10,11 Northeast Co nfe r e n ce on Maso ni c & 12 Educat ion and Libraries, Harris b urg
12 Lodges Nos 310 & 620, Co ll egevi ll e
14 Lo dge No 596, So ude r ton
15 Lodge No 509, Pleasa nt Hi ll s
16 For ks o f h e De a ware Shr ne C l ub
17 Lodge No 72. Ph il ade l phia
1 8 Annua l Convention o f Th e Supreme Forest Tall Cedars of Le bano n o f N.A. Wild wood, N.J.
19 Spring Reuni on, Vall ey of Ha rri s burg. A.A.S. R.
20 231 3 1 s t Annual Co n c lave, Grand Co mmand ery, Knights Templar o f Pe n n sylva ni a, A ll e ntown
23 Lodges Nos. 347. 425 & 416. Girard
24 Lo d ge No. 577. Leec hburg
25 Comm ittee on Ma so nic Hom es
25 50t h Annive r sary Dinner of Northeast Chapter, Order o f DeMo lay
26 Tes timonia for Ch ar es F Greevy, De pu ty fo r Pe nn sy va n a, A.A S.R, Will am s port
29 Lodge No. 244, Kit ta nnin g
.30 Lodge No. 726, Warren
3 1 to Juvenile J ud ges Sem in a r
Jun e 1 Maso nic Conference Cen er, Pa t to n Campus
The Pennsy vania Free mason Dis tri but on Office
Masonic Temple
One North Broad Street
Philadelphia Pa. 1 9 107
Postmaster: Send address c han ges to above
Grand Master's Itinerary
MAY THROUGH AUGUST
JUNE
2 Lodge No. 307, Wolm esdorf
4 Lodges Nos. 408 & .372. Meadvi ll e
5 Lodges Nos. 498. 4 7 3 & 790. Lin esvi ll e
6 Gran d Lo dge Quarte rl y Co mmuni cation. Eri e
7 Lo dge No. 286, Co lumbia
8 Lo dge No. 431. Sa ltzb urg
9 Grand Chapter, Stroudsb u r g
9 Grand Ho y Royal Ar ch C h a pter o f Pe nn syl va n ia. Bo ssardsvi ll e
11 Lodges Nos. 714 & 608, C ai rton
12 Lo d ge No. 3 1 3, I ndiana
13 Lo d ges Nos. 546.656 & 746 Penn Hi lls
14 Di s tri ct "E" Nig l1t, Lodge No. 703 Ph ilad e phi a
15 Lodge No. 677. Landsford
18 35 th Di s t r ict Nig h t Lodges Nos. 265 & 349 Bl oo m sb urg
1 9 Lodge No. 799. Pl um Boro
20 Lodges Nos. 297. 153 & 807. Ca no nsburg
21 Lo dge No. 241, Warr e n
22 Com mittee o n Maso n ic Homes
23 Summer Festiva & Pa r ade, Beaver Falls, Syria Shrin e, A.A.O.N.M S.
23 Lodge No. 662. B eaver Fa ll s
25 Lodge s Nos. 690 & 607. Philad el phia
26 Lodges Nos .337 & 626. Mononga h ela
27 Lodges Nos. 562 & 346, Scottd ale
28 Lodge No. 612. Leve Gr een
3 0 Extra Communicati on of Gra n d Lod ge for the purpo se of making a Mason at S g ht. Sco tti sh Ri t e buildi ng. Willi ams port
JULY
3 -5 Sh rin e of North Amer ica, A.A.O.N.M.S., Bos on
7 Specia Communication of Grand Lod ge, Cornerstone lay ing and dedication , Lodge No. 775, Steelton
1 0 Pottsgrove H i-12 Pottstown
13 Co uncil of Delibe ration Pitts burgh
14 Sem in ar for Represe ntatives to Pe nn sylvan ia Yout h Fou nd at on 15-16 Annua Northeast Co nfe r ence of Grand Masters a nd Grand Secretaries Con n ectic ut 17-18 Gran d Lo dge o f Ca nada, Provin ce of Ontario
21 lrem Shrine Temple. A.A.O.N.M.S Dallas
27 Co mm ittee on Maso nic Ho me s
28 Forest No. 149. Tall Cedars of Le bano n, Mason i c Homes
28 Board Meeting. Pennsy van a Youth Found ation AUGUST
24 Com mittee on Maso nic Homes
25 Sp ecial Com municat io n of Gra nd Lodge, Co rn erstone layin g an d d edi cation, Altoona Ma son c Ha Associati ons
Project SOLOMON II ®is working!
Th e fee lin g of excitement a n d the d egree of e nthus ias m d eve o p ed in t h ese fir st month s of o p era tion h as s re ngthened th e co n viction of t h e G rand Lodge that n ow s th e time t o r everse th e decline in m e mbe rship and r e build Freemasonry in Pennsy va nia.
Th e s p ecific obj ective ofProje c t SO L OMON I I is to add 50,000 m e mbe r s ove r the n ext four years; to r e bu ld the fra t e rnity in t hi s sta te to 250,000 m e mbe rs b y th e e nd o f1 987.
Th e bui ding p l a n has b ee n d eve l oped , th e craft h as b ee n orga ni zed and provided wit h th e workin g tools need ed to carry ou t th e pl a n We are worki ng th e pl a n a nd pilin g u p evid ence t h at th e p a n works!
I t s a b too ea r ly to pre dict speci fi c tre nd s. but th e in format ion now being gath e red is ext re m e y e n co urag in g.
• Lod ges t h a t h ave not h a d a n y p e t i ti oners for severa years s udd e nly find th emse l ves act in g favorab y on four or five p et iti ons.
• Lodges that h ave h and e d s x or e ight n ew m e mbers over a period of o n e year find t h e m selves act ing on s ix o r e g ht petition s in a s in g e eve nin g.
• One o d ge h as p roce ssed more t h a n 30 m e mbers in th e fir s t fo ur mo n t h s of t h e yea r.
• Pet iti on act ivity for t h e frat e rni ty as a who e h as ncr eased more t h an 15 p e r ce n t in t h e fir st third of the year.
Th e co mputer prog ram t h a w i'll t rac k th e p r ogress of th e l odges h roug h o u t th e life of th e pro e ct is be i ng deve lope d with g r aph i cs ca pabi ty.
Th e progress of each odge w ill be
SOLOMON II Recognition Program
Edito r s No t e - A se ri es of lapel pins in th e shape of So o mon 's Te mple are now b e ing distributed t o t h ose who exce in bringing new members into th e fra t e rnity through Project SOLOMON 11.
A n Appren tice Builde r, who brings one n ew m e mbe r to the fraternity, rece i ves a bronze pin.
A f'e ll owcraft B uilder, who brings
two n ew m e mbers to th e fra t e rn i ty, rec e ives a s ilver pi n.
A M as t e r Builder. one who brings three or more m e mbers to th e fraternity in m eeting his r esponsibility to insure th e s ucc ess of Project So lom on II. is e ntitled to w ea r a gold l a p e pin.
A list of th e v ery first Mas t er Bui de r s can b e found on p age 3.
charted in r e at onsh i p to t h e other odges in its di stri ct The progress of d s tricts wi ll b e d splayed i n r e at ons hi p to other di str i cts in a s p e cific r eg on of the s tate. And. fin a lly, th e reg i ons w ill n co mb nati o n provid e a vi e w o f th e e ntire stat e.
Co mputer tra c king will e n a b l e the d irector ofth e project to analyze tr e nd s a nd res p o nd to th e m More d eta le d r eco rds will b e maintained so t h at m e mbe rsh i p statisti cs r e a t ve to age, geographic locaion, e t c., ca n b e used i n pred c ti ng tre n ds a n d d e ve loping n e w d e as
Director Named
Bro M e l v n S. Mundi e, A ss sta nt to th e Gra n d Mas t e r h as b ee n nam e d Director of Proj ect SOLO MON II ® In announcing th e appo i ntm e nt. th e R. W. Grand Mast er, Bro. Will iam A Ca rpe nt e r, sa i d, This project s s o i mporta n t that I ofte n r efe r to it as a s urvi va l kit, p e rh aps our l ast c h a n ce for th e s urviva of Fr ee m ason ry as we know t Th e D i r ector o f t h e proj ect h as to kn ow it ins i de out Bro. Mundi e, w h o i s a co-a uthor o f the plan with B r o. D ea n E Vau g hn, not only und e r sta n ds h e progra m but h e s uperv ses th e sta ffs. including th e Co mpute r D e p art m e n t, h at h and e t h e d ay to day SO LOM ON II opera ti o n ."
A SO L O MO N I o p e r a ti o n s m a nual. conta in ng a s t ep- by-s t ep g uid e to th e s uccessful co mpl et o n of th e p r oj ect. h as b ee n i ss u e d to each odge n the juri s di ct i o n.
It d eta s th e s p e cifi c r es p o n s ib ili i es o f each o ffi ce r a nd m e mber of th e odge an d provid es a n overv ew o f a ll the procedur es that must be fo ll owe d if the pl a n is to
A 1 0 -minuteau dio-visua l p rese n ta tion h as a l so b ee n distributed t o eac h of t h e 573 odges in t h e s tate to b e use d as a prim ary tool. T h e prese n ta ti o n s very mporta nt t o th e outreach phase of t h e pl a n wh e n t h e l odge pe r so n a contac t wit h eac h of i ts m e mbers.
Master Builders
Thus, shall we act in conform ity to our prece pts
Ob, for a Respectable Regular and Uniform Fraternity
tion s, one ca ll e d thems e l ves "A nci e nts," th e other, " Mod e rns ." Seve r a l years ate r, the "M od e rn s" b e g a n changin g t h e ir a ll eg iance to the "A nci e nts" who eventually preva iled.
In our Ancient Charges, we say : " let th e genius of Freemasonry preside over our conduct let us preserve a nobleness andjustice of understanding, politeness of mann e rs and evenness of temper."
Our own Right Wors hipful Grand Lodge will b e 250 yea rs old on June 24, 1984. Even now we sti ll have Bre th ren who see mingly do not conform to certain s t a ndards some of them pecu liar only to our Grand Lodge.
Our Ancient Charges also remind us: " the laws and regulation s of th e Fraternity you are to support and maintain, and be ever r e ady to aid in their exec ution. "
R.W. Grand Master William A. Carpenter
Freemasonry, in its sp eculative form , h as enjoyed a goodly heritag e for nearl y 2 70 co n secut ive years. It was on Jun e 24 , 1717, Saint John th e Baptis rs D ay, that th e Grand L odge o f England, o ur Mo th er Grand Lo dge, wa s offici a lly constitute d.
Composed of m en from a ll wa lks ofl ife, I s uppos e t i s logi ca to und e r stand that even a frat e rnity such as Freemaso n ry w ill
h a ve occas i ons when so m e of its mem -
b e r s wi ll d ecid e n o t to conform t o certain ru es and r eg ul a ti o n s a nd, perh aps, "so und-off' at t im es as dissiden t s.
Our Moth e r Gra nd Lodge was n t to o o ld when i t was obvious that all th e Bre th· re n ju st co uldn t agree on so m e i ss u es. From this di scord deve oped tw o fac-
When we deviate from adopted ri t u a l and procedur es of our Gra nd Lodge, we only tend to weaken our ca use and reduce th e l evel of standards any worthy orga ni· zation must maintain to be s u ccessfu l a nd stay a li ve .
Wh e n we u se th e body o f the open Lodge and other gatherings o f Ma soni c fe llows hip to "so und -o f f' in fau lt findin g a nd eve n diss id e nt c h atte r , we only t e nd to the un an imi ty that h as b ee n a v s ible beacon an d g r ea asset o f th e Craft:.
We l ea rn in o ur Ancient Charges: " if w e are unite d , our Fratern ity mus t flourish to l e t a ll priva t e animosities, if any shou ld exist, to give place to pea ce a nd good f e llows hip."
Noth in g ca n be m ore a nnoy ng or
humiliatin g to a tru e a nd failhful Freem ason than to h ear of or observe a Brother profa n e t h e sacred rul es, regulation s a nd sta nd a rd s of Freemaso n ry
Again, our Ancient Charges adman· sh us to act: " in the Lodge, we are to b e have with all due dec orum , lest the beauty a nd harmony of its workings s hould be disturbed or broken to b e obedient to the Master and other Officers set in authority, and to apply ours e ves to the busin ess of Fre emaso nry. "
We h ave o ng estab li shed pro c ed ures for makin g necessary adjustments relat ive to our fu nct onal polici es in Pe nn sy va ni a Masonry. Th ey are b y D ec is ions of R ght Wo rshipful Grand Masters and by amend· ments, prop e rl y proc ess e d , to " Th e A hi man Rezo n ," th e Co n stitution of ou r Grand Lodge F. & A. M of Pe nn sy va ni a.
The Ancient Charges remind us: " w e are to be particularly attentive to our behavior in our regular assemlies to preserve th e Ancien Usages and Customs of the Fraternity sacred and inviolable, and induce others by examp e, to hold them in due veneration
I t is a lways g r ea t when our Bre thren ca n dwe ll tog e t11 e r in peace, h a rm ony a nd goo d o rd e r.
And, fin a lly, o ur Ancient Charges say: " Thus s h a ll we act in conform ity to our precepts, a nd s upport th e nam e we hav e a lw ays born e, of b e ing a respecta bl e, regu a r, and uniform Fra ternity.
Th e one s ure thin g th at w ill put Project So l omon II over th e top i s for Pe nn sylvani a Masons to join hands in unanimity, and top it off wit h a tota l co mmitme nt to wa rd a uniform Frate rni ty.
Grand Master's Record After 125 Days
Bro. William A. Carpen t e r, in th e fir s t 125 d ays of his te r m as Grand Ma s te r of Masons in Pen n sy lva nia h as co ndu c t ed a total of 117 vi s itation s a nd h as a ddresse d m ore th a n 1 5,5 00 maso n s.
H e h as tr ave l ed more th a n 27,000 a i r mile s in th e a ppointm ents sc h e dul ed in th e fir s t four months of hi s a dmini st ra tion.
As this a rti cle was b e in g prepa r ed, t h e
Gra nd Ma s t e r h ad m ade 83 in fo rm a l v s ita ti o n s to the l o dges in c luding nin e me e tings to o ffici a lly prese n t n ew Di st ri ct Deputy Gra nd Masters; co ndu cted t h ree seminar s for all Di s tri c t D e pu t es; co n d u cted one se min ar fo r th e In s t ructo r of Ri tuali s ti c Work a nd th e Re gional I nstru ctors, and h a d a tte nd ed s i x m eet ings a t the Maso ni c H omes a t E li zabe thtown.
Gra nd Master Car p en t e r a tt en d ed four an nu al lodge banquet s a nd a ban -
BRO. JOSEPH F. ACTON
Lodge No. 33 7
43rd Ma soni c Di stri ct
BRO. GEORGE E. BOYER
Lodge No. 254
40 h Masonic Di str ict
BRO MAX E NUSC HER
Lodge No. 254
40th Masonic Distr ct
BRO.ROBERTC.REVAY Lodge No 662
37 th Masoni c D s rict
BRO. JOHN SHEPPARD JR. Lodge No. 252
3 1 st Ma so ni c Di s tr ct
BRO. JOEL W. KLEINGUENTHER L odge No 732
Ma soni c Dis r ct " G"
BRO. OJARS MISJUNS
Lodge No. 436
Maso ni c Di strict "G"
BRO. PHILLIP PITTS
Lodge No. 732
Masonic Di stric " G"
SOLOMON II ®Rally Set for October in Hershey
Mason s in centra l Pen n sy lvania w ill p a r t ici pa t e in a g i an t
SOLOMON II Rall y at th e Hers h ey parkAre n a. H e r s hey, on Thursd ay, O c t o b e r 4, 1984. The eve n t i s ope n t o m embe r s o til e fraternity and th e ir fami li es
Tile ra ll y, ten t ative ly sch e dul e d o b eg i n at 7:00 p.m ., s expect ed to b e a n in sp irin g, upliftin g expe ri ence n w hi c h a ll th e va ried m as onic bod es w ill come t oge th e r as a fam ily t o ce l ebrate th e bright n ew begi nnin g that i s th e promise o f Proj ect SO L O MON II
Th e actu a l program s in t h e early stages of p l an ning at thi s date, but w ill i nclude a great d ea l o f co o r, p agea ntry. music and wh olesome entertainmen t.
One ilin g s c e rta n. Tile Grand Maste r , Bro. Willi am A Carpe nte r, w ill h ave t h e op p o rtuni ty to d e liver a n in sp irin g m essage to w h a t m ay we ll be th e l a rgest m ason ic ga th e rin g und e r o n e roof in til e hi s t ory of h e Gra nd Lodge.
Elec t e d Grand Lodge officers for 1984 include (left to right) Bro. W. Scott Stoner, R. W. Junior Grand Warden; Bro Arthur J. Kurtz R. W. Senior Grand Warden; Bro. William A. Carpenter, R. W. Grand Mas t e r; B ro. Car W. Stenberg, Jr., R. W. Deputy Grand Master; Bro. Arthur R. Diamond, R.W. Grand Treasurer, and Bro. Thomas W. Jackson, R. W. Grand Secretary.
In add t o n, th e G ra nd Ma ste r sp en t four d ays atten din g th e Co n fere n ce of Grand Mas ter s ofMasons in No rth A m e ri ca h e d in Sea ttl e, Wa s hing ton; attended tw o m eet in gs of t h e b oard o f h e Pe nn sy l va ni a Yout l1 Found a tion m e t
w ith pa ti e n t s at a Ve t era n s H os pi ta d eli vered t h e m essag e a t a ma s onic
2 quet for a c h apte r of D e Mo l ay; a Juni o rSe ni or Ward e n s' N g h t s po n so r ed b y th e Va ll ey o f Pitts bu rgh, A.A.S.R.; a Worshipful Mas t ers-Secreta ri es' N i g ht co urt esy of Syri a Shrin e Temp l e; a m ee tin g o f a for es t of th e Tall Ceda r s of Lebano n ; two m ee tin gs of arge masonic sq u a r e c lub s; an i ns t a ll a tion a t Pilgr im Com m a nd e ry; a tt en d e d th e annua sess i o n of th e Gr a nd Coun c il of Roya l a nd Se l ect Ma sters o f Pe nn sy l va ni a, and was rece ved int o a conc ave of th e Red Cross of Co n s t a ntin e
c hurc h servi ce on a Sun d ay eve nin g. a nd r eceive d a spec ial award (see r e p o rt in thi s i ss u e) dur in g a Sund ay se r v i ce at th e C h ape l o f the Four C h a pl a n s in Phil ade lphi a . G r and Mas t e r Car p e nte r in w h a t h e ca ll s hi s s pa r e im e, a l so presidContinue d on page 13.
THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON
Publication No. 426-140 Iss ued Qua rte rl y
Di stri buti on Office-Mail n g Address MASON C TE MPL E One North B road Street. Phil a • Pa.
IMPORTANT T IC KET I NFORMAT ION
The w il l b e se t up as a thea t er in t h e round w ith sea t in g for a ppro x mately 8,0 0 0 p e rso ns.
Th e r e wi ll be n o c h a r ge fo r a dmi ss i o n b u t al l seats w ill b e r eserved. Th e co upo n on p age 1 5 ca n be used to re qu es t th e th at w ill be required to qa n admi ss i o n to th e a r e n a. w ill b e numbered acco rding to th e u s ual are na sea tin g plan a nd w ill b e ass ig n ed on a first re qu est bas is.
I f yo u w i s h to a ttend the ra ll y w i t h fri e nd s in a g roup , it is mportant t h a t ju s t o n e co upon be used to req u est the proper number of t i cke t s sure you in d icate i t s a gro up r equest.
O th erw se, r equ es t s for a rge num bers o f t ck ets w ill b e qu estioned b efore b e i n g acce pte d r es u ting in a delay in sea ting a ss g nm e n ts under th e fi rst reque st rul e.
Gates w ill be ope ned a 6:30 p.m. a nd th ose seats not fill e d at 7: 0 0 p.m. w ill b e mad e ava il a bl e to h o ld ers of t o ess
d es irab l e sea ts.
Those w s hing to ord e r a r e in vite d to se nd th e completed coupon, a l o n g w i t h a stam p e d , ad dressed , l ong enve ope, to: SO LOMON II. P O. Box 3477, H arr s bu r g, PA 17107 -3 47 7.
Ti c k e t ord e r s w ill b e gat h e r e d daily a nd ma i n t ain e d a ong
The H ers h ey park Arena will be se up as a th eat e r in the ro und for th e SOLOMON II Rally on O c tob e r4 as indicated in this drawing. The ice on th e s k a tin g a r ea will b e covered to a llow use of that space for a pro cessiona l as part of th e o p en ing ceremon ies and for sea ting. w i t h t he n ames and addresses of tho se pl a cing th e ord e r s. in t h e co m p ute r fries of th e Grand Lo dge Act u a di stribu t ion will b e made 10 to 14 d ays b e o r e the rally, a ll owing th ose who m ay have to ca n ce aft:er ordering tickets th e tim e to free their sea t s to others.
Lead e r s o f t h e m as onic bodi es in th e ce ntra Pe nn sylva nia area a r e assi s ting the Grand Lodg e in pl a nning thi s fir st SO LOMON II Ra lly. They in c lud e Bro. H aro ld A. Dunk e lb e rg e r, Mo s t Exce ll e nt G r a nd High Pr es t of th e G r and H o ly Roya l Arch C h apter of Pe nn sy va nia; B r o. Lee N Whita k e r, Most Pui s san t Pa s t Gra nd Master of th e Grand Counci l of Roya l a nd Se lect Mas e r s of Pennsy vania, a nd Bro. Cha r l es S. Ca nning Pas t Right Emin e nt Gra nd Comman d er of th e Gra nd Comman d ery of Knight s Temp l a r of Pe nn sylvan i a A l so , B ro. George H. Ho h e n s hildt, Com mand er in C hi ef o f th e Va ll ey of H a rri s bu rg, A.A.S.R.; Bro. D ea n E. Vaug h n, Potentate of Zembo Shr in e, A.A.O N.M. S H a rr i sb u rg, and Bro. Dua n e E Goodhart. S u p r e m e Ta l l Ce d a r o f th e Supreme Forest. T a ll Ced a r s of Le b ano n of Nort h Amer ca.
Brother Harry S. Truman Centennial
s hip with "Dad" Fran 5. Land , founder of the order.
The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania h as a number of Truman items on exh ibit in the muse um of the Masonic Temp l e in Phi ade lphia.
Among the items s a stone w th maso ni c symbo l s cut in to it that was sent to the Grand Lodge b y Pres ident Truman in 1950. Forty-nine s tones, discovered during the reconstruction of th e White Ho use, were, at the president's direction, carefu lly c leaned and sent to each of the Grand Lodges i n the country.
A l so on display is a lithographic print of Bro. Truman in hi s regalia as Grand Mas t er as created b y Greta Kempton. It is autographed by Mrs. Kempton and Bro. Hugh McLaugh lin Grand Master of M issouri.
The 100th anniversary of the birth of Bro. Harry S. Truman, 33rd Pres id e nt of the Un ited States and Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, was commemorated on May8 with a Joint Session of both Houses of Congress and with maso nic observances throu g hout the nation.
Masons are hi sto ri ca ll y fond of pointing to the pres dents w h o are or were members of the fraternity and s hower a grea t d ea l of brother y love and affection on th e memory of Bro. Truman, probably b eca u se h e, a mong the modern presidents, was most visib le as a mason a nd most proud of hi s masonic record.
He was made a ma so n in Belton Lodge No. 450 in Belton, Missouri in 1 909 a t the age of 24. He was one of the found ers of Grandview Lodge No. 6 1 8, acted as Wors hipful Master under dispensation. and was elected its firs t Master under th e Lodge char t er.
Bro. Truman' s proficie ncy as a r itualist led directly to his eventua e l ection as Gra nd Master of M i sso uri in 1940.
t was in hi s Grand Master's address on September 30, 1941 that h e described hi s service as Grand Master as "an honor which I be li eve s g reater th an a n y other which ca n come to m e " H e repeated the stateme nt while president in 1949 when he was ca ll ed upon as a Past Grand Master to install th e Grand Lodge officers i n St. Louis.
Bro. Truman was acti ve n the appendant bodi es and was named an Honora r y Pas t Grand Master of the Internationa Order of D eMo lay becau se of hi s fri e nd -
Erie Area Masons To Host June Quarterly Communication
The June Quarterly Communication of th e Grand Lodge of Pennsyl van a wil l be held a t 7:00p.m. on Wednesday, June 6 in the aud itor i um of the H arborcreek High School, just east of Erie. (See drawing on page 11.)
The comm unication wil mark the first t me a meeting of th e Grand Lodge ha s been conducted in th e greater Er ie area si n ee the September Quarterly Communcat on of1973
Grand Master Wi ll iam A Carpenter said h e d ecided to bring one of his communication s to Erie so that the masons of the area wou ld have the opportun ity to easily attend a meeting of the Grand Lodge.
The disp lay also co ntains an 8¢. Harry S. Truman stamp " Indep endence, Mo., May8, 1973," a nd marked " first-day of issue."
The exhibit in cl ude s a number of Trum a n first- day covers, a facsimile of hi s petition to Be ton Lodge No. 450 listi ng him as a farmer res d i ng in Grandvi ew, and a gave l made from wood r emoved from the Wh te House n 1950 during the re stora tion
It ha s b ee n proper y sai d of Bro.
H a r ry S. Truman that h e d i d not m ere ly co ll ect maso ni c degrees and t i tles, bu t that h e earned them as an active member of the era It
That fact alone wil forever endear h i m to Freemasons everywhe r e.
"Maso n s from the northwest area of the state must make a great sacrifice in time and effort to attend a meeting of the Grand Lodge in Phi l ade l ph i a, not to mention th e cost that i s invo l ved," said the Grand Master. " Holding the meet in g at the H arborcreek High School m ea ns many more masons wi ll have the opportunity to see firsthand the of their Grand Lodge," he ad d ed It is important to know th at yo u d o not h ave to be a m embe r of the Grand Lodge to atte nd. A ll that s required i s that yo u possess a curre nt dues card and a r e a Master Mason in good sta ndin g in a lodge recognized by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvan ia.
Act vities in connection with the co mmunication that are open to t h e general membership ( the Grand Lodge Comm itt ee o n Fin a n ce and th e Di stri ct Deputy Grand Maste rs w ill meet earli e r in the day) begin w ith a dinner in th e cafeteria a reas of t h e Harborcreek High Sc h oo l at 5:00p.m.
There is n o cha rge for the dinne r, but each lodge has b ee n to in d ica t e to the office o fth e Grand Master the number of m e mbers it s expec t ed w ill attend.
Ti ckets wi ll be iss u ed on a fir st request ba s i s unt il t h e maximum sea ting of1,200 persons i s reached. Tickets wi ll be required to gain entrance to the d nin g a r eas.
A speci fi c form ha s been sen t to the secr etaries of the l odges and wil b e th e bas is for distribution of dinner t i ck e t s. In dividual ma so n s can ass s t in th e p roced ure by notifYing their lod ge secretaries of th e ir intent to participate as soo n as possible.
Continued on page 1 2
Youth Foundation Representatives to Attend Seminar
Representatives to the Penn sylvan ia Youth Foundation from each of the l o dges wi ll b e in vited by the Grand Mas t er to attend e ith er of two sem inars to be held at the Mason i c Co nfe r ence Center, Patton Ca mpu s at El izabethtown.
The fir st sem in arwill be conducted on Saturday, Ju y 14 and th e second on Saturday, Se ptembe r 8. Foundat i on re presentat ves wi ll be allowed to c h oose th e session that best fits into their p e rsonal schedul es.
The educat i onal progra m will b eg in prompt y a t 10:00 a.m. w h en the participants will be we comed by the R. W. Grand Master, Bro. W lliam A. Carpenter. Bro. Samuel C. Willi amson, R.W. Past Grand Master, who esta blished the Pennsy va ni a Youth Foundation and oversees its activiti es as Hono rary Cha rman ofthe Board of Directors and C hairman of the Grand Lodg e Committee on Youth Activitie s, wi ll p lay a prominent part in th e day's program along with Bro. Thomas R. Labagh Execut ve Director of the found ation.
It is expected that members of the Job s Daughters, Rainbow and D eMo ay organ i zat ion s, th e you n g peopl e themselves. wi ll be prese nt t o provid e informati on and respond to questions rom the
fou ndation representatives.
The afternoon program w ill begin w t h a o n e hour session when questi ons ca n be of a panel made up of the seminar p ri ncipa l s
A series of simultaneous workshops fo ll ows where the representatives choose t h e s ubj ect that most interests them.
Tours of the Masonic Conference Ce nter will be co nducte d b y th e youth groups as we ll as mini-bus tours of the Mason c H omes for those who may be making their first vi sit to Eli zabethtown.
The day's activities wi ll e nd in time for depa r ture at3:30 p.m. but the swimming poo wi ll remain open unt il 5:00 p .m. for those who w ish to swim before l eaving for hom e.
Thos e traveling greater di sta nces wi ll be housed in the conference ce nter' s dorm itory faci liti es for th e Friday evening preced in g each sem in ar on a fir st requ es t basis.
No meals are ava ilable at th e campus except for lunch the day of the seminar, so ong distance travelers w ill have to give so me thought to dinner and breakfast n eeds off campus.
Hote accommodations wi ll b e recommended t o tho se who r eg ister ate a nd canno t be hou sed at th e cente r.
It is expected that those representativ es living w ithin seve r al hours drive of th e ca mpu s w ill not require overnight accommodations on th e Fr day preceding the se minars.
In vitations wi ll be issued through the office of the Grand Master at the Maso ni c Temp e in Ph i lad e lphi a and wil conta in a stamped, addressed post card for th e conve nience of the r eprese ntative i n choosing e ith er sem nar da t e.
Those not familiar with th e layout of the Harborc reek Senior High School compl ex will find this floor plan valuable in l ocating th e cafet eria ( upper l ef ) where a 5:00p. m. dinner will b e served and the auditorium (lower eft) where th e Grand Lodge will convene at 7:00p.m.
Pennsylvania's Top Recruiter for DeM:olay
Meryl C. Whitmyer 19, of 312 Toz i er Street, Dubois, h as b een recognized as th e top recr uiter fo r DeMo ay in Pe nnsy vania as the result of a membership incentive program s ponsore d by var ious members o f the masonic famil y and directed by the Pennsy van ia Youth Fo und ation
Meryl, son of Bro. and Mrs. Wi lli am T Whitmyer ( hi s fath er i s a member of Garfi e ld Lodge No. 559 in DuBois ), s credited w ith having spo n sored 14 init ates into Garfi e d Chap t e r , O rd e r of DeMolay in DuBois.
He joined DeMolay in 1977 and wa s a member of Bethany C hapte r in B roo lw ill e until h e trans ferred h i s membership t o Garfie l d C hapte r when it was in s tituted on March 24, 1984.
Mery qua lifi ed for the top prize, a n a ll ex p e nse paid t rip to the Internat o n a l DeMo ay Cong r ess in Sarasota, Florida, but was unable to accep t it because h e j o in ed th e United States Navy. H e was attending basic training in Orlando, F orida at th e time th s report was being writte n a nd was studyin g to b e a fire co ntrol t echnici a n.
Th e ne xt high es number of initi ates was nine, turn ed in by Va W. Fin ne l, a m e mb e r of Fid e li ty Ch apter in C rafto n Val was followed by Sco tt A. Brooks, a memb e r of George Washington C h apter in C h ambersb urg w h o recruited seve n initi ates.
There was a t e for fourth p ace between Troy M. Swe itz e r, a member of Reading C hapte r in Read ing. and Mi c h ae l J. LaPira, a m e mb e r of Friendship-Bray C hapte r in J e nkintown. Troy an d l';lichael each brought s x n ew members to their respective chapters.
T hree D e Mo ays were ti ed for fifth p lace w th fi ve i n t ates eac h They are John J. Hunt Ill of Northeast Ch apte r n Philadelphia, Arthur J. Fitzsimmons of Erie C h apte r i n Eri e a nd Wil liam D. Beatty, a member of Josep h T. Rothrock Chapte r i n McVeytown.
S ix yo ung m e n were tied for s ixth place, having broug ht four m em b ers each nto th e ir respective chapte rs.
Three n ew m e mbers were spo n so r ed by 22 DeMolays within the competit ion
p e riod a nd 32 D e Mo ays sponsored two initia t es
A total of 141 De Mo l ays s pons0 r e d one n ew m ember during the contest per od.
In a ll, a tota l of209 D e Mol ays brought 352 n ew m em b ers into the orde r w thin the competi ti on period Of that 209, 68 earned the $25 rebate on the ir co nclave cos t s by br in ging two or more m e mbe r s to their chapters.
The above statistics were taken from fi gu res reported to Ma r c h 31, eaving two month s for the goa l of600 n ew m ember s to be reach ed.
In the com p et t ion for th e $1, 000 priz e to the chapter that initiates th e mos t n ew members to the end of May, the Ma r ch 31 sta ti st i cs wer e as foll ows: Garfield Chapter, DuBois, 31 initiates; Tiadaghton E m Chapter, Jersey Sh ore, 27; Read ing Chapter, Readi n g. 21; George Wa s hington Chapter, C hambersburg, 20; Westmore land Chapte r, Greensburg, 20 Huntingdon Chapter, Huntingdon, 17; Fay-Wes t Chapt er, Scottd a e, 15, and West Shore Chapter, Ca mp Hill, 14
Four of t h e chapters were t i ed at 13 initiates
Museum Renovation
th e t e mpl e is b e in g done by two highl y cr afts m e n, B ro. William R. Engl e, a m e m be r of Shiloh Lodge No. 558, a nd
Thomas Lan caste r.
B o th m e n se rve d a n a ppre nti ceship in painting, th e n improve d th e ir a biliti es b y
working in t h e ir c r a ft a nd ea rning from oth e r highly skill e d m ech a ni cs
B ro Engle is schooled in th e fin e a r t s
a nd in dra fting , es s e ntial for th e type of bein g d o n e in th e mu-
Lodges Number 573
A p a ir of lodge m e rg e r s approve d b y the Grand Lodge at th e 1 9 83 Dec emb er Quarte rly C o mmuni ca tion and a single a pprova l a t the 1984 March Quarte rl y Communi ca tion has r e du ce d th e numbe r o f o dge s in Pe nn sylvania to 573.
Th e merge r of I o ni c Lodge No. 525, B e ll e vu e, with Pe rry Lodge N o 796 , We xfo rd, o be kn o wn as Perry-Ionic Lodge No 796, wa s approved on D e c e mbe r7 , to b ecom e e ffe ctive Dece mb e r 27 1983.
Both lodges a r e in the 48th Masoni c Dis tri ct.
Re pair of damage d o n e to t h e inte rior of th e Masonic T e mple in Philad e lphia ove r th e past s eve ral ye ars a s a r es ult of h e constru c tion ofa commuter tra in tunn e in c e nter city has b egun in earne s t. ·
Th e wor k in progres s s properly class ifi e d as restoration because oft he special skill s required to acco mpli s h it
The firm of Adolph Fre i and Son s, Inc., 72 2 -24 North third Street, Philad e lphia, has b ee n concentr a ting fo r t h e pa s t several w ee k s on th e library an d mu -
se um toda y.
Rest o r at i o n s a science w h e r e much
o f th e mate ri a in u se t o d ay s ve ry d f-
fe r e nt fro m th a t u sed t o c r ea t e th e o ri g-
in a art T o d ay's c rafts m e n mu s t b e a bl e
t o i mp ro vi se
Pa in ts u sed in re s t ora ti o n, o r exa mple,
ca nn o t be p ull ed from a s h e lf; th ey mu s t
b e mixe d a nd m a t c h ed on t h ejo b t o h e
ex s tin g c o lors. Intuition a n d im ag in at o n
are o fte n as m p o rtant as th e lea rn e d
a nd inn a t e a biliti es.
I t s ex p ected that th e r es tor a ti o n
w ithin th e Maso ni c Te mpl e w ill re quire a yea r or m ore fo r c ompl e tion
se um wh e r e th e d a mag e was fir s t d et ec e d durin g th e early ph ases o f tunn e co n s tru c tion
Esta bli s h e d in 188 4 , A d o lph Fre i , m a in ta in s th e high es o f repu ta tion s or th e s kill a nd abilities o f its a rti s t s, d e c orators a nd p a in ter s, p a rti c ula rl y in r estorati o n work w hi c h cl a im s 90 p e r cent o f th e firm 's bu s iness.
Virtu a lly a ll th e r es o r a ti o n wo rk don e in th e M as oni c Te mpl e o ver th e yea r s h as b een acco mplis h e d b y th e firm It h as a l s o d o n e mo s t ofth e r es t o r at ve w ork for th e A ca d e m y o Mu s i c, Forr es t T h ea re, a nd mos t o fth e churc h es a nd ca th e dra s in th e city.
A r ti sa n s in th e fi r m a r e a cl ose lmit g r o up Alfr ed O so n p r es id e nt was a n empl oyee of th e c om pa n y as was hi s fath e r before him b e fo r e b eco min g th e own er.
T h e c ur re nt r es t o rat o n w ith i n
Ou tsid e, th e s id e w a lks h ave b ee n re-
s o r e d a l o n g th e so uth s id e o fth e building
Th e sid e walks t o th e w es t alon g North
Broa d Stree t, mu s t b e r e pl aced a nd th e s treets aro und th e e ntire buil d ing will h a v e t o b e r e p aved
Recon s tru c ti o n o f th e in te r sect o n o f
Nor th Broa d Street a n d J o hn F Ke nn e d y
Bo ul eva rd s sch ed ul e d fo r co mpl e ti on thi s s u mme r
Al s o a pprov ed in Dece mber was the merger of Geter C. Shidle Lodge No 650 , Pittsburgh, into Lodge No. 45 , Pitts burgh , to be kn o wn a s Lodge No. 45, effe ctive Dece mbe r 27, 1 9 83.
Both lodges a r e in th e 28th Mas oni c Di s trict.
Th e m e rge rof Philates Lodge No.527 , Philad e lphia, into Leonard Forman Lodge No 782, Philade lphia, to be known a s Le onard Forman Lodge No. 782 , was approved and mad e effective on March 7 , 1984
Both lodge s are in M asonic Dis trict E.
Erie Area Masons to Host
June Quarterly Commission
Co nt n ued fro m p age 10.
Th e lodge sec r eta ri es h a ve b ee n ask ed to m a k e th e ir re ques t s as s p eci fi c as p oss ible so t h a t th e exp e n se o f was t ed fo o d
ca n be avoi d e d.
Th e actu a co mmuni ca tion will b egin pro mptly a t 7: 00 p.m. a nd lig h r e fr es hm e n ts w ill b e ava il a bl e a t th e co nclu s io n o f th e sess o n.
Tho se dri v ing will find a d e qu a e p a rkin g fa cilities w ithin th e high schoo co mpl ex.
A nu m b e r o f Eri e area m aso n s h ave vo luntee r ed to on v ari o u s co mmitt ee a ssignm e n ts t o ass s t h e Gra n d L o d ge in se ttin g up th e m ee tin g
Gr a nd M as t e r Ca rp e nte r w ill a rri ve ear ly in Eri e t o a tte n d a co mbin ed m ee tin g o f Lo dge No 40 8 a nd S p a rta n L o d ge No
372 in M ead vill e o n M o nd ay, Jun e 4 a nd a c ombin ed m ee tin g ofPine L o d ge No 498, Cove nant Lo dge No.4 73 a nd Co c hra nto n Lod ge No 790 in Lin esvill e on Tu es day, Jun e 5.
Th e m ee ting s a r e in w ith th e Gra nd Mas t e r' s p rog r a m of info rm a v stat i o n s t o th e odges throughout th e s tat e during 1 984.
More th a n 400 info r m a l vi s itat i o n s h ave bee n sch e dul ed throu g h 1 985 th e le n gt h o f h is expect e d term as G ra nd Mas e r
Grand Master Issues Two New Decisions
Th e R.W Grand Ma s t e r , Bro. Willi a m A. Ca rpent e r, ha s ss u ed two c hanges to th e Dige s of D ec isions
Th e firs t c h a nge, issu e d o n January 16, wa s to Articl e Ill, S e ction 14. Wh e n adopte d in 1977 as compani o n legis lation to th e proficiency d eci s ion the article r e quired that " a period of si x ( 6) months shall e lapse betwee n th e date th e n ewly-mad e Ma s on h a s the Master Mas on's degree c onferre d upon him and the date h e m a y s ign a petition for another organization requiring, a s a prerequisite, memb e rship a s a maste r M a son in a Lodge in this Jurisdiction. "
Th e c hange ha s th e effect of elimin atin g th e si x- month w aiting period but deve lop s a 60 -da y period after ea c h d e gre e wh e n a c a ndid a t e mu st prove proficien cy or b e susp e nded
A rticl e Ill , Section 14 now r e ad s: " T o promote a newly - mad e Mason' s profici e n cy in the craft, a s di c tated by Articl e 1 9 .03 ofth e Ahiman Rezon he s hall u se th e pro fici e n cy program prescrib e d b y th e Gra nd L o dge, a nd mu st to th e sa tisfacti o n of th e Wo r s hipful M as t e r o f t h e Lodge, prove his profi cie n c y w ithin s x ty days o r ece ivin g e a c h d egr ee b e fore h e ca n b e a dva n ce d , o r r ece ive his dues ca rd. Should h e fa il to prove his pro fi cie n cy w ithin sixty d ays a ft er r ece iving e ach o f th e t hree d egr e e s, h e is o b e s u s p e nd ed a t th e nex t s tated m eetin g o f th e Lo d ge. Th e Wor s hipful Mas t e r m ay, g i ve n ju s t cau se, exte n d th e p e riod upo n wr itte n application b y th e n e wly- m a d e Maso n " On ce th e n e wl y- mad e M as on h as proved his p ro fi cie n cy in th e third d egre e, and s iss u ed hi s du es card h e m ay th e n p e titi o n an o th er o r g ani z ati o n r e -
quiring, a s a prerequisite, m e mbers hip as a Mas ter Ma s on in a Lodge in thi s Juri s diction ."
A numbe r of Mason s wh o n eve r presente d thems e lve s to b e advan ce d b eyon d th e first o r second d egree, or who h ave fa iled to prove th e m se lve s proficient in th e third degre e, have bee n s u s p e nd e d under th e n ew d e ci s ion.
The Grand Ma s te r has m a d e it clear the new decis ion appli es to any p e r s on who has not b e com e a Mas t e r Mason, regardl ess o f ho w long h e h as been a membe r of the frate rnity
The s econd decision wa s a nnounced at th e March Quarterly Communication in Philad e lphia. It s implifi es th e pro ce ss for th e s usp e n s ion or expulsion o f m e mbers who h ave b ee n tried and con v icte d of a violation o f criminal law.
Secti o n 1 3 h as b ee n add e d to Articl e LXXXIX, S u s p e n s ion of M e mb e r s, a s fo ll ows:
" Wh e n a m e mb e r h as b ee n in d c t ed for a viol a tion of criminal la w and has bee n tri ed a nd convicte d o r has pl e ad e d guil ty, a n o ffe n se h as b ee n co mmitte d again s t Free m aso nry as t o whi c h th e r e ca n b e o n-
y on e r e s ult-s u s pen s ion or e x pul s ion
" A cco rdin g ly, th e l o dge t o whi c h s u c h m e mb er b e lo ngs n eed not p r e fe r c h a r ges and hold a m asonic tri a l, but s hall file a ce rtifi e d tra n script o ft h e c ou r r s d e ci s o n w t h th e Office of t h e Gra nd S ecr etary. Th e Gra nd Mas t er may th ere a fter dire ct th e m e mb er's s u s p e n s ion o r expul s ion d e-
p e nding on th e sever ity of th e c rim e.
" It i s to b e n o ted that tho se s u s p e nded m ay petiti o n a Gra nd Mas t e r at so m e
futur e tim e t o b e r e in sta t e d w h e r eas expul s ion will preve nt re in s tate m e n t.
Is There a Doctor in the llouse?
Th e Masoni c Hom es a t Eliza b e thtown is see king a full tim e Pennsylva nia li censed phys ici a n to join th e curre nt staff of three full tim e phys ici a ns Pos iti o n a v a ila ble Jun e 1. Phys icia n will p rac tic e in a mode m 482 -b e d H ea lth Care Ce nte r ca ring for th e 700 r es ide nts of th e Mason c Hom e s A n a ttractiv e c o mpe ns a tion p ackage includes a m a int e nan ce free home, f ully paid m a lpra ctic e in s u ra n ce a nd ex ce lle nt h ea lth ben efi ts. S e nd r es um e t o : J oseph Murphy, Executive D r ecto r , Ma sonic Hom es, E liza b e thtown PA 17022. Th e M asonic H o m es a t Eliz a b e thtown is a n equa opportunity e m p lo y er
Attendance Record?
Brother Howard H Zarfoss, Past Mas er a nd a member of Ab r aham C.
Tre c h le r Lo d ge No 682 in Elizabethtown, rece ive d h i s 50-year masonic service emb l e m in Marc h .
The presenta io n was mad e b y Bro. Marvi n G Spe c h er, District Deputy Grand Master for t h e 6oth Masonic District
Accord i ng to the Secretary of the Lodge, Bro. Robert H B ecker, Bro. Zarf oss w h o served the lodge as Wo r s hi pfu Master i n 1942, has not missed attend ng a sta t ed meeti ng of the o d ge since be i ng made a mason on January 15, 1934
Recor d After 12 5 Days
Continue d from pa g e 2 e d o ve r th e M a rch Qu a rte rl y Communication o f th e Grand Lodge a nd a S p e ci a Communicati o n c all e d fo r th e d e dic
ero es o f t h e lod ges w ho g o qui e tl y about th e ir wo rthwhil e often wJ thou r eward " Wh e n we ce a se t o h o n o r good m e n , we m ay ceas e to have h o n o ra bl e m e n ," th e Gr and Ma s t e r h as o ft e n sa id H e prese nte d to th e Wo r s hipful M ast e r s a nd th e ea d e r s o f th e oth e r bodi es h e h as v i s i t ed a o t a o f11 0 of th e threein c h b r onz e m e d a lli o n s
Grand Master is Honored by Chapel of Four Chaplains
The Chapel offo ur Chap la in s ha s prese nted ts highest award, th e L eg on of Honor bronze m edallion to th e RW. Grand Master, Bro. William A. Carpenter.
In announcing th e awa rd, Dr. Wa lte r H. White, C h a pla in , noted th e bronze m e d a -
li on h a d b ee n prese nted ju s t three tim es in 1 983- to U. S. Senator C la ud e Peppe r, Secreta!)' of th e Navy John Lehman, and th e Presidentofthe United States Ronald W Reagan.
Th e c h a p e s oca t ed at 1855 No r th Broad Street Philad e lphia, at th e h ea rt of h e Temple Un vers ty ca m p u s.
It was n a med in honor of four milital)' c haplain s who gave their life ja ckets t o you n g service men as the troop s hip S.S. Dorchester, t orp ed oed by an e n e my s ubmarine, sa n!' in th e North Atlantic off th e c o ast of Gre e nland on Fe brual)' 3, 1943.
The four c hapl ai ns, Al exa nde r D. Goode, J ewish rabbi; Geo rg e L Fox an d C lark V. Poling, Protestant mini s t ers, and J o hn P. Wash in gton, Roman Catholic pries t we r e a mong the 7 00 lives los t th a t day.
The ir last m o ments w e r e d escrib e d by Marga r et E. Sangster in th e "Saga of th e Four Chap a in s."
" So th e Fou r C h a plain s s tood on th e h eavin g decl,, with th e r ar m s linl,edeac h wi t hou t a life j acket
" Viol e nt sq u a ll s co nfu sed th e l ast moments o f th e S.S. Dorc h ester- fl a r es on th e bridge s howed the hu ge waves dash ing over it And so m ewh ere in th e seet hing ocean perhaps fou r men we r e c h ea ting d ea th, s upported by th e c h apla in s' g ifts."
Grand Master Carp e nte r was invited to r ece ve t he L egio n of Honor m e d a ll ion dur ng a s p ecia service o n S unday, April1
Dr. Wh i t e asked th e Gra nd Ma s t er to be pre pare d to d e liver a brief message.
"O ur foun der, th e late Dr. D a niel A Pol in g, was a ways high on the masons and I know your v s it would h ave give n him great p l easu r e," Dr. White sa id
The Grand Master re m embe r ed h s ass o ciat on w ith Bro. Po ing in hi s remarks.
" I recall pick in g him up on this Vel)' co rn er of No rth Broad S tree t on a Saturd ay in December of 1 953 w h e n h e agre ed t o be h e g u est spea k e r at th e a nnu a l b a nqu e t of Ch es ter L odge No. 236, t h e year I was Worsh ipful Master," t h e G ra nd Master sa id
" Dr. Poling was an in s pi ra tion to m e a nd m y autographed copy o f hi s book, Mine Eyes H ave Seen th e Glory, s o n e of my tru y pri zed possessions," h e co ntinu ed.
Gra_nd M ast er Carp e nter c h ose freedo m as th e s ubj ect of hi s r e m a rl, s H e spo k e of an in creasi n g number of Amer icans who h ave drifted away fr om an int e lligent und e r s ta ndin g of what A m erica is a ll about. He com p ared t h e atti udes ex pressed t o d ay w ith tho se evi d e nt n th e 1 940s w h e n "som e of u s within th s sac r e d c hap e thi s d ay can r eca ll w h e n we we re sepa r ated from o ur l oved ones to h e lp e nd to m a tters th a chall enged our vel)' freed oms."
" The s m a ll gro up of fo llowe r s o f Willi a m Penn who braved the At l anti c Ocean in th e dinky sa ilboa t " We come" just 300 years ago ast year, a n d anded n ot too many mil es from th i s vel)' spot, k n ew w h at th ey wanted in t h e n ame o f free do m," t h e Gr a n d Ma s t e r sa d.
" To th em, was a fr eedom to wors hip b ased on the laws of God. T h ey so ught to cr ea t e a n idea l co mmunity w h ere truth , u s tice and m e r cy prevai l ed, and where m en a nd wom e n co uld li ve toget h e r n h a rm ony a nd good order.
" Th e resu lts of th at holy ex per ment of
Wi ll iam Penn actu a ll y opened u p a n ew wo rld and n ew r eedoms fo r a ll th e r e-
li g i o n s th a t h ad b ee n su bj ect e d to opp r ess on ," Bro. Carpe nte r continu ed.
T h e Grand Mas t er s pol'e of th e need to protect and d e en d fre e dom. Noting t h e average age of t h e wor l d' s grea c iviliza tion s ha s been ju st 200 years. B ro.
Ca rp e nte r co mmented on th e s t ages throu g h whi c h those n a ti ons p ro gressed:
" From bo ndage to s p iritu a fa ith ; from sp iri tua fa ith t o g r eat cou r age;
"From g r eat co urage o liberty; from li be r ty t o abun dan ce;
"From a bundan ce to se lfi s hne ss; from se lfi s hne ss to com pl acency;
" From com pl acency to apath y; from apath y to d epe nd e n ce;
" f rom depe nd e n ce back t o bo nd age."
" Til e United S t a es manage d to s li p b y th e 2 00 year limitju st e i g ht years ago," th e Grand Mas t e r sa id, a ddin g. " Let u s hop e a n d pra y that our nation can b e th e exce p o n "
I t is interestin g to n ote in thi s year o f the 1 00th a n n ive r sa ry o f th e b rth of B ro.
Harl)' S. Truman h a t th e th en Pre s de n t of th e Unite d S t a t es ded cated the c l1 ape l on Februal)' 3, 1 95 1.
Bro. T rum a n sa d in th e d ed i cat i o n address, " We must never forg e t tha t thi s cou n tl)'was fou n ded by men w h o came o t h ese s h ores to wors hi p God as they p eased. Cat h ol cs, J ews, and Prote stants, a ll ca m e h ere for thi s g r eat purpo se. " Th ey did not come here to d o as th ey p eased but to wors l1i p God as t h ey p eased, and t h a t i s an importan t di s ti nction. Th e u ni ty of our count!)' com es from th s fact, " Pres d e n t Truman sa id " The acknowl edgm e nt of three fa h s e mbo di e d in The Chapel of Four C h a pa in s, wit h but on e God, m i rrors th e frat e rn a l co n cep t o fth e broth erhood of man under t h e fa th e rhood of God."
Third Pennsylvania Grant Used to Produce Radio Commercials
A t hi rd grant of$25,000 from the Grand Lodge o f Pennsylvan a to th e George Wash in gton Mason i c Nationa Memori al Ass oci at on h as been us e d to underwrite th e cos t of thre e profess onally produced rad i o com m e rci a s cr ea e d t o s timul ate interest in Freema so n !)' and to prom o t e a b etter und e r sta ndin g of th e fratern ty. The first $25, 000 Pe nn sylva nia grant i n 1982, was u sed for printe d and tel ev s i o n materia s that e nabl ed the genera publi c, as we ll a s th e m embers o f the fr a t e rnity, to l ea rn about the m em ori a and h ow t i s operated.
The second $25,000 grant in 1983, was used to prepare a series of four newspap er a d ve rti se ments. The ads grew out o f a number of r e qu es t s for in formation in light of in creased a ttacks aga in s t t h e frate rnity b y a numbe r o f gro up s, parti c ular y in the so uth as we ll as the larger radio s tation s. So m e radio stations may coop era te by a iring the t hree co mm e rcial s as public service a nnouncem e nts, but a ir time may have o be purchase d in order to make the greatest impa c t paper and radio
Th e advert se m e nts have been u sed in hundreds of newspapers acro ss t he count!)' w ith exce ll e nt results. Thousa nds of sets wer e se nt to evel)' s t a t e in th e nation
I s sugges t ed that th e n ewest ve n tu r e, th e rad o comme rci a ls, be u sed on l oca
t
Rad io a d ve rti si n g s mu ch ess expe ns ve th a n n ews pap e r advert i s ing and should in crease th e ab ili ty of individual s a nd lo dges to purc ha se a ir tim e
Then to o, t h e co mbin a ti o n of n ews-
Special Blue Lodge License Plates-Round Two
The O ffi ce of th e Grand Mas er, in r esponse o a n art icl e in th e February, 1 984 i ssue o f The Pen nsy lvania Freemaso n , rece ved more t h an 3.500 r equests for the specia blue o dge li ce n se pl ates t h at were to be mad e ava il a bl e thro ugh th e Pe nnsy l va ni a D e p a rtm e nt of Transportation.
Unfo r tunate y, a ser es of bu r eaucratic con fusio n s h as de ayed the ss u ance of th e requi re d ap pli cat on forms a n d, based o n our experi ence to date. we a r e h es ita nt to p re di ct w he n t he sta t e will be fea dy to proce ed.
We h ave r ece ved assura n ces from Penn Do th at the masonic lice n se p ates wi ll b e m ade ava il ab l e w h en t h e current impa sse over m a n u facturi ng procedures is so ve d.
We we r e advi sed in Feb ruary th at a d ecis o n had b een made (no t by Penn Dot) re quirin g the project b e put o ut o n b d, a p rocess tha was t o ha ve taken a minimum o f 60 days. Late r the bid r equiremen t wa s dropped, b ut it was r ep ort ed th at sp ec a dies wo uld have t o be made t o s tamp the sq u a r e and compasses sym bol into t h e pl a te in l i e u o th e two-color
wea th e r res i sta nt d eca l e n v s i oned initi a ll y.
The d ecis on o s tamp th e symbol is a good o n e in li g ht of report s th at d eca s b e in g u sed on oth e r va nity plates we r e destroye d by va nd a l s wh o s mp ly scrap ed th em off with a s h arp instru m ent.
T h e Grand Lodge h as rece ved ass u rances the specia l bl u e lodge plates w ill b e i ss u ed once th e probl ems h ave be en so lved. The Grand Mast er's Office i s p repared to r espo n d to the r equests on h and o n a fi rst r e qu est basis when production i s guaran t eed . A complete r ecord
h as b ee n ma in ta in ed despite th e volu m e and th e de ays.
I t t mportant tha th ose wh o h ave m ade req u ests fo r app li ca ti o n s m a inta in the r regu l ar ann u a regi stra ti o n . T h e $20 fee th at wil l be c h arged for t h e vanity plates wh en h ey becom e available s in additio n to annual r eg s tra ti on r e n ewa fees.
SOLOMON 11 00 RALLY Pl ease send m e t icke ts to the SOLOMON If' RALLY
Street to b e h e ld a t th e H e r s h ey park Arena, a t 7:00p.m. on Thursday, October 4, 1984.
City/S tate/ Zi p Code
T elephone numbe
Send ticket requests to: SOLOMON II , P.O. Box 3477. Harr sb urg , PA 17105-3 447
You a r e also r e mind ed that request s fo r th e s p e ci a pl at es are r estri c t ed to ve hi c es o th e r th an motorcycl es and tra il ers with a r egi s tered gross we g ht of not more th an 9,000 pound s The radio co mm e rcial s are available on six in c h so undsheets wh c h ca n b e used b y radio s t ations. Re que s ts for th e recorded m essa g es ca n b e addressed to : Public Rela ti o ns Office, Geo r ge Washington Ma s oni c Nationa Mem ori a l, 440 Hancock S treet Quincy MA 02 1 71.
