BRETHREN
Continued from page 6
Rasch by the president of th e Fed e r a l Repu b li c of Germany, Mr. Walt er Scheel, in recognition for hi s impo rtant e fforts in ke e ping alive German c ultur a l traditions within th e German-American com muniti es in Philad e lphia.
Bro Rasch i s the found e r and director of th e German-American Youth Choir of Philadelphia, a nd h as achi eved outs t an ding m erit s in the field of music. A mason for 40 years, Bro. Rasc h ha s been t re asure r of hi s lodge for the past 18 years a nd has contributed greatly to the harmony and good order the reof.
Mason for 75 Years.
Bro. Walter Leroy Grazier, of Parker City Lodge No. 521 he ld a t Parker in Armstrong County, ha s enjoyed m e mb ers hip in hi s lodge for 75 years . On e of 15 children , Bro Grazier h as had six children and talk s about his 27 grandchildren; hi s 66 greatgrandchildren , and hi s 22 greatgreat-grandchildren. Bro. Grazier was made a ma s on on August 1, 1903. In recognition of his 75 years as a mason, Bro . Walte r P. Wells , R. W. Grand Master, caused a beautiful and appropriate scroll to b e produced which was re cently pre sented to Bro Gra z i e r b y Br a. Richard A. Sl au g henhoupt , District D e pu ty Grand Master for th e 52nd Masonic Di strict.
Bro William A. Carpen ter R W. Grand Secretary
T HE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON
Distribution Offic e MASONIC HOMES E lizabethtown , Pa. 17022
(Send F ORM 3579 to Above Address)
GR AND MASTER MADE HONORARY POLICE INSPECTOR-Bro. Walter P. Wells, R W. Grand Master r eceives honorary p o lice inspector badge from Bro. Harry G. Fox, l eft Deputy Police Commissione r of Philadelphia and president of The Law E nforceme nt Square Club At right is Capt. William H. Murphy UI of th e Philadelphia Police Highway Patrol. The group is the only known Law E nforcement Square Club in Pennsylvania. It boasts more than 400 m e mbers active in the field o f l aw enforcement. The object of the organization is to st rengthen the bond of brothe rhood amon g its membe r s and to promote pride, interest and r esp ec t in their profession
EXPERIENCED E LECTRICIAN NEEDED
Primary hig h voltage ba ckground n ecessary. Knowledge of secondary wiring, installing and m a inte nance of mag n etic s t arter m o to rs a must. Position available Se pte mber 15, 1978. On gro u nd living quarters available. Please call or write Masonic Hom es c/o Perso nne l D epartment, Elizab ethtown , PA 17022-Phone: 717-3671121 Ext . 223.
Son and Grandson Together. Whe n Bro. William C. Wagner, Dist rict Deputy Gr a nd Master for th e 43rd Masoni c District, visite d Belle Vernon Lodge No. 643 recently to pr esen t a Grand Lod ge 50 -year masonic service emblem to Bro. Thomas S Ne il , Past Master, he was pleased to e nlis t the assistance of Bro. T homa s S. Neal, III, Se nior Warden, who cond u c ted hi s grandfather to the east , and als o Bro. Thomas S. Neil, Jr. , Junior Warden, who assisted in pinning the c oveted gold emblem on his fa ther 's lapel.
Second Class POSTAGE PAID AT Elizabet h town Pennsylvania
A Lodge of Postmasters
Of the 12 postmasters appointed to serve the Charle roi , Pa. post office between the years 1890 an d 1958, e ig h t were m e mbers of Charl eroi Lo d ge No. 615. Bro Glenn H. Brumbaugh , current secretary of the lodge who provided the listing and dates of service of t h ese brethren, confirms that during most of those 68 years the brethre n nev e r had to comp l ain about due and timely n otice of the lodge meet i ngs and othe r announcements So mote it b e today.
Veterans' Fund Meets Goal; New Drive Begins
The Masons of Pennsylvania cont rib u te d $25,535 t o the Masonic Veterans ' Fund du ri ng 1977- 78, once again meeting t h e continuing financial nee d of the hospital visitation program.
The goal for the 1978-79 f und dri ve that begins August 1 has again been established at $25,000 Bro Walter P. Wells, R W. Grand Master, said in ann ouncing the new campaign, "The ho spital vis it ation program is c onduct ed thro ugh the Maso nic Service Ass ociation at a cost of approxim ately $25,000 per year to Pe nnsy lvania
" The h ighest princip l es of this grea t fraternity d emand we recognize the human n eeds of our hospitalize d war veterans as well as thei r physical needs," h e said, adding, "I know the Masons of Pennsy lvania
will more than meet that responsibility. "
T he Masonic Service Association carefully trains the field agents who visit veterans hospitals at Aspinwall, Butler, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Coatesville , Erie, Le banon and Wilkes-Barre.
In addition to the vis its, the fi e ld agents provid e a host of services t o th e hosp it alized For exa mpl e, t h ey are calle d upon t o run e rrand s for those who cannot leave the hospital; arrange entertainment, and accompany t hose w h o are abl e to make b r ief trips outs i de the h ospital.
The June newsletter of the Masonic Service Association contains the fo llowi n g informa ti on concerning the hospital visi tation program: "F reemasonry can stand tall ! The dedicated field agents who represent
t h e frate rni ty in the V. A. hospitals are absolutely fantastic ! It 's a constant source of ins pira t ion to see the reports of their ac tivities.
"Where el se can you find men who put in so many h ours of s ervi ce to th e i r fellowme n and settl e for a monthly expense a ccount o f und er $25 ? Many of them do jus t t hat !
"Talk abo ut ' symbolic wages !' Voluntee r s do make a d ifference. How e l se co uld M.SA. conduct a milliondollar hospital visitation program for j ust a fraction of t he value? " Gr and Lodge had b een financing the program in Pennsylvania veterans hospital through use of abou t $150,000 left over from the Masonic Veterans Fu nd of World War II.
When the f und s dwindled to about $8, 000 in 1976, the Grand Lodge appealed for assistance to the symbolic lodges and authorized contributions from lodge charity funds.
The l o d ges , an d individu al co ntr ib utors , suppo r t ed the program with more that $30 ,000 in 1976- 77 and with mo r e than $25 ,000 in 1977-78 . The Grand Master has again autho rize d the l odges to utilize charity funds for the current campaign and urges individual Masons to contribut e w hen possibl e. Since the hosp ital vis it ation program is a re cognized Masonic charity, all contributions are deductible for inco me tax purpo ses
C h ecks from Lodges and individuals may be made p ayable t o th e Masonic Veterans Fund and mailed to :
Grand Mas te r 's Offi ce , Ma son i c Temple , On e North B road Street, Philadelphia , Pa 19107.
HOSPITAL
Benjamin Fra nklin Building, part of the Masonic Health Care Center at the Mason c Homes i n Elizabet h town , has bee n c i t ed for the excelle n ce of its design by the Central Pennsylvania Chapte r of t h e Ame rican In stitut
THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON
Issued Quar terly
February, May, August and November at Masonic Ho mes, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, by The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of The Most An· cient and Honorable Fraternit y of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdiction Thereunto Belonging.
XXV August, 1978 No.3
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
The schedule of education conferences established by the Grand Master in carrying out his theme of "Freemasonry Through Education" is nearing comp le tion.
Designed to include the lodge Masters, Wardens, 'll'easurers, Secretaries and Culture Chairmen, the informal sess ions c over in detail the duties and responsibilities of the respective offices.
At this writing, p lans have already been completed for the conferences to take place in Scranton on September 9; in Meadville on September 16, and in Pittsburgh on September 30.
Because the majority of lodges are now in the middle of the s umm er call-off period when they generally do not m eeC Grand Lodge is taking this opportunity to again repeat the conference schedule.
The Scranton conference will be attended by the lodges in districts 12 , 13, 14, 15, 50 and 59.
The Meadville conferences will involve districts 22, 23, 24, 25, 33, 52, 53 and 56 , while the Pittsburgh co nference is designed for districts 32, 47, 48, 49, 51, 54, 55 and 57
The remaining conferences, on Qctob er 14 in New Castle and October 21 in Altoona, will complete the schedule of 12 meetings that will have reached every lodge in this jurisdiction
The New Castle conference involves districts 26, 27, 28, 37, 38 and 59.
The Altoona conference i s designed to include districts 20 , 34, 41 and also serve as a catch-up for those not able to a ttend prior meetings.
Preliminary Membership Report for 1977
Number of Lodges, Decemb er 27 , 1976
Number of Mergers , 1977
Number of Lodges Constituted during 1977
N u mber of Lodges, December 27, 19 77
Membership as shown in 1976 Proceedings
Corrected Membership, December 27, 19 76
Admitted during 1977 Initiated during 1977
Suspended during 1977
Resigned during 19 77
Deceased during 1977
Decrease (net) 1977
Membership, December 27, 1977
Grand Lodge Officers' Schedule
The schedu le for Grand Lodge Officers for the remainder of the year includes:
August 4 Grand Lodge Officers, meeting, Committee on Masonic Homes, Elizabethtown.
August 12 Gra nd Lodge Officers, Special Co mmunication Cornerstone Laying and Dedication of Lodge Room, John E. Mair Lodge No. 729, Mars.
August 16-18 Grand Master, Grand Assembly, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls at Edinboro State College, Edinboro.
August 19 Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Ohio, Special Visitation to commemorate Pennsylvania chartering a Lodge in existence when Ohio gained statehood in 1803
August 25 Grand Lodge Officers, meeting, Committee on Masonic Homes, Elizabethtown.
August 26 Grand Lodge Officers, Special Communication, Dedication of Lodge Room, Blyth Lodge No 593, West Newton.
September 6 Grand Lodge Officers, Quarterly Communication, Scottish Rite Cathedral, East Lincoln Avenue, New Castle.
September 9 Education Conference, 9:30 a.m., Scranton Masonic Temple, Scranton.
September 9 Grand Lodge Officers, Special Communication, Dedication of Lodge Room, Pocono Lodge No 780, Swiftwater
September 16 Education Conference, 1:00 p.m. Meadville Area Senior High Schoot North Streec Meadville.
September 22 Grand Lodge Officers, meeting, Committee on Masonic Homes, Elizabethtown.
September 24-28 Grand Lodge Officers, Supreme Co uncil, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Cincinnati,
Masonic Temple Restoration Project
The Committee on Temple had the east gallery in the upper corridor r efurbished during the month of January, 1978 . The area encompassed the eastern ·end of th e second floor corridor (or hallL including the two stairways a l ong the north and south walls that l ead to the thi rd floor where Gothic Hall is l oca ted.
The corridor outs ide Gothic Hall has numerous panel s represen ting varied types of anci en t architecture and decorati on, as well as cop ies of celebrated masterpieces depicting ancient Egypt, 2000 B.C.; Assyria, 900 B.C.; Athens,
Ohio.
September 30 Education Co nference, 12:00 noon, Pittsburgh Masonic Temple, Fifth, Lytton and Tennyson Avenues, Pittsburgh.
October 9 Deputy Grand Master, 50th Anniversary, Joseph H. Brown Lodge No. 751, Philadelphia.
October 13 Grand Mas te r, 125th Anniversary, Cambria Lodge No. 278, Johnstown.
October 14 Grand Master, 125 th Anniversary, But ler Lodge No. 272, Butler.
October .21 Grand Master, 125th Anniversary, Mountain Lodge No. 281, Altoona.
October .27 Grand Lodge Officers , meeting, Committee on Masonic Hom es, Elizabethtown.
October .28 Grand Master, 125th Anniversary, Hamilton Lodge No. 274, Philadel phia.
November 3 Grand Master, 50th Anniversary, Jeannette Lodge No. 750, Jeannette.
November 10 Grand Lodge Officers, Special Communication, Dedication of Lodge Room, Schu ylkill Lodge No. 138, Orwigsburg.
December 6 Grand Lodge Officers, Quarterly Communication, Masonic Temple, One North Broad Street, Philadelphia.
December 7 Grand Lodge Officers, Quart erly Communication, Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter of Pennsylva nia.
December 8 Grand Lodge Officers, meeting, Committee on Masonic Homes, Elizabethtown.
December 9 Grand Master, 125th Anniversary, Juniata Lodge No. 282, Hollidaysburg.
December .27 Grand Lodge Officers, Annual Grand Communication, M asoni c Temple, One North Broad Street, P hiladelphia.
View from staircase of ceiling screen carved to represent ivy
600 B.C. ; Rome, 500 B.C.; Jerusalem , 700 A.D.; Versaill es, 1700 A.D.; Rosly n Chapel, 1200 A.D.; Temp l e of the Diosc uri, a nd Temp le of Vesta.
The work was done by Adolph Frei and Sons, noted ecclesiastical res to rers and included washing, painting, restora tion and gold l eafing. It required 107 days t o comp l ete the work.
The accompanying photographs s how some of th e complicat e d scaffolding necessary to accomplish the intricate res toration. Th is s keleton s tructure filled an area 26 feet wide , 36 feet deep and 53 feet high.
Scaffold erected in front of the Versailles Painting.
Above photo shows the pulley mechanism used to place scaffolding.
'What You Do Speaks So Loudly I Cannot Hear.. .'
Bro. Irvin H. H e ller, Past Master of Lafayette Lodge No. 71 held at Philadelphia, paid a brief visit to the office of the R. W. Grand Secretary recen tl y and left the following brotherly message:
"The cornerstone of Freemasonry is strongly founded in the belief in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. This concept is not a difficult one , but to act a nd live with each other as brothers is a much harder ta s k. We should t ry to be more than our brother 's keeper. We should endeavor to be our brother 's brother.
"Our actions are the outer expression of our inner conVictions and we must square with them. By living more righteously we become more godlike. This is what is termed Imitatio Dei' or imi tation of God's ways.
On the other hand, whe n belief and behavior do not square with each other, then that well-known remark we have heard countless time s should be r eca lle d: "What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what y ou say."
Meet the Jones Boys
Bro. William S. Jones , Past Master of Belle Vernon Lodge No. 643 , Fayette County, writes to inform us that hi s father, Bro. Samuel S. Jones , was the Warrant Worshipful Maste r of Belle Vernon Lodge No. 643 , serving in 1906 and 1907. That he , Brother William S. Jones , served as Worshipful Mas ter in 1933. And , hi s so n , Bro. George W. Jones , is se rving as Worshipful Master of Belle Vernon Lodge this year.
A Past Master 50 Years.
Thomas R. Patton Lodge No. 659 set aside a portion of a recent stated meeting to pay honor to its oldest living Past Master, Bro. Edwin H. Skirving, Jr.
ANNUAL SHAD NIGHT
MacCalla Lodge No. 596, h e ld at Souderton, Montgom ery County, celebra ted it s 50th annual shad night a t it s s tated meeting on April10 , 1978.
Shown above (left to right ) are Bro. Dwight E. Kleist , Jr. , Wo rs hipful Master; Bro. He nry Van Ommere n , a P as t Master who orig ina t e d the ide a 50 yea rs ago, and Bro. Le on R. Cope, Past Master who w as Mas te r in 1955. Over 200 members and invited guests attended lodge that evening. Bro. David C Adams of the Gra nd S ec r etary s s taff w as the g u est speaker.
MASONIC HOMES
Elizabethtown, Pa.
Due to continuing e x pan sion of our Geriatric facility, additional nursing personne l are needed. Announcing new s t arting s alaries effec ti ve June 2 for full-tim e (ye ar-round ) employ ees:
Nursing Assistant
Bro. Skirving, now in his 82nd yea r, h as b een a Mason for 59 years a nd a Past Master for 50 y e a r s , havin g serve d a s Worshipful Maste r in 1928
He i s one of three memb ers of th e Skirving family to s erve as Wors hipful Master of Thomas R. Patton Lodge. His c ousin, Bro. Harold L. Skirving, served in 1915. His uncle , Bro . James W. Skirving, serve d in 192 3 Still active in his retirem e n t, Bro Skirving resides at the Ryda l Park Retire ment Community at Rydel , Pa. He is sec retary of the masonic club of the c ommuni ty and also se rve s a s c hairman of the landscape committ ee.
$50.00for
50 Years.
At the s tat ed meeting of Welcome Lodge No. 453, Philadelphia, on the evening o f May 18, 1978 when Bro. Walte r K. Sp ector, Past Master, rec e ived hi s Grand Lodg e 50-year masonic service emblem, he reciprocated b y contributing a persona l check in the amount of $5 0.00 for the Guest and Bu il ding Fund for the Mas onic Homes.
Bro. Spec tor s t a t e d that h e was s o happy and t h a nkful for the 50 years afforded him as a Master Mason that h e ju st h ad to express himself with the co n tribut io n
We are also offering an expand e d fringe benefit package For appli ca tion , call or write: Masonic Homes , Elizabethtown , Pa. 17 022. Phone 367-1121 ext 22 3 Personnel Office.
Still in the Swim of Things.
Bro. Waldo H. Henninge r, a m e mber of Lodge No. 106, Williamsport, since 1920, writes from his residence in Sun City, Arizona, that on March 9, 1 97 8 he celebrated h is 80th birthday by swimming 80 lap s nonstop in Lakeview P ool near his hom e . He says the pool i s 75 feet in leng th and he acc omp lished th e 6,000 feet in one hour and thirty minutes. 1\vo ye ars ago, at age 78 , h e b ecame t he fir st Sun Citian on r ec ord to s wim 78 laps in each of the six Sun City pools, alw ays nonstop. Quite a feat if yo u' re s till y ou n g a t h e art .
Brothers Receive Degrees and E mblems Together
Bro. H Dean Smith, Dis trict Deput y Grand Master for the 36 th Maso nic District, report s tha t he had the p leasure of pre se ntin g Gra n d Lodge 50-yea r masonic service embl e ms to Bro We ldon B. Heyburn , form e r congre ss man, and Bro. William M. Heyburn, in Concord Lodge No 62 5 Concordville, on Wednesday evening, April 12 , 1978
The blood broth e rs receive d their symbolic de g re es on the s am e night s in 1928 a nd 19 29 a nd are s till enjoying good h ealth and ma so nic activity.
Mason Receives Award
Bro . Alb ert J. Rasc h , P ast Maste r of Hermann Lodge No. 125, Philadelphia , was rece ntl y awarde d th e "Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of t h e Federal Re public of Germany". T his award was bestowed upon Bro. Continued on page 8
The Scottish Rite Cathe dral, Valley of New Castle, will be t he s ite o f the September Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of The cathedral, constructed in 19Z6, is a dominant part of the landscape o f he City of New Castle.
New Castle To Host September Quarterly
The September Quarterly Co mmunication of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania will take place in the Scottish Rite Cat h e dral at New Castle on Wednesday, September 6, 1978.
The event will mark the second communication to be held outside Philadelphia this year in keeping with the Grand Master's desire to enable Masons throughout Pennsylvania to conveniently witness a meeting of their Grand Lodge. The June Quarterly Communication was held at Coudersport.
The Pennsylvania Fre e m as on is being used to ass ist in coordina ting the various ac tiviti es because th e great ma jority of lodges limit th e ir meetings duri ng the summer m onths.
To that end, this i ssue contain s a coupon that individual M aso ns are urged to ret urn to the Office of the Gran d Master no later than August 21.
The usual method of individually contacting the l odges will st ill be carried out, but it is felt t ha t both efforts will be required to assure th e s u ccess of the commu nicatio n.
Communication activities will begin with a dinner in the cathedral dining area at 5 p.m. (there is no charge) and the Grand Lodge meeting is scheduled to begin promptly at 7 p.m.
The cathedral th at serves th e Vall ey of New Cas tle is lo cat ed on East Linco ln Avenue. It s s tat e l y auditorium can comfortably seat up to 2,834 persons.
June Quarterly Report
More than 600 Masons attended the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge held at the Scottish Rite Cathed ral in Coudersport on June 7. Those present represented 209 lodges and included seven R. W. Past Grand Masters ; 62 District Deputy Grand Masters, and 23 Past District Deputy Grand Masters. The Grand Lodge approved the · merger of Justice Lodge No. 735 with Penn Lodge No. 766, to be known as Penn-Justice Lodge No. 766 effective June 15, 1978.
Also approved was the merger of James I. Buchanan Lodge No. 757 with Col. Henry Bouquet Lodge No. 787 into Lodge No. 45, to be known as Lodge No. 45 effective Novembe r 1, 1978.
The stage area, where the Grand Lodge will be set up , i s considered one of the largest in the east and can be easily viewed from all parts of the auditorium.
The main b anque t room is augmented by two wings a nd can seat 1,800 persons at one tim e. The cathedra l provides three parking lo ts a nd additional parking space is provided on the street s in the surrounding r es idential area.
For those requiring hotel accommodations, it is suggested they make reservations at the Sheraton Inn or Holiday Inn in West Middlesex ofi Exit 1 of Interstate 80, or the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge off Exit 2 of the interstate highway at Mercer.
The Grand Master urges every Mast er Mason to take this opportunity to attend the quarterly co mmunication It is not necessary that .xou be a member of Grand Lodge.
Three proposed amendments t o the Ahim an Rezon were introduced and, in accordance with Masonic law, held over for action at the Quarterly Communication in December.
The first amendment concerns changing the Grand Lodge fiscal year to a calendar year; the second calls for an inc rease in the mileage allowa n ce paid to Representatives of the symbolic l odges who a tt e nd the Quarterly Co mmunic a tion in December, and th e third amendment con ce rns adjustments in t h e revenue of Gran d Lodge.
Members of the Grand Lodge will rece ive cop i es of the proposed amendme nts in the near future.
The Grand Lodge also r eceive d reports from the following: the Committee o n Finance; the Committee on Masonic Ho me s; the Com mittee on Masonic Culture; the Committee on Masonic Temples, Hall s and Lodge Rooms; the Comm ittee on Temple; the Committee on Youth Services , and the Special Committee on Youth Programs.
Send to-
Office of R. W. Grand Mas t e r, Masonic Temple One North Broa d Street , P hiladelphia, Pa . 19107
I plan to attend dinner at 5 p.m , Wed n esday, September 6, 1978 yes D noD I p l an to a tt end t h e SEPTEMBER QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION, 7 p m. yes D noD
