Issued Every Three Month• By The Right Worshipful Grand Lodg e of The Most Ancient and Honorable Fratern ty of Free ond Accepted Ma sons of Pennsyl van a and Mason ic Jur sdiction Thereunto Belonging, through its
COMMITIEE ON MASONIC CULTURE- William E. Yeager, Pos t Grand Maste r Chairman; Willia m E. Montgomery, G Ed ward Elwell, J r., Frank R. Le ech, Willia m A. Carpenter, Charles A. Young ond Ashby B Paul.
APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED TO BE PRINT ED BY
CHARLE S H. NITSCH Right Wor shipful Grand Maste r
WILLIAM A. CARPENTER, Editor
Mailing Address: The Ma sonic Temple, Broad and Filb er Stree ts, Ph i adelphia 7, Po.
Vol. IV May, 1957 No 2
Freemasonry in a New Age
It m ay com e as some th n g of a s h ock , it may be a bi t di ffic ult t o com pre h e nd for a time, bu t it is a fac t th at t h e wo rld is e ntering o r a ct uall y in a n e w era . Th is is a s ituat ion whi ch Freema so nr y ce rt a inl y mu st co n s ider.
It is n o t th e poli cy of Freem aso nr y to e nter
in to p o li ti ca l or eco n omi c di sp utes W e d o not
at t empt to a d vise or ins tr u c t an y civ il organi za.
tion as to w h a t its co urse of pro cedure s hould be S u ch a thin g i s n ot within th e purp oses or fu nc ti o n s of th e Craft. Ye t, th e f act r emains th at we are a d efi n ite par t o f a n y s o cial o rd er
se t- u p and wh ateve r th a t may be will s urel y h ave an e ffect u po n our F ra t erni t y. Th e r efor e, we mus t tak e cog ni za n ce o f these things a nd ge ar our thin k in g t o w h a teve r th e futur e is l ikely t o b e.
W e kn ow t h a t v iol ent an d r evoluti o n a r y even ts ar e ta kin g pl ace in th e wo rld Almo s t un believabl e thin gs are h appe n ing t o social orders th a t have existed for ce nturi es. P erh a ps dri ve n b y th e ex tr aordinary an d urge nt demand s of th e past yea r s, scien t ific devel opme nt has b ee n speed ed up t o a be wilder i ng deg r ee Th e manne r of life t o whi ch we were born and in whi c h we g r ow alter s so r a pidl y that we ca n hardly k ee p up with th e temp o . Thi s, in a word , presents th e pi ctu r e and poses th e problem of what we as Freem aso n s s hall d o ab o ut it.
Frankly, as a n organ ized b od y, we should d o onl y wh a t we h ave a lways d on e- with a c on s ta nt e ffort to d o it be tt er. Th e lesson s fo r F ree m aso ns to re me mber or t o r e learn are th a t ch a nges in th e ph ysica l life of nat io n s h ave been go in g on since t h e d awn o f ma n 's or de r ed experie n ce a nd will co n t in u e to go on , b ut n o t one of th em eve r h as n or eve r can a lter th e fo un datio n s u pon whi ch Freema so nr y is fo u nded F r eemasonry has no thi ng in it w hi ch n eed s changing
S om e of ou r prac ti ces mi gh t well be impro ve d but a ll of th ese r e fe r s ol ely to the ma c hine r y o f ap pli ca t io n an d a re matter s always und er co n s ide r a ti on Wh en we s peak of Freema so nr y in a n ew age and what m ay
h appe n t o it th er e, we ar e thinking of th e
princ ipl es th a t brou ght it i nt o b eing, that ar e th e j u s ti fica ti on fo r i ts perpe tuatio n
Th e wh ole matte r s r eall y s im ple What differ en ce d oes it m ake wh a th e world d oes with its a ffa irs? It will s till n eed in it what
Freemaso nr y t eac h es. Let u s b e plain ab out it.
Ne w a ge, er a or whateve r y ou ma y want to call it, m e n will s till n eed love friend s hip l oyalty broth e rh ood , ge n ero s ity and kindness
The y will s till n eed und er s tand in g, patien ce and good will.
All t h ese are prin ciples, ba s ic and fund am ental. No s oc ie t y can be firmly establ is hed or endure wi h o ut th em. Th ese ar e wha t Freem as onr y t eac h es and th er e will n ev er b e any r ea so n to ch a n ge o r f o rsa ke th em. And, incident all y , it is th ese p r inc ipl es with which we s h ould be m os t co n ce rn e d. S ometimes I feel that we ge so i nvo lved in th e organizati on a nd m achin e r y o f th e Fra te rni ty t hat th ese m o r e v ital thin gs a r e p us h ed in t o th e b ac kg r o und.
Such a d a n ger co uld ex is t n ow wh en all o f u s a r e so mu ch co n cern ed ab out th e futur e. Th erefo r e, l e t u s r em ember that what wa s r ea ll y t r u e a th ou sa nd yea r s ago with r eferen ce t o t h e great vi r tu es s ju s t a s tru e toda y and will b e eq u all y tru e in t h e ages to com e W e m ay be ass ur e d th a t Freemas onry in an y n ew age will be un c han ged th ough I hope a d eep er ap preciation o f its m oral and spiritual va lu es will be r each ed and enj oyed b y all of u s -W.A . C
George Wa sh in gton Ma sonic Memoria l
(Continued fr o m p age 2)
F ree maso n s ove r th e la nd , be in cr ea sed , if p oss ible, so th at this fund m ay b ecome a r eality It is, th e r e fo r e, ur ged that e ach of the Lo d ges t hr o u gh ou t th is Grand Juri s di ction co n t inu e to re mai n s teadfas t in the matter o f secu ring th e a mo unt o f Sl. OO from each newl y ra ised Mas te r Maso n , f or wa rdin g same to th e R. W. Gr a nd Secr e tar y so that Pennsylvania ma y cont inu e i ts prom inent position in support o f thi s g r ea t und erta kin g . Earl y in th e hi s t or y o f Fr eemas onry in the Coloni es th e r e was co n s idered th e propo s ition o f a Nati o n a l Grand Lodge uncl e r on e National Gra nd Mas te r. Thi s s uggestion fir s t cr ys talized in a mem o r abl e m eeting a t Mor r istown, N ew Je r sey o n D ecem be r 15, 1779 and th e s ubj ect was la te r di sc ussed a t a mee tin g n e ar Morri st ow n on J a nu a r y 3 1, 1780. Ma so ni c h is tory i ndi ca tes th a t Geo rge W ashin g to n was p resent a t o n e o r bo th of th ese mee tin gs a nd o pposed th e id ea. It is sig n ifi can t th at Maso nr y in th e
U n ited S ta t es to d ay ope r a tes u n de r th e several Grand Lodges o f th e several s ta tes, ea ch of w hi ch is supreme. I n th e erec t ion o f th e Ge orge
W as hin gto n Maso ni c Na ti ona l Mem orial all o f th e Gra n d Lodges o f our U nited S ta tes, a s we ll a s m an y o f th e Gra nd L odges of o ther countri es, h ave in a se n se b ee n br ought to ge th er in a grea t und e rt ak in g. Th e Freem as on s a s indi vidu a l m e mbe r s of th e ir r es p ectiv e Lodges
ac ting un de r th e juris di c tion of their Grand Lodges h ave also wo rke d to ge th er and b y th eir co nt r ibutio n s h ave ma d e p oss ible thi s great Me m ori a l. O ne of th e g r eat es t undertakings of o ur ti me h as bee n a successful on e beca us e of t h e un a nimity o f th o u ght and ac ti on of all Freem aso n s In t h e e r ec ti on and con s tru c tion t oge th er with th e co ntinu e d ac ti vi t y necessary t o th e m ai nt e na n ce a nd prese r vation of this Mem ori al , Freem aso nr y ha s s ur e ly exemplified a gr ea t coo p erati ve e nd e avor. Th e de ep se n s e of gratitude i n th e h ea rts of a ll mankind in gen er a l a nd Freem as onr y in particular for Ge orge Was hing t on will b e f or e ver exempl ified in th e Me moria l o n S ho o ter s Hill. Truly it can be said of him-"FIR ST IN THE HEARTS OF HI S MASONIC BRETHREN "
New District Deputy Grand Masters Appointed
S e ve n new Di s tri ct D epu ty Grand Mas ters h ave b ee n ap pointed b y th e Ri ght Worshipful Gra n d Maste r. Th ey i n c lu d e-
District ]-BROTHER JO HN HARPER, a P as t Mas te r o f R obe rt A. Lamberton
Lodge No 487, in Philade lph ia. H e is an Att orn ey a nd s u cceed s Brother John H. H Morro w
District 4-BROTHER PAUL G. P ENSINGER o f Ge tt ys burg, a News pape rm an , and a P ast Mas te r of Good Samarit a n Lodge No 336. His prede cessor was Br oth er Cl aud e 0. Mec kley
Dis trict 13-BROTHER W ILLI AM E. FLETII, a P as t Mas ter of King Solom o n L odge No 5 84 in Dunm o r e Bro th e r F le t h , wh o s u cceeds Bro t he r Ceci F. Reese r , is in th e lumber bu s iness
Dis t ri ct 28- BROTHER JOliN WATSON HARMEIER , P as t Mas t er of Hugh T ho mso n K err Lodge N o 768 , Pittsburgh. D r Har me ie r fo ll ows Brother Robe rt R Da vey
Distr ic t 34- BROTHER RICHARD E SHAFFER, a Pas t Mas ter of H ynd man Lodge No 589, in H yndman , is in th e In s ur ance bu si n ess, a nd s u cce ed s Bro th er I. Ne wt on Ta yl or.
District 40- BROTHER MINOR M. DAIN, P as t Mas t e r o f Phoeni x Lodge No 75, Ph oenixv ill e, wh o is in the Har d ware bus i ness, s u cceeds Bro th e r Ea rl Hi mmelberge r.
Di s tri c 57-BROTHER RAYMOND H. G RIMM , a n E n g in ee r a nd a Pa s
Maste r o f Willi a m D . Mcil roy Lodge No 758, Pi tts burgh, succeeds Brother P a ul H Mag nu s
All o f th e ab ove o utgo ing De puti es hav e se r ve d a t leas t te n years a nd ha ve b een ap· p o in ted Past Di st ri c t Deput y Grand Ma s te r s .
FREEMASON
A Message from ·Our Grand Master
VISIT TO HOLLAND
One of th e mo s t d elightf u l e xperi e n ces o f m y t e rm of o ffi ce as Grand Mas ter, was m y vi s it t o th e Ne th e rl a nds to a tt e nd th e 20 0 th Anni ve r s ary ce lebration of Freemas onr y in H oll a nd. I was ve r y h app y inde ed to have been invited and it was a mem ora ble eve nt
Mea s ured by American standards, th e Grand Lodge of th e Ne th e rand s is not large Th e re ar e s ome 4-500 Mas ons in 78 Lo dges but th e spirit of Free mas onr y i s ver y s tr ong.
Th e celebration was h e ld at The Hag u e on Ma r ch fir s t a nd se cond and was a tt end ed by Grand Lodge Offi ce rs fro m man y countri es Th ere wer e present r e prese nt a tive s fr o m th e Gra nd Lodge o f Eng lan d , Ireland, S wed en, S cotl a nd , De nmark , Germ a n y, A u s tri a, Sou th Afr ica , Aus tralia a nd fi ve Grand Lodge s fr o m th e U nited S a tes
Th e U nite d S tat es represe ntatives we re Wh itfi e ld W J oh nso n, P as t Gra nd Mas t er of Massachu se tts L W ad e T empl e, J r., Gr and Mas te r o f S outh Ca rolina and hi s Grand Ma rs h a Geo r ge R. Alfo rd , Leone] M. Jensen, Grand Mas ter of S outh Dako a, Col on el and Br othe r Edwa rd B. Ha rr y, r e prese n ting the Grand Lodge of th e Di s tri ct of Columbia a nd your Gr and Mas te r r e prese ntin g P e nn sy lva nia
On March fi rs t , an informal r ece pti o n was h eld a t th e Maso ni c T emple at th e Hag u e, g iving ampl e oppo rtunity for th e va ri ou s r e prese ntatives to b ecome acquainted. A t thi s r ece pti o n va ri o u s gi f ts wer e pres ented by foreig n Grand Lodges I n thi s P e nn sy lvania misse d h er opportunity and it is my hope that thi s will b e co rr ec ted a nd an appr opriate gift be sent in the name of our Gra nd Lodge
On the even ing of March fi rs t , th e Grand Mas te r e nt ertain e d his officers and th e v is it ors from for ei gn juris di c ti o n s at a pri vate d inner, a mos t d elightful affa ir and here we we r e pr ese nted wit h a b eautifu l bound volume of he Hi s tor y of Freemaso nr y in th e Ne ther la nd s a nd a bronze co mmemorative m edal. Both of th ese imp orta nt ite m s will b e placed in th e museum of our Mas oni c T e mpl e in Phil ad elp h ia .
On Mar ch second at 11 A M. the to p represe nta ti ves of th e Gr and Lod ges we r e r eceived in audie nce by He r Ma jes y, Qu ee n Juli a na, a t h e r palace at S oes tdijk, wh ere we we re gr ac io u s ly rece i ved by thi s great lad y Th e r e wer e 19 Bre thre n in th e pa rt y a nd we were ser ve d coffee a nd cakes and s p ent an inte r es tin g h o ur in h er com p a n y a nd durin g thi s r ece ption s h e fo und time to ta lk with a ll o f us. A ph o tog r aph was tak e n of Her Maj es ty a n d the v is ito r s whi c h will be a del ightful s ouve nir of this event.
The forma l s ess ion of th e Grand Lod ge of th e Ne th e rl a nd s was op e ne d at 3 P .M. , March second , in th e " Di er e ntuin " a large assembl y hall in the Zoolog ical Gard en the Grand Lo dg e Ha ll be ing in ad eq uate for the lar ge a ssemblage.
The gu es ts were dramat ically r ecei ve d und e r an a r c h o f s te el in a Lodge room beautifull y d ecora ted with flower s of a ll desc ription.
E ve r y avai la ble s p ace was cover ed with flo wer s A s ple ndid sympho ni c o r c h es t ra p layed ap propria te mu s ic Each r e prese nta ti ve was • se para te ly r eceive d by th e Gr a nd Mas ter , Brot h er C M. R. David so n and esco r te d t o a place o n th e p la tfo rm. Th e re we r e 1050 Bre thr en in the Lodge roo m, a ll d r essed in full e venin g dress, w hite ti e, t a il s a nd white gl oves. Thi s ia t h e d ress a t all Lodge mee tin gs, bo th Gr a nd a nd Th e Grand Lodge ce r e mo ni es we r e bea ut i ful a nd di g nifi ed. A t ou ching s e r v ice wi th a p p r o pr ia te mu s ic was pe rformed for th e ir martyr e d Grand Mas te r H er ma nnu s vo n T o n ge r e n who di ed in th e co n ce ntration camp in S a c hse nh a u se n He h ad been Grand Mas te r fr o m 1929 u nt il 194 1.
Th e Gra nd Mas ter, Bro th e r C. M R. Dav id so n , is a n acco m pl is h ed lingu is t. H e add resse d t he G r a n d Lodge in several lang u ages , but n on eth eless a tra ns la to r was ava il ab le fo r th ose f ro m fo re ign Ju r is di c ti o n s. S ix s ubordin a te Lodges h ave bee n in co n ti nu ous ex is te n ce fro m th e beginning of Free maso n ry in th e Net h e rl a nd s a nd th e prese nt Mas ters were g ive n s pecia l h onors.
The Gran d Lodge ses s io n l aste d f r om 3 P.M unti l 4 30 P.M. At 7 P.M. th e Gra nd Lodge banque t was h eld. So me 2000 Bre t h r en we r e presen t. Aga in th e v isi t ors we r e gra c io us l y r eceived a ft er th e Brethr e n h ad bee n sea ted
Toasts were p ro posed for Q u ee n Juliana , Quee n E lizab eth , our own Pr eside nt D wight D. Ei se nh owe r a n d to th e h eads o f th e oth e r co untries r e pr ese nted.
Short addr esses we r e give n by all but S ir Allan Ad a ir, t h e p r in c ipal s peaker, th e Grand Lo dge of E n gla nd. Thi s fin e bro th er re ce ived a trem e nd o u s ova ti on He h ad comm a nd e d th e Briti s h tr oo p s that had dri, en th e Naz is fr o m the Ne th erl a nd s and is a h e r o t o all Dutchme n.
I was fo rtun a te durin g m y v i s it t o min gl e with ma n y of th e Dutch Bre thr e n a nd I was tr e mend o u s ly imp resse d with t he ir kn ow ledge of Freemaso nr y; its pur poses, a nd I l earned it is requir ed of all maso ns in th e e t he rl a nd s to s tud y F ree masonry th o rou ghl y. Th ey kn ow mu ch of w ha t F ree maso nr y d oes in th e U nite d Sta t es Th ey are e n vio u s o f o u r opp ort u niti es fo r sen ice an d of our wea lth. I t s my inte ntio n o kee p i n t ouch wi th se,·eral o f t h e Breth r e n wh om I met a nd I h ave a lready r ecei,·ed sever a l lette r s It was a m ost d eli ght fu l a nd r ewa rdin g exper ie n ce to have v is ited wit h our Europea n Bret hre n a nd it is an experie n ce I s h all always ch eri sh.
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial
By SANFORD M. CHILCOTE
Worshipful Deputy Grand Master
The name of George Washington r ecalls to m y mind a little red-backed book on the f r ont cover of which appeared th e words "American His tor y." I t was handed to me by my teacher in the very early yea rs of my public scho o l education. When I opened the book I recall the picture of George Washing ton, underneath which th er e appeared these words-"FIRS T I N WAR, F I RST I N PEACE AND FIRS T IN THE H EARTS OF HIS COUNTR YMEN." A d eep and la s ting imp ressio n sti ll r emains of th e effect of th es e word s and of the pic tu re of t h is great Ameri ca n who was the "FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY." To the quoted inscription cou ld we ll have been added-"FIRST I N THE H EA RTS OF H IS MASONIC BR ETHREN."
Much has been written concerning George Washingt on as a Mason. His assoc iati on wi th Free mason r y du rin g the ea rl y history of the Craft in the Colo ni es h as been th e s ubj ec t of mu ch writing. It is we ll k n ow n th at he was th e Firs t Mas ter of Alexa ndria-Was hington Lodge No. 22. There ca n b e n o qu es ti o n of hi s p r actice of the enets of Freemas onry Hi s inte r es t and devo t ion is much in ev idence b y the ve r y va lu ab le r e li cs handed down to Alexa nd r ia-Was hin gton Lod ge No. 22 Many of th ese re lics an d valuabl e items so closel y as sociated with George Was hington , th e Mas o n were for years di s played in a Museum arranged for that purpos e und er the control and custod y of his Lodge Th ey b ecame th e s ubj ec t of cur ios ity and interes b y th ose wh o v is ited th e earl y env ir on s of his ac tivit y P il grimages to Alexa ndri a, Mt. Vernon an d other n earb y p laces were being made by many th ousa nd s of peopl e fo r th e purp ose of view in g them. Alexandria-Wa s hington Lodge No 22 therefore con s idered t he problem of the ir preservati on, safekeep ing and di s play in v iew of th e tr em e nd o u s publi c interest.
On Feb ru ary 22, 1910 Bro th er J oseph W. Eggles ton, M. W. Gra nd Ma s ter of Masons in Vir gin ia , at the r equ es t of Alexa ndria-Washington Lo dge No 22 r eque s t ed the Ma s t ers of Mas ons over th e Un ited States to be pres ent at a meeting of that Lodge . The Wors hipful Mas te r of th e Lo dge e xplained the purpo s e of t he meeting wh ich was to form an organization which wou ld be as las ting as th e birthday th en be in g celebrated, s o that the necess a r y s te ps could be taken to prepare a suita ble building in wh ich the priceless re lics surroundi ng the life a nd Mas onry of George Washington could be p aced , p ro p erl y pres e r ved and d is playe d. It was co n s idered that t he bu ilding in whi c h these r e l ics wo ul d be placed shou ld b e s uch as wo uld preserve his memor y in a National Sense, r a t her tha n in a purely loca l s ense , as re lated to Alexandria-
Was hi ngton Lodge No. 22. The resu lt was that certain resolutions we re drawn by those present, e nd orsing th e propose d erect ion o f a Mas oni c T empl e as a mem or a t o George Was hi ng t on. Th e reafter on Fe bruary 21 a nd 22, ] 911 a second m ee ting was h eld , atten ded by a larger representation of Grand Mas ters and an Association was formed and g ive n th e name of"George Washington Mason ic Nati onal Memorial Associa ti o n ." The first P res ident was Thoma s ]. S hr y ock, M. W. Grand Master of Masons in Maryland. On February 21 , 1912 the next meeting was h eld and in the absence of Thomas J S hr y ock, Brot h er J ames W Lam berton of P enn sylva ni a was the acting pres iding office r and the Constitu ti on and Bylaws were approved an d ratified in 1913. T o P ennsy lva nia Masons it is signifi ca nt to note that when Thoma s ]. S hr yoc k died in 1917, Br ot h e r Loui s A. Watres, R. W. Pas Grand Ma s te r o f Mas o n s in P ennsyl van ia (19161917) was elec ted Pres ident a nd se r ved as such until hi s d ea th in 1937
The s it e se lec te d for the erection of this bea uti fu l and imp ress ive Me morial was thi rtys ix acres of land oca ted on th e wes te rn s lo pe of Alexandr ia, Virginia. It appears th at a t one time George Was hington was th e owner of thi s tract and it was at this ocatio n th a t at one time i t was proposed t o erect the National Cap itol. To the north eas t of t hi s si te i s the Cit y of Was hing ton which is re adil y v iewed, with th e Po t omac River ly in g between. To the north is Ar lington Na ti onal Ceme ter y and in nearby Arlington , Washing t on 's headq uar ters on t wo occas ion s is Chri s t Church in w hi c h Washington wo r sh iped T o the west is the tower of the Ep iscopa Theo log ical Seminary, Alma Ma ter of many famous and di st ingui s hed Divine s T o the s outh i s located th e King's Highway, o n e o f t h e mos fa mo u s roads in Amer ica The s i te is kn ow n as S h oot ers Hill and it has b ee n sa id that Washington tr aversed every f oot of th e area on which th e monum en t i s erec ted .
On November 1, 1923 th e corner s t one was l aid and it is interes ting to note that Calvin Coolidge, th en Presid ent of the Un ited Stales and Chie f J us t ice William Howard Taft of the Sup re me Court of the United Sta tes, were pres ent. Grand Mas ters of Mas ons f r om all Grand Ju ris dictions of the U nited Sta tes activel y parti c ipate d and all Ma s onic bodies were activel y The trowel used wa s the same wh ich George Wa s hin gto n himse f emplo yed in th e l ay ing of th e corner s o ne of the Nat io n a l Cap itol in Washi n g on , D. C. one hundred thirt y yea r s before. A t th e de dic ation ce r emony on May 12, 1932 , Brother Lo ui s A. Watres Pres ident of th e Associa ti on, sa id
"We a re ded icating a Temple that will be ar ti culate for centuries. I ts inter io r is s till incomple te, but th e Masonic sp irit wh ic h h as thus far enabled u s to wor k con tinuou sly and wi t hout debt s inc e June 5, 1922, wh e n g r ou nd was broken, will enable us t o complete the interior a t an early day It is the spi ri t of Masonry and the spir it o f Washington that h ave brought for th th is Temple. The impelling force behind it is the gulf-s tream of l ove and o f patri o tism in th e he a rt s of t he Bre t hre n
I t will proclaim to the wor ld th a t Washingto n's sen t inel s pir it still gua rd s the im perishable idea ls which governed his great career, an d which cons ti tu t e th e sur e foundatio n of freedom."
It is im poss ible to des cribe the wonder of the Memorial. It has to be seen in order to be understood and apprecia ted The ex te rior i s cons tructed of New Hampsh ir e granite a nd the interior is beautiful be yond compare A number of the Grand Lodges h ave made dis ti nct contributions in t h e completion and furni s hing of t h e interio r. Freemason s of Pen ns ylvania are proudl y r ep r e se nted by th e ir gift of Th e Li b rary R oom whi ch was dedicated on February 22, 1952.
On February 22, 1942 or shortl y thereaf ter, t h e valuabl e rel ics a nd possessions of Alexan d ria-Washing ton Lodge N o. 22 were tran sferred to th e Memorial and were pl ace d in room s e s pecially prepared t o recei ve th em Alexandria-Wash in gto n Lodge No. 22 b y a rran geme n t with the Associa t ion h as its L odge r oom and mee ting p lace there. To i n dic ate th e national s cope of thi s ach ievement all of the Grand Lodg es in the United States and some of the G rand Lod ges from oth er co un tries have co n t ri buted s ubs tantiall y to the support and c on s tru c ti on of the Memor ial. Shor tly a fter the meeting of February 22 , 1942 t he Grand Lodges in the U ni ted Sta tes followed t he sugges ti on of the Association that l egislation be enacted whe re b y ea ch newl y r aised Master Mason contribute th e s um of $1.00 t oward the cost o f its maintena n ce and it was p r ovided th at an y excess so received be placed n the Endowm en t Fund. I n the yea r 1944 the Grand Lodge of P enn s y lvan ia by Reso l ution set up T he Louis A. Watres Memorial Fu n d and the Freemas ons of Penn sylvania have co ntri b ut ed s u bs tantial s um s to t hi s Fund. As a ma t t er of fact the Gra nd Lodge of Pennsy lvan ia and th e Freema son s of thi s Gra nd Jur is diction are the thi rd larges t contributors to the Memorial , th e amount so con t r ibuted a s of February 10, 1956 be ing 8526,194.91.
A t th e annual meet in g of the Memorial Asso c ia ti o n on February 22 , 1957, President
C D. J or y, M. W. Pas t Grand Master of Iowa, announ ced tha t the Memor ia l is fa s t reach ng its c ompleted s tag e The proble m now before th e Assoc iati on is to c rea te and e s tablish an End owm e nt Fund o f s u ch am o unt as will ass ure i s p erpetual main e nance and preservation. T o thi s end i t is ne ces s ary th at th e effort of the Grand Lodge s as well as o f indi vid ua l
(Co ntinued on page 6 )
cupy important State, County and Ci ty O ffices
A d inner preceded the Special Meet ing w hi ch is held b iannuall y to ho n o r Mason ic Members o f the Exec uti ve and Legis la t ive Branc h es of ou r State G ove rnm e nt.
Brother Scott S. Lei by , R. W. P ast Gran d Ma s t e r, and a fo rmer Senat or , a c ed as Toas tmas ter.
Brothe r and Senator M. Harve y Ta ylo r, o f Pe r s evera n ce Lodge No. 21 o f Ha r ris burg , introdu ced Brot her and G overn or Geo r ge M. Leader, o f Whi te Rose Lodge N o . 70 6, York.
Brother and Senator Fran k W. Ruth o f Williamson Lodge No. 307, W omel s do r f, pres ented Br oth e r and Senator James S. Ber ge r, of Eulalia Lodge No. 342 of Co uders port.
Brother and R epresentative S t anl ey G. Stroup of Doric Lodge N o 63 0, S ewi ckley , intro du ced Brother and Represen ta tive Ha r old B. Rudi s ill , o fPatmo s Lodge No 348 , Ha n ove r. Th e a bove s p eakers in each ca se wer e in t rodu ced by p er s on s of the oppos ite p o liti cal pa r ty
Brother S cottS. Leiby also p r esen ted Bro th e r Charles H Nits ch , R. W. Grand Master a n d Bro th e r Ral ph M. Lehr, R. W. Pa s t Gra n d Ma s ter.
Br other Frank]. Evans is W o rshi pf u Mas ter of Rob ert Burns Lo dge. O ver 4-00 m embers attende d t he S pecial Meeting h el d in th e n e w
Sc o tt is h R ite Cathedral a n d Maso ni c T emp i<:)
B u ilding in Harrisburg - A B. P.
Our Masonic Employment Bureau Committee R epo r ts
The Ma so ni c Em p loym en t Burea u Committee takes pl easure in p r ese ntin g he r ewi th its r eport cov ering the ac t iv i t ies of t h e P h lade lph ia and Pitt sburg h Bureau offices fo r t h e ye ar e nded November 15 , 1956
The Commit t ee derives cons ide rab le sat isfa c tion from th e kn owledge t ha t in t his, t h e fo rti eth y ear of the Em ployme nt Bu rea u 's opera t ion, i t has made a su bstan t ia l con tribut ion to the we lfare and b ene fits of t he me mber s of the Fraternity
We b elieve th e Fratern it y will d er ive gr ati fica t ion f r om th e knowled ge t ha ma n y emp oyer s of lab or ad v is e t ha t t he app li ca nts s u pplied b y the Bureau ar e of a superio r type an d , acco rdin gly, a great ma n y of t he e m ploye rs , w h en va ca n cies occ u r, g ive us the fi r st oppo rtuni ty t o s uppl y app lican ts t he r efo r.
Th e P hi lad elphia a nd Alleghen y Cou n ties
Associa ti on s a re h o ldin g r egular meet i ngs in co llabo rat ion wi t h th e Grand Lodge Comm i ttee an d t he coopera ti on o f th e s u bord inate Lodges, thr o ug h the ir r es pecti ve r ep r esentat i \'es in the assoc ia ti o n , be speaks t he in terest of the membe r shi p of the F ra t e rni ty in the work w hi ch th e Em ploy m e nt Bure a u Committee is doing
We a re pleased t o r e port that th ere is a n inc r easi ng u s e of t h e Empl oymen Bur eau fa ci l iti es whic h of cou rs e , e n ab les th e Com-
m ittee to r e nd er co ns ta ntl y improv ing se r vice an d exte nd in cr easi n g h e p to t h ose membe rs see kin g o r r eq u i rin g ass is ta nce
T h e best in di cat ion of t h e co n stru c ti ve wo r k acco mp li s he d b y· yo ur Committ ee in th e offices u n de r i ts ju risd ictio ns is r eflected in the statistics inco r po rat ed in th e report i tse lf, a s umma riz a tio n of which we a re p lease d to s u b mi bel ow : Dur ing th e yea r j us t cl os in g 3,792 appl ica n ts we re r egistered in the Phi ladel ph ia and Pillsb ur gh offi ces 3 734 job oppo rt uni ties we re offer ed to the Bur ea u offices by em pl oyers and 872 of the applica nts we re placed in posi t ions. It is es ti ma ted th at the co mbi ned inco me going into Mas on ic homes resu l ti ng fro m place ments duri ng the yea r was in excess of Sl ,070,827. 00, and is equ iva len t to approxi mate ly S65. 00 fo r eac h dollar of approp ri at ion by the Grand Lodge. We wo uld d ire ct att ention to the fact t hat the ave rage age of the members placed by the Phil adelp hia office of the Cum millee was 48 pl us years and we de r ive conside rable sat isfac t io n fr om th is fact in view o f t he di ffi cul ty gene rally ex per ie n ced by emp loyment agencies in p roc uri ng pl ac em ents fo r appl ican t s in excess of 40 yea rs of age. We feel that the Employ ment Bu reau o ffi ces ar e p ro moti ng prest ige an d s tanding with em ployers which, in turn refl ect s credit on th e F ra terni ty and we h ave every ho pe of being able t o co nti nue t he fru i tfu l efforts in to the fu t u re.
F or the inform a ti on o f th e me mbers it sh oul d b e state d h ere t h at th ose elig ib le for r eg is trati on in addi tio n t o the m e mbe r s of th e F ra -
t ernit y a re thei r wives , da ughter s, s ister s, m o t he r s a nd so n s u n de r 25 years of age An y qua lifie d per so n seekin g empl oym en t s h ou ld
b e urged t o r egiste r with th e Burea u and we wo u ld pa rti cul a rl y urge Mason ic employe r s w h o seek com pe t e nt em ployes to en list t h e services of th e r es p ec ti ve Bu r ea u offices
I t is in te r est in g t o n o te that wh en th e Burea u fir s t s tarte d , over for ty yea r s ago, it was p leased t o r epo r t t h at i t h a d placed appl ica nts in pos i-
ti on s p ay ing in the agg regat e of 87,000.00 pe r yea r, as com pared with th e fig ure in excess of on e m ill io n as rep o rt ed for th e yea r j us pas . S er v in g on th e Grand Lodge Em p loyme n t
B u r ea u Com mittee ar e : Bro th er s Ll oy d A Unge r , c hai rman, Howa rd A W ood ruff, W il iam F. Geo rge, Geo r ge B. M. R qbe r tso n , Frede ri ck W Gross a nd H oward T hompso n.
Declaration of Pr inciples
(At tire Quarterly Communication of tire Grand Lodf!e of Pennsylvania in M arch, 1939, the (olloluing "Declaration of Principle.<," formulated in tire Grand Masters' Conference at Washington, D. C. , in Februa ry of that same year, 1ure introduced and adopted by Grand Lod(!e It may n·ell be regarded as a broad definit i on of Freemasonry.) ·
Freemasonry is a charitable, benevolent, educa ti ona l and r eligious soc iety . Its pr inc ples a r e proclaimed as widely as men will hea r. Its onl y secr ets are i n i ts me tho ds of recognition and of symbolic ins tru ction
I t is ch a ritab le in that it is not organized f o r profit and n one of its ncome inures to t he be n efi t of an y in div idu al , but all is devoted to the p r omo ti o n o f th e welfare and happ iness of ma n kind.
I t is benevo len t in that i t teache s a n d exe mp lifi es a ltruis m as a d uty
I t is edu cati o n a l in that it teaches by p r esc ri bed cer emon ials a system of morality an d broth er hood bas ed u p on the Sacred Law It is r e ligiou s in th at i t t eaches monotheis m, the H ol y Bi ble is open upon i ts alta r s w h e never a Lodge is i n sess ion, rev e re n ce fo r God is ev er prese nt in its ceremoni a l an d to i ts b r eth ren ar e co n stantly add r essed lesson
an , F reemasonry seeks to improve the com m uni ty T h us it impress es upon i t s me m be r s the p ri n ciple s of pe r so nal r igh t eou s ness and pe rsona l respons ibilit y , enlightens them as to those thi n gs wh ich ma ke for huma n we l fare , a nd ins p ir es the m wi th that feeling of char ity, o r good wi ll, t owa rd all mankind which will move th em to t ransl a te principle and conv ict io n n to a ction.
T o th at e nd it te aches and stands for the wo r s h ip of God ; t ru th a n d justice; frate rn ity a nd p h i la nt h r opy; enl ighte n ment and or de r ly l iber ty, civil r el igious and in tellectu a l. I t ch arges each o f ts membe r s to be true a n d l oya l to th e gove rnme n t of t he country t o w hi c h he owes alleg iance and to be obedient to the law of any state in which he may be It believes t hat th e attainment of these objectives is best accomplished by laying a b r oad bas is of p ri nciple upon which men of eve r y r ace, co un t r y, sect and opi n io n m a y u ni te ra t her t ha n by setting up a r estric ted p a t form u po n which only those of certain races, creeds an d op in ions can assemble Be lieving t hese t h ings, this G rand Lodge affirms i ts co n ti nu ed adherence to that a nc e nt and app r oved ru le of Freemasonry wh ich fo rb id s the dicussion in Masonic m ee tin gs, of cr eeds, politics, or other topics like ly to ex cite personal animosities . I t fu rth er a ffi r ms its conviction t hat it is not on ly contrary to the fundamental principles of Freemaso n ry, but dange r ous to its un i ty, strength, use fulness and welfare, fo r Masonic Bodies t o ta ke action or attempt to exercise press u re o r influence for or agains t any legislation, or in any way to attempt to procure t h e e lection or appointment of gove rn mental officials, or to in fl uence them, whethe r or n ot members of the Fratern ity, in the perform a nce of their officia l du ti es T h e true F reemason will act in civil ife · according to h is individ ual judgment and t h e d ictates of his co nscience
Right
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial
By SANFORD M. CHILCOTE
Th e n ame of George Washington recalls t o m y mind a littl e red-backed book on the front cover o f which appeared the words "American Hi s tory." It was handed to me by my teacher in th e ve r y early years of m y publi c schoo l education. When I ope ned the book I r ecall the picture o f George Washington, und erneath which there appeared these words-"F IRST IN WAR, FIRST I N PEACE AND FIRST I N THE HEARTS OF HI S COUNTRYMEN." A d eep and asting impress ion s till remains of the effect of these words and of the picture of this great American who was the "FATHER OF HI S COUNTRY." T o the quoted inscripti on could well have been added-" FIRST I N THE H EA RTS OF HIS MASONIC BRETHREN."
Much has been writt e n co n ce rnin g Geo rge Washington as a Maso n. Hi s a ssoc iation with Freemaso n ry du rin g the early hi s tor y of the Craft in th e Colonies h as bee n th e su bj ec t of mu ch writing. It i s we ll known that he was the First Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22. There ca n be no question of hi s practice of the tenets of Freemasonry. H is interes t an d devotion is mu ch in ev id en ce by the very va lua ble r eli cs handed do wn to Alexandria-Wash in gto n Lodge No. 22 . Man y of th ese relics and va lu a bl e ite m s so closel y associated with George Was hi ng t on, th e Mason , were for years disp layed in a Muse um ar ran ged for th at purpose under the control an d cust ody of his Lodge. They became the s ubj ect of curiosi t y and inte res t by th ose wh o v is ited the early environs of h is ac ti vity. Pilgrimages to Alexandria, Mt. Vernon and oth e r n earby places were be ing made by many thou sand s of people for the purpose of v iewing them. Alexandria-Was hin g t on Lodge No 22 th ere· f ore cons id ered th e problem of th eir preserva· ti o n , safekeeping an d dis p ay in v iew of the t remendou s publi c inter es t.
O n February 22, 1910 Br other Jose ph W. Eggles ton, M. W. Gr and Master of Masons in Virg inia, at th e request of Alexandria-Washin gto n Lo dge No . 22 requ es t e d the Grand Ma s ters of Ma sons over the Uni ted Sta tes to be present at a meeting of that Lodge . The Wors hipful Master of th e Lodge explained the pu rpose of the mee ti ng which was to form an organizat ion which would be as lasting as the birthday then being celebrated so that th e necessary s teps could be taken to prepare a suitab e building in which the priceless reli cs surrounding t he life and Ma sonry of Geo r ge Washing ton co uld be placed, properly preserved and dis played It was co ns idered that t he build in g in which these relics would be p laced s h ould be s u ch as would preserve hi s memory in a National Sense, rather th an in a purely loca l se nse , as relat ed to Alexa ndria-
Washington Lodge No. 22. The result was that certain resolutions were drawn b y those pr esent, e nd orsi ng th e proposed erection of a Mas on ic T emp le as a m emorial to George Was hin g ton. Thereafter on February 2 1 and 22, 1911 a seco nd mee ting was he ld, attended by a large r representat ion of Grand Masters and an Association was for med and given t he n a me of " George Washington Masonic National Memorial Associat ion " Th e first Presiden t was Thomas ]. Shryock, M. W. Grand Master of Mason s in Mar y land. On February 21, 1912 the next mee ting was held and in the absence of Th omas J. Shryock, Bro ther James W. Lamberton of Pennsylvania was th e acting presiding office r and the Constitution and Byla ws were a pproved and rat ifie d in 1913. T o P en nsy lvania Maso ns it is s ignificant to note that when Th om as J. S hr yock died in 1917, Brother Lou is A. Watres , R W. Pa st Grand Ma s te r of Maso n s i n P e nn sylvania (19 16191 7) was e lec t ed Pres dent and se rved as such until hi s d eat h in 1937.
Th e s i te selected f or the er ectio n of t his beautiful and impress ive Memorial was thirty· s ix acres of land lo ca ted on th e western s lop e of Alexa ndria , Virginia. It appears that at one time George Was hin g t on was th e ow n e r of this tract an d it was at thi s loca tion th at a t one time it was proposed to erect the Nationa l Capitol. To th e nor th eas t of thi s s ite is th e City of Washington which is rea di ly viewed, with th e P o to ma c Ri ver l ying between. To th e n orth is Arling to n Natio na l Cemetery and in n ear by Arling t on, Washing t o n 's h e ad q uarte rs on t wo occasions, s Chri st Chur ch in which Washington worshiped. To th e west is th e tower of th e Epis co pal Th eo logica l Sem ina r y, Alma Mater o f m any famous a nd d ist inguis hed Di v in es T o the s outh is lo ca ted the K in g's Highway, one of th e most famous roads in America. The s ite i s kn ow n as Shooters H ill and it has been said that Washington tra versed every foo t of the area on which th e monument is erected.
On November 1, 1923 the cornerstone was laid a n d it is interesting to note that Calvin Cooli dge, then President of the Uni ted States, and Ch ief Ju st ice William Howard T aft of the Supreme Co urt of th e U nited States, were present. Gra nd Mas ters of Maso n s from all Grand Juri sd ictions of the Uni ted S tates actively parti c ipated and a ll Maso ni c bodies were actively The trowel used was the same which George Was hington him self employed in the la y ing of the corners ton e of the Nat ional Capi to l in Washington, D. C. one hundred thirt y y ears before. At th e dedication cer emony on May 12, 1932, Broth e r Louis A Watres, Pre s ident of th e Ass ociati on, said
"We are d edicati n g a Temple that will be artic ul ate for ce nturi es Its i nterior i s stiJI incomplete, but the Masonic spi rit whi ch has th us far e n abled us t o work contin uous y and without debt since June 5, 1922, when ground was b r o ken, will enab le us to complete the interior at an ea rl y day It s th e spiri t of Masonry and the sp irit of Washington that have brought forth th is Temple. The impelling force behi nd i t is th e gu lf-stream of love and of patriotis m in the hear ts of the Brethren . I t will procla im to th e world that Wash in gton 's sentinel sp ir it s ti ll g ua rd s the imperishabl e ideals which gove rn ed his great career , an d w hi ch co n sti tu te the s u re fo unda ti o n of freedom."
It is impos s ible t o describe t he wonder of th e Memorial. It has to be seen in order t o be unde rs tood and app r ec iated The exterior is constructed of New Hampshire granite and the interior is beau ti fu l beyond compare A number of the Grand Lodges have made dis tin ct cont ri butions in the comple ti o n and furnishing of the i nte ri or. Freemasons of P ennsylva n ia are proudly represented b y their gift of The Libra r y R oom wh ich was dedicated on Febr uary 22, 1952
On February 22, 1942 or shortly th ere after, the valuable relics and possessions of Alex· a ndria -Wash in gto n Lo dge No. 22 were transferred to the Memorial and we re p laced i n rooms espec ia ll y pre pare d to receive them Al exa ndr ia -Washington Lodge No 22 by arrangeme nt wit h th e Association has its Lodge room a nd m eeting place there. To indicate the national scope of thi s ac hi evement a ll of the Grand Lod ges in the United Sta tes and some o f t he Grand Lodges from o th er cou n tr ies have contributed s ubstan t ia ll y to the suppor t and co nst ructi on of the Memorial. Shortly after the meeting of Februa r y 22, 1942 the Grand Lodges in the Un ited States followed the suggestion of th e Assoc iation that leg islat ion be e na cted wh ereby each n ew y raise d Master Mason con tribute th e su m of $1.00 toward the cost of its maintenance and it was prov id ed t h at any excess so received be pl ace d in the Endowme nt Fund I n the year 1944 th e Gr and Lodge of P e nn sy lvania by R esol u t ion set up The Louis A. Watres Memorial Fund and th e Freemasons of Penns ylvan ia have contributed substantial s ums to t h is Fund. As a matter of fac t t he Gra nd Lodge o f Penns y vania and the Freemasons of this Grand Juri s diction are the third larges t contributors to the Memorial, the amount so co ntributed as of Februar y 10, 1956 being $526,194.91.
At the annua l meeting of the Memorial Association o n Feb ru ary 22, 195 7, President C. D. Jor y, M. W. Past Grand Ma ste r o f Iowa, announced that the Memorial is fast r eaching its comp leted stage The problem now before the Associa t ion is to create and es tab lis h an Endowment Fund of s uch amount as will assu r e its perpetual maintenance and preservati on To thi s end it is n ecessar y th a t the effo rt of the Gra n d Lodges, as well as of individual (Continued on page 6)
cupy important State, County and City Offi ces
A dinner preceded the Special Meeting which is he ld biannually to hon or Masonic Membl' rs of the Executive and Legislative Branch es of our State Government.
Brother Scott S. Leiby, R . W. Past Grand Mas t e r, and a former Senator, acted as Toast· master.
Br othe r and Senator M. Harve y T aylor, of Perseverance Lodge No. 21 of Harrisburg, introduce d Brother a nd Governor George M. Leader, of Wh ite Rose Lodge No 706, York.
Br othe r and Se n at or Frank W. R uth, of Wi lli amson Lodge No. 307, Womelsdorf, prese nted Brother and Senator James S. Berger, of Eulalia Lodge No 342 of Coudersport.
Brother and Repre sentative Stanley G. Stroup, of Doric Lodge No. 630, Sewickley, introdu ced Brother and Representative Harold B. Rudisill , of Patm os Lodge No. 348, Hanov er.
The above spea kers in each case were introduced by persons of the opposite political party.
B r ot h er ScottS. Le iby also presented Brother Cha rl es H. Nitsch, R W. Grand Master and Brot her R alph M. Lehr, R. W. P ast Grand Mas ter.
Brother Fra nk J . Evans s Worshipful Master of R obert Bu rns Lodge Over 400 members attended th e Special Meetin g held in the n ew Scottis h Ri te Ca th ed r al and Masonic Tempi<'; Building in Harrisb urg. - A. B. P
Our Masonic Employment Bureau Committee R epo r ts
The Mason ic Employm en t Bureau Comm i ttee takes pleasure in presenting herew ith i ts report covering the activities of the Philad elphia and Pittsb urgh Bureau offices for the year ended November 15, 1956
The Committee derives considerable satisfaction fr om the knowledge that in this, the fortie th year of the Employment Bureau's operatio n, it ha s made a substantial contribution to th e we l fare and benefits of the membe rs of th e Fraterni ty.
We believe the Fraternity will derive gratifi. catio n from the kn owledge that many em · players of labo r advise that the applicants supplied by the Bureau a r e of a superior type and, accordingl y, a great many of the employers, when vacancies occur, give us the first opportunity t o s uppl y appli can ts th e r e for
The Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties Associations are ho lding regular meetings in collaboration wi t h the Grand Lodge Committl'e and t he cooper ation of the subordinate Lodges, through th ei r respective r epresentatives in the associat on, bes peaks th e interest of the mem. bersh ip o f the Fraterni t y in the work which the Emplo yme nt Bu reau Committee is doing
We a re p leased t o repor t that there is an in creas ing use of the E mployment Bureau facili ties which of course, enables the Com ·
mittee to render constantly improving service and extend increasing help to those members seeking or requiring assistance
The best indication of the constructive work accomplished by -your Committee in the offices under its jurisdictions is refle cted in the statisti cs incorporated in the report itself, a summarization of which we are pleased to submit below:
During the year just closing 3, 792 applicants were registered in the Phi ladelph ia and Pittsburgh offices. 3,734 job oppor t unities were offered to the Bureau offices by employers and 872 o f the applican ts were placed in p ositio ns. It is estimated that the combined in co me go· ing into Mas o nic homes resulting fro m placements during the year was in excess of $1,070,827 00, and is equi valent to approximately 865.00 for each dollar of appropriation b y the Grand Lodge. We would d i rect attention to the fact that the average age of the members placed by the Ph iladelphia office of the Committee was 48 plus years and we deri ve considerable satisfa ction from this fact in view of the diffi culty ge ner· ally experienced by emplo yme nt agencies in proc uring placements f or applicants in excess of 40 years of age. We feel that the Employment Bureau o ffi ces are promoting prestige and standing with employers which, in tu rn, reflects credit on the Fratern ity and we have every hope o f being a ble to contin ue the fruit· ful efforts nto th e future
For the information of the members it should be stated here that those eligible for reg istration, in addition to the members of the Fra. ternity are their wives, dau ghters, sisters, mothers and sons under 25 years of age An y qualified person seeking employment should be urged to register with the Bureau and we wou ld particularly urge Masonic emp loyers who seek competent employes to enlist the services of the respe c tive Bureau offices It is inte resting to note that when the Bureau first started, over forty years ago , it was pl eased to r eport t hat it had placed applicants in position s paying in the aggregate of 87,000.00 per yea r, as compared with the figure in excess of one mill io n as reported for th e year just past. Serving on the Grand Lodge Employ ment Bureau Committ ee a r e : Brothers Ll oyd A Unger, chairman, Ho ward A. Woodruff, W iJ. l iam F. George, George B. M. R qbe rtson, Frederick W. Gross and H owa rd T hompson.
Declaration of Principles
(At th e Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodf!e of Pennsylva nia in March, 1939, the following "D eclnra tioit of Principles," formulated in the Gran d Mast ers' Conference at Washington, D C., in Februar y of that same year, tcere introdu ced and adopted by Grand Lodf!e. It may reel/ be regarded as a broad definition of Freema sonry.) ·
Freemasonry is a charitable, benevolent, educational and reli giou s soci ety . Its pri n ciples are proclaimed as widely as men will h ea r. Its o nly secrets are in its me th ods of re cogniti on and of symbolic instruction.
It is charitable in that it is not organized for profit and none of its income inures to the benefit of any individua l, bu t all is devoted t o the promotion of the welfare and happiness of mankind.
It is benevolent in that it teaches and exemplifies altruism as a dut y It is educational in th at it teaches by prescribed ceremonials a s ystem of morality and brotherhood based upon the S acred Law. It is religious in that it teaches monotheism, the H oly Bible is open u pon i ts altars when eve r a Lodge is in session, reverence for God is ever present in its ceremonial, and to its b r ethren a r e constantly addressed lessons of morality ; ye t it is not sectarian or theological. It is a social organizati on only so far as it furnishes additional inducement that men may forgather in numbe rs, thereby providing more material for its primary work of education, of worship, and of charity.
Through the improvements and stre ngthening of the character of the ind ividual man, Freemasonry seeks to improve the communit y T hus it impresses upon its members the principles of personal righteousness and personal responsibilit y, e nl igh te ns them as to those things which make fo r human welfare, and inspires them with that feeling of chari t y, or good will, toward all mankind whi ch will move them to translate prin ciple and conviction into action.
T o that end, i t teaches and stands for the worship of God; truth and justice; fraternity and phi la nthrop y; enligh tenme nt and orderly libert y, civil, religious and intellectual. It charges each of its members t o be true and loyal to the government of the country to which he owes allegiance and to be obed ient to the law of any state in which he may be. It believes that the attainment of these objectives is best accomplished by laying a broad basis of principle upon which men of every race, country, sect and opinion may unite rather than by setting up a res t ricted platform upon which only those of certain races, creeds and opinions can assemble Bel ieving these things, this Grand Lodge afftrms its continued adherence to tha t ancient and approved rule of Freemasonry wh ich forbids the dicussion in Maso ni c meetings of creeds, politics, or other top i cs likely to excite personal animosi t ies.
It further affirms its conviction that it is not only contrary to the fundamental princi ples of Freemasonry, but dangerous to its unit y, strength, usefulness and welfare, fo r Masonic Bodies t o take action or attempt to exercise pressure o r influence for or aga inst any legislation, or in an y way t o attempt to proc ur e the election or appointment of governmental officials, or t o influence them, whether or not members of the Fra t ernity, in the performance of th ei r official du t ies.
The true Fr eemaso n will act in c ivil life · according to h is ind ividual judgment and the dictates of his conscience
Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master
From Our Grand Secretary's Office
CONFERENCE OF GRAND SECRETARIES IN NORTH AMERICA
The Twenty-ninth Annual Conference of Grand Secretaries in Nor th America met in the Pan-American Room of the Hotel Statler, Washington, D. C., on Thursday , February 21 , 1957, with Harry S. Johnson o f Ohio, presiding. There were forty-seven Grand Secretar ies present, five Associate Members, and three Grand Secreta rie s represented by proxy, making a total attendance of fifty-five. Fifty of the fifty-nine Grand Jurisdic ti ons which are members were represented.
It s h ould be clearly unders t ood that the Conference of Grand Secretaries , like the Conference of Grand Masters, has no power to l egislate for the several Grand Lodges which constitute its membership. Each Grand Lodge is a law unto itself, an d the Conference of Grand Secretaries, rather t han a legis lative body, is a forum for the interchange of ideas and information.
To be s ure , many of th e ideas which are not in conflict with the law of other Grand Lod ges find practical ap plicati on in the work of man y of the Grand Secretaries, and the information that is presented is of in valuable help in unders tandi ng the law and procedure o f the several Grand Lodges. There were four papers presente d and discussed in the 195 7 Conference.
l. Uniformit y in Certificates for Tran sfer of Membership and the Handling Thereof.
Presen ted by Arthur H. Stri ckland, Kan sas Discu ss ion led b y Elvin F. Strain, South Dakota
2. R eciprocity Between Grand Lodge s on Rejected Petitioners.
Presented by Julian B. Hollingswo rth Wes t Virginia
Disc u ss ion l ed by Ra ymon d N. Babcock, District of Co lumbia
3. Wha t is an Unaffi li a ted Maso n? What Are His Rights and Privileges?
Presen t ed by Earl W. Taylor, Mas sachu setts
Di sc u ss ion led by Harold 0. Cady , New Hamp s hire
4. Should Grand Lodges Encou ra ge and Promote the Organization of New Lodges? If So, How?
Prese nt ed by Byron F. Gaithe r , Montana
Di sc ussion led by Daniel W. Locklin, Georgia
It was ev ident that each paper had been written onl y after intensive s tud y and th orough prepa ration. In eac h case, th e discussion was not only spirited, but helpful a s we ll. At the close of th e sess ion, it was agreed that the da y had been well s pent, and that th e Confere nce had been of gr ea t benefi t to all who had attended.
The Grand Sec r etar ies' Banquet was held the same evening, in th e Federal Room of the Hotel S tatler. The Speaker of th e Evening was Matthew W. Hill , Past Grand Master of Masons in Washington, and Chief Ju stice o f the Supreme Court of t h e State of Was hington. Brother Hill 's address, the subjec t of which was "Pronou n ce or P e rish ," was based on those fam iliar words fr om Ho ly Writ , "Say now, Shibboleth." I t was reple te with appropriate illustrations aptly applied to the practical problem of living from da y to day in ac cordan ce with the high moral and sp iri tua l teachings of the Craft.
Annual Rehearsal of the Ritualistic Work
On Tuesda y evening, March 5, und er the direction of Br ot her Andrew ]. Schroder, Instruc t or of the Rituali s tic Work th e three Degrees were exempl ified in the presence of the R. W. Grand Master, Brother Charles H. Nitsch, in the auditorium of To wn Hall, Broad and Rac e Philadelphia. Approximately 1400 were present.
Members of the Temple Sc h ool of Ins tru ction opened and closed the Master Mason 's Lodge, and exemp lified the Entered Apprentice Degree The Sixth Di s tri ct School exemplified the Fellowcraft Degree, an d the Fortieth Distri ct School e xe mplifi ed t h e Mas ter Mason's Deg r ee
The March Quarterly Communication
Grand L odge was opened in Ample Form on W ednesd ay, March 6 , at 7 P .M.
Th e r e were 251 Lodges represen ted, wi th 617 Brethren present.
Reports of Committees
Reports were rece ived from th e Committees on By -Laws, Temple, Maso nic Cu lture and Ch il dren's Serv ice.
The report of the Commit t ee on Finan ce included t wo res olution s which were un animou s ly adopted.
The firs t of th ese a ppropriated $75, 000 additional from the Grand Lodge Reserve F und for the purpose of improving the Premises 13241342 Arch Street, s o as to make t he p r ese ntl y unrented port ions of that building available fo r leasi ng.
The second res olution wa s as follows:
ARTHUR H. HULL MEMORIAL
It is with profound so rrow that we record the death of Arth ur H. Hull , on February 2, 1957, and WHEREAS, Arthur H. Hull for a period of over thi rteen years has faithfull y serve d on t h e Committee of Finance of G r and Lodge, and on it s S ub- Committees, from time to time, to the bes t of hi s ab ility and deep interes t,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That this Committee hereby des ires to express, and to have rec orded , its sincere thanks and appreciation for the loyal and faithful service rendered by him to this Committee as a member thereo f, and the deep sense of loss to its individual members, at the severance of their clo se association with him in the duties of this Committee.
He has r endered outstanding service and his h elp, counse l and adv ice will be sadly missed. H e has give n withou t s tint of his time, thought and energy, and it i s difficult to adequately express our appreciat ion of hi s tireless labor and se lf- sacr ifi ce.
Masonic Week at Washington, D. C.
R epo rts of the meeting of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association, h eld in Alexandria, Va., February 22 , 1957, of the meeting of the Mas onic Serv ic e Associat ion of the United States , held in Washington, D. C., February 19 , 195 7, and of th e Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America, held in Washington , D. C. , February 20 and 21 , 1957, were presented by Brothers Sanford M. Chilcote, R. W. Deputy Grand Mas ter , Max F. Balcom, R. W. Senior Grand Warden, · and W. LeRoy McKinley, R. W. J un ior Grand Warden, respectively.
The R. W. Gra nd Mas ter , Brother Charles N. Nitsch, inform ed th e Brethr en of some of th e highlights o f hi s recent v isit to the Grand Lod ge of Th e Netherlands on the occas ion of its 200th Anniv e rsa r y.
SUMMARY OF MEMBERSHIP FOR 1956
B EFOR E ExAMINATION or G ENERAL RETURNS
The Grand Secretary prese nted the following an nual sta tist ica l r eport:
N umbe r or Lodges, Decemb er 27, 1955... 585
N um ber of Lodge s Con st itut ed in 1956... 2
N u mber or Lodges, Dece mb e 27, 1956... 587
Membership, Decembe 27, 1955.. 252,406 Admiued during 1956 , 7 11 Initiated durin g 1956.,. ,,,, ,., 8,708 9,419
Sus pended during 1956. , 930 Resigned during 1956 , , 721 Deceased du r ng 1956 ., ,, , .4,905 6,556
In crease (net) for 1956................ 2,863
M embe rs hip, Decembe r 27, 1956 255,269
It i s of inte rest t o note that 1956 was the f ourteenth consecutive yea r durin g wh ich th e total membe rs hip of our Lodges has incr eased. In 19 42 th ere was a net de c r ease of 49, with a to t al membe rship of 170,138 reported at the close of the year.
During the fourteen following yea rs (19431956), there ha ve been 145 ,295 initiations, with a net increase in members hi p of 85,131.
The average number of initiation s has been 10,378 per year, and th e average yearly increase in membe rsh ip 6,081.
Noteworthy Masonic Meeting Places
II-INDEPENDENCE HALL
By WILLIAM E. MoNTGOMERY
When, t oward the end of 799, the owners of the Free Quake rs' Meeting House at Fifth and Arch Streets, in Philadelphia r efuse d to renew the le ase for the room in whi ch the Grand Lodge and th e several subordinate lodges in that city had been meeting during the prev ious nine ye ars, the brethren we r e in quite a quandar y No s uitable room seemed to be available and funds were not at hand with which to buy a building. Grand Lodge did own a lot at the south-west corner of 12 th and Walnut Streets. This was originall y presented in 1785 by Brother Joseph Dean (late r Senior Grand Warden) in cons ide ra tion of ten s hillings and the pa y me nt of one acorn annually on Saint John the Evangelist's Day if d emanded -provided that a building be erected thereon. This condition was not fulfill ed, and when Brother Dean became bankrupt a few years afterwards, the lot was se ized as part of hi s propert y, and was sold Ho wever, in the fo llowing yea r (1792) Grand Lodge bought the o t for four pounds five sh illings (it was sold in 1805 for $2,000.00-a nice "capital ga in ," and n o t taxabl e as s uch!!). Thi s lot was ava ilable a s a building s ite, but th e re was ins uffi cient time-and the efforts to raise funds had not made great progress. Bes ides, man y of the brethren thought th at the lot was mu ch "too far out of town!!"
Evidently, howe ver, so m e one had a happy thought and under date of No ve mber 4, 1799
a l e tt er was written to H is E xcellenc y, Thomas Miffiin, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, s ta ting in part: "Yo ur petitioners, und ers tandin g th at th e rooms in the State H ouse are at p resent uno ccupied and a re lik el y to remain so for a conside rabl e time, are induced to request the Grd. Lodge ma y b e indulged with the u se of the Sena t e Chamber or s u ch other apartments on th e same floor as yo ur Excellency ma y see fit." The Governor assigned th e Secretaries' Chamber to Grand Lodge and it was used for Masonic purpo ses for about two and one-half years.
GEORGE A. AvERY, Grand Secreta ry
It was quite appropriate that the Free maso n s of Philadelphia s hould have been given this temporary privilege, inasmuch as th eir fratern al ancestors had been decidedl y ac ti ve in the erection of that historic st ru c ture. When the construction of a State H ouse (as it was originally de s ignat ed) wa s firs t prop osed, it was s ugg ested that it be loca ted on High Street ne ar the Pri s on, and v igorous effo rt s were made to adopt th at s ite Due to th e effor ts of the Spe aker of th e Asse mbly Andrew Hamilton, that propo sal was defea ted a nd the present s ite selected in orde r that there mi ght be plenty of ground available to set off and e mpha s ize
For Your Reading Pleasure
the b eauty of the st ru cture. Hami lt on (although not an architect) also drew the rough s ketch of the building. He made a worl d- wide reputation as the counsel for th e New York printer, John Peter Zenger, wh e n he brilliantly and successfull y defend ed the principle of th e free· dom of th e press. He was th e fath er of James Hamilton (Grand Ma s t er o f Pennsylvania in 1735) and the father-in-law of William Allen who was the original and o ft-tim e Grand Master and was definitely "Mis t er Maso nry " in P ennsylvania for a period of thirt y years When the con tr oversy concerning the site of the State House wa s at its he ight in the ea rl y 1730s, William Allen bought and held for the Provin ce a large part of the land needed under Hamilton' s plan. Th e site was sta ked and the foundation s laid und er the direction of Thomas Redman (Cit y Surveyor 1712-1725) who was one of the ea rl y m embers of St. John's Lodge. In charge of the brick-work was Thom as Boucle, the first Secreta r y o f St. John's Lodge. It is quite possible that Thomas Har t assisted in thi s phas e of the con s truction. It h as b ee n claimed th at Edmund Woolle y, the general s uperintendent and master carpenter , was a Mas on but proof of th is s eem s to be lack ing. In later years a brother by th e name of Woolly v is ited the lod ge meeting at th e Tun Tavern but th ere is nothing which identifies him as Edmund. According to Maso nic legend, th e corner-stone was laid by Benj amin Franklin during his year (1734) as Grand Mast er It has al so been claimed that a tr owe l (sa id to have been u sed o n that occasion) was fo r many years in th e posse ss ion of the Ba che family. For severa l years, Independen ce Hall pro ved to be a ve r y sat isfactory m eeting place for th e brethren , except for the fa ct that they s till d esi red a home of th e ir own In th e early part of 1802 howe ver , the Legis lature granted to the arti st, Cha rles Willson Pea le, permi ss ion to use th e east room (Assembly Chamber) and part of th e upsta irs as an art galler y and mu seu m. Dissen s ion soon arose be t ween the tw o tenants and later in the y ear, the Mas on s were asked to vaca te Thi s was rather embarra ss ing as they had no place to go-until Broth er W ill iam Francis offered a room on 8th Street wh ich was used until a property on Filbert Street could be purchased and made r eady fo r occu pan cy In ci dentall y, it is interes ting to note that so me month s late r the Grand Lodge voted to reque st the R. W. Gran d Ma ste r to ca use Br othe r Francis to be passed to th e Chair. H e was also prese nted with the approp ri a t e jewel and apron and was given a vote of thanks "fo r hi s kind a tt ention to th e welfar e of o ur In sti tution."
The following is j ust a partial li st ing of the man y available and hi ghl y r ecommended books for Freemasons to read. These, and many others may be e njoyed through the Circulating Libra r y of Grand Lod ge Send yo ur request to: William ]. Paterson., Libra ri an and Curator Masonic Temple, Broad and Fi. lbert Streets, Philadelphia 7, Pa. Introdu cti on to Freemasonry Carl H. Clandy The Builders Jo seph Fort Newton The Newly-Made Mason H. L. H aywood The Beginnings of Freemasonry i n Ame ri ca Mel vi n M. Johnson Brothers and Builders .Joseph Fort Newton The Great Tea chings of Masonry. H. L. H ayw ood These Were Brethren Carl H. Claudy Facts for Freemasons Harold V. B. Voorhis Short Readings in Masonic History J. Hugo Tatsch Specu lat ive Mason A. S. MacBride The Master' s Book . .. .......... Carl H. Claudy Our Ancient Brethren .... . .... F de P. Cas tells A His t ory of Freemasonry H. L. Ha yw ood and J. E. Craig Freemason ry Before the Existence of Grand Lodges Lionel Vibert Washington, the Man and th e
y . Douglas Knopp and G P. ]ones Morals and Dogma-A. & A. S. R. of Freema sonr y Albert Pike Symbolism of Freemasonry Albert G. Mackey Symbol ica l Ma sonr y . H. L. Haywood Juri s prudence of Freemasonry. Albert G. Ma ck ey Maso n ic Law and Practi ce Luke A. Lockwood The Landmar ks of Freemasonry. Silas H. Shepherd Maso nic J urisprudence . . . John T. Lawrence One Commo n Purp ose . . .. .. Char les H. Johnson The Men's Hou se Jo seph Fort Newt on Masonic Soldiers of Fortune Willia"t M. Stnart The Maso ni c Harves t Carl H. Claudy The Man of Mount Moriah Clarence M. Bontelle
Robert Burns Lodge No. 464 Host to Grand Lodge Officers and State Officials
Politics and the probl ems of the day were l a id asid e recentl y when Robert Burn s Lodge No 464 o f Harri s burg was hos t to Grand Lodge Offi ce r s and Brother George M. Lead er, Gov· ernor of the Commonwealth of Penns ylv an ia, and over on e hundre d o th er Mas ons who oc-
