luued Every Three Months By The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of The Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Fre e and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdiction Thereunto Belonging , through its
COMMITTEE ON MASONIC CULTURE- William E Yeager, Past Grand Master Chairman; William E. Montgomery, G. Edward Elwell Jr., Frank R Leech, William A. Carpenter, Charles A. Yaung and A•hby B. Paul.
APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED TO BE PRINTED BY
CHARLES H. NITSCH
Right Worshipful Grand Master
WILLIAM A. CARPENTER, Editor
Mailing Address: The Masonic Temple, Broad and Filbert Streets, Philadelphia 7, Pa.
Vol. III August, 1956 No .3
A Real Beginning and A Big Home-Coming at Homes
The " Magic of Be ginning" was the theme of the inspiring address of Brother Sanford M. Chilcote, R.W. Depu ty Grand Master, at the Thirty·third Annual Ch i ldren 's Day Exercises and Home-Coming at the Masonic Homes at Elizabethtown on Friday afternoon, J une 22nd.
Speaking in the Chapel which was fill ed to overflowing, Brother Chilcote reminded the young girl s and boys wh o had jus t compl et ed another year of schooling, es pecially those wh o had jus t graduated from High School, that "Ideas remain dre ams until we begin to do something abou t th em- so man y of u s n ever get started to d o the th in gs we can and s hould do. The secret is t o beg in. "
Brother Chilcote s tressed the im por tance of beginning th e ta s k in front of us-" It takes co urage to face the wo rld and it s problems. Th e days spent here at Elizabethtown have given yo u the esse ntial s t o meet these problems."
Speaking to the man y " Hom e-Comers" in the audience, Bro th er Chilcote pointed out "th e joys of re turnin g to our alma m atersrenewing friends hip s-r e li v in g j oys of y esteryears."
Brother Charles H. Nitsch, R. W. Gr and Master, had planned to ma ke the address o n this occasion , but th e plane on which he was returning home from Canada was forced by severe storms to return to Toronto and he was unable to atten d.
Thomas Prout Lighthiser, a member of the Class of 1951, respo nded very graciousl y f or the 495 girl s and boys wh o h ave attended the Masonic Homes. He spoke affectionately of the long ye ars of outs tanding service on the Children's Committe e of Brothers Samue l M. Goodyear and W illi am E. Yel/-ger, both R.W. Past Gra nd Mas ters
Brother Ar thur E . Myers, Superintendent of the Ma son ic Homes, exte nd ed a co rdial gree tin g and welcome to the par ents and gua rdi ans of the girl s and boy s prese ntly at the Home s as well as to the f or mer girls a nd boys a nd their families. He also presented th e Grand Lodge officers and the Committee on Masonic Home s
Brother William E Yeager, R.W. P ast Grand Master, highl y commended th e services of Brother Arthur E. Mye rs, Superinte nd en t and the entire staff f or their work at the Home s, and also the tireless e fforts of Miss Blanche Besor e, Girl s Ma t ron, and Broth er Russell J. Trimmer Counselor, with th e c hild ren. Brother Yeager also prese nted the Comm itt ee on Maso ni c Homes Certificates to th e follow ing g irl s and boys wh o had j us t gradua ted f rom Eli zabe thtown High School:
J EANNE MARIE CASSEBAUM
B AR BARA ANNE STEVENSON
LOIS MIL DRED ST UMM
W I L LI AM GEoRGE D ouGHERTY
CHARLES STEVENSON FARRAR
Brother Max F. Balcom, R.W. Senior Grand Warden, awarded th e Elizabeth Gatchel Smith Prizes fo r 1956 as follow s :
Grade School-Girls:
1st Pri=e - MARTHA JANE KuHN
2nd Prize-B ARBA RA ANN CHAPMAN
Grade School-Boys:
1st Prize- DoNALD ALBERT RAucH
2nd Pr ize-OwEN J AMES CosTELLO
Jnni or & Senior High School-Girls:
1st Prize-BARB ARA A NN E STEVENSON
2nd Prize-JEANNE MARIE CASSEBAUM
,/Ltnior & Seni or Hi.gh School-Bo:ys:
1st Pri ze-J AMES ELLIS RAU CH
2 nd Prize-RoBERT B RUCE FARR A R
Thes e prizes are given on the bas is of Home d epo rtment and sc h olast ic averages Broth e r Balcom al so pre se nted th e f ollowing
Special Honor Prizes :
LOis MILDRED STUMM (Gi rl s' H ome)
C H ARLES STEV ENSON F ARRA R (B oys' H ome )
RI CH A RD C HARLES WEINLAN D (Patton School )
Th ese prizes are awarded t o the one in each group who has exer ted in the mo st marked d egree the greatest influenc e for goo d and for wholesome l eade r s hip.
Brother Chilcote pre sented t h e Dani el R. Rossto n Scholarship s to:
B ARBARA ANNE STEVENSON CHARLES STEVENSON FARRAR
These scho lars hip s are awa rd ed on the bas is of outs tanding scholas ti c deportme nt both in school and in the H omes, as well as th e development of t h ose q ualiti es that make for h ea lthful a nd cooperative l eadersh ip in the Homes. At th e co n clu sion of th e exercises in th e Chape l and the r eception on th e la wn , a del icious picni c d inner was served on the campus of th e Boys' Hom e. - A. B. P.
Well and Duly Prepared
Being "Well and Dul y Prepar ed " is a Mason ic exp ress ion. Maso n s und erstan d its s ignificance in the Lodge R ooms, how ever, th ey may also in terpret it outs ide th e Lodge. No Mason ente rs even the grou nd floor of the L odge unl ess h e is "Well and bul y Prepa red," but so simple is h is d r ess that it provokes no e n vy . H e s dress ed pr oper ly for th e o ccasion, and e ve r yon e so dr essed feels perfectl y at ease a mong
his Bre thre n. No place here for the rich to boas t of fine raimen t and r espl endent jewels, nor for the poor to envy his more fortunate Bro ther or cove t h is wealth. Th eir clothing in each case symbolizes la bor and inn ocence. With hand an d bra in, each is read y to serve hi s fellow men ; with forebearance an d toleration, eac h is willing to forgive the crude and ignorant ever ywhere To carry the symbo lism of Maso nic investiture st ill further, every Mason s hould be clothed in the habilim en ts of truth. His wardro be should con t ai n the robe of justice, wi th which t o protect th ose who for an y reason have been d e prived of their just ri g ht s ; th e mantle of charity, with which to comfort th ose made d es titute, man y times by no cause o f the ir own; th e tunic of toleration with whic h t o hide the weakness of the wayward and help them t o t he road of recovery; th e cl oak of mercy, with which to cover th e wounded and suffering in mind or body wi th un s tinted sympathy and kindness. Th ese garments are a ll of genuine quality, measured and cut by a Ma s ter Tailor. Th ey are service · ab le and in good taste on every occasion Th ey, too , may be had withou t mone y and withou t price and , the man who wears them i s truly " properly clothed ," and "Well and Duly Pr epared" as a Master Mason. -W. A. C.
Banqu et Night
By BROTHER R uDYARD KIPLING
"Once in so often," King Solomon said, Wat ching h is quarrymen drat the stone, " We w ill club our garlic and wine and bread And banquet togethe r beneath my Throne And all the Brethren shall co me to that mess As F ellow-Craftsmen-no more and no less
" Send a swift shallop to H iram of Tyre, Felling and floating our beautiful trees, Say that the Brethren and I desire Ta lk with the Brethren who use the seas. And we shall be happy to meet them a t mess
As Fellow.Craftsm en-n o m ore and n o less.
"Ca rry this message to Hiram AbifExcellent Master of forge and mine] and the Brethren would like it if H e and the B re thren will com e to dine (Ga rmen ts f rom Bo::ra h or morning -dress) As Fello w- Craftsmen- no more and no less.
"God gave the H y ssop and Cedar their placeAlso the Bramble, the Fig and the ThornB ut tha t is no reason to black a man s face B ecause he is not what he hasn' t been born. And, as touching the Temple I hold and profess W e are Fellow.Craftsm en - no more a nd no less."
The quarries are hotter than Hiram' s forge, No man is safe from t h e dog whip's reach It's mostly snowing up L eb anon g orge. And it's a l ways blowing off J oppa beach; But once in so often the m essenger brings Solomon's mandates " Forget th ese th ings! " Brother to Beggars and Fellow to Kin gs, Companion of Princes- forg et these things! Fellow -Craftsmen , forget these things!
So it was ordered and so it was done, And th e h ewe rs of wood and the Masons of Mark, With foe' sle hands of the Sido n run And Navy Lords from the " Roya l Ark," Came and sat down and were merry at mess As Fell ow-Crafts m en- no more and no less.
FREEMASON
A Message from Our Grand Master
HOW DOES THE GRAND 1l'IASTER S PEN D HI S TIME?
Perhaps a brief summary of ac tivi ties s in ce in sta ll ation ma y answer this ques tion , wh ich is so often aske d. Visits to Othet· Gt·and ]lll·isdictions
April24 , 25, 26- Grand Lodge of New Jersey, Atlanti c City , N. J.
Ma y 1, 2-Grand Lodge of New York, New Yor k City, N.Y.
May 14 15, 16-Grand Lodge of Indiana- Ind ia napoli s, Ind.
May 20, 2 1-Grand Lodge of Rhod e Island- Providence, R .I.
June 11, 12, 13-G rand Lodge of Wiscon s in Milwa uk ee, Wi se
June 20, 21 -Grand Lodge of Saskat ch ewa n , Sas ka t oon , Saskatchewan , Canada.
Jul y 17, 18, 19-Grand Lo dge of Canada in the Provin ce of Ontar io , Toront o, Onta ri o, Canada.
New Distdct Deputy C o·and iVJa s ters
Seven new Di s trict Dep uties were in troduced by yo ur Grand Ma s t e r.
Fe bruar y 17- George C. Flannigan , Jr. , in Philadelphi a.
Febru a r y 28 - Albert A. Baue r , in Philadelphia.
Febru a r y 29-W illi am H. Van Voo rh ees, in Phil ad el phia.
Mar ch 10 - W ilmer Schell in Berwick
March 24 -Owen R. Hartman in New Be thleh em.
April 7 -Theodore 0. Helberg in Erie.
April 2 1 - Myro n P. Wehr in Alle nto wn.
Grand Lmlge Visitation s in Our Jul'i s diction
January 7- Cre scent Lo dge No . 4-93 in Phi ladelp hia . (The Gra nd Ma ster 's Lodge)
April 14 - Conrad B. Day Lodge No 645 in Philade lph ia. (50t h Anni ve r sary)
May 11 - Belle Vernon L odge No 643, Belle Vernon (50t h Annive rsary)
May 19 -Ch arti er s Lodge No 297, Canons burg. (lOOth Anniversary)
Jun e 23 - Lodge No 106, W ill iam s port. (1 50th Anniversary)
New Lodges
March 8- Con s tituted Spring fi eld Lodge No 779 at Ches t er.
June 7 - Con s titut ed P ocono Lodge No 780 a t Mt. Pocono.
Corn er Stone L ay in g
May 26-Laid Corn e r S t one of Mas onic H all of Brow ns tone Lodge No 666 at H ers h ey
Penn syl va nia iVJason Ju venile Co urt Institute
May 11-Atte nded clos ing ceremonies of Second Session held und er the d irect ion of Brother and Judge Gus tav L. Schramm, Di s trict Depu t y Grand Mas ter, Pitt s burgh.
July 15, 16-Attended open ing session oflns titute at Pittsburgh. at S g ht
Jul y 20-0n this date in Lawren ce Lodge No. 708 a t Er ie, your Grand Mas ter caused Dr. E lm er Hess t o be made a Ma son a t Sight . Your Gra nd Master had th e pleas ure of conferring th e Mas t er Maso n 's Degr ee up on thi s di s tin guishe d s urgeon.
Othet· Lodge Visitations
I n addi ti on t o the offic ial visitation s, yo ur Grand Maste r h as vis ited and addressed 25 Lodges in a nd about Phi lad e lphi a. Chapter Visitations
June 9 - Visi t ed Ph oe nix R.A. Chap t er No. 198 in Phoeni xv ill e to honor Compan ion Charles J. Bak er who was M.E. Hi gh Pri es t in 1906.
Com mande t·y Visitations Visi ted and addressed Commanderies in Philadelphia and one m S hamokin
Scottish Rjte
March 5, 20, 2 1, 22-A ssis ted in producing " Th e Di vine Traged y" in Benjamin F ranklin Cons is t o r y, Philadelphia. Ma y 3, 4-Vis ited a nd add ressed Bl ooms burg Consistory, Bl ooms burg.
May 9- Ladies Nig ht- Re ad ing Con sis tor y, Read in g May 26- Re ad in g Con sis tor y to assis t in h onor ing Ill. Will iam G. Bros m a n , 33° Ju ly 13- Rec eived in P e nn sy lvania Coun c il of Deliberation by Ill. Sco ttS. L ei by, 33 °, Dep ut y fo r P enn syl van ia. D eMol ay
March 3-Vis i ted and ad dr esse d dinn er given by Pilgrim Chapte r in Harri s burg.
Vetet·ans of Penn syl van a May 23 - Addressed 75 th Anniversary dinner in Phil adelphia. Confe rence of G r a nd iVIaste r s o f in North America
February 19, 20, 2 1, 22 - Attended con feren ce and was h onored by b eing one of th e s peaker s C hurc h Ser vices
February 26- Preached sermon at St. James Me th odist Church in Phil adelphia.
April 29- Addressed Men 's Cl ass in Covenant Me th od ist Church in Spr ingfie ld , De la ware County.
Committee on Homes
Your Grand Mas ter presides over thi s committee whic h meets each fourth Friday throu ghout the year at El iza beth tow n. (Co nt inued onpaee 2 )
A
Message from Our Grand Master
(Continued from page 1 Finance Comm itte e
Mee ts with thi s comm ittee o n th e Tuesda y be fore ea c h mee tin g of Gran d Lo dge . Ge n eral
The above is a brief s ummary of your Gra nd Th er e ar e a lso f r eq ue nt mee tin gs with vari ou s co mm ittees on de tail matte r s, perso n a l confer e n ces wi th an d you r Gra nd Mas te r spen d s wh a teve r t im e is reqmred m h 1s office a t th e Masoni c T empl e in Philade lph ia , w hen he is t own
Your Gr a nd Mas t er h as been mos t graciO usly r ecei ved o n a ll visitations in and o ut o f t h e J uri s di c ti on and tru s t s h e ha s r e presente d his Bre thre n wit h a ll t h e di gni ty th e o ffice r eq u ires It is a h eavy sch edul e, b ut m ost r ewa r d ing in the feeling t h a t h e th at he Brethre n a re b r ought close r t ogethe r.
Benjamin Franklin, Master Printer
By WI LLIAM E MONTGOMER Y
O n th e seven teenth of Ja nuary, 1706 , in th e h ome of J osiah Frank lin ta ll ow-ch a ndl e r , loca t ed in Bosto n j ust abo ut t we nty ya r ds fr om t h e church co mmonly ca lled " Old S ou th ," an even t occ u r r ed whi c h at t h e tim e was o f inter es t a nd im po r ta n ce o nl y t o the imm ediate famil y of Jos iah F ran klin a nd his circle of fri en ds . I t was, h owever, a n occurr e n ce whic h was d est in ed to assu m e ever- in c r ea s in g s ignificance as t h e years wen t by Th is eve nt was the bir th of a baby b oy, th e th ir teenth ch ild in a fami y of fif tee n. H e was c hri s t e n ed B e nja min and hi s paren ts a re re p u e d t o ha ve h op ed t h at h e wo u ld some d ay become h e captain of a sch ooner or th e pasto r o f a church. Doubtless o n e of these careers m ight h ave bee n his but, as El be rt Hu bbar d expressed i t "Fa t e saved him t ha t h e might t ake th e S hi p o f S tate w h e n she th rea tened to s tra n d on t h e roc ks of advers it y a nd pi lo t h e r into peaceful waters an d t o p reac h serm o n s o Amer ica t hat t h e ir e l oq u e n ce sti ll mo ves u s to better thi ngs "
Runnincr away to P h ila de lphia a s a b oy of b h s even tee n h e so fa vo r a bl y un pr essed t e ci tize n s of th a t sta id littl e ci ty that within fo urtee n s h or t yea rs he had been se lected fo r sev eral offices of p ublic t ru st. As a ci vi cm ind ed and p ublic- s p ir ited Ph ilade lph ia n , s p ec a lized in "firsts"-start ing t he fir st cir· cu lati ng library in America , th e first tho r oughl y organized and efficie n t fire company, the firs t scie nt ific society in the country, the first p u blic h ospital. He s tarted an academ! even tually deve loped i nt o a gr eat muvers _ty S treet pav in g and lig ht ing a more effective n igh t wa tc h and m uni cipal i_m provem e nts r esul ted from his efforts. I n spite of all t hese a ctivi ties, he fou nd t im e to develop h is p r int ing b usiness and to accum ul ate a fortune be fo re he had r each e d t h e age o f fo r ty-five But his p ubl ic ca r eer, in a larger sen se , was s till to co m e- his se r vices to t h e Cr own a nd the Co lo nies in th e F r ench a nd Indian W ar;
May we close wit h t he fo ll owing quota ti on, au th_o r of which i s u nkn own t o yo ur Grand Master, but exp r esses m beaut1ful l ang u age ou r sentimen ts "S u ccess is not in accomplishing what we most desire, but m accompl ishin u wha t we should des ire I t is in worthy wor k well d one; in th e na m e p r ese r ved and handed down as a r i ch legacy to ou r c h ildre n ; in the record o f s t erl in g in teg ri ty of uns po tted rep u tat io n ; in t h e courage th at never falte rs; in that n ever grows old. It lies in the wa rm heart of fnendship; 111 t he h onest gr as p of th e ha nd, and th e comradeship that t eac h es, t o r each goa o u rse l ves, WE DO NOT NEED TRAMP LE OU R BROT HE R IN THE DUST
h is efforts to uni te the seven n or th ern colonies; hi s success as P os t maste r General; his m ission to Londo n in beh al f of P ennsy lvania's in terests; his effect ive oppos ition to the Stam p Act; his assista n ce i n the form u la tion o f th e Decla rat ion o f I nd e pe n dence an d the Co n s t i tuti on; hi s re p u t at io n as a brilli ant sc ien ti s t a nd ph iloso ph er ; and per h aps gr eatest of a ll beca u se of the difficu lti es t o be s urm o u nted , hi s in comparable s u ccess as A mb assad or t o France Thu s, in b ri e f, ma y be s ummari zed th e bus in ess , po liti cal, sci enti fic and dipl oma t c ca reer o f Bro th er Ben jam in F ra nkli n Hi s Ma sonic ac ti vities h ave been effec ti vely po r trayed in Bro the r P a t erson's article n t his pub li catio n a few
On e expressio n of F ran klin u po n this may be enlighten i ng wh en h e wrote t o h 1s mo t her at a time wh e n Masonry was be m g crit ic ized sever e ly: " F reemasons have no p ri nc iples o r p ractices t ha t a r e incons is t en t wit h r eli gio n and good manne rs." On the seventeent h of A pr il 1790, the sp ir i t of Benjami n F ra n k li n passed the Grand Lodge A bove. His mo rt al r emams were bu ried in the Ch r ist Church graveyard , 5th and A r ch S treets, Phil ade l ph ia Unfo rt un ately, th er e does not a ppear u po n hi s t o mbs to ne the i n scripti o n w hi c h he pre par ed, a m o_n g th_e clever es t of hi s w r it ings and revealing h1 s im pl ic i t faith n a l ife h er eafter. Rem ember ing that h e was a pr in ter of b ook s, co n s ider t h1 s epitaph whi ch h e wrote _ for himself--:-"The Bo d y of Benjamin Frankl m , Pnnter (L1 ke the cover of an old book , its con ten s torn ou t and s t r ipped of i ts le t tering and g ild ing) Lies here foo d for worm s Yet the work i tsel f sh all not be lost For it wi ll (as he believes) appea r once more I n a new and more b ea u tifu l Edition, Co rr ected and Amended By T h e Au th o r. "
W e We r e Wrong
I n a letter r eceived from Brot h er Th o mas S. Roy, Execut ive Sec r e t ary of th e of Gran d Mas ters of Masons in North Am e n ca, we learn tha t we we r e wr o ng in r eportin g t h e vo t ing on three o f th e five t opi cs di scussed a t
A Life Worth Li v ing
Freemaso nr y i s a s t ory of life with all its joys, its hea rt aches, its failures and its final tr iumph over a ll ea rthl y things.
Freemasonry in general and their in particular is worthy, indeed, of the fehcJtation and encouragement expressed from time to time.
CHARLES H.
N ITSC H, Grand Maste r the Annual Confere n ce of Grand Masters of Masons in North America, held i n Wash ingto n , D. C., las t Fe bruar y 20 a n d 2 1.
T he correct voti ng is as follows:
S hould We C lwn ge Our Th e ory of N on-
S o li c i loti o n For t h e D eg r ees?
5 vote d " Y es"- :H voted " No" f s IJ e Jlfola)· a Proper A c ti vity for Gra nd an'd S ubordinat e Lodg es?
26 vote d " Yes " -13 vote d "No "
S h o uld a N run e ricoJ Limit be Placed on Lir e Jlfe nrb c r s hip of Our Lodges?
1 7 voted " Y e s"-21 v oted "No"
We a r e most regretful for these errors, especially the transposition th at caused so much concern in the first question r egard ing nonsolic i tation.
Thank yo u, Bro th er R oy
Us e Our Cir c ulating Library
Brethre n, are yo u inte res ted in learni n g more about F r ee maso nr y, i f so, jo in t he Ci r culating L ibrary an d be Maso ni c Wise
Int e r es tin g B oo k·s to R e ad on Fr ee ma s onry
The Story of the CrafL VIBERT
The Builders . .. . ... .. .. ... .. .. . . ... NEWTON
The Newly -Made 1\lla.son .. . . .. . ... HAYWOOD
More a. bout Masonry HAYWOOD
Short Talks on Masonry NEWTON
3-5-7 Talks on Freemasonry . .. ........ BEDE
Speculati·ve Masonry MAC BRIDE Labo ur and Refreshment . ...... ... . ... WARD
Short Talks on Masonry NEWTON Territorial Masonry DENSLOW
The Mediae val Mason KNOOP
S)'mbolism of the Thr ee Degrees ... . . ... STREET Masoni c Speech Making HOBBS
One Common Purpose JOHNSON Lectures on the Philosophy of Masonry POUND Hi-story and Et·olution of Freemasonry. DARRAH Masters book of Short Speeches MACOY
A Speech for every Occasion : EDGERTON
The Royal Arch-Its Hidden Meamng STEINM ETZ Send )'OUr request to W ILLIAM J. P AT ERSON, Librarian, Mason ic Temp le, Broad a nd Fil bert Street s, Phi la. 7, P enn syl va nia
A nyone can r ead of i t in I ts teac hi ngs, its symbols, and 1ts ambitiOns a re ope n for ge neral o bservation They are p rac t iced in the ligh t , a n d held up for _all wo rl d to see . F re emason r y is not p r acticed m t h e da r k, ne it her a r e its teachings the dogma o f some forbi d den cult. W e, as Freemasons, a re r equi red to re fl ect the light, to practice its t eachings, an d live b y the ir di r ection No "Tea te r t hi ng can be said of Freemasonry than i is a n ideal way of l iving No oth er f ra terni t y o ffe rs such profound lessons i n its ritua l o r work as does Freemaso nry. Each wo rd and each act in the ceremonies of the Lodge ca rri es a true less on to each of us, if we will but open our eyes to see, o u r ea rs t o hear, a n d our hearts to accept. We can study Freemaso n r y for years, as we attend its mee ti ngs, and each time we stop to think on the t h ings sa id a nd done, we get added inspir a tio n There is a n ever-ending of pleasu r e in the va ri o us s hades of meanmg that can be r ead i nt o eac h l ine of our W o rk. Ea ch meaning and i nterpr etation that we put upon va ri o us words and actions will make those p assages l ive fo r us, a nd _ will begi_n to see Fr ee m ason r y fo r wha t 1t IS r eally mtended a nd s h ou ld be . Great me n have devote d m any years of stud y and medita tion the cause o f F r eemasonry and wh en th etr work was fi ni shed t h ey fo u nd t h a t the y had only begun to see and u ncover its real and true meani ngs Freemasonr y has been talked of and wri tten about by countless men in every country of the world. Its members have been persec uted in all lands at one time or another, but it still grows and flour ishes as no other fraternit y o n the face of the earth Th ere must be something good and great Ill F ree masonry for it to s tand through the ages as a beacon of ight and hope for its members an d as a sym bol of t he true way of life fo r all t o o bse r ve and fo llow I ts greatness is not due to its secr e t t each ings, its m ys te ri es or fa nfare of its d eeds, bu t ra th er to t he profound t a u gh t to ts me mbe r s an d to the great sall_s · faction a n d inspi ration brough t to all who wtll but stu dy and practice i ts teachings Freem aso nr y frow n s on advertising it s good d eed s, preferri ng to let those who benefit f:om t hem reflect its goodness, that m1?ht t ake ho ld a n d desir e the better thmgs of hfe.
Freemasonry offer s comfort to those who sorr ow, hope for those who despair, wise counsel fo r thos e who err, and the joys and contentm ent of life to al l. -W. A C
Importance of Sid e lin ers
M uch has been sai d and much more shall be sa d in p r a ise a n d recogn ition of group ?f me m ber s w h o accept and serve theu· Lodge 111 ei the r a n el ective o r a n app ointive capacity T he contri b u ti on they o ffer f or the good of
There remains still another group of members whom we oftimes fai l to recognize for their generous contribution to the success of our Lodges This group might very well be called the "sideliners"- those members who attend the meetings, both Stated and Extra, and taking their place on the sidelines by the ir presence , thei r Masonic etiquette and the1r 111telhgent conce1 n, a personal in terest in the welfa r e of Lodge Bei ng a "sideliner" in the Lodge Is. a status and it is hoped that every sidelmer rea l izes how essential he is to the well -being of his Lodge There is no leader without a f_oll?w· ing· there is no winner wi th ou t a maJonty; the;e is no union without separate existence. In fact, there co uld be no Fraternity without "sideliners."
As has been wisely quoted : " They also serve who only stand and wait." T rue it is, they also serve who attend L odge meetings, tr y hard to live up to their Masoni c obligations, and duct their l ives by precept and example m accordance with Masonic principles and ideals.
A L odge can be proud of its when they do their work well. As work ts an important phase of Freemasonry, the L odge should encourage its "sideliners'_' to work . be able to work is a privilege 111 a Masomc Lodge. To be asked to work in a Masonic L odge is indeed, an honor
I n addition to this, the F ratern i ty further ju stifies i ts existence in the hea rts of the devoted members by the affectwn It family tie that binds brothers together m interest and aims.
Another gift the Craft offers is that gift-the gift of hope for the the ultimate destiny of Freemaso nry, fatth 111 our country and fa ith in the world
In return for these gifts Freemaso nr y asks of its members- officers, "sideliners," and inactive members, alike-three qualities it if it is to endure F irst, we must have pation in our Lodge- that constant meetmg with our Lodge Br e thren that strengthens the spirit and promotes fellowship. Second we must have l oyal ty-an intell igen t loy:dty that pledges devotio n to of what it is and what 1t s ymbohzes Third, we must have enthusiasm for our current endeavo rs-for the R itualistic and Lod ge Work, for the fulfillment of our responsib ilities _as recommenders, for the wise and proper gllld· a nee of our candidates in the S y mbolic Degrees, for the efficient and thorough performance on all committees and for our support of The Masonic Homes and other institutions sponsored by the Craft.
And so our lives shall be marked as !lYing stones For that Spiritual Temple, so beautiful and true If we but live our lives as Fr eemasons I n all we think and say and do . - W . A . C W h e n Is A Man A Mason?
"When is a man a Mason? When he can look out over the rivers , the hills , and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of thi ngs, and yet have faith, hope and courage-which is the ro ot of every virtue. When he knows that _dow n in his heart every man is as nob le , as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lone ly a s himsel.f, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love h1s fellow man When he knows how to sympathize with men in their s orrows, yea , even i n their sins-knowing that each ma n fights a hard fight against man y odds. When he h as learned how to make friends and to kee p th em , and above all how to ke ep fr iends with himself. When he lo ves flo wers, can hunt t he birds without a gun, and fe els the th rill of an old forgotten joy when he hears the laugh a little child. When he can be happy and highminded amid the mea n er drudgeries of life When star-cro wned trees, and the gl int of sunlight on flowing waters, subdue him l ike the thought of one much lov ed and l o_ng When n o voice of distress reaches his ears m vain and n o hand seeks h is aid without respon'se. When he finds good in every faith tha t helps any man to lay hold of di vi ne t hings and sees majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something beyond mud, and in to the face of the most fo rlorn fellow mortal and see something beyond sin . When he knows how to pray, how to lo ve , how to hope When he has himself with his fellow man, w1th his God; m his hand a sword for ev il, in his heart a bit of song- glad to l ive, but not afraid o die! Such a man has found the only real secret of Freemaso nr y " -Joseph Fort Newton
Public is In v i te d to Open Hous e at T e mpl e So that the general public may be afforded an opportunity of visiting and_ touring The Mas on ic Temple, Broad and fdbe rt Streets, Phi lade lphi a, the Right Grand Master , Br other Charles H N1 tsch, has a rran ged fo r an open ho use to be held on Tu esday and Wednesda y evenings, October 30 and 31, 1956 from 7 :00 to 10 :00 o'cloc k This will be a wonderful time to show yo u r fami ly and friends the interior of our beautiful , authentic and famou s Temple.
A n A m erican's Creed
I believe in the United States of America as a Government of the people, by the !leople, for the people; whose just powers are denved the consent of the governed; a democracy m a _re· public; a sovereign Nati on of many States · a perfect union, o ne and mseparable, upon those principles o f equality, just_ice and for wh1ch Amen can patriots sacnf1ced thetr h ves and fo r t unes I therefore believe it is my duty to my co u nt _r y t o love it; to support its Constitution; to rts laws; to respect its flag, and t o It agamst all enemies. -W!llta m Ty ler Page
From Our Grand Secretary's Office
JUNE QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION
Th ere were 198 Lodges r e presented at the June Quarterly Communication o f Grand Lodge.
A r equest for fraternal recognition was re ceived from the Grand Lodge of China, which was referred t o th e Committee on Correspondence.
Amendme nts to the By-Laws of fifty-seven Lodges were app r oved as adopted, and amend. merits to s ixteen ot h e r s were approved as amended by the Committee on By-Laws.
Complete sets of By-Laws from five Lod ges were approved, two as adopted, and three as amended by the Committee.
Two resolution s attached to the report of the Committee on Finan ce were unanimou s l y ado pted :
Th e first of th ese autho ri zed and empowered the Grand Mas ter and the Chairman of the Committee on Financ e, or in the absence of the latter, t he Vice-C hairman of that Committee, to lease all or any part or parts of the Bulletin A nn ex Building f or s u ch price or cons iderati on and upon s uch terms and condi tions as may be approved by them.
Th e second re s olution appropriated $200,000.00 from the Ma sonic Homes Res erv e Fund tow ard the Reco nditioning of the Utilities and the erect ion of th e Hospital Extension at the Ma so ni c H omes at Elizabethtown.
The Children's Service Comm ittee in its r eport, indi cated that th e cost of the three P e nnsylvania Mason I n s titutes to be held during th e present fiscal year wo uld probably be $8,000.00 l ess than the $35,000 00 appropriated by Grand Lo dge for that purpose.
The Committee furt h er informed the Bre thren tha t the Scrapbook o f th e first sess ion of the Pennsyl vania Maso n Ju ven ile Court I nstitute has bee n placed in the Grand Lodge Library, and ma y be in s pected b y those Bre thren who des ire t o learn at fir st hand what the Masons of this Juri s diction are doing for the troubled childre n of o ur land.
Brother Ch arles H. Ni t sch , Ri ght Wors hipful Grand Mas ter, informed G r and Lodge of the lay ing of the corner-ston e, on Ma y 26, 1956, of the new Ma son ic T e mpl e being erected by Brown s t one L odge No. 666, at Her s h ey, P e nn syl vania
GRAND LODGE RECEIVES FRANKLIN CONG RE SSIONAL MEDAL
At its Qu ar terly Communication h eld Ju ne 6, 1956, the Grand Lodge of P ennsy lva nia was presented with th e Franklin Commemorati ve Medal f or Dis tingui s h ed Ser vice, b y Dr. Nicol H. Smith of Lodge 529, Dir ecto r of the Franklin Ins titute Labo rat ories for Research and D evelopment.
This Medal was author ized by the Un ted States Cong r ess, and was designed und er its direction for pr esentation to those s oci eties which did so much, both dur ing Franklin s
life time, and al s o through the yea r s that have followed toward making po ss ible his success in s preading hi s convi c tion that the development of a b e tte r unders tanding among men of all nation s wou ld ha ste n th e day when peace would replace wars and threats of wars
On the M edal appear th ese words of Franklin's: " WISE AND GOOD MEN ARE THE STRENGTH OF A NATION." The q uotation from wh c h they were taken adds the words : "far more than Ri c h es or Arms."
Dr. Smith in his address at the presen ation s aid:
"No one could d ese r ve this Medal more than the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Maso n s of P ennsylvania You gave Franklin the op portunity to perform one of the greates t s ervices of his life.
" Whe n P oor Ri chard was an appre ntice in London, he firs t heard o f th e Ma sonic Lodge
H e was eage r to j oi n , but being y oung and poor, that was not poss ible. Member shi p in the Masons in those da ys was confined t o th e nobility and ge ntry, and Franklin, a soapboil e r 's son, lac ked both social and finan c al s tanding.
" But to Franklin- all men are truly crea ted equal. There was no class, no caste , no difference in race or co lor. H e determined to advan ce thi s phi losophy t o the world.
"One of hi s fir s t acts was to form h is ow n secr e socie ty in 1727, ca lled the 'Leather Apron Club'-su gges tive of our own Frate rnit y. Later that Club became the famous Junto'- and Franklin him self achie ved his ambition to become a Mason in F eb ru ary of 1731. Here h e broug ht his principles of eq ual opportuni t y for all-and from our Grand Lod ge th ey s pread across the world, h elping to build th e tradition of Demo cra cy and Equal i ty for whi ch Freemasonry is noted everywhere.
" To rec ite to ni gh t Franklin 's other services t o Maso nr y would take a very l on g tim e-for few men ever gave as ge n erous ly of themselves to this Frat e rnit y He h elpe d draft th e fir st se t of by- laws for St. John 's Lodge in 1732-was elected Grand Mas t er of Pennsy lvania in 1 73 4 and printed the fir s t book o n Maso nr y in America th e s ame yea r.
"W ith hi s Breth ren of St. Jo hn 's Lodge, he h e lped la y the corners tone for Independence H all, where y ears later, h e would assist in drafting the Declaration of Inde pende n ce and the Constitution of the n ew U nited States H e also helped to erect the first Maso nic Build ing in Amer ca; was ProYin c ial Grand Master in the Colonies and re presented th em in the Grand Lodge of England.
" While in Fran ce ra is in g money for George Washington 's poorly equipped Armies , he was e ec ted to member s hip in three of that Country 's leading Lodges, a nd m e t man y friends there who gave in ca lc ulabl e help to our infan t country.
" I is a privilege f or me to present this Fran k lin Medal of the Un ited States Congress to the Grand L odge of P enns yl vania- in memory of these in spiring acts and i n tri bu te to the way you ha ve cont inued t o u ph old that grea t tradit ion."
Freemasonry in Norway
By WILLIAM E. YEAGEil R. W. Past Gra nd Mas ter
What s the "Swedish S ys tem of Freemasonr y?" Ho w can it differ in its de tails and ye t be bas ically the same as that fo und in America? Th ese ques tions have been raised by th e p r eamble to the r esolution by the Grand Lodge of Penn sylvan a b y wh ich fraternal re cogn ition was ex tended to th e National Gra n d Lodge of Norway
GEORGE A. AvERY, Grand Secretary
Our Newest Blue Lodge
For many years Masons livin g in the heart of the P ocono Mountains had hoped for a Ma soni c Lo dge in th eir own v icinity. That h ope was r ea li zed la st J une 7th when Brother Charles H. Nitsch, R. W. Grand Master, and many of the Grand Lodge Officers, cons tituted Po cono L odge No. 780 .
While the constitution was held at Pocono Manor, the h ome of the new Lodge is ac tually in Swiftwater. No Masonic L odge had ever been constituted in this immediate v icinit y, the nearest Lodges being Barger Lodge No. 325 in Stroudsburg and J. Simpson Africa Lodge No 628 in East Stroudsb urg. The closest Lodge to the north is Moscow Lodge No 504 at Moscow, and t o the wes t is Laurel L odge No 467 in White Haven, while the nearest to the eas t is Milford Lodge No. 344 at M ilford. O ver 400 Masons fr om many dilferen t Lodges a nd States witnessed the impressive con stituti o n cer emonies which were held in the r ecreatio n bu ilding of the Po cono Manor Inn while the tradi tio n a l Ban quet was served in the main Di ni n g Ro om of the Inn.
Ninety Master Masons were made warrant members of the new Lodge, three others b eing unable t o be p resen t. Bro ther Jo hn R. Nauman, who se r ved as Mas te r of Barger Lodge No 325 last year, was installed as Warrant Mas te r, wi th Brother Stanley E. Pope, also of Barger Lodge, the Senior Warden and Brother John H. Parker, of George M. Dallas Lodge No 531, the Junior Warden Brother Louis T. Powers, a Past Master of M oscow Lodge No. 504, was ins ta lled as Secreta r y and Bro ther D ona ld A R obbins, of Robert Bu rns Lodge No. 464 of Harrisburg, as Treasurer. Pocono Lodge No. 780 is the eighth Lodge in Di stric t No. 50 o f whic h Brother Paul T. S hi ve is District D e puty Grand Master. Its Stated Mee tings are held the second Wednesday of th e month. The Lo dge meets in Swiftwater Hall adjoining the Methodist Ch urch - A. B. P.
"Benjamin Franklin , who firs l adva n ced the id ea of Union in America, helped to initiate the g rea t Voltaire, who brought the idea of liberty to France-in t he Lodge of t he Nine S isters People wept un asha medl y when these m en met-these two great men who did so much to tea r down the ce nturies of tyranical monarchies a nd bring free and equal rights to all mank ind.
Alth o ugh Scandinavian Freemasonry diffe r s in many r es pec ts from that of any other co untr y in the wo rld it is on the same high plan e. T hose who have vis ited these Lodges have been impr essed wit h the high ch a racter of the members hip and the dignit y of their Ma soni c degrees. It has the good will of the governme n t-espec ia ll y in Swed en and Denmark where th eir kings very frequentl y have b een Grand Mas ters
Undoubtedl y it had its origin in English Masonry bu t by reason of the economic trends of th e times it also came und e r the influen ce of German and French phi losophers So man y infl uences have h ad their effect in the de velopment of th e various degrees and its r ites that the o ri gin of the Frate rnit y in these countries is not exactly clear.
The secluded life, n ot on ly in na t o nal matters, but in Masonic affa rs as well, which the citize ns of these na t io n s enjoy, ikewise co ntri b uted to this system wh ich is peculiar in th e Freemasonry of the world.
In 1924, a writer in The B uilder said of the sys tem:
"The system is autocratic but also this is due to the condi tions existing in the Mas o ni c world at the time when the system was formed Stri fe s and conBicts we re raging everywhe r e i n Europe among Masons, in England, in Fran ce and in Germany, and the builders of the Swedish system saw that a system had to be built o n authorit y and discip line if it we r e t o last. O f course it might be said that a n autocratic sys tem checks indi v id ualism; this is true, but o n th e o th er hand an ext r em e ind ividualism brings with i t as a logica l cons equence grave dangers and undoubted ly this is at presen t the case everywhere in th e world and also in this country Masonry cannot exist with out a certai n discipline and a certain r estraint on individualism , ou r old bo ok o f ques ti ons teaches us this, when at the question, What is a Freemaso n ? it gives as answer, 'A Freemason is a free man, who understands to master h is passions and to bend his will under th e laws of reason.' "
Brother Burton E Benn ett has given us a good description of the va rious degrees of the Swedish R ite:
"The Swedish R ite of F reemasonr y dates from about 1775 The fu- st three degrees are An cient Craft Masonr y and to this is added some of the 'high degrees.' It contains a strain from the R ite of S trict Obs ervance in its Temp la rism and has elements taken from R osicrucianism
"Gustavus III, Kin g of S weden, fo rmed the Rite and the King of S weden has ever since bee n the head of it. The Rit e consists of twelve degrees Th e King is Grand Master of th e Craft and is the only one who takes the twelf th degree I t is called the 'Vicar of S olom o n.'
Onl y h gh nob les take the eleventh degree, called ' D igni t a r y of the Chapter,' and o n ly pers o n s of great importance can r eceive the tenth degree, called Member of the Chap te r,' These three degrees reall y fo rm a class in themselves; this class is called the 'Ill uminated Chapt er a nd the members of i t Br ethren of the Red Cross' "
The Freemasonry of Norway is ve r y sim ila r to that of its n e ighbors, Sweden and Denmark. It co u ld not be otherw ise as i t all springs fro m t he same so urce . I n Norwa y the s yste m conta ns e leven degrees divided into three secti o ns; The St. J o hn 's Lodges cons isting o f the three firs t degrees (I II and III) the S t Andrew's Lodges with three degrees (I V, V and VI), and the Chap te r , which is th e hi ghest division of the Order, containing degrees VII to XI. Th e membe rs of the highest de gree are named Knight Comm anders with the R ed Cross. Th eir number is li mited to 33 On e of these is s el ected as Grand Master of the M ason ic Order fo r Li fe.
"The Swedish Maso ni c system forms an im posi ng struc ture Its strength l ies in this, that i t is an organized u n it, as each degree is a l ogical co nsequence of the previou s one, with whi ch it is s tanding in intimate connection, whi ch h ardly ma y be said o f the man y High D egrees of t he d i fferent other Maso ni c systems, as mos tl y they spring from the man y social H igh D egrees, w h ich were for med in Fra n ce i n th e eighteen t h century a nd are w ithout any ogical connection with the three St. J ohn's de gr ees Th e S wedish s ystem is l ike a ladd er, r eachin g up f rom the bottom of the well upon the first run g of the ladde r to climb up it to th e l ight, which faintly he discern s at the orifice; but his cl im bing is s low; as he is not allowed to pass fr om one rung of the ladder to the next until his masters have examine d h is knowledge and learned whether h e is worthy to r each the light . On ly some few reach th e uppermost run g of the ladder " The system is hiera r chi c but n o t theologica l ; it is based on the Christian faith and i t had to be a s a co nsequence of the legends upon whi ch i t is buil t, but t is tole rant, and practically it leaves t o th e members to form their own f a ith accordi ng to their conscience That Jews a r e n o t adm tted to the Ord er und e r the sys tem is due to the histo rical fact that in the latte r part of the eighteen th century Jews were not allowed to enter or to stay in Scandinavian countries
Freemas onr y was first introduced into Norway in 1749 when the first Lodge was constituted at Christiania (now Os l o) by Count Christian Conrad D anneskjold La m·vig in his capacity of P rovinc ial Grand Mas ter of t he Grand Lodge of England I n 1818 this group united w ith the Grand Lodge of S weden working the Swedish Rite, and in 1870 were co ns t itu ted by the Grand Lodge of S weden the Provincial Grand Lodge of No rway O n Jun e 24, 1891 full in dependence was obtai n ed from the Grand L odge of S weden and the National Grand Lodge of Norwa y estab lished H owever, due to the un ion between the Kingdom of Sweden established in 1814-a union wh ich existed until the seventh of June, 1905the King of Sweden was King of both countries and as such the Grand Master of both Grand Lodges. Since the latter date a commoner has been the Grand Mas ter of the Grand Lodge o f No r way
About 1891 th e Grand Lodge P olar Star invaded the terr i tory of the Norwegian Provincial Grand Lodge. A lthough they were never accorded any official re cogn i tion by th e Grand L odge of Norway, H is Majest y Ki ng Os car II, th en Grand Mas ter, gave the brethren of the Polar Star Group a ver y lim te d permi ssion to v isi t the legiti mate Gra nd Lodge This create d a certain amount of confusion un t i l N ovember 29, 1947 whe n the irregu lar Grand Lodge discontinued its activi ties as an independent Grand Lodge and placed th emsel ves under the j urisdicti on of th e Na tional Grand Lodge of Norway-th us according the latter Grand Lodge excl usive terr it oria l jurisd ict ion
On Jun e 29, 1945 Brother Jacob Hvinden Hau g, a Major Gen era l, was elected Grand Mast er. The Grand Lodge, wh ich has twentyfour St. J ohn's Lodges with over ten thousand members, has its headquarters in t he city of Oslo-the capital .o f the co un try
Setting An Exampl
e
Ol der Masons who are setting an examp le for the yo un ger memb ers in the Lodge s hould be concerned no t onl y for the present wel fare of the Lodge bu t also its fut u re, which lies in the hands of these yo ung me n There is a te ndency among the older Craftsmen to go on running the Lodge mu ch as it alwa ys has been run, paying li ttle heed to the views of the newcomers and seldom asking the m for advice. But if Freemason r y is to ho ld the place in the world which it rig htl y deserves, the elders of the Lodge must show greater interest in the young and upright Maso ns.
Teachings of Freem a som y Every Masonic Lodge is a temp le of religion, and its teachings are instru cti on in re ligio n. Fo r here are in c ul cated to le ra t ion, affe ct ion, tru th, devotedness, patriotism, a genero us s ympathy wit h those who suffer an d mourn, pit y fo r the fallen, mercy for the er ri ng, relief for those i n want-faith, hope and charity
In Norweg ian Lodges, Worshi pfu l Masters are elected fo r li fe, bu t mos t of them resign before death calls. Not man y Norwegian Breth r en ever have the chance of getting into office, but because of th e man y meetings held each year (weekly and sometimes semi -weekly from O c t ober t o Apr il) each officer will have two o r three "v icars " for the real officer, the reb y gi ving many Lodge members an opportunity to take part in the work.
