Distinguished Masonic Leader's Career Comes To End After Long Service
Ma sons throu gh out the coun try are m ourni ng the death of a dedicated Mason a nd leader , Bro. William E Yeager. Right Worshipful Past Grand Ma ster o f the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted M aso n s of Pennsylvania.
He was R. W. Grand Master in 1950 and 195 1.
Bro Yeager, who had a di st inguished career in practically all Masonic Bo di es. died in a hosp it al in his home community o f Warren , Pa
He was born in Lilly Lake , Luzerne County , Pa. o n Dec. 20 , 189 2. Bro. Yeage r was made a Mason in H azle Lodge No. 327, H azleton. in 19 18, f oll ow in g World War I in wh ich he served as a Navy Ensi gn.
H aving move d to Warren, he was th e guid ing in fl uence in forming Toseph Warren Lo dge No . 726 in 1923 and served as its fi rst elected Worshipful Ma s ter.
Upon formation of the 56th Masonic Di strict in 1932 , Bro. Yea ge r was appointed Di s trict D e puty Grand Mas te r. ser v ing un til 194 2 whe n he was appointe d to the Committee on Masonic H om es
On D ec. 27 , 1943, Bro. Yeage r was installed as R. W. Juni or Grand Warden. H e serve d as Grand Master of Masons in P e n nsylvania in 1950 and 1951.
Sh or tly after complet in g his tenure as Grand Master, he was agai n e l ected to the Committee on Masonic Homes, se r ving as a member of its executive committee and sub se qu ently as cha irman. He resigned fro m th e Committee on THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON
Distributi o n Offic e MASONIC HOMES
Eliza b e thtow n, Pa 17022
(Send FORM 3579 to Above Address)
Maso nic H omes on Sept. 1 5, 1973.
In a letter announcin g hi s res ignation , Bro. Yeager w rote: "Masonry h as done far more for me th an T could ever do for it. It is m y hope th at I have made some p ositive contributi o n as a toke n payment on m y debt to the Fraternity , which I acknowledge but which T reali ze T ca n n ever re pay " Bro . Yea ge r' s d edicat ion to Freemasonr y an d Grand Lodge i s well to ld by hi s work and se rvice.
As examples, while ser vin g as chairman of th e Committee on Mason ic Culture, "The Pen nsylvan ia Freemason" was fir st pub li sh ed. T h e pamphl ets fo r I nstruction of Cand idates were co mpleted a nd an orga nized education p rogra m was in itiated.
His dedication extended to th e est abli shm e nt of the Committee o n In format ion and R ecog n ition. H e was active in the orga nizatio n of the No rthe ast Conference on Ma so nic Education and Libraries.
Th e P enn sylvania Mason Ju ven il e Court In s titute was or ga nized and operated by Bro. Yeager and the l ate Br o. Gustav L. Schramm, a Pittsburgh Ju ve nile Court Ju stice and Di str ict D eputy Grand Master.
In York Rite Masonr y, Bro. Yeager was a member of O cc id ental Roya l A r ch Ch apte r No. 235, having se r ved as Hi gh Pri est. H e was a membe r o f Occident Co un cil No. 4 1 , having se r ved as T h ri ce Illu str iou s Master. H e was a membe r of Warren Commandery No. 63, havi ng served as Em inent Com -
Secon d Class POS TAGE PAID AT Elizabethtown Pe nns y lvania
mander.
From 1931 to 1958 Bro Yeager served as a director and treasure r of the Kni ghts Templ ar Educational Loan Foundation of Pennsylvania. Bro. Yeager belonged to most all Bodies and Orga ni zatio ns in York Rite Masonry. In 1970 he served as Gra n d Sovereign o f th e Kni gh ts of the Red C ross of Constantine for t he United States, Mexico a nd t he P hilippines.
In Scottish Rite Masonr y, he was a member of th e Bod ies in the Valley of Coudersport. H e se r ved Coudersport Counc il. Prin ces of J erusalem . as Sovereign P r in ce in 1931 and 1932
For hi s dedicated work in Freemasonry, Br·o. Yea ger was coroneted a Soverei gn Grand Tnspector General, 33 °, in 1934. On Sept. 29. 1949, he was made a n Active Member of the Supreme Council. He also served the Suore me Council as Grand Captain General. At his death, Bro. Yeager was Deputv for Pen ns ylvan ia for Supreme Council.
In Com un ity activities, Br o. Yeager was so active th at it is n ot possi bl e to 1ist them all.
I n 1970, he received Warren's Commun ity Ser vice Award i n r ecognition of his outstand ing servi ce .
H e received an ho no r a r y docto r 's degree from Th iel College for hi s yea rs of ded icat ion as a Trustee of the sch ool.
For hi s years of de dication and se rvice to the Boy Scouts of America, h e was awarded the "S ilver Beaver" for serv ice to b oyhood.
He leaves his wife, Alice H oughtling Yeager, a nd a son, William, J r.
On Sa turda y, Oct. 6, 1973, Bro. Yeager's Masonic Lodge held its 50th Anni versary He left a hospital bed to attend the meeting.
I n the 50th Anni ve rsary booklet , a h istory of th e Lodge , th e t r ibute to its fir st elected Mas ter - Bro. Yeagerended with:
"Our Br oth er puts the Precepts of Masonry in to act ion in h is daily contacts with his fe ll ow m en a nd serv ice to the many in s titutions wh ich make th e community and wo rld a bette r pla ce in w hi ch we live "
Oldest and Largest Fraternity!
Freemasons Have Faith In God and Eternal Life
By Bro. Rochester B. Woodall R. W. Grand Master
The Fraternity of F ree and Accepted Masons is th e oldest, largest and mos t w idely k nown fr a ternal organization in the world
Freemaso nr y is a system of moral mystic ism, exp ressing faith in God and eternal life, in old and simple symbols of the b uil ding arts, and teaching brotherly love.
I t s trives to aid members to win a clea r co nception of their duty to God and man, to develop their spiritual faculties and to refine and exalt their lives in fellowship and ser vice.
Some historians trace Freemasonry to the T enth Cen tury, B.C., during the building of King Solomon's Temple Records reveal that Freemasonry was in troduced into England in 674 A.D. Tod ay th ere a re more than 150 G rand
Lodges in free countries of the world w i th a membership of nearly 6,000,000.
Symbols are used by Freemasons to remind members of definite truths. A Lambskin, for instance , widely known as the "badge of a Mason" symbolizes purity. It therefore, is emblematic of the high exemplary character taught to and expected of all Masons.
Freemasonry challenges its members to the highest reaches of noble Ji ving when rightly understood.
Me mbet·ship is limited to adult males who can meet the recognized qualifications and standards of character and reputation.
One o f the Landmarks of Freemasonry is not to solicit members. One seeking admission must have a desire and of his own volitio n request a petition from one he believes to be a Mason Th e peti tioner must be recommended
by two members of a Masonic Lodge and pass a unanimous ballot. T he pe titioner must be 21 years of age, mentally and physically compe ten t, of good moral character and believe in the existence of a Supreme Being In the United Sta tes, 13 Presidents are known to have been Maso ns One of t hem Harry S. Truman was Gr and Master of Masons in Missouri. O thers were Washington, Monroe, Jackson, Polk, Buchanan, J ohnson, G arfield, McKinl ey, Theodore R oosevel t, T aft, Har(Continued on P age 2)
Masons Are Urged To Return to Lodge Meetings
The Grand Master is doing everyth ing possible to encourage increased attendance at Lodge meetings. H e is specifically poin ting out at every oppor t unity : " How can you be a Bro ther to someon e you don t even know ."
Bro. Roche ste r B. Woodall, R. W. Grand Master , has directed that Worshipful Mas te rs in this Jurisdic tion appoint five members to a Commi ttee on Lodge Attendance . He said the names of this Commit tee can be pr in ted on the Lodge Notice. Bro Woodall said the primary du ty of this Committee is to contact members o f the Lodge to :
1. Urge atten da nce at Lodge mee t· ings
2. T a lk up the planned program of the Wors hipf u l Master
3. Use every idea possible to increase atten dance - telephone cam· paigns, car pools a nd even p ick up and delive r y service for those whn nee d assistance.
The Grand Master added : "You will find that many members will be happy to re turn to Lodge mee tings.
"All th ey need to be persu ade d is our concern."
BRO. WI LLIAM E. Y EAGER
R. W Past Grand Master
THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON
Issued Quarterly
February May, August and November a t Masonic Homes, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, by The Right Worshipful Grand Lodg e of The Most Ancient and Honorable F<a ternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdiction Thereunto Belonging
Approve d and Authorized To Be Printed By The Grand Master
Grand Lodge Officers
Rochester B Woodall, R W Grand Master
John L. McCain, R. W. Deputy Grand Master
Walter P. Wells, R W. Senior Grand Warden
Joseph E Trate, R W. Junior Grand Warden
Arthur R. Diamond, R. W. Grand Treasurer
William A Carpenter, R. W. Grand Secretary
State Divided Into Three Areas To Help Masonic Culture Programs
The Committee o n Masonic Culture ha s di vided the Juri sdiction in to three areas in an effort to assist Di st ric t D ep uty Grand Masters and the Lodges.
Bro . John K. Young, R. W. Pa st Grand Master, Chairman of the Committee on Masonic Culture , sa id this w ill make it easier to coordinate Masonic Culture acti v ities.
In announcing th e plan, Bro. R och est er B . Wooda ll , R. W. Grand Master , s aid he exp ects full cooperation in thi s effort " for the be st interest of Freemasonry."
The three Area Chairmen are also memb er s of Grand L odge s Committee on Masonic Culture. The following li sts Area Chairmen and the Masonic Di stricts that make up the are as :
Area "A"
Bro Edward A. Hage l , P.D.D.G.M. Chairman Cochranville, P en n sylvania 19330 Telephon e - (2 15 ) 593-5643
Districts : A , B, C D , E , F, G, H , I , J, 1 , 2 , 3, 4, 5, 6 , 7, 8, 9 , 10, 19, 36, 40 , 42 and 60
Area "B"
Bro. Thom as H . Burge ss, Chairman 513 West Diamond Avenue Ha zleto n , Pennsylva nia 18201
The Area Chairmen will b e re sponsible for co ordinatin g the Grand Lod ge Masonic Culture programs
Freemasons Have Faith In God, Eternal Life
(Con tinued fr om P a ge 1)
din g and Franklin D. R oosevel t.
Grand Lodge Officers'
Three-Month Itinerary
The sch edule for Grand Lodge Office rs the next three m on th s includes:
Jun e 2 - Grad ua tion Exerci ses, Patto n Masonic School, Elizabethtown.
Ju ne 5 - Quarterly Communication, Mason ic Temple, 4227 Fif th Avenu e, Pittsburgh.
June 21 - Ju nior Grand Warden Annual Conclave , Order of D eMol ay , Scran ton.
Jun e 28 - Grand Lod ge Officers, Meeting , Committee on Masonic H om e s, Elizabethtown.
July 12 - Grand Lodge Office r s, Council of D elib eration, Pit ts burgh.
Jul y 26 - Grand L odge Officers, Mee ting, Comm ittee on Masonic H om es , Elizabethtown.
August 8 - Grand Mas ter , Pennsylvania Grand Assemb ly, R a inb ow f o r G irl s, Penn State .
August 23 - Grand Lod ge Office rs , Meetin g, Commi tt ee on Ma soni c H om es, Eli za b ethtown.
Outstanding early American patriot s who were Masons include Paul R eve re , John Hancock, Be nj amin Franklin. I sa ia h Thomas, Rich a r d Gr idle y and James Otis
Through the years, Freemas onr y ha s sou ght to develop t oler ance to build character and to c ulti vate the fine s t moral qu a litie s
We f ully realize that Masons are not perfect , for it is hum an to err. H owever, experien ce h as s hown th at each undergoe s a meas ure of self-i m p r ovement b y hi s associati on w ith m emb ers and his at ten t ion to the lesson s of the fraternity.
F or instance, Freemasonry teach es that a b roth er s welfa re is close ly lin ked w ith one ' s own happiness . It demand s oppos iti on to a ll s ini ster projects or forces.
Contrary to what m any b e li eve, Freemasonry is not a secret s ociety. I t do es not hide i ts exis tence o r it s membership There ha s b een no attempt to co ncea l the purpose, a im s or pirnc ipl es of Freem aso nr y. It is a n organization formed and existing on the broad basis of Brot herly L ove, Relief and Tru th Its constitutions are p ubl ished for the wo rld to behol d. I ts rules a nd r egul ation s a re ope n f or in spect ion It is tru e that w e h a ve mod es o f 2
Universal League Edicted Grand Master Makes Edic.t Part of Law
· The Grand M aste r ha s again rem inded P en nsylvania Mason s that Th e Universal League of the Most Ancie n t and Hon or a ble Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons ha s been Edi c ted in this Turi s diction.
Bro. R och ester B. Woodall. R. W. Grand Ma ster , said that th e Universa l League ha s again circu la ted applicati ons for m emb ership throughout th is Turi sdiction.
In 1968 , w hen Bro. John K. Young was Grand Master. h e issued a n Edict against this organization a nd dire cted that no Member of a Lod ge in this Turi sdict ion could h old m ember sh ip in it.
Bro . Young directed that P enn s ylvania Ma sons holdin g such membership mu s t ren ou nce th e ir membership or f ace Masonic Charges for refusing to
Memorial Needs Money To Build Endowment
The Georg e Washington Masonic National Mem ori al Association has a ne w program to rai se funds t o pla ce the Me m oria l in a b e t ter financial posit io n.
obey an Edict of the Grand Master.
In 1965, the Grand Lodge of England adopted a resolution with rega rd to the League to the effect that " membe r ship of it or attendance at an y of its function s is in compatible with r eg ular Freema sonry "
The Commission of Informa tion for R ecognition of the Conference of Grand Ma s ters said the League is indisc riminate in its source of members, adding :
"Masons everywhere should be ininformed that we cannot b e too stric t in mai n tainin g our s t a ndards of recognition. This cannot be done by indiscrimnate mingling on a Masonic basi s with those otherwise regarded a s irreg ular ."
Bro Woodall said thi s Edict w ill s ta nd an d will b e s tric tl y enforced in this Jurisdiction. He p ointed ou t:
"If any of our Members have joined this organi zation, the y are direc te d to de nounce their membe r s hip immedia tely."
r ecogniti on, rites and cer emon ies , wit h w hic h n on-mem bers are no t acqua in ted.
In t h is r egard , all huma n group s a n d institutions h ave private affair s For instanc e , familie s have discuss ion s on s ubjects whic h d o n ot and sh ould not concern their neighbors.
Often Freemasonry i s sa id to be a reli gion. It is no t a religio n , a lth ough w e are 1:e li giou s in nature.
I t does not pretend to take the place of religion nor serve as a substitute for the religious beliefs of its members.
Freemasonry acce pts men , fo und t o be w o rthy , r egard less of r eligiou s co nv ict ions. An essenti a l requirement is a be lief in the existence of a Supr eme Being
Freemasonry doe s not teac h th a t one r e li gion i s b e tte r than a nother.
We stand f o r valu es that are s upreme in th e life of the chur ch. We are sure that a man who is true to his reli gio us convict ion s w ill be a b e tte r M aso n Fre emasonry, rightly conce ived and practic ed , w ill enh ance every wor th y loyalty in a man's life.
It w ill not weak e n a m a n 's loya lt y to his c h urch , b u t w ill st rength en it b y the in creased sense of r esponsibility to God and h is fe llow m a n.
To m e mbe rs of the Fraternit y, Freemaso nr y is m a ny things , but mo s t of all , Freem aso nr y i s a way of life .
The p lan a s re vealed by Bro. R aym ond C. Ellis, M. W. P ast Grand Maste r of N ew York and president of the Association, a t the As soci at ion 's annual meeting at the Memorial in Alex and ri a Va. o n Feb. 18 . It includes:
1. More than 10,000 Breth r en throu ghout the cou ntr y to become Honorarv Members b y con tributi n g $ 100 to th e Endowment Fund. T h is w ill increa se the Endowment Fund by $ 1 ,000 ,000.
2. Secure a t least 1.000 don ation s of $ 1,000 each Thi s w ill brin g in another $ 1 ,000.000 for the Endowment Fu nd
The n a m es of the d o no rs will be placed on a s ui table plaqu e wh ich w ill be displayed in a promin e n t pa r t of th e Memorial.
Bro. Elli s pointed out that the goal i s to reach the $2 ,000 .000 obj ective by fe bruary 1976.
Bro. John K. Young, R. W. Pa st Grand Master of the G ran d Lodge of P e nn syl vania. is second vice p res id e n t of the Memorial As sociatio n.
Three new tru s tees were elec ted to replace thre e no longe r se rvin g . The y includ ed Bro. D on al d W Vas e, M. W. Grand Ma s ter of Massachu setts; Bro. F orres t A Wakeman, M. W. Grand Maste r of In d iana; a nd Bro. J . Lewi s Monical, M. W. G ran d Master of Arizo na.
- ATT END YOUR LODGE" How can you be a Brothe r to someon e you don't even know?"
Patton School Graduation June 2 at Masonic Homes
The 47th Baccalaureate a nd Commen cement Exercises of Patton Masonic School will b e held at th e Masonic Homes at Elizabethtown on Sunday, June 2.
T h e Rev. Dr. Charles M. Lacquem en t , directo r of sp iritual services at the Masonic Homes, will d e liver the ba ccala ureate sermon at 10 a.m. Patton School Chorus w ill pr6vide the ri1U sic Dr. D. Luke Biemesderfer, past president of the Trustees of Pat ton School, and president emeritu s of Millersv ille State College, w ill d eliver th e address at commencement exercises, at 2 p.m. Both ser vices will b e held in the D e ike Auditorium of the Masonic Homes. Dr. Wanen M. Maurer, superintendent of Patton School , sa id the 1974 graduating clas s w ill include ten stud ents . Those d es iring t o a t tend the services should contac t Patton School f o r reserve d seats b y calling (A rea Code 7 17 ) 367-1536.
Further , th e Grand Ma ste r announced th at the Edict is m a de a part of th e Diges t of D eci sions, and that it will be D ecision XCVI , Paragraph 1, P age 14 1. It will r ead :
"XCV I. Universal League"
"1. A member of a Lodge under the Juri sdictio n o f this Grand Lodge may not be come a m ember of nor hold membership in, T h e Universal League of t he Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of F ree and Accepted M aso ns "
Revised Funeral Service
The Grand Master h as approved a r evised M a sonic F u n eral Ser vice. Each L odge in this Jurisd ic tion w ill be provided six printed cop ies of the new se rv ice. '
Additional copies can onl y be obta ined through t he Co mmi ttee on Masonic Culture, Masonic Temple, One North Broad Stree t , Philad e lphia , P a. 19107.
A m odest fee w ill be c harged for th e add it ional copies to cover the p rinting cos t.
Masonic Dress Clarified
The Grand M aste r h as i ss ued a new Decision to fu rthe r clarify Masonic dre ss in thi s Ju r isdiction. It s tate s: "Shirt s w hich a re to b e wo rn w ith Masonic dress mus t be w hi te in col or and may b e worn w ith s tud s . The s hirt ma y have a p le ate d bosom , but it is not to b e ruffl ed eit h e r at b osom o r cuffs." 3
50-Year Wallet Cards Available To Qualified
The Grand Master has received many reques t s f or eng ra ved Wa llet Card s from those w ho h ad previou sly been the recipients of 50-Year Masonic Service Emb lems. The card s ar e now being a u tomatically iss u ed to a ll Brethren w ho a r e n ow eli gible to receive the Service Emblem.
Presentation of the Ser vice Emblems and Walle t Cards to those who are newly eligib le are u nder the super vision of the District Deputy Grand Masters . Now , b eca u se of th e grea t int e re s t a nd desire for the Wallet Cards, the Gra nd Ma s te r h as approved a procedme to permit th ose w ho h ave p re vio ul)ly received th e Service Emblem, to ob ta in th e Wallet Card. The foll owing i s the procedure to ob tain Wallet Cards:
1. Write a letter to the Grand Secretary, Masonic Temple, One No r th Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107, requesting a Wallet Card, giving your full name, Masonic Lodge, and year you r eceived the 50-Year Masonic Service Emblem.
2. Enclose with your lette r a stamped and properly addressed envelope.
When the above is receive d , the Wa lle t Card w ill be fo r warded just as soon as possible.
Reques ts fo r a W allet Card mu s t be o n a n indi v idu a l ba sis Lis ts o f n a m e s , o r le tters re ceive d for m ore than on e ca rd, w ill not b e honored.
State Orders Costly Alterations At Homes
Grand Lodge To Provide
Most Of the Needed Money
Penn sylvania Masons h ave be en ordered to make extensive and cos tl y alte rations to the Philadelphia Freema so n s Memorial at the Masonic H omes at Elizabethtown.
Early estimates p lace the cost at approximately $4,000 ,000.
The problem wa s created by s trict enforcement of n ew state and federal re gulations for a dul t care centers.
Thi s was brought about by th e wave of recent disastrou s fir es throughout the state that cost th e li ves of many eld e rl y patients.
The Committee on Masonic Home s is doin g everythin g possible to find th e be s t solution f or the benefit of Freemasonry and the Gues ts at the H omes. It wi ll require eith er exte ns ive alterations to the entire Memorial. or de molition and r eb uildin g of a portion of the Memorial. Sections of the Memorial are more than 50 years old.
So stric t i s th e s tate order that appmximately $ 50 ,000 mus t b e spe nt on th e Ma son s Care Buildi n g that wa s on l v ded icated and pla ce d into operation ten months ago.
Because of this se riou s buildin g nroblem. th e Comm ittee o n Maso ni c H omes ha s b ee n forced to re in s ta te its nol icy of no admission for non ambulatorv G ues t s
Thi s nolicy w ill have to co ntinue u ntil th e Maso nic H ea lth C are Ce n te r that includ es the Phil adelphia Fre em aso n s Memorial a nd th e Maso n s Ca re Buildin g is reconstructed to m eet s tate and fede ral r egul ations.
In setting the policy, the Committee sa id it was n ot p oss ibl e to es tim a te h ow long thi s require ment w ill h ave to be con tinued.
Bro. R ocheste r B. Woodall. R. W. Grand Maste r , Chairm a n o f t h e Commit tee on M as oni c H omes. h as m a d e two imm ediate moves t o h elp solve th e p robl e m.
H e prese nted a resol ution to Grand L odge and it was ap p roved to prov id e
$3 ,500.000 of th e nee d e d mon ey Th e r esolution call s for the mone y to come from th e fol lowing sources:
$ 700,000 - Hospital Reserve Fund
$ 400 ,000 - Guest and Building Fund
$2 ,400,000- Masonic Homes Reserve Fund
Bro. W oo dall s aid he w ill ur ge Pe nnsy lva ni a Masons to co n t in ue th eir dedicated givi ng aga in thi s yea r to th e Gues t
The above is an aerial vie w of the Philadelphia F r eemasons Memorial at the Masonic Homes at Elizabethto w n The Numbers represent the following: I Cente r Building· 2 East Wing; 3 and 4, West
and Building Fund to ass ist in thi s great e mergency.
H e app ointed four memb e rs of th e Committee on Ma sonic Homes to serve as a Building Committee in a n effo rt to spee d u p the n ecessa r y wo rk.
The Building Committee w ill in clude: Bro. Theodo re K. Wa rne r , Jr. , Cha irman; Bro. Sa mue l C. W illi am so n ; Br o . Arthur R. Di a mond, Grand Treas ur e r ; and Bro Walter J. Heim.
In ann oun c in g th e commi t tee, th e Gra nd Ma ste r sai d it is the poli cy of Grand L odge to do ever ythin g poss ible to continu e th e Mason ic H omes at Elizab ethtown as on e of th e country's ou tstanding adult care centers . H e added:
" W e ca n do no less We owe thi s to our Guests at th e Masonic H omes .
"We a r e fortunat e to h ave fund s a va ilable to nearly com pl e te th e req uirements .
" I know I can co u nt on every Ma son to m eet his financia l obli ga ti on to thi s great charity."
- ATTEND YOUR LODGE" How can yo u be a Brother to someone you don t even know?"
Grand Master Thanks Donors To "Guest Fund"
The Guest and Buildin g Fund solic itation that ended Ma rch 15 , tota le d $ 70 5 ,683 .00.
This sum was presen ted by appr oxim ately 60,000 Bre thre n, represen ting a twe n ty-six per cent p a rtic ipation.
The new soli cita tion progra m a l so star ted March 16, an d w ill co nclu de March 15, 1975.
Bro. Roch este r B. Woodall, R. W. Gr and M as ter, personally than ks all Ma so ns who partic ip ated in the progra m that co nclud ed March 15 , but added:
"You w ill note from t hi s iss ue o f The Freem aso n th at our n eed s a re gre at.
"We can mee t the se ne eds if we ge t a grea ter percentage of Ma sons to partic ipate."
A 96-yea r- old Guest at the Maso nic H om es wrote:
" I'm proud of m y home.
" I 'm proud of my ro om, n ow.
" Th a nk yo u f o r t he new dr apes a nd
r u g
" I ge t alon g w i t h ever ybo dy. "
$4,000,000 Expenditure?
Corrections Must Be Made To Continue Operation
In a n effort to keep members full y informed about the problem at the Masonic H e alth Care Cen te r at the Masonic Hom es at Elizabetht own , th e following r eq uirements from the De part ment of H e alth , Education and Welfare a nd the D epartment of L a bor and I n d ustry of th e s ta te are hi ghligh ted b e low :
These corrections mu s t b e made for the proper licens ing of our H e alth Center.
Masons Care Building:
1. All h a za rdo us a r eas must be protected by automatic sprin kl e r s.
2. All l ounge areas mu st b e prov id ed with fi re d oor s .
West Wing , Numbers 3 and 4 in aerial photo:
1. Buildi ng does not compl y w ith minimum co ns tru ct io n s ta ndard s . A waiver will no t be recom me nded unless buildin g is alte re d to protec ted typ e.
2. Auto ma tic sprinkler protect ion w ill be r eq uired throu gh out th e e ntire s tru cture.
3. All corridors used for access mu st be alte red to pr ovide a minimum of 48 inches in cle a r w id th.
4 Existing dead end cor rid o rs shall be altered so th a t exits will be access ible in a t least t wo diff ere n t dire ct ions
5. D oo rs in pa ti en ts r oom s mu st be replaced w ith doors equ al to one h our construction.
6 All tr anso ms w ill b e rep la ced o r
altered to conform to one hour construction.
7. All exposed floor , roof, column s or other non-protected s tru cture memb e r s mus t be protec ted by o n e hour con st ructi on
8. All smoke barriers must be equai to one h our co nstruc ti on .
East Wing , or Number 2 on the aerial photo graph :
1. Building does no t co mpl y with minimum construc tion standard s . This i s a four story ord i na r y n o nprotected typ e of con s truction . A wa ive r w ill no t b e recomme nd ed unl ess b uilding is altered to protec ti ve t yp e.
2. Automatic sp rinkle r p r otec t ion will b e require d through out th e en tire stru cture
3 A t l e ast two ex it s of the appr oved type, r emote from each • oth e r , shall b e p r ovided for each fl oor
4. The exi sting dead e nd corridor sh a ll be a ltered so that ex its w ill be access ible in at leas t two eli fferent directi ons .
5. All tra nso ms shall be rep laced or altered to co nfo rm to o ne hour con s truction.
6. All exposed fl oor, ro of , column s or other n on-protec ted struct ur a l members shall b e protecte d by o ne ho ur cons truction.
7. All door s and fire doors t hat open into a corrid or mu st b e prov id ed wit h doors a nd parti t ion s equal to o ne hour co n struc tion.
8. Automatic fir e extinguishin g equipment a nd ventilation equipment for the kitchen range mu s t be installed in the dietar y a nd cafeteria kitchens on the fir s t floor.
North Wing, or Number 5 on t he aerial photograph:
1. This is a fou r flo or fi re resis tant bu ilding.
2 All ha za rd o u s areas must be p rotected b y an au tomatic spr inkl er protection sys tem a nd / or smoke hea t d etection d evices .
3. Fire door s mu st b e in s talle d in ma ny sp ecifi c areas, such as lin e n room and b ea ut y sh op.
4. All requ ire d exits sha ll disch ar ge dire ctly to th e outs ide at grade level.
5. All st air ways to be closed w ith partiti ons eq u a l t o two h our constru ct ion wit h all op enings protected b y self clos ing doors.
Center Building, or Number 1 in the aerial photograph:
Note: This includes th e main entrance to th e Memorial, sta ff offices and lounges Its co n st ructi on is th e s ame as the Ea st and Wes t Wing s . The Dining Room and Kitchen is Num be r 6 on the aerial photograph :
Note: This is a fire res istant build ing
-ATTEND YOUR LODGE"How can you b e a Brother to someone you don t even know? "
Wings; 5, Nort h Wing ; and 6, Dinin g Room ' and Kitchen. '
The above picture shows the first three sections that were constructed for The Philadelphia Freemasons Memorial a t the Masonic Homes. They were built in 1916. 192 2 and 1932, as the finest constructed buildin gs of the time.
Brethren
Visited 468 Different Lodges
Visiting Record
Bro. Henry f. Stephany , of R oxborough Lodge, No . 135 , Falls of the Schuylkill, Philadelphia. rece ntl y rec eive d th e Gr an d Lod ge F ifty-Ye ar Masonic Se r vice Embl e m. He served as Steward o f his L odge for 45 years . He is prese ntl y se rving as T yle r for f ou r Lodges. in cl udi ng hi s o wn. Durin g th e pa s t 2 5 years he has visited 468 diffe r e nt Lodges, i nclud in g : 295 in P e n nsvlvaniR: 148 in New Jersey: 23 in D elaw arP.: one in Maryla n d. and one in New York. Since 1971. he ha s atte nd ed 15 Lodges on th e ir 1OOth Annive rsa r y: thr ee on their 125th Anni versary : on e o n its 150th Anniversa r y and o n e on its 175th t\ nni vers ary .
"Mother" of Six Kens ington Lodge, No. 211. FrC!nkford. Philadelphi a, is 147 yea rs old. It has th e di stin ct ion of bein g th e "Mothe r Lodge" of Richmond Lodge, No. no: Shek in ah Lodge, No. 246: At h e lstan Lodge No. 482 ; William C. H::nnilton Lodge, No. 500 : Gothic Lodge No 519 iln d T aco ny Lodge. No. 600 a ll ve r y active Lod ges i n the Phil adel p hi a area .
Half Century of Service
Bro. Edwin H Kinback, Pa s t Master and Sec r etary of Ori ental Star Lodge. No. 588. P eckv ill e, near Sc r a n to n , is cong r a tul ated f o r an unu s ual and
Llen gth y service to the Craft. A Maso n for 54 years, he serve d as W o rs hip f ul Master of his Lodge in 1923. H e w as elec ted Secretary at th e Annual Meeting in 19 23. At th e Annual Meetin g in December , 1973 h e was el ected and install ed as Se cretary for th e fiftieth consecu ti ve time.
Attendance Record
Bro. Jeremiah D. Oplinger , of New Temple L odge, No. 720, All en tow n. c elebrate d hi s IOOth birthda y on April 3, 1974. A Ma son f or 51 ye ar s, he served hi s Lodge as Tyler fo r 43 ye ar s and h as the di s tinction of h aving attended every St ated and Extra M ee ting in addition to every Maso nic Burial Service during those 43 years.
Human Relations Honor
Congr a tula t io n s are in order for Bro. Leon Alexander, Past Mas ter of Equity L o d ge, No. 591, h eld a t Philad elphia. w ho was rece ntl y h onored as the reciPi ent of th e Hum a n R ela tion s Award for 1974. Thi s annual awa rd is s ponsored b y th e Hum a n R el at ions Co mmi ss io n of G r ea te r Philad elphi a.
Father and Son
Bro. James L. Cummings, Worshipful Master of G r ove City Lodge , No . 603. G r ove City , ha s the di s tincti on of pre-
More Initiates In 1973 J
The number of initiates inc r eased in 1973 by 276 more th a n in 19 72, pre]iminar y statis tics indicate.
In 1973 there we r e 5 ,00 5 initiated in this Ju r isdiction , com pa r ed to 4.729 in 1972.
The Grand Master h opes thi s i s a t r en d th at will con tinue in th e years a hea d. He added: · "These same statistics, h owever, sh ow a decrease in both m emb e r sh ip an d t he numbe r of Blue Lodges i n P e nn sy lva nia. "
Bro. W illi a m A. Carpenter , R. W. G r and Secre tary, r epor ted there we r e 234 ,623 Masons in 604 Symboli c L odges as of Decemb er 27, 1973, the s ta r t of the n ew Maso ni c yea r.
Compared t o th a t date in 1972 . it rep r ese nts a dec r ease in membership of 2,2 09.
siding over his Lodge while his son, Bruce Cummings, is serving as Master Councilor of Charles Alfred Fil er Chapter, Order of D eMolay, sponsored by Grove City Lodge, No 603.
Four Brothers Assist
A real Brotherly act h appened in New Bethlehem Lodge, No. 522, Ne w Bethlehem , at its F ebruary 1974 Stated Meeting. Bro. Lonnie Merle Sherman received h is Entered Appre ntice Mason's Degree on that evening. Conferring the De g r ee was Bro. Frank W. Sherman, his broth e r and a Member of the Lodge but never an Officer. Assisting Bro. Frank were Bro. Vaughan D Sherman, P ast Master of the Lodge, w ho se r ved as S enior Warden; Bro. Dan N. Sher· man , Junior Deacon of Garfield Lodge , No. 559 , Du Bois, a s Junior Warden , and Bro Jan C. Sherman , of Lodge No. 559 , as Guide . The four bro thers parti c ipated in conferring the Fell ow Craft and Master Maso n's Degree on their you nger brother w ith Bro. Vaughan D. Sherman. Pa st Mas ter , acting as Wors hipful Mas ter
Six Laches
* * *
The above p ict ure is the Masonic Apron that was worn by Bro "Genera l Tom Thumb. " It is approx imately 7 inche s w ide and 8 in ches deep
Masonic Aprons
From "Tom Thumb" To Prince of Wales
The l ambskin or white le athern apron, worn in all Masonic Lodges, is an emblem of inn ocence and the badge of a Freema son.
Thi s custom dates ba ck to operative m aso ns, the ca thedra l build e r s of the Miqdl e Ages. Th ey wo r e the a pron to protect the ir clothing.
The statistics for 19 73 sh ow : Admitted in 1973 Ini t ia te d in 19 73
Increase Suspended 1973 Res ig ned 1973 Death s 1973
This m a kes a net loss of 2,209 m e mbers in 1973.
Additi o nal in formation o n m e mbe rsh ip in 1973 w ill be printed in t he P r oceed ings
There also was a loss of one Blu e L odge d uring 1 973 as a resu lt of a me rger. Bro. Ca rpe n ter poin te d o ut th at th e above fi g ures may cha n ge sligh tly after a compl e te s tudy of the General Returns. H e prese nte d hi s r e p or t at th e March Quarterly Communication at P hilad elphia.
W h en I o nic Lod ge, No. 525 , McCandless T ownship , All egh eny Count y, dec id ed to h onor Bro. Ernest Lache for hi s man y years of fa ithfu l v isitin g of th e s ick and confi ned Bre thren all of hi s five son s we r e on h a nd to e njo v the testimonial. They includ ed: Bro Ralph G. Lache , Bro. E ric W . Lache, Bro. Rov C. Lache, all Past Ma s t e r s of I onic Lodge , No. 525 , a nd Bro. Kar l L. Lache, of San Lore n zo L odge, N o 709. Californi a, and Bro. Ernest E . Lache, of Fort Niagara Lo d ge, No. 375. New Yo rk. The s ix L ac he Masonic Broth e rs had qu ite a n even ing a nd reunion.
Top this Record
A Masonic r ecord is refl ected in th e Snvder f a mil y of Pa t m os Lod ge , No. 348, h eld at Hanover. Bros. Emmanuel. John and Earl Snyder h ave a total of 172 yea rs of service in the Lo d ge. Their f ather, Bro. Titus Snyder , Pa st M as ter. d eceased , w a s a Member of 66 years. Bro. Emman uel was R a ised in 1912: Br o. Joh n in 1917 a nd Bro. Earl in 1 919. Bro. Earl Snyder, a P as t M aster. h as R a ise d fo ur sons o f Bro. Joh n. Three of th e son s h ave served a s Wor shipful M aster of Rivers id e Lo d ge , No. 503 h el d at W rightsv ille , and the f ourth son is Wo rsh i pf u l Master thi s year .
Bro. W illi am A. Carpe nter R. W. Gra nd Secretary
"Speculative Masons " o r "Free and Accepted Ma so n s" wear th e a p ro n to remind t h em of thei r dutie s as a Freemaso n.
Originally, th e apprentice M ason wo r e a n apron with a b ib secure d b y a ta pe aro und his ne ck. The bib was to protect the uppe r par t of his clot hi ng whe n clasping a heavy s tone, such as a pillar , with b oth arms.
Later, as the apprentice became profi cient in his trad e, h e became a c r af tsman and his job was then to s m ooth a nd prepar e the ston e for i ts pl ace in th e buildin g . H e had n o furth e r u se for th e upper p o rti on o r bib o f h is apron. so he let i t h ang do w n over th e lower part. Th e apron was the n a tri a ng ula r piece overl apping the lower sq u a re port ion , similar to o ur present apron.
Th e s ignificance of the a pron wo rn b y Freemasons is "work." It is the initial in vest iture of th e Lodge to a ca ndidate and it is t h e fi n a l tribu te to a Bro ther at the e nd o f his pilgrimage th r o u gh life
Although early Masonic aprons r arel v had d eco r a ti on, m os t o f those in th e collec ti ons of the Grand L odge are very decorative. The majority are of lambskin , but oth e rs a r e mad e of h eavy s il k or sat in.
In the Grand Lo dge Mu se um in Phil ad el ph ia is a n in terna tional di s play of over seven ty-five aprons fro m many cou ntri es, includ ing Mexico,
Switzerla nd , Cub a, Norway, Bra z il , Pue r to R ico, the Netherla nds , Denmark. New South Wales , I srael , Nova Sc ot ia. I ndia , Philippin es, Irel and , Bermuda. Australia, France, Turkey, Scotland. Germa ny, Engl and a nd Chin a. Each is di s tinc ti ve, and many h ave n ation a l ch a r ac te ri stics, s uch as the tartan bi n ding o n som e Scott is h Ap rons.
Th ere are a numbe r of aprons in the Mu seum that deserve s pecial attention a nd comme nt. The m os t fam ou s. Masonica ll y , is th e uni que apron e mbroide r ed by M ada m e Lafaye tte. an d pr ese n te d to Bro. George Was hing ton in 1784 bv Bro. th e Marquis de L afaye t te. Fre n ch sta tes m a n a nd milita r y o ffi ce r a n d h ero of th e Ameri ca n R evol ution.
Of imoortance to Pennsvlvania Masons is th e apron once worn bv Bro. D a ni el Coxe, Provincia l Grand Master of New York. New Jersey a nd P en nsvlvan ia (17 3 0 -31). a m ember of Lodge No . 8. w hi ch m e t at the D evil Tavern withi n T emp le Bar. London. Th e l:m r on, 15 1/z" x 13 ". is of l a mb ski n . enobroide r ed in color , an d wi th p leated silk edg in g. It was p r ese nted to G r a n d Lod ge b y F Travis Coxe. a direct desce nrlmlt o f Bro. Coxe.
There are two ap r ons th at es peciallv attra c t th e attentio n of o ur m any v is ito rs. One is th e u n a dorned l ambskin am·on wor n by Bro. Charl es S he r wood
S tra t to n. better known as "General T om T h umb ." H e was mad e a Freemaso n in
S t. John 's Lod ge No. 3, Bridgeport. Con n. , in 1862. Thi s u n us u a l apron meas ures 75Js" x 6'Vs".
The other aoron is very e laborate part of th e r ega lia of th e Grand Mas te r o f En gla nd , pres en ted b y Bro. Albe rt Edward. H.R.H. , Prin ce o f Wal es. l ater Kin g Edward V II The r eco rd in ou r Gran d Lodge Mu seu m s tates:
"When his Kin gly duties required him to r elinquish his Masonic a c tivities , he had a number of replicas made of t he Apron he h ad worn a s Grand Maste r of England and prese nte d them to variou s fore ig n Gra nd Lod ges w ith whom h e enjoyed a fr ie n dly r e lation ship. Th is is on e of those aprons ."
Othe r o uts ta nding apron s include th e o rnate apron of la mbsk in w ith h an dpain ted figures w orn b y Bro. Joh n Ord of S t. John 's L od ge in T un Tavern , Philad e l p hia , a nd th e one wo rn b y Bro. W illi am Stri ck l a nd , note d P h ilad elphia ar ti s t and arc hi tec t. w hich h e him se lf d e s igned a nd painte d.
M a n 's l o ve of o rna m e ntati on is r e· fleeted in the g r eat varie ty and rich ness of Ma sonic aprons of all times and all place s. I n P en n sylva nia, th e apron was s ta nd a rdi zed by the Grand Lodge on Jun e 7 , 1852.
(Gr a nd Lodge F. & A. M. o f Pennsylvan ia , R e prin t of the Minutes, Vol. X, page 527 .) According to th e r esolut ion of that da te, the approved apron was a va r ia ti o n of the Engli s h a pron , a nd i s the o ne n ow in u se by all P e nnsylvania Masons. Lavish or pl a in, th e ap r o n is uni versally "th e bad ge of a Freemason."
SUSPENSIONS
It is hoped the Lodge Officers will make every effort possible to ha ve their Membe rs, who have been suspended for non-payment of dues , promptly restored to membership
A p ersonal co ntact is often successful.
The above picture is the Masoni c Apron worn by Bro. Daniel Cox, Provincial Grand Maste r, in 1730 and 17 31. It is approximately 16 inches
