THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON
ssued Eve r y Th ree Months By
Th e Right Worshipful Grand lodge of The Most Ancient and Hono rable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jur is d iction Thereunto Belonging, through its
COMMITIEE ON MASONIC CULTURE- William E. Yeager, Pas Grand Mas ter, Chairman; William E. Montgomery, G. Edwa rd Elwell , Jr. Fro nk R. eech
William A. Carpenter, Charles A. Young and Ash b y B Paul.
APPROV ED AND AUTHORIZED TO BE PR INTED BY RALPH M. LEHR
Right Wors hipful Grand Moster
WILLIAM A CARPENTER, Editor
Moiling Addr ess: Th e Masonic Te mp le, Broad and Filb e rt Streets, Philadelphia 7, Pa
Vol. II December, 1955 N o.4
Benjamin Franklin, The Freemason
By WILLIAM J. PATER SON Librarian and Curator
Benjamin Franklin , as a yo ung m an o f 24 ye ars, m on th s bef or e h e had passed th e ti led portals of any Ma s oni c Lodge, unwittingly r en dere d a service to the Gr and Lodge of Penns y lvania and Pennsylvania Freemaso n s in General, greater in fac t than an y o th er person connected with our hi s t ory. While in London, 1724-26, the y oung printer had undoubt edl y le arned so m eth ing about t h e Craft, the memb er sh ip o f whic h was then almost exclu s ively co nfin ed t o th e nobility and gentry, and which wa s attra cting m ore or e ss a tt ent ion in th e publi c print s. T h e knowledge thu s obtained, wh ether orall y or from p u bl ications o f th e da y, l imited and vag u e t h ough it mu s t have b een, appears to h ave qu ickened th e ambitious phil osop hi c brain of t he yo un g printer upon the subject of Freemasonry, and wh etted his des ire to b e numbered amongs t th e e lect; an ambi ti o n not t o be realized und er ex is ti ng co ndition s, as h e was th en s till unde r the lawfu l Maso ni c age and a journe yman printer, a v irtua l s tranger in th e commun i ty, and , as a mere s oap-boiler's so n, l acking bo th soc ia l an d finan cial s tanding.
Th is applies to him d u ring hi s s ojourn in London, as well as in Philad elph a, at thi s p eriod.
Upon hi s return to Philade lphia , th is des ire becam e eve n st r onger when he learned that a Lodge had eith er b ee n set up here or was contemplated b y the resident Brethren. In the year 1727 Franklin orga ni zed a s ecret society of hi s own known as t h e " Lea th er Apron Club ", a name its e lf suggestive of our Fra t ern it y.
In 1731 the name of t h e Club was ch anged, and the character of th e Club was als o rev ised, so as to become a purely li terary one and took the name of " Ju nto." Its chief element, "secrecy" patterned after the Masonic Fraternity,
was, how ever, reta in ed othe r wise it be came it era r y in ch a r acter, or as F rank lin himself wrote, "A club fo r Me n tal Improvement. "
Th e eve ntful outcome of thi s club , runnin g s ide by s ide as it were, wi th th e Craft, was th e formation of the Librar y Company of P hi lad e lphia in 1731 and the American Phil os oph ical Society in 1743, in bo th o f wh ich F ranklin was the leadi ng s pirit. As a matter of fact , i t was withi n the Maso ni c Lodge at Philadelphia, where Franklin had th e fir s t opportunity of lea rn ing Parliame ntar y u sage b y actua l prac ti se o r occupy ing any pos it ion o f auth ority a nd gove rnm ent. Conseque ntl y, i t is bu t fair t o assume th at here in St. John 's Lodge, and su bsequ entl y in the Gran d Lodge of P ennsyl va nia, was laid the foundat ion o f F ran klin's future greatness as a Parliam entarian and a prominent figur e in a ll th e man y and var iou s organizations wit h which he became identifi ed dur ing hi s long and ac ti ve pub l ic career. Fur th er it is an ind isputable fa c that the offices co n ferred upon Frank lin by th e Grand L odge of P e nnsylvania, of tha t early da y, were th e fir s publ i c honors h eld by the g r ea t Printe r and Statesman
To w ri te th e his t ory of Franklin as a Freemason is vi rt ua ll y t o chronicle the earl y Ma so nic History of Ame ri ca . Earl y in the year 173I , we find that th e yo ung printer was Entered , Passed , a nd Rai sed t o th e Subl ime Degr ee of a Master Mason in St. John's Lodge, he ld at th e Tun Ta vern in Water Street , Phila delphia. The cost of his entrance fee wa s thr ee pounds s terling.
T h e publi shed r ecords of the Craft in his newspaper kno wn as "The Pennsy lva n ia Gazette" s upplant th e earl y minutes of this Lodge long since lo s t or des t ro ye d.
Hi s connec ti ons with S t. Joh n's Lodge gives us an ins ight into th e financ ia l affairs of ea rl y Freemasonry, as fo u nd in th e yellowing pages of " Liber B." Hi s se r v ices as Grand Mas ter a n d later as P rovi n cial Grand Master are closely interwov en with the ea rl y Maso ni c his t or y of this Ju ri sdi ction During the yea r s of his life he had an acti ve Maso n ic career in Fran ce. Th e r e, his activ it y and intim acy with the Brethre n was intimate and close, b oth pers onal and official, e ve n ad va n cing to the so-call ed hi gh er degr ees.
The Maso n ic care er of Benjamin Frank lin extend s over a period of almost s ix y years, durin g wh ich time he was accorded the highes Maso ni c honors a home and ab ro ad
1705--6 Jan ua ry 6, O.S. -born at Bos ton , Mass. (N.S. January 17 , 1706).
1730-1 Februar y, In itiated in St. J oh n 's Lod ge , Phi ladelp hi a.
1732 Jun e, dr aft ed a set of By-l aws for St. John 's Lod ge.
1732 June 24, elected Junior Grand Warden.
1734 June 24, elected Grand Ma s ter of Pe nn sylvania.
17 34 Aug us t ad vertised h is " Mason Book," a reprint of And erson's Consti tu ti on s of th e Free mas on s," the first Mason c book pri nted in America.
1734-5 T he State House (Independence Hall) built durin g Franklin's admi n is tratio n as Grand Mas ter. Accordi ng t o the old Masonic and fami ly tradi t io ns, the co rn er-s tone was laid by him a nd th e Brethren of St. John's Lodge.
1735- 8 se r ved as Secretary of St. Jo h n 's Lodge
1750- March 13, appointed Deputy Grand Maste r By Wi ll iam All en, Provincial Grand Master.
1752- Ma rch 12 , appo i nt ed on the Committee for b uil ding " The Freemason's Lodge" on Wal nut Street bet ween Second a nd Third Streets, Philadelphia.
1752- October 25, visited the T un Tavern Lodge , Philadelph a.
1755- Ju ne 24, took a p rominen t pa r t in th e Grand Anniversary and Dedication of the "F reemaso n's Lodge" in Philadelphia, the first Masonic bu ilding in America.
1760- Pro vincial Grand Mas ter of Philadelph ia.
1760- Novembe r 17, present at Grand Lod ge of En gland he ld at Crown & Anchor, Lond on. En tered upon the minutes as "P ro vincia l Grand Master "
1762- Add re ssed as Grand Master of Penn sylvania
1776- Affil ated with Mason ic Lodges in France.
1777- Elected a member of Loge de s I X Soeurs (Nine Sis ters or Muses).
1 778- February 7, ass isted at th e initiation of Vo ltaire i n th e Lodge of th e Nine Siste rs.
1778- Nove mber 28, officiated at the " Lodge of Sorrow" or Maso nic Funeral Serv ices of Vo l ta ire
1782- Elected Venerab le (W.M .) of Loge des IX Soeurs, Grand Orie nt de Pari s
1782 - Jul y 7, memb er R.L. de Saint Jean de Jeru sa lem.
1785 - April 24, elected Venerabl e D'Ho nneur o f R.L. de Sai nt Jean de Jerusalem.
1785 - Ele ct ed hon orary membe r of Loge des Bon Amis (Good Frie nds), Ro uen, Fran ce.
1786 - December 27, in the dedi cation of a sermon de l ivered at the req uest of the R. W. Gra nd Lo dge of Pen ns ylvan ia, by Rev. Jose ph Filmo re i n St. Paul 's Ch ur ch, P h iladelphia, Franklin is referre d t o as " an ill ustrio us Brother whose dist in guis h ed me r it amo ng Maso ns en t itl es him to th eir h ighes t ve neration. "
1790- Apr il 1 7, Ben jam in Frankli n pass ed to th e Grand Lodge ab ove.
1906- April 19, memorial se r vices at his grave in Chris t Ch urch ya rd , S.E corne r Fifth an d Ar ch Streets, Phi lad elph ia, by the officers of the R.W. Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania , th e occas ion being the two hund red th annivers ary of the birth of Benjami n Fra nkli n - W. J. P.
FREEMASON
A Message from Our Grand Master
THIS IS TH E last tim e I shall address you through this medium as Grand Master. The nex t iss u e of he Penns ylvania Fr eemason will be prin t ed after the election and ins talla ti o n of the new Grand Mas ter.
I t has been my purpose during my term of office to keep yo u curr ently advised on all" matters perta in ing to th e Gra n d Lodge and to share with yo u , so far as possible, th e knowledge and i nforma ti o n which came to th e attention of the Gra nd Ma s ter, and a lso to kee p you informed of th e act iv iti es of Grand Lodge.
Th e followi ng ou tl ines will brief you on th e ac ti vities o f G rand Lodge since th e last iss ue of the Pennsylvan ia F reemason.
Friday, O ctober 14, I9SS , you r Grand Mas ter , ac co mpanied by the Right Worshipful Grand Secretar y, Brother George A Aver y, v is ited t he Grand Lodge of Alber ta A.F. and A.M., Canada. The S pe c ia l Communi cation was held in Ed monton , Alberta, for th e pu rpose of cel eb ratin g th e Fifti e th Anni ve r sar y of the Grand Lodge of Alber ta. Masons from a ll parts of Canada, and a perso nal rep r esen tati ve of the Grand Lodge of England attended th e Gold en Anni ve r sa ry Cel ebration.
Saturday, O ctober 22 , I9SS , at 2: 30 P.M ., before a di s ti n gui s h ed group o f Maso nic official s a nd a large crowd of c i tizens of Boye rtown, Pennsyl va nia , th e Grand Lodge officers laid the corner s tone for t h e n ew Mas onic T emple of Boyertown , Penn sy lvania. It is interes t ing t o not e that Boye rt ow n Lodge No. 741 is less than t hirt y yea r s old, wi th a membership o f app r oximately 200, s in a position t o build a new, modern and u seful Maso ni c Tem ple.
Satur day , Novemb er S, 19SS, U n ion Lodge No. 334, Bradfor d , Pennsy lvan ia a cted as host f or the Ma sons of th e twenty- seco nd Mas onic Di str ict of P enns ylva n ia, a t which tim e th e Gra nd Mas t e r and the Gr and Lodge Offi ce rs, f ormall y prese nt ed Brot her Jose ph W Li ncoln , a membe r of Un ion L odge No 334, as the new ly appointed Di stri ct Deputy Grand Mas ter f or th e twenty-second Ma so n ic D is tri c t.
Brother Ernest Gurd on Potter the former Dis tri c Dep u ty Grand Mas ter, who r es igned due to health was in ves ted wi th th e apr o n and t itle of Pa s t Distr ict Dep ut y Gra nd Mas ter, h a vi ng se r ve d as a Di s tri c D epu t y for mor e t han ten years.
Thursday, Novemb er 17, I 9 SS , th e Elec t ive and Appo inted Grand Lodge Officers , accom panied b y all th e li vin g Pas t Gra nd Ma s te r s, ded icated the new Sco tti s h R ite Ca t h edral and Maso ni c Te mpl e, loca t ed at Th ird and Wico ni sco S tree t s, Harri s b ur g, P e nnsyl va ni a . Ma s onic dignitaries from h a lf o f th e s t a tes in th e nati o n attended the dedication ceremonies, includ in g Brother George E. Bu shn ell Sovereig n Grand Commander of the Northe rn Maso ni c Juri s diction Bro ther Luth e r G. Smith, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Sou th e rn Mas onic Juri sd ic ti on , and Bro th er Clarence McC Pitts, P as t Sove r e ig n
Grand Com mande r of Canada. Following the af ternoo n ritual istic exercises, a ded icatory din n e r was served in Zembo Mosque to more than 3800 Maso ns.
Saturday, Nove mb er 26, 19SS , th e Grand Lodge Officers l aid the corners tone for th e new Re creation Building and Lodge Hall a th e Mason ic Homes in Eliza bethtown P e nnsylvan ia The Recrea tion Bui ld ing will prov ide a modern auditor ium with a seating capac ity of SOO and a s tage fu ll y equ ipp ed to pr ese nt c inemascope motion pictures and live s h ows. The Maso n ic T emple is o f Goth ic Des ign with a Lodge Ha ll to accommoda e 2SO, als o o the r necessa r y rooms and a di ni ng hall. I am h appy to r e port the buildi ng prog r am at the Mas onic H omes is progressi n g according to sc hed ul e.
The Ut il it y Tunnel to h ouse all hea ting p ipes , returns , domest ic hot wate r and e ec tri c ca b le s is 98% compl e ted.
The n ew win g, a l teration s and exte ns ion to the Philadelp hia Freem asons Memoria l Ho s pi ta l is so mewhat behind the schedu le a s of Novembe r I S, 19SS, h oweve r it is t h e hope of th e contractor t o s p eed up t h e wo r k if th e weat he r per mits It is the p a n of the Committee t o be able to transfe r th e hos pi tal g ues ts to th e new wing by Februa r y 1S, 19S6, in order tha t th e a lter ation s and ex t en s ions to the prese nt h osp i ta l can be com pleted a nd the e ntire projec t dedi cated by Au g ust I , 19S6
The co ntra c t or f or t he Recreation Building and Lodge Hall project expec ts s teel t o be de li ve red t o the s ite by April I S, 19S6. All conce rned fee l this bui ldin g wi ll be read y for ded icat io n b y the ear ly part of 19S 7
Du e to th e ge n eros i ty o f th e Mas ons of Pennsyl vania we will aga in be a ble to prov ide a ni ce Holiday Season for o ur gues ts at th e Mas onic Homes. do we reali ze, unl ess we ar e for tunat e enoug h to vis it the Homes du r ing th e Chris tmas Seaso n j u s t what joy and ch eer th ese pers onal gif ts, e nter tainme nt and differ e nt r o utine furn ished at this time ea c h yea r m ean to our Br e thren , their wi ves, widows and orphaned children. I know whatever effo rt we put fo rth for th ese, our Gues t s, meets with th e a pproval and c ommendati o n of Him w h ose bir th we cherish a nd cele b ra te on Chris t mas Day I s hall be looking for wa rd t o mee tin g a nd gr ee ting the Mas ons o f thi s Comm onwea l th at the De cemb er Qua rte rl y and Annua l Gr and Com munications To on e and all my ve r y be s t wi s h es for th e Me rr ies t Chri st mas ever, and a mo st h a pp y and pr os pe r ous New Year. R
Bristol Lodge Ce le brates 175 Years of Freemasonry
Bristol Lodge No. 25 cele brated its 175 th Anniversary earl ier this year, a nd in connecti on with th e commemoration of that occasion, Pas t Mas ter T. Jenks Wessaw r ev iewed so me of th e s ignifican t hi ghli ghts of th e his t ory of this Lodge which is one of th e oldes t in Penn sy lvan ia.
On March 15, 1780 a Warrant was issued by th e Provin cial Grand Lodge of P enn sy vania of whi ch Brother William Ball was then R. W Grand Mas t er " t o h old a Lodge o f Free and Accepte d Ma sons at the t own of Bris ol or anywh ere within fi v e mil es of sai d Town. "
Broth er John Clark, an officer in the Br iti sh Arm y, was a ppoi nted the warrant Wors hipful Master of the Lodge, with Bro t her Samuel Beneze t, Senio r Warden and Brother (Dr.) William Mcilvaine, Jun ior Warden.
The first meeting of the n ew Lodge was held on Marc h 29, 1780 but t h e r eco rd s do not indicate in what build ing that his tori c meeting wa s held. As was often the cu s to m in that early era it was decided that th e Lodge woul d meet by the moon, and Br is tol Lodge is on e of th e few Lodges still meeting " by th e moon. "
Th e s t ated meetings are h eld the Saturda y o n or before full moon.
On Jun e 24, 1786, the R W. Gra nd Secretar y reques t ed Bri s tol Lodge No. 25 to appoint a memb er to attend th e Sep tember Quarterl y Commun cation in Philadelp hia when action was expected to be taken on th e m otion which would make the Provincial Grand Lod ge independent of th e Grand Lodge of Great Britain.
Broth er John C ark who had se r ved so well as Warrant Ma s ter wa s selec t ed to represent Br is tol Lodge, and he attended th e meeting in Philadelphia on September 26, 1786 when that mos t important m otion was approved.
Bri s tol Lodge s urrendered its origi nal warrant an d on Augu s t 29, 1789 received its present warran from th e n ew R . W. Grand Lodge of P ennsy lvania, th e warrant b eing d a ted Jul y 9, 178 7 . Early r eco rd s i ndi cate the n ew Lo dge fl ouri sh ed for a time, but the attenda n ce at the mee tin gs began to dwindl e and on Dece mb er 3, 1801 , th e Lod ge su spended its labors and it was not until Janu ary 6, 1812 that Gra nd L odge approved r esumpti on of its mee tin gs. From 1812 to 1822 the Lodge continued t o hav e great prosperity. After 1822, h owever, interes t again b egan to wane and until1825 th e m emb er s a pparent ly sh owed little ent hus ias m.
On December 27, 1825, with only s ix members present Bristol Lodge wa s aga in for ced to ceas e work. For th e n ext 23 yea r s records indicate n o m ee tings were held.
On Febru ary 10, 1848, the Lodge was res u sc itated and res umed its labors, a Special Grand Lodge Meeti n g attended b y th e R W. Grand Mas ter ha v in g b ee n called for the occas ion. From then until th e prese nt time th e Lodge has co ntinue d to mo ve ever forward.
The centennial celebration of Bri s t ol Lodge which th en had 14 0 m embers was held on March
29, 1880 , and Pas t Maste r B. F. Gilke nso n wh ose Father had bee n Ente r ed on Feb ruar y 10, 1848, th e night the Lodge was reo rga niz ed, had compiled the his to ry of the fi rs t 100 ye ars T wen t y-five years late r , when th e Lodge had incr eased its me mbers hip t o 162, Past Ma s ter Charles E. Scott b rought th e histo r y up to date and o n Marc h 29, 1930 with its membe r s hip at 389 Pas t Maste r I saacS. H J ones added the hi gh lights of the previous 25 years . And now to commemorate the !75th Anniversa r y a brochur e is being prepared to in c lude th e early hi s or ies to whi ch Pa s t Mas ter T. J en ks Wessaw has add ed the last 25 yea rs. F rom that humble beginnin g 175 yea r s ago with five members Bris t ol Lodge ha s now g r own to a m e mb ers hip of 578.
It is inte r esting to n ote that Pas t Master William H. Watso n se rved Br is to l Lo dge as Secre tary for 50 years; Brothe r Evan J Groom se rv ed as Trus tee for 36 years; Pas t Mas ter William H H. Fine a s T reasurer a nd Trustee f or 33 years and Br other Louis B. Girton as T rustee for over 30 yea rs Rece ntl y Bri s t ol Lodge re co mme nded the consti t u ti on of t wo new Lodges, Fa irl ess Hills No. 776 and P enn-Morris No. 778. Not only has Bri stol Lodge given P e nn sy l vania so me of its most outs tanding Masons, but in its early days it a lso gave the Grand Lodge of New Jer sey man y of its highest office r s, and a t least on e of it s older Lodges , Burling ton Lodge No 32, w h o se members fo und it "freq u entl y imposs ible to c r oss the ice laden Delaware Riv e r to attend Bri s tol Lodge."
Grand Lodge of Iowa Dedicates New Library Building
Away back in 1845, th e Grand Lodge of I owa appointed a Librar y Com mittee and appropriated the large su m of fi ve dollars to h elp ge t the project s ta r ted. Out of th at humble b eg in n ing llO yea r s ago has gr ow n one of th e larg es t and fine s t Maso nic l ibraries in th e world. And las t June the Grand Lodge o f I owa dedicated a million doll a r s tructur e in Ceda r Rapids t o house it s co llection o f 65,000 book s , a Mu se um and the Grand Lo dge o ffices.
Theodore S. Parvin w h o became Gra nd Secre tar y o f th e I owa Grand Lodge, not on ly ga rne r ed its fi r s t book but prac ti ca ll y found ed the lib rar y s ingle hand ed Th e acquis i tion of the library s fir st vo lume, however , was no t b y purchase but b y a socia l faux pas Parvin had v isited a girl fri e nd one evening and on a tabl e in her parlor la y a co py of Cole 's " Ahiman Rezon," an old Ma so ni c volume.
Parvin beca me so absorbed in th e book th at he paid littl e atten ti on to the g irl wh o finall y s ugges ted th at if the miserable book were so much more intrigu ing th a n s h e , per h aps h e s h ould take it wi th him a nd go. Par vin went, and the book sti ll remains in th e Grand Lodge archives
W ithin fiv e yea r s , Parv in h ad ga thered enou gh books to class ify in a fo ur -page ca ta log .
By 1882 the collec ti on was wort h $12,000 and in May, 1884, a buildin g was acquired in Cedar R api ds to h ouse t he rapidly growing collec ti o n.
Parvin , who had s erved as Grand Secr e tar y for 56 years, died in 1901 , at the age of 84, and hi s son , Newto n R. Par vi n , who had been Depu t y Grand Secretary s u cceeded hi s fat h er as Grand Secre t ary and head of the library th at sa me yea r.
By 1903 th e library n eeded mo re s pace and the adjace nt large r eside nc e was purchas ed. Ten yea r s later more ro o m was r eq uired and an addi ti on was added to the o ri gina l building. Newton R. Parvin d ied in 1925 and Charles C. Hunt took ove r his duties
By 1944 the library had grown to roughl y 40,000 vo lumes It was about then that it was rea l ized that a n ew fir ep r oof st ru c ture was n eeded t o hous e th e price less co ll ect io n and in 194-5 w h e n Earl B Delze ll became Grand Secretary and Librar ian, th e Gra n d Lodge b egan accumula tin g the funds n ecessary to finan ce the erection of a building sui table to house the lib rary
Adjacent properties were acquired and now a beautifu l new st ructure houses the 65,000 vo l umes. Theo dore S. Par vin's hobby has indeed come a long wa y.
The n e w building, t he dedica ti on of which was a tt e nded by R. W. Grand Mas ter Ralph M. Lehr, is L s hap ed with a fro nta ge of 245 f eet on Firs t Avenue, a width alo ng Eighth S tr ee t of ll3 feet, a nd a width of 50 feet at th e h ead o f the L. Th e s tm ctu r e has a full ba sem ent an d two s t ories except for th e Library which has thre e s tories. The ex t e ri or is of glea min g wh i te Vermont ma r b le, wh ile the inte ri or is o f Misso uri marble and wood paneling. The trim on th e windows, door s and s tair h and ra il s is bro n ze. About h alf the window area is s tained glass wi th Mas o ni c emblems . The build ing not only h ou ses th e Library, but als o a Mu se um and the Grand Lodge admini stra ti ve offices , wi th 44 offices and wo rk rooms a nd three large fire proof vau lts.
O ver the mai n e ntran ce the following insc ription is cut into the white marble: " Be h o ld the Lord s tood upon a wall made b y a plum blin e with a plumbline in his hand."
Lodge No. 2 of Philadelphia
Preparing 200th Anniversary
Lodge No. 2 of Philadelphia , having enjoyed n early 200 co ntin uous years of Freemasonry, is hard at wo rk des igning and ar rang ing f o r their 200 th Anniversary in 1958. The hi s tory of Lodge No 2 will prove most interes tin g a nd un eq ual e d by ot her Lod ges in th is Juris diction. We are looking forw ard to featuring this r a r e and memorable occas io n in th is publ ication a nd tak e pride a t th is time in ex te ndin g congratulation s and bes t wis hes to the office rs a nd memb ers of Lodge No. 2 in their every e ffort.
From Our Grand Secr eta ry's Office
The September Quarterly Communi c a t ion
In the following s ummary o f th e proceedings of th e September Qua r t erly Communication of Grand Lodge we s hall touch o nl y upon those items which appear to u s to b e of the grea tes t interes t.
Brothe r Sam uel M. Goodyear R.W.P G.M. Grand Lod ge paid tribute t o th e m emo r y o f Broth er Samuel M. Goodyear, R W. P as t Grand Mas er in a beautiful " I n Memoriam," prepared and de li ve red by Brother Scott S. Leiby , R W. Past Grand Maste r. Past District Deputies Created
The R W. Grand Mas t er, Bro th er R alph M. Lehr, announced that he had r ece ntl y cons titut ed Broth er Ell is E. S t ern, who served for seven years as Di s trict De pu ty Grand Mas ter of District 5, and retir ed fr om th at office after his el ection to the Committee on Ma s onic Homes, a Pas t Distri c t Deputy Grand Mas t er. The Grand Mas t er then conferred the same honor upon Brothe r Roy M. Kr ebs, Di strict Deputy Grand Maste r of the 56th Maso ni c Distri ct for s ix yea r s before ac ce pting a n a ppo intment as Secretary to the Grand Mas er Flo ral Wrea th Placed on Franklin 's Grave
The R. W. Gra nd Maste r informed th e Brethren that, o n August 22, 1955, accomp ani ed by Brother Pablo Oro, a member of th e Grand Lodge o f th e Philippine I s land s a nd a number of our Grand Lodge officers, he had placed a floral wreath up on th e grave o f Brother Benj amin Franklin , R. W. Pa s t Grand Master. He further stated that photographs taken of th e ceremony had b ee n forwarde d to Brother Oro, t o be presented to th e Grand L odge of th e Phil ippine I s lan ds.
Additional Funds Provided fot· Maintenance of Homes
Two resolutions, attached to the report o f th e Committee on Fina nce, and designed to provide a dditional revenue for the mai nt enance of th e Mason ic Homes at Elizabe tht own, were unanimou s ly ado p te d.
The fir st o f these allocated th e annua l i ncome of the Philadelphia Freemasons Memoria l Hos pita Endowmen t Fund, wh ic h heretofo r e has been add ed to the principa l, to th e maintenance of th e H ospital at Elizabe tht ow n. This action will make approximately S8 ,000.00 addit ional ava ilable fo r ma intena n ce in 1956.
The second r esolution ch a n ged th e a ll ocation of th e Deceased Gu ests Contribution Acco unt of the Maso ni c Homes. In acco r dance with a previous reso lu tion of Gran d Lodge, the entire am o unt of this account is c urrently all ocated t o Ma s on ic H omes Endowment Fund.
U n der th e new rule, beginning wi th th e next fiscal yea r on y the balance remaining in each d eceased gues t ' s acco unt after a maintenance charge fo r the p erio d durin g which the g ues t has r es id ed at t h e Hom es h as be e n deducted will b e placed in th e Endowm e nt fund. That
porti on of each account whic h has b een charged to maint ena nce wi ll become a part of th e an nu a l ap p ropriatio n by Grand Lodge for th e maintenance of the Mas o n ic H omes
Wat· R e li e f F und Mad e Available for Flood Relief
A th ird res o lut io n , a lso attached to th e r e po rt of th e Committee on Finance , cha n ged th e nam e of th e " War R el ie f Fund" to th e "G ran d Lodge of P e nnsylvania Genera l Relief Fund ," and greatl y enlarged the pmp oses fo r which thi s Fund can be u sed. I t is no w ava ilable f or the relief of our Bre thr e n in those areas devas tated by las t s umm er's fl ood s
Life and Honorary Members hip
In the Grand Secre tar y s l e tter of Se p te mb er 8 , 1955, addressed to the Secretaries of the s ubordinate Lod ges, pointing out th e changes in our law which will become effective if the prop osed amendment to A rti cle X, Sec tion 1, Item 7, of the Ahiman Rezon is approved by Gra nd Lodge at th e Quarte rl y Communication of December 7, th ere appeared the following paragrap h s: l. No Lodge will be permitted to c reate any new life membe rs afte r December 6, 1955. Life members acco rd ing to ou r law, ca n not be requi red to pay dues of any ki nd whatsoever.
2. Lod ges may, if th ey so des ire, crea te honorar y me mbe rs Hon or ary me mbers are exempt fr om th e payment of all d ues , except the amoun t o f Grand Lodge due s Life Members
E xception h as been tak e n to the fir s t o f t hese s ta temen ts on th e gro und s that it is a mis int erp r e ation o f the ame ndment. We quote th at portion of th e ame ndment i n vo l ve d:
" No Subo rdin ate Lodge s hall he rea fter b y the crea ti on of life member s or o th erwise, take any ac ti on t o reli eve any of its members of the payme n o f said annual du es of 5 1-.00, ex cep t me mber s whos e dues are rem itted by th eir Lodge becau s e of th e ina bilit r of su ch members to pay th eir Lodge dues .' It is argued by s o me that th e ame ndm e nt merel y s ta tes that no membe r s h a ll hereafter be reli eved from th e payment of sa id an nu a l du es o f S4. 00 by crea tin g him a L ife Me mb er. The pr o hibi tion applies to th e payment of Gra nd Lo dge dues , no to the of Li fe Memb ers Th erefore, i f the Lodge ass umes t he obl iga ti on to pay th e Grand Lodge dues o f its Life Members, it is wholl y wi thin the law for it to create suc h mem bers
T he fa lla cy in s uch reason in g as th is becomes clea r when one very impor tant , bu t o ft e n lo s t s ig ht of, fact is poi nte d o ut: Grand Lodge du es are ch a rge d t o o ur Lodges , n o t t o th e ir m e mbers Tru e e nou gh th ey a r e based up o n a fixed amo unt for eac h mem ber , but th e Lo dges pay th es e d ues I ndeed , th ey pay eve n for members who are del inqu en t and have fai led t o pa y th e ir Lodge du es. The me mb e rs pay the i r d ues to th e Lodge, not to the Grand Lodge. What th e amendme n t mea ns , the r efore, is tha t "No s ub ordi nate Lodge s hall hereafter r e li eve a n y or its memb er s fr om th e pay me nt of sa id du es of $ ik00" to th e Lodge.
Thi s proVISIO n patentl y prohibits the creation of Life Members Life Memb e r s pay the L odge no du es whatever. No membe rs may h erea fter b e re li eved from th e pa y ment of $4.00 o the Lodge Therefore , n o Life Member s may be created.
Honorary
Th e secon d s tatement, quoted fr om the Grand Secretary s letter h as been made the target o f a grea t d eal of criti c is m , not on the g r ounds that it does not r e pres e nt a tru e inter pre a ti on of the m eanin g of the amendm e nt, but beca use of the u se o f the term " H o n ora r y" t o d es ignate th ose m embers who are exempt from th e payment of a ll du es exce pt Grand Lodge du es. T o illus trate, we quot e fro m a l etter re cently rece ived from one of our Secretaries:
"You know Brother Avery, and this is jus t m y own personal reac tion the name " Honorary Me mb ers" just does n ' t seem to me to fit a t all. It s ma cks of a fire company o r many o ther organizatio n s wh o do ha ve h ono rary member s , persons who are not active memb er s, but throug h something they ma y have done in th e way of a se r vice for an o rga ni za tion see m to deserve some r ecog niti o n. " We sympathi ze with these se ntiments Indeed , we, too, o n more than one occas ion have fo und ou r th oughts running in almos t preci se ly the same channel. Ho wever, we sh ould like to s ubmit th e foll owing facts: The term " Honorary," t o des ig n ate wh a t is in r ea lit y a limit ed li fe m ember , was not ch osen by th os e who framed th e proposed am endment to the Ahiman R ezon, nor by th ose whos e respon s ibility it i s t o interpret the amendm e nt. It is not now fo r the fi rs t time b eing offe r ed as an inno va tion in the accepted t e rmin ol ogy of Freemasonry in P e nn sy l vania. For many yea rs i t has app ear ed in th e By -Laws of om Lodges as a name for tho se m embers wh o are exempt from the p ay ment of all du es except Grand Lo dge dues Whatever its im plications in other organizati ons may be, in freemasonry it has th e au th ority of lo ng usage a s a tec hnical term wh ic h des ignates those m embers of a Lodge who a re enti tl ed to a ll its ri g hts and privileges, but who a s a r es ult, e i the r of the pay me nt of a s peci fi ed s um of money or the payment of dues for a spec ified number of years a r e exe mpt fr om a ll furth er pa yme nts to the Lodge except th e annu al payme nt of a sum eq ual to the a mount of Grand Lodge dues. When h o nora r y memb er s hip fi r s t came into be in g in P e nn s y lva n ia, our pred ecessors in Grand Lodge s ea r ched fo r a te rm which would clearly different iate betwee n th is type of m emb e rs hip a nd li fe me mb ers hip , t he holde rs of whi ch pay n o du es wha teve r. Th ey chos e th e t erm " Ho n o r ary. " P erhaps th e y chose un-
GEORGE
