The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge o f The Mast Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free ond Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Maso ni c Jurisdiction The reunto Belo nging, through its
COMMITTEE O N MASON IC CU LT UR E - W illia m E
Yeager, Past Grand Master, Chai rma n; Wi lli am E. Montgomery, G. Edwa rd Elwell, Jr., Fra nk R. Leech, W illi am A. Carpenter, Charles A. Young and Ashby B. Paul.
AP PROVED AND AUTHORIZED TO BE PRINTED BY CHARLES H. NITSCH Right Worshipful G and Master
W ILLIA M A. CARPENTER Editor
Mailing Address:
P.O. BOX 688, WARREN, PA.
Vol. IV November, 1957 No.4
Freemasonry in England
B y R.W. WARD K. sr: C LAIR
Ch ai rm an o.f Museum and Library Committee
R. W. Grand Lo d g e o f New York
The United Grand L o d ge of England h as exclu sive jur sdiction over the Craft Deg r ees of F r eema so nr y in England an d Wales In th e provinces a nd dep e nden c ies of th e B r iti sh Crown the juri sd ctio n i s d v ided amo n g t h e Grand L o d ges o f Eng la nd , Sco tl a nd and Ire and The Cra f t Deg r ees in c l ude thos e of En e r e d
Appren ti ce F ell o wcraft and Ma s te r Mas on
There is no de g re e o f P as t Ma s er. H ow ever , there is an in s tall ati o n c ere m o n y for M a s te r 's e lect in w h ich the y are in ve s te d w i th the "Secr e t s of th e Chair." '] hi s cere mon y is known a s that o f I n s tall e d Mas ter.
En gla n d a nd Wal es are divided i nt o Ma s o ni c
Pr ovin ces Each is ru led b y a Prov i ncial Grand Lodge. The depe nd e n cies are di vide d int o D istricts and are rul ed b y Di s tr ic t Grand Lo d ges
Both the Pr ov incial a nd th e D i s r ic t Gra n d L odge s have a complete compl e m e nt of office r s an d hold quarterl y commun ca ti o n s Th ey h ave cer ta in judici al and admini s tr ative powe r s a ll otted to th em b y Gran d L odge.
All Lo dg es w i thin a ten mile radiu s of F r e em aso n s ha l in London are c lassed a s L o ndon L odge s Th ese Lodge s are no t f ormed nt o a Prov ince b u t come under the G r and L o d g e direc t. A s pecial s e t of fee s and r egu lati on s g overn th ese L odge s
Th e g e n era cu s tom has be e n to elec t to th e office of Grand Mas te r a qualifie d membe r o f th e R o ya l Fam il y and wh e n s o elec te d the offi ce s u s uall y held for the li fe of th e occ upant. Ann u a e e c ti on s a r e h e ld but thes e are on y a matter of fo r m to c ompl y wi th th e r equ i remen t s of th e Co n s ti tuti on
P a s t Grand R an k is aut h o r ize d t o be conf e rred upon a n y Brother o f abi lity w h o is a membe r of G r and Lo d ge . Thi s prov id es a
method of awardin g di s ti n c ti o n to m e n who h ave pe r fo rm ed o uts tand in g s ervi ce for th e Cra f t.
Indi v idua l Lodges are d es ig na ted a s " Pr iva te Lodges" and may be cha rte r e d up on th e app ica ti on o f not l ess th an seve n Mas te r Mas o ns
As in the Unit ed S tates o s erve a s Mas te r o f a Pri vate Lodge the Mas on mu s t h ave ser ved one year as Warden
No res tri c ti on is pla c ed upon the numbe r o f Lodges to w hi ch a n Eng ish Mas on may be long a an y on e tim e It is a pe r s ona matte r confined o the indiv idual. The on l y res tri ction is tha t a Mas o n may not be Mas e r o f m o re th a n one Lodge at he same t im e . f t is n o t unu s ual to find an Engli s h Mason wh o has pres d e d ove r se veral Lo d g es or who s a membe r of se vera l Lo dg es Engl ish Lodges are small i n members hip and p ro bably would average b e tween 2 5 and 50 memb e rs per Lodge Engli s h L odges conduct their bu si n e ss o n the de g ree o f Enter ed Apprentice. Open in g of a L odg e in th e F e ll owc raft or Ma s ter Mas on D e g re e is limi te d t o the pu r po se of initi a ti on of ca ndidates a nJ 1h e in s t allation of offi ce r s .
H owever, a Mason is not a member of the Lodge in the full se n se of th e wo rd until h e has rece ve d h is Ma s ter Ma s on Deg r ee . Onl y M aste r Mason s ma y hold office. The mode of w ork d ffe r s in form fr om that u sed i n th is countr y, al th oug h th e essent ia ls are the same. The m ea n s o f rec ognition , ex c epl for the pass -words diffe r. T hi s d iffe r e n ce is not s uffi c ien to cau s e an Amer ica n Mas on who d es ires to v is it an y e mbarra ssm e nt or d iffi c ult y
Th e information im pa rte d in th e En gl is h Lodge is no m o r e than is impa rted in an Am e rican Lodge
Th e Gra n d L odge of E ng land has a dop ed no s tandard mode of Wo r k o r Ritu a l. Th ere a re se veral t y pes in u se In a nd around L o ndon the favori e is th e " Emulation Wor k i ng " El sewh e re w i l l be found loca wor k ings .
Did You Remember the Christmas and Entertainnzent Fund for The Homes?
The Chri s tma s a nd Entertainment Fund, fo r Th e .Mas oni c H o mes a t E izabethtown , pr o v ides gift s, n o onl y a t Ch ri s tmas tim e, but throu g hout th e e ntire y ea r it pro vides entertainment, a l i ttl e s pendin g mone y an d nume r ou s o th e r e vid e n ce s of our ove and affection
You r s uppo rt of th is Fund not on l y be nefits o ur Gu es ts at T h e H omes bu t al s o the bo ys at the Th o mas R ank e n P a tton Ma so ni c In s ti t uti o n fo r B oys, lo ca ted n e ar Th e H om es Th e Fund a ls o helps to make hing s j u s t a little more bri g hter fo r th ose r ece i ving H om e
A s s s tan ce
Your contribution , in addition to your n ame, ad dr ess a nd L o d ge num ber, s hould be f orwar d e d o:
Broth e r· Ar·thur E. 1\<Iyers Supe l"intend c nt T h e 1\'laso ni c E li za b e thtown, Penn sy lva ni a
Your ge ne r o s ity wil l be g rea tl y rewa r d e d b y th e gra teful ap pre c iatio n of the c hildren and our a g ed gu es ts
Masonic Law in Pennsylvania
B y GEORGE A. A VERY R ight Worshipful Grand Secreta ry
SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH PETITIONS
At or· after th e exp ira ti o n of s ix m o nth s f1·om th e date of his final r·c cct ion o n the first petition, the r ejec e d petitioner ma y prcsc n t a seco nd petition f o r initiati o n and mcmhe r·ship in t h e Lo d ge t h at r ejecte d him. S uch flel- ition s h a ll he su hj cct to th e same pr·occcdin gs by the Lodge as i n t h e case of the first petition except ha t it cannot he witlulr awn until a ballot has hcc n t a l< cn and the p e tition er appr·oved. A second ballot c annot h e take n on a seco nd or s uhscq ucnt petition.
At or· afte r the exp ir·ation of one year from the r·cjcc tion on a second peti Lion , the p e ti t ion e r· ma y apply in wl"iting to the s am e Lodge that r·cjcctcd him to p e r mit him t.o prese nt a thinl petition for· initiation and mcrnher·ship. On r·ece ipt of thi s application , t h e Lodge s hall o rd e r· s a me to li e ove r· for· one month an d n o ti ce s hall be g ven to all m e mher·s that at th e next s ate d m eet in g the L"'lgc wi ll a c t on s aid app li cation. A t th e next sta ted mee ting the Wor·shipful Maste r s hall direct the Sec r·et>u·y to r·cad the appli c ation , anti when th e sa me i s re a d , th e 'Vor s hipful Mas t e r· s hall dir·ec t a ba llot to h e tal<en thcr·eon. If th e ballot i s n ot unanim o u s, it c nrl s a ll actio n h y the Lodg e in the ca s e for· on e year·, af er· wh i ch h e p e tition e r· may again app l y, when the application s h a ll h e s ubj ec t t o th e sa me proceedings If th e ballot i s un an imou s the petitioner ma y pr·esen t a th ir·d petition , s ubje ct t o the sa m e R ul es an d R eg ul a tion s governing th e pr·occcrlin gs in cases of th e fir·st an d secorHI pe tition s for initiation and rnemher·shi p. If the petitioner· is aga in r·ejeetcd , thi s •·ejection e nd s all action b y th e Lodge in the ease.
T h e Ahiman Rezon makes no pr·ovisions f o r· h e pt·cscntat o n of four·th petitions f o r initi a tion and mcrnh e r s hip. Requ ests fo r permiss o n t o r·ecch•c s u c h petitions mu s he mad e of t h e G t·mu Lod g e by t·eso luti on of th e Lod ge. Thi s request i s t o b e acc ompanied h y l e tte r s, s etting f or th t h e f acts, and g ivin g g ood and s uflicient reasons and ass uran ces w h y i is beli eved t hat the obj ec tion d oes not no w ex is t. " thou t s u ch exp lanat ion th e G r·and 1\'lastet· w ill n o t · pe n n i t th e r·et(UCS t to go hcfo r·c the Gra nd Lod ge Whe n a petition for initi a tion and mcmh c r·s hip i s r·ecc i ved hy a Lod ge fr·om o n e who ha s b ee n !" e j ected in thi s .Tur·is dietion at least ten yea r s pr·io r t o th e pr·es entation of s u c h peti Li on all a c tion upon the sa me s hall he s uhj cet to the dir·ection of the G mnd Mastc t
FREEMASON
A Message from Our Grand Master
I can hardl y believe tha thi s is the la s t tim e I shall h ave the pri vi le g e of a ddress ing y ou a s Grand Ma s ter in th e P e nn s y l van ia F r eem a s on.
I tru s t the r efore th at I ma y be pardoned if I look back to D e c e m. her 27, 195 5 whe n I was in s ta ll ed a s y o ur Grand Mas te r and trace bri e fl y s om e o f my activ it ies s in ce that tim e.
Several yea r s befo re m y ins talla ti on I had dec ide d that if i t wo uld be poss ibl e , a n d my h eal th permi Ltecl, I wo uld l ike to v is i t L odge s hat h ad not too fr eq ue ntl y be en vi s i ted by a Gra nd Mas ter.
I s in cerel y h op e that my Brethre n thr o ug h o u t o ur great Ju r isd i ctio n wi ll fee l th at T have s o far a s poss ib le ca rri ed out thi s pla n. I h ave v is ite d man y L o d ges r e m ote ly d is tan t fr om m y home i n Phil a d e lphi a a nd the expe ri en ce has been m o s reward in!! . In a ll thos e pla ces that J h a ve vi s ited , I h a ve bee n r ecei ved w i h th e grea te s t co ur tes y and hos pitalit y .
My g ood wife Ge r trud e , in prac ti cally all cas e s accompanied me and th e ladies ha ve be e n mo s t g raciou s in e nte rt a inin g h er and making h er v is it s mos t de ig htful , during a nd after o ur meet ings We both fe e l tha t we ha ve made m a n y new fri e nds I t i s a mo s t de l ig h tfu th o ug h t and d es ir e th at wh e n my te rm of o ffice expir es on Decemb e r 27th n ext a nd we s hould be travelling thr o ugh our S tate perhaps at a more lei s ure ly pa ce th an is poss ib le w h en s erving a s Grand Mas te r , t h at we ca n call on s o man y fri e nds
T h e e ngageme nts o f th e Grand Mas ter c ome s o th ic k and fa s t that th e re s hardl y ti m e to dr eam o ve r ea c h v is it but w e hope th at when w e gathe r a ll ou r p r ogra ms, ni ce le t te r s, ph otograp h s and other m ate rial we s hall ha ve tim e to real ize what a p ea s a nt expe ri e n ce we ha ve had.
I ha ve laid corn e r s tones, d e di cate d L odg e Rooms , co ns ti t uted L odges an d in all cas e s I was in s pired wi th th e e nthu s ias m and devo ti on of ou r fine Bre thren.
No Grand J\ITa s te r cou ld hav e rece i ved finer c oope r a ti o n fr o m h s Grand Offi cers, D is tr i ct D e puty G r and Mas te rs a nd Office r s of s ubor dinat e Lodges
Th e D is tri c t Deputi e s h a ve be e n of invaluab le a ss s a n ce to th e Grand M as ter. W i thout th e i r lo ya l s upport th e G r an d Mas ter wou ld inde e d have a cl ff1 c ult r o ad to tra ve l.
It is mos t unfor tu nate that it was not poss b le fo r m e o a c cept all th e i n v itati o n s to v s it L o dg e s, but whe n we rea li ze th at w e have 5 88 L odge s, t is hum a nl y impos s b e fo r th e Gra n d Mas te r to v is it s o man y i n t wo years Ye t I ha ve tri e d t o g et t o mos t of the r emote parts of our Juris di c tion. M y m i nd g o es ba c k to Al b ion in th e Nort h w es t, U ni ontown i n th e S o uth wes t , Sc ranton i n th e N o rth ea s t and Ches te r in th e S o ut heas t.
I am h a ppy to h ave had th e honor o f be in g inv i ted to attend Annual Ses s ons of o ther Grand Bodi e s in o ur Ju risd ic ti on. I at te nde d th e G rand Chapter, Grand Counc Grand Cornmande r y and R eel Cros s of Cons tan tine. I was honored in ha vi ng cl ass e s nam e d for me b y H arr s burg Co nsis to r y a nd Al too na Con s isto r y.
A t a ll th ese vis i ta ti ons th e Grand Mas ter was received w i th all the di g n ity o f h is office
One of th e ou ts ta nding eve nt s duri ng 195 7 wa s the dedica ti o n of the Hos pi ta Exte ns on at the Ma s o ni c H o mes on May 25 I t was of s pe c ial in te rest to m e a s a Philadelph ian s ince th e original h o s pital was a Phil adelphia proj e c t. I am mos t g rate ful in deed to th e Philadelphia Ma son s who person a ll y co ntributed $ 550 ,000 t owa r d th is proje c t. Not onl y ind i vidual Ma s on s, but many o th e r bran ches of Freemas onry contribut ed. Be nj amin F ran klin Con s is t o r y, which I h ave th e honor of being a Pa s t Commancle r in .Chief, c ont ributed 3 16 ,3 00, a n d L odge No 9 , Philad e lphia contri b uted 8 12 ,000 t owa r d a d s pen sar y Man y o ther g r oup s and c lubs con tributed s ums, all o f whi ch were g r eatfull y re ceived.
It wa s mos t g ra tify ing to t h e Gr and Maste r and th e m e m be r s of the Comm i ttee on Mas o nic Hom e s to s ee s o man y of o ur Bre thr e n a nd th ei r familie s a the d ed i cat io n s e r vice. So me 6 000 were n the aud i ence. It s peaks we ll for th e i nte re s t of our Bre thren in ou r greate s t ch a rit y, The Ma son c H omes a t E li zabe thtown I s in cere ly hope that the wo r k clon e by t he Phi lad e lphia Ma s on s m a y be a n i n s pira tion fo r Mas ons in other parts of ou r Ju ri sd ic ti o n , whe r e I projects for Th e Home s are bei ng plan n e d. It was my ho pe tha t th e new Re crea ti ona H a ll and Mas o n ic Templ e at E iza be thtown would be d edicated b e fo r e th e e nd of this yea r. Unfortunat e y unavoidabl e d elays ca used b y th e s te e l s trike and th e ceme nt s tr i ke makes th is a lmos i mposs i ble. How e ver, I ma y s ay th a the R ecrea ti on Hall is finished an d ve r y lit tle remain s to b e d o n e at the Masonic T emp le.
It w ill not be l ong before th e s e beau t iful edifice s will be put in to op e ration.
T he two years pa s t w ill al wa ys rema in in m y m emo r y a s th e h igh po in t in m y life. If I ha ve in a s mall meas u re br o u g ht our b r eth r en a l ttle c l o ser ogeth e r , then I am indeed happ y For m y s u ccess or B r o ther San fo rd M. Chil co te , I w s h th e bes t of eve r yth ng. R e s t a ss ur ed m y Bre t hre n th e Grand Lodge wi ll be in good hands and all w ill be well.
CHARLES H. NrrsC
From Our Grand Secretary's Office
OUR SEPTEMBER QUARTERLY COMMUNI CATION
Fraternal Recogn iti on Extended to The G r and Lodge of C hina
The Co mmitte e on Corres pond e n ce presen ted th e follow in g r e po rt:
" To th e Right Wors hipful Grand Mas t e r, Grand Offi ce r s a nd Membe rs o f th e Grand Lodge of Free and Acce p ted Mason s of P enn sy lvania.
On Fe bruar y 8, 1957, a reques t for Fra tern al R ecognition was r eceived from th e G rand Lodge o f Free and Accepted Mas on s of China an d referred to th e Committee o n Co rr esponden ce
The Gr and Lodge of Ch ina was e r ected in January 1949, b y the s ix Lodges whi ch previou s ly had compos ed the Di s t ric t Gra nd Lodge of China , und er the juri sdic ti on of th e Grand Lodge of the Phil ippines ; a nd wi th the aid and approval of the latte r Grand Lodge. Thes e s ix Lodges functioned continuou s ly until the mainland of China was occup ied by the Communi s ts. The situation ha vin g becom e unfavorable for a s uitable con tinu a n ce of r egular Lodge W o rk th e Grand Ma s t er of th e Grand Lod ge o f China, af ter m ore than a year and a ha lf under that re g ime , s uspended all Lodge activ i ties
The Grand Lodge of Ch ina had been well
es tabl is hed , an d in 1952 it t ran s fe rred its seat to Taip ei, the Capita l City o f Taiwan (Free Chin a) wh e re it co ntinues Lo work Th e re are four a c ti ve and vigoro us Lodges in Taiwan whose me mber s hip is increas ing rapidl y. A di s pe ns at ion has be e n requ es ted b y a n o th er Lodge.
At th e la s t Annual Communication , held in No vembe r, 1956 Brother Ralph A Ward , R esid ent Bi s h op of th e M e th odi s t Churc h in China, was el ec ted Gra nd M as ter. Br oth e r W a rd was mad e a Ma s on i n Equa lit y Lodge No 9 40 , Ne w York City, in 1922; afli liated in 19 37 with Sze chuen Lodge N o 11 2, Ch e ntgu Szechuen Prov in ce Chin a , and se r ved as it s M as te r in 1939; wa s a member o f the Mas o ni c Con ve ntion wh i ch fo unded the G r and Lodge of China i n 19tl-9 , and was chos en a s t s fir s t Juni or Grand Ward e n. The re cogn i tion o f the Grand Lodg e of Chin a by pra c ti call y a ll of th e fo r ty-nin e Juris di c ti on s in the U nited States is la rgel y due to hi s leaders hip and activi t y on beha l f of his Grand Lodge.
Inas much as the Grand Lodge of Ch ina has been lawfull y and legitimatel y es tabli s hed, and s ubs cribes to a nd me e ts all of o ur re qu ire me nts for r ecog n ition , your Co mmittee r ecommends the adop ti o n o f th e foll o wi ng r es ol ution:
The Imp.ortance of Being a
Mu ch has bee n s a id and much more s hall be s a id in prai s e and r ecognition of those groups of membe rs wh o accept and se r ve th e ir Lodges in eith er a n el ecti ve or an a pp o inti ve capaci t y. The contribution the y o ffer for the good of Freemas onry in gen era l and their Lodges in p arti c ular is w orth y indeed , of the feli citation a nd encouragement express ed from time to time.
There r emain s s ti ll a n other gr oup of m e mbers whom we ofttime s f a il to r eco gnize f o r the ir ge n e rous co ntribution to the s u cces s of our Lodg es Th is gro up might ve ry well be called the " s ide liners"- those members who atte nd the mee t ings , b oth s t ated an d extra , and t aking their place o n th e s ide lines indi cate by th eir pre s ence , the r attent veness, th e ir Mas o ni c e ti q uette and th eir intelligent conce rn, a pe rs onal interes t in the welfare of the Lodge.
Be in g a "s ide l iner" in th e Lodge is a proud s tatu s and it is hoped th at every " s id e li ne r " realizes h ow esse ntial h e is t o t h e well-be ing o f his Lod ge. Th e re is no lea de r with o ut a follo wing ; th e re is no winn e r w i th o u t a major i ty ; the r e is no unio n witho u t se parate exis tence. In fa ct , the r e co ul d be no Fraternity without "s ide lin e rs " As h a s bee n wisely quoted: " The y a lso s erve who onl y s ta nd and wa it. " True it is th e y a ls o
RESOLVE D, that the requ es t for recogn iti on by th e Mos t Wo r s hipfu l Grand Lodge of Free and Accepte d Maso n s of China be gr anted. "
The res o l ution conta ined in the report was unanimou s ly ad opted at the Quarterly Communication, September 4-, 1957.
A Maso ni c Month
A Maso ni c mon t h mu s t e laps e be tween the a pproval of a petitioner and his initiation and a ls o between each of the three deg rees, excep t by v ir t ue of a di s pens ation gra nted by the Right Wo r shipful Grand Mas ter.
A Ma so n c month is from one s tated meeting to a s la ed m eeting on the corres ponding clay in the n ext e n s uin g month, a n d ma y cons ist of tw e nty- e igh or th irty-five days A candida te wh o r eceiv es a de g ree at a s ta ted m eeti ng may n o t be ad vanced unti l the next s tated meet ng. One wh o r ece ive s a deg ree an y number o f da ys after a s tated mee ti ng ma y not be adva nced un ti l the same numbe r of cla ys after th e next s tated mee t ing. Th e contro lling fa c to r in de te rminin g a Ma s on ic month is the s tate d meeting o f the Lodge.
Noteworthy Masonic Meeting Places
IV -THE MASONIC TEMPLE AT CHAMBERSBU RG
By WILLIAM E. MoNTGOMERY
ser ve who atte nd Lodge meetings, tr y h a r d to liv e up to the ir Mas oni c obl igation s, and co ndu c t their lives by prece pt and example in accordan ce wi th Mas oni c pr nc ipl es and id eals . As the Wo r k in a Maso nic Lod ge is a mos t important p h ase of Fr eemas onry, "s ideliners" can o ften ass is t b y re li ev ing one of the appointed officers at hi s place. A Lodge ca n be v e r y proud of its "s idel in er s" when the y do t heir Work well. T o be a ble to work in a Lodge is a p r ivilege T o be as ked to wo r k is an honor.
I n addition to this, o ur Fraternity further ju s tifie s i ts exi s te nce in the h earts of the devoted membe rs b y the a ffec tion it offe rs-that famil y tie th a t binds Brethren together i n interes t a nd worthwhile aim s Anoth e r g ft the Craft offer s is that p r ecio u s gift- the gift of hope for the f u ture- fa th i n th e u l timate de s tin y of Freemas onry, fait h in o ur co untr y and fa i th in th e world.
I n r e turn fo r th ese gifts, Free maso nr y as ks of its memb ei·s- officers, "sid el in e rs ," and inac ti ve membe r s, al ike -thre e qualities i t need s if it is to e ndure : Firs t , we mu s t h av e par ticipati o n in Our Lodge- th at con s ta nt mee ti ng with Our Lodge Brethren that s tren g then s th e s pirit and promotes fell ows hip. S eco nd, we mu s t ha ve loya l ty- a n int ell ge nt lo yalt y tha t ple dges d evot ion t o
G EORGE A. AvERY Grand S ecretary
F r ee mas onry becaus e of wha it is and what it s ymbolizes Th i rd , we mus t have enthu s ias m for our current end eavors- fo r th e Ritua lis ti c a nd Lodge Work , for th e fulfi llment of our r es pon s ibil iti es as r ecomm en ders, fo r the w ise a nd pr ope r g u idance o f our cand idates in the Symbol ic Degrees, for th e e ffi cie nt and thoro ugh perfo rmance on all committees and for our s uppo rt o f Th e Mas onic Homes and oth er end ea vors s pons ored by our Grand Lodge - W.A.C
Their Heads Were Bowed
I n ac cordan ce wi th Pres iden t Ei senhowe r s requ es t that the Nation obse r ve a National Day of Prayer on Octobe r 2 , 1957 , all th e Breth r en w h o were in the Mas onic T emple at Broad and Filbe rt S tree ts the morn in g o f that da y gla dl y jo ined i n th e obser va n ce Promp tl y at ll A.M. e ve r y pers on who was in the Temple m et in the Ass embl y Room wh e re Bro th e r George A. A ve r y, R.W. Gr and Se c retary , wh o h ad b ee n a promine nt p r eacher• fo r so man y years, gave a mos t e loq uent , impromptu talk on Bro t h erhood. Al th ough arranged on the s p ur of th e mome nt it was o n e o f t he mo s t in s pi rin g gath e r ings e ver h eld in thi s hi s or ic T e mple, s tee ped in and dedica ted t o Broth e rhood . - A .B .P.
As fa r as the write r is able to as certain the Masonic T emple at Chambe rs burg s the oldes t bu ildi n g in P e nns yl va ni a orig inall y ere c ted s olel y for Mas oni c u s e and n ow utili zed exclus ively f or that purpose. Organized Freemas onry in Chamber s burg began with the con s ti t u tin g of Lodge No 79 on Apri 3 , 1800 with Gen era l Jam es Chambe r s (oldes t s on of th e f ound er o f th e town) as Wors hipful Master. The Lodge appare nt ly cea s ed i ts labors in the s umme r of 1805, but it was not until Apr il 4 , 181 4 tha t Grand Lodge finall y and formall y va ca ted its wa rrant. Poss ibly on tha t ve r y da y the fea s ibility of reviving Freemas onry in Chambers burg was be in g se rious l y con s id ere d, f or not long th e r eafter (on April 23 , 1816) George W as hing ton Lodge No. 143 was con s ti t uted. F or a time it held its m eetings in th e F ra nkl in Count y Court H o use and then s u cce ss ivel y at s eve ral inns . Efforts to secure a more s uitable meeting p lace ha ving failed , a d es ir e to hav e a home of th ei r own began to grow in the h ea rt s and minds of th e members of the Lodge. Th is doubtless r eceived impetus on June 24-, 18 22 th rou gh pa rti cipation by th e Lodge in th e l ayin g o f the corn er s to n e of th e Mas o n ic T empl e at H a ge r s t own , Mar yland. I n an y e ve nt, a commi ttee was appoin t ed on M arch 6, 1823 t o se ec t " a s u itabl e s cite ," and a month late r a lot on South S econ d S tre e t adjoin in g the M ethodi s t Church was purchased. Bro t h er Si las Harr y was th en paid $5.00 to dr aw plan s for a Mas oni c Templ e at that l oca tion , and adverti s eme nts s oon appeared as king for bid s on a two-story b ri ck bu lding , 32' x 6 7' in s ize. The l ow bidder was Brother H arr y to whom th e contra c t was awarde d a t a pr ce o f $2 500.00. H e s is t ed as a bridge bui lder, but als o engaged in ge n e ral con s tr uct ion. The Kin g S treet brid ge n Chamber s burg , much admired f or it s b eau t iful lines and s urd y cons tr u c ti on is hi s handi work On Jun e 24, 1823 the corner s tone was laid wi th a ppropriate ce remonies, including a process ion from the Di amond to Zion Reformed Church the relig iou s serv ice, and exe r ci ses at the building s i te On September 16, 18 24 th e fi r s t meeting was h eld in th e new T emp le with twent y -e ight members present t oge ther wi t h thirteen v is ito r s (among t h e m Owen As ton , the onl y li v ing P as t Mas ter o f old Lodge N o. 7 9). I t was nea rl y tw o y ea r s later (July 18 , 1826) th at R.W. Gra nd Mas te r Thoma s K itte ra and s ome of his Gra nd Office r s came to Chambe r s bu r g and officiall y con secrated th e Lodge Room. Th ere was the u s ual process ion (esco rted by fiv e c ompan ies o f infantry and a troop of ca va lr y) , churc h ser vices a nd then the cer emony of con secra ti on. Bu t , e ve n a s thi s was h a ppening , a chain of events h a d al rea d y s tarted w hi ch culminated in th e s o -called Anti-Mas o nic Agi tati on that had a di s as trou s e ffe c t up o n George Was hington Lodge in common with t he great majo ri ty of Lodg es throughou t the en ti re na ti o n. S ubs criptions toward th e co s t of th e Temple were not paid promptl y, membe rs hip d windled and on Ma y 9 182 7 i t was d eemed exped ien t to turn the proper ty over to three of th e Bre t hren wh o agreed t o ad vance funds on the debt and t o h o ld the deed un t il the Lodge was ab le to reimbu r s e th em. Condit ions became w orse and i t was nece ssar y for th ese three tru s te es to a ss ume all d eb ts on the p r o perty and take title to th e s am e Four year s la ter the Lodge d iscontinu e d i ts wo r k. The Temp le was reta ined by the n e w own er s until 1843 when i t was s o d to the S ynod of the German R eformed Chur ch. Somewhat later it was bought by M. Kieffer & Co. who had taken over th e bu s ines s of printing fo r t he S y nod, and was u s ed by them for tha t purpose
Are You a Strange r in Your Own Lodge?
George Washing t on Lodge was r eorganized on Augu s t 20, 1845 and prospe re d t o s uch an extent th at by 1859 , it was possible to giv e con s ideration to th e repur chase o f the Mas o n ic Temple pr oper t y After s ecu ri ng writte n agr eeme nts fr om members o f th e Lodge to l oa n a t ota l of $ 2 ,000.00 (the purchas e p ri ce) , th e dea l was clo s ed , and George Wa s hing t on Lodge on ce more came into po sse ss ion of its cherished and mu ch-lo ve d " Masonic Hal l. " The bui lding and grou nds were improved a nd repaired , a nd on O ctober 20 1860 the Lodge R oom wa s con s ecra ted an e w. Again unfo r esee n cond it ion s advers el y affect ed th e Mas on s of Chambersburg. Th e Civil War b egan , and on Jul y 30, -1864 the t own wa s burn ed b y Confederate troops und e r
A Freemason m a y be hims elf at fa ul t i f he is a s trange r in hi s ow n Lodge, but th e Cra f t i s at fault if that same Bro ther s allowed to be a s tra nge r in another Lodge. The probab le re as on fo r a Brother being somew hat of a s trange r in hi s own Lodge is due to the fa c t that h e has long been co n s p ic uou s b y h is abs en ce at the meet ings and the officers ha ving changed a nd s o man y newcomers havi ng been in i tiated h e actuall y knows but a few, if any Lodge attendan ce is v oluntary, a n d if a Member fails to a tte nd h e mus t accept the obvious penalty. This s trange ne ss can , howe ve r , be r em edied ra th er qu ickl y By attending Lodge, n ew fri endsh ips will be establ is hed and old fr iends hip s will be r e newed. And in cid e n tl y , we wou ld do well t o remember that to make fri e n ds it is nece ssar y to be fr iend !y. Like a mi r ror, th e wo rld r e fl ect s our own a tt i tu de d i re ctl y back in to ou r own face s When a Br other v is its a Lodge, o ther than h s own i t is the m a n ife s t d ut y of th e Bre thren of the Lodge t o make him fe el welcome- a du ty which i s ofttimes neg ec ted. It has been wis ely s tated that " Lodge vis itors cons titute th e s tron gest l ink in F r eemas o n r y's chain of fra t ernal good will and ami t y th a e n circles the g obe. The ir p r es ence s uppli es th e Lodge a rul e wi th w h ich to gauge its own hos pita lity, and f urni s h es it an i n s ight into the c haracter and in tegrit y of the Fraternity in that Jurisdict ion. "
A Lodge that has many vi s i tors can h e lp but be a well nform ed Lodge. It can 't h el p bu t b e a po pular Lod ge, a fr iendl y Lodge and a Lod ge that is re ad y at all ti me s t o accept r es pon s ibility and h a n d le it with con fid ence and d ignit y It has a ls o been c ited tha nowhere s a v is itor s o welcome, nowhe r e is he s o e nterta in ed nowh ere is hi s v is it so produc ti ve o f joy and s at is faction to all conce r n ed , a s i n a Lodge that unders ta nds th e principle s and purpos e of a Maso ni c exam ina tion and the cou rt es ie s d ue the Brother who has p r oven himself wo rth y a nd well qu alified. There is an officer on hand to gree t him. The r e is a s eat in th e Lodge w i thin a circle of cheerful face s , wrea thed in tru e s mi le s of Brothe rh ood and affectio n , and th ere are fr iendl y hand s wai ting an d will ing to gras p hi s own.
Being a s tranger in yo ur Lodge or allowing a vi s i ting Brother Mas ter M aso n to r emain a s tran ge r in yo u r Lodge can ' t help but be ha r mful to Freemas o nr y - W A.C
Gene ral s McCa u sla nd and Johns on Fo r tunatel y , the Mas onic Temple was s pa r ed , und er circums ta n ce s o f w hi ch all details a r e not d efinitely known What probabl y a ct uall y h appen ed s th a t a Confederate officer was r iding so uth on S econd Street when h e s aw th e build in g and r e cogn ized i ts characte r. H e is s upposed to h ave confirmed his at o ne of the n e ighbor ing homes and t o chatted bre ifly with the occ upan ts A his ins truc ti on s, g uard s were the n pos ted to preve nt the fir in g of the Temple an d such n earby buildings which would ha ve endange r ed it H avi ng performed th is mis s ion o f merc y, the s tranger rode on , hi s ide ntit y destined to be forever unknown. In 1897 th e T em pl e wa s enl a rged by the erection of a 25-foot addition a t a cos t of appro x ima tel y $4 ,750 00. Aga in in 1906, und er th e au s p ices of the so -called Ar t and Impr ovement Asso cia tion (a s epa rate or ga ni zat ion with in th e Lodge) additi onal improvem e nts we r e undertake n at an expe nd i ture of n ea rl y $ 1,3 00.00. A few years la t er (19 15) th e Lodg e R oom itself wa s de co r ated by Ot t o H. DuBrau , an accompl ished pa inte r w ith variou s symbo ls a nd other orn amen tation s in s uch a way as t o elicit th e ad miration o f all who viewed hi s beau tiful work. And s o it is beli e ve d that th is hi s to r ic ol d Temp le (in ad diti on Lo th e three wh ic h ha ve prev iou s ly bee n desc r ibed in th is se ri es of ar t icles ) ma y ju s tl y be hailed as a " Notewo rth y Maso ni c Mee tin g Pla ce. "
