luued Every Three Months By The Right Worshipful Grand lodg e of The Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdiction Thereunto Belonging, through its
COMMITIEE ON MASON C CULTURE - William E. Yeager, Past Grand Moster, Chairman; William E. Montgomery, G. Edward Elwell, Jr., Frank R. l eech, Wi ll iam A. Carpenter, Charles A Young and Ashby B. Paul.
APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED TO BE PRINTED BY
CHARLES H. NITSCH
Right Worshipfu G r and Master
W ILLIAM A. CARPENTER, fdilor
Mailing Address : The Masonic Temple, Broad and Filbert Stree ts, Philadelphia 7, Po.
Vol. III November, 1956 No .4
Peace on Earth Good Will Toward Men
Once again, our thoughts turn to the Chri s tmas Season, that t ime for happy ga th eri ngs and express ion of good will and peace toward our fellow men . Let u s consider peace as it must have been regarded by the Galilean wh ose birth we celebrate th is December 25, 1956. He spent His earthl y life in bondage to the Roman Legions. Th at fact He considered un. important. His wor k centered on the i ndividua l. He kn ew th at if th e individual was ri ght , society would be right. So He t ou ched the hea rt s and sou ls of men. He was th e greates t lead er th at the world h as ever kno wn yet , He n ever rai sed an army, He n eve r fought a battle and He never resisted au th ority. He was, indeed , a man of peace
The peace He gave was with in one's self. He taught to "love your enemies, do good to them tha t hate yo u bless them that cu rse you an d pray fo r them that des pitefully u se yo u. " Hi s peace was the peace of understanding and l ove for all men. He con stantl y admo ni shed his follow ers to clear the ir m inds and hea rt s of lus t , h at e, greed and selfishn ess. With this accompli shed, n othing would remain but peace and ove Wickedn ess redounds wickedn ess ; h ate breed s hate; greed accrues greedin ess and all l ead to misery But peace ge nerates love , and love is s trong - eve r swelling enduring and overcom ing.
It i s entirely fitting for u s at thi s tim e of th e year, and eve ry day of the year, if yo u please, to recall the genuine spirit of good will, that true Christmas spi rit wh i ch s hould preva il amo ng Fr ee masons as we li ve to gether and work together as a band as Brothers, among whom no emulation s hould ever exi s t. Thi s same expression of good wi ll , harmony and fri end ship practiced wi thin our Fratern ity ca n very well be radiated and r e fl ec t ed in the minds and actions of those with which we h ave da ily co nta ct and assoc iation . S trange, is it not,
th at with all t he million s of people who profess to follow His philosophy, the wo rld remains in somewhat of a chaos rather than in orde r.
The solution is easy-and if accep t ed a nd enforced even with in the membership of th e Craft could prove to be a most powerful influ. ence throughout the world We must be build. ers, not destroyers; workers, not drones; and above all , doers of His Word, no t just hearers only.
-W.A C.
N oteworthy Masonic Meeting Places
(Continu ed from page 5)
The s tru c tur e in question is located at the so uthw est co rner o f Fifth and Arch S tree t s
The present size is approximately 60 feet (on Fifth Street) by 45 feet on Arch Street, although appa rently a 10.foot or 12.foot addition has been erected at each end, so that the original part of the building is somewhat smaller than the over all dimensions indi cated above. It is built of brick, two s tories high and on the gable end facing Arch S tr eet is a s tone bearing the inscription: "By General Subscrip· tion for the Free Quakers Erected in th e Year of Our Lord 1783 of the Em pire 8. " The bui ld ing has recently been occu pied by a s u pply company, but is now emp ty. It seems unfor. tunate that thi s his t oric old s tructure was not acq uired by Gra nd Lodge in times past when it doubtl ess cou ld have bee n purchased for a relat ivel y s mall sum. W ishes of this kind how. ever, are us uall y made after the favorable opportunity has long since passe d.
It m ight be in t eres ting to n ote some of the i tems of expense in curr ed in fitting the new room for Masonic occupancy a s charge d by Samuel Benge , Upho lsterer (noted in pounds, sh illings and pence):
to Covering to Formes with Green Bays -Brass Na ils, Green Bind ing, Tacks &c 3-9-7 Yds Wilton carpeting at 6/6
Brase nails. T ape. Black Tacks mak eing & puting down 3-8-3
Yd s Bes t 3/2 Scotch Carpeting @ 5 /3
To makeing Bra se Nail s, Bl ack
Ta cks Ta pe & puting down 1- 2- 6
Yd s Crim s on Morr ee n at 3 / 9 For Can ip y and Ward in Pedis ta lls
To Was h i ng the S ix Window Cu r. t in s, takeing down and putting up again with 1- 2-6
24 new Tosells at 1/6 1-16-{)
The abo ve, together with other i tem s incl uding a "frame for the Canipy," "green serge for Wa r dens Caushine," " 16 yds white bed lace," "repicking haire makin g and s tuffing" and sim ila r expen se, totaled
Evidentl y the Free Quakers did not care to renew the lease, for as early as August 12 , 1799, in the minutes of Lodge No 2 it is noted that a Committee was appoi nt ed to co n. fer "on a su itable place for meeting after we leave this." It is in terest ing to note that at the same me e ting a motion was presented that "on e·third of the Initiation fees be placed in the hands of the Grand Treasurer half yearly for the express pu rpose of Es tabl is hing a fund for the bu ilding of a Grand Lodge Ordered to l ie over for Considerati on ." This refers to a plan of Grand Lodge to raise $6,000.00 by s ubs cription to build or otherwise sec ur e a permanent meeting place for Grand Lodge an d the local subordinate lodges. Not being able to secure other accommoda. ti ons, our Masonic ancestors were perm itted to mee t for a time in the Sta t e H ouse (lnde. pendence Hall) und er circumstances wh ich will be recited in a subsequent iss ue.
Who Guards the Portals of Freemasonry?
Who guards the portals of Freemasonry? It may rightly be said that three Master Masons guard these cherished portals. And but for the devoted and attentive diligence of these three Master Masons, the v irtues of the Craft might be exploited by the ambitious, corrupted by the immoral or subverted by the seekers of evil power. Ea ch petitioner for the My steries of Freemasonry has within him the will and desire either to perpetuate the Craft in the glory of the past , or to warp and use it to his own ends Nothing stands between the unscrupulous petitioner and the L odge except three guards who are appointed by the Wor shipful Ma ster as the In vestigating Committee. It is true, of course, that ea ch member of th e L odge has the right and priv ilege of the ballot, but it i s equally true that the individual member ofttimes is influen ced by the repo rt of the In vestigating Committee Who guards the portals of Freemasonry? Three Master Masons who, if they are vigilant and alert that the petitio ner is worthy of a favorable report, will g ua rd well our portals, but who, if they be heedless and insensible of their responsibilities, will allow a petition er through the outer door to the detriment of t he Craft. Th e guard or sentinel must alway s be awake and faithful in the dis· charge of his duty In time of war t he sentinel who sleeps may well pay with his life for his slumbers. Today, this ve ry day of our current Masonic year, we wage war-let no man mistake it - war against the most insidious forces that would strangle and cru sh and dishonor our great Fraternity, and the Master Mason who permits himself to be the sleepful guard may pay with the life of our great Fraternit y
Who guards the portals of Freemasonry? All of us, Brethren. Each time we investigate the petition of one who seeks the Mysteries of Freemasonry, we g uard those sa cred portals. - W A. C
FREEMASON
A Message from Our Grand Master
ASUBJECT of great concern t o yo ur Grand Master is the matter of providing proper educational mater ial to th e mor e than 252,000 Masons of our Grand Jurisdiction.
My immedia te prede cessor, Brother Ra l ph M. Lehr, also recognized thi s n eed and for thi s reason, created the Committe e on Masonic Culture and appoin t ed Brother William E. Yeager, R. W . P ast Grand Master, as its Chairman. After considerable di sc ussion it was finall y agreed that an official publication should be crea ted and made avai lab le to all Brethren of o ur Jurisdict ion. Thus was born " The Pennsylvania Free mason. " This is the offic ial publica ti on of the Grand Lodge of P ennsylvania and is mailed to approxima t ely 92,000 of our Brethren It is d isappoi nting th a t more of our members ha ve n ot ava il ed themselves of th e opportunity of being placed on t he ma iling list. We urge each Broth er who is not on th e list to contact his secretar y. The procedure is ve ry simple and th ere is n o ch a rge for s ubscr ip tion. It is the gift of the Grand Lodge to the members h i p. To further add to your Masonic know ledge, each Secre tary of our Lodges has been sent the fo llowing letter : " By a resolution, adopte d un anim ously at its Sep t ember Quarterl y Commun ica ti on, Grand Lodge took another forward step in its program of Maso nic e ducation by becom ing a m ember of the Maso ni c Servi ce Associati on of the U nited States. As a result of this members hip, all of our Lodges each month will recei ve a copy of th e monthl y Short Talk Bulletins published by th e Association.
" These Bulle tin s con tain a wealth of informational and inspirational mate rial , and it is my des ire that the y be circulated as wid el y as possibl e. The members of yo ur Lodge who des ire to do so sho uld be given every opportunity to read them. It will be your dut y, as the Secretary of the Lodge, t o see that t hi s is done, and, when there is no longe r a demand for any particular Bulletin, to file it with the papers of the Lodge.
"You will read this letter at the ne xt stated meeting of the Lodge, and then file i t i n the Official Binder. "
What is the Masonic Service Association of the United States?
The Assoc iation was formed in 1919 a s th e result of need developed in World War I , of a m eans by wh ich American Freemaso nry could function unit edly in relief for th e di s tressed.
The Brethren who gathe red in Cedar Rapids, I owa, in 1918, for p rel iminar y discussion, and again in 1919 for th e fo rmation of the Association , knew that more than one bond between Jurisdictions was requir ed. Hence the Educa tion a l, Sta ti stical , Informa t ive and other Ser vices to the Cra f t whi c h this organization has given from the beginning.
The Short Talk Bulletin S tarted in 1923 as an experimen t in Masonic Education not even its proponents en visio ned the s peakers library into which it would dev elop or prophesied the enthusiastic reception of th ese monthl y pamphlets. Wr itten for the average Mason , Th e Short Talk Bulletin h as made its place in Masonic ed u ca ti o n. Speakers here find addr esses o n mor e than 400 Ma so ni c s ubjects. Li brar ies use them to ans wer inquiries, wr iters consult t hem for s ubject matter, ed uc ationa l comm ittees use them t o ins t ruct new Brethren.
The Exec u tive Secreta r y of the Association is Brother Carl H. Claudy, one of America 's outs tand ing Masonic scho lars.
Midwest Conference on Masonic Ed uc ation On November 8th 9th and lOth yo ur Grand Mas t er, accompan ied by Brother William E. Yeager, R. W. Past Grand Mas ter, Chairman of the Committee on Maso nic Culture, a ttend ed the Seven th Annua l Midwes t Conference on Maso ni c Education at Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Foll owing are some of the s ubjec ts that we re d isc ussed:
" AnalysiS of the Essential Divi sions of Masonic Educa ti on and Evaluation of Methods Applicable to Each. "
"What should the candidate be ta ught?"
"Open Discussions on Masonic Publications. "
"A Revi ew of Some Recen t Maso nic Books."
" Masonic Misinformation."
" Topics and Scope o f Masonic Research that needs to be don e ."
"The role of th e Maso ni c Education Committee in re lation to the Ma so ni c Student "
"A Program for the Use of Lodge Talent."
"How to In ves ti ga t e a Ca nd idate."
Brother Yeager and yo ur Grand Mas ter fee l much was l earned that can a nd will be passed on for th e ed ification of our Gra nd Jurisdiction .
CHARLES H NITSCH, Grand Ma ster
Our Building Program at Elizabethtown
By RALPH M LEBR R. W. Past Grand Master
The Building Committ ee of the Masonic Homes at Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania , desires to give to the Masons of Pennsy lva nia, a th umb nai l sketch of the progress being made in the Building Program at the Homes.
The new und erground t unn el from the Power House to the Homes Buildings and Hospital, is comple te and in full operation. The tunnel is over one mile in length and contain s all of the utilit ies for use in th e buildin gs on th e Homes grounds, namely, the e lec tri c equipment (power and light lines), the heat units and also th e return pipes from all heating units. It i s a walk-in t ype concrete tunnel, six feet high, six fee t wide, with several grade leve l man holes thoroughl y lighted and every safe ty precautio n ins tall ed.
Man y necessary changes have been made at the Power Plant in order to bring our electric and heating requirements up to the full load capacity when the new Hos pital Extensi on, the Re creati on Building and th e Lodge Hall are added to o ur pr ese nt utilit y l oad The one major change was the tran s fer from self-manufactured electric power to the purc hase of same from the P en nsylvania Light & Power Company. Thi s tran sfer will effect a great saving o f m oney in operation costs over the former m e th od.
The Philadelphia Freemasons' Memorial Hospital Extension, Alteration s and Addition are progressing in accordance with the building sch e dule. The lOS-bedroom extension is almost completed, each room now being occup ied by an adult guest patient. The extension is a "Y" shaped building three s tories high , modern in every respect. Each bedroom is equipped with wide bed level window (properly curtained and ventilated), latest type h ospital bed , built-in clothes closet, comp lete se r vice and utilit y cabi net and a lava tory Those in authority proclaim this n ew ex ten sion to be one of th e m os t beautiful , useful and modern hospi tals in this day and age.
The alteration s and additions are co nfined to the first, second, third and fifth sec tions of th e old hospital. The alterations cove r th e removal of general offices located on the second fl oor-the employees dining room - doctors offices-examining rooms-several bedrooms -general service rooms and also some of the co rridor s. The first floor of section s one, two and three will con tain th e new gene ral offices, doctors' offices, examining ro oms, x-ray rooms, receiving section , laboratories, morgue, drug s torage and pharmacy, operating room, di spensary, therap y rooms, r ecord and filing rooms, genera l waiting and visitors' room, an d a complete utility sec tion.
Th e addition cover s the food department, cons is ting of kit chen for the entire hosp ital emplo yees cafetetia and dining room, deep freeze and temperature holding rooms. All food
is cooked in the central kitch e n l ocated in Grand Lodge Hall and conveyed by special trucks to the Hospital as well as all buildings o n the grounds.
The Recrea tion and Lodge Hall Building to date has progresse d according to the building sc hedule. Howeve r construction work on this building was almost a t a s tand- s till due to the fact we were unable to get deli ver y of th e roof slabs. The ro of slabs have now been delivere d to the site of the building, a nd the work is expected to continue on schedule.
We would like to draw you a mental pic tur e of this project. Th e Recreati on Building is a two-story stru ct ur e. On th e first floor is th e Main Audit orium with a seating ca pa city of approximately 500, equipped with a complete s tage for li ve shows, concerts and recitals, al so scree n for regular and cinemasco pe mov ing pictures. The lower floor is eq uipped for general assemblies, dancing, card parties and holiday seaso n celebrations.
The Lodge Hall is a s tandard furnished Lodge Room. However, very unique in design, the roof is in the shape of a triangle, the apex being 88 feet above the ground, ceiling height is 46 feet above the floor. The walls and ceiling a.re finished entirely in California Cedar with special wood trim. This building is appr oximately 50 % compl eted, and it is the hope of the Committee to be able to dedicate same about September 1957.
The Residency Program at The Masonic Homes
By CHARLES WILLIAM SMITH, M D. Member of the Staff
Th e ever-increasing p opulat i o n at The Maso ni c Homes a long with an increasing average age of those patie nts admitted to the Homes has created several problems. The ave rage age of admission of guests is no w over 80 and this, of course, leads to man y more ph ys ical ailments and an increase in the hospital populati on. Th ere has been a need for more hospital beds and this need is now met wit h the completion of the new add ition to th e Philadelphia Free mason s' Hospital at Eli zabethtow n. The need for additional care for the patients has not been m e t and it is with a view to thi s end that a Re sid ency Program in Geriatrics is n ow under development.
The Right Worshipful Grand Mas ter and th e Committee on Masonic Homes fee l th at a Res iden cy Progr am in Geriatrics will provide several thin gs for the guests at th e Homes which are not possible oth erwise. First, we will be able to provide all of our guests with an increased quality of medical care. Second ly, we will be able to afford th e patients in the h ospital a much better quality of m edica l care by providing more constant supervision and more adequate scientific therapy Finally, while we are accomplishing these two important fun c tions for the gues t s and patients at the home, we will a lso be able to provide young
physicians with an adequate trammg in the field of Geriatrics. With the problem of the populat ion in the Un ited Sta tes becoming older an entirely new field of medical problems has been opened up and it seems that the f aci lities at the Mas oni c Homes are ideal f or a scientific s tudy and evaluation of these problems of the aging patients.
The Brethren in the Fraternity who are physicians have, for the past te n yea rs, been providing the Homes with a much needed cons ulta tio n se r vice. This in itsel f has improve d the quality of medical care considerably but there is s t ill great room for improvement. At the present time some seventy-five physicians from the cent ral P e nn sylvania area have indicated their willingness and d esi re to participate in t he Resid ency Program and to help supervise the training and ca re of th e pat ie nts and guests a t the H ome. Th ese ph ysician s represent all of the va ri ous s pecialty fields in medicine as we ll as well -qualified genera l practitioners, and their willingness to assist in the ca re of th e gues ts and patients at th e H omes will provide the Philade lphia Freemasons' Hospi tal with a professional staff that is unexcelled so far as qualifications and ability are conce rned.
One of the biggest d efi ciencies at the Homes has been the problem of maintaining adeq ua te r eco rd s o n the guests, and particular ly on the guests at the Hospital. T h is is certainly no reflection on th e Resident Medical Direc tor nor h is staff because it is practically an impossible s ituation for one man to maintain the necessa r y scienti fi c records that would consti tute t h ose which would be ex pected of a first-class h osp ital. The physic ians who h ave signified th eir willingness to take part in staff activities have also signified willingness to help get our records up to dat e before the instituti o n of the Res idency P rogram Therefore, in the next few m onth s, these men will be giving several afternoons a week t o write histories and physical examinations and to s tud y thoroug hl y t he patients in the hos pital, so th at when we can obtain Residents we will be ready to launch into a full Re sidency Program. Our intention is to offer three residencies in Geriatr ics each to last for one yea r. Physicians who have graduated from fi rst -class medical schools and se rved at least a one-year rotating internship will be eligible to apply for the Re siden cy training. The y wi ll be paid a stipend for th eir year's t raining, and fine reside nce faci li tie s will be provided fo r them with full maintenance. If they happen to be mar ried, facilitie s will be available to h ouse their wives, and, if t heir wives happen to have some field of profes sional training such as laborator y technology, nu rsing or stenog raphi c wo rk, i t is anticipated that the y might also be emplo yed du r ing t h e tim e that their husband is in training at the hos pital. These Residents will assis t the Re sident Medical Director and his Associates in ma in ta in ing the records of the patients a nd in car ing for the patient s in the hospital under the s up er visio n of th e Visiting Medi ca l Staff. Continued on nutp•6•)
The Thomas Ranken Patton Masonic Institution for Boys
By H FoRD, Member of Board of T rustees
Beautifully si tu ated on the Ba in bridge Road n ear Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylva nia, on a trac t of land containing one hundred sixteen ac res t o the south of the artistic Gothic build in gs and landscaped grounds of The Masonic Homes of Penns ylvania, is the Thomas Ran ke n P atto n Masonic In sti tuti on for Boys. It is well known among school men and ou r Masonic Brethren as "The Patton School." Trees, shrubs an d grass adorn th e campus A hill covered with evergreens and the Brehm-S tewa rt or chard forms a fitting bac kground to the School.
This splendid in stitutio n was es ta bl is hed in 1925 t hrough the foresight, vis ion and generosity of our late and beloved Brother Tho mas Ran ken P a tt on As a mem orial to his onl y son, Th omas Graham Patton, he willed that a portion of his estate should be used for "The establishment and maintenance of an institution for the s uppo rt and education of male orphan ch ild ren of Master Masons, who were at th e time of their decea se, members in good standing in some subordina te Lodge unde r the juri sdicti on of the Grand Lodge of Penns ylvania." He furth e r directed that in the event of any vacancies, the Trustees may admit an y other ma le orphan whose fathe r o r mother is d eceased, if he is deemed worthy
Thus we have loca ted in the same area of ou r Commonweal th t wo neighb oring Masonic Insti tuti o ns of great signifi cance. The Masonic Homes are devoted to the unselfish purpose of pro viding comfo rt and sustenance to ou r brothe r Master Masons who, n o longe r, are able t o care and p r ovide for thems elv es; as well as ex ten ding its be neficen ce to their wives, th eir mothers, th ei r wido ws, an d their childre n. The P atton School, on the other hand, prov ides for the ed uca tion and development of our orphan yo uth whose lives of service will
make valuable contributions, not only to themselves and to the ir immediate families, but to all m an kin d Ever y Pennsylvania Mason views wi th just pr ide thi s accomplish ment of Grand Lodge.
The Patton School commenced the curre nt school ye ar with an enrollment of fifty -three vigorous American boys house d in recentl y modernized home-l ike dwellings. Patton Hall, Ranken Hall and Memorial Hall are utilized for dormitories, recreational, study an d classr oom purposes. Crindle Cottage, Levis Cottage, Graham Cottage and the Farm H ouse serve as homes of the Superintendent and instructors. The boys stud y the ne cessary fundamental subjects for proper mental development and develop vocational skills by applying themselves to machine s hop prac ti ce , ca rpentry or t rain ing in ele ctro ni cs in well -equipped laboratori es, shops and classrooms under the direction of a capable and well-prepared faculty.
A thorough tra de training is offered each boy . Moral and s piritual values are s tressed
A healthy activity program is scheduled and periodic medical and dental exam inati ons are required. Great care is exercised in the selection of properly prepared boys for admittance t o the School. The resu lts speak for themse lves Am ong five hundred graduates are skilled die and tool makers, s uperintend ents and foremen, machine shop proprietors and ope rators, carpenters, building co ntract ors, repres enta ti ves of the medical, dental and legal professions, tea che rs, ministers and officers in military service . T h e alumni proudly presented the School wit h sweet-to ned electronic bells which daily peal forth their delightful musical tones from the P atton Hall belfry, as a reminder of the gratitude of the Alumni for the services of the ir Alma Mater.
In keeping with the great tradition of the past, the Board of Trustees in cooperation with the Gr;md Lodge officers and appropriate committees have recently expended considerabl e time, energy and money to properly ren ovate and equip the school with the necessary improvements needed to maintain such a mod ern institution after its thirt y-one yea rs of notable service. A list of some of the r ecent accomplishments are as follows:
Patton Hall and Ranken Hall
New bed, bureau, desk, chair, lamp, rug, book ends, waste basket and electrical fixture for each bo y; new ch airs and tables for Dining Hall; inte riors renovated and painted, as well as exteriors; new urinals and showers-new lighting fixtures; floors resand ed and refinished; new stain less stee l sinks in kitchen; til e floo r s and walls for toilet ro oms; new hot water
heating boiler; new tr ophy cases t o contain Mr. P atton's si lver a nd Mason ic treasures; front porch steps reb uilt; gu tters and ro of repaired; dormitory ro om floors renewed; new rug for Rank en Hall library, and ga me ro om paint ed, barber shop p rovided laundry r oo m refinis hed.
Memorial Hall
Asphalt tile-first fl oo r hall; new r oo f fo r entire building; chimn ey r epaired ; toilet and shower rooms r enova ted; new domestic hot wa ter heater for showers; ladies rest ro om provided ; and ne w electri c fixtures fo r classr oo ms.
Grounds
All d r ives resurfaced, r oad fro m Ranken Hall to Memorial H all b u il t and sur faced ; garage ro of and end wa ll rene wed ; wall around ramp in rear of Patton Hall renewed; new cemen t walks laid in front of Ranken Hall, Memorial Hall and rear of Patton Ha ll ; new oval shaped garden near ent rance to Patton Hall and relocation of lig h t standard an d improvement of school sign a t entrance to th e grounds from Bainbridge Road . In a subsequent issue of The Pennsylvania Freemason it is hoped to present so me facts about the life of Thomas Ranken Patton 33°, Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of P ennsylvania for a pe ri od of thirt y years, who made poss ible this noble institution. Space does n o t permit doing so in this issue. Neither does space permi t proper ackn owledgment of the serv ices r endered by th e loyal members of the present and the past Boa rds of Trustees and Grand Lodge office r s and comm ittees an d fac ulties who functioned so ably to make the institution a success W e trust that every P e nns ylvania Mason learns to appreciate th ei r services to the Grand Lodge and that each one of us is imp ressed with the oppor t un ities afforded our orphan boys privileged to ha ve been, are, or will be enrolle d in the Thomas Ranken Patt on Masonic for Boys. All Hail to Patton School!
Noteworthy Masonic Meeting Plac es
FREE QUAKERS' MEETING HOUSE
By WILLIAM E. MONTGOMERY
Of the fifteen meeting places of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, from its inception in 1730 to the present time, only three build ings are still standing: (a) the Free Quakers' Meeting House (1790-1799), (b) Independen ce Ha ll (180Q-1802) and (c) the present Mas onic Temple (1873- ) at the corner of Broad and Filbe rt Streets, all in Philadelphia From the r ecords of the latter part of 1789, it seems eviden t that the quarters in Vidells Alle y that had been occupied by the Grand Lodge and its several subordinate lodges at various times since 1769 (and in which the Grand Lodge had organized on an independent basis on September 25, 1786) had become in-
adequate . A committee of Grand Lodge was appointed to confer with committees fro m the various lodges, and at the Communication of December 6, 1790, th e following report was made: "The Committee appointed to take the r oom over the Free Quakers' Meeting House r epo rt ed that the same had been take n for nine years from the 23rd day of Decem ber, a nd that the several lodges had agreed by their Committees (e xcepted No. 9) to pay t heir respective shares of the rent, which is seve nt y-five pounds per annum, an d of the expenses of moving and fitting up the said room: the Grand Lodge to pay no proportion at all."
( Continued on pa6t 6
From Our Grand Secretary's Office
THE SEPTEM BER QUARTERLY
Those who were n ot present at the Sept ember Quarterly Communi ca tion of th e Grand Lodge, upon be ing inform ed that it was not more than an hour in length mi ght be inclin ed to con clu de that th e bu sine ss tran sacted mu s t have bee n wholl y routin e in cha racter. Such a conclusion, however, would be incorrec t.
To be s ur e, the minutes were read co mmitt ees reported, and th e By-Law s and Amendment s t o By- Laws of more than twent y Lodges were approved. Such thin gs ar e by no mean s unimportant and they must be don e if the Grand Lodge is t o operate properl y.
Ho wever, there were a number of items wh ich can sca rcel y be considered routine. These we fee l , should be given all possib le publi city among th e members of our Lodges:
Mason At Sight
The Right Worshipfu l Grand Maste r , Br other Charles H. Nitsch, announced th at, on Jul y 20,
The Residency Program (Continu ed/rom pag e 2 }
Th e Vi sitin g Sta ff will n ot only make r oun ds and s up ervise the act ual ca re of th e pati e nt s but in add ition to th is, monthl y sta ff con ferences will be pro vided at which various clinical probl em s will be di scussed. It is an ti cipated that quarterly sta ff conference s las t ing half day s wi ll be provide d and tha t the speakers for th ese confe r ences will be outs tanding medica l author ities from larger medi ca l ce nter s Didactic le ct ure s will also be prese nt ed by var iou s men on the visiting s t aff in the various specialty fi elds, so that the trai nin g pro v id ed f or th e Res ident s will be ad equate and comp lete Thi s sort of pr og ram will not on ly provide good t rainin g for the Res id en ts but it will also tend to s timulat e the knowl edge and interest of the entire Medi cal Sta ff.
We anti cipa te ha vin g a librar y of cur rent medi cal journals availabl e for the Residents, and hope that during their re sidence in El izabethtown they wi ll be ab le to make so me specific s tud y of a spec ifi c problem in the field of Geriat ri cs which could beco m e repor ta ble and a part of the medical literature_
We would be ve r y glad to have an y ph ys ician who has n ot as yet be.en contac ted who feels that he could co ntribute t ime an d effort to th e res ide ncy pr ogra m, to ha ve him contact the Committee on Maso ni c Homes so that we cou ld inclu de him among t h e member s of th e visiting s taff.
As the tra in ing program progresses, we hope to have in addition to the co mplete l aboratory and X-ray facilities whi ch are not now avai lable, a good progr am in physical therap y and
1956, he had caused Dr. Elmer Hess, a prominent s urgeon of Erie , Penn sy lvania to be made a Maso n at Sight in Lodge No. 708.
Fo rd Foundation G ift Grand Lo dge was informed that th e Philadelphia Freema so n s' Memorial Hospital, at the Masonic Homes at Elizabethtown had been awarded a gra nt of $ 120,500.00 by the Ford Foundation , that one half o f the g rant , $60,250.00, had already been rec eived; and that the remaining half would be forthcom in g in March, 195 7
Membership-in Masonic Service Association
Attached to the report of the Committee on Maso ni c Culture was the following re solution, whi ch was unanimousl y adopted: " Whereas t he mem be rs of the Committee on Masoni c Cul ture are of the opinion that much of the material prepared by the Mas o ni c Service Association
occupational therap y developed for th e patient s at the H omes. This will serve two purposes. Not on l y will it provide the patient but al so some of th e g ues ts wi th new interests but cou ld, in time , prove to be a very influential facto r in reh a bilitating man y older peo ple who it was thought had a lread y r eached the fina l s tag es of inter est in this life.
Did You Remember The Masonic Homes?
Your attention and consideration is ag ain directed to th e annu al a ppeal in beh al f of th e Chris tma s and Enter tainment Fund for our gue s t s a t Th e Masonic Homes, the bo ys a t th e Thomas Ranken Patton Masonic Ins titutio n fo r Boys and al so for tho se recei ving Home Assis tanc e . This Fund makes pos sible many social activities at the Homes s uch as pic nics, co ncerts, m oti on pic tur es, e t c It al so makes poss ibl e r ec reat ional equipment, books and th e like for th e children a t t he Homes and th e bo ys at th e " Patt on School." And to those rece i ving Home Assis t ance from our Lodges and Grand Lodge the Fund makes possible just a little more at Chris tm as.
Your ge nerosi t y toward th e Christmas and Enterta inment Fund will be abundantl y r ewarded b y the gra te ful appre ciation of the ch ildren and ou r aged g ue s t s
Make your checks, postal orders or express money orders payable to Arthur E. Myers, Superintend ent, and mail to The Masonic Homes of Pennsylvania , Elizabethtown, Pa. Your remittance will be cheerfu ll y a cknowledged .
fits into the Educational Program now being developed by th em, and will be most helpful in the attainment of their objective, the refore,
"Be it Resolved:
"That t he Grand Lodge of P ennsylvania become a memb er of the Masonic Service Ass ociation of the United Sta t es."
The adop tion of this resolution marks a definit e forward step in our program of Masonic education. As a res ult of our m e mb ers hi p, each m onth all of our Lodges will rece ive a copy of the monthl y Short Talks Bulletins published by the Association. The Grand Mas ter and the Committee on Masoni c Cu lture ex pect these Bulle tins to be made a va ilab le to as man y of th e officers and members of our Lodges as desire to read them.
GEORGE A. AVERY, Grand Secretary
Why N ot Make Use of Your Circulating Library
Yours is a pri vilege and opportuni t y that i s most precious a nd pr iceless-tha t of being e lig ible for m ember s hip in Our Ci r culating Library with i t s wea lth of Masonic literature. Th ere is no charge for the use of the books other than the return po s tage to our Libra r y The lending perio d i s thr ee weeks.
I n ad dition to th e interes ting book s on Fre ema sonry li s ted in the previous iss ue of " The Pennsy lvan ia Freemason ," we li st the fo ll owi ng - ju s t a few more of the ma n y that ar e availab le for your readin g pleasure:
A dditional List of Books Availab l e Ou tline Hi s tory of Freemasonry, An WARD Masoni c Docu men ts, H andlist of. KNOOP -JO NES Masonic Organi::ations, Allied Orders, D egrees V OORHIS
Washington and His Masonic Comp ee rs. HAYDE N B en Franklin , T he Amazing SMYTHE
M yst icism of Freemason ry SWINBURNE
Master Masons Handbo ok, The WARD
Masonry in Poetry H URD
What to Say MACOY
After the Lodge Is Closed A BRO. P.M.
Masonry and Citi::enship LANIER
What Masonry Means HAMMOND
Make your inquiries and requests through WILLIAM J. PATERSON, Lib rarian
Maso nic Temple , Broad and Filbert Streets , Philadelphia 7, Pennsylvania
Medical Consultants
to The Masonic Homes Honored at Annual Testimonial
Brother Ri chard A. Kern , while R. W. Grand Master , recognized the urgent need for a "Medical Consultant Servi ce" to the Philadelphia Freema sons' Memorial Hospital at The Masonic Homes at Elizabethtown. Prior to 1947 the resident physicians invoked the assistan ce of physicians and the facilities of hospitals in communities close to Elizabethtown when s pecial skill or treatment was required. Usually the guests had to be transported to th e specialist's office or the appropriate hosp ital, man y of them by our ambulance.
It occurred to Brother Kern that it might be possible to have the consultants come to our Hospital at freq uent and regular intervals. He obtained the names of the ph ys icia n s who were members of Masonic Lodges located within a reasonabl e distance of Elizabethtown. He then checked th ei r age, experience and s pecial qualifications, and 62 were invited to take part in the plan. Over 50 favorable replies were received.
more than three or four times a year. Thus in 1947, in th e waning days of Brother Kern's term as R. W. Grand Mas ter , was born the "Medical Cons ultant Service," whose members year afte r year s in ce then ha ve given so willingly and freel y of their great ta lents and time in the intere s t of our g uests.
Now nine years later the Medical Consultants number more than 75, most of them living within fifty miles of the Homes. No group of Masons are more d ed icated to our guests nor perform more unselfish service to our Fraternity than these Brethren who comprise the Consultants' Staff.
Most of us probably do not reali ze that these busy members of the medical profession do not charge for their services to our guests in the Hospital at The Masonic Homes. As a token of appreciation of their invaluable and distinguished servi ce, th e Committee on Masonic Homes t enders these Consultants and their ladies a dinner each Fall in Grand Lodge Hall at Elizabethtown.
Brother C. Howard Witmer presided at the Dinner, which was attended by many of the Grand Lodge officers and the Committee on Masonic Homes.
Brother Scott S. Leiby, R. W. Past Gra nd Master and Chairman of t he Executive Committ ee of the Committee on Masonic Homes, spoke of th e Medical Consultants grea t contributi on a t Elizab ethtown in alleviating the s uffe rin g of our guests and restoring them to health a nd happiness-a service to humanity and our Fra t ern it y. Brother Leiby also spoke glowingl y of the se rvices o f Brother Paul R Evans , Resident Medi cal Director, Brother C. Stuart Sm ith , Associate Medical Director and th e Nurse s Corps.
This yea r the Eighth Annual Cons ultants' Testimonial Dinner was held on October 11, with more t h an 130 in attendance The Hospital Committee no w includes Broth er C. Howard Witmer, Chairman, and Brothers W. Leroy McKinley and Scott C. Rea.
A Letter in Praise of Our Masonic Homes
6 Aprill956
Mr. Arthur E. Myers, S uperintendent The Masonic Homes of Pennsylvania Elizabethtown, Pa.
Dear Mr Myers:
No doubt persons with complaints concerning your organization feel free to write letters and do. Too often, those who feel only th e highest admiration do not make such an effort, so, in departing Masonic Homes a fte r a five day visit inciden to the final illness and death o f my father, Dr. Walla ce L. Roberts, I am aking the liberty o offering a few observations.
As a result of beinq at my l ather's bedside for the better part of 36 hours, I had the opportunity of observing, as I believe few vi s itors have your medical department in partic ular and the organization in general in around the ·clock operation. A s an M.D., I naturally cast a critical and appraising eye on this operation.
I ca n assure you that your old people are receiving finer and more personalized medical attention than they would receive as private patients in the average outside hospital today. The high quality of this attention (and I use the word attention as above and beyond the excellent diagnosis and treatment prescribed by the staff physicians) is larg ely due to the high sense of service sho wn by every member of the s tafl The owest bus-boy collecting tr ays takes a quiet sense of pride in his contribution to the ocal March of Medicine and this feeling is shared from the botto m o the top A s a great contemporary philosopher Honest George Gohels has so aptly remarked, " You can't hardly get them like that no more." These individuals i.e., orderlies, nurses, and doctors, showed every conceivable consideration to the patient myself, and my mother.
As a career man in the Navy, currently serving with the U. S. Marines, I feel that the e ffic ency, mo rale, and loyalty o f a military organization are the direct responsibility of the Commanding Officer. Ju st so, as superintendent of Masonic Homes, full credit c an a nd sho uld be ex tended to you for the presence o f thes e organi:tatio nal virtues in your institution in such degree. Such high dedication o service as I have observed throughout Masonic Homes can only be attributed to nspiring leadership precep t, and personal example, in thi s case, your own.
My sincerest thank 1 to you and your s aff for the every consideration sho wn during this visit saddened as it was by the loss of a husband, a father, and a friend of all.
Very sincerely yours,
WILLIAM L. ROBERTS Captain, Medical Corps United Stateo Navy
Brother Charles Wm. Smi th explained in detail th e proposed Re siden cy Program fo r the Ho spital and he ha s prepared an article which appears elsewhere in this issue covering this most impor tant s ubj ec t.
Th e Staff of the Philadelphia Freemason s' Memorial Hos pital i s as follow s :
Brother Witmer read a letter from Brother Charles H. Nitsch , R. W. Grand Master, express ing regrets on his inability to be present because of another Grand Lodge engagement. In his absence Brother Sanford M. Chilcote, R W. Deputy Grand Mas ter, voiced the deep and si ncere appreciation of the 252,000 Masons in Pennsylvania for the outstanding wor k performed so will ingly by the Medical Consultants at Elizabe thtown, which is the ver y heart of Freemasonry in Penn sylvania. Together with Brother Frank G. Hartman, then Chairman of the Executive Committee and also of the Ho spital Committee for The Masonic Homes, Brother Kern worked out th e plan whereby a cons ult ant in one specialt y or a noth er would visit the Hospital tw o da ys a week, yet n o one cons ultant u s uall y need come
Philadelphia Freemasons Memori a l Hospital Medical Staff
PAUL R. EVANS, M.D. (Resident Medical Di rec or) C. STUART SMITH, M.D. (Associate Medical Director)
VIS ITI NG STAFF
Allyn, Russell E., M.D. Atlee, Jo hn L., J r., M .D. Benfer, K. L., M.D. Bitner Walter P., M.D. Bixler, Le s er G., M.D. Bolton , J Colli er, M.D. Bo wm a n H erbert S , M.D. Brandt, Richard, M.D. Bray, John S , M.D Cowley, Allen W., M.D. Crist, Guy C. , M.D. Daugh erty, J Arthur, M.D. Deck, Ro y, Jr., M.D. De nn ey, J ohn D. , M.D. Douglass, William Tyle r, Jr. , M.D. Dutlinger, R P. , M.D. Ea t on, H. C., M.D. Emrick M. W. , M.D Ervin, Carl E., M.D. E sbenshad e, J. H oward, M.D. F ager, Charles B. M.D. F os er, J. H., M.D. Fulton Har r y C., M.D. Garb er, J. H offman, M.D. Hamman J, S., M.D. Harris, J ohn H. , M.D. Hauck, S amu el M., M.D. Haw k e, C. M., M D. Hawkin s, W. D. , M.D. H odge, I an G., M.D. H ooper, Fred B. M.D. Hoover, Ca rl , M.D. Hutchiso n Lloyd S., M.D. J o hns ton, Da vid A. , M.D. Ke hm Roy W., M.D. Kerr, J. DeWitt, M.D. Kirk, Nor ri s J ., M.D. Klit c h George M., M.D. Kottcamp, Ed wa rd C., M.D. Landes, W. Latimer S., M.D. La wso n, E. K irb y Jr., M.D. Lenker, L. A., M.D. Long, Ross E. M.D. M c Bride, Will am K. , M.D. Markley, George M. , M.D. Means, W. Horace, M.D. Miller, Ri char d J ., M.D. Mille r, William B., M.D. Milliken, H ow ard E., M.D. O'Conn er, Tho mas W., M.D. Pers un, Llo yd S. J r., M.D. P e try, Howa rd K., M.D. P ow man J. Wesley M.D. P ool Champ C. , M.D. Qui ck el, Kennet h E., M.D. R o mig Jo hn E., M.D. Sayres, Gardner A., M.D. Schildne cht, P age M. M D. Seiple, Harve y H., M D. Shee y, Ray m ond F., M.D. S h ookers, T. Cletus M.D.
Si mmon s, A. Harvey, M.D. S mith , Cha rle s W. M.D. Smi th, Harvey F. M.D. S mith, Ja y D. , M.D. Snok e, Paul 0. , M.D. S n yder, J o hn J. , M.D. Spillman, Murray K., M.D. Steele, R. Edward, M.D. Stouch, D. Ha ydn M.D. S t rock, B. K., M.D. Suter, S tanle y C., M D; Walter, Henr y, Jr., M.D. Wen tz, Maurice C., M.D. Witme r C. H oward, M.D. Yoder, Mahlon H., M D
