THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON
Issued Every Three Months By
The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of The Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Mason ic Jurisd ic tion Thereunto Belonging , through its
COMMITTEE ON MASONIC CULTURE- William E. Yeager, Post Grand Master, Chairman; William E. Montgomery, G. Edward Elwell, Jr. Frank R. Leech
William A. Carpe nter, Charles A. Young and Ashb y B. Paul
APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED T
WILLIAM A. CARPENTER Editor
Mailing Address: The Masonic Temple, Broad and Filbert Streets, Philadelphia 7, Po
Vol. II February , 1955 No. 1
Seventeen Pamphlets Available
Continued from page 3)
At the Quar terl y Communication of Grand Lodge h eld o n June 6, 1923, the repo rt of th e plan was s ubmitted to the Grand Lodge and it was unanimously approved.
On December 5, 1923 the Committee on Le ctures was redu ce d to five members. The definite purpose of the organization of a Lecture Corps was t o serve the L odges of P ennsylvan ia and t o m ake plain wha t Free · masonry is, what a Fre em aso n should be, and to help build Temp les not made with hands ; but with the ir minds, h ea rt s and so ul s Th e antiq ui ty of Mas onr y is n ot of a s mu ch im. portance as i ts present infl ue nce on the li ves of men, no m a tter h ow in teresting t s legends and fascinating ancient Myste rie s Lege nds a n d traditions h ave th eir places, but are not as val uable as authentic his tory. Th e great hi s tori cal fact of Mas onry is th e organ iza ti on of the firs t Grand Lodge of Speculat ive Masons , and the grea t realit y of presen t day Fr eemasonr y is it s syst em of im parting truth and principl e to a id m en in character bu ilding. Aga in it ma y be interes ti ng to trace to th ei r origin t h e working t ool s and sy mbols of the Craft a nd discover th ei r or iginal uses and purposes. In so doing there may be gained a knowledg e of val ue to a Mason who desi res wh at might be called a Universi t y educatio n in Masonry.
The Comm ittee in charge gave co n siderabl e thought t o the p rint i ng of pamphl e t s for use t o the Breth ren, and selected certain l iterat u re t o be read in the Lo dge s in the form o f "Short Talk Bulle ti ns "
Since 1925, when t h e very fi r s t pamph et was printed, th ere h ave bee n s ixteen additi ona l pamphlet s prepared a nd publis h ed. T h e seven teen, n ow available and li s t ed by numb er a nd title are:
I. Lecture Plan, Purpose an d Outline of Lectures.
2. Freemasonry in Pennsylvania befor e the Grand Lod ge of 1786.
3 Freemasonry in Pennsylvania-Organization, Or ga ni c Law and Ri tual.
4. P ennsy lv an i a F reemasonr y-D s ting ui s hing Characteristi cs
5. Masonic Principles F requen l y Overlooke d.
6. Masonic Objection.
7. The Sy mboli s m of Masonry.
8. Masonic Secrecy.
9. Masonry Within and Without he Lodge.
10. Traveling Eas t.
11. The Preparing Room.
12 The Comm ittee Hoom.
1 3 The Lodge Room.
1 4 S ome Masonic Titles.
15. The Sy mboli s m of the Sta ti o n s.
16. Two Hundre d Yea r s of Freemasonry in P e nn sylvania.
17. Five Outstanding Grand Mas ters.
These pam phlets are neatl y printed a nd bound in h eavy light blue ca rd board. They are uniform in size, measuring about three a nd three-quarters in ches wid e a nd eight a nd three-quarters from top to bottom. As you can surm ise from th e seventeen titl es , a se t of th ese pamphle ts sho uld prove a good investm ent an d mos t educational to an y m emb er of our jurisdi ction The com pl e t e set can be purchase d fr om th e Li b rary, Masonic T emple, Broad and Filbert Streets, Philade lphia 7, P a. , for Two Doll ars
In concei ving an d preparing th ese worthwhile pamphlets , the Comm ittee o n Lectures r e nde red th e Grand Lodge of Penns ylvania a nd the Craft a splend id se r vice, endeavo rin g to s tim u la t e a more comprehe ns ive knowledge of Freemasonry, including its histo r y, symbo li s m, moral s, ethi cs a nd p hil osophy.
T he lect u re corp s is n ow und e r t he supervisio n of th e recentl y created Comm ittee o n Maso ni c Culture which has replaced the Comm i ttee on Libra r y a nd Mu se um and the Committee on Lectures
W hy Do We Say Blue Lodge?
W h y d o we say " Blue Lodge" when referring t o th e Symbol ic Degrees in Freemason r y? T he follow in g information may prove helpful and inter esti ng in a ttemp tin g to an s wer and clarify this frequentl y r e peat ed ques ti on.
I n Mackey's En cyclopedia of Fre emasonry, we r ead th e follo wing: " Blue is emphat ically th e color of Freema sonry It is th e appr opr iat e tinc t ure o f the Anci ent Craft Degrees. I t is to Freemasonry a sym bol of uni versal fr iends hip an d be nevole n ce beca use, as it is th e co lor of th e va ult o f h eaven wh ich embraces and covers the wh o le globe we ar e t hus rem inded th a t in the breas t of every Bro th er these vi rtu es s ho uld be equally as ex t ensi ve It i s therefore th e o nl y color, except white, whi c h .s h ou ld be u sed in the Mas t er's Lodge fo r decor ations "
" Blue" is the color of tr u th and fideli t y. And sin ce Maso ns a re seeker s after tr u t h , this color is sym bol ic of t he ir a r dent a nd active in teres t. It was und er th e re ign of Wi lli am Ill of England tha t Blue was adopted as th e favo ri te color of the Craft. It is quite natura l , t here· fore, that this co lor sho uld be worn by o ur ancie nt brethren as the pec ulia r cha racteri s tic of an in s titution wh ich n eith er tim e, ig nora n ce nor wa r has been able t o destroy " Blue" was an importa n t color amon g
religiou s ins ti t uti o ns in anc ien t times The h igh pries t 's eph od; the ribb o n on his breas tplate, and th e one fo r th e plate of his mite r , were blue It was th e color o f on e of the vei ls of the tabernacle , which , acco rdi ng t o Josephu s, rep rese nt ed the Ai r. The He brew wo rd for "bl ue" is " t e kelet," an d seems t o refe r to the qua li ty of the co lor, being d erived from a root den ot ing "perfec ti o n. "
The re seems t o be a quite gener al agreement amo ng anc ient sch olars th a t initiation in to the "myste rie s" and "perfect io n " were closely related :- in fact, almost sy nonymous Does it not l ogicall y fo ll ow th e n that th e ap propr ia te co lor for th e grea t est o f all systems o f initiation may well be d esigna t ed "Blue." The t erm sign ifies tha t " pe rfection" toward whic h all goo d Ma so ns cont inually st ri ve , and which the y ho pe at last to a ttain.
Among the Druids, " Blue " was th e symbol of truth , a nd th ei r ini tiat es wore ro bes of Blue, White, and Gr een. The Egy ptians es t eemed " Blue " as a sacred co lor. To them it represented a " peculiarly exa lted a nd heavenly nature." The Bab yl onians cl othed their ido ls in " Blue, " according t o Jer emiah when he sa id , " Blue a nd pu rpl e is their clothing." (J er. 10: 9). The Chin ese conside r " Blue" a symbol of Dei ty. Th e Hindus say th e ir God Vish nu is sy mbolic of "S ky- Blue ," indica ting that wisdom fr om God s hould be symbolized b y "Blue."
Th e Me di eval Chri s tian s con sidered " Blue" an emblem o f immortality. Says Weal e: " The color 'azur e,' in divine language, is the symbol of truth ; in consecra ted language, of immorta li t y; a nd in the profa n e langu age, of fidelity." All these qua lities are prominent in the teachings of th e fi rs t three, or symbolic de grees in Masonry.
Fin ally , " Blu e" is sym boli c of truth, p urit y and humilit y. In th e Book of Books, Ex. 25:4, we read that " Blue" was used to denote the pu rit y of an offe ring to the Lord. In Ex. 26: 1 31 and 36 , we find th at th e cur tains of the Tabe rn acle were blue, purple and scarlet, an d th e h a ngi ngs fo r th e door s of the te nt were of th e sam e co lors. In Ex. 28 :3 1, we find this in struction: "And t hou s halt make the r obe of the ep h od a ll of Blu e." And in Prov. 20:30 we find: " The Blu e ness of the s tripes that wound cleanseth away evil. "
T h ere seems t o be no d oubt that " Blue" is th e characteristi c color of Ancient Craft Masonry, an d that it is symbo lic of th e need for a univers alit y of friends hip, brotherl y love and be n evo lence which s h o uld b e as unb o und in th e hea rt a nd life of e very true Maso n as in the vas t ex pan se of that blue vista of the Uni verse which s he lters the numberle ss worlds of limitl ess s pace.
App rop ri a t ely do we say : " Blue Lodge." Qu ite appropriatel y are th e office rs' a prons a nd jewe ls t r imm ed in " Blue. " Indeed, " Blue" is the peculia r charac teris tic of Ancient Craft Masonry, of whi ch the three sym bo lic de· grees-Entered Appre ntice, Fellow Craft and Mas ter Mas on-a r e t he heart and so ul.
- W.A.C
FREEMASON
A Message from Our Grand Master
A NOTHER MILESTONE in his tor y of Maso nr y in th e Grand Lodge of .tl. P enn sylvania was comp leted as the year 1954 came to a close. Many Masons ha ve inquired about the Grand Lodge Bu ilding Program of 1954. In response t o these inquirie s I wis h t o dr aw fo r you a mental pi ct ure of what we h ave done, and are t o do in the ye.ar ahead- 19 55 fo r the Masonic Homes at Elizabeth t ow n , Penn sylva m a. April 10 1954 the Committee on Mason ic H omes put into operation a Res t Home in t he Alleg h e ny Building, providing 70 beds f or Guests that normally are known as In firm Gues t s, that is those wh o are not ambulatory but also not classed a s Hos p i tal Guests This building is n ow known as the "Allegh eny Res t Ho me " The n ew Res t Horne is a big relief to ou r gr ea tl y over crowded Hos pital. H oweve r , as a Rest H ome, i t is onl y in a tem porary s tage. We need a permanent Rest Home wit h facil ities fo r 150 beds, dinin g r oom , ser vice kitchen, assemb ly r oom, medical a nd nurses roo m large ind oor and outdoor solar ium and the necessar y app ur tenances. T h e Maso ns of Allegheny County ar e mak ing a s ur vey o f Rest Home needs. Th ey ar e ha ving an Ar ch i t ect p repare plans and s pec ifica t ions as well a s estimates of cos t of ere c tio n and eq uipping such a b ui ld ing. This project is to be known as " The All eghen y County Me mor ial Res t Home " It is thei r h ope to b e r ead y with a fi na l report fo r the June May 3, 1954 the Comm ittee on Mas on ic Home s complete ly fim s h ed a nd put into operation a new centralized kitch en loca t ed in .Gra nd Lodge Hall. Thi s kitch en p re pa res and cooks a ll food us ed 111 th e Homes for t h e Guests and Empl oyees The cooked food is dispatched to the Hos p i tal , Boys and Girl s Home and the Alleg h eny Rest Home b y trucks equipped wi th electric thermo s taticall y controlled stainless steel food co ntaine rs By this method of p r epari ng food we hope to effect a saving in th e food depart ment of over $ 1,000 a month. July 23 1954 th e Committee on Maso nic Home s let a contract to Warfel La ncas ter, P ennsylvania, for the con s truction of a con c rete utilit y tun n el to house a ll hea ting pipes and ret urn s, dom es t ic hot water and electric ca bles. The t unnel i s approx imatel y s ix feet sq uare one m ile l ong, runn ing from th e P ower H ouse t o th e H ospi tal. Thi s contract will be comp leted Feb rua ry 1, 1955 a t a cost o f $205 ,0 00
Novembe r 22, 19 54 a co n tract was awa rd ed t o H err e Brothers, Ha rr is burg, P ennsylvania , for t he cons tru ction a nd ins tallation me ch an ical and e lect ri cal equ ipment necessary fo r th e n ew utilities wor k. T his equipment wi ll be ins talled in the n ew tun ne l. Th e contrac t will be comp leted in 280 working days at a cos t of $454,902
The fi r m of Moody and Hutchinson, Cons ultin g E ngi n eer s of Philadelph ia, P enns yl van ia, was em plo yed to make a uti lities s ur vey, prepare plans and spe cificat ions and comple t e th e in spection of th e n ew uti l iti es work. The y recommended the Comm i t tee on Mas on ic H omes di s· continue t h e manufact u re of elec tri c power at th e Pow er H o u se for t h e use of the Home s, and ins tall th e n ecessa ry apparatus for the purch asing of p ower from the P e nns yl va nia P ower & Light Compan y
of Harrisburg, P e nnsyl va nia The purchasing of powe r over the self manufac turing method will res ult in a 20 % saving in po wer costs December 22 , 1954 a contract was awarded Ir win and Le ighton of Philadelphia, P e nn syl va nia , for th e e r ect io n o f a n ew H osp ita l Wing and alterations t o the Philadelphia Freema sons Memorial H ospital at Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania The h eating and plumbing co ntract wa s give n to S. H .S. In c., Harrisb urg, Penn sylva nia; the ele ctri cal wo rk to H P. Foley Company of Baltimore , Maryland, and Harrisburg, P e nnsylvani a; the elevator is to be p rov ided and ins talle d by the Otis Elevato r Company o f Har r isburg, Pennsylva ni a. The t otal co s t of th e f our above co ntracts i s $1,226,060. Gro und breaking for th e H os pital project took place Friday, J a nuar y 28, 1955 at 4:00 P. M. The H ospital will be com ple t ed June of 1956. The Committee on Maso nic H omes engaged Mitch ell a nd Ritche y, Ar ch itects , Pitts bu rgh , Pennsylvan ia, t o d es ign a d ua l building to be known as the Re crea ti onal Building an d Lodge Ha ll. The Recreation Building will be used for th e entertainment of our Gu es t s and Employees The L odge Hall wi ll be for the use of Masons throughout the Ju ris diction for specia l Masonic events or Commemorative occasions. The contract for this dual building is expecte d t o be le t February 17, 1955. The projec t will cost approx ima t ely $850,000. The abov e building program , with t he exception o f a po rtio n of th e H ospital, w ill be built , furni s h ed and pu t into op era tio n from Beques ts and Gi f ts fr om Maso n s and Non Ma son s, wh o beli eved in our wor k of charity at the Masoni c H om es. Five Hundr ed Thousand Dollars of the cos t o f th e Hosp ital was p r ovided by voluntary contributions fro m the Maso ns of Philadelphia Cou nt y the b alance was give n to Grand Lodge by Bequests or Gifts
The Lodge cons ti t ut ed th e following New Lodges dur ing 1954 : Apri l 7, 1954, Bro th e rh ood Lodge No. 773 with 61 war ran t memb e'rs was co ns ti tu t ed in Corin th ian Hall, Maso nic Temple, Ph ilade lph ia, Pennsylva nia.
April 10, 1954, Moun t Zion Lodge No. 774 with 27 war rant memb ers was co ns t i t uted in the High School Building in McCo nne ls burg, Penn sylva nia.
Ju ne 19, 1954, Steel to n ·Swatara Lodge No. 775 with 128 warrant mem bers was const ituted in Ze mbo Mosque, Harrisburg, P en nsylvania.
Septembe r 25, 1954, Fairless Hill s Lodge No 776 with 190 warrant me mbers was co ns tit u ted in P en ns bur y High School, near Fa irless Hill s, Penn sylvania.
Nove mber 1, 1954, Su bu r ba n Lodge No . 777 with 30 wa r ran t me mb ers was co ns tituted in Cori n th ia n Hall, Mason ic Te mple, Philadelph ia, Pennsylva nia.
My s incere wis h for each Mas te r Mas on o f our Jurisdiction is t h a t yo u, and yo urs, may enjoy health , happiness a nd p r os peri ty t hro ughout the yea r 1955
RALPH M . LEHR, Grand Ma ster
Harrisburg Is Scene of Memorable Masonic Event
Back in November, 17 79, a memorable Maso nic eve nt took place near H arr isb urg, Pa.-the co n sti tution of P e rseveran ce L odge No. 21. November ll , 1954 was made equally memorabl e b y th e cel eb rati on o f the On e Hundred a nd Seventy-Fifth Anniversa r y of Pers everan ce Lod ge No. 21 and the lay in g of the cornersto nes o f th e new Scott is h Rite Cathedral an d Masonic T e m ple in H a rr is b urg
Thi s b ea utiful new building, wh i ch wi ll be th e hom e of the Scottish Rit e bodies in th e Vall ey of H arr isb urg, five Bl ue L odges and the York Rit e bodies , adjo in s Zembo Templ e, home of the Shrine, thus creating a truly Masonic cen ter in the capital of Penn sy vania.
Promptl y at t wo o'cloc k on th e afternoon of November ll , led by the band and color guard of Harri sb urg Forest No 43, T all Cedars of Lebanon , M aso n s r ep r esen ing th e thirteen Lodges in Dis trict No. 2, Harri s b urg Consistory, Y o rk Rite bod ies, Tall Cedars o f Le banon and Zembo Temple esco rt e d the R.W. Grand M as ter and Grand L odge Offtcers fr om in front of Zembo Temple to the s ite of the new Mason ic e difi ce
Here to ok place the solem n , ritual istic Maso nic ceremony of l ay in g the t wo co rn e rs tones- R.W. Grand Master, Broth er Ralph M. Lehr, himse f a m em be r of all th e Mas oni c bodi es in H arr i s burg, and Pr es ide nt of th e
H arr s bu r g Masonic T emple Association l a id th e M asonic Temple cornersto n e and then at Br oth er Lelu s in v itation R.W. P a s Grand
M as er Brother ScottS. Le iby, Active Memb er of the Supreme Council and D epu t y for Pennsylvania, laid the Sco tt is h Rit e corners to n e
Following the imp ressive cere monies for the l ay in g of these t wo co rnerstones , Brother George A. Avery, R.W. G rand Secretary, d eli vered an in s piring addres s on " Masonic Ideals and Tradition s." After Broth er Avery's remarks, Brother A rthur H. Hull , pre s ident of the Scotti s h Rite Cathedral and M asonic Temple Association, very ab l y and eloq u e ntl y explained the plan a nd des ig n fo r co n s tru c ti on and o peration of th e new Mason ic ed ifice
Thes e r emarks of Bro th er Hull were so wisely put and well received that it has been s uggested th a t portions o f his expl anat i o n s an d comments be include d herei n:
"For many years the Scott s h Ri te Maso n s of H arris bu rg Con s s tory have planned th e constru ct io n of a Cathedral and today it seem s that tha t pla nnin g will mate ri a lize into a truly repres entative e difi ce. A great de al of th o ught and time have bee n g iven to s desig n and s ize; and only after the r equirements o f every Sco tti sh Rite Organiza ti on, such as th e faci it ies for th e S e cre tary, th e Stage workers, the S teward s, the Orches tra , th e Choir and o thers, were cons id ered, were the d esig n and plans re ady to s ubmi t t o bidders.
Durin g a ll o f this time Harrisburg Cons is tory was for tu na t e in having o ne of ts membe rs as the Architect- William Lynch M u rr ay, who was tireless in his e fl or ts to plan and des gn this e dific e. He wi l lingly ac cepted sugges t ion s an d
n othing was too much troub le for h im thou gh it meant , many times, th e s cra ppin g o f work which h ad taken him many hours to prepare.
"When th e design and plans were abo ut r eady to s ubmit for bids, th e sugges tion was made tha the Sc o tti s h Rite Ca th edral might be enlarged to provide fa c il i ties for the Blue Lo dges as well as the York Rit e Bodi es. This s ugges ti o n met with very general approva l so that submitti n g the plan s for bid s was postponed until th e s uggestion could be full y co n s ider ed.
" It was high ly fitting and proper tha t Brother R a lph J\•1. Lehr, R.W. Grand Maste r was asked to la y the se co rners t o nes-:first beca use doing so is an ancient a nd hono rab le function of the Grand Maste r ; second because t he presen t Grand Mas ter is a member of one of th e Ha rrisbu rg Lodges, a s well as a very ac ti ve member of H arrisburg Co ns is t o r y. Harr isb u rg Cons s t ory and Har ris bu rg Maso ns thank you, R.W. Grand Master Ra l ph M. Lehr, fo r pe rfo r mi n g th is ve r y pleasa nt duty. This day will ever live in th e memory o f a ll of us wh o have been so fortunate a s to be present.
"Altho ugh the plan for the con s tr u c ti on a nd ope rati o n of this Scotti s h Rite Cathed r al and Masonic T emp le was s ubmitted in detai l to all Masons of this Valley, there seems to be some co nfus i o n as to how t h is plan will operate, s o that so me explana ti on at this time may be ti mel y
" The P lan prov ide d for the incorp o r ation of a nonprofit corporation under the name 'The Sco tti s h Rit e Ca th edral a nd Mas o ni c T emp le Associa ti on o f H arrisburg, Penn sylva nia,' the constit uen t Bodies in whi ch sha ll be The Ha r risburg Con s is t o r y and The H a rrisbu rg Masonic Temple Ass oc ia tion, of Har ris burg, Pe n nsy lva nia.
"The Plan further provided that , except as heretofore indicated, a ll opera in g cos ts such as lig ht heat, gas ice, water rent, janitor serv ce, axes, i ns u rance, etc., sha ll be paid n th e propo rtion that the cons tit uent Maso ni c Bodies s hall have con t ri buted to the total cos t of the Cathedral, or in su ch o th er proportion as th e Board of Trustees sha ll determine, s o t hat at a ll times the said operating cos ts shall be ju s tly a nd equi t ab ly apportioned.
"We have planned a nd des ig ned a magni ficent ed ifice, and when com pl eted will be a cred i t to Freemason r y an d this co mmun ity. We are b u ildng for the fu tu re whic h means that we h ave co n fi d ence in the future. And yet, we are l iving n a n age in which the worl d is divided as n e ver befo re, into two camps-one at lea s t pro fessedly Ch ris ti an, and the other unmistaka bl y, proudly a nd boastfully anti-chris tia n. Not only is all mank ind divided into two camps engaged in what appea rs to be a life and death struggle, but both s ides a re equipped wi th th e greates power for d es tr uc tio n ever co mm i tted to the ha nds o f men. This is not an exaggerated sta temen t, but simp y a realization of the possibilit ies of the A tomic Age into which we have been born. And where does Freemason r y fit into th s pict u re?
Does Freemason ry li ve a nd prosper only to cons truct magn i fice n buildin gs s u c h a s the o ne we are building? The an s wer is th at every Freemason before he can re ce ive the igh of Freemasonry, mus t pro fess a belief i n God. And th is bel ief in God fits int o this pi c tur e i n this way; because Comm uni s m on th e one s id e, is a th e s ti c a nd materialistic, whil e on the o th e r s ide is Chri stiani t y whi ch is theis m and id eal is m " Communis m, in the o pini on o f ts fo llo wers, is in a very rea sen se a s ubs titut e for Chri s ti-
an it y. Communis ts bel ieve that th ey have found the key to the so lution o f a ll man's problems, th a t God is dead, and religion is the opiate of the people.
"We, as Freemasons, beli eve i n God an d, therefo re, have confidence in the future and bui ld with a faith that Communism will not sup pl ant Ch ris ti an i ty.
"We, th e refore, have co nfiden ce in th e future and wi ll look forward to the completion of this Scottish Rit e Cathedra l and Mason ic Temple and its dedi ca ti o n to the cause of Freemasonry and to the glory of God."
Following Broth er Hull 's remarks the Grand L odge Officers were esco rt ed back to Ze mbo Temp le and then attended an Extra Meeting of P erseve rance L odge No. 2 1 , returning to Zembo for the 175th Anniversary B a nquet of P e rseve r a n ce Lodge The banquet, in a Colonial se tting, with an attendanc e of close to 1 700, was the large s t Blue L odge banque t ever h e ld in this sect io n of the state
R.W. Grand Master, Broth er Ralph M. L ehr, a ddressed th e g r oup and presented the Gra n d L odge Officers Brother Thomas S Roy , Past Grand M as ter, Commonwealth o f M assac husetts, who had atte nded th e oth er events of th e d ay, delivered an in spiring and very interest in g address o n " Freemaso nry and Dem ocr acy," bringi n g to a c l ose a day th a t w ill long be remembered by m a n y Masons.
3J n JJlemoriam
W I LLIAM HOLBROOK BREHM Born in C unshohock c n , Pa. Scp l e 1nhc 27, 1872
D i ed in Philud c ll , hia, Pa. Novc rn bcr 11 1 954
The Grand Lodge of P enn s ylva ni a s adly mourns the death o f P a st Grand Mas t er Wi lliam H. Brehm, whi c h came s ud denly wh ile he was a tt ending a s tat ed co n clave of Mar y Com mand ery in the Mas on i c T emple, Phil ade lphi a, on the eveni n g of Novembe r 11, 1954 A man of many qualificati o ns and n te res ts, B rother Brehm will always be rem e mbered fo r his untiring efforts and complete devotion to th e Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and Freemasonry in general. H is Mas o ni c affiliations we re numerous Crowned H onorary Member of Sup re me Council, 33°, in 1928, he co ntinu ed to serve Freemas o n ry and was el ected R.W. Grand Mas ter o f The Grand Lodge of P ennsylva ni a fo r 1940 and 1941.
HE RY STAUFFEil IJOR EMAN
llorn in A ll c nlown , P'u Murch 22, t 870
DiccJ in Phil n d c lr>hin , J>u januar y 12 1955
Broth e r H enry S. Bornema n s death after a sho rt ill ness was another tragic loss to The Grand Lodge of Penn sylva n ia. A promi ne n t Philade ph ia a ttorn ey, Bro th e r Borne man se r ved as General Co u ns el for The Grand Lodge o f Penn s ylvania. In that capa c t y he made a tre mendous co nt r i butio n to th e progress of Freemas o n ry. He was grea tl y devoted to th e Penn sy l va n ia Ger man
So ciety and autho re d many a r tic le s for historical journa ls H s ma n y Mas on i c wr iti ngs are famo us. H a v in g en j oye d members hip innumerous Masonic g roups , Brother Bo rn eman was crow ned Hono r a ry Member of Sup re me Co u nc il, 3 3 ° , in 1949.
From Our Grand Secretary 's Office
A Correction
After having our record s searched as we thou gh t w ith th e utmost care, we stated in the las t number of the Pennsy l va nia Freemason that Fairless Hills Lodge No. 776, with 190 warrant members, was the larges Lodge ever con s tituted b y the Gra nd Lodge of P e nnsy lvan i a. Immedia tely after publi ca tion we received communi ca ti o n s from two Bret h re n calling our attention to the fact that Dormont Lodge No. 684, Dormont Alleg heny County, was co n s tituted June 23, 1916, w it h 258 warrant members. Further sea rching of the re co rd s has r evea led that on O c tober 15, 1937, Titusv ille Lod ge No. 754, was constituted with 283 warran members , most of whom had been members either of Lodge No. 3 03 or of Lodge No. 463, both of wh i ch had s urrendered th e ir Warrant a short tim e prior to the cons ti tution of Lodge No. 754.
Grand Lodge Officers for 1955
At the Quarterl y Communication he ld Decembe r 1, 1954, the following o ffi cers were elected to serve Grand Lodge for the presen t Maso nic yea r end ing on S t. J o hn the Evangelis t 's D ay next:
RALPH M. LERR R. W. Grand Master
CHARLES H N ITSCH,
R. W. D ep uty Grand Master
SANFORD M. CHILCOTE,
R. W. Senior Grand Warden
MAX F. BALCO M ,
R. W Junior Grand Warden
LOUIS BACHARACH,
R. W. Grand Treasurer
GEORGE A. AVERY,
R. W. Grand Secretary
CoMMITIEE oN MASON IC HoMES
Scorr C. REA
RoBERT E. WooDs iDE, JR.
Scorr S. LEIBY, R.W., P.G.M.
C HowARD WITMER
WILLIAM E. YEAGER, R.W. , P.G.M.
FRANCIS H. MILLS
ELLIS E STERN
It will be noted that the Committee on Maso ni c Homes co ntains the names of two new m ember s: Broth e r F ra nci s H. Mills and Broth er E lli s E. Stern.
Brother Franci s H. Mills, a Past Mas t er o f Lodge No. 660, R eadi ng Pa. , first appointed to fill th e vaca n cy caused by the d ea th of Brother Stanley P. Ashe, is Commander- inChief of Reading Consistory. He is th e R esd ent Manager of the Hotel Abraham Lincoln in Reading.
Brother Ellis E. Stern, Pas t Master of Lodge No. 564, Coatesv ille, Pa , fir s t appointed t o fill the vacancy caused by the d eath of Brothe r William H. Bre hm R.W., P.G.M., was Di strict Deputy Grand Ma s t e r o f Di s trict 5 from 1 948 t o 1954. H e i s th e President of th e Coatesv ill e National Bank
New Distri ct Deputy Grand Masters
Th e R. W. Grand Mas er, Brother R a p h M. Lehr, has appointed the foll o wing new Di s tric t
Deputy Grand Mas ters :
Dist rict B - Ro cHESTER B. WooDALL (Lodge No. 543) 1903-A 73 rd Avenue, Philadelphia 38.
District H - WALTER G. THOMAS (Lodge No. 506 ) W. Sulis St., Philade lphia 20.
District I- JAM ES W. FRY (L odge No 610)
B -ll Br y nwood Apts., W ynnewood
District 5-ANDREW 0. FRIEDRICH (Lodge No. 569 ) Pom e ro y
D istrict 19- RI CHARD A. Ro sEN BERRY (Lodge No. 458) 42 S. Eno la Dri ve, Eno la. Dist rict 21- WILLIAM M. TowNsEND (Lodge No. 391) 221 Seventh St., Philipsbu rg. District 37- JoNAS CoRDINGLEY (Lodge No. 478) 3244 F o urth Ave., Beaver Falls, Pa
D istrict 4 1- 0RLAND A. K rPP (Lodge No. 538) 1542 Mar y Drive , Johns town
Di st rict 55- JOSEPH McCHESNEY (Lodge No. 576) 1042 Lind e ndale D rive, Mount L e banon Twp. , Pitts burgh 16
Pennsylvania Recognizes Three Additional Grand Lodges
Fraternal r ecog nition was extended to the Gra nd Lodge of Argentin a, The United Grand Lod ge of Germa ny and th e National Grand L o dge of Fr ance, b y our Grand L odge, at its Quarter l y Commun cat ion o f December 1, 1954. As a res ult of this recogni tion it is now p ermi s sible for Pennsy va nia Maso n s to fratern ize with Brot her Mas ons of t hese Grand J ur isd ictions and to visi t th eir Lodges
No doubt th e g r ea t es t immediate effect of th e recogni ti on of these Grand Lodges wi ll be felt b y th ose of our members who a r e serv ing in the Armed Forces and a re stationed in Germany.
W e ha ve b een receiving man y requests from such Bret hren , for th e names and loca tions of Lodges in Germany that they may visi t. Until our recogni ti on of th e United Grand Lodge of Ge rmany, such Lodges were few in numbe r: Stuttgart-American, U.D., work ing under th e Grand Lodge of Connecticut in S tu ttgart; Oregon Military, U D., in Frankfurt; a nd Berlin No 46, Grand Lodge of Rhode I s l and, in B e rlin.
The United Grand Lodge of Genpany has m ore than 200 s ubordinate Lodges in West German y, any o ne of which may now be visited b y a Penn sy lvania Maso n, shou ld he so des ire.
It mi g ht be well to state, however, that , when visiting in a foreign Ju risdiction, one sh ould a ways make s ur e t h a t t h e Lodge to be vi s ited i s a r egu lar Lodge und er th e jurisdi c tion of a Grand Lodge r ecogn ized b y P en nsylvania.
The Forward Look ut Masonic Culture
In th e address fo llowing his ins tall a tion a s Grand Mas ter in 1953, Brother R alph M. Lehr ou tlin e d his plan to i nau g urate a progra m of educat io n for the membe rs of this Juris diction , as well as its initiates, wh ic h would provide some understan ding of the st ru c ture an d purpo se of Fre emaso nr y, an in t erpretat i on o f its sy mbol s, and an appre c iation of ts d ee per meaning; and th ereby create a des ire for further know le dge. To ac compli s h this purpose a comm ittee on Mas onic Education, a se parate and di s tinct unit wit h no connec tion o r au thority in sofar as our ritua listic work is co n ce rned, was to be established a nd give n co mpl e te charge of all matters pertaining to Mason i c Education.
In the past our educational activities ha ve been conducted jointl y by the Committee on Li brary and Museum and th e Committee on Lectures. After th e proposed program had b ee n consid e red thou ght full y, it was dec ide d to s tr eamlin e o ur ed ucati ona l s tructur e and, instead of es abli s hin g a third commi ttee, to c rea te a Committee on M aso nic Culture wh i ch would replace the Committee on Library a nd Mu seum and the Committee on Lectures an d be r es pon s ible fo r the co nte mplated educational activities. An amendment to t he Ah iman Rezo n p uttin g this prop osa l in effect was a d o pted b y th e Grand Lodge a t th e Quarterl y Communication las t D ecembe r. The duties of th e Committee on Maso nic Cu l tu re as sta e d in th e amendmen t are as fo ll ows :
(a) To maintai n a Librar y for th e use of Free masons, cons is ting of the books, pamph lets, manuscripts, prints a nd related ma ter ial illus tr a ti ve of the histo ry, the work , the nature and the objectives of Freemas onr y.
(b) To establish and maintain a Museum fo r the dis pla y of rega lia, jewelry, emblems and other items of whatever character, relating t o Freem aso nry.
(c) To engage in Maso nic resear ch and to publis h from tim e to ti me, treatis es illustrative of Freemas onry in genera l.
(d) To disse minate Ma so n ic Cu tur e through l ectu res, exh ibi ts, forums a nd o th er mean s
(e) To make an annual repor t t o th e Grand Lodge at its Quarterl y Communication in Dece mber.
Seventeen Pamphlets Available
GEORGE A. AvERY, Grand Secretary
At the Quarterly Communication of the G r and Lodge of Pennsy l vania held on December 5, 1922, a resolution was ado pte d authorizing the Gran d Master to appoint a Committee of seven to consider the matter of establishing a Lec ture Corp s Th e Grand Ma s ter appo inted the Committee Th e Comm ittee h e ld several m eetin gs and made a tho ro ugh s tudy of the subject, after which a tentative plan was prepared (Continued on pag e 4)
