the summer of 1900, tragedy struck. The building, which housed the opera house and Cass Lodge, was consumed by fire and all records were lost. Forced to relocate, the Lodge again found a home on the square’s southeast corner on the third floor of what was known then, as now, as the “Deacon Building,” where the County’s circuit courtroom had recently vacated in favor of the newly completed County courthouse. SPRING 2015
Seeking a place all their own, the Lodge members selected the current site and moved in during the last days of December, 1932. Fast forward to the 21st century... As the doors of Cass Lodge opened on Thursday, October 16, 2014, Brethren and their families from around the community and beyond, came to celebrate 147 years of Freemasonry at Cass Lodge #147. Nearly 147 years to the day, everyone from Cass Lodge’s newest member to its eldest (93 years old), crowded the chairs and sidelines of the Temple’s hallowed halls to commemorate the rich institution, which has been a cornerstone of the community. Members and fellow Brothers from as far away as Branson and across the border into Kansas came to join in a spectacular meal and share tales of past and present. It was an evening that lasted well into the night as all were reminded what makes our Brotherhood the treasured institution we know it to be. In spite of hectic schedules and all the distractions of life which vie for time, Cass Lodge #147’s members carry on their rich heritage of the Brotherhood. Officers and members continue to practice the rituals and tenets of our institution and ensure they are passed on today, tomorrow and in the years to come. The focus of Cass Lodge is to be of service to fellow Brothers, families, and neighbors, through strengthening the foundations of the institution, showing value today in the precepts of Freemasonry, and being able to hand off to the next generation these same values. If you find yourself in Harrisonville on any given Thursday evening, be sure to stop by. You’re sure to find the “Lights” on, and Brothers glad to meet you in a Lodge of Master Masons. THE MISSOURI FREEMASON
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O c c u l t Fo r c e s
Occult Forces | Did an obscure propaganda
film shape anti-masonic views of Freemasonry? by Steven L. Harrison, PM, FMLR
I
t is not within the scope of this article (or a lifetime of research, for that matter) to untangle the Gordian Knot that is French Freemasonry. It may, however, be helpful to provide the following “comprehensive” review of all French obediences:
Grande Loge Nationale (GLNF) — Recognized
Française
The rest of them — Clandestine¹
the world. In France, there is a genuine degree of mistrust and even fear of Freemasons. That mistrust may stem from the confusion of at least a dozen different organizations claiming to be the “true” Freemasons; on the other hand, face it, those outside the fraternity don’t have a clue about the differences between them. To the general public they’re “all the same.” Whatever the reason, this wariness goes back a long way. Add to that the fact that the Nazis occupied France during WWII; and, in case you haven’t heard, Nazis didn’t like Freemasons. Jean Marquès-Rivière, the film’s screenwriter was While in France, the Nazis ferocious sentenced to death for conspiring with the enemy. He fled to Argentina after World War II and propaganda machine worked to indoctrinate died in 2000 at the age of 97. citizens into its warped value system. One of its tools was the 1943 movie Occult Forces. Ignoring the fact the film is grainy with poor sound quality, factually inaccurate and uses sinister props that conjure up visions of Plan Nine From Outer Space, it provides some insight into what may be a contributing factor to any anti-Masonic sentiment in France — or elsewhere — today.
Poster for the 1943 Nazi propaganda film Occult Forces.
This assessment, of course, depends on each individual Grand Lodge and may vary from place to place. Suffice it to say relationships with French Masonic organizations are complex. In 2011, the Grand Lodge of Missouri, for example, recognized the Grand Lodge of Mauritus based on the fact the GLNF chartered it. After which, at the same meeting, the Grand Lodge of Missouri suspended recognition of the GLNF. Go figure. Being a Freemason in France is not like being a Freemason in the US. Here, Brothers deal with a herd of crackpot² conspiracy theorists and others who think Masons are out to rule 40
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Maurice Rémy plays Pierre Avenel, the film’s protagonist. Rémy was a “B-List” French actor who had even played in anti-Nazi films. However, he had a quick, if not predictable, change of heart once the Gestapo took charge. Regardless of whether his conversion to Nazi sympathies was genuine, his role in the movie earned him a hasty one-way ticket to Argentina after the war. Director Jean Charles Mamy and screenwriter Jean Marquès-Rivière were Freemasons who “saw the light” and renounced their memberships. After the war, both were sentenced to death, specifically for the roles they played in producing the film. MarquèsRivière fled to Argentina. Mamy faced a firing squad on March 29, 1949. The film telegraphs its anti-Masonic theme from the opening credits where a shadowy blob descends before the viewer’s eyes and comes into focus as an ugly spider with a square and compasses on its back. Subtle, huh?
Rémy’s character, Pierre Avenel, is a highranking French official whom the Masons feel they need to control in order to accomplish their “evil purposes.” (The film’s Freemasons are members of the Grand Orient de France, one of the groups considered clandestine in the US). Their solution is to initiate and indoctrinate him. His initiation is a combination of the familiar and bizarre, and once a member he falls into the abyss of clandestine alliances and corrupt deals. Over time, Avenel becomes disillusioned as the Masons plot to put their plan for world domination into practice. He attempts to demit, but the Grand Master encourages him to remain a member with a combination of threats and promises to promote him to “superior levels.” Finally, the Masons can no longer tolerate Avenel’s insolence. The Grand Master expels him and sends men to attack him. As Avenel recuperates the Masons rise up against Germany and drag it and the rest of the world into the flames of war. There is no telling what influence this film had on audiences at its release. It certainly had enough impact to have Rémy, Mamy and Marquès-Rivière convicted of collaborating with the enemy. Some of the accusations and myths about Freemasonry it brought into focus were, for example: SPRING 2015
O c c u l t Fo r c e s • Conspiracy theorists today claim there is a top tier of Masons, run behind the scenes by powerful individuals, who hold the real authority. Outside that elite tier, “average” Masons don’t know what is going on. “In Masonry,” the Grand Master tells Avenel, “we hide everything from the little people.” • Claims abound that there are “higher degrees” in the craft, whose recipients learn the real secrets and gain the real benefits and power of the fraternity. The film reinforces this when the Grand Master dangles membership in the “superior levels” of Freemasonry in front of Avenel, in an attempt to get him to cooperate. • The film depicts Masonry’s perceived anti-Catholic stance by the fact that Avenel is himself a member of the Catholic church. In the investigation scene, one member of the committee literally gasps upon learning Avenel is Catholic. It takes fancy footwork to convince the committee members Avenel is “spiritual, but non practicing.” Even at that, his election to receive the degrees is not unanimous. • The audience is made to see Brothers as social-climbers who seek and grant favors among themselves. Government officials hand out jobs and judges acquit the guilty because of the bond of fraternity. • In one telling scene the Grand Master reveals absolutely no one is in charge of Freemasonry; that it moves as a ubiquitous force. Even the Grand Master just receives and passes orders. He describes a nebulous structure, which leaves the door open for conspiracy theorists to fill in the blanks and make of Freemasonry practically anything they want. With these and other examples Occult Forces is a film full of stereotypes, myths and deceptions about Freemasonry. These misrepresentations so parallel some of the outrageous claims of anti-Masons today one wonders if this single piece of Nazi propaganda merely included existing fabrications or was, in fact, the origin of prevailing myths about the fraternity. ¹The GLNF is the only French order recognized throughout the US and, in fact, by most western European Grand Lodges
is ps o n Sy Les mystères de la francomaçonnerie pour le premier fois dévoilés à l’écran¹ A
Forces Occultes
The film’s anti-Masonic and anti-Semitic story begins with Avenel, a high-ranking official, railing in the government assembly against both Communists and Capitalists. He vows he won’t vote for a project which panders to international interests (meaning Jews and Freemasons). The Freemasons depicted are members of Grand Orient de France (GOdF) — one of the clandestine groups. They, of course, know how to handle this guy — initiate and indoctrinate him. Avenel is reluctant to join a secret society. “Freemasonry is not a secret society,” the Grand Master tells him, “It is a discrete society.” Avenel’s wife warns him that Freemasonry is “full of social climbers.” He agrees to join anyway. The Masons hesitate to accept him over an objection that he is Catholic, but let it slide because he is “non practicing, but spiritual.”² His initiation begins with the Brothers opening the Lodge at the “grade of novice” on the sign of the “triple clap.” Three times they clap, followed by what for all the world looks like the Nazi salute, shouting, “Liberté... Égalité... Fraternité!” The initiation proceeds with Avenel coming out of a chamber of reflection into the Lodge. The ceremony contains parts that would be familiar to most regular Freemasons today, and other parts which would not — a symbolic trial by fire, for example, and an implication Avenel may be drugged. Immediately upon his initiation, members approach Avenel for favors. The Grand Master gives him the secret handshake (not what US Masons know it to be), “With this signal, all doors are open to you.” “At this point,” the film informs us, “Avenel found himself in a terrible spiral of compromise and Masonic favors, from which he found it difficult to escape.” He moves from shady deal to corrupt alliance, all in the name of brotherhood. An uprising breaks out, forcing the resignation of the government. A newspaper headline tells viewers, “French people die so that Freemasonry can live.” Freemasons remain in the majority in the government, conduct an inquiry and conclude the government that resigned was itself responsible. Completely disillusioned, Avenel wants to demit, “I am fed up with empty brains, petty ambitions and flapping tongues... and these people govern France!”
The Grand Master assures him if he can just hang on a few more years, he can move from the level of Master Mason to the “superior levels.” The GM then reveals a secret he says he shouldn’t: that even he is a pawn in the order; that Masonry is a group of men, moving like a juggernaut, but NO ONE is in charge, “PERSONNE! In Masonry we hide everything from the little people. What is Masonry? Groups of men who are united from the four corners of the earth wrapping the world in a network of unbreakable links... We form a united front for one cause. We spread everywhere. We have control everywhere.” He claims there is more, saying Masonry harbors a “force” to push people toward life... or death. The Grand Master’s impassioned plea and implied threat inspire Avenel to say he’ll think about his decision to resign. The Masons continue plotting world domination and determine war, against those “peace-loving Nazis,” is necessary. They are confident of the support of all Brothers except one... Avenel, who dares to speak out in Lodge against the plan, “Masons are pushing for war so France can be ruled by Masonic laws and the Jews. The French people won’t fight to defend such vapid ideology.” With that, the Grand Master expels Avenel. Later, a mysterious man approaches Avenel saying he has documents detailing incriminating Masonic activity. Two ne’er-do-wells follow the men, grab and stab Avenel. The newspaper reports Avenel, a man who has been suffering from “dérangement,” has been found unconscious. He recuperates in the hospital as France mobilizes for war. Avenel blames himself, thinking he could have prevented the war if he had not fallen into the clutches of the Freemasons. The Masons, meanwhile, meet in Lodge and declare universal Masonry has achieved its goal. The Grand Master closes the Lodge and draws his extended right hand across his neck, “Leave in peace, my Brothers, under the law of silence.” The film closes with a satanic, regalia-clad Mason rising out of a globe with the world in flames. ¹Occult Forces: The mysteries of French Masonry revealed for the first time on screen. ²The GOdF requires no belief in Deity at all, meaning it is now and forever will remain clandestine, barring major changes.
² It’s not name-calling if it’s true. SPRING 2015
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Which Fight
Which Fight Are You Fighting? by Sam L. Land
“A
n old Cherokee told his grandson, ‘My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth.” The boy thought about it and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?” The old man quietly replied, “The one you feed.” (A Cherokee Legend) This old Cherokee Master was indeed wise. He not only had the knowledge from which he spoke but he also had the experience that proved what he was saying was true. He had seen two wolves fighting, most probably over food, and determined the one who was best fed has the advantage in the fight and would most frequently win. He had also been taught by his spiritual leaders that man’s work is to insure the total control over his passions and emotions. The combination of these two activities culminate in the same battle being raged within all men. This old chief had learned his lessons well and was able to complete the final stage of his work; he taught his grandson the same lessons.
things will not bring the personal satisfaction we thought they would. Our lives turn from riotous living with many possessions to the feeling we are all alone in the crowd and we do not understand how or why this happens to us. We are then forced to continue living unfulfilling lives of drudgery just to maintain our place in life. It is at this time in our lives that we begin to ask ourselves if we have made the best choices and what can we do to make things different. We have fed the materialistic wolf and he has led us to this.
If we had invested just a bit of our time at the outset of this journey to make informed decisions on the path of our lives, we might have been led to the choice of using our mental assets to help us make wise and reasonable decisions. We would have then begun to turn our attentions toward our inner selves (conscience, mind and spirit) and decided what would be best for us and our whole Earth, would be to suppress our egos and feed the wolf of altruism. We would still need our egos to keep us moving but we would be moving in a different direction. We would understand that we would This is the fight every Freemason and every only need certain types and certain quantities other person on the surface of this Earth must of material things to sustain our physical lives fight. A study of the duality of good and evil tells and all of our other time and interest would go us we will be involved with both. It does not tell toward improving the lives of our Brothers and us which will be our master. We must decide that Sisters who exist all over the face of the Earth. We for ourselves. would understand we are one with nature and Materialism is the wolf of our exoteric or we must exist in a way that does not destroy our outside life. Spiritualism is the wolf of our source of life. If we feed the wolf of spiritualism esoteric or inside life. Mentalism is the tool we Charcoal by Chinese artist Lin Yang. we will feed ourselves, our planet, and our God may use to change (correct) materialistic control all at the same time. into spiritualistic control. If we use the tools God gave us, if we put in How will we feed our God? We will feed Him by providing Him the effort to evaluate ourselves, if we can decide upon the changes we pleasure. Our God has no need of anything material that we could give wish to make, and if we can make those changes take charge of our lives, Him. When He created us, He provided us with the gift of “the desire to then we will have chosen to make spiritualism the master of our lives. receive” because He wished to provide us with everything pleasing that On the other hand, if we put off making this decision or if we make the He can. He loves us very much. What can we give him in return? God decision to feed our egos by chasing after material things that will not needs nothing material. We can give Him one thing that we have to provide the pleasure and satisfaction we desire, then we will have made give; we can receive the things He gives us, not to satisfy our own selfish our egos the masters of our lives. egos, but we can receive what He gives us just to give Him pleasure and It is so very easy for us to let our egos take charge. All we have to do to aid and assist our Brothers and Sisters. This will fill Him with delight to make this happen is to do nothing. We are naturally born egoistic and it will bring us closer to unity with Him. people and need egoism to keep us moving about our duties from day Why is this the best path? Because it is the path that allows us to to day. We do all the things we do in our lives for personal benefit and receive all the pleasures God intends for us and does it in a way which satisfaction. Every choice we make will be preceded by the thought brings joy to God and our Brothers and Sisters. We must be conscious “Will this be good for me?” Even if our choice is to do something good at every decision of the manner in which we choose; is it to feed the for someone else, it will be done for the benefit it brings us: notoriety, wolf of our egos or is it to feed the wolf of Brotherly Love and aid our power, money, one-upsmanship, or something else. We always choose fellow man. As we learn to feed the wolf that is best for us, we gain the to select or do what we believe is best for us. In the beginning this satisfaction and peace we desire. choice seems very good and we begin to have things we have never had before; friends, jobs, relationships, wealth and power. In the longer Which wolf are you feeding and which wolf will you make your term, we will become discouraged with our lives as all these material master? 42
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T h e Ti e T h a t B i n d s
The Tie That Binds by Charles Ortiz, Jr., Whitewater Lodge #417
T
he word “cable-tow” is a symbolic word known to most Masons. There are many theories and speculations about its etymology and meaning but its origins are lost in antiquity. The cable-tow at first glance refers to a tow rope or mooring line; but as Freemasons, we are taught that it is more likely to have a deeper meaning. According to the book Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike, the origin is from the Hebrew term Khabel-to. Khabel does mean “a rope,” but the verb derived from the noun khabel means “to bind someone by a pledge,” and khabel-to means “to bind someone by his pledge.” Masonry is a pocket of imagery. The Lodge as a whole is sewn together with bonds of Brotherly Love interlaced with symbolism and unveiled to those who seek truth and have eyes and hearts ready to receive it. The first symbolic trinity a candidate comes in contact with is the cable-tow. After the candidate receives his degrees the cable-tow is often not mentioned again. Let us look at the construction of the physical cable-tow. It is made up of three strands of rope woven together to form a cable. To speculative Masons, the three strands stand for more than a guide to conduct a candidate around the Lodge; they refer to the three stages of Freemasons: youth, manhood and age. They also refer to the three tenets: Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. The supports of a Lodge are also three: Wisdom, Strength and Beauty. A cable-tow is made up of two ends. In Freemasonry, the ends can never really be identified as a beginning or end because there is a fluid state of exchange between the Mason and the Lodge. There are two more symbolic cable-tows that are forgotten or not mentioned. When a candidate makes his obligation he not only makes one with the Lodge but also one with the Supreme Architect of the Universe. Likewise, the Lodge also makes one with the candidate and the Giver of all good gifts and graces at that same time, thus forming a trinity or a three-fold bond. Throughout the teachings of Freemasonry there are many references to trinities — one being the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses. Some of these trinities, like the candidate’s and Lodge’s obligation, are displayed through geometry in triangular fashion and are present in the following: the three lesser lights (which are represented by three burning tapers), the three officers of a Lodge of Master Masons and the Lights of a Lodge. Other trinities not represented in a geometric pattern are: the three signs in Freemasonry; the three principles: Faith, Hope, and Charity; the three immovable Jewels: the Square, Level, and Plumb; and the three movable Jewels: the Rough Ashlar, Perfect Ashlar, and the Trestle-Board. The importance of the cable-tow is far more reaching than just a rope to guide a candidate. It is the first contact of symbolism that he is introduced to and will remain with him, the Lodge and God,
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until he returns to that spiritual building not made with hands. As the times change, so should a Lodge’s understanding of the cabletow. The cable-tow is a bond that should only be judged by the brother who made the bond and God. According to the Masonic Dictionary maintained by masonicworld.com, in the early years (1700’s to the mid 1900’s) the length of the cable-tow was symbolically measured to be 3 miles, because the Lodge played an important part in the local community. Today, the length of one Brother’s cable-tow could be close to the Lodge and surrounding area while another’s cabletow length could be hundreds of miles away. There could be many reasons why a Brother’s cable-tow is hundreds of miles apart from the Lodge. Some Brothers choose to belong to a specific Lodge because there is a family connection, while others might choose a Lodge because that Lodge is involved with an activity of interest to them. The length of one’s cable-tow is made by one’s own moral, physical and financial abilities; each will judge his own cable-tow by his own acts of Brotherly Love and Relief. Keep in mind that, likewise, the Lodge’s cable-tow to a Brother is made by its moral, physical, and financial abilities. Remember, a Brother who feels the burdens of his responsibilities bear heavily on him does not need undue pressure from the Lodge or his Brothers to “be a good Mason” by participating in degrees or attending meetings. This could cause his cable-tow to snap and dim the light of Freemasonry everywhere. The Lodge is only as strong as the ropes that form the cable-tow. That strength is from the numerous trinities that form the ropes. The future of the lodge will be determined by the strength and flexibility of its cable-tow and the strength of a Lodge’s cable-tow is only apparent when it is put to use. References: 1. S. Shapiro MD, Grand Lodge Education Officer of MN, T.F.S. 2. A. Pike, Morals and Dogma 3. A. G. Mackey, An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry 4. Unknown, “The Cable Tow,” [Online] Available: http://bit.ly/1HDyxwc [Accessed 13th October 2014]. 5. M. Lee, 32°, “Conundrum of the Cable Tow”, Scottish Rite Journal, Vol. 122, No. 5, Sept/Oct 2014 6. 1Kings 20:31-32, King James Version. [Online] Available: http://bit.ly/1zscbXP [Accessed 16th October 2014] THE MISSOURI FREEMASON
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The Cement That Unites Cement that unites, continued from page 34…
“not” was accidentally entered in the report just before “recommend.” The dispensation was approved in May of 1863, and a special meeting was held in June of 1863 to determine the date of the first Regularly Stated Communication of Saint Francois Lodge, UD. It is hard enough to begin a new Lodge under normal circumstances, but when this Lodge applied for dispensation the United States was in the second year of a Civil War with no end of hostilities in sight. Additionally, Missouri was a border state that had areas under intermittent martial law. Yet, these optimistic men persevered and convened their first Regularly Stated Communication on July 4, 1863. They purposely chose this date in June of that year, not knowing this would be the day after the Battle of Gettysburg and the day Vicksburg fell to General Grant. Saint Francois Lodge, UD, made application for a charter in 1864, but the application was held in committee without approval. It seems that the application reported Lodge members were very busy in the previous year with 7 Entered Apprentice Degrees in one meeting and 6 Entered Apprentice Degrees in another meeting; and for the year they reported 29 Entered Apprentices, 26 Fellow Crafts, and 22 Master Masons. The committee was suspicious that this unusually high volume of degree work might be of ritual of shoddy quality as they were already apprehensive of such low-quality work occurring throughout the jurisdiction. The ritualists involved assured the Grand Lodge that the work was good quality and some demonstrations were arranged for the benefit of the committee. The committee was satisfied and recommended a charter with the assurance from the members of St. Francois Lodge #234 that they would “go slower” in the future. Though the Lodge minutes are intact, it is unclear exactly where the Lodge met in those first few years. The tireless efforts of the first Worshipful Master, Eli McFarland, allowed members to build a Lodge building in 1866, which was specifically designed for a Masonic Lodge, and it has been continuously occupied to this day. The hall was completed and furnished with forty chairs and a Masonic carpet that is still present in the Lodge. The Lodge has survived by holding to a commitment to its past and encouraging vision for change for its future. This is evident in the fact that it first met 44
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as a Daylight Lodge regulated by the moon, but today it meets in the evening of the first Tuesday of every month and is well known for its annual Lamplight Lodge meeting using the light of antique oil lamps. The Lodge minutes reveal the Lodge Hall was dedicated in 1866, by no less a personage than the Grand Master of AF&AM of the State of Missouri, MWB John D. Vincil. He was twice elected Grand Master (1866-67 and 1868-69), was the first Grand Patron of the Order of the Eastern Star in Missouri (1875), was selected as the Most Worthy Grand Patron when the General Grand Chapter of the U.S.A. was organized (1876) and served 27 years as Grand Secretary. MWB Vincil worked tirelessly to gain financial support for the Masonic Home of Missouri and served as a member of its first Board of Directors. It is for him that the Most Worshipful John D. Vincil Master Builder Society is named, which recognizes Masonic Lodges and OES Chapters for their financial support of the Masonic Home of Missouri. The first Worshipful Master of St. Francois Lodge #234 was related to the Kinkead family. Later, Gladden Kinkead married Frances Dallum Ashburn, a direct descendant of Aquila Paca. Gladden was the Worshipful Master of this Lodge in 1926, and his sons P. Vincent (b.1921) and Robert (b.1923) also served this Lodge in the same capacity, with P. Vincent in 1961 and 1964, and Robert in 1971. PGM P. Vincent has three sons — all Masons. David served as Worshipful Master of Saint Francois Lodge #234, Nicholas served as State Master Councilor of DeMolay and Willard E. Wood served as Worshipful Master of Hickory Hill Lodge #211. In 1964, then WB P. Vincent served as Master of this Lodge for a second time when its members gathered for the Centennial Celebration of the Lodge charter. It was MWB Kinkead’s hope that he would be able to attend the Lodge 50-years later for the Sesquicentennial of 2014. He was proud of the men of this Lodge and the work of the Craft, and he particularly wanted to share a very personal part of this story with them. Though still remembered by some in the Lodge, time has steadily reduced the count of those that knew RWB Robert N. Kinkead, who had passed away on June 24, 1975. It is to the memory of his brother’s contributions to the Craft that MWB Kinkead wished to address the
Lodge. By all accounts, Robert was a remarkable Mason who held four ritual cards. He served as DDGL of the 48th District in 1974, at the same time as P. Vincent was in his second year as the DDGM of the 48th District. MWB Kinkead was certain that he and his brother were the first brothers in Missouri to serve in the same district as DDGM and DDGL at the same time, and that the Fraternity had lost a wonderful Brother when Robert died before completing his first year as a DDGL. It was important to MWB P. Vincent Kinkead that the memory of RWB Robert N. Kinkead was more than a footnote in the history of the Lodge, and that the story of Vincent and Robert as two-fold brothers was told. They had shared their lives together within the Lodge and their lives together outside the Lodge, and a symbol of what united their lives is within the Victorian curio cabinet of the home of P. Vincent Kinkead. On a shelf in the curio cabinet are two small cereal bowls with two small milk pitchers. They are a shade of pale yellow with a green band. One is decorated by bright yellow chicks and the other is decorated by light brown bunnies. The chicks were for Robert and the bunnies were for P. Vincent, from a time when two little boys shared not only breakfast together but also their dreams of the world that stood before them. It is the brotherly love and affection shared between Robert and P. Vincent that reminds us of that cement of brotherly love and affection that unites us. The Masonic trowel spreads this cement within tempered mortar to unite us together in the depths of commitment as illustrated by this story of service. MWB P. Vincent Kinkead was called from labor to rest on April 2, 2014. Saint Francois Lodge #234 remembered both brothers during a gathering to mark its 150th Anniversary on May 3, 2014. (The author thanks RWB David Brown for his editing skills and to bring attention to an assertion made by the members of Saint Francois Lodge #234 as to their Lodge hall. From their documentation, they feel that they have standing in their claim that they are meeting in the oldest, purpose built, continuously occupied Lodge hall in Missouri. This might be an excellent assertion for Lodge historians to write an article). SPRING 2015
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HAPPY 2015 TO ALL MISSOURI MASONS.
T
his marks the halfway mark of my term as Missouri’s Grand Worthy Advisor. While I haven’t yet been to EVERY corner of Missouri, I’ve certainly been close. In September, many Grand Officers came out to support the girls of District 2 at Leadership Assembly in Centralia. In October, I was welcomed at Pulaski County’s Assembly for District 5’s Reception and in November, I was off to St. Charles Assembly where District 1 is always so gracious in welcoming the Grand Worthy Advisor and her officers. I enjoyed our State Dean’s Reception at Pulaski County in November, too. A beautiful day to travel with a very welldone program. The room was full and I was happy to reacquaint with my Rainbow Sisters and even made some new friends. As many of you know, I have spoken at Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter. There aren’t enough words of thanks for me to say — so many people were just so friendly and outgoing. They took care of my Mom and me getting situated or directed while making us comfortable. It may be a simple “thank you” — but it is coming from my heart with much, much love. In addition to school and working and traveling, my home Assembly remains very important to me. I was so very excited to be on hand when North Kansas City Assembly was finally able to move into its new Lodge. Oh my goodness. I know many hands were called upon to rehab that old church and it is wonderful to have meetings again in an Assembly Room. If you are reading this and helped, thank you! Missouri Rainbow’s Mother Advisors are frantically working on their yearend reports and, once the numbers are tallied, we’ll have an idea of how we are progressing. So many areas, though, need some help. They need Masons, their wives, Eastern Star members… they need Amaranth, White Shrine and, well, YOU.
SPRING 2015
Do you know a Majority Rainbow Girl that has about 2 hours or so twice a month to volunteer? Do YOU have those 2 hours about twice or so a month to volunteer? Every one of our Missouri Assemblies could use a helping hand in 2015. While every Masonic group welcomes new members… we are also looking for some good workers — people that will provide chaperoning, chauffeuring or shopping for an event. People that will simply come sit on the sidelines at a meeting or other event. Please check our always-being-updated Missouri Rainbow website at www.moiorg. org and cruise the list of Mother Advisors. Contact any of the ones near you and offer some assistance. Time… not necessarily money… is what we are looking for. Again, just a couple of hours a couple times a month. Please? You may have also been made aware that Missouri Rainbow is experiencing a transition time. Three Majority Members have banded together to lead Missouri Rainbow to a Pot of Gold… we are embracing possibilities and are open to ideas — we might not implement all of them (right away)… but we’d sure like to hear them. Please contact Dorleta Lodholz at mjl16dol@charter.net or 314-822-8463.
Shelby Baker is seeing a whole lot of Missouri on her travels as Grand Worthy Advisor.
what the girls are sharing there. A year of hope, 2015, awaits us. It may bring some sadness… but also joy. It may be the time to start every day by thinking “success” — and to see what happens. Let’s complain less and listen more. Let’s take the time to talk on imaginary phones children hand to us and take the time to grab a glass of tea and visit IN PERSON more with our family and friends (leaving technology behind for awhile). Let there be learning… much, much learning in 2015! Shelby Baker, Grand Worthy Advisor International Order of Rainbow for Girls State of Missouri
Finally, our State Service Project, collecting school supplies for Missouri schools, continues to grow. Missouri Rainbow IS on Facebook (it’s a closed group) and there have been many pictures posted showing these supplies… as well as Installations, Halloween parties, Christmas caroling, slumber(less?) parties, super hero parties, Initiations, On November 10, 2014, at Grand River Lodge #276, RWB Richard A. Riepe presented Stanley Gunnel his 50-year inspiration and more. jewel and certificate from the Grand Lodge of Missouri. Feel free to ask to join. I’m always smiling at THE MISSOURI FREEMASON
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Job’s Daughters A NEW YEAR FOR MISSOURI JOB’S DAUGHTERS
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hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season and a great start to your new year. The new year always brings a lot of excitement for Daughters all over the state. December and January are full of installations allowing girls to gain experience in a new station. Mom Judy Royce (Grand Guardian), Dad Jim Kelly (Associate Grand Guardian) and I have been continuing our Official Visits throughout the state. These visits allow us to see how each Bethel is progressing through its term. It is also a great time for the girls to interact with their leaders for the year. Everything we do is always for the girls of this amazing Order. November was a very busy month for Missouri Job’s Daughters. The month began with my Grand Bethel Retreat. This weekend was hosted at Camp MoVal and allowed my Grand Bethel Officers and Representatives to attend workshops focusing on team building, social media, leadership and more. We capped the weekend off with a Halloween party and the girls had a great time. I had the honor of bringing greetings at the Missouri DeMolay State Officers Installation. Congratulations to Quentin Cockerham and his corps of officers. I wish them all the best on their term. Missouri hosted a reception for our very own Caitlin Washington celebrating her year as the Miss International Job’s Daughter. Jobies from all over the country, and even Canada, joined us at Bethel #43 in Fenton as we honored an amazing young woman and all of her accomplishments. The Saturday after Thanksgiving always marks the Thanksgiving Ball, which is hosted by the Kansas City Job’s Daughter Line Officers Club. Two girls from each of the Kansas City area Bethels competed for the titles of Thanksgiving Ball Jr. or Sr. Princess or Queen. Congratulations to Lilly Flanery (Queen), Megan Kemery (Sr. Princess), and Erika Sandridge (Jr. Princess). In the last issue I told you that I would introduce you to the new Miss Missouri Trio. It is now my pleasure to introduce them: Erin Howard, Miss Missouri and Miss Missouri Congeniality; Brittany Hall, Junior Miss Missouri; and Tara Jolley, Miss Missouri Congeniality. Mom Judy, Dad Jim and I are so happy to welcome them into our Grand family. All of the girls who competed that day did an amazing job and I am proud of all of them. The Miss Missouri trio are amazing role models for the
On November 29, 2014, RWB Tim Thomas (center), Senior Grand Deacon, presented a 60-year pin to Willard Tilden (right) and a 65-year pin to Nelson Holt (left). RWB Thomas conducted the ceremony at the Crane Assisted Living facility on behalf of Galena Lodge #515.
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A Halloween party was the highlight of the Job’s Daughters Grand Bethel Retreat.
girls of Missouri Job’s Daughters, and they will be traveling around the state helping Bethels whenever they can. One of my favorite events for Missouri Job’s Daughters takes place every March. The Grand Bethel Honored Queen has the privilege of planning a weekend we refer to as Mini Session. It is my job to pick the city, the hotel, the theme, and plan all activities. I personally work with the hotel to draw up a contract in order to make my Mini Session as successful as I possibly can. This is a time for the girls to come together, relax and enjoy seeing their Jobie sisters they do not usually get to see. I will be pleased to tell you more about this wonderful event in the next edition. Another of my favorite events takes place in April and is a time where all three of your Masonic Youth Groups can join together for an evening of fun and fellowship. The State Officer’s Reception is a great opportunity for Missouri’s Rainbow, DeMolay and Job’s Daughters to reconnect. Shelby, Quentin and I have all become close since we have been leading our respective organizations and I know we would love to see our members having a good time and getting to know each other better. I would also like to extend an invitation to the reception honoring my year as Grand Bethel Honored Queen on April 11, the same day as the State Officer’s Reception. It will take place that afternoon and Bethel #33 (my home Bethel, located at Alpha Lodge in North Kansas City) is hard at work planning for the event. For more information please do not hesitate to contact me; I would love to see all of you there. As always, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support of the youth groups. For everything you do for us, please let us know what we can do in return. The Grand Bethel, and Missouri Job’s Daughters as a whole, is always here to assist you in anything you may need. Please feel free to email me at MissouriGBHQ@ gmail.com or visit www.mojdi.org if you need anything or have any questions. Sincerely, Kaarin Hoogstraten, PHQ Grand Bethel Honored Queen 2014-2015 SPRING 2015
Missouri DeMolay DEMOLAY – HAND IN HAND WITH FREEMASONRY by Quentin James Cockerham, State Master Councilor, Missouri DeMolay
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issouri DeMolay is most humble to be the largest jurisdiction in the world when it comes to membership. We are continuing to grow and are proud to be an integral part of the Masonic Family — being recognized and sponsored by Lodges throughout Missouri. DeMolay was built on the lessons, which Freemasonry teaches. Our officers share similar titles and responsibilities that Lodge officers hold and we are honored by the tradition of following in the footsteps of so many great men, not only influential towards Freemasonry, but also transformed into better men because of Freemasonry.
Missouri Grand Master Dave Haywood congratulates Quentin Cockerham on becoming State Master Councilor of Missouri DeMolay.
We strive to build character as young men so that we may be better men when the greater duties of citizenship become ours — especially so when a high percentage of Active DeMolay members become Master Masons.
On January 11, State Master Councilor Ryan Cockerham led a ceremony at the St. Joseph Scottish Rite, initiating 96 new members into the order.
This year, as the youth leader of Missouri DeMolay, I have plans to bring together our Masonic Youth and become an even closer family with lessons learned and friendships made stronger through the goodness of Freemasonry. Throughout the coming months, we will be hosting conferences, which will transcend the basic lessons of how to run and better our Chapters, Bethels and Assemblies in the most pristine manner.
Worshipful brother Efton Pritchard (center) received his 50-year pin on November 20 at Galena Lodge #515. RWB Tim Thomas (right), Senior Grand Deacon, conducted the ceremony. Also pictured is RWB Bob Alexander past DDGL of the 43rd district (left).
Clarence Lawson received his 50-year pin in Liberty Lodge #31 on December 8. His wife Gladys presented the pin with DDGL Gregory Golden conducting the ceremony.
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The Masonic Home of Missouri CORPORATE OFFICES:
6033 Masonic Drive, Suite A • Columbia, Missouri 65202 1-800-434-9804 • 573-814-4663 • 573-814-4660 (fax) • www.mohome.org
WELCOMING A NEW FACE
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he Masonic Home of Missouri would like to welcome Jackie Walters as its new Major Gifts Officer. Jackie began her duties with the Home on October 20, 2014 and has been busy traveling throughout the State, meeting members of the Masonic Fraternity and learning about the organization. With over 30 years’ experience in the banking industry and colleges, Jackie prides herself on establishing relationships with people. “I enjoy meeting people and helping them with their needs.” Jackie states, “I try to put myself in their shoes and see where that takes me with decision-making.” Jackie was raised in the Tipton, Missouri area. “I guess I got my work ethic from my family. As the youngest of 10 children, my parents were always working to provide for us”, Jackie relates, “I’ve also enjoyed some great mentors along my business career that have pushed me to see outside the box and strive to do the best that I can. I’ve tried to instill those same ethics in my own sons.”
“My decision to come to work for the Home was based on my conversations with others who knew the charity and knowing that it fit with what my ‘helping others’ beliefs were. I have found that the Masonic Home is a really positive team approach atmosphere and the Masons I have been able to meet so far have been so welcoming.” Walters says, before continuing. “I just see a lot of good men doing great things and that is a wonderful base for a charitable organization to have.” Jackie is married to Jim Walters and together they have raised three sons in the Boonville, Missouri area, where they operate a farming/cattle business. Jackie’s favorite food is “beef...because we raise cattle” and she laughingly says, “my favorite vacation spot is anywhere on a beach in warm weather.” Jackie continues, “We spend a lot of time at the Lake of the Ozarks during the summer with our friends and family.” When asked what one of her secret talents was, Jackie laughed and said “Well, I know what a secret talent isn’t! My
husband and sons all are talented musicians. I guess, I just didn’t get that musician gene.” Please welcome Jackie to our Masonic Home of Missouri family. If you are interested in being contacted or discussing ways to remember the Masonic Home of Missouri in your estate planning or making a major gift towards the growth of the charity, please contact Jackie at jwalters@mohome.org or by calling (800) 434-9804.
WHEN SOMEONE IS IN NEED
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he Masonic Home of Missouri provides charitable assistance to eligible Master Masons, their wives, widows, female members of the Order of the Eastern Star and children throughout the State of Missouri. If you know of someone in need, there are several ways to refer them to the Home:
• Download, print and mail the application, which is available at the website or by request by calling the Masonic Home.
• Talk to your Masonic Home Representative in your Lodge or Chapter to be referred.
• By Email to rlightfoot@mohome.org
• Fill out an online referral card for yourself or someone else in need. This can be located at www.mohome.org or is available by request.
• Fill out our on-line application at www.mohome.org
After staff receives the referral and makes contact with the person being referred
• By calling us at 1-800-434-9804 (Toll free) and ask to speak to a Financial Outreach Caseworker.
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(usually within 2 working days), the staff will gather pertinent information from the referred individual and make an appointment to speak to them in person if appropriate. All referrals are confidential and although Staff cannot provide additional information to the person making the referral, we can notify them that we have made contact with the person in need. More information on the Masonic Home of Missouri’s Outreach Programs is available on our website at www.mohome.org and through our Missouri Outreach magazine.
SPRING 2015
The Masonic Home of Missouri CORPORATE OFFICES:
6033 Masonic Drive, Suite A • Columbia, Missouri 65202 1-800-434-9804 • 573-814-4663 • 573-814-4660 (fax) • www.mohome.org
VINCIL SOCIETY PROGRAM INFORMATION What is the MWB John D. Vincil Master Builder Society? The MWB John D. Vincil Master Builder Society (Vincil Society) is a recognition program, similar in nature to the Truman Club, which recognizes qualifying Lodges, Chapters and other organizations based on their cumulative giving to the Masonic Home of Missouri since January 1, 2014.
Who was John D. Vincil? Rev. John D. Vincil served two terms as Grand Master in 1866 and 1868, and later served as Grand Secretary for 27 years. It was during his tenure as Grand Secretary that he actively participated in the creation of the Masonic Home of Missouri, serving on the original Board of Directors. He was also an integral part of the formation of the Order of the Eastern Star in Missouri in 1875, serving as the first Worthy Grand Patron. When the General Grand Chapter of the United States was organized in 1876, he was selected to serve as the first Most Worthy Grand Patron. An orphan himself, Rev. Vincil was very passionate about the need for and the creation of the Masonic Home of Missouri. In1889, he made a call for support to Lodges for the dedication of the Masonic Home. At that time, Masonic Lodges across Missouri came together to raise $7,500; a staggering sum of money at that time! Since then, Missouri Lodges and Order of the Eastern Star Chapters have continued to financially support the work of the Masonic Home of Missouri.
Who is eligible to participate in this recognition society? The Vincil Society was created to recognize organizations, rather than individual donors. It is open to all Lodges, Chapters and other organizations.
How does my Lodge/Chapter join? There is no application required. Your organization will be notified and you will be invited to join once your cumulative giving has reached a qualifying amount. If your Lodge participated in the John C. Ralls Society in support of the 125th Anniversary of the Masonic Home, your Lodge is a charter member of the Vincil Society. Regardless of participation in the Ralls Society, all qualifying donations made to the Home during 2014 will go toward your organization’s cumulative giving total.
We already give to the Home through Penny-A-Day, what else do we need to do? We appreciate your support! Your Penny-A-Day donations are included in your cumulative giving. SPRING 2015
What Gifts Count Toward Our Cumulative Giving? The following donations made by the organization to the Masonic Home of Missouri will be included when calculating cumulative giving. These gifts include, but may not be limited to, the following:
• Penny-A-Day (PAD) — a program in which participating Lodge members contribute one penny per day or $3.65 per year to the Masonic Home of Missouri. These funds are collected by the Lodge with the member’s annual dues and a check for the total collected for PAD is mailed to the Masonic Home.
• Memorial and Honorary Gifts — these gifts are often made by a Lodge, Chapter or other organization in memory of departed Brethren, widows or in honor of a specific person or event. Donors are asked to submit a note with their gift indicating the name and address of the next of kin or individual they would like to be notified of their gift. For example, a Lodge may choose to make a donation to the Home in honor of a Past Master. If the Lodge would like the Past Master to be notified, his address should be included with the gift.
• Square & Compass Courtyard Paver Stones — individuals, Lodges and Chapters can purchase a granite paver stone that is custom engraved with the message of their choice. This stone is placed in the Square & Compass Courtyard located behind the Masonic Complex in Columbia, Missouri. This is an excellent way to honor a member, memorialize a loved one or simply leave a lasting impression at the Masonic Complex.
• Event Sponsorship — a gift made in response to an appeal for event sponsorship, such as a hole sponsorship at the Golf Tournament or in-kind donation for a charity auction. Vincil Society, continued on page 50… THE MISSOURI FREEMASON
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The Masonic Home of Missouri CORPORATE OFFICES:
6033 Masonic Drive, Suite A • Columbia, Missouri 65202 1-800-434-9804 • 573-814-4663 • 573-814-4660 (fax) • www.mohome.org
Vincil Society, continued from page 49…
• General Contribution — other gifts sent in response to a specific appeal from the Home (e.g., John C. Ralls Society during the 125th Celebration) or an unsolicited contribution given at the discretion of the donor. For example, if a Chapter holds a trivia night to raise money for the Outreach Programs, this unsolicited gift would be considered a general contribution.
The following do not qualify when calculating the cumulative giving for an organization: Creating-A-Partnership (CAP), Partnering to Honor (PTH), Per Capita, event tickets or registration fees, purchase of items such as the 125th Anniversary Coins and gifts to other Masonic Charities.
What does cumulative giving mean? Cumulative giving is a total of all qualifying, monetary gifts made beginning on a certain date. For the Vincil Society, cumulative giving calculates all qualifying gifts made after January 1, 2014.
How do we know if we have reached a new level? New Vincil Society members or those who have achieved a new level during the year will be notified in late summer so they can make plans to attend the fall recognition event.
RECOGNITION Annually in the fall, the Home will recognize new members and those who have achieved a new society level within the current year. Recognition will be given as follows: • Certificate of Appreciation Supporter Level • Name listed on the Vincil Society donor roll located at the Masonic Complex
Bronze Level
• Perpetual Plaque to Display within your organization indicating the society level and year achieved • Name listed on the Vincil Society donor roll located at the Masonic Complex
Silver Level
• Tag for perpetual plaque indicating society level and year achieved • Name listed on the Vincil Society donor roll located at the Masonic Complex
Gold Level
• Tag for perpetual plaque indicating society level and year achieved • Name listed on the Vincil Society donor roll located at the Masonic Complex
Platinum Level
• Tag for perpetual plaque indicating society level and year achieved • Name listed on the Vincil Society donor roll located at the Masonic Complex • One (1) 18x18 stone in the Square & Compass Courtyard
Where do we send our gifts? Please make checks payable to the Masonic Home of Missouri and include any applicable paperwork (e.g., golf sponsorship form). Please mail donations to: Masonic Home of Missouri, 6033 Masonic Drive Suite A, Columbia, MO 65202. Is there a deadline for receipt of gifts? Gifts can be mailed to the Home any time during the year; however, gifts must be received by August 31 to be recognized in that year.
GIVING LEVELS Giving levels are based on an organization’s cumulative, qualifying donations made to the Masonic Home of Missouri beginning January 1, 2014. The Vincil Society giving levels are as follows:
Levels
Cumulative Amount
Supporter
$500 - $4,999
Bronze
$5,000 - $9,999
Silver
$10,000 - $24,999
Gold
$25,000 - $49,999
Platinum
More than $50,000
Gifts received by August 31st will be included for recognition purposes. 50
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How can I track my Lodge/Chapter’s giving? At the beginning of each calendar year, society members who contributed to the Home in the previous year will receive a statement indicating their total giving for the previous calendar year, as well as their total cumulative gifts to the Home since January 1, 2014. This will assist your organization in tracking your progress. For more information regarding the Vincil Society, please contact Julie Kirchhoff at (800) 434-9804 or visit the website at www.mohome.org. SPRING 2015
The Masonic Home of Missouri CORPORATE OFFICES:
6033 Masonic Drive, Suite A • Columbia, Missouri 65202 1-800-434-9804 • 573-814-4663 • 573-814-4660 (fax) • www.mohome.org
INTRODUCING THE ARMED FORCES PROGRAM
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he Masonic Home of Missouri is excited to announce its Ninth Outreach Program, the Armed Forces Program. Through this program, the Masonic Home of Missouri will honor Masonic Veterans and all current Armed Forces Service Members. The first component of the Armed Forces Program will be to collect information from our current Masonic Fraternity membership to create a database. This database will allow us to send birthday cards, Veterans Day cards and special service acknowledgement cards throughout the year. We will be mailing special Masonic Home of Missouri Masonic Veterans lapel pins to everyone in the database that the Veterans can proudly wear in honor of their service. If you are a Missouri Mason or Order of the Eastern Star member that is either a Veteran or are currently serving in the military, please contact Chantana Irvin at cirvin@mohome.org or (800) 434-9804 or notify your Lodge’s Masonic Home Representative with the following information: Name Mailing Address Date of Birth Branch of Service Years of Service We will begin mailing out the recognition pins after the first of the year.
Brother Ralph Duncan of Iberia Lodge #410 received his 50-year pin and certificate from the Grand Lodge of Missouri on November 22, 2014. Worshipful Brother Bud Devore made the presentation at Miller County Care and Rehabilitation Center. From left to right are WB Bud Devore, WB Bill Prather, SD Steve Deardeuff, WB Paul Herd. Brother Ralph Duncan is seated.
SPRING 2015
The second component of the Armed Forces Program is called Partnering to Honor. It will be a matching funds program between the Masonic Home and local Lodges and Chapters, similiar to the Creating-A-Partnership (CAP) Program. At this time, the Masonic Home of Missouri is offering matching funds to Lodges or Chapters to send a Veteran and/or traveling companion on the Honor Flight or for current military personnel to receive care packages. Matching The design of the Masonic funds are available up to $10,000 Home of Missouri’s Masonic per fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). Veterans lapel pin. The application is available through download on the website at www.mohome.org or mailed upon request. The Masonic Home of Missouri is pleased to introduce this new Outreach Program that will honor all Veterans and current Armed Forces Service Members.
On October 27, 2014, Higginsville Lodge #364 celebrated RWB Jack Padley’s 50 years of loyal Masonic Service. WB Bernie Miller and others donated dinner, which attendees enjoyed prior to the ceremony. RWB Stan Massey, presided over the ceremony, with RWB Roy Scarborough, Chaplain, and Jack’s son Jeff Padley, Senior Deacon and his wife Norma presenting the pin. At the completion of Jack’s ceremony, Jack presented his son Jeff with his 25-year certificate. He also acknowledged Bradley, his grandson, as the newest member of Higginsville Lodge. As a tribute to Jack, several attendees donated 25 sacks full of canned and boxed goods to the Higginsville Food Pantry, one of Jack’s many charities.
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The Masonic Home of Missouri CORPORATE OFFICES:
6033 Masonic Drive, Suite A • Columbia, Missouri 65202 1-800-434-9804 • 573-814-4663 • 573-814-4660 (fax) • www.mohome.org
PENNY-A-DAY UPDATES
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ovember 14, 2014 Brethren:
Many but not all of you are familiar with our “Penny-ADay” program that asks a brother for a mere $3.65 a year to be used to support our efforts at the Masonic Home. This program was started in 1974 and allows us to “pool our pennies” to support our needy brothers, their widows and families. It is easy to think that pennies, nickels and dimes cannot do much, but that is not true. MWB William J. Hill brought renewed attention to this program in 1982 indicating that there were 220 Lodges that had donated $69,839.97 and the average contribution per person contributing was actually $10.51, rather than just $3.65. In the 1990s, roughly 300 Lodges participated each year and raised funds in excess of $100,000.00 for several of those years. Unfortunately, in the last 15 years there has been a significant and steady decline in participation in the Penny-A-Day program with just under $22,000 received in 2013. We would like to reverse that decline, but first we want to thank you for your previous
support and then ask you to help revive the Penny-A-Day program as part of your continued support. The Penny-A-Day donations from your Lodge will now be part of the new MWB John D. Vincil Society, which is a Lodge recognition program designed as a way to thank your Lodge for the various ways you financially support the Masonic Home. We will be sending you updated information and materials on this new program in the next few months. Please encourage your fellow Lodge brothers to continue to support the Penny-A-Day program and help spread the word on how this important program can help the Masonic Home continue to assist our Brothers, Sisters, widows and children — working together even our pennies can make a big difference.
Dave W. Haywood Grand Master
Brent Stewart Masonic Home of Missouri President
Packets will be mailed to Lodge Secretaries at the end of December, along with directions for the revamped Penny-A-Day Program. If you have questions about the program, please contact Julie Kirchhoff, Annual Giving Officer, at (800) 434-9804 or by email jkirchhoff@mohome.org.
On September 23, 2014, at George Washington Lodge #9, District 27 DDGM Steven J. Kracht, presented Brother John C. Moll with his 50-year pin and certificate from the Grand Lodge of Missouri.
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On November 11, 2014, Osage Lodge #303 presented Worshipful Brother Wallace Sloan his 50-year pin and certificate from the Grand Lodge of Missouri. His wife, Maxine, attached his pin while Lawrence Cripps looked on.
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M i s s o u r i Fre e m a s o n
DID YOU KNOW...
B
rother George Washington was fascinated with the tools used in espionage; understandable... the man had a revolution to win. Invisible ink was one of Brother Washington’s favorite tools, but it was fairly ineffective. Invisible ink of the day was made of a concoction largely comprised of lemon juice. The British were well aware of that type of invisible ink and knew all that had to be done to expose the writing was to subject it to heat. The process of heating the paper made it brittle and not many of the secret documents created that way survive today. Realizing the fallibility of the lemon-based ink, Washington eventually used a special chemical ink which James Jay (Brother of first US Chief Justice John Jay) had developed. Jay’s ink was invisible until revealed by a second chemical agent, and was far more effective. This particular formula, known as “sympathetic stain,” consisted of
ferrous oxide (FeO) granules dissolved in water. A solution of sodium carbonate (baking soda) and water applied to the ink made it visible. Surprisingly, one surviving specimen Washington wrote is a note to his dentist! In it, the General complains of a rough spot on his infamous dentures and requests the dentist send him one of his cleaning tools. It might seem ridiculous at first that Washington would be so careful as to write such an innocuous letter to his dentist in invisible ink, but Washington knew if the letter fell into the wrong hands it would provide British intelligence with the name of a pro-American dentist, as well as Washington’s location in the return address. The British, in fact, did intercept the letter and the fact Washington took the precaution to write it in invisible ink may have saved his dentist’s life.
THE GRAND LODGE MENTORING PROGRAM IS IN THE JANUARY PACKET! Use it for educational mentoring of your new members.
Swope Park Lodge #617 WM Jeff Engle not only hosted the Past Masters’ Dinner at Swope Park Lodge, but was also the chef, providing a dinner for the Past Masters and their wives a social hour followed the October gathering.
SPRING 2015
On Monday, December 1, 2014, at the regular stated meeting of Willard Lodge #620, RWB Randy Jones presented WB James M. (Murray) Young his 60-year pin. Dinner and cake followed the ceremony.
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The Murmuring of Innumerable Bees “The Murmuring of Innumerable Bees,” continued from back cover…
the Bee by a Bull consisteth in this; that according to the Doctrine of the Pythagorean Lodge of Free-Masons, the Souls of all the Cow-kind transmigrate into Bees, as one Virgil a Poet, much in Favour with the Emperor Augustus, because of his profound Skill in Masonry, hath described; and Mr. Dryden has thus show’d. * * * ‘A buzzing Noise of Bees his Ears alarms,/Straight issue thro’ the Sides assembling Swarms,’ &c. What Modern Masons call a Lodge was for the above Reasons, by Antiquity call’d a HIVE of Free Masons.”
[But sudden, strange to tell A portent they espy: through the oxen’s flesh, Waxed soft in dissolution, hark! there hum Bees from the belly; the rent ribs overboil In endless clouds they spread them, till at last On yon tree-top together fused they cling, And drop their cluster from the bending boughs.]
This parody appeared six years after the Grand Lodge of England was established and one year after Anderson’s Constitutions of the Free-Masons, which did not include a discussion of Masonic emblems.
The bees are described as the most industrious of creatures, “assiduously plying their tasks by settled order” (foedere pacto exercentur).
This emblem, besides a reference to honey, reminds me of the two most famous onomatopoeic phrases found in two of the world’s most eminent poets, contemporaries in different countries: Alfred Lord Tennyson in England and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the United States.
Masonic symbolism is clearly reflected in the tradition of calling the State of Utah by the nickname, “The Beehive State,” because of the long association between the Mormons and Freemasonry. The family of Joseph Smith and many of the founders of the Mormon church were active Masons and brought Freemasonry with them to the territory which is now Utah. When they first settled in this area, they attempted to name it “Deseret,” a reference to the honeybee in The Book of Mormon. The beehive was chosen as the emblem for the provisional State of Deseret in 1848 and was maintained on the official seal and state flag of the State of Utah when Utah became a state in 1896. The State’s nickname represents the qualities of industry, perseverance, thrift, stability and self-reliance of its people. Brigham Young’s house in Salt Lake City was called Beehive House and is now a museum. The Grand Lodge of Utah F&AM was founded in 1872 and has 29 Lodges.
From Tennyson (1809-1892): The moan of doves in immemorial elms,/And murmuring of innumerable bees. (“Come Down, O Maid”) From Longfellow ((1807-1882): This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks….(“Evangeline”) In recent years John Bradburne (1921-1979), known as “the most prolific poet on bees in XXth century England,” wrote 6000 poems, including in 1969 one entitled, “The buzzing of innumerable bees;” but Vergil (70-19 B.C.), in his classic Latin poem, Georgics, devotes Book IV (566 verses) to the culture of Bees. As in the story of Samson (Judges 14), who found a swarm of bees making honey in the carcass of the lion which he had previously killed with his bare hands, Vergil writes (554-558): Hic vero subitum ac dictu mirabile monstrum adspiciunt, liquefacta boum per viscera toto stridere apes utero et ruptis effervere costis, immensasque trahi nubes, iamque arbore summa confluere et lentis uvam demittere ramis.
Adair Lodge #366 in Kirksville awarded Brother Kelley J. Snipes his 50-year pin and certificate on April 27, 2013. MWB David L. Ramsey made the presentation and Brother Snipes’ wife, Dorothy presented the pin.
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THE MISSOURI FREEMASON
Freemasons are admonished to practice assiduity, in contrast to laziness, which is like being “a drone in the hive of nature,” living on the labors of others. The virtue of industry is more than “keeping busy” or even “working very hard.” It involves working together in helping “our fellow creatures” who are “in want” and “fulfilling the duties of reciprocal love and friendship” and adding to “the common stock of knowledge and understanding.” It is with great sadness that the Grand Lodge Office must inform you of the passing of the author of this article and Assistant Editor of this magazine. Right Worshipful Brother E. Otha Wingo passed away February 9, at the age of 80 Years. RWB Wingo served the Grand Lodge in many capacities, including those of committee chair for the Committee on Correspondence, Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and organist for the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge AF&AM. Please keep Otha’s wife Ann in your prayers during this time of exceeding sorrow. Ronald D. Miller Grand Secretary SPRING 2015
HONOR ROL L 5 0 - Y E A R AWA R D R E C I P I E N T S BROTHER LODGE Akers,Lawrence K 1/19/2015 Swope Park #617 #153 Allen,Donald L. 2/27/2015 Columbia #534 Armes,Freddie J. 12/2/2014 Poplar Bluff #209 Avers,Jack C. 2/8/2015 United #5 Bailey,Robert S. 12/8/2014 Raytown #391 Bainter,Jim Ray 2/25/2015 Hermon #187 Barker,William K. 12/11/2014 Anderson #621 Bartholow,Terry L. 1/9/2015 Hogles Creek #279 Bartleson,Alvin A. 2/6/2015 Webster Groves #84 Barton,Cecil L. 12/19/2014 Camden Point #169 Bassett,Arnold C. 1/23/2015 Arlington #346 Birkman,LouisJr. 1/22/2015 Whitewater #417 Bishoff,Karl Franklin 2/15/2015 Craft #287 Blunt,Wayne W. 2/27/2015 Lebanon #77 Bodenhausen,Ira K. 1/22/2015 Gower #397 Bone,James E. 1/22/2015 Bridgeton #80 Boydston,Charles B. 2/12/2015 Hogles Creek #279 Bradley,David D. 12/21/2014 Cooper #36 Bruce,Joseph V. 1/5/2015 Eminence #607 Campbell,Charles R. 1/23/2015 Arlington #346 Campbell,Jerry W. 2/9/2015 Olive Branch #576 Capen,John B. 12/10/2014 Solomon #271 Carlini,Billie E. 12/18/2014 Osage #303 Carter,Robert M. 1/9/2015 Wayne #526 Clardy,Johnny L. 12/23/2014 Jefferson #43 Clark,Lewis R. 2/10/2015 Corinthian #265 Combs,Karl M. 1/5/2015 Montgomery #246 Cook,David L. 2/27/2015 Easter #575 Cook,Odis E. 2/22/2015 Overland-Occidental #623 Coots,James Roy 1/4/2015 Vincil #62 Copeland,Clyde R. 12/15/2014 Elvins-Ionic #154 Covert,James O. 1/26/2015 Neosho #247 Cowan,Billy W. 2/9/2015 Strafford #608 Cowan,Leroy G. 1/22/2015 Bridgeton #80 Cox,Ronald L. 12/29/2014 Branson #587 Crites,Weldon E. 12/19/2014 Greenville #107 Crowder,Robert J. 2/8/2015 Clinton #548 Culp,Sherrill R. 12/29/2014 East Gate #630 Deardorff,Jerry D. 12/30/2014 Butler #254 DeWoskin,Alan E. 2/22/2015 Polar Star Rose Hill #79 Dills,William A. 1/7/2015 Athens #127 Dodson,J. Steve 1/26/2015 Algabil-Freedom #636 Eiser,Richard D. 1/1/2015 Oregon #139 Evans,Carl L. 1/3/2015 Rising Sun #13 Evans,Lavern D. 1/12/2015 Overland-Occidental #623 Fenley,Doyle 12/29/2014 Belton #450 Forrester,William 1/9/2015 Vincil #62 Friedman,Paul M. 2/25/2015 Bridgeton #80 Gilleland,Duane G. 1/4/2015 Corinthian #265 Gillespie,Jerry L. 2/9/2015 Strafford #608 Godair,Roy D. 12/1/2014 Bonhomme #45 Goff,Gary D. 12/7/2014 Sedalia #236 Gradolf,Clyde Winston 2/18/2015 Meridian #2 Gray,Clayton L. 1/8/2015 Temple Gate #299 Green,Eldon C. 1/23/2015 Belton #450 Griffen,V. Dale 2/23/2015 Linn Creek #152 Griffin,James W. 1/14/2015 Ada #444 Halbman,Richard L. 1/4/2015 Columbia #534 Hartig,Dale Louis 2/15/2015 Meridian #2 Hartzell,Donald L. 2/18/2015 Bridgeton #80 Hedrick,Milbert M. 2/11/2015 Corinthian #265 Hesse,Horace L. 2/12/2015 Hermann #123
BROTHER LODGE Hoerstkamp,James B. 2/12/2015 Hermann #123 Huckabey,Perry E. 1/27/2015 Warren #74 Johnson,Edward L. 12/25/2014 Twilight #114 Jones,Ward L. 1/26/2015 Queen City #380 Klehr,Charles B. 1/25/2015 King Solomon #95 La Rue,Glen D. 2/13/2015 Barbee #217 Landers,John E. 1/2/2015 King Hill #376 Larson,Alfon W. 1/11/2015 Overland-Occidental #623 Levinson,Richard W. 1/11/2015 St Louis Missouri #1 Livingston,Paul N. 1/16/2015 Charity Zeredatha #189 Lynn,Robert K. 2/27/2015 Raytown #391 Mac Chesney,Donald G. 1/7/2015 Kirkwood #484 Maledy,Calvin H. 2/27/2015 Salem #225 Martin,David R. 12/17/2014 Wakanda #52 Martin,Thomas J. 2/10/2015 Wakanda #52 Mathes,Garry E. 2/19/2015 Hopewell #239 May,Claude B. 1/18/2015 Chaffee #615 Mc Cauley,Richard R. 1/27/2015 Waynesville #375 Mc Crea,Jerry A. 1/30/2015 East Gate #630 Meador,James W. 12/30/2014 Fellowship #345 Mendenhall,Ben T. 1/13/2015 Censer #172 Messmer,Leo R. Jr. 2/11/2015 Beacon #3 Metcalf,Otis R. 12/15/2014 Pendleton #551 Miller,David E. 2/22/2015 Sedalia #236 Moats,James R. 1/18/2015 Bonhomme #45 Monroe,George M. 2/8/2015 Grandview #618 Morrison,Edward R. 12/17/2014 Meridian #2 Newman,Neal B. 12/4/2014 Hartford #171 Nickell,Donald J. 2/20/2015 Table Rock #680 Noland,Gary L. 1/15/2015 Shawnee #653 Norman,Bryan W. 1/30/2015 Friend #352 Owens,Boyd M. 2/6/2015 Independence #76 Parker,Larry Ralph 2/25/2015 Union #593 Payne,Howard P. 1/16/2015 Wakanda #52 Pickren,Richard M. 2/20/2015 Bethany #97 Piles,Edgar D. 1/23/2015 Gardenville-Cache #455 Prichard,William F. 2/27/2015 Mercer #35 Probasco,Robert N. 12/28/2014 Unionville #210 Rall,Kenneth L. MD 2/6/2015 Cooper #36 Richardson,Kenneth G. 1/19/2015 Warren #74 Schelin,Harold A. Jr. 1/23/2015 Monett #129 Sexson,William V. 1/14/2015 Holden #262 Shelton,Edwin H. 2/20/2015 Bridgeton #80 Slaughter,Arthur D. 12/29/2014 Grandview #618 Sloan,James W. 12/10/2014 St Francois #234 Smith,Emmett F. Jr. 1/29/2015 Cass #147 Sonner,William A. 2/11/2015 King Hill #376 Strong,Ares G. 12/9/2014 Windsor #29 Stuecken,Fred F. 1/11/2015 Milton #151 Stueven,Donald R. 2/6/2015 Fenton #281 Urich,C. Harry 1/9/2015 Gardenville-Cache #455 Weaver,Marion D. 2/13/2015 Liberty #31 Wells,Tommy L. 2/2/2015 Macks Creek #433 Whitacre,Maurice C. Jr. 1/26/2015 Mizpah Mt. Moriah #40 White,John H. 2/20/2015 Bridgeton #80 White,Robert L. 2/5/2015 St Mark’s #93 Wholf,Emmett C. Jr. 2/13/2015 Raytown #391 Williams,Gordon G. Jr. 12/12/2014 Liberty #31 Williams,Kenneth D. 2/4/2015 Corinthian #265 Wood,Bobby D. 12/19/2014 Norwood #622 Wright,Harold L. 2/5/2015 Mountain Grove #158 Young,Wm Ellis 1/8/2015 Webster #98
Email your service award pictures to rpence@momason.org Service award recognitions appear at: http://www.momason.org/service-awards SPRING 2015
THE MISSOURI FREEMASON
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POSTMASTER: Please send Address Forms 3579 to Grand Secretary, 6033 Masonic Drive, Suite B, Columbia, Missouri 65202-6535.
“The Murmuring of Innumerable Bees” Dr. E. Otha Wingo, PDDGL 38, FMLR otha.wingo@gmail.com
"The Beehive is an emblem of industry and recommends the practice of that virtue to all created beings, from the highest seraph in heaven to the lowest reptile in the dust. It teaches us that as we came into the world rational and intelligent beings, so we should ever be industrious ones, never sitting down content while our fellow creatures around us are in want, when it is in our power to relieve them." The beehive in Masonic symbolism is described as "monitorial," i.e., "used for observing, checking, or keeping a continuous record of a process or quantity" (Oxford English Dictionary). This emblem is "exoteric and accessible to all," according to Arthur E. Waite (New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry). The earliest reference to the beehive as an emblem in Freemasonry is a satire or parody, published in Dublin in 1724, as an anonymous pamphlet. The only copy known to exist is in the Haliday Collection in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy. The pamphlet exists today only because it was mistakenly attributed to Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), the Irish Satirist, famous for Gulliver's Travels, a biting satire on the sham of courts, parties and statesmen. He used the pen names Lemuel Gulliver and Isaac Bickerstaff in fear of the political establishment. An Anglican priest, he was named dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin and was thought to be a member of Lodge #16, which met at the "Goat at the Foot of Haymarket." The similar style of satire caused the mistake that preserved the pamphlet, which survived only in the works of Swift. In 1923, George W. Bullamore, a beekeeper and member of the Correspondence Circle of Quatuor Coronati Lodge #2026, London, presented a paper before that research Lodge on "The
Beehive and Freemasonry," which elicited considerable discussion (AQC 36, 219-246). The pamphlet was titled: "Letter from the Grand Mistress of the Female Free-Masons," sent to John Harding, the publisher. When Swift's main publisher, George Faulkner, included this pamphlet with Swift's collected works, he added his own name as the recipient of the letter and modernized the text. If your curiosity is as strong as mine, you can see it for yourself at http://bit.ly/1FUWjha; or search on the title of the pamphlet. Here's a sample from that pamphlet: "And a great Deal more of the same foolish Stuff, which took its Rise from a silly Pun upon the Word Bee; for you must know, that‚ the Bee hath in all Ages and Nations, been the Grand Hieroglyphick of Masonry, because it excels all other living Creatures in the Contrivance and Commodiousness of its Habitation or Combe… * * * The Egyptians, always excellent and antient Free-Masons, paid Divine Worship to a Bee under the outward Shape of a Bull, the better to conceal the Mystery, which Bull by them called Apis, is the Latin Word for a Bee; the Enigma of representing "The Murmuring of Innumerable Bees" continued on page 54…