Three-Month Itinerary of GRAND LODGE OFFICERS
G a nd Lodge Office s have a busy schedule for 1968, w ith the exception of July and August The schedule for the next three months includes:
J une 1- Gra nd Master meeting with 53rd Ma so nic Di st rict Offic ers, Masonic Temple, J amestown, Mercer County
June 1- Grand Master , 100t h Anniversary Adelphic Lod ge No. 424, J amestown.
June 4-Grand Lodge Officers, Committee on Landmarks and Committee on Finance, Masonic Temple, Scranton.
June 5-Grand Lodge O fficers, meeting of District D eput y Grand Masters and Quar t e rl y Communication Mason ic Temple, Scranton.
June 8-Grand Master, meeting wit h 60th Masonic District Officers, Masonic Temple Pine Grove.
June 8-Grand Master, 100th Anniversary Pi n e Grove Lodge No. 409, Pine Grove.
June 8-Deputy Grand Master Masoni c N ig ht J affa S hrine, Altoona.
Ju ne 11- Grand Master, 1 00th Anniversary, William B Sc hnid er L odge No. 41 9, P hilade lp hia
June 15-Grand Master a tend the Sect onal Meeting of the School of Instructio n Masonic Temp le, A llentown
June 22 -Grand Master meeting w ith 56th Masonic Dist rict Officers, Masonic T emple, Tidioute Warren County.
June 22-Gra nd Master, 100t h Anniversary, T emple L od ge No. 412 , Tidioute
June 24-Grand Master, 175th Anniversary, Wa s hin g ton L o dge No. 59, Phila delphia.
June 28 - Grand L odge Officers, meeting, Commi ttee on Masoni c Homes, E li zabethtown.
Jun e 2 9- Grand Master, m eetin g w ith 42nd Masonic District Office r s, Maso ni c H omes, Elizabethtown.
July 12-Grand Master, Cou n cil o f Deliberaion, Scotti sh Rite, Erie.
July 26 - Grand Lod ge Officer s, meeting , Committee o n Masonic Homes , Elizab e thtown.
A u g u s t 15-Junior Grand Warden, Rainbow Girls A ssembly , Pennsylvania State Coll ege, State College, Pa.
August 23 - G rand L odge Officers, meetin g, Commit ee on Masonic Homes , E li zabethtown.
THE PENN SYLVANI A FREEMASON
Distribution Office
MASONIC HOMES
Eli z abethtown, Po. 1 7 022
(Send FORM 3579 to Above Address )
Convention.
Bro. John Appointed R. Rouse D.D.G.M. Of 24th Masonic Dist.
Bro. John K. Young, R. W. Grand Master, has ap pointed Bro John R. Rouse, P ast Master of Eureka L odge, No . 366, Union City, as District D eputy Grand Ma ster f o r the 24th Masonic District.
T he Grand Ma st er, accompanied b y several of h is Elected and Appointed Officers, officially presented Bro. Ro u se to the Lodges of his District a t a Spec ial Meeting of Eur eka Lodge, No. 366, h e ld in the North East High Sch oo l, on Satur day, May 11th.
ond Class
AT Eliza bethtown Pennsylvania
Over 800 Attend Four Sectional Meetings of School of Instruction
The attendance a nd efforts h ave been excell e n t at the four Sectiona l Me etings of the School of I n st uction held th us fa r thi s year .
The Sectional M eeting h e l d at New Castle on March loth, had a registered attendance of 181, representing 53 L odges of the 11 Masonic D istricts invol ved.
The Sectional Meeting h eld at Uniontown on March 23rd was attended by 187 of the Brethren representing 53 Lodges o f the 11 Masonic District s covered.
The Sect io n al M eetin g h eld at Harrisburg on M a rch 30th, for an area covering 15 Masonic Distr icts, attracted 304 of the Brethren repre senting 76 Lodges.
On Apri l 6 at Ever ett, 1 92 of the Breth ren wer.e regis tered and representing 48 Lodges in the six Mas onic Di stricts of t h a t area.
A Sec tional Meeting w ill be h e ld at A llen to w n o n June 15th for the sever a l Mason ic Districts in the n ortheast ern section. The R. W. Grand Master h as schedul ed a visit to thi s particu lar Sectional Meeting to review the Work.
A sixth Sectional Me e ting h as been scheduled for Meadville on September 2 1st for the northwestern area
The date for a S ectional Meeting i n the Phila d elphia a r ea is still pending.
R. W. Grand Master of Penna. Elected
Grand Masters' Conference
Bro. John K. Young, Grand Master of Masons in Pennsy l van ia, was unanimous l y e le cted Chairman of t he Conferen ce of Gran d Masters of Masons in North America at its annual meeting, held February 19 and 20 in Washington, D.C.
As Conference C h a irm an, B r o. Young presided at all Conference meetings, including t h e Grand Masters Banquet, w hich was attend ed by approximatel y 8 00 Masonic and political leader s.
At the opening of the Conference, Bro. El'gene S. Hopp, Grand Master of California , delivered the keynote address.
He poi nted out that the very existence of Freemasonr y depends upon the preservation of fr eedom of a ll people, adding :
"Freedom is in dan ger today, but less from those w ho are actively undermining it than from the many millions of s ile nt citizens w ho fa il to act on behalf of truth and f reedom."
He pointed o ut that Masons, although comparatively few in num ber, could provide a sound sen se of values to mark th e path fo r others. He concluded w ith:
"And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the years, 'Give me a L ight, that I may tread safel y into the unknown,' and h e replied , 'Go out into the darkness a nd put your h and into the hand of God That s hall be to you better than li ght and safer than a k now n way.'"
The Conference of G r and Master s reach es no conclus io n s or re commendations since each Juris diction in North Ameri ca is autonomous unto itself and operated by its own r ules and regulatio n s .
The f o llowing topics were d iscu ssed:
What are a Mason's responsibilities to his Fraternity and to Mankind?
What are the values of Grand Lodge publications among Masons and non-Masons? Irregular Bodies
Problems of the large city Lodges. How does the individual Mason live daily?
From the above five topics, many va ried a nd confl icting opi nions were presented. If a conclusion was reac h ed, it was generally a greed that a Lodge is just abo ut as good as its leadership.
Th e G r a n d Master, however, stated that such conferences a re valu able in t h at Grand Lodge Officers h ave an opportunit y to meet and disc uss problems with l eaders from oth er Jurisdictions
Scranton Set for June Quarterly
The June Q u arterl y Co mmunication will be held in the Masonic Temple a nd Scottish Rite Cathedra l, Scranton, Pa , at 7 p.m., Wednesda y, June 5, 1968.
This w ill be the first time a Q u arterl y Commun ication of Grand Lodge h as ever been held in the northeast section of the state.
Bro. Jo hn K. Young, R. W. Grand Mast er, urges as many Masons as possible to make a speci a l effort to attend the June Quarterly.
He po inted out tha t it is not necessary to be a Lodge Officer or a Past Master to attend a Quarterl y Communicat ion . All Master Masons are inv ite d. Scranton has ample hotels a nd motels for those planning to stay overnight. The Masonic Temple is located i n the center of the c ity, 420 North Washington A venue.
Th e Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite Cathedral, Scranton, Pa., where the J une Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge will be held Wednesday evening, June 5, 1968. Opened for use in
From the Grand Secretary's Office
March
Quarterly Communication, March 6, 1968
Our Grand Lodge Quarterly Communications are much more than the few hours spent behind tyled doors; many other meetings are involved. For instance, the March Communication was held in Corinthian Hall at 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, March 6th.
But the various other meetings began on Tuesday morning, the first being the Committee on Landmarks which considered many items of interest to Grand Lodge and all our Lodges.
Immediately after lunch, the Committee on Finance went into session and di ccussed matters, most of which dealt with allocation of funds , and budgets.
After dinner, Masonic sketches were portrayed and considered for possible use after the close of Lodge Meetings.
Wednesday morning was devoted to a meeting with the District Deputy Grand Masters, during which many questions were raised and answered.
Following lunch, the Committee on Masonic Culture spent several hours in session, reviewing The Pennsylvania Freemason and many other Masonic Culture subjects.
Short ly after 7 : 00 P.M. Grand Lodge was opened with a fine attendance.
A request was received from the Grand Lodge of Para , in Brazil, for fraternal recognition, which was referred to the Committee on Correspondence.
By-Laws of 13 Lodges were approved, three were rejected and action on three was deferred for more information.
Most of the income from the Lodges is received in the first fiscal quarter and as a result the Receipts for this period totalled $2,486,560, well above the Expenditures of $1,699,285
A resolution was adopted giving the Grand Master and Grand Secretary authority to execute the necessary documents in connection with the transfer and sale of securities
Interesting reports were given by the Committee on Masonic Culture; Committee on Masonic Homes; Committee on Temple; and Trustees of the Patton School.
An "In Memoriam" for our beloved and devoted Bro. Louis Bacharach, who had served as R. W. Grand Treasurer since 1951, was presented.
and are reviewed elsewhere in this issue.
How many of you heard the touching broadcast early this year by Bro. Arthur Godfrey describing the Masonic funeral services for Bro. Duke Kahanamoku, the former great Olympic swimming champion? The funeral services were conducted on the beach at Waikiki by Bro. Duke's Lodge, after which his ashes were borne to sea on a surfboard.
Bro. J. Oscar Kelley, a Mason in the central part of the State, has established an enviable record which is hard to match. In the late forties he was given the assignment of preparing the Candidates in his Lodge for their degrees. Seldom did he miss a meeting and in a period of close to 20 years he has performed that duty 1,948 times. Who can top that record?
Bro. Charles H DeCoursey, who was made a Mason in 1901 in Bloss Lodge, No. 350, celebrated his 100th birthday on September 26, 1967. He still lives in Liberty in Tioga County. How many will ever reach that age?
One cherished Grand Lodge article is the M asonic Apron made by Madam L a fa yette and worn by Bro. Washingto n when he laid the cornerstone fo r the Capitol Building in Washington, D C. The apron remains in the Grand Lodge Museum but a facsimil e of it is now on permanent display in the Memorial Museum.
At the annual meeting, Bro. John H. Hessey, Past Grand M aster of Maryland and President of the Memorial A ssociation, urged Gra nd Lodges to institute a financial pla n to assis t the Memorial simil ar to the plan completed seven years ago in Pennsylvania.
The highlights of his address included:
• The City of Alexandria wanted to take some of the Memorial' s land for a highway. N ew p l ans are b e ing prepared to prevent this
• The M emorial is now open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including Saturdays a nd Sundays.
• There is a colored motion picture of the Memorial. The Grand Lodge of P e nns ylvania has one copy that may be obtained from the Grand Ma st er's Office.
• It c o st s approximate l
• Th e auditorium stage has been refurbished for the fir st time in 35 year s. The new curtain a nd enlar ge d s tage make the auditorium more functional.
• A mast er plan for landscap ing on a l arge sca le, to include walks, arbors and shrubbery, is being formulated.
Gifts to the Association from Grand Lodges tota led $105,000. This is not adequate to operate the Memorial for one year.
The endowment fund of the Memorial is approximately $2,615,000. Brother Hessey pointed out : "Our Endowment Fund is not increasing as fast as hoped w hen the Pennsylvania Plan was announced. Only a small percentage of states have adopted this plan We hope Grand Masters will be inspired to adopt it."
The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania completed the p l an seven years ago and presented more than $260,000 to the Association. The Pennsylvania Plan call s for a donation of $1 for ev ery M ason and $1 0 from every Mas oni c Lodg e .
The fir st m e rger in many years in the Pittsburgh area was approved with Thomson Kerr Lodge, No. 786, merging with a nd into Fellowship Lodge, No. 679.
The proposed amendments to the
The preliminary Membership statis tics show a net loss for 1967 of 1,716 members. While 5,448 were initiated, death took 5,964 Members, bringing our total down to less than 250,000.
Reports on the various activities in connection with the annual Grand Masters' Conference were presented
Bro. Mark Sigismund, the Senior Warden of Saint John's Lodge, No. 115, is a government employee is engaged in climatic testing. Th1s requires trips to the North and South Poles as well as locations where the temperature is extremely high. As a result of his extensive travelling, he has already been able to v isit Lodges in s ixteen Grand Lodges around the world.
Fraternally,
R. W Grand Secretary
For your convenience, the telephone numbers at th e Masonic Temple, Philadelphia, are as follows:
Grand Ma ster's Office
2 15- LOcust 7-5582
Grand Secretary's Office
215- LOcust 7-4156
Librarian and Curator's Office
215- LOcust 7-4190
Superintendent's Office
215 - LO cust 7-5674
Capt. and Bro. William H. Alexander, Member of Perseverance Lodge, No. 21, Harrisburg, and son of Bro. Wallace H. Alexander, District Deputy Grand Master of the 2nd Masonic District, is shown banding one of the packages containing soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste and light clothing to a young girl of a school in Cbu Chi, Vietnam. Bro. Alexander, stationed with the 554tb
ineers at Cbu Chi communicated with several organizations of Harrisburg, including his Lodge, and
items for 750 families of the South Vietnamese A rmy in this Civic Action Program.
Ashby B. Paul
Group picture ta ken at the An nual Conference of Grand Master's of Mas ons in North America, held in Washington, D.C., February 19th and 20th Seated in first row, sixth from the left is Bro. John K. Young, R. W. Grand Master of Pennsylvania who was elected Chairm an of the Conference. To Bro Young's left is Bro.
Full Time Doctor Needed at Homes
The Masonic Home s a t E lizab ethtown need a full time medical doctor. The opening is for n ight duty, five days a week.
T he docto r select ed w ill b e provided a beautiful, s ix r oo m two bath hom e, a sh ort distance fr om the hospit a l. It includes a dishwasher, mo st of the draperies and rugs , and complete laun dr y facilities. Yard services a re provided.
Member ship in t h e Masonic Fraternity is not required, but desirab le Doctors interested in obtaining furth er de t a ils s hould contact Dr. Leonard C Hamblock, Medical D i rector of the Philadelphia F r eemasons' Memorial Hospita l, b y writ ing direct to him at the Masonic Homes, Elizabethtown, Pa 17022, or by calling (Area Code 717) 367-1121.
Samue W. Mcintosh P as t Grand M aster of Grand Lodge of District of Columbia, who has long served as Executive Secretary of the Confe rence, a nd next to Bro. Mcintosh is Bro. James B. Patrick, Grand Master of Ke ntucky , who was elected V ice Chairman of th s year's
An all-time high . . . Guest Fund for '6 7 Totaled $282,441
The 1967 G u est Fund appeal end ed on March 15 w ith a new a ll-ti me high collection o f $282,441.15.
T his is e qual to $ 1.13 per m e mber .
The Gra nd Master announced that the 1968 program w ill start with the September Lodge Notic es It is hoped that the total collect ed w ill pass $3 00,000.00
Bro. John K. Young, R.W. Grand Master, sin cere l y thanks those w ho r espon d ed to the 1967 appeal. He said:
"I commend Masons in Pennsylvan ia, and Penn sy l vania Ma sons ever yw h ere, w ho contributed to the Guest Fund, w h ich g ives assista n ce to Masons and their wives or w idows, t h e ir mothers and children.
"I am s ure that with our continued inter est a nd s upport we w ill m eet the increasing needs at the H omes.''
When You Change Your Mailing Address
Please Notify Your Lodge Secretary
When you change your mailing address, please take the time to notify your Lodge Secretary. This wiU enable him to keep his Lodge mailing list accurate and current. Your Lodge Secretary will then be able to notify us so we can keep a current name and address stencil in our general mailing list for mailing your copies of 'The Pennsylvania Freemason." When a former address is imprinted on your copy of any issue of "The Pennsylvania Freemason," it is returned to us with a Pos tage Due of 10 cents. Help us eliminate these costly Postal Returns. THANK YOU
Nine New District Chairmen Appointed
T h e fo llow ing n ew District Chairmen for the Grand L odge Committee on Masonic Culture h ave b een appointe d by Bro. John K Young, R. W. Grand Master:
MASONIC DISTRI CT "D" - Bro. George W. Wise, L o d ge No. 717.
MASONIC DI S TRI CT "F" - Bro E. Robe r t W W hitese l, Sr., Lod ge No 134. MASONIC DISTRICT "G" - Bro. P hilip C Elia , Lod ge No. 386.
7t h MASONIC DISTRICT - Bro. Thomas K. Leinbach, Lodge No. 227
11th MASONIC DISTRICT - Bro. F ranklin D. Heff n er, Lodge No. 222.
15th MASONIC DISTRICT - B ro. ] o hn L Bron ston, Co-Chairman L odge No. 43 8 18th MASONIC DISTRICT - Bro. H. Carlton Sweeley, L odge No. 755. 33rd MASONIC DISTRICT - Bro. Forrest L. Kinley, Lodge No 379.
3 5th MASONIC DISTRICT - Bro. Robert S. W olverton, Lod ge No. 516
T h e G rand Lodge Committee on Masonic Culture is most a ppreciative of the services being performed by the District Chairmen as th ey encourage a nd over-see the Masonic C ulture Program in their respective Districts.
So long a s Freemasons reflect in their lives the spiritual and m oral teachi n gs of F reemasonry the Craft w iii stand Th e destiny of Freemasonry is not in the h ands of the profane. The des tiny o f Freemasonry s in the h ands of Freemasons.
June 24 Marks 100th Anniversary Of the Cornerstone Ceremonies for The Masonic T em pie, Philadelphia
On June 24, 1868, St John's Day, more than 10,000 Maso ns gathered at Broad a nd Filb ert Streets, Philadelphia, to witness the layi n g of the cornerstone for the Masonic Temple, the home of Grand Lodge.
The cerem ony was preceded with a par a d e of a pproximately 8,000 M aso n s a nd 15 b a nds through the heart of downtow n Phil adelphia There were 72 Ma s onic Lodges represented in the parade.
T h e cornerstone was la id by Grand Lodge Officers in full Masonic ceremon y in accorda nc e w ith the Ahiman R e zon.
Bro. Richard Va ux, w ho was then Grand Master, u sed th e gavel that B ro George Washington used a t the laying of the corner stone for th e Cap itol at Washington, D.C.
The granite cornerstone is five feet s ix a nd a h a lf inch es long, two feet four and a h a lf inches deep and fou r feet nin e a nd a h a lf in ch es w ide, and weighs between nine a nd t en tons. It was la id in the northeast corn er of th e foundation wall . It bears the foll owing inscription:
"Thi s corner-stone of the New Masonic Temple was l a id w ith appropriate ceremonies, in the presence of a large concourse of B rethre n f ro m Pennsy lvania and sist er Jurisdictions, June 24 A.D. 1868, A.L 5868.''
Placed in the cornerstone were th e following:
Ho l y Bi ble, Ahiman Rezon, li st of Lodges i n this Jurisdiction, copy of the last a nnua l publication, copy of t he reso l utions o f the Grand Lodge in r e fe r e n ce to t h e bui lding of the T e mple, Mas on ic R e gister for 1868, coi n s of
T he Masonic T emple, Philadelphia, as it appears today a nd still a monument to the vision a nd handiwork of our Bre thren of 100 years ago.
the Un ited State s, Washington Penny 1791, Franklin P enn y 1787, a piece of wood cut fr om one of the cedars of Lebanon.
A piece of m a rbl e, part of the Golden Gate of the Te mple o f King So lomon, a pi ece of s t o n e fro m the fou nda tion of t he Templ e at J erusa-
le m , a gold Masonic Medal, a silver m e dal of Past Grand Master Peter William son, copper medal struck in commemoration of the election of the Prince of Wales as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England in 1790. Fragment of foundation stone of Solomon's Temple that was found forty fe e t below the Mosque of Omar, Gold circular Maso nic M e dal, a silver set of Lodge J ewels a nd the Working Tools of a Ma ster Mason's Lodge, Biogra phy of Bro. Stephen Girard, ne wspapers of the day, various gifts from indiv idua l Brethren, and list of Grand Lodge Office r s a nd membe r s of the Buildin g Committee.
Following the ceremony, Bro. V a ux delivered an a ddre ss, which concluded w ith:
"Now, in our a ge of unrest and di ssen s ion, we, in unity and harmony, begin the found a tion of a struc ture dedicated to princi pl es of amity a nd f a ith, everlas ting in th ei r nature, and in the ir ori g in antedating a ll mode rn institutions.
"May our children's children, in the generations to come, as our fathers did in the generations that have p assed, procla im with triumphant prai se, In st re ngth we estab lish our house.' " When the ceremony was conclude d, a m a rble s lab, cut in the form of a keystone, was u sed to sea l th e cavity t hat contains the le a d box in which the articles wer e de posited.
Following the lay ing of the cornerstone, one of the most unus ual banquets in Maso nic his tor y was h e ld in the A ca d e my o f Mus ic More than 1,000 Brethren a ttend e d A newspa p er account of the b a nqu et r e la ted :
"T h e ga ll eries were festoon e d in (Contin ued on Following Page)
Conference
An old print showing the location of One North Broad Street, Philadelph ia , over 1 00 years ago, when the site now occupied by our Masonic Te mple was a coal yard.
A rare print of the ceremonies marking the laying of the huge cornerstone of the Masonic Temple, Philadelphia, headquarters of our Gra nd Lodge, on St. John the Baptist D ay, June 24, 1868.
David Schaefer, one of our children at the Homes, shows his heart-shaped box of Valentme candy to Dr. and Brother Heinz Ruggeberg Grand Master of the United Grand Lodges. ?f Germany, as Mrs. Minnie Murphy, a Guest at the Homes, looks on. Bro. Ruggeberg v1s1ted the Homes for hc;mrs on February 16th, the day following his visit to Hermann Lodge, No 125, Ph 1la delphra, one of our German speaking Lodges.
Cornerstone Ceremony
(Con tinued from Preceding Page)
various designs with wreaths and festoons of laurel, and with beautiful rustic hanging baskets suspended in the air.
"In the south was a magnificent canopy of the symbolic colors, royal blue an d purple - on the background were the several implements of the Craft, the square, compa sses, level, plumb, trowel, etc. - surmounting this canopy was a blazing star, formed of brilliants, which reflected the light from every point.
"In the centre of the building there was s u spe nded from the dome the motto in gas jets, 'Let there be light ;' back of this were the national colors; immediate ly be low these were hung the squa re and compasses, 7 feet high, and to the right and left the level and plumb, 5 feet each, formed entirely of natural flowers; at the extreme end of the stage were two brazen columns, eac h 40 feet high.
"The orchestra and brass bands were stationed in the balcony."
In closing, the newspaper article on the banquet stated:
"W e a re satisfied th a t this part of the ce lebration will never pass from the memory of participants."
Say if with words
Freemasonry,
A Way of Life
Eve ry individual is b y nature endowed with certain traits of character which f orm the basis for reasoning and the conduct of life. In fact, these natural traits or tendenc ies are but signposts a long life's highway, directing u s in our words, our thoughts, a nd o ur actions. If, by self-analysis, we can discover and discard those traits which seem to lead u s in the wrong direction, a nd at th e same time, cultivate those natural tendencies which point the way to higher achievement, then we have carried into effect one of the great pri nciples of Freemasonry
Our station in life is fixed many times by conditions or circumstances over which we have no control. Consequently, the individual is m aster of his own destiny onl y in a certain degree. It would, therefore, seem that the niche which we are to occupy in this world has already been carved for us by so me natural or Div ine power, and the heights to which we can rise are, in all probability defined by powers and deficiencies within us. Our ability to make prop er deci sion s, t he height of our own ambition, a nd t he relationship existing between o urselves and our fellowmen are the cardinal principles which can v ery well determine our s u ccess or failure.
Freemaso nry recognizes the inherent faults of the individua l Member, and endeavor s by precept and example to curb irregularities. It provides an opportunity for self-improveme nt by regular attendance at its Stated a nd Extra Meetings and throughout t he study and application of its beautiful Ritualistic and L odge Work. It provides the opportunity for social c o nt act, that fraternal fellowship, whereby men f rom every walk of life m ay meet upon a common plane or l evel. Her e, are taught t h e correct principl es of r ighteous living. Here, we learn to get alo ng with our neighbor and our fe llowme n. Here, we are taught the three great virtues - Faith, Hope and L ove These should remind us of our obligations and our duties a s Fr eemasons.
If the immeasurable influe nc e of Free masonr y sha ll continue, then we must have fa ith in G od, fa ith in our Breth ren and faith in o urse l ves Our Hope in the future depends on the quality a nd the sincerity of our F aith , while t h e journey of life itself will be judged by the greatest of a ll virtues - LOVE - which is the chief cornerstone of that spiritual te mple, that house not made with hands, eterna l in the h eavens.
Our Expanding Communities Pose Problems In Deciding
Location of Nearest Lodge
In the Grand Lodge of P e nns y lvan ia, a man has the righ t to petition any subordinate Lo dge for i nitiation and membership, b ut when the L odge to which the petition is presented is not the nearest Lodge to the residence of the petitioner , the Lodge r e ce i ving the petition is required to inquire of the L odge n earest his residence if there is any Masonic objection to him.
The question as to w hich is t h e nearest L odge is co nstantly becoming mo re of a p r oblem . A ca rd file , in the O ffice of the Grand Secretary, has been established over the years showing the L o d ge or L odges n earest most of the cities, towns and la rge r communi-
But the rapid growth of new suburba n areas, an d the constrbction of new highways and bridges h as. made many of these cards obsolete and incorrect. The elimination of many o f the P ost Offices in the smaller communities has also complicated t h is problem.
It is essenti al t hat the Secretary of each L odge be given the definite and exact location of the residence of every petit ioner. R.D. add r esses are often misleading and should only be used for mailing pur poses; but in no case should a n R D. ad dress be show n on a Monthly Return. When a pet itioner's reside nce is outside the boundary l i n es of t he city or community in which the P ost Office is located, the T ow n ship
and County should be shown on the Monthly R eturn along with the statement that this location is nearest the L odge by distance or convenience of a ccess
If there is any ques tion or doubt as to which is the nearest L odge, because of these n ew developments, i t is suggested it be referred t o the Di strict D eputy Gr and Master (or D eputies if more than one District is involved) and i n this way the card file in the G rand Secretary's O ffice can be brought up to date.
The surv ival of Freemasonry m eans much more than the surviv al of an in stitution It means the survival of ideals which enrich a na ion and i t means the s urvival of tha which proclaim s Man's D ivine HeritaAe.
Additional Supply of Bronze Medallions
Now Available
To satisfy the demand for the special three·inch bronze medallion, struck by the Grand Lodge to commemorate the dedication of the George Washington at Prayer Statue at F r eedoms Foundation, a new supply has been order ed. A r eproduction of the statue is shown o n the obver se side and a reproductio n of the Seal of Grand Lodge appears on the reverse side of t h e medallion. These medallions may be purchased for $5.00 each, including boxing a n d mailing charges. Make check or money order payable to Ashby B. Paul, G rand Secretary, a nd mail yo ur order to Comm ittee on Masonic Culture, Masonic Temple One Nor th Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa 19107.
Bro. Martin R. Kiggins, District Grand Master for t he 40th Masonic District (left) and Carl B Weed, Jr., Worshipful Master of Phoenix Lodge, No. 75, Phoenixvill e, s tand w1th the large wrea th presented by the G r and Lodge of Pennsylvania and placed at the base of the George Washington at Prayer Statue, Freedoms Foundation Va ll ey Forge on Februarr 22nd, in a Mas.onic. ce.remony participated in by the Officers' and of Lodges m the 40th Masomc D1str1ct.
Group picture taken on the occasion of presentation of a Grand Lodge Fifty Year Masonic Service E mblem to Bro. Samuel G Martin in Parker City Lodge, No 521 , Parker, early this year. Bro. Martin (front and center) is flanked by Bro. George R. Lines, Dis trict Deputy Grand Master for the 52nd Masonic District and Bro. H Alvin Sallack, Northwestern Regional lnstructor on his left, and b y Bro. Owen R. Hartman , Pas t District Deputy Grand Master and Bro. Alvin D. Bart l ett Worshipful Master of Parker C ity Lodge, No 521, on his right. Stan ding in the back row are Bro. Martin 's five s ons, (l eft to ri ght) Les ter, Cha rles , Dale, Robert and Kenneth, all pre se nt
