The Journal of The Masonic Society, Issue #11 by The Masonic Society

dly Apathy Michael R. Poll

The Journal

have all read or heard stories of individuals who have taken drastic steps to save their own lives. Recently I read of a man who w g some repair work on his water heater. He needed to reach far into the tank while lying on his back. While working in that posit rm became wedged in the tank and he found that it was impossible to remove it. He screamed for help, but was alone in the hous no one was near enough outside to hear his cries. The man had spent several days trapped with his arm hopelessly wedged when ced a disturbing smell coming from inside the tank and around his arm. The man later recounted that instinct must have taken ov managed to reach a saw and began to cut off his arm. The next day, several family members – concerned at not being able to reac – found him unconscious on the floor in a pool of blood, his arm severed at the elbow. The man was taken to the hospital where vered, but the doctors gave him a sobering report. Gangrene had set into his arm, and he was told that if he had not removed it w id, he would have died. The doctors a d that if he had waited any longer t ove the arm, it would have been to The poison would have spread throug y and nothing then would have saved h man’s life was saved not just beca took action, but when he took actio

Of The Masonic Society

ined Masonry in number of my Masons, I knew osophy or history ew was that it was ok my joining to nt. Such ignorance masonry prior e of the exception y of the young dy know much read the popular, Freemasonry. of the Lodge derful, mysterious, p of seekers. They part of such an is not exactly what join.

the mid-’70s. Whil family members ha next to nothing of t of Freemasonry. Al a “good” organizat find out what “goo of the philosophy o to joining is becom than the rule today. men who join Mas of its philosophy. T new and exciting b They arrive at the with an awareness moral and enlighte want to share in an organization. But, s they always find w

numbers of participation are The new reports new members etimes in very m to be having why is this o?

demits, NPD, and growing at an alarm paint a dismal pictu are coming fast, an good numbers, but trouble keeping the happening and wha

t seems to be happening is the young men come to Freemasonry with an idea of what it should be and find that it is something v rent. Many come with the hopes of finding enlightening discussions, intellectual programs designed to lift us to11 new heights and Winter 2010/2011 Issue arn more of ourselves and our world. Yet, sometimes all they find is “good ole boys” seeking to add another title, gain a bit more ority or power, and be more of the “big fish” in whatever pond they thrive. There is lots of coffee, but little real enlightenment. T ng Masons become upset at the reality of their Masonry when they compare it to what they believed of Masonry before they join e make their displeasure known – loudly. At times, such pointed objections by the young brothers are met with disapproval. It is

The Masonic Design Company Bespoke Masonic Cufflinks & Pins

Personalized to include Name, Date, etc.

No Minimum Order

All cufflinks supplied with a free pin

www.masonicdesigncompany.com email: info@masonicdesigncompany.com

Winter 2010/2011 THE JOURNAL OF THE

MASONIC SOCIETY WWW.THEMASONICSOCIETY.COM

Issue 11

Sections 4 President’s Message

ISSN 2155-4145

Editor in Chief Christopher L. Hodapp Phone: 317-842-1103 editor@themasonicsociety.com

1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248 Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 Editorial Committee Jay Hochberg - Submissions Editor Randy Williams - Assistant Editor Submit articles by email to: articles@themasonicsociety.com

News of the Society

7 Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings 8

Masonic News

31 Books, Arts, Styles & Manners 35 From the Editor

These guidelines apply to the reuse of articles, figures, charts and photos in the Journal of The Masonic Society. Authors need NOT contact the Journal to obtain rights to reuse their own material. They are automatically granted permission to do the following: Reuse the article in print collections of their own writing; Present a work orally in its entirety; Use an article in a thesis and/or dissertation; Reuse a figure, photo and/or table in future commercial and noncommercial works; Post a copy of the article electronically. Please note that Authors must include the following citation when using material that appeared in the Journal: “This article was originally published in The Journal of The Masonic Society. Author(s). Title. Journal Name. Year; Issue:pp-pp. © the Journal of The Masonic Society.” Apart from Author’s use, no material appearing in the Journal of The Masonic Society may be reprinted or electronically distributed without the written permission of the Editor. Published quarterly by The Masonic Society Inc. 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248, Indianapolis IN 46260-2103. Full membership for Master Masons in good standing of a lodge chartered by a grand lodge that is a member of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons of North America (CGMMNA), or recognized by a CGMMNA member grand lodge. (includes Prince Hall Grand Lodges recognized by their counterpart CGMMNA state Grand Lodge): $39/ yr., ($49 outside US/Canada). Subscription for nonmembers: $39/yr., ($49 outside US/Canada).

12 The Lion and

the Lamb: A Look at the Symbolism of Redwood Lodge’s Coat of Arms by Shai Afsai

15 Unity in Masonry By William J. Mollere

Officers Michael R. Poll, President John R. Cline, 1st Vice President James R. Dillman, 2nd Vice President Nathan C. Brindle, Secretary/Treasurer Christopher L. Hodapp, Editor-in-Chief Directors Ronald Blaisdell Kenneth W. Davis Andrew Hammer Jay Hochberg James W. Hogg Mark Tabbert Randy Williams

Articles

16 Speculative

Special Report 22 The 1964-65

Masonic Brotherhood Center

Innovations in Initiatic Ceremonies

by Bernhard W. Hoff

by Christopher L. Hodapp

26 The Buffs: A Short

Masonic Treasures

History of Lodge 170A in the 3rd Regiment of Foot by Peter G. Knatt

30 George

Washington Lodge No. 143 Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

36 Philanthropic

Lodge

Marblehead, massachusetts

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Journal of The Masonic Society, 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248, Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 © 2011 by The Masonic Society, Inc. All rights reserved. The MS circle and quill logo, and the name “The Masonic Society” are trademarks of The Masonic Society, Inc. and all rights are reserved.

COVER: This issue’s cover features a stained glass panel, depicting the trowel, the 24 inch gauge, and the common gavel. From George Washington Lodge No. 143 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the oldest purpose-built Masonic building in the state. Photo by Christopher L. Hodapp

WINTER 2010/2011 • 3

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Who Am I?

by Michael R. Poll, FMS

number of years ago I was visiting my doctor for a check-up. As I was outside in the waiting room, I picked up a medical magazine and started flipping through it. An article caught my attention. It was titled “Who Am I?” As I started to read it, I became enthralled. The article told the story of a man in his mid to late 30s who was found by the Chicago police around Midnight on a downtown street. He was unconscious and lying in a pool of blood from an injury to the back of his head. The man was wearing a business suit, but had no money, credit cards or any other identification on him. He was the apparent victim of a mugging. After spending several days unconscious in the hospital, the man finally awoke. He was completely disoriented. He had no idea how he came to be in the hospital or what might have happened to get him there. As his mind started to clear, instead of an improving situation, things became much worse. He began to realize that not only did he not know how he came to be in the hospital, but he also did not know his name, where he was from or anything at all about himself prior to waking up in the hospital bed. He had complete and total amnesia. The police sent photos of the injured man to the local media and sent his fingerprints off for possible identification. Neither proved helpful. Because of the number of large hotels in the area where he was found, the police felt that he could have been a businessman traveling to the city from almost anywhere.

it was necessary to overpower the enemy’s military. But, if one group wanted to completely destroy another group, then they would need to wipe out the enemy’s history. Look at the Mayan Indians. Their vast library was destroyed and all of their books, save just three, were burned to dust. And what do we know of the Mayan society and people today? What do the decedents of the Mayans know about their own history? Next to nothing. Even when there was no deliberate attempt at destroying another’s history, the lack of history can still create vacuums in our knowledge of the past. In north Louisiana there is an area known as Poverty Point. There are several large and impressive Indian mounds where a considerable amount of pottery has been excavated. Archaeologists know that this significant civilization existed several thousand years ago and that it is the largest and most complex site of its type discovered in North America. But, because of the lack of any written records and very little information on the people themselves, it is a true lost society. Our past is vital to us. The practical reality of the existence and nature of each of us depends on the continued knowledge of our nature and existence. When we die, the continued knowledge of us will only exist if our history is recorded and preserved. If not, then when we die, all knowledge of our achievements, work and self dies with us. Freemasonry is no different. Want to start a debate? Go into any Lodge and ask whether Freemasonry has its roots in the Knights Templar. In some Lodges, such a debate might end up in an argument. The simple truth is that we have little knowledge of the very early

he history of our Lodge or other Masonic body should not just be passed off as the concern of “those library types.” It is our history and we all share in its proper preservation … or its loss.

The doctors told the man that with his type of injury, amnesia was not uncommon. They told him that they could not give any sort of firm prognosis as there was simply too much that was unknown about this type of injury. There was no way to know if all of his memory, some of it, or any of it would return. The doctors also said that they could not give him any sort of time frame on when he might expect to see any changes or improvements. Uncertainty was the only thing that they were certain about. The man realized that the money and credit cards that were taken from him were insignificant. What they took of true value was his life. If he could not regain his memory, then the man he had been before waking up in the hospital bed was dead. Think about this man’s situation. Each one of us has a personal history in our memories. We remember childhood, our family, friends, and events both happy and sad. We remember school, early jobs, dating, marriage, children and everything that has gone into shaping us. Who we are today is based, in a large part, on the total memory of our experiences. Now, think about all of those memories disappearing into dust in a snap of your fingers. Who would you be? What would you be? In that situation, and especially if you were alone with no one around who knew you, how could you be the same person? This loss of identity and self is not limited to individuals. Groups of people and even whole societies have suffered the same fate. It was known long ago that if one group wanted to defeat another group, then 4 • WINTER 2010/2011

history of Freemasonry. The same is pointedly true of the early history of the Scottish Rite. Jurisdictional wars, destruction of early records, and “edited” histories designed to strengthen the argument of one or the other side makes our available knowledge questionable to the objective researcher. The history of our Lodge or other Masonic body should not just be passed off as the concern of “those library types.” It is our history and we all share in its proper preservation … or its loss. We need to be sure that not only are proper records taken and kept, but that we take all necessary steps to preserve old documents and records. When we look at the injured man’s situation, we can feel sympathy for him. But we are really only disinterested parties. We don’t know the man, and while we can realize the terrible situation he is in, we do not feel his pain. In Masonry, our loss of history is personal. We are not disinterested parties. It is our history and our personal loss when we are not able to answer questions about ourselves that we should be able to answer. The horrible mistake so many make is in believing that the preservation of our history is someone else’s job or duty – as if we play no part in it. If we don’t care, we don’t exist. It’s as simple as that.

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

News of the Society

s announced on the Masonic Society forum, our annual First Circle Gathering Banquet & Meeting will take place during Masonic Week on Friday, February 11th, 2011, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia. Our featured speaker will be Bryan Toye of Toye, Kenning and Spencer, who will speak on the history of Masonic regalia and his company’s three centuries of adorning the modern fraternity. If you are attending Masonic Week, be sure to visit the Masonic Society Hospitality Suite, which will be open evenings from Wednesday through the wee night hours of Saturday. Stop by our table in the vendor’s area to check on the room number.

ur deepest thanks go to all of the members of The Masonic Society for their continued confidence and support. It is your enthusiasm and belief in a fledgling organization that has allowed us to become the fastest growing Masonic research organization in the world, with brethren from every U.S. state, Canadian province, and 15 other countries around the globe—all in less than three years. As a young organization that started from scratch, we have accomplished much, but it takes some heavy lifting at times. We have had several officers and directors who have bowed out of leadership positions since we began in May 2008, not because of politics or piques, but simply because we take up lots of time, effort and sweat, and it can sometimes be overwhelming. Brother David Naughton-Shires has resigned as one of our Member Directors due to work and time complications. We extend our deepest appreciation to David for all his service and support. WBro. Andrew Hammer has accepted the vacant seat on the Board of Directors. His addition to the Board will be a tremendous asset to TMS. Bro. Andrew comes to us with skill, energy and drive. As the 2010 Worshipful Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge #22 in Alexandria, Virginia, Andrew has helped in a much noted revitalization of the lodge and its significance. Please welcome him as our new Member Director. Brother Martyn Greene has bowed out as our 2nd Circle Coordinator. His reasons mirrored David’s—work, family and the need to pay bills must come first, and we thank him for his hard work. Our First Vice-President, MWBro. John “Bo” Cline has taken on the additional duties of the 2nd Circle Coordinator with gusto, and has been busy contacting members with an interest in organizing 2nd Circle groups in their state or region. The following brethren are our current 2nd Circle Chairmen: United States Alaska: Joe Dahl Arizona: Gene Hutloff Arkansas: Patrick C. Carr California: Simon Aristide McIlroy California: Adam G. Kendall, Brian Bellinger, and Simon McIlroy (Co-Chairs) Connecticut: Don Tansey Florida: Ted Connally Illinois: Russ Schlosser Indiana: John Bridegroom, Colin Peterson (Co-Chairs) Iowa: Ryan Reid Kentucky: Daniel Ellnor Louisiana: Marc Conrad

Maryland: Dan Brewer Michigan: Jason Schneider Minnesota: Mark Robbins Missouri: Aaron Shoemaker Montana: Kevin Noel Olson Nebraska: Thomas L. Hauder Netherlands: Errol Feldman New Hampshire: R. Bradley Alderfer New Jersey: Jay Hochberg New Mexico: Kenneth Davis New York: William S. Arnold North Carolina: Larry Thompson, Benjamin Wallace (CoChairs) Ohio: Chad Simpson Pennsylvania: George R. Haynes Tennessee: John L. Palmer Utah: Calbrath Rasmussen Vermont: Dana Scofield Canada BC/Yukon: Gord Vokes Ontario: Tim Barber Saskatchewan: Terry Hastings Europe Norway: Leif Endre Grutle We need your help! The 2nd Circle Chairmen are our boots on the ground locally. They organize dinners and speaking events, run tables at grand lodges and other Masonic gatherings, send Society news to their local magazines and newsletters, and are our local contacts with our members. If you are interested in helping the Masonic Society in your state or region, please contact Bo Cline.

he Masonic Society’s New Jersey 2nd Circle held its first gathering on Tuesday, November 30th at Bloomfield Steak & Seafood House in Bloomfield, New Jersey. An enlightening lecture followed an outstanding dinner, featuring Brother Ben Hoff, the Right Worshipful Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey and Worshipful Master of NJ Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786.

he New Mexico 2nd Circle will hold a dinner on April 2nd in Albuquerque, NM, following the New Mexico Lodge of research meeting. Featured speaker will be Journal editor Christopher Hodapp. For information, contact Brother Ken Davis.

B 2011.

rother Mark Tabbert has been elected to be a full member of Quatuor Coronati Lodge # 2076. He will present “The Social Evolution of American Freemasonry” in London on April 30,

WINTER 2010/2011 • 5

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

News of the Society ith great pride and appreciation, The Masonic Society welcomes the following brethren as our esteemed new members from October 1st through December 31st, 2010. Wilbert B Adams Henry W Aden Shai Afsai Dr. Juan Carlos Avilés Michael Lee Bailey Gordon L. Barrett Zahary C Beach Sean F Beesley Douglas John Bewick William Bohler Gregory R. Born Patrick F. Bracken II Gerald C. Bradshaw Robert Brightbill Mike Busby Arthur Lee Campbell III Oliver Coddington Aaron B. Crane

Michael Dennis Cruise Walter C Daniels Dennis William Delorme Andrew Joel Dobson Thomas Joseph Dunworth Joseph Wayne Durham Paul A. Evermon III Daniel J. Flynn John Freund John D. Gentry Jr. Leon I Gilner M.D. Jeff Goodlove Shane M Griffin Jesse H. Gross Eric Gunderson Uwe Hain Rev. William W Haley Thomas Bennett Hamilton Jr.

Charles E Harrell Robert E. Hart Andrew Heim Carl V Hickey Robert W. Howard Jr. Jamie Janiak Edward Johnson Robert V. Kalian James Nick Katsaounis John W. Kinnier Rick C. Komraus Samuel Joseph Koza Simon R. LaPlace Casey Latham Barry N LeVoir William S Lobay Tom N Loftis Sr. Mark A Luhtanen

IN MEMORIAM

rother and TMS Founding Member Scott Arnold of Manalapan, New Jersey was killed in a car accident near Lubbock, Texas in October 2010. He was 27 years old. His fiancee, Vanessa Chirichella, was injured in the accident, as well. Scott was Senior Deacon of Union Lodge No. 19 in North Brunswick, New Jersey. He was a graduate of Rutgers University, and was a volunteer firefighter. Union’s Worshipful Master Gordie Barrett said in a message, “Scott was a well-loved and deeply respected brother among us. He was known for his beautiful ritual work and his huge heart. His thirst for knowledge was unquenchable and he has enriched all of our lives.” His brethren mourn. R.I.P.

apers will be presented by several of our members at the International Conference on the History of Freemasonry at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia May 27-29. Plenary speakers include Steven Bullock, Robert Cooper, Arturo de Hoyos, Andreas Onnerfors, and Chernoh Sesay, Jr.

MS members dominate the lineup at this year’s Spring Masonic Workshop, April 15-17 at Delta Lodge resort in Kananaskis, Alberta. Keynote speaker is Founding Fellow S. Brent Morris, and the featured author is Fellow Timothy Hogan. Other speakers include Fellow Randy Williams and Member Bruce Zawalksky. The Masonic Society is a proud sponsor of this event. For more information see www.masonicspringworkshop.ab.ca

6 • WINTER 2010/2011

Jackson E. Marston Charles E Martin John M. Mashek Frank A Mayer III Steve McGuire Chad M Merfeld Paul J Moretti Sr. Richard F Muth Scott A Nelson Ezra Ross Olson Reynaldo L Pella Edward Potter George William Pursley Calbrath M Rasmussen Dr. Robert D Reinhart M.D. Kristian Reninger Brian M. Riley Enoc Rodriguez Jr.

Steve Smolenak Randy Spaulding James Standish, Jr. Manuel Steele Steven Christopher Stefanakos Michael A. Stein James A Stevens Col JD Stevens Shane Keith Stewart Leo G Synakowski Dr. Ashley James Thomas J. Gregory Wallace William B. Wojtas Jr. Joshua L.C. York

he Masonic Society’s Semi-Annual Meeting will take place this summer on July 15-16, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the heels of the Rocky Mountain Masonic Conference. Details will be announced in the Spring issue of the Journal, and on our online forum. Please forward proposals for papers to Jay Hochberg at articles@ themasonicsociety.com.

he history of Freemasonry in Louisiana is as colorful and rich as everything else about that incredible region, with influences from France, Spain, England and the Caribbean. In celebration of the bicentennial of the creation of the Grand Consistory of Louisiana, the New Orleans Scottish Rite History & Research Symposium will be held in New Orleans June 1-4, 2011. Some of the world’s leading scholars and historians will present papers on the history and development of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, as well as high grade Scottish Rite Masonry in New Orleans. The Masonic Society is a proud sponsor of this event. Registration can be made online, along with hotel reservations, at http://www.neworleansaasr.info

on’t forget that there’s always lively conversation on our private online Forum. And be sure to sign up for our two pages on Facebook: The Masonic Society and the Journal of the Masonic Society. Interested in advertising in the Journal? Act now while our rates are still low! Send inquiries to ads@themasonicsociety.com

Renew your membership now online at www.themasonicsociety.com

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings February 9-12, 2011 Masonic Week Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel, Alexandria, VA For information updates, see http://www.yorkrite.com/ MasonicWeek/index.html

March 23, 2011 Valley of Lake Worth, Florida Exemplification of the Fellowcraft Degree of the French Rite (sometimes called “Red Lodge” Masonry) by the Consistory. 7:30 p.m. Open to Master Masons.

June 11, 2011 New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786 Meets at Trenton Masonic Temple. 100 Barrack St., Trenton. 10 a.m.

February 10, 2011 Scottish Rite Research Guild, Valley of South Bend, Indiana MW Bro. Craig S. Campbell from the Silas H. Shepherd Research Lodge will speak on Colonial Masonry.

March 29, 2011 The American Lodge of Research Masonic Hall, French Ionic Room, 71 W. 23rd St., NYC, 8 p.m.

June 25, 2010 California Masonic Symposium “Morgan Affair: The kidnapping that changed American Masonry,” Pasadena Scottish Rite Center.

April 4, 2011 Allied Lodge No. 1170, New York City Lecture on “The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences.” Grand Lodge of New York, tenth floor, 7:30 p.m.

July 8, 2011 Anniversary Lodge of Research No. 175 in New Hampshire Annual Meeting and Installation of Officers, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

February 11, 2011 Masonic Society Annual Meeting & Banquet Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel, Alexandria, VA February 11, 2011 Anniversary Lodge of Research No. 175 in New Hampshire Meeting at Pulpit Rock Lodge No. 103, Pelham, New Hampshire. February 12, 2011 Hermann-Humboldt Lodge No. 125 in Pennsylvania Bicentennial celebration of the German-language lodge at the Grand Lodge in Philadelphia. February 17, 2011 Scottish Rite Research Guild, Valley of South Bend, Indiana MW Bro. Craig S. Campbell from the Silas H. Shepherd Research Lodge will speak on Colonial Masonry. The 20° (Master ad Vitam) of the AASR to follow. 6 p.m.

April 8-10, 2011 Midwest Conference on Masonic Education Detroit Masonic Temple, Detroit, MI April 9, 2011 Civil War Lodge of Research No. 1865, Petersburg, Virginia Location and time TBA. April 14, 2011 Anniversary Lodge of Research No. 175 in New Hampshire Meeting at St. Peter’s Lodge No. 31, Bradford, New Hampshire.

February 23, 2011 Valley of Lake Worth, Florida Exemplification of the Entered Apprentice Degree of the French Rite (sometimes called “Red Lodge” Masonry) by the Consistory. 7:30 p.m. Open to Master Masons.

April 15-17, 2011 46th Annual Masonic Spring Workshop, Kananaskis, Alberta “Drawing Aside the Veil.” Keynote speaker: Founding Fellow S. Brent Morris. Featured Author: Fellow Timothy Hogan. Other speakers to include Fellow Randy Williams and Member Bruce Zawalksky. More info at http://www.masonicspringworkshop.ab.ca/

February 26, 2011 Rose Circle Research Foundation, New York City Bro. Christopher McIntosh, author of The Rose Cross and the Age of Reason: Eighteenth-Century Rosicrucianism in Central Europe and its Relationship to the Enlightenment to speak. Masonic Hall, 71 W. 23rd St., NYC, 2 p.m.

April 22, 2011 South Carolina Masonic Research Society The Society’s first Symposium and Banquet. Omar Shrine Temple in Mt. Pleasant, 7 p.m. $25 per person. Formal dress. Keynote speaker: Bro. Michael A. Halleran, author of The Better Angels of our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War.

February 27, 2011 George Washington Masonic Stamp Club Annual Meeting and 55th Anniversary. “Master of Philately Degree” to be conferred on Life Members. George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia. 1:30 p.m.

April 23, 2011 New Mexico Lodge of Research & Masonic Society Second Circle Gathering Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founding Fellow Christopher Hodapp to speak. Location, time TBA.

March 2, 2011 (Texas Independence Day) Texas Lodge of Research in the United Kingdom Texas Lodge of Research’s UK branch at the Masonic Hall, Chester-le-Street, Province of Durham, England. For information, contact Alan Bell at abell@criticalstrategy.com March 3-5, 2011 38th Phylaxis Society Convention Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport Westshore, Florida. March 7, 2011 Allied Lodge No. 1170, New York City Fellowship Night with Shakespeare Lodge No. 750, GLNY; and Boyer Lodge No. 1, MWPHGLNY. Lecture on “Second Degree Tools, Emblems, and Prayer.” Grand Lodge of New York, tenth floor, 7:30 p.m.

April 27, 2011 Valley of Lake Worth, Florida Exemplification of the Master Mason Degree of the French Rite (sometimes called “Red Lodge” Masonry) by the Consistory. 7:30 p.m. Open to Master Masons. May 2, 2011 Allied Lodge No. 1170, New York City Lecture on “The Sprig of Acacia and Walk about the Lodge.” Grand Lodge of New York, tenth floor, 7:30 p.m. May 16, 2011 Allied Lodge No. 1170, New York City Lecture on “The Kabbalah.” Grand Lodge of New York, tenth floor, 7:30 p.m.

March 12, 2011 New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786 10 a.m. at Hawthorne-Fortitude Lodge No. 200, at 24 No. Franklin Turnpike in Ramsey, NJ.

May 26-30, 2011 Third International Conference on the History of Freemasonry George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia. Speakers include Steven Bullock, Robert Cooper, Arturo de Hoyos, Andreas Onnerfors, and Chernoh Sesay, Jr.

March 14, 2011 Kensington-Kadosh Commandery No. 54, Knights Templar Founding Member Jan L. Boggess to speak on “Historical Aspects of Pennsylvania Knights Templar.” Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.

June 1-4, 2011 New Orleans Scottish Rite History and Research Symposium Royal Sonesta Hotel. Sponsored by the A&ASR Southern Jurisdiction, the Valley of New Orleans, and co-hosted with The Masonic Society.

March 19, 2011 Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge Freemason Cultural Center, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Program TBA.

June 4, 2011 Scottish Rite Research Guild, Valley of South Bend, Indiana Founding Fellow S. Brent Morris to speak on “Trends Affecting American Masonry.” 12:30 p.m.

July 9, 2011 Harold V.B. Voorhis Ingathering, Allied Masonic Degrees, New Jersey 9 a.m. at Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge No. 10 in Westfield. Degree to be conferred; papers to be presented. July 9, 2011 Civil War Lodge of Research No. 1865, Winchester, Virginia Location and time TBA. July 14, 2011 Scottish Rite Research Guild, Valley of South Bend, Indiana Kevin Townley will speak on Restoration of Masonic Geometry and Symbolry, the recently reprinted classic text authored by Henry P.H. Bromwell. 8 p.m. July 11-13, 2011 74th Great Smokies York Rite Summer Assembly of York Rite Masons Maggie Valley, NC July 14-16, 2011 Rocky Mountain Masonic Conference Speakers: David Heathcote, Chris Hodapp, Brent Morris, Cliff Porter. Salt Lake City, UT See website for details: http://www.utahgrandlodge.org/RMMC2011/ July 14, 2011 Scottish Rite Research Guild, Valley of South Bend, Indiana Kevin Townley will speak on “Restoration of Masonic Geometry and Symbolry,” the recently reprinted classic text authored by Henry P.H. Bromwell. 8 p.m. July 15-16, 2011 The Masonic Society Semi-Annual Meeting Salt Lake City, UT August 28-30, 2011 Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction Supreme Council Annual Session Chicago, IL September 8, 2011 Scottish Rite Research Guild, Valley of South Bend, Indiana Founding Fellow Mark Tabbert to speak. Topic TBA. September 10, 2011 New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786 Meets at Trenton Masonic Temple. 100 Barrack St., Trenton. 10 a.m. October 1, 2011 Civil War Lodge of Research No. 1865, Saltville, Virginia. Location and time TBA. October 14-16, 2011 Grand Lodge of Arizona Masonic Education Academy Esplendor Resort, Rio Rico, Arizona. Program TBA. October 29, 2011 Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge Freemason Cultural Center, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Program TBA.

Please send notices of your event to Jay Hochberg at articles@themasonicsociety.com WINTER 2010/2011 • 7

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Masonic News

he Grand Lodge of Ohio F&AM has chartered its newest lodge, Arts & Sciences Lodge No. 792, on October 30, 2010, after working for one year under dispensation. The lodge meets at the Masonic temple of Avery Lodge in Hilliard, Ohio.

ssembled members of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky F&AM struck down proposed legislation that would have banned openly gay men from joining Kentucky lodges. In June 2010, Hiram Lodge No. 4 in Frankfort proposed to change the state constitution to include, “Homosexual relationships, openly professed and practiced, are a violation of the moral law and therefore unmasonic conduct. No openly homosexual Freemason shall be allowed to retain membership in this grand jurisdiction.” The change failed at the grand lodge session in October.

n the 17th century, Rabbi Jacob Jehudah Leon, also known as Leon Templo, created a model of Solomon’s Temple, extrapolated from the Book of Kings and the Book of Samuel, with some additional references in the Book of Chronicles, the final book of the Hebrew Katuvim. In 1675, he took the model to London, where it became a popular attraction. King Charles II and Sir Christopher Wren both viewed it, and at 13 feet high and 80 feet in circumference, it must have been impressive. Leon’s “Temple and the Tabernacle” became the basis for a widely circulated etching. His artwork was subsequently incorporated in the coat of arms of the Grand Lodge of the Antients, and eventually of the merged United Grand Lodge of England in 1813. It is entirely probable that Leon’s Temple model had a strong influence on the creators of what became speculative Masonic ritual. The Library and Museum of Freemasonry at London’s Freemasons Hall will present a new exhibit January 17th through May 27th, 2011. Building Solomon’s Temple will tell the tale of how Freemasonry took the biblical account of Jerusalem’s Temple of Solomon and made it real within its lodge halls. It will also explore how archeological expeditions to the Holy Land in the 1800s inspired Masons like Rob Morris and Robert Freke Gould. Morris chronicled his own trip in his book, Freemasonry In The Holy Land, or Handmarks of Hiram’s Builders in 1872.

he continued burgling and vandalism of Masonic temples continues apace. Four Indiana State University students were arrested in October after breaking into the Masonic temple in Terre Haute, Indiana. The thieves used the fire escape to get on the roof, after first casing the building at an open house. “They told the officers on the scene they’d been studying Masonic Templar history, and they were curious to see what they could find,” reported Terre Haute Police Detective Julia Dierdorf. A unique excuse for burglary— breaking in because they wanted to learn about history. Once inside, police said they tried to steal a sword, sheath and sash. “They had been there the week prior and knew the entry door on the roof was unsecure,” Detective Dierdorf said. Reports of lodge break-ins and vandalism continue to rise. The Masonic Temple in Manteca, California, home of Tyrian Lodge No. 439, was broken into over the New Years weekend, as we went to press, with approximately $7,000 in damage. 8 • WINTER 2010/2011

asonic buildings that are not blessed with sound fiscal planning or endowed capital accounts are always searching for new and innovative ways to keep the doors open. The 1897 Charleston, West Virginia Masonic temple has opened its doors to local artists and artistic groups, and is becoming a center of the community. Jeffrey Thomas, an investment adviser and chairman of the board of trustees of the Masonic Temple building, told the Charleston Gazette, “We’re working with artists who need spaces to work; the Masonic Temple is opening its doors for all of the artists in the area,” Thomas said. “We’re offering great rents, some as little as $65 a month, to make this work” The Charleston Ballet and the American Academy of Ballet are both tenants in the temple. “We give them way-below-market rent – started them out even lower,” Thomas said. “It’s our way of making a contribution to the arts in Charleston.”

ichard E. Fletcher has announced his resignation as Executive Secretary of the Masonic Service Association of North America, to be effective at the close of the MSA’s annual meeting in Denver next February. He has served with great devotion in this position since 1987. M:.W:. Brother Fletcher has been a tireless advocate for the fraternity. He is a Past Grand Master of Vermont, as well as a 33° Scottish Rite Mason, and he came to MSA after a long career in banking. Under almost a quarter century of his leadership, the MSA established the Masonic Information Center, “Operation Phone Home” providing prepaid calling cards to overseas military personnel, and created the Twain Award to reward excellence in Masonic awareness among individual lodges in North America. His travel schedule would be daunting for men half his age, and he attends dozens of grand lodge sessions each year, often with his lovely wife Judy. His departure marks the end of an era for MSA. The MSA was created in 1919 to provide services to its member Grand Lodges that they would find difficult to provide for themselves. It is the one organization that provides a national voice for mainstream Freemasonry in North America, and it is a commission of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America. The Executive Commission is accepting resumes and proposals from interested individuals who seek to fill the executive secretary’s position. Contact: M:.W:. Thomas Galyen, Chairman of Recruitment, MSAofNA, 9112 Fern Cove East, Olmsted Falls, OH 44138. Email: tophat97@aol.com

reland’s Freemasons are among numerous organizations, churches, dioceses, political figures and charities which have lost a fortune on their Bank of Ireland investment shares in the Irish financial disaster. According to the Belfast Telegraph on November 6th, 2010, “The Masonic Trust Company, which represents the Freemasons and invests money on behalf of Masonic Lodges around Ireland, is nursing one of the biggest investment losses with its shares reduced from a high of €12.7 million (US$17.8 million) to just €338,000 (US$474,000).”

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Masonic News

he deal that was the lifeline for the Detroit Masonic Temple has come to an end, and the building’s future is again in doubt. Unfortunately, the Scottish Rite and the Shrine both abandoned the 1,000 room building several years ago, leaving the remaining lodges and York Rite bodies on their own to struggle to maintain it, pay the utilities and taxes. The hope was that Detroit businessman Michael Ilitch’s Olympia Entertainment management group would revitalize the Temple’s two theatres and spur new development in Detroit’s troubled Cass Corridor, which is off the beaten track from the downtown entertainment centers. An Ilitch-owned casino is just three blocks away from the Temple, and the dream was that the neighborhood between the two would be revitalized, perhaps with a boutique hotel in the former Shrine wing. Sadly, not in this economy. Olympia has now backed out of the management of the theatres and dropped its financial support. However, reports are surfacing in the local press of an “unknown investor” purchasing properties in the area, including the former hotel next to the Temple. What comes next for the largest Masonic building in the world is anyone’s guess. If you have never visited the Temple, make the effort, and soon.

he Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago is at last moving forward with construction of its new headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois (artists rendering above). REJournals.com reported in November that a construction manager and general contractor have been hired for the long-delayed project. The 62,000 square foot facility will include a 250-seat auditorium, a 90-seat lodge hall, dining room, bar, game room, library, museum, learning center, offices, and a board room. A two-story gallery will feature embossed copper medallions embedded in the floor, symbolizing the 33 degrees. The Valley hopes to have the building ready by late 2011.

assachusetts Masons have a program to encourage brethren to visit other lodges. The Traveling Man Masonic Passport is a great way to keep a personal record of lodge travels. The passport has blanks that are signed and dated by the visited lodge Master and Secretary, and then embossed with the lodge’s seal. After registering the passport on the program’s website, you return to the site to report your visits. When you travel to 3, 5 & 7 different lodges you will be awarded a Certificate of Recognition, presented to you in your Mother lodge. When you have traveled to 9 different lodges, you will be awarded a custom “Franklin Key” lapel pin. The cost of the

passport and online record is $15.

New Zealand Christian minister has objected to a local Masonic lodge being used as a temporary book repository for the town library, on the grounds that Masonry is, in his view, dabbling in pagan witchcraft. John Cromarty, of St David’s Church in Carterton, objects to a Masonic Lodge being used as a temporary library because he says the group is connected to witchcraft. The Wairarapa Times-Age reported: “In a letter to Carterton Mayor Gary McPhee, Mr Cromarty said he and his wife had handed in their library cards and were asking their friends not to visit the lodge, which was housing the town’s books while a new events centre was built. He said while Freemasonry did some good in the community and portrayed a facade of being compatible with Christianity, its foundations were rooted in witchcraft and paganism. “

anawha County Circuit Court Judge Carrie Webster ruled on December 14th, 2010 that the Grand Lodge of West Virginia AF&AM violated its own internal rules in the manner in which WV’s Past Grand Master Frank Haas was expelled in 2006 without a Masonic trial. However, the jury awarded no remedy or damages on a breach of contract. The upshot: Grand Lodge was wrong to expel Haas in the manner it did, without the benefit of a Masonic trial, but no legal penalties of any kind can be held against them for breaking those internal rules. Haas was not reinstated as a Mason by the Court, and his lifetime membership in West Virginia remains forfeited. Estimates have varied, but some speculation has been that fighting the case in court cost the Grand Lodge of West Virginia as much as $400,000. Haas was initiated, passed and raised all over again on April 17th, 2010 in Steubenville Lodge No. 45 in Ohio, where he has since been installed as Senior Deacon. As a result of that action, the Grand Lodge of West Virginia has suspended recognition of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, and West Virginia Masons risk expulsion by visiting Ohio lodges. Because of the current situation, West Virginia Masons were blocked in December from conducting a Masonic funeral service for an Ohio Mason living in West Virginia. (Ohio Masons were not prevented from crossing the border and performing the service for their fallen brother.)

ast Grand Master Fred D. Parris 33° of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York was murdered on Sunday, December 12th in Barbados. Brother Parris was 90 years old, and was found stabbed to death on Brighton Beach, St. Michael, Barbados. He served as a director of New York’s Harlem Hospital for 25 years, and was elected as Grand Master in 1995. He lived in the U.S. for 35 years. Parris was the son of the first black captain of police in Barbados, and he retired back to the island ten years ago. As of this writing, there are no suspects in the case. R.I.P.

WINTER 2010/2011 • 9

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Masonic News

asonic Lodges around Holyoke, Massachusetts found a simple way to help their community. Collection boxes for the Goodwill were placed outside Masonic Lodges for the statewide open house day in October. Goodwill’s retail stores are thriving during these tough economic times, but donations are on the decline. This is a simple way for lodges to help their local community by partnering with established charities and services.

n January 1st, 2011, the Grand Lodge of Indiana F&AM began presenting a year-long video series of Masonic lectures over the Internet. Dubbed the Worldwide Exemplification of Freemasonry, the series will begin with a presentation by Prestonian Lecturer John Wade on the subject of Quatuor Coronati, the Four Martyrs. Each Saturday evening, a new video will be presented on the website, at 8PM EST (-5 GMT), and a live chat will be offered afterwards via Facebook following the presentation. The videos are available for viewing or downloading for only two weeks. The project is the brainchild of WBro. Al McClelland, who has spent untold time and toil to bring this program and these presenters together. For a complete list of lecturers and dates, visit the website at www.weofm.org

utside of the U.S., the Chevaliers Bienfaisants de la Cité Sainte (CBCS), or Knights Beneficient of the Holy City, is a system of the Rite Ecossais Rectifie (Scottish Rectified Rite), and considered to be the oldest continuously operating Christian chivalric Masonic Order in the world. It traces its roots back to Baron Karl Gotthelf von Hund’s “Rite of Strict Observance” in Germany in the 1750s. By widespread agreement, even though it possesses its own degree rituals for the Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason degrees, like the Scottish Rite systems in the U.S. and most of Europe, CBCS acknowledges that those degrees are the sole domain of Masonic grand lodges. Since 1934, a charter has been held in the U.S. by the Grand Priory of America CBCS, which was granted by the Grand Prieuré Indépendant d’Helvetie (Great Priory of Switzerland) CBCS. The Grand Priory of America was established in Raleigh, North Carolina by Dr. William Moseley Brown and J. Raymond Shute II. This is an invitational group, and its constitution limited membership to just 81 in the U.S., dividing the country into three prefectures with 27 members each. Since its chartering, it seems there have never been any more than 45 or 50 members in the U.S. at any one time. Because of its historic origins as a Templar-based organization, the Great Priory of America has operated under a treaty with the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America. The initial agreement was that the Great Priory of America would be little more than an invitational supper club, and not confer degrees. With that assurance, the Grand Encampment looked the other way for decades. In 2009, the Great Priory of America objected officially to four American Masons being initiated into the English CBCS by the Great Priory of Anglia (England) as infringing on its territory. The GPA CBCS claims its degrees are a system of the Rectified Scottish Rite, which is totally different from the Knights Templar, and therefore not subject to the Grand Encampment’s rulings. The Grand Encampment, in response, points to the CBCS charter that clearly says “Ordre Templier”, as well as the fact that other

10 • WINTER 2010/2011

Templar grand bodies around the world recognize CBCS as a Templar body. And the CBCS ritual itself, as adopted in the U.S. makes the claim that its members “are the successors, or the spiritual continuators, of those valiant Knights who of yore founded the Beneficent Order of the Knights of the Holy City, and who bore so gloriously the title of Templars.” After meetings, letters and heated emails, Grand Master William H. Koon II of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the USA issued the following statement on May 5, 2010: The Great Priory of America is an unrecognized Templar Order operating within the United States of America, in direct conflict with Section 3 of the Constitution of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America. Accordingly, membership in the Great Priory of America is incompatible with membership in the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America and any Grand, Subordinate, or Constituent Commandery under its jurisdiction or owing allegiance to the same. A new wrinkle has now developed. Just before Christmas 2010, the Grand Encampment announced on its website that the Grand Priory of the Scottish Reformed and Rectified Rite of Occitania (in the south of France) has issued a new charter to the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the USA to form a new “Grand Priory of the Scottish Reformed and Rectified Rite of the United States of America.” And the official program for the 2011 Masonic Week in Alexandria has been amended to show a meeting, by invitation, of the Grand Priory of the Scottish Reformed and Rectified Rite of the United States of America. What now remains to be seen is if the GPA continues to assert its independence, and whether its members will be expelled from U.S. Templary by the Grand Encampment; and if the regular, recognized world of Templary outside of the U.S. will consider the Grand Encampment’s new charter from the SRRR of Occitania (widely considered to be an irregular French body that has formed its own spurious French grand lodge) to be a shot across their bows.

ontroversy continues to plague the Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF). On December 7th, 2010, a Paris High Court demanded the General Assembly of the GLNF be convened to consider removing Grand Master Francois Stifani from office. The battles in the GLNF have been splashed across the web, newspapers, magazines, TV and courtrooms, and dozens of lodges and hundreds of GLNF Masons are in turmoil. Three members of the GLNF Board have recently resigned, including the Deputy Grand Master. Grand lodges in Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg have issued official letters of complaint to the GLNF and Stifani, protesting his 2009 written pledge of the GLNF’s support to French President Nicolas Sarkozy as being in violation of the most basic tenets of Freemasonry. Stifani shrugged off those contacts, but on December 9th, the United Grand Lodge of England weighed in with an official message of protest, saying it “clearly offends against one of the basic principles of Freemasonry—that a Mason acting in his Masonic capacity does not make any comment on state of social policy, or which could be construed as allying himself or his Grand Lodge with a particular political party or faction. . . If the letter is genuine, it could seriously affect the close relations that have always existed between the United Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Masters of your Grand Lodge.” Grand Master Stifani now contends that the Sarkozy letter is an elaborate forgery, and has filed a police report to that effect.

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

he scene amidst which C

THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Please fill out this form and mail it with payment (check or money order drawn in US Dollars for the appropriate amount) to:

Name (First)____________________________________________ Last___________________________________________ Name as you would like it to appear on your membership materials (card and patent):

______________________________________________________________________________________________ Address:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City ______________________________________________State/Province___________________________ ZIP or Postal Code _______________ Country ____________________________________________________ Email address ________________________________________________ Please choose one of the following: Regular Membership (1 year - US/Canada) $39.00

Regular Membership (1 year - outside of US/Canada) $49.00

I certify that I am a Master Mason in good standing of a lodge chartered by a grand lodge that is a member of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons of North America (CGMMNA), or recognized by a CGMMNA member Grand Lodge. (Includes Prince Hall Grand Lodges recognized by their counterpart CGMMNA state Grand Lodge.)

Year made a Master Mason_________________ Primary Lodge Name & Number ____________________________________________________ Grand Lodge of ________________________________________________________________________Year you were born_________________ Subscription to the Journal of The Masonic Society ONLY Subscription Only (1 year - US/Canada) $39.00 Subscription Only (1 year - outside of US/Canada) $49.00 And please give us a bit of information about your reason for subscribing:

Freemason from jurisdiction NOT in amity with Conference of Grand Masters of Masons of North America or a member grand lodge. Library or Museum

Lodge

Academic

Other __________________________________________________

How did you hear about us?__________________________________________________________________________________________ Were you recommended by a member?________________________________________________________________________________ Join online and pay with credit card via Paypal at www.themasonicsociety.com WINTER 2010/2011 â&#x20AC;˘ 11

SYMBOLISM

The Lion and the Lamb: A Look at the Symbolism of Redwood Lodge’s Coat of Arms by Shai Afsai, mMS

pon becoming a Master Mason and a member of Rhode Island’s Redwood Lodge No. 35, I was presented with a copy of Louis Baruch Rubinstein’s history of Redwood and a pair of multicolored cufflinks imprinted with the Lodge’s coat of arms. While I have since read Rubinstein’s A Centennial History of Redwood Lodge, I have never worn the cufflinks. They remain neglected, resting for more than a decade in the same black box in which they were first given to me. The cause of this extended disuse has been my belief that the symbolism and significance of Redwood’s coat of arms, which will be explored in this essay, is at odds with the ideals of Masonic universality and non-sectarianism. Those ideals are – or surely ought to be – of importance to all in the fraternity, and for that reason this essay is relevant not only to Redwood’s members, or to those with a particular penchant for heraldry, but to the larger society of Masons, as well. A proper discussion of Redwood’s coat of arms necessitates some analysis of Rhode Island Craft ritual. If, in the course of conveying the reasons for my unease with Redwood’s coat of arms, I am also able to affect a degree of progress toward greater universality in Masonic Craft ritual, then this essay will truly have achieved its purpose. Redwood Lodge’s coat of arms contains several emblems. Its crest is the profile of a prominent demi-lion. On its shield are two eagles; a six-pointed star (the Seal of Solomon/Star of David) enclosing the Tetragrammaton (a Hebrew name of God comprised of four letters); and a compass surrounded by three turrets, each with a cross at its center. Beneath the shield is the Lodge’s motto: “Leo de Judah est Robur Nostrum,” Latin meaning “the Lion of Judah is our strength.”1 Who, or what, is “the Lion of Judah”? According to An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and its Kindred Sciences: [I]n Ancient Craft Masonry all allusions to the lion, as the lion’s paw, the lion’s grip, etc., refer to the doctrine of the resurrection taught by Him who is known as “the lion of the tribe of Judah.” The expression is borrowed from the Apocalypse (v. 5): “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”2 An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry refers to the fifth chapter of the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse) as the source of “the Lion of Judah” phrase in Craft Masonry. The narrator of Revelation mentions “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” in the following vision: And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain… And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps… And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood… And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels… Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain…3 As can be seen from the above verses, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” “the Root of David” and “the Lamb” are synonymous in Revelation. To whom do all three refer? From the context of the verses it is apparent that the three titles refer to Jesus – who, according to Christianity, redeemed mankind with his blood by being slain (crucified). The identity of “the Lamb” is also evident from other verses in the New Testament. For example, it is found as an appellation for Jesus in the first chapter of the Gospel of John, verse 29: “The next day John [the Baptist] seeth Jesus 12 12 •• WINTER WINTER 2010/2011 2010/2011

coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Several verses later, the expression is repeated: “And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he [John the Baptist] saith, Behold the Lamb of God!”4 We find, therefore, that in selecting the Latin phrase “Leo de Judah est Robur Nostrum,” Redwood Lodge embraced a motto that means “Jesus Christ is our strength.” At first, the choice of such a motto may seem startling. Craft Masonry often is said to be universal and non-sectarian,5 while this motto, which suggests that Jesus is the source of Redwood Lodge’s strength, is anything but that. Upon closer examination, however, its selection is less surprising. An allusion to Jesus, under the name of “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” is also found in one of the concluding lectures of Rhode Island’s Third Degree that is delivered after the raising of a Master Mason. This lecture discusses Christianity and the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, and states that a Christian, thanks to Christian revelation and “Faith in the merits of the Lion of the tribe of Judah” – that is, faith in the virtues of Jesus – can be certain of his own resurrection. The raised Mason is told: Thus, my brother, we close the explanation of the emblems, upon the solemn thought of death; which, without revelation, is dark and gloomy; but the Christian is suddenly revived by an ever-green, ever-living sprig of Faith in the merits of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, which inspires him to look forward with calmness and composure to a blessed immortality; so that he doubts not, that on the glorious morn of the Resurrection, the body will be raised and become as incorruptible as the soul.6 In addition to this lecture, there are a number of other statements in Rhode Island’s Third Degree that deal with the same subject.7 However, they are found in the Cipher, and therefore I will only touch upon them, and will avoid reproducing them here. These Cipher passages speak of the superiority of “the Christian dispensation” (Christianity) over “the Jewish hierarchy” (Judaism), and of both over the “state of nature” (the condition of the world without either the Jewish or Christian revelations) that preceded them. The passages link the Master Mason Degree with Christianity, while proclaiming Christianity to be the last and most complete religious stage mankind has passed through. Furthermore, Christianity is declared superior to Judaism in these Cipher passages because Christianity teaches and proves the doctrine of bodily resurrection from the grave. In contrast, a search through the Hebrew Bible is said not to yield a single passage proving this doctrine, which is claimed as evidence of Judaism’s “inferiority.” Thus, in Rhode Island’s Third Degree, we find old-fashioned Christian supercessionist/ replacement theology – the belief that Christianity has superseded and replaced Judaism – manifest in Masonry. These are far from being universal and non-sectarian sentiments. The Cipher’s supercessionist argument is specifically tied to the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, and as such, also to the notion, mentioned in the lecture quoted above, that faith in “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” or Jesus, assures a Christian of future bodily resurrection. It is about precisely such teachings that An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry states: In Freemasonry, a particular degree, the Master’s, has been appropriated to teach [resurrection] by an impressive symbolism. ‘Thus,’ says Hutchinson (Spirit of Masonry, p. 164) ‘our Order is a positive contradiction to Judaic blindness and infidelity, and testifies our faith concerning the resurrection of the body.’8 To return to some of what we have determined so far: In Revelation, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” “the Root of David” (a Jewish and Christian designation for the messiah, who is meant to be a descendant of King David) and “the Lamb” (an appellation also found in the Gospel of John) are all references to Jesus; in the above-mentioned Third Degree lecture, it is “Faith in the merits of the Lion of Judah” – that is to say, faith in Jesus – that is asserted to comfort the Christian and assure him of future resurrection; and in Redwood Lodge’s motto, “the Lion of the tribe

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

of Judah” who is said to comprise the Lodge’s strength is also synonymous with Jesus. Beyond its apparent conflict with the ideals of Masonic universality and non-sectarianism, Redwood Lodge’s choice for a motto is a particularly strange and ironic occurrence given that the Lodge was largely founded by Jews and continues to have a large Jewish membership today. One wonders how this situation could have come about. How could a Lodge with such a Jewish background and presence select a phrase about Jesus for its motto? One wonders, also, how this state of affairs could persist for more than 130 years. Why, in all that time, has there been no call among the members to rectify the situation? Redwood was formed in 1877, and was constituted in 1878.9 Rubinstein’s A Centennial History of Redwood Lodge describes the Lodge’s beginnings: “The Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes record that Chazan (Cantor) Myer Noot ‘conceived the idea of, and organized the Jewish brethren into a Masonic Association under the name Redwood Lodge #35 A.F. & A.M.’ ”10 A Bicentennial Review of Rhode Island Freemasonry explains that Noot “envisioned a Lodge where the question of race or religion would never be a criterion of membership.”11 Soon after he came up with his idea, a petition bearing 13 signatures was presented to the Grand Master of Rhode Island, requesting permission to found the lodge. If the names of the petitioners are any indication, 10 of the 13 were Jews.12 They chose to name their Lodge “after Abraham Redwood, a distinguished Quaker who had lived in Newport, Rhode Island…[and] had befriended many of the Jewish people in that city.”13 Rubinstein stresses that the Lodge’s founding was closely linked with Noot and with Congregation Sons of Israel and David.14 Even today, given its background and membership, Redwood is sometimes spoken of as a “Jewish Lodge.”15 Aside from its Jewish beginnings, however, Redwood Lodge has not differed in any substantial way from other Rhode Island Lodges, and other than its current concentration of Jewish members, the same is true today. Redwood is dedicated to two Christian saints and follows precisely the same Christianized Masonic ritual as other Rhode Island Lodges, which as we have seen, includes lectures that allude to the importance of having faith in Jesus and assert that Judaism is inferior to Christianity. There are Lodges around the world, composed entirely of Christians that use a less Christianized ritual than does Redwood Lodge, with all its past and present Jewish members. To return, then, to our previous questions: How does one account for Redwood Lodge’s coat of arms and ritual? How have these been able to persist in a Lodge that was largely founded by Jews and which has had so many Jewish members over the years? I will offer three possible explanations, two of which are drawn from discussions that took place in Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 of London, in 1984, following the reading of two papers having to do with Christian manifestations in Masonry: Reverend Neville Barker Cryer’s “The De-Christianization of the Craft” and Dwight L. Smith’s “The First Charge: Its Slow Acceptance in the United States.” In his response to Dwight L. Smith’s “The First Charge: Its Slow Acceptance in the United States,”16 which deals with the prevalence of Christian elements in present-day American and Canadian Masonry, the historian Frederick William Seal-Coon remarked: We are all aware of differences, due to their varying origins, between the workings of Craft Lodges throughout Freemasonry, but I for one had not known how many Christian elements had been retained by North American Grand Lodges despite their claim to Masonic universality… One must say, however, that given the large numbers of non-Christian Masons in North America, it is rather surprising that so many should have accepted these Christian practices without question. If they have not recognized them as such, it argues a lack of proper interest in the content and meaning of the present-day Craft.”17 In other words, it may be that many non-Christian Masons have not articulated any discomfort with or opposition to Christian aspects of the Craft because Masonic rituals and symbolism are largely unintelligible to them. They are philosophically oblivious to much of what is seen, said and heard in their Lodges, and to the meaning of the ritual taking place there. Moreover, this is an ignorance born of apathy: they have not cared enough about the content of the Craft to gain a most basic understanding of it, and therefore are unable to recognize its Christian elements.18 However, responding to the Rev. Neville Barker Cryer’s “The DeChristianization of the Craft,”19 which deals with the history of English Masonry’s shift to a more universal Craft ritual, and touches upon the possible implications of that process for the Craft’s present and future

practices, Seal-Coon suggested that “[w]hilst the historians are in duty bound to search every nook and cranny, for the generality of Freemasons peace and harmony may best be served by the acceptance of things as they are.”20 In other words, to extend Seal-Coon’s second idea, it is possible that many non-Christians do indeed recognize Christian manifestations in Masonry, but are willing to overlook them, even if their occurrence causes them some unease, for the sake of being part of the fraternity and the attendant benefits they see to such belonging.21 They believe that this is just the way Masonry is, and whatever the degree of their discomfort with aspects of the ritual may be, it is not so great that they are dissuaded from joining the fraternity, are driven to argue for change, or feel compelled to withdraw altogether. For them, other aspects of Masonry outweigh its sectarian shortcomings. They are happy to belong and satisfied to remain without protest. Moreover, many non-Christian Masons in America are unaware that a different, de-Christianized Masonry has existed for nearly 200 years in places such as England, and that there are established alternatives to the current situation.22 To these two explanations, I would add a third, related one: acquiescence. People have a tendency to accept what others find acceptable. A Jewish Mason, for example, who knows that other Jews – perhaps his father or grandfather, his relatives or neighbors – also have been Masons, and sees no indication that these men protested or expressed discomfort with Christian aspects of the Craft, is also unlikely to do so. If a Christianized Masonry was fine enough for them, he figures, well then it is good enough for him too. Alternatively, he may reason that since these men were part of Masonry, then what seems to him to be Christian must not really be so. Either way, he experiences no need to be troubled by that which other Jews were, and are, quiet about, and feels no urge to speak up on the subject. This line of reasoning is expressed by Paul M. Bessel in his article on “Freemasonry & Judaism”: My father, Martin Bessel, was a Freemason from 1946 until his death in 1977. He was brought up in a religious Jewish family and he was orthodox in following more of the traditional rules than most Jews in the United States. He was very proud to be Jewish, as well as a Mason and an American. …I recall hearing rumors that Freemasonry required members to say or do things in accord with the Christian religion and that it was not really an American institution, but I knew my father would not belong to an organization that had these characteristics. …While there are many common aspects of Judaism and Freemasonry, it also should be recognized that because of the history of centuries of attempts to force Jews to convert to Christianity, they can be uncomfortable about being asked to say Christian prayers or otherwise indicate non-Jewish beliefs. Some parts of Masonry use New Testament prayers, references to Saints, the cross as a religious symbol…and at least one Masonic organization requires aspiring members to swear to support the Christian faith. Jews can deal with these references to other religions by remaining quiet or not participating in those parts of Masonry. I do not want to overemphasize these matters, though, since they are outweighed by the deepest meanings of Freemasonry – the universality of all people. 23 These three explanations relate no less to Redwood’s founders than to its many Jewish members since 1878. For a combination of reasons, the Jewish founders of Redwood Lodge were not particularly troubled by a Christian motto, just as there is no indication that members of the lodge have been especially bothered by its presence during the 130 years that have passed since its selection. Nothing suggests that Cantor Myer Noot and the other Jewish founding members of Redwood Lodge were scholars of either Freemasonry or the New Testament. It is possible that they were unaware of the Christian meaning of the Latin phrase that was selected as the Lodge’s motto. One may also be tempted to suggest that since the coat of arms has a large Star of David, the Tetragrammaton, and the word “Judah” on it, they may have even thought the motto had a Jewish meaning.24 However, as mentioned earlier, the coat of arms of Redwood Lodge also has three plainly visible crosses on it25 – the cross being such a wellknown symbol of Christianity that even those who have never opened a New Testament, studied Christian theology or entered a Church could be expected to recognize it as Christian. And if they were even minimally attentive to the content of Masonic Craft ritual, the founders could not have avoided perceiving its Christian aspects. We can conclude that the men who founded Redwood were not especially concerned about Christian manifestations in Masonic ritual, even within their own Lodge. The same WINTER 2010/2011• 13

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

may be said of Redwood Lodge’s numerous members since 1878, as none have moved to fully de-Christianize the ritual in the many years since the Lodge’s founding. Nor do present-day members seem uncomfortable with Redwood’s sectarian coat of arms and with its motto declaring that Jesus is the source of the Lodge’s strength. I believe they should be. Redwood Lodge has had a diverse membership since its inception. Currently its members are of different national, racial, ethnic, and religious origins. Deists, Jews, Christians and Muslims meet in peace within its Temple. In many ways, the Lodge exemplifies the Masonic principle of uniting “men of every country, sect, and opinion.”26 Ironically, however, its coat of arms is contrary to this very principle, as are significant portions of its ritual. As such, Redwood Lodge may wish to consider their appropriateness. Respect for Masonic traditions and received practices is vitally important to the Order, and these should not be treated carelessly, but a Lodge in which men of different faiths meet in friendship and fraternity would be better served by a motto – and ritual – less sectarian and more universal. Shai Afsai, a teacher and writer, is a member of Rhode Island’s Redwood Lodge No. 35 and of the Philalethes Society. His writing on Thomas Paine and Masonry has appeared in the Journal of Radical History and The Philalethes. His short story, “The Kaddish,” recently was featured in The Jerusalem Post. NOTES 1 Louis Baruch Rubinstein, A Centennial History of Redwood Lodge Number 35 1A.F. & A.M. in the Grand Jurisdiction of Rhode Island, 62. The compass and the three turrets with crosses at their center derive from the coat of arms of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island. Mackey, Hughan, and Hawkins, An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and its Kindred Sciences (New York: The Masonic History Company, 1916), vol. 2, 802.

Revelation 5:4-12, King James Bible, 1769 Oxford “Authorized edition.”

John 1:36.

For but one example of this, see Carl H. Claudy’s classic work Introduction to Freemasonry: I — Entered Apprentice (Washington: The Temple Publishers, 1931), 3940, where he writes of the first of the Old Charges: “Perhaps never before has so short a paragraph had so profound an effect, setting forth the non-sectarian, non-doctrinal character of Freemasonry, making religion, not a religion, the important matter in the Ancient Craft.”

The Trestle-Board for the Use of the Subordinate Lodges under the Jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons for the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (Providence: The Grand Lodge, 1988), pp. 50-51.

Revised Cipher for Subordinate Lodges, Jurisdiction of the Most Ancient and Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons for the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, 1986, p. 72. All Cipher passages referred to in this paper are from p. 72

Mackey, et al., An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, vol. 2, p. 621.

Henry W. Rugg, History of Freemasonry in Rhode Island (Providence: E.L. Freeman and Son, 1895), p. 582.

Rubinstein, A Centennial History of Redwood Lodge, pp. 1-2.

A Bicentennial Review of Rhode Island Freemasonry, published by the Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons for the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, p. 80. 11

Ibid., 11.

Ibid.

Ibid., 1-3 and 9-10. Congregation Sons of Israel and David is now Temple Beth El of Providence, Rhode Island. 14

The concept of a “Jewish Lodge,” as opposed to a “Christian Lodge,” appears to have been firmly established by the year 1756, when Lawrence Dermott published Ahiman Rezon, which contained, among other texts, “the Prayers used in the Jewish and Christian Lodges.” (The Web-site of Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry provides Ahiman Rezon on-line at <http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/Ahiman_Rezon.html>.) A Centennial History of Redwood Lodge is described at jonathansheppardbooks.com as “The history of a largely Jewish Masonic Lodge in Providence, Rhode Island.” I have heard non-Jewish members of Redwood Lodge speak of it as being a “Jewish Lodge.” 15

Dwight L. Smith, “The First Charge: Its Slow Acceptance in the United States,” Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol. 97, 1984, 155-175. 16

Ibid., 166.

It is worth noting here the response of W. McLeod to Dwight L. Smith’s “The First Charge,” which catalogues some of the Christianized rituals of American and Canadian Craft Masonry: “One hesitates to say anything about the nature of Masonry in any jurisdiction other than one’s own… At the same time it is distressing to see any group of Masons pay lip-service to one ideal but to show by their actions that they subscribe to a totally different one.” See “The First Charge,” 172. 18

Revd. N. Barker Cryer, “The De-Christianization of the Craft,” Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol. 97, 1984, 34-74. 19

14 • WINTER 2010/2011

Ibid., 63.

See, for example, Revd. N. Barker Cryer’s remarks in his “The De-Christianization of the Craft” (34) about the Masonic scholar Harry Carr’s “concern as a believing and practicing Jew” with Christianized parts of Craft ritual in England.

The reverse may also be true: Many Masons in other countries may not know how Christianized American Masonry is. We have already seen Seal-Coon’s surprise, after the reading of Smith’s “The First Charge,” at “how many Christian elements had been retained by North American Grand Lodges despite their claim to Masonic universality.” Similarly, following the discussion of his paper at Quatuor Coronati Lodge, Revd. Cryer said (72): “[H]aving now had the chance of hearing the lecture on the ‘First Charge’ and its adoption in the United States I recognize surprisingly that many Christian emphases long since departed from our ways [in English Masonry] are still clung to in the oncenamed ‘colonial dependencies.’”

Paul M. Bessel, “Freemasonry & Judaism,” <http://bessel.org/masjud.htm#N_23>. See also Bessel’s interview with Sarah Breger (“Beyond Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol: The True Story of Jews & Freemasons,” Moment, Jan./Feb. 2010), where he says: “A lot of Masonic ritual is derived from the Jewish Bible or Old Testament. The rituals are based on the story of King Solomon’s Temple… I’m not supposed to say exactly what the ritual is, but when you go through it, [as a Jew] you feel you are at home because you are hearing stories and learning lessons from the Temple of Solomon.” While Bessel is correct that there is much Masonic ritual with which a Jew may feel at home, there is also much in American Lodges that may make a Jew feel as though he is in a Church, as Bessel himself intimates in the parts of “Freemasonry & Judaism” that have been quoted in this essay.

In fact, as Gershom Scholem explains in “The Curious History of the Six-pointed Star: How the ‘Magen David’ Became the Jewish Symbol” (Commentary, Sep. 1949, pp. 243-251), there is nothing intrinsically Jewish about the Star David. As is so often the case elsewhere, context is everything here, and although it is commonly associated with Judaism, the Star of David is also used as a Christian symbol and is a common Masonic motif. Scholem states (p. 243): “Actually the six-pointed star is not a Jewish symbol; a fortiori it could not be ‘the symbol of Judaism.’”

Similarly, the phrase “Lion of Judah” can have different meanings, depending on the context in which it is appears. For example, in a Rastafarian context, it refers to Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, whom Rastafarians believe is divine, as well as the Messiah. The phrase also has symbolic meaning in Judaism. In the Hebrew Bible, Jacob blesses his children before he dies. As is seen in Genesis 49:8-10, the symbol of the tribe of Judah is a lion, for Jacob says: “Judah, thou [art he] whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand [shall be] in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah [is] a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?” Jacob’s blessing establishes Judah as the royal tribe of Israel. He compares Judah to a lion — the lion being perhaps the archetypal regal animal, a symbol of royalty in different parts of the world. In Judaism, therefore, in addition to it being a general symbol of bravery, courage, nobility, and strength, the lion is also a symbol of the tribe of Judah, and by extension a symbol of the entire Jewish nation, which takes its most commonly used name today (Yehudim, in Hebrew) from “Judah” (Yehuda). Yehuda and Aryeh (“Lion”) are popular Hebrew names, as are Yehuda Aryeh and Aryeh Yehuda. In line with this, the flag of the First Zionist Congress bore a lion in the center of a Star of David. Modern Jerusalem, which is also called the City of David — David being the first Israelite king from the tribe of Judah, the Hebrew conqueror of Jerusalem, and the one who made it the capital of the kingdom of Israel — bears a lion on its emblem, as well. In a way, in Judaism, lions have a symbolic status similar to Stars of David or Menorahs, which are both pervasive symbols of the Jewish religion and of the Jewish nation. The flag of the state of Israel bears a Star of David, its seal features a Menorah, and the emblem of its capital city is a lion. Many synagogues display lions on the curtain of the Holy Ark, and on Torah scroll coverings, and some even have figurines of lions flanking a representation of the Ten Commandments. In Jewish parlance, as in the idiom of other cultures, a significantly brave or prominent person may also be said to be “a lion.” It is not surprising then, that the Lion of Judah is also associated with charitable organizations. The Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, for example, currently has a giving category called “Lion of Judah,” a very honorific-sounding name appropriate for a generous donor. “Lion of Judah” is also the name of a Jewish women’s philanthropic organization. Having said all this, I must reiterate that as far as its use in Masonic ritual and Redwood Lodge’s motto, the meaning of “the Lion of Judah” or “the Lion of the tribe of Juda” is quite different. In Craft Masonry, the phrase “the Lion of Judah” is used in an explicitly Christian context, referring specifically to Jesus. Jesus was, according to Christianity, the Messiah, a descendant of King David, and therefore, “of the tribe of Judah.” The Christian context of this phrase in Craft Masonry becomes evident to anyone who examines the Trestle-Board or opens a Masonic encyclopedia on the topic. Consider the motto of Redwood Lodge: “The Lion of Judah is our strength.” This phrase does not make sense in the religious language of the Hebrew Bible or Judaism, for example. In Judaism, the “Lion of Judah” does not represent God. Therefore, what sense would it make, in a Jewish context, to say that the “Lion of Judah” is the source of strength? This would be akin to saying that “the Seven-Branched Menorah is our strength,” a nonsensical phrase, devoid of meaning and significance in a Jewish context. The motto of Redwood Lodge makes sense only if one realizes that it is a Christian phrase and that “the Lion” refers to Jesus, the Christian deity and messiah, from whom — according to Christians — they derive their strength. The three turrets and crosses on Redwood’s shield derive from the coat of arms of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island, and are represented in various ways on the coat of arms of its subordinate Lodges. See above, note 1.

Trestle-Board, 15.

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

INSPIRATION

Unity in Masonry

By William J. Mollere, 33° The following remarks opened a discussion session about Masonic unity at the Masonic Society’s Semi-Annual Meeting on September 18. 2010, at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in new Orleans, Louisiana.

hen we speak of Unity in Masonry, we conjure up several different images—perhaps a United Grand Lodge of Freemasonry in the United States and not 51 independent Grand Lodges. We imagine a single voice within the United States, a single point of contact, a single communication base, a single purpose unifying Masonic purposes and principles. Some see a picture of one Brotherhood of Freemasons, not F&AM, or AF&AM, or PHA, or anything other than Freemasonry. Some envision a united purpose of our collateral bodies: Scottish Rite, York Rite, Shrine, Grotto, AMD, XYZ, ABC, etc. But Unity in Masonry must be agreed upon first as to what it is. The old standby is Webster’s definition: unity, from Latin “unitas”, oneness – 1. the quality or state of not being multiple; 2. a condition of harmony, accord; 3. the quality or state of being made one; 4. a totality of related parts, an entity that is a systemic whole. Using these definitions, let us examine Freemasonry under the microscope of Webster’s. The quality or state of not being multiple? NOT! A condition of harmony & accord? SOMETIMES! The quality or state of being made one? NOT! Totality of related parts, a system that is whole? NOT! So the “Webster’s Test” fails on the unity scale. We all talk about unity of Brotherhood—the Brotherhood of Man, Fatherhood of God, be a Brother, one to another, help the widow, orphan, those in need – the lesson in most Entered Apprentice Degrees of extending the hand of Charity to bolster the ideal upon which the superstructure of Freemasonry is erected. Yet talking the talk is not walking the walk, is it? So what is Unity in Masonry? Today, more than ever we recognize the fact that our Greatest Generation, those veterans of World War II, those good Brothers who returned home and joined Masonry by the thousands, are all dying at several thousand each day. They grew Masonry beyond all previous known numbers. Millions joined and paid low dues and built new lodge halls, or expanded existing lodge buildings, to hold the new influx and increased membership – a unifying period of time when all came together for a unified purpose, to join and to spread Masonry. One lodge in my hometown expanded their main lodge room to handle seating over 200 per meeting, and the older members have told me that if you did not arrive at least an hour early, you could not find a seat. Many stood outside or downstairs visiting and drinking coffee. That Lodge had over 1,000 members in the early 1950’s. Today it is almost dead, barely holding on, and meeting in a small metal building on the outskirts of town. That big, old building is gone, sold for a fraction of its worth. Its impressive painted mural explaining the three degrees is lost forever, left on the wall behind the East because it could not be saved. Gone! It was a true “craftsman” lodge, mostly of union men, who worked in petrochemical refining – steamfitters, boilermakers, electricians, pipe fitters – all good men, hard working, church-going men, dedicated to making a good living for their families. Yet, they could not get along with each other, so off went one group and formed a new Lodge. Before it was over, four new Lodges were formed from that one Lodge. Today, two have merged, two are still meeting but only one is “healthy.” Unity in Masonry? How many similar stories can be told? In my hometown, the York Rite was predominant on the north side and Scottish Rite existed on the south side. There were some good Brothers who belonged to both, but there were some good Brothers who belonged to one and spoke against the other. Some good Masonic

(LtoR): Masonic Society President Michael Poll, 1st Vice President Bo Cline, and William J. Mollere, 33°

Funerals have since solved most of those issues. So back to the question: What is Unity in Masonry? Bringing together good Brothers as we have done this weekend who can sit, visit, argue, discuss, share, talk, truly communicate with each other, listen to each other, learn from each other. The beginning of Unity is in trying to understand each others’ point of view, each others’ perspective, each others’ approach to what we consider to be Masonry. We all came from a kneeling position before an altar where a volume of Sacred Law once had our hands placed upon it, where we promised to be true and faithful to one another, to help, to aid and to assist one another, to speak only good before a Brother’s face and behind a Brother’s back. We promised on bended knee before God and all assembled to be a good man, respectful, law-abiding, and Brotherly. I learned additional Light where I promised not to try to be better than my Brother, but to be better than myself each day, to practice peace and balance in my world, to look into a Brother’s eyes and beyond deeply into his heart. Unity is attained through those actions. We hear about world peace, we hear about doing good for others, we hear about all of the money spent to attempt to correct injustice, poverty, and evil. Yet, in our own Brotherhood we must begin to practice these and correct our own little piece of our little corner of our world, our Masonry within ourselves is where Unity begins. Truly, all politics is local, but Unity also begins locally: good words spoken, good actions completed, good intentions made real. Unity in Masonry equals True Brotherhood. We have no enemy outside that can destroy us. We must conquer the issues within than can weaken and divide us. Unity of purpose, Unity of practice of our Obligations, Unity in taking Masonry within each day and truly being better than ourselves. Oneness, wholeness, harmony of Brotherhood – that is Unity in Masonry. Let us go beyond practicing our Masonry. Let us perfect our Masonry. Then Unity will be achieved. William J. Mollere, 33°, is the SGIG in Louisiana for the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, and the president of the Scottish Rite Research Society.

WINTER 2010/2011 • 15

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

RITUAL

Speculative Innovations in Initiatic Ceremonies by Bernhard W. “Ben” Hoff, mMS

he initial reaction of most Masons when reading antique ritual material for the first time is usually some flavor of delight at recognition of what if familiar, sometimes mixed with some alarm that such things have been written down. This is naturally followed by interest, surprise, or disbelief at the differences of old rituals from what they know today. What often is overlooked, however, is recognition of the omissions; what some Masons do by habit is attempt to fill in the blanks, as it were, with ritual they know. But some blanks are best left unfilled. This article will show how some of the vital elements of our contemporary rituals – the preparation, reception, circumambulation, illumination, and imparting of secrets – have not always been as we know them, as a variety of English and French ritual exposures from the 18th century make clear. It is difficult to say with certainty which aspects of contemporary ritual were practiced in the early days, since the earliest catechisms contain few, if any, questions on ceremonial procedure. Moreover, the earliest narrative descriptions of ceremonies are not complete, nor were they probably intended to be. Since Masonic tradition has it that our ceremonies date from a remote antiquity, most Masons would be inclined to assume that the lack of documentation is simply a lack of documentation. Just because a procedure is not mentioned in the records does not necessarily mean that it was not practiced. Lack of documentation is to be expected. This was, after all, supposed to be secret knowledge. But this presumption is not always justified. A careful reading of the available sources shows that several ceremonial procedures, considered absolutely necessary today, were not universally practiced in the early 18th century. These procedures include reception, circumambulation, some aspects of candidate preparation, and most especially the bringing to light. Moreover, they first appear in the record in forms quite different from any contemporary practice. As the historical record progresses, they acquire a number of variants in their mode of practice, including some forms that resemble what is practiced today. Against this background of apparent development, the lack of early documentation for certain ceremonial procedures might equally suggest that they were not known in earlier ages. In all likelihood they were innovations developed by speculative Masons early in the tavern age. Bringing to Light

The bringing to light during a degree is an especially moving experience for a candidate, and therefore is not likely to be overlooked in written accounts. Yet it is not mentioned at all in the earliest catechisms or descriptions of the ceremonies. The Edinburgh group of documents1 makes no mention of bringing to light or candidate preparation related to light. The Dumfries Manuscript2 mentions a rope about the neck, but no blindfold. The Sloane MS3 mentions a pantomime that might refer to the cabletow, but nothing related to covering the eyes. The Confession4 describes divestiture of metals and baring of the knee, but nothing related to rope or blindfold. Neither is there any indication in these sources that the candidate was brought to light in any physical sense. Even Pritchard’s Masonry Dissected5, written as late as 1730, contains no indication of any bringing to light, or candidate preparation supporting such a procedure. The answer to Pritchard’s Question 17 related to preparation is: “Neither naked nor cloathed, barefoot nor shod, deprived of all Metal and in a right moving Posture.”6 No ropes or blindfolds. The Wilkinson MS7, contemporary with Pritchard’s published exposure, even contains catechism answers that suggest blindfolds were not used in the ceremonies.8 In their crucial book Early Masonic Catechisms, researchers Douglas Knoop, G.P. Jones, and Douglas Hamer published the following (pp. 124-7): 14. Q:What did you see before you was Admitted into the Lodge A: the Junior Apprentice with a drawn Sword in his hand 24. Q What did you see when you was Introduc’d into the Lodge A: three great lights” 16 • WINTER 2010/2011

Evidentially, the candidate could “see” when he was “introduced” into the lodge. But what exactly is meant by the word “introduced” in question 24? This is clarified by questions 16 & 17: 16. Q: Who Introduced you into the lodge A: the Junior Warden 17. Q: How did he Introduce you A: Led me Round the Lodge due East & West & presented me to the Senior Warden9 From this it appears that the candidate was not blindfolded when “introduced” and made his progression around the lodge. He could see “three great lights” during this introduction. It is interesting to note, however, that this question links the words “see” and “lights.” Of all the things the candidate could have seen – the circle of brethren, the floor drawing, the Master in the East – why does the catechism zero in on “three great lights” as the answer? These lights must have begun to assume increasing significance from the days when they were just another symbol specified by the catechisms. If seeing these lights assumed some importance, then it would be easy to see how that lesson could be enhanced by the use of a blindfold in the ceremonies. (N.B. At that time the great lights were the three candles representing the three principal officers, rather than the items known by that name today.) The earliest explicit reference to ceremonial illumination is found a few years earlier in the Mason’s Examination of 1723, but not as we might have expected it. Again from Early Masonic Catechisms (p. 72): “After this he swears to reveal no Secrets of the worshipful Fraternity, on Pain of having his Throat cut, and having a double Portion of Hell and Damnation hereafter. Then he is blind-folded and the Ceremony of ***** is performed. After which, he is to behold a thousand different postures and Grimaces…”10 Here we have the candidate, or rather newly obligated brother, being blindfolded after the obligation for the purposes of an entirely separate, and unnamed, ceremony within the initiation. The penalty and “thousand different postures and grimaces” is reminiscent of the Edinburgh group of manuscripts, suggesting some continuity of tradition. The catechism in this document is also similar to the other early catechisms, albeit with a few potential garbles, such as placement of officers in the lodge. It also contains the earliest catechism reference to the Five Orders of Architecture, but otherwise is typical of early catechisms. This similarity to other known early sources in the rest of the document lends credence to the otherwise unfamiliar procedure of blindfolding after obligation. It may well be that, during the unnamed ceremony the candidate was given the grip and word while in the dark, and afterwards the sign while in the light. This would be in accord with the catechism questions regarding light and dark. It is also a logical and workable ceremonial. So the unnamed ceremony might be what some rituals today refer to as “entrusting,” where the newly obligated brother is given the secrets, but this is purely speculation on the part of this writer. The next possible, albeit indirect, reference to a blindfold is contained in the Graham Manuscript of 1726. Early Masonic Catechisms (p. 90) gives these questions and answers: How came you into the Lodge – poor and penyless blind and Ignorant of our secrets – … [several questions omitted]… What did you see in the Lodge when you did see – I saw truth the world and justice and brotherly love.11 Notice especially the word blind. While the document does not

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

specify how or when that blindness was remedied, nevertheless it is the first reference to blindness as an attribute of preparation before entering the lodge. But unlike the Wilkinson Manuscript mentioned earlier, light is not what the candidate sees when he can see. The Graham appears to document the procedure of illumination in general, but not with the symbolism or context we associate with the procedure today. The Graham MS is problematic as a source of documentation for ritual; it is something of an outlier, not apparently on the main path of ritual development. Much of the document is recognizably Masonic, but it also contains signs, words, and legends that are decidedly odd, to say the least. There are grips by finger, wrist, and elbow. There is the Foundation word, the Primitive word, and apparently several others. There are lengthy discussions of Masonry in ancient Babylon, but nothing like the legends in the Old Charges, or any other stories contained in Masonic rituals of later date. It does mention Hiram and the building of the Temple, but not the Hiramic Legend. The Graham MS also contains the first mention of anything like a raising, but involving Noah, not Hiram. This raising may well be another instance of the Graham having early use of a contemporary procedure, but with a different context and symbolism. Some elements, possibly including blindfolding of candidates, as well as the idea of raising, may have been adopted by the more mainstream Masons. But mention of a blind candidate in only the Graham MS, which contains so many divergent items, strongly indicates that blindfolding was not a universal practice among Masons at that time. The first recorded use of the phrase “from darkness to light” did not even involve a blindfold. Consider this from The Mystery of Free-Masonry of 1730: When I came to the first Door, a Man with a drawn Sword asked me, If I had any Weapons? I answer’d, No. Upon which he let me pass by him into a dark Entry; there two Wardens took me under each Arm, and conducted me from Darkness into Light, passing thro’ two Rows of the Brotherhood…12 There is further variation on the theme of darkness to light in the early French exposures. In the Reception of 1737, the candidate is prepared much as he is today in English and American working – except for lack of

To be brought to Light. 34. Who brought you to Light? The Master and the rest of the Brethren.14 Since Three Distinct Knocks is explicitly an exposure of the Antients’ ritual, this procedure would seem to have been the usual practice in that group. It was copied subsequently in later exposures titled Jachin and Boaz and Mahabone. This form of practice seems to have spread widely after this point, perhaps due to the wide distribution of these exposures among Masons. It is included in William Preston’s Entered Apprentice lecture of the 1780’s indicating its adoption by at least some of the Moderns’ lodges: What was then done? The candidate was raised up by the right hand as an obligated brother amongst Masons. What question was then asked? What it was that in his present situation would be most desirable to him. What was the answer? To be restored to light. What was then ordered? The Senior Warden was commanded to restore the candidate to the blessings of light, of which for a time he had been deprived. What was the result? He obeyed the command, darkness was withdrawn, the newly initiated hailed the light and rejoiced with his brethren. 15 Most American Masons will be surprised to learn that in English work, bringing to light is only employed in the EA Degree. Likewise, English Masons would be surprised to learn that it is used in all three degrees in most American jurisdictions. In William Morgan’s exposure of 1827, we find that it was sometimes the practice of lodges, at least in New York where Morgan lived, to cover one eye of their Fellowcraft candidates. For the MM

learly the earliest documented degree ceremonies were significantly different in many particulars from any version of ritual worked today. So it is impossible to point to any existing working as being the original, or even closest to the original.

the cabletow – and an extended period in the preparation room, or chamber of reflection as it is called in Continental workings. But he is relieved of the bandage over the eyes before taking the obligation. In his book The Early French Exposures, the author Harry Carr explains (p. 7): The three turns being made, the Candidate is led to the middle of the marked-out space, as described above, in three movements [en trois temps] face to face with the Grand Master, who is at the upper end, behind an Armchair, on which the Gospel of St. John has been placed. He [i.e., the Grand Master] asks him, do you feel the calling; upon his replying, yes, the Grand Master says, let him see the light [lejour], he has been deprived of it long enough; at that moment his eyes are unbandaged, all the Brethren assembled in a circle take Sword in hand, the Candidate is made to advance in three movements up to a Stool, which is at the foot of the Armchair … [At this point the candidate is obligated with the brother’s swords pointed at his chest.]13 The same procedure is described in other ritual workings known from that same period, ensuring it is reliably explained here. We’re getting closer to the practice we know today, but are not there yet. The question to the candidate is different, and the timing in the degree is too soon. The most familiar procedure for illumination is not documented until 1760 in the ritual exposure titled Three Distinct Knocks published by Samuel Pritchard. The relevant questions are as follows (in this writer’s own numbering): 32. Now Brother, after you received this Obligation, what was the first [thing] that was said to you? I was ask’d, what I most desir’d? 33. What was your Answer?

Degree, Morgan makes no mention of a blindfold in the preparation, but in the bringing to light, the blindfold is “loosened from around his head, slipped over the eyes, and instantly removed.” So the MM candidate wore a blindfold, but not covering his eyes. Apparently the procedure of bringing to light was deemed impressive enough that it began to be used in all degrees, and the appropriate changes made in candidate preparation. Manufactured half-blindfolds are still available from Masonic supply houses in the United States, indicating that some jurisdictions continue the practice to this day. From all of this, it seems that the practice of bringing a candidate to light was an innovation that subsequently gained wide currency, and it is easy to see how it could have become so popular: It makes for impressive ritual. It emphasizes that the candidate is being initiated into matters that were previously hidden from him, accentuating the obvious secrecy. It occurs before the initiate is entrusted with something usable in the darkness, as well as the light, which emphasizes the antique catechism item related to darkness and light. Moreover, it occurs before seeing the symbolic lights of the lodge, and what came to be called the Three Great Lights. What better preparation for receiving the explanation of these lights than first to be in darkness? Indeed, the various symbolic explanations of this procedure all touch on these themes. The Rope as an item of Candidate Preparation

The general problem with documenting the rope as an item of preparation is that, unlike the blindfold, it does not necessarily leave much of a footprint in any other aspect of the ceremonies. A blindfold must be removed at some point, but like bare feet or knees, the rope can remain until the initiate returns to the place whence he came to be restored to material comforts. Some contemporary rituals do remove it at some point during the WINTER 2010/2011 • 17

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

ceremonies, but others do not. Sometimes it may simply be released (if held at all), but not necessarily removed. In later catechisms, the ceremonies and their symbolism are more fully described, but in earlier catechisms, there are few, if any, questions regarding the ceremonies. Most questions cover only the symbolic contents of the lodge. So we have much less information to guide us. Even Preston, in his fuller lectures, does not explicitly mention the rope as an item of preparation, but only during reception, as will be evident from the quotations below. One of the earliest mentions of anything related to what we now call candidate preparation concerns the rope around the neck16 from the Dumfries No. 4 Manuscript of 1710.17 It may have been alluded to in the Sloane Manuscript as a pantomime, but no other mention of this item is found in any of the other Scottish sources, either the Edinburgh group of manuscripts, or the Confession. Moreover, it does not appear at all in any of the other documents contained in Knoop, Jones, and Hamer’s Early Masonic Catechisms which, for the most part, refer to English rituals. Even the detailed narrative descriptions of the ceremonies contained in the French exposures collected by Harry Carr make no reference to anything like a rope used in candidate preparation. The symbolic allusions to ritual mentioned by the author Wellins Calcott in 176918 contain nothing that could be construed as referring to a rope around the neck. It is as if the rope simply disappeared from the record, and probably from practice as well. The rope suddenly re-appears in 1760 in the exposure Three Distinct Knocks: 7. How was you prepar’d Brother? I was neither naked nor cloathed, barefoot nor shod, depriv’d of all Metal, hood-wink’d with a CableTow about my Neck, where I was led to the Door of the Lodge in a halting- moving, Posture, by the Hand of a Friend, whom I afterwards found to be a Brother.19 This formulation also is repeated in the exposures Jachin and Boaz20 and Mahabone.21 These were exposures of the work of the Antients, which was supposed to have been much closer to traditional Scottish and Irish work, as distinct from the Moderns, or Premier Grand Lodge. (Although many later editions of Jachin and Boaz contain re-arranged pillar words after the Moderns’ usage, and evidently were intended for use by the Moderns.) Since a rope was, by the evidence of the Dumfries MS, a part of some Scottish ritual, it would make sense that the Antients also would observe the practice. The absence of this aspect of preparation in Moderns’ ritual might have been one of the differences between the rituals of the two groups. After the cabletow’s appearance in Three Distinct Knocks and Jachin and Boaz, it also is found in the 1780s version of Preston’s Entered Apprentice lecture, as reconstructed by the author Colin F. W. Dyer in his William Preston and his Work: [From EA, Sect II, Clause 1] How prepared? Deprived of all metals, h w, slip shod and otherwise properly prepared, having the r a and I k bare. [From EA, Sect II, Clause 3] How was he first received? With a c t round the n, and the point of a s i presented to the n l b.22 Apparently the term “otherwise properly prepared” was meant to include the cabletow, unless it was applied at the point reception itself. While Preston was a Modern, it must always be remembered that he was initiated in an Antient lodge before transferring his allegiance. He was, therefore, familiar with Antient procedures. From some of his other references to Antient ritual, it appears that Preston may have retained some sympathies for Antient ritual, despite his apparent antipathy toward the Antients as an organization. He may even have maintained some personal contacts with members of Antient lodges. There have also be suggestions that the Lodge of Antiquity, one of the four Time Immemorial Lodges that formed the Premier Grand Lodge on June 24, 1717, and of which Preston was Master for many years, stuck by the supposedly older traditions, and did not practice ritual in the same way as most other Modern lodges. It 18 • WINTER 2010/2011

seems evident that Preston attempted to introduce some Antient practices into Modern ritual well before the Lodge of Promulgation and Lodge of Reconciliation undertook their work of blending the two general forms of ritual for the new United Grand Lodge of England in the 1810s. Use of a rope in candidate preparation obviously has been subject to considerable innovation. While it is likely a truly authentic, antique element of ritual in Scotland, there have been innovations in its application, including its temporary elimination in English work, and its probable extension in American work. As with the blindfold, there is no universal common usage among all rituals. In many, if not most, American rituals, a rope is used in each of the three Craft degrees. In most, if not all, English and Scottish rituals, it is used only in the EA Degree. The EA usage is the same in American and English rituals, but in those American rituals which use a cabletow in the Fellowcraft or Master Mason degrees, it usually is applied elsewhere on the body, approximating the latitudes of the respective penal signs for each degree, and sometimes with a progressive number of windings for each degree. The cabletow also appears in the Royal Arch Degree as generally practiced in the United States, but unlike the Craft degrees, the candidate is led with the cabletow (but not around the neck!), rather than being conducted by the hand or arm. This idea of a rope being used to conduct a candidate introduces the next topic, circumambulation. Circumambulation

At some point in most Craft degree ceremonies, the candidate is escorted around the perimeter of the lodge. This is sometimes called perambulation, which means “to walk through.” It is more often termed circumambulation, meaning “to walk around,” which is a more appropriate description of the activity. Most Masons would consider this movement, by whatever name, to be absolutely necessary to the ceremony but, as with the other traditional practices already discussed, our current practices may not be truly antique in all aspects. As usual, the earliest records are mute on this subject. The earliest indication of something like current practice is found in the Mason’s Examination of 1723, the earliest known deliberate ritual exposure: When a Free-mason is enter’d, after having given to all present of the Fraternity a Pair of Men and Women’s Gloves and Leathern Apron, he is to hear the ***** belonging to the Society read to him by the Master of the Lodge. Then a Warden leads him to the Master and Fellows; to each of whom he is to say, I fain would a Fellow-Mason be, As all your Worships may plainly see. After this, he swears… [continuing as quoted above]23 The picture here is somewhat confusing, even if this is an accurate account. We have the presentation of gloves and aprons to the existing members. Also previously attested is a reading of something, perhaps a history or rules as given in the Old Charges. What is new is a Warden leading the candidate to the Master and fellows (i.e. the other members of the lodge – also possibly indicating absence of a MM degree at this early date) where he applies to each. One may fill in the blanks with the idea that the candidate is somehow physically prepared, which is what the “fellows” might “plainly see” when he is led to each them. This would accord with the traditional reason given in the lectures, namely that the brethren could see that he was properly prepared and met the physical requirements. We might even presume that the candidate’s progress through the lodge would be around the perimeter since that is where the other members stood. If this is an accurate account, the procedure was probably time consuming and annoyingly repetitive (even by Masonic standards!), which may have led to its subsequent simplification. The Wilkinson MS’s Question No. 17, cited above, describes a much more familiar procedure: The candidate is introduced into the lodge by being led “round the lodge, east & west” by the Junior Warden before being presented to the Senior Warden. Rather than being presented to each member, he is now simply led past them, and presented only to the Warden. No mention is made of the number of circuits, but it seems that only one lap is made. Pritchard’s Three Distinct Knocks exposure gives a less clear account: He carried me up to the North-East part of the Lodge, and brought me back again to the West and deliver’d me to the Senior Warden.24

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

It is not exactly clear here whether the candidate is led around the lodge, or simply conducted forward and back again in a line, probably along the north side of the lodge. This progression between two lines of brothers also is reminiscent of the entry of the candidate about to receive the Royal Arch Degree, at least as a variant of the living arch as once practiced in the United States, so the procedure is not unknown in mainstream Masonic ritual even today. In the Craft degrees, the straight line variant seems to have been discarded in favor of the circuit around the lodge. But the number of laps the candidate should make began to vary. The earlier sources make reference to only a single turn around the lodge. The French exposures of the 1730s and 1740s, starting with the Reception of 1737, specify three circuits. Some lodges used three times three, or nine, laps, according to Harry Carr’s Early French Exposures (p. 67) although the exposure authors agree that this was not the usual practice, and that three laps were quite sufficient. Preston specified only one time around the lodge in his EA lecture, as practiced in the 1780s: How was he then conducted? He was led up the North, traversed the East, passed to the South and in the West was delivered over to the Senior Warden in due form as a fit object for Masonry. [Section II, Clause 4] What does the Senior Warden then do? He orders him to be presented to the Master. [Section II, Clause 5] What was the Senior Warden then ordered to do? To instruct the candidate to advance to the East for the purposes intended. [later in Section II, Clause 5]25 Three Distinct Knocks specifies three circuits of the lodge, among other differences (in this writer’s numbering): 22. After all this how was you dispos’d of? I was led three Times round the Lodge. 23. Where did you meet with the first Opposition. At the back of the Junior Warden in the South, where I gave the same three Knocks as at the Door. 24. What Answer did he give you He said, who comes there? 25. Your Answer? The same as at the Door, one who begs to have and receive, &c. 26. Where did you meet with the second Opposition? At the Back of the Senior Warden in the West, where I made the same Repetition as at the Door. He said, who comes here? One who begs to have and receive, &c. 27. Where did you meet with the third Opposition? At the Back of the Master in the East, where I made the Repetition as before. 28. What did the Master do with you? He order’d me back to the Senior Warden in the West, to receive Instructions.26 The exact number of circuits is not yet a settled matter to this day, with variations found from place to place. The careful reader may have noticed there also are a number of variations, not only in the number of circuits, but also in to whom the candidate is presented for examination during the course of those circuits. The earliest example from the Examination has a Warden escorting the candidate first to the Master, and then to the other brothers individually. In both the Wilkinson MS and in Pritchard’s Three Distinct Knocks, the Junior Warden escorts the candidate around the lodge to the Senior Warden, who presents him to the Master for obligation. Preston does not specify who the conductor might be, but does specify only a presentation to the Senior Warden, who delivers the candidate to the Master. The French exposures have a Warden conducting the candidate around the lodge and directly to the Master. In Three Distinct Knocks, however, the job of conducting the candidate no longer belongs to the

Junior Warden. Both Wardens examine the candidate before passing him to the Master for examination, who then consigns the candidate back to the Senior Warden for instruction in approaching the East. At this point, the Senior Warden resumes his duties of instructing the candidate and conducting him to the East. Also notice that in TDK, the candidate is stopped at the back of the Wardens and Master during circumambulation. The candidate was caused to “knock” by rapping on the shoulders of the officers, who then turned around and conducted their examination facing the candidate. This “shoulder knocking” is found in English rituals today, sometimes modified by having the officers extend a hand forward so the candidate can simply touch the Warden’s hand while standing in front of his station. Most American rituals have dispensed with shoulder knocking; instead, the Deacon conducting or accompanying the candidate, will knock for him by pounding the floor in front of the examining officer with his Deacon’s rod. Perhaps the most intriguing circumambulation procedure is that employed in Master Mason degrees in French lodges during the 1730s and 1740s. It may even have a connection with the reception procedures used in America and England today. In these early French Master Mason degrees, it was the practice to conduct the candidate around the lodge sideways with his back to the center of the room. The candidate is led, not by the hand or arm, but rather by grasping the point of a sword held to his left chest with his right hand, and holding the conductor’s outstretched right hand with his own left. This procedure is described by Louis Travenol in his exposure titled Catéchisme des Francs-Maçons published in 1744. Author Harry Carr, in his own Early French Exposures, translates: … Admit him, says the Grand-Master. On these words, the second Warden, repeating the sign and bow that he has already made twice before, goes and asks the Brother who is acting as guard, for the sword he holds in his left hand, takes it also in his left, & with his right smartly opens the door, presenting the point of his sword to the Candidate, & commanding him to take hold of the point in his right hand, to place it against his left breast, & hold it there until he is told to remove it. This done, he takes the Candidate’s left hand in his right, & in this manner brings him into the Reception chamber, leads him three times round the Lodge beginning in the West, the Candidate’s back being turned [all the while] towards the center of the Lodge, where the Coffin is delineated, & [remaining] in the same posture throughout, except that each time they pass before the GrandMaster, the candidate drops the point of the sword & the hand of his conductor, & with a bow, makes the sign of a Fellow. The Grand-Master & all the other Brethren reply with the Master’s sign: after which, the second Warden & the Candidate resume their former posture & continue their course, going through the same ceremony at every tour.27 The same basic procedure is also attested to, but with not quite so much detail, in the 1751 exposure, Le Maçon Démasqué, or The Mason Unmasked.28 There were other participants in this circumambulation procedure, most particularly a “Brother Terrible,” who, according to other exposures, had the task of testing the fortitude of the candidate. Fortunately for the safety of the candidate, he was not blindfolded, as he would have been for an EA degree. Moreover, the sideways progression made unfortunate accidents less likely than if he advanced straight on toward the conductor holding the sword. There is, however, one more possible variant on the Entered Apprentice’s circumambulation, which would only make logical sense after the “Brother Terrible” procedure of the French Master’s degree had been discussed. In L’ordre de Franc-Maçons Trahi (The Order of Freemasons Betrayed) of 1745, considered by the experts to be the most reliable exposure of its era, contains an EA catechism question suggesting that in some lodges the Apprentice candidates also might have been conducted by holding a sword. The relevant questions are as follows (in Carr’s numbering): 34. Q. What did the three knocks bring forth? A. Second Warden. [i.e. the Junior Warden] 35. Q. What did he do with you? A. He placed a sword in my hand. 36. Q. What did he do with you then? A. North, to East & to South.29 It would be very easy to pass over Question No. 35 in Trahi if we did not already know about “Brother Terrible” and the Master’s circumambulation. It may be that this question is given out of place, and that it actually WINTER 2010/2011 • 19

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

belongs in the Master Mason’s catechism. If it is not an error, then we might suppose that the candidate was led by one hand while holding the sword in his other hand. This cannot be the correct interpretation because it would be quite foolish to give a blindfolded man a sword while attempting to lead him through obstacles unless there was some symbolic significance to the act. But no such reference is made in any subsequent catechism questions. Moreover, what would be the point of depriving a candidate of metals, as Trahi also states, simply to give him a metal sword to hold? But in light of the Master’s circumambulation discussed in that same source, and confirmed by others, it is entirely conceivable that an EA candidate could have been led by gripping the “business end” of the blade, rather than by holding the hand of his conductor. This is actually quite an efficient means of leading a blindfolded candidate. It is very similar to the technique used in a typical American version of one of the York Rite degrees, where blindfolded candidates are led along paths they know not by holding a rope. The candidate naturally walks as long as there is tension on the rope, naturally turns when the angle of the rope changes, and naturally stops when the rope goes slack. The procedure might appear unwieldy, but the actual experience of it is sure and precise. It works just as well with a stiff object such as a broomstick or a sword as with a rope. So while this is certainly a possible variant of the candidate’s circumambulation, it is by no means definitively established. It is not mentioned in any other source, neither is there any further elaboration of it in Trahi itself. If it was in fact used as a variant procedure, it might shed some light, as it were, on the development of the final topic of this chapter, namely the Reception. Reception

The forgoing discussion of the use of swords in Masonic ceremonials leads us to the candidate’s reception into the lodge on the point of a sharp object applied to his breast. Here again is a point of ceremony, now considered absolutely essential, for which there is no early evidence. This omission does not appear to be due to neglect or oversight. The sources already excerpted above entirely skip this point as they describe a candidate’s uninterrupted progress from admission to circumambulation. The procedure suddenly appears in the Antients’ exposure Three Distinct Knocks of 1760: Mas.. How did you enter, and upon what? Ans. Upon the Point of a Sword or Spear, or some Warlike Instrument, presented to my naked left Breast. Mas. What was said to you then? Ans. I was ask’d if I felt any Thing. Mas. What was your Answer? Ans. I did, but I could see nothing.30 The symbolic explanation follows in a later section of the lecture: Mas. Why had you a Sword, Spear, or some other warlike Instrument, presented to your naked Left-breast particularly? Ans. Because the Left-breast is nearest to the Heart, that it might be the more a Prick to my Conscience as it prick’d my Flesh at that Time.31 This procedure is repeated in the other exposures of the time, namely Jachin and Boaz, and Mahabone, as might have been expected since these largely plagiarized TDK. The procedure subsequently is found in every other English and American source since that time, although with some modification of wording and with varying symbolic explanations. Despite what seems like a sudden appearance, there are precedents, some now extinct, out of which this procedure could have developed. The keys to tracing this derivation are the general use of lodge room swordplay. In particular, there is the circle of swords as found in the various French exposures and in England’s Bristol ritual. There is also the swordplay used in the French-style EA circumambulation, which also continues to this day. Also recall the early tavern age practice of having an apprentice in the north to guard the lodge against cowans and eavesdroppers, possibly armed with a sword. This last brother was mentioned as a possible forerunner of English Masonry’s Inner Guard and Pennsylvania’s Pursuivant, and maybe the French “Brother Terrible” as well. Finally, there is the just mentioned Master Mason circumambulation procedure involving Brother Terrible, and the possible Apprentice circumambulation suggested in Trahi. 20 • WINTER 2010/2011

The ceremony of reception described in TDK above also involves the symbolic significance of the breast as the repository of a Mason’s secrets, at least so far as American and Antient work are concerned. This particular symbolism is found as early as the Edinburgh Register House Manuscript’s (c. 1696) Question No. 13 “under the lap of my liver where all my secrets of my heart lie.”32 A hand over the heart or left breast is symbolic of fidelity, not only in Freemasonry, but also in society at large. From very early this symbolism also was used in the English obligation posture where the left hand supported compasses with a point held against the left breast. This posture is documented in Pritchard33 and Wilkerson’s Question No. 2134 and the Dialogue Between Simon and Philip text35 and, continues as the standard practice in English Constitution lodges today. Scottish, American, and apparently the English Antients all had a different use for the left hand in the obligation, which precluded the use of that symbolism. One of the key differences between reception and circumambulation in the current day is that reception is a point – pardon the pun – or a pose struck upon the candidate’s entry, while the circumambulation is a process sustained through some length of time and distance. But this distinction was not always the case. William Preston’s lectures from the 1770s and 1780s describe a reception process, where the candidate is conducted for some distance and time in the reception pose. Notice in the quote below that the point was applied upon entry, and is still in position after the candidate has been conducted into the lodge, kneels for the prayer, and is asked in whom he puts his trust: [Section II, clause 3, with emphasis added] How was he first received? With a c t round the n, and the point of a s i presented to the n I b Why so received? Three reasons are assigned for this mode of reception. The first reason? To show that we are exposed to double danger, should our then present conduct deviate from our past declaration: for should we advance, we might be in danger of being s; or should we retreat we might have been s The second reason? To prove the courage and fortitude of the heart. The third reason? To impress on the mind that we were about to enter in what was serious, solemn, and awful. How was he then disposed of? Conducted to the portals of the Lodge and there instructed to kneel. For what purpose? That the aid of heaven might be invoked. Repeat the invocation. Vouchsafe thine aid, Almighty Father of the universe, to this our present convention, and grant that this candidate for Masonry may dedicate and devote his life to thy service and become a true and faithful brother amongst us! Endue him with a competence of thy divine wisdom, that by the secrets of this art, he may be better enabled to display the beauties of godliness to the honour and glory of thy holy name! Amen. What question is then asked? In whom on the approach of danger can we most safely rely? The answer? In God. What was then said? If your confidence be in God, perilous as your situation may seem, with a c t round your n , and the pt of a sw at your b , you may safely arise, follow your leader and fear no danger.36 This treatment strikes is similar to “Brother Terrible’s” circumambulation procedure during which a sword is held against the candidate’s breast. It also is close enough in spirit to the swordplay of the French Apprentices’ circumambulation; in symbolism to the circle of swords; and more. These procedures all were first documented some 20 to 30 years earlier than Preston’s lectures were composed. It should be no surprise that during that

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

space of time, the striking sword ceremonies of the Master’s degree might have inspired similar additions to the Apprentice’s degree ceremonies. This extended reception progression can be viewed as an intermediary between the older sword-point circumambulation, and the reception known today. The author Colin Dyer points out that the reception procedure as Preston knew it remained the common practice in English lodges even after the union of 1813, and “was only dropped from English practice sometime in the 1820s.”37 There remains one key difference between the Antient’s reception procedure described in Three Distinct Knocks, and the extended version inferred from Preston, namely the ceremonial purpose and meaning attached to these procedures. According to the author of the 1745 French exposure titled Le Sceau Rompu (The Broken Seal), the purpose of “Brother Terrible” was to test the fortitude of the Masters degree candidate. This was the same purpose as noted by Preston in his explanation, as quoted above, describing the double dangers inherent in rope and sword, and “to prove the courage and fortitude of the heart.” Even today, most English rituals contain as part of the ceremonies an extended address to the candidate explaining the double perils, even though the reception itself is no longer the extended version described above. This address is completely unknown in any American ritual of which this writer is aware, since the symbolism of the Antients, as described in TDK is the norm. The origin of the reception procedure is either from the Master Mason circumambulation as described in the French exposures of the 1740s, or from some similar but now extinct practice, perhaps similar to that inferred from Trahi. Reception likely became widespread in the late 1740s or 1750s before being documented in its Antient version in 1760. The procedure is psychologically powerful, and symbolically suggestive, which doubtless accounts for its wide adoption. It fits nicely with the older catechism questions regarding “where secrets are hid,” as found in the Edinburgh Register House MS, among other places. It also is an effective attentiongetter at the start of the ceremony. At the risk of getting ahead of myself, since I have not yet discussed the matter of the Antients and Moderns, I will suggest that each of these groups had a part to play in developing the procedure as we understand it today. The sword ultimately seems to have come from the Moderns, perhaps the French Moderns, but Moderns nonetheless. The rope, as I previously discussed, seems to have been preserved by the Antients from Scottish Operative work, and adopted by the Moderns following Preston’s reintroduction of it. The extended reception procedure described by Preston could have been used by either group, since Preston advocated a mixed system containing elements from both Antient and Modern. Each group integrated these into their respective systems in a slightly different way, and with different, but equally powerful symbolic lessons related to fortitude and fidelity. Together they created something better, or at least more than what each had separately. But the fact that there are two different versions of the ceremony, neither documented in the earliest records of Masonic ritual, but both appearing at around the same time, and with some relation to earlier practices, indicates to me that reception was also an innovation. The preceding examination of surviving early documents related to Masonic rituals shows that, at the very least, considerable variation existed in practices that we now assume to be timeless and universal. These variations in practices include key points of degree ceremonies – the preparation, reception, circumambulation, illumination, and probably even entrusting. It is the procedures themselves that have varied, not merely their symbolism, which is a topic for further discussion. The documentary evidence also points to ongoing elaboration and continued refinement of ceremonial practices, if not the actual invention of new practices. This is a polite way of saying there has been innovation in Masonic rituals, even in those parts of the degree ceremonies that we now consider to be the most fundamental and unalterable. Clearly the earliest documented degree ceremonies were significantly different in many particulars from any version of ritual worked today. So it is impossible to point to any existing working as being the original, or even closest to the original. Even those documented pieces of early ceremonies probably are not the original ritual, but rather are likely to have been inventions and innovations. This assessment of Masonic degrees is very much at variance with the received traditions of the fraternity, as understood by most Freemasons. These differences, however, are not the only variants and developments in the body of Masonic rituals. They were the earliest aspects of ritual to be developed, but there are other points of the degree ceremonies that came into existence at later dates. A similar pattern of absence, appearance, and

elaboration characterizes the exploration of other ritual elements thought by most Masons to have been unchanged from the Craft’s earliest days. To be continued. Right Worshipful Bernhard W. “Ben” Hoff is the Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey and Worshipful Master of New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786. He is also a member of Highland Park Lodge No. 240. Endnotes 1 The Edinburgh group includes The Edinburgh Register House MS., The Chetwode Crawley MS., The Kevan MS, and others recently discovered. Early Masonic Catechisms, by Knoop, Jones & Hammer, 2nd edition edited by Harry Carr 1963, reprint by Kessinger Publishing Company, Kila MT, ISBN 1-56459-324-X 2 EMC p. 50-68. 3 The Sloane MS. 3329, EMC, pp. 45-49. 4 A Mason’s Confession, EMC, pp.99-107. 5 Masonry Dissect’d by Samuel Prichard, EMC, pp. 157-73. 6 EMC, p.161. 7 EMC, pp. 108-151. 8 EMC, pp.124-27. 9 EMC, pp. 124. 10 EMC, p. 72. 11 EMC, p. 90. 12 EMC, p. 155. 13 The Early French Exposures, collected and edited by Harry Carr, 1971, private printing for The Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, London. 14 Three Distinct Knocks. Originally published anonymously in 1760. I work from an undated, apparently late 18th century reprint printed in London by A. Napier. Reprints are relatively easy to find, on-line and from Kessinger Publishing (ISBN 1-56459-247-2). p. 7. 15 Colin Dyre, William Preston and his Work, pxx (Section 2, clause 1 for preparation, Section 3, clause 1 for Illumination) 16 EMC, p. 62. 17 EMC, p. 50-68 18 Wellins Calcott, A Candid Disquisition of the Principles and Practices of the Most Ancient and Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons, London, Printed for the Author by Brother James Dixwell, in St. Martin’s Lane, A.L. 5769, A.D. 1769. See especially chapter IV, pp. 60-78. 19 TDK p. 7. 20 Jachin & Boaz – Originally published in 1763. Knock-off of TDK with additional material intended for use by Modern lodges. Like TDK, also easy to find. I work from an original 6th edition printed in London in 1765 for W. Nicoll, at the Paper-Mill, St. Paul’s Churchyard. p. 16. 21 Mahabone: or The Grand Lodge Door Open’d, by J*** G******, c. 1777, reprint by Poemandres Press Masonic Publishers, Boston & New York. ISBN 1-56459-994-9, p. 17. 22 William Preston and His Work, by Colin Dyer, 1987, Lewis Masonic, ISBN 085318 149 7, p. 23 EMC, p.71-75. 24 EMC, p.161. 25 Dyer, op. cit. p.178 & 180. 26 TDK, p.8-9. 27 EFE, p.449. 28 EFE, p. 210. 29 EFE, p. 262. 30 TDK, p. 7. 31 TDK, p. 15. 32 EMC, P. 32. 33 EMC, p. 161. 34 EMC, p. 125. 35 EMC, p. 178. 36 Dyer, p.178. 37 Dyre , p.168-9. WINTER 2010/2011 • 21

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

HISTORY

The 1964-65 Masonic Brotherhood Center by Christopher L. Hodapp, fms

t was the world of Tomorrow, a place that didn’t really exist, yet there it was, for a brief moment in time. For two short years the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair rose literally from ashes, on what had once been a massive ash dump in Flushing Meadow, Queens, New York. It had rockets and futuristic cars, nuclear power displays and picture-phones. Walt Disney’s audio-animatronic robots made their debut at the Fair, bringing Abraham Lincoln to life, and singing in General Electric’s Progressland Pavilion, There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow Shining at the end of every day There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow Just a dream away. Hundreds of countries, individual states, religious denominations and corporations were represented at the Fair. The Vatican brought over Michaelangelo’s Pieta. Sinclair Oil had life-size dinosaurs. Uniroyal had a ferris wheel shaped like a giant tire. NASA was there, along with Ford, Chrysler and General Motors. And so were the Freemasons. The first true “world’s fair” was organized by King Xerxes in Persia, 500 years before the birth of Christ, when he staged a 180-day fair to celebrate his world conquest. That fair is described in the Old Testament Book of Esther, and because Xerxes’ empire encompassed the entirety of the known world, it properly qualified as the first of its kind. But modern world’s fairs and expositions sprung out of industrial trade shows in the 19th century, often featuring an audacious and memorable centerpiece, like London’s Crystal Palace, Paris’ Eiffel Tower, and Seattle’s Space Needle.

22 • WINTER 2010/2011

New York had done it once before, on the very same spot, in 193940, and it too had been a monument to the future. The future meant excitement and hope and a better place. Miracles happened every day, and it was possible in 1965 for someone born during the Civil War to still be alive and look back on a century that seemed impossible. Satellites and manned spacecraft looked down on the Earth, and through blurry, black and white live video images, people suddenly saw the world to be a much smaller place in the universe than most expected. Indeed, the central structure that would outlive this Fair was the Unisphere, a stainless steel globe, encircled with bands representing the orbit of spacecraft, to demonstrate just how small the world really was. Or as another Walt Disney-created theme ride that debuted at the Fair endlessly sang, “It’s a small world after all.” Technology could find a way to do anything—create limitless energy, build structures and art from materials that had never existed before, and make it possible for someone in Minneapolis to pick up a phone and chat with Mozambique. It was just people who seemed to be the weak link. The Vietnam war raged, the Cold War was in full swing, the Berlin Wall divided East from West, Americans were beating each other over whether to allow black children into public schools. The future seemed like a much better place, indeed.

n a warm August day in 1963, a group assembled on the busy fairgrounds worksite, surrounded by construction and earth-moving equipment, to turn a symbolic shovel of dirt on one of hundreds of exhibits for the new fair. Members of the Grand Lodge of New York F&AM gathered to mark the ground breaking for the Masonic Brotherhood Center. The fair’s vice-president of operations, Stuart Constable, noted with some surprise that it was

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

the largest group ever to be gathered at a pavilion’s ground breaking. The Freemasons would be the only fraternal group officially represented with a pavilion at the fair—a far cry from the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, where a cooperative Temple of Fraternity represented literally dozens of fraternal organizations. The Masonic Center would be, in the words of New York’s then Grand Master Harry Ostrov, “Devoted to the prosperity of mankind, to a demonstration of the oneness of the human family, to promote brotherhood among mankind. . . Our building will be a beacon to call men of good will, whether they belong to our fraternity or not.”1 The Masonic Brotherhood Center had been Grand Master Ostrov’s vision from the start. He was a powerful and persuasive speaker, and in 1963, he famously coined the phrase, “Brotherhood is our business.” In a speech reprinted in the Congressional Record, he said, “Let us be positive. Do you believe in Masonry? Work for it. Do you believe in America? Fight for it. Do you believe that there is an Almighty Parent in heaven, which makes us all members of the human family? Brethren, if you believe in that ideal, fight for it. In no other way can these precious liberties, and these wonderful privileges, be maintained and preserved for the generations that come after us.” 2 The Masonic Brotherhood Center was appropriately located on a corner lot at the intersection of the Avenue of the Americas and the Avenue of Europe, in the fair’s International Area. It was a modern, crescent-shaped building of white and gold that was reached by crossing a bridge over a reflecting pool. In front of the Center stood a 50-foot tall arch shaped like intersecting squares and compasses, with a large gold cube, illuminated with the letter G, suspended in the center. The famed architecture firm of Chapman, Evans and Delehanty designed the pavilion. At the time, there were almost 300,000 Masons in the state of New York, and 4 million brethren in the US. The 1,062 New York lodges supported the Fair by selling tickets, which cost $2. The preeminent sculptor of the Fair was Donald De Lue, and his dramatic “Rocket Thrower” statue at the base of the central fountain depicted mankind hurling rockets into space. But De Lue was capable of more staid work, as well. Dominating the center of the Masonic Center’s exhibit hall was an 11 foot tall copy of De Lue’s 1959 statue of George Washington, dressed in Masonic regalia.3 Washington’s apron was loaned by AlexandriaWashington Lodge No. 23 in Virginia. A model of King Solomon’s Temple was sent by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. New York’s St. John’s Lodge No. 1 displayed the bible upon which George Washington took the oath of office when he was first

sworn in as President, while a three-dimensional diorama depicted the ceremony. The New York State Library loaned Washington’s personal square and compasses, used in his surveying work. Mount Vernon sent along his inaugural sword, and two plates from his personal china patterns. Also displayed was the Plan of Union for the colonies written by Benjamin Franklin in 1754, and a copy of Franklin’s 1734 printing of Anderson’s Constitutions, the first Masonic book published in the Colonies.

arry Ostrov’s goal was for the Center to involve Masons from around the world, and the Center truly celebrated the worldwide aspect of Masonic brotherhood, with its theme, “Brotherhood, the Foundation of World Peace.” An original Mozart manuscript was provided by the Grand Lodges of Germany. A gavel given by Rudyard Kipling to his lodge in India was sent by

Donald De Lue’s “The Rocket Thrower”

WINTER 2010/2011 • 23

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Rudyard Kipling’s gavel

the Grand Lodge of Punjab, Pakistan. A facsimile of the Regius Poem was provided by the United Grand Lodge of England. South American liberator Simon Bolivar’s 32nd degree apron was displayed. Busts, paintings and other imagery of famous Masons from around the world showed the breadth of Masonic membership. And a Masonic flag taken into Earth orbit by Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper was exhibited, connecting the Freemasons of the past with the new space age. The Center was a place to learn about democracy and the role Freemasons played in its story. It was also a place to just sit and rest from the exhausting job of visiting the fair. It had a patio and indoor lounge area, complete with something few fairgoers had ever seen: a color television. It also had a meeting area, although Brooklyn’s Mayflower Lodge No. 961 was the only lodge to actually hold a tyled meeting there, on September 10, 1965.4 The Fair closed its gates just five weeks later.

in Masonic lodges, where “peace through mutual understanding” has always been the goal. This fair, like virtually every world’s fair in history, was a financial loss for its organizers. Five years and over $1 billion were spent to transform just over one square mile of parkland into a vision of the future that lasted for 18 months. When the fair closed, the plan all along was to restore the land to a magnificent city park. Within a year of the fair’s end, most of the buildings, including the Masonic Brotherhood Center, were scraped off of the land, with little trace left of them today. The giant Masonic square and compasses archway was dismantled, and a smaller version was partially re-erected, with its gold “G” on the campus of the New York Masonic Home in Utica, where it still stands. A few other pieces of the Fair survive today. The Mormon Pavilion was dismantled and hauled off to Plainview, New York, where it is now an LDS church. The Spanish pavilion was trucked off to St. Louis, where it still survives as the lobby of the Marriott Pavilion Hotel. Jordan’s King Hussein donated a 1,900-year-old column from the Temple of Artemis, and it marks the former location of the Jordanian pavilion. The New York State pavilion appeared as the headquarters of a secret agency in the 2001 film, Men In Black. It falls over in the end of the film, and is in such tumbledown condition today, it might very well fall down in real life. Just south of those crumbling structures is a small circular concrete bench, marking the location of something Masons are well acquainted with. At the 1939 World’s Fair, a time capsule, sponsored by the Westinghouse Corporation, was packed with hundreds of items and microfilmed documents, and buried. Made of a “space age alloy” (Cupaloy!), it was designed to remain there, and not to be opened again for 5,000 years. A second one (made of “Kromac”) was buried next to it at the 1965 Fair. They were designed as a calling card to the future, to tell a very different civilization who we were, how we lived, and what was important to us. The men who buried them considered what they were doing as vitally important, to leave a record of our culture. Yet, when I visited the area in 2009, there wasn’t a single park employee, caretaker, groundskeeper, or visitor who could tell me where it was. I stumbled upon it quite by accident. The park was turned over to the city of New York when the fair

George Washington’s inaugural sword and plates from Mount Vernon

The Masons took a step at the fair that is not so unusual today, but was rare for the period. On July 24th, 1965, 3,000 Masons and members of the Catholic Knights of Columbus gathered at the New York Pavilion for a joint meeting of brotherhood. Together, they then toured both the Masonic Brotherhood Center and the $3.5 million Vatican Pavilion. “It couldn’t have happened five years ago,” said Reverend Earl English, the Grand Chaplain of New York. The Vatican center’s director, Monsignor John J. Gormon called it, “Unprecedented.”5 The fair was unlike anywhere else that had existed at that time. Disneyland was not yet the experience it is today, and Walt Disney’s dream of an amusement park, a permanent fair, and an entire experimental community called EPCOT in the soggy wilds of central Florida were still just a dream. In fact, EPCOT itself would use the fair as its inspiration. When the fair closed on 1965, it had touched and inspired 52 million visitors. And yet, the world never became what the fair’s visionary dreamers hoped for. “Peace Through Mutual Understanding” had been the theme of the event, but outside of its utopian confines, men went right on as they always had. Except, perhaps, 24 • WINTER 2010/2011

The Center’s letter “G” at New York’s Masonic Home campus today.

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Photo by Bill Cotter, used by permission.

closed, and is known today as Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The 125-foot Unisphere still dominates the park, looking every bit as bright and shiny as it did 45 years ago when I stood under it, awestruck, at the age of 6. And the “Rocket Thrower” still stands at the far end of the now empty fountains, still heroically poised to hurl men back into space, if we can ever stop squabbling over the cost. To the west, in a secluded part of the park, near what are now soccer fields, and appropriately surrounded by a ring of cherry trees, stands a bronze statue of George Washington. It is the finished version of Le Due’s that was displayed as a model in the Masonic Brotherhood Center, and erected by the Grand Lodge of New York in the years after the fair’s end. He stands nobly, in his Masonic apron, gavel in hand, staring off at the Unisphere in the distance, almost as if to say, “It is indeed a small world, after all.” Christopher Hodapp is the editor of the Journal of the Masonic Society and the author of Freemasons For Dummies. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. Notes 1 Start of Construction Ceremony: Masonic Brotherhood Center, August 20, 1963. (1963) New York: New York Worlds Fair 1964-1965 Corporation. 2 May 27, 1994 letter marking the death of P.G.M. Harry Ostrov, written by Gary Arthur Henningsen, Grand Master. http://www.nydemolay.org/DeMolay%20 History/mhernandez/Done_Altered/Harry%20Ostrov/ostrov_combined.pdf 3 De Lue’s original 1959 statue of Washington was originally commissioned by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, and is now located at the New Orleans Public Library. Other copies of the sculpture are located in Detroit, Michigan and Indianapolis, Indiana. 4 A Brief History of Aurora Grata-Day Star Lodge No. 647, by R:.W:. Alfonso Serrano. http://www.agds.org/html/history_by_r__w___alfonso_serr.html 5 New York Times, “Long Time Rivals Join Hands And Tour The World’s Fair” by Philip Dougherty. July 25, 1965. References Cotter, Bill and Bill Young. The 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair: Creation and Legacy (2008) Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. New York World’s Fair 1964/65 Official Souvenir Book (1964). New York: Time/Life The Masonic Brotherhood Center at the New York World’s Fair 1964-1965 (1964) New York: Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York. WINTER 2010/2011 • 25

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

MILITARY MASONS

The Buffs: A Short History of Lodge 170A in the 3rd Regiment of Foot by Peter G. Knatt, MMS

ccording to Masonic historian Robert Freke Gould, the first purely military Lodge was the one originally numbered 51 on the Established List, warranted at Gibraltar in 1728, but it was of a stationary character.1 Gould says the first warrant creating a traveling Lodge of Freemasons, to which the number 11 was subsequently assigned, was issued to the 1st Foot (now the Royal Scots Guards) by the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1732. 2 Many regiments took up the idea, and in all some 400 travelling warrants were issued to regiments serving overseas – not only by the Antients and Moderns in England, but also by Ireland, Scotland and in some cases by Provincial Grand Masters. The majority held warrants from the Grand Lodge of Ireland. Many regiments had more than one Lodge, in some cases warranted by different Constitutions. Modern Lodges often catered to officers while Antients were usually for other ranks. The number of these Lodges dropped when the army was reduced after 1815, and others gradually died out over time. Today, just two remain – St Patrick’s Lodge No. 295 (Irish Constitution) in the 4/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and Lodge Glittering Star No. 322 (also IC) in the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment – and even they have adopted a stationary status. Why a Lodge travelling with a military regiment? The late Bro. Richard Parkinson, an Irish Mason writing in 1957, put it this way: The service Lodges provided a common meeting ground for all ranks. The practice of our ceremonies, the contemplation of the good, the true, the beautiful, lifted the mind from dreariness. Discipline and training made the soldier Mason particularly apt in the work of the Lodge. 3 This article will examine the activities of the Lodge in one regiment over a relatively short period of time in an attempt to determine the effect that military Lodges had in spreading Freemasonry throughout Great Britain and beyond. That regiment is the Royal East Kent Regiment, the Third Regiment of Foot – more commonly known as The Buffs. The period in the Lodge’s history we will explore is 1759 to 1799. First, a short lesson in English society at the time. There are several important points to remember about this period. In the 18th century, there was no standing army as we know it today; regiments were raised as required from wherever they happened to be stationed. While the majority of soldiers were men who volunteered for the profession and stayed with it in spite of other opportunities, motivated by anything from steady work to the desire for adventure in fields afar, there were some to whom the offer of service in the armed forces had been made as an alternative to prison. The following extract from the Norfolk Chronicle of November 18, 1780, illustrates the point: MADDLE the horse-stealer, condemned with RUMNEY at the last assizes for this city, has received his Majesty’s pardon, on condition of his entering into the land-service, and on Monday he enlisted into the 4th regiment of foot, then quartered in this city, and was accordingly discharged.4 26 • WINTER 2010/2011

There was indeed a brief period during which the army was allowed to press rabble and vagabonds into service, but it was legal for only 18 months, was unpopular with both the population and with the army, and netted only about 2000 men who were primarily sent to stations other than America. Recruits sometimes deserted very quickly, as evidenced in the following extract from the Norfolk Chronicle for October 21, 1780: Deserted from the Recruiting Party of the 52d Regiment of Foot, JOHN JACOBS, born in the Parish of St Mary Le Bone, in the County of Middlesex, by Trade a Labourer, aged nineteen Years, five Feet five Inches high, ruddy Complexion, much pitted in the face and marked from the Small Pox, Red Hair, Grey Eyes, and a remarkable small Mouth; had on when he went away a lightcoloured Sea-green Coat, a White Striped Dimity Waistcoat, a Pair of Regimental Breeches, and Hat. Whoever will discover, or secure the above Deserter, by giving Information to Serjeant FITT, of the above said Regiment, so that he may be apprehended, shall receive One Guinea Reward, over and above his Majesty’s Bounty, to be paid by me, JOHN FITT, Serjeant of the 52nd Regiment of Foot, Norwich.5 There was no regularly organized police force at the time, so the army often was called upon to assist the parish constables in preserving law and order. They also assisted the Revenue men in their constant battles with smugglers, often quite profitably. As an example, on arrival in Colchester, Essex in 1767, each man serving in the King’s Dragoon Guards brought with him a bonus – his share of contraband seized in Kent, where they were stationed. The Protestant House of Hanover had succeeded to the English throne following the death of the Catholic Queen Anne in 1714. However, the Stuart cause was far from dead, and there were a number of unsuccessful Jacobite risings in Britain between 1689 and 1746, often receiving aid from France or Spain. The Jacobite “Pretenders” James Francis Edward Stuart and Charles Edward Stuart conspired to recover their lost thrones; for this reason, Roman Catholics were banned from joining the army in the early part of the century. The restrictions were eased in the 1780s and lifted in 1793. By the time of the Napoleonic Wars, the percentage of Catholic soldiers was quite high as endemic poverty made Ireland a particularly fertile recruiting area. The Buffs originated in a company of 300 men raised from the trained bands of the City of London and paraded before Queen Elizabeth I on May 1, 1572. The Company formed the nucleus of a body of British troops, which, with many reinforcements, fought in Holland for the next 75 years, assisting the Dutch in their struggle against Spanish domination. After the peace in 1648, a number of troops remained in garrison in Holland but later returned to England and were brought on establishment as the Holland Regiment. Regiments took their names from their respective colonels, and two of these regiments were commanded by a Colonel Howard. One became known as the Green Howards; the other was “The Buff Howards” – or more simply, “The Buffs.” The name referred to the regiment’s uniform of red coats with facings, breeches and stockings of buff. The colors carried were green, with the red cross of St. George edged in white. In 1687 the colors were altered to black, with the red cross of St. George edged in white; two years later, the name of the Holland Regiment was changed to the Prince of Denmark’s Regiment. In 1707, Prince George of Denmark’s Regiment was permitted

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

to display a dragon on its colors as reward for gallant conduct on all occasions, the dragon being one of the supporters to the Royal Arms of Queen Elizabeth I. The grant of the Dragon was in accordance with the practice whereby a regiment was regarded as being personally owned by a royal personage or its colonel and therefore displayed either a royal badge or the badge of its colonel, as the case might be. So for Prince George, being the husband of Queen Anne, it was natural to find his regiment, The Buffs, displaying one of the English royal badges, the Dragon. The regimental motto dates from the first placing of the Dragon on the Colors in 1751. The badge was green, as was the old Color of the regiment, expressing the desire that each new generation of Buffs live up to the Honors achieved by the Regiment in the past. Thus the motto “Veteri Frondescit Honore” translates to “With its Ancient Honor it is Evergreen.”6 While the regiment was stationed in Colchester in Essex, a Masonic Lodge was formed on March 21, 1759. It is not clear whether it held a warrant at the time, but the Buffs and their Lodge travelled extensively in Great Britain and the Continent over the next few years. Unfortunately, there are no surviving records for this early period of Lodge history. From 1764 to 1771, the regiment was stationed in Minorca before it returned to Britain, landing at Plymouth and marching to Axminster on its way to Exeter in Devon, where it was stationed from June 1771 to 1772. The regiment was stationed in Exeter for a very specific reason. In the summer of 1722, a plot to bring about the restoration of the Stuart monarchy was discovered. The plot, named after Francis Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester7, was the last in a series of Jacobite schemes that threatened the survival of Hanoverian rule. Until recently, the Atterbury plot had been regarded as the muddled scheme of a band of deluded Jacobites, some of whom had only a tenuous grasp on reality. Lately, a more detailed evaluation has revised this view, as it involved an armed landing, backed by a major European power, designed to coincide with an anticipated popular insurrection in Britain leading to the ejection of the king and his replacement by the Pretender, James III. In each case, plans for a landing in England centred upon the West Country. Whether these plans betray genuine Jacobite fervor in comparison with other parts of the country is not known. It is possible that Jacobite intelligence was better in the southwest owing to the involvement in the plot of Baron Lansdowne, who exercised considerable influence in Cornwall, and of whom the Somerset list states “Lord Lansdowne’s credit is great here.” The Devon section is headed with the comment, “Numerous in Cloathiers and Manufacturers most idle at present and discontented.” This observation suggests that the depression in the county’s serge industry at this time led the plotters to believe they might exploit the dissatisfaction of under-employed workers.8 For this reason, the army was stationed in force in Exeter. While the Buffs were in Exeter in 1771, some of the Lodge members decided to settle in the town and work Freemasonry – even accepting civilians into the Lodge. Others still serving wished to continue the Lodge in the regiment. The history of St John’s Lodge No. 70 suggests that a renewal warrant was required because the original had been lost on active service overseas. There is a precedent: for example, Lodge Social and Military Virtues in the 46th Regiment of Foot, an Irish lodge affiliated with the Duke of Cornwall’s Light infantry, had its box captured by the opposing army in the American Revolution, but Bro. George Washington directed its return under a flag of truce. There is no evidence that the Buffs lost their warrant during a campaign; in fact, it is more likely that they originally worked without a warrant from any Grand Lodge. When the decision was made to split the Lodge, both parties desired authority by which to act. Whatever the reason, each faction applied to the Antients Grand Lodge for a warrant. Members of the existing Lodge – including W. Bro. John Marsh, a Past Master of the

Lodge; Bro. William Gardiner, who was still a serving soldier in the regiment; and Bros. William Dyer and Richard Player – received their warrant numbered 74 on November 11, 1771, for a Lodge “to be held at Exeter at the sign of the Castle, Castle Street.” John Marsh was a gentleman and a freeholder of Burlescombe and thus a wealthy man to whom reference will be made later. William Gardiner was born in Glasgow in 1745 and discharged from the army in 1788 after more than 19 years of service. He also served in the Queens Highland Regiment and was made a Mason in Lodge 74 in 1763. It is possible that he lied about his age when he joined the army; if his given date of birth was correct, he would have been only 18 when made a Freemason in 1763. This “civilian” Lodge continues to work to the current day as St John’s Lodge No. 70, meeting in Plymouth since August of 1828. As it has a full history of its own, the rest of this article will deal with the activities of Lodge 170A in the regiment. A new warrant numbered 170A was issued on November 9, 1771, by the Antients Grand Lodge to William Taylor, John Waters, Samuel Page and William Roberts. However, the Lodge was not constituted until December 23. It would appear that, at that time and for whatever reason, Grand Officers from London were loathe to leave the metropolis for something as trivial as a provincial meeting and, of course, all sorts of excuses can be made for this behavior – poor roads, length of journey, highwaymen, lack of home comforts, cost, having to mix with the “rude mechanicals,” and other reasons. The fact remains that when a new Lodge was to be consecrated outside London, Grand Lodge would depute an experienced local Mason to do that work. This is where John Marsh, a Past Master of Lodge No. 74, enters the story. It seems that Laurence Dermott, who had been the Grand Secretary from 1751 to 1771 and had been invested as the Duke of Atholl’s Deputy in January of that year, sent an “Authority” to Marsh to act in his stead, appointing him Deputy Grand Master – but only for three hours, the anticipated duration of the meeting! The minutes of that Grand Lodge record the event as follows: Grand Lodge opened at 11 O’Clo: in the Morning at the Castle Inn in the City of Exeter (Devonre:) Decemr: 23 1771. Jno. Marsh (P:M: No: 74) in the Chair D:G:M: by an Authty: (for 3 hours only) from L. Dermott Esqr: D:G: Master. Installed Mr. Wm: Taylor Master Jno. Waters Sr. Warden: Saml: Page Jr Warden: Prest: The Officers & Members of Lodge No. 74. All matters relative to this Constitution being compleated Bro.: Marsh by the Authority aforesaid Proclaimed the Lodge duly Constituted No. 170 Regested: in the Grand Lodge Vol. 7 letter G: to be held in his Majesty’s 3d. Regt. of Foot upon the 1st: Tuesday in each Kalender Month Closed & Adjourn’d to the General Grand Lodge in London.9 And so ended Bro. Marsh’s brief moment of glory! So who were the officers appointed in the “new” Lodge? William Taylor, after leaving the regiment, served with the Guernsey Invalids until being discharged in 1800. John Waters was born in Brecon, Wales, in 1740 and served in the militia until his discharge, also in 1800. Samuel Page was born in Shepton Mallet in Somerset in 1740 and served with other unspecified regiments as well as the Buffs; he was discharged in 1790 after 33 years. In all, there were 13 Founders of the Lodge and the warrant cost them £1.2s.6d. During this part of its history, two brethren joined the Lodge, both coming from Irish Lodges. The first was John Anderson, who came from Lodge 354 in the 1st Battalion 49th Regiment of Foot, the Royal Berkshire Regiment, on 18 July 1772, that regiment also being stationed at Exeter at the time. The second was Robert Graham, who joined from Lodge 325, a civilian WINTER 2010/2011 • 27

Lodge meeting in Cappoquin, Waterford, in Ireland between 1759 and 1803. After leaving Exeter in 1773, the regiment served in Ireland until March 17, 1781, although they had been briefly camped on Lexden Heath, Colchester in 1779. The regiment left from Cork and arrived at Charleston, South Carolina on June 5, 1781 with about 700 Rank & File. They were not intended to stay there, but they (with the 19th and 30th Regiments which accompanied them) were supposed to join the army at New York, although they did later fight at South Carolina. By May 1782, the corps was reduced to 418 officers and men; by July, only 322 were still in South Carolina. At Eutaw Springs, the battalion companies had lost 182 officers and men killed, wounded and captured. At the evacuation of Charleston at the end of 1782, the regiment embarked 388 officers and men for Jamaica, ending their service in America. They were to remain there for the next eight years, a particularly ghastly posting thanks to yellow fever, which decimated their remaining ranks. While no minute books remain for this period of the Buff’s service overseas, the records of Grand Lodge show that Lodge 170A was active throughout its life, although not able to meet on a regular basis. (Not surprising, really as they were firstly in a war zone in America and then in the disease ridden swamps of the West Indies!) The regiment returned to England in 1791, and more is known about its next period thanks to minute books dated April 5, 1791 to February 5, 1793, and a record of member’s subscriptions. In every case, the minutes are very brief, often just listing the officers of the Lodge or simply stating such facts as “the Worshipful Master took the Chair” or “the Lodge closed in Harmony according to the Antient Constitution.” It met fairly regularly, sometimes conferring all three degrees in one night, usually with more than one candidate. However, because the ritual was not written down until much later, the content and extent of the ceremonies is not known. The membership record book shows that in 1792-3 the brethren paid a fixed sum of 6d (2½p) each at every meeting that they attended. The maximum number of members recorded during that period was 29, although not everyone attended every meeting or paid their dues on a regular basis. By February 1793, the numbers had dropped so that only seven paid their dues and attended what was probably the final meeting. Not surprisingly, the attendance records are marked on several occasions to indicate that a brother was on duty. Many of the members were Irish, and while their military ranks are not shown, they were probably sergeants or other non-commissioned officers. Although the Grand Lodge of Scotland permitted the making of private soldiers in military Lodges, and although the other Grand Lodges did not prohibit the making of private soldiers until a later date, the fact remains that in general only sergeants and officers were to be found in military Lodges.10 The first meeting of the Lodge on English soil since 1773 was held at Portsmouth on April 5, 1791, probably very soon after their arrival from the West Indies. The first page of the minute book lists the officers of the Lodge in full: Worshipful Master William Knox; Senior Warden Solomon Walsh; Junior Warden John Fox; Past Master Timothy Lane; Secretary Joseph Marshall; Treasurer Moss; Tyler John McVey; Senior Deacon William Brown; and Junior Deacon Hugh Shearer. We know that William Knox was born in Killabeg, County Donegal in 1756 and was discharged from the regiment in 1799 after 23 years service, but the records of the other Lodge officers are not available, with one notable exception: Tyler John McVey, an Irishman born in 1758 and discharged from service at age 55 after 40 years service, served with the Surrey Rangers and with the 5th Royal Veterans Battalion. The next meeting was held at the White Hart in Devizes, Wiltshire on August 3, 1791. Bro. Walsh took the Chair to “Enter: Edward Frederick Williams, Stephen Bell and Andrew Heath” and welcome five visitors, whose names and Lodge numbers are properly recorded. Bro. John Casson was a member of Lodge No. 7 (most likely the Irish lodge in the 7th Princess Royals Dragoon Guards). Bro. Dunn belonged to Lodge No. 212 (IC) in the Downshire Irish Militia Regiment. Brothers Aston and Ranson came from Eskdale Kilwinning Lodge No. 134, a Scottish Lodge in Langholm, Dumfriesshire. Bro. Mitchell came from the Scottish lodge No. 137 in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, the 23rd Regiment of Foot. 28 • WINTER 2010/2011

The following meeting was again held at the White Hart in Devizes on August 25, 1791, again with Bro. Walsh in the chair. Brothers Williams, Bell, and Heath were “Crafted,” while Samuel Smith and George Clark were “Entered.” Two days later, Bro. Fox took the Chair for an emergency meeting of the Lodge at which Brothers Smith and Clark were “Crafted and Raised.” Presumably it was necessary to hold an emergency meeting as these brothers were due to be posted away on active service. The regiment settled in Chatham Barracks during the latter part of 1791, and the next few meetings are shown as being held there. In fact, the next meeting was held November 1, 1791 when Bro. Knox resumed the Chair with Bro. Walsh acting as Senior Warden and Bro. Fox as Junior Warden, although no business is recorded as taking place. Of interest, though, is the meeting of January 3, 1792 when six members “were recommended by Bro. Thomas Snipe and regularly balloted for and unanimously chosen.” Oddly, there is no record of Bro. Thomas Snipe being a member of the Lodge, or indeed any record of his military service. Nevertheless, all six were “Entered and Crafted” at the meeting in February 1792 and raised at the March meeting. At that January meeting, Bro. Charles McLean joined the Lodge with a certificate from Lodge 252 held in the 38th Regiment of Foot, the South Staffordshire Regiment. Because Bro. McLean and two of the visitors at the June meeting, Aston and Ranson, may well have been involved in a momentous event in the history of Freemasonry while serving in America some 11 years earlier, the story shows the powerful effect of the army Lodges in spreading Freemasonry overseas. On January 23, 1781, the Antients and Field Lodges in New York met as a Grand Lodge, and elected Grand Officers. A warrant for a Provincial Grand Lodge was granted by the Grand Lodge of England (Antients) on September 5 and the Provincial Grand Lodge was duly inaugurated by three stationary and six travelling Lodges in December 1782. The former were Nos. 169, 210 and 212 on the roll of the Antients, of which the first named was acknowledged as the leading authority by the various Army Lodges, while the last two were also to a great extent military Lodges. Of the six travelling Lodges, one half were Antients, namely, Nos. 52, 213, and 215, in the 37th Foot, the 4th Battalion Royal Artillery, and the Regiment of Anspach-Bayreuth, respectively while the other regimental Lodges that took part in the proceedings were Nos. 132 (Scottish) in the 22nd Regiment and 441 (Irish) in the 38th Foot (this was Bro. Charles McLean’s regiment), together with Sion’s Lodge in the 57th Regiment, holding under a dispensation granted by Lodge No. 210 (Antients), with the consent and approval of two Scottish Lodges, Nos. 132 Moriah, in the 22nd Foot, and 134 Eskdale Kilwinning, at Langholm, in Dumfries-shire, to which Lodge Brothers Aston and Ransom belonged. Thus Lodge 170A had a link with the embryonic Provincial Grand Lodge of New York. In May 1792, two more brethren were raised and two entered in Lodge 170A, while the meeting on June 5, 1792 was to be the one at which the officers of the Lodge were chosen and installed for the ensuing half year. However, while the Secretary has listed the offices in the minute book, no names are recorded against them. Perhaps he can be excused; it must have been a busy meeting as two brethren were also Crafted and Raised that night! The next few meetings passed without incident until October 2, 1792 when 10 brethren “Passed the Chair.” This is not a ceremony known to today’s English Freemason, but at the time it was necessary for brethren to be Past Masters of a Lodge before being eligible to take the degree of the Holy Royal Arch. Because this restriction limited the number of available candidates for the degree, a ceremony known as passing the Chair was introduced. They obviously intended to work the degree of Holy Royal Arch within the Lodge, as was the Antient custom, although there is no evidence that they ever did so. The meeting on December 4, 1792, was held “at Bro. Greens at the sign of the Harrow, Brampton.” It is not clear which Brampton is referred to, as there are a number of towns or villages of that name on the current map of England. However, in the absence of a regular police force at the time, it is likely that they had been sent to keep the peace at Brampton in Cambridgeshire, which is on the Fosse Way, a major route

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

from London to the North of England. In any event they returned to Chatham Barracks for the meeting on January 1, 1793, with Bro. Walsh in the Chair, when George Simmons was entered and crafted. Less than a fortnight later, at an emergency meeting on January 13, 1793, he was raised to Master Mason. Interestingly he did not serve with The Buffs but was either a civilian or perhaps a Militia man at the time of his “making.” He had served with 77th Regiment of Foot, from which he was discharged after one year’s service in 1798, at the age of 26. The last mention of the Lodge in that minute book is of a meeting held at Windsor on February 5, 1793, with Bro. Knox in the Chair; the Lodge “met in due form and closed in harmony.” In December 1793, the regiment embarked for service in Holland and no further activities of the Lodge are recorded. On this point Bro. Reddyhoff says: “... the point is that a Lodge attached to an infantry regiment or battalion had a much better chance of survival than one attached to a small Artillery company. The latter could be sustained so long as the company was in garrison with other troops, but when the company moved on its own, the Lodge was no longer viable. This explains why some Artillery Lodges were short lived ...”11 The same must be said about Lodge 170A in the 3rd Regiment of Foot; in barracks it was active, while on service around the country less so. As to its activities while on overseas service, nothing is known except for the very important contribution its members made to the Provincial Grand Lodge of New York. And that really is the end of the story of Lodge 170A. No doubt it was this last embarkation for service overseas that put an end to the Lodge. By 1799, the ministers of the British Crown, and in particular Sir Robert Walpole, the King’s Chief Minister, had the scent of the conspiracy in their nostrils; they feared the rise of liberal idealism in France, which had culminated in the French Revolution. These events no doubt contributed to the demise of Lodge 170A and were to foreshadow the passing through Parliament of the Unlawful Societies Act 1799. Although Freemasonry was exempted from this Act as a result of the efforts of the Grand Masters of the Antients and the Moderns, a great deal of confusion arose as to the scope of the Act. Around this time, many colonels – no doubt under political pressure – actively forbade the meeting of Masonic Lodges within their regiments. There is, however, a rather curious tailpiece to the story. It might have been assumed that the regiment took the Lodge warrant with them on service on the Continent, but that does not seem to have been the case. In the archives of the Grand Lodge of England is a letter from John McVey, dated July 29, 1799, and addressed to Charles Leslie Esquire, No. 2 Token House Yard, near the Bank, London. John McVey had been Tyler of Lodge 170A in 1791 and Charles Leslie was the Grand Secretary of the Antients Grand Lodge. It is rather a sad letter; Bro. McVey has obviously fallen upon hard times, and his words are worth quoting in full: Chatham Barracks 29th July 1799 Mr Leslie Sir, According to promise I enclose you herewith the Warrant No 170, and has to observe that there is no person living at present belonging to it but myself and as my situation at present is very low in the world I hope you will see me done every justice by in it. I have not the smallest doubt were the Regiment in this country but there might be some of the fraternity in it who would wish to retain it, - however I hope you will be good enough to dispose of it in such manner as you shall think fit and should any emolument arise from it after deducting charges and etc., would be gratefully received by Sir, your ever faithful and obedient servant. John McVey late 3rd Regiment (or Buffs) Chatham Barracks.

Bro. McVey would have known that Bro. William Knox who had played such an active part in the Lodge had by now been discharged from the army, but what had happened to the rest? In any case, McVey had held the Lodge warrant, or had perhaps been entrusted with it for safekeeping while the regiment was away on active service. Because Lodge warrants were sometimes sold, and as McVey admits he has fallen upon hard times, perhaps he hoped for some remuneration upon returning the warrant to Grand Lodge. Unfortunately, despite Bro. McVey’s best efforts, the warrant of Lodge 170A has been lost. There is no evidence of any response to his letter from Bro. Leslie. This brief history of just one of the many hundred travelling army Lodges should help to illustrate how Freemasonry was taken up enthusiastically by the army, in this case the non-commissioned and mainly Irish element of the regiment, who spread the Grand Principles of the Order in this country and overseas. As Lieutenant General Sir Charles Warren, GCMG, said in reviewing Robert Freke Gould’s Military Lodges for Quatuor Coronati Lodge: It is impossible to rise from reading this book without appreciating the immense effect Masonry has had in the world for good, and how much we are all indebted to military Lodges and military Masons for the spread of Masonry from the British Isles during the last two hundred years. This writer hopes this article proves just that point. Worshipful Brother Peter G. Knatt was initiated into Freemasonry in a London Lodge under the Constitution of the United Grand Lodge of England nearly 40 years ago. He holds Essex Provincial Rank in the Craft, Holy Royal Arch and the Mark degrees. He is a holder of the 30° in the Ancient and Accepted Rite, and holds Great Rank in the Great Priory of the United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple. He is a member of several Masonic study societies, and has published a number of articles. His main interest is 18th-century military Freemasonry. He is retired from a career with one of England’s leading joint stock banks. NOTES: Robert Freke Gould, Military Lodges: The Apron and the Sword, or Freemasonry Under Arms (London: Gale and Polden, 1899), 31.

Ibid.

Frederick Smyth, “The Master Mason at Arms: Prestonian Lecture for 1990,” Ars Quatuor Coronatorum 104 (1991): 229.

4 Norfolk Chronicle newspaper selections from 1780, transcribed by Janelle Penney. From microfilm supplied by the British Library Newspaper Library, who are copyright holders of the microfilm. 5

Ibid.

http://www.canterbury.org.uk

See Oxford Dictionary of National Biographies for more information on Francis Atterbury (1663-1732).

Dr Simon N Dixon has done some excellent work on the Devon and Exeter Oath Rolls Project 1723, which is available on the Devon County Council’s website at www.foda. org.uk.

Cyril Batham, Prestonian Lecture 1981: The Grand Lodge of England According to the Old Institutions (London: privately printed, 1981).

James W. Reddyhoff, “Freemasonry in the Royal Artillery,” Ars Quatuor Coronatorum 116 (2003): 213. 10

Ibid.

Image of the coat of arms of the Buffs as inscribed on the grave of Private P.M. Godden of the Buffs (died 1947), in Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong. Wikipedia Commons.

PS Should you honour me with a line would be thankfully acknowledged. WINTER 2010/2011 • 29

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Masonic Treasures

eorge Washington Lodge No. 143 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania was chartered in 1815. Its temple has the distinction of being the oldest purpose-built Masonic building in the state, constructed in 1823. During the Civil War in July of 1864, Confederate General Jubal Early and his troops marched into Chambersburg and demanded $100,000 in gold, or he would burn the town. The ransom was not paid and Early made good his threat. Legend claims the lodge was saved by a Confederate officer who posted sentries to be sure the Masonic temple and adjoining buildings were not set aflame. They were the only buildings spared in the town. The building recently suffered structural problems, which required a major engineering project to insert steel reinforcement beams to prevent a roof collapse. The members have undertaken a respectful renovation project to retain the historic feel of its second floor lodge room, and a local artist will soon be brought in to paint murals and other decorations in keeping with the former design. CLH

30 â&#x20AC;˘ WINTER 2010/2011

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

THE GENTLEMAN MASON

Books, Arts, Styles & Manners BOOKS

Novo Clavis Esoterika By Timothy W. Hogan Deluxe, hand-bound edition, 262 pages Publisher: Brazen Serpent LLC Reviewed by Randy Williams, FMS

ovo Clavis Esoterika is the first release from Brazen Serpent, a new publisher specialising in high-end Masonic, Hermetic, and esoteric books. In essence, this volume contains expanded versions of two of Timothy Hogan’s previous books, The Alchemical Keys To Masonic Ritual (privately published in 2007) and The 32 Secret Paths of Solomon: A New Examination of the Qabbalah (privately published in 2009). Those works are enriched here with additional material, supplementary illustrations, and an assortment of related essays on Martinism, Gnosticism, alchemy, and the Hermetic Tradition. The book is beautifully hand-bound in leather and signed by the author. Every detail of the publication is top quality. The volume feels great in the reader’s hand, the materials used are excellent, and the design of the book – from cover to cover – is simple but elegant. The page layouts are noticeably easier on the eyes than was the case with the two privately published editions, which used a very small font and undersized illustrations; the design of the earlier versions also did not leave enough white space for the pages to “breathe.” This reviewer struggled a bit when reading the previous releases – not only because the material itself is rather dense, but also because the slender volumes were so crammed with miniscule bits of information that the pages felt like obstacle courses for the eyeballs. Here, each page is aesthetically pleasing and easy to read; as a result, the material seems to leap more readily off the page and into the mind. Still, Novo Clavis Esoterika is hardly a casual reading experience. This is challenging material, and it will not appeal to those who desire neat and tidy conclusions to each idea that is discussed. Indeed, Hogan’s work may leave the reader with more burning questions than he had at the beginning. The passages from The Alchemical Keys To Masonic Ritual endeavor to establish a direct link between the rituals of Freemasonry and the practices of both chemical and spiritual alchemy. Whether or not one agrees with Hogan’s beliefs about chemical alchemy, his ideas are always thought-provoking and engaging. For this reader, the most absorbing passages were those illuminating the alchemical allegories that can be found throughout Masonic ritual. Bringing these passages to light adds a new dimension to the symbolic transformations undergone by candidates in each of the three Craft degrees. Readers who have never studied alchemy may find it useful to keep an alchemical guidebook or dictionary handy to clarify some of the terms and concepts. Dennis Hauck’s excellent (and more budget-conscious) Complete Idiot’s Guide To Alchemy, for example, would make a useful and appropriate complement to the first sections of Hogan’s book. Much the same could be said of the material from The 32 Secret Paths of Solomon: A New Examination of the Qabbalah – some supplementary research material would likely benefit readers who have not previously dipped their toes into these particular waters. Hogan does very well at introducing the spiritual side of Freemasonry and making a case for its inclusion alongside other Western Mystery schools such as The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Martinist orders, Gnostic traditions, and so on. He also excels at explaining how both the Qabbalistic Tree of Life and the Gematria apply to Masonic ritual and the Biblical passages on which that ritual is based. However, a reader who had no prior knowledge of Qabbalah – or the importance of the Tree of Life as a symbolic means of interpreting

man’s relationship with the Divine – would likely be very quickly lost. For such a reader, a number of solid introductory guides or dictionaries to Qabbalah can be found in most larger bookstores and libraries (or, if all else fails, there’s always Amazon). None of the above should be taken as criticism of Brother Hogan’s work. The simple fact is that he writes at a somewhat advanced level; those readers who have a measure of pre-existing familiarity with Hogan’s subjects will be interested in Hogan’s unique interpretations as they relate to Freemasonry. Readers who come at these subjects cold may have some work to do in order to decipher the book’s full meaning, but the effort should pay off handsomely and may even light a fire to conduct further research into these esoteric fields of study. At a cost of more than $100 per copy, Novo Clavis Esoterika is something of a luxury item. That said, it is a true delight to see a new Masonic book that achieves a standard of publishing excellence in our age of quickie paperbacks, PDFs and Kindles. Novo Clavis Esoterika would look right at home on the shelf beside gorgeous leather-bound editions from the likes of Mackey and Pike that were published proudly in years past. Brazen Serpent has clearly created this book as a labor of love, and we can only hope that this first release is successful enough to allow the company to continue releasing beautiful volumes for many years to come. Novo Clavis Esoterika is limited to 555 hand-bound and signed copies at a cost of $110 USD plus shipping. The book may be purchased online at http://www.brazenserpent.net/novo-clavisesoterika.html RANDY WILLIAMS, FMS, is Assistant Editor of the Journal of the Masonic Society.

The Vatican Secret Archives By VDH Books (Various authors) 2009, Hardback edition, 240 pages Publisher: Innovative Logistics ISBN: 9088810079 Reviewed by Christopher L. Hodapp, FMS

he “Secret Archives” is a slightly misleading name for an incredible collection of knowledge in Vatican City. They are “secret” in that they are not open to the public, and only approved scholars may visit the archives in person. And there are indeed areas of the archives that are available only to Church officials. This magnificently produced work is a treasure trove. It is unprecedented, in that the researchers and photographers were given free rein to explore the most private areas, and many of the decorative pieces of art and 16th century frescoes are published here for the first time. More than 100 documents, dating from the late 700s through the 20th century, are partially reproduced and described (not translated verbatim) by Vatican scholars, including Barbara Frale, whose work on the 1308 Chinon Parchment is well known to Masons and Templar enthusiasts. Items include the excommunication of Martin Luther in 1521; the Gregorian Calendar of 1582; documents of the Council of Trent in 1531; and letters from church officials in England arguing the matrimonial problems of Henry VIII in 1530. Of interest to Masons include a 1745 letter from Voltaire to Pope Benedict XIV, and the conferral of the Order of the Golden Spur on Mozart in 1770. WINTER 2010/2011 • 31

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

In addition to Frale’s description of the Chinon document and Pope Clement V’s secret exoneration of the Knights Templar, she also reveals a cache of 57 manuscripts of Templar trials in Italy between 1309-1310, which make it clear that the Order was treated far easier by the Church in countries outside of King Philippe le Bel’s France, and remained largely free from persecution. Apart from the documents presented, the book offers photos of the massive 800 year old archive that is spread out over more than 50 miles of shelf space in a warren of buildings within the Vatican complex. While its use as a reference work is limited by its thumbnail descriptions of the works presented, the book is nonetheless beautiful, and a rare peek into what is likely the world’s largest and oldest continuously operating research library.

Observing the Craft By Andrew Hammer 2010, Paperback edition, 145 pages Publisher: Mindhive Books ISBN: 9780981831619 Reviewed by Christopher L. Hodapp, FMS

ndrew Hammer served as Master of Virginia’s AlexandriaWashington Lodge No. 22 in 2010, which meets in the George Washington Masonic Memorial. AW22 has in its possession some of the most treasured artifacts of American Masonic history,

and is renowned for its legendary connection to the President, who was named on its charter as its first Master (in spite of the fact that he never actually served in that capacity). But over the years, Hammer and other members of the lodge felt it had lost its way Masonically, and had strayed from Freemasonry’s basic mission. If ‘nothing is higher than the third degree,’ and its goal is to ‘make good men better ones,’ both of these statements should be put to practical use, and not be mere bromides. The result of their plans for reformation are detailed in this deceptively small book. Observing the Craft is a back-to-basics call for lodges to concentrate on the essential lessons of Symbolic Craft Masonry, and a persuasive argument for setting aside other distractions. Hammer sees the appendant bodies, institutional charities, and lowering of standards across the board as ultimately destructive to lodges, and to the fraternity as a whole. The overriding theme of the book is a pursuit of excellence, in ritual, dress, dining, programming, manners, and scholarship. This is not one more repetitive recitation of what’s “wrong” with Freemasonry. It is a road map for Masons to follow in a quest to return lodges to being a place where gentlemen truly want to gather together, instead of just meeting and fleeing. These are concrete examples from a successful lodge that changed its direction in a fairly short period of time. Hammer’s methodology may not be easy to accomplish, and many lodges have members who will strongly disagree with his vision. But it is well worth exploring in the quest to make good lodges better ones, and well worth introducing to your members.

Looking for Masonic Society hats, shirts, cups, mousepads, Journal back issues and more? Visit our store at www.themasonicsociety.com where you’ll find a growing number of custom items to show your pride in membership!

Don’t keep your lapel pin collection hidden in a box or a drawer. Display them proudly with

www.lodgepinbanner.com

WMFH Supply

P.O. Box 30321 Spokane, WA 99223 32 • WINTER 2010/2011

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY (ADVERTISEMENT)

reemasonry and the founding of the United States have been intertwined since the very beginning. Now discover the brotherhood of Freemasons at the center of Dan Brown’s novel, The Lost Symbol. Follow fictional symbologist Robert Langdon’s factual trail through the streets and monuments of Washington D.C., and into the innermost lodge rooms and temples of the Masons. Best-selling author of Solomon’s Builders and Freemasons For Dummies Christopher Hodapp has created the definitive guide to the symbols, legends, and mysteries of The Lost Symbol. Take an insider’s trip to uncover the true stories behind the Freemasons and the nation’s capital, and interpret the clues and claims of Brown’s book. From Masonic presidents, secret codes, and esoteric rituals, to curious cornerstones, monuments, and symbols, Deciphering The Lost Symbol is the only key you need to unlock the secrets and the truth behind Dan Brown’s fiction. ISBN: 978-1569757739 Ulysses Press Paperback, 208 pages, US $12.95

JEMSbyJEM

Masonic and Fraternal Affordable Hypoallergenic Stainless Steel Rings

Only $99.99

JEMSbyJEM • John E. Morrow • 207 Neyland St., Houston, TX 77022-4425 • Phone: 713-691-3478 • Email: jmorrow@hal-pc.org WINTER 2010/2011 • 33

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

FROM THE EDITOR

Lessons From My Watch by Christopher L. Hodapp, fms

t’s curious where you discover Masonic lessons sometimes. A few years ago, I found a wristwatch on Ebay. From the front it was pretty nondescript—a gold-tone Hamilton from the 1950s, with a plain face and a flexible band. From the photo, it looked a little battered, as though the previous owner had worn it every day for quite a long time, giving it a few mild battle scars. There was really no reason to give it a second look. But when you turned it over, it held a Masonic secret. The back featured a beautiful relief of a Past Master’s compasses and sextant, with the pillars of the Temple’s porch, and the inscription, “Jesse Hodshire, PM: Broad Ripple Lodge #643, 1954.” I never knew Worshipful Brother Jesse—he died many years ago—but I knew I had to have his watch. Broad Ripple Lodge is my mother lodge, where I joined in November 1998, and served as its Worshipful Master in 2001. Despite the funny name, it has nothing to do with “broads.” The lodge is located in a suburban village of Indianapolis named after a wide, hookshaped bend in the White River: hence, a “broad ripple.” At the turn of the previous century, it was the end of the line for the Indianapolis street car system, and what is now a tree-filled park by the river once was home to a lavish amusement park. At one time, Broad Ripple Park featured the country’s largest public swimming pool, and Olympic star Johnny “Tarzan” Weissmuller regularly practiced there. It’s odd to think that the original cottages that made up the neighborhood were once regarded as weekend getaways from the big city, downtown. When my lodge built its first permanent home in Broad Ripple Village, the Temple sat on a rise just off the main street, and remained the highest building in the area for 50 years. Its ground floor was built as rental space, and at various times, it held a grocery store, a bank, and even the Village’s first public library. The Masonic Temple’s dining hall was a frequent location for public dances and other gatherings. Broad Ripple Lodge was at the center of the community, and an important part of the social fabric that this unique village within a city once had. Jesse Hodshire was the Master of the lodge back when we still owned that old building, so his watch spent time in a place I was never privileged to experience. By the late 1980s, the lodge trustees decided their home of nearly 70 years was too big, too costly, too much trouble to stay in. So they sold it and moved several important blocks away from the center of the still-vibrant Village, into an uninspiring office building that thousands of people drive past every day without giving a second glance. Our old magnificent Temple has since become a bar. So, I bought Jesse Hodshire’s watch from the Oregon antique dealer. It wasn’t especially expensive, but someday when they toss the dirt over my head, it will go into the lodge’s display case. Or maybe onto the arm of a new Master. In the meantime, I’m not done with it. I wear it every day, and this one dumb little artifact teaches me an awful lot. I mean, apart from the usual lessons of reminding that I am traveling upon the level of time to the Undiscovered Country. Or to circumscribe my actions. Or that several times a day the hands illustrate the “fourth part of a circle.” In 1954, there weren’t such things as electronic watches with batteries or solar power chips. Watchmakers had to be inventive to create a mechanical, self-winding watch. When I wear it and shake my forearm

back and forth, I can easily feel a little counterweight inside the watch sliding back and forth, and the faint buzzing of the spring as it mechanically tightens. If I toss it in a drawer and stop using it, stop constantly moving, forget about it, it will die. There’s a lesson in that, for life, and for Masonry. The band itself is decorated in squares, which are further detailed in a checkerboard pattern, much like a lodge’s mosaic floor. The Past Master symbol on its back teaches me an important lesson, too. It’s not on the front of the watch to show the world, to tell everybody who glances at it, “Look! A Mason!” It presses against the skin of my wrist with a slight pressure, to constantly remind me to be a Freemason, every day. In my more swollen days, before I lost a lot of weight, the flexible band was pretty tight, and when I took off the watch, it actually left a Past Master’s symbol, flanked by Jachin and Boaz, stamped into my skin, which took a while to fade away. It was as though Freemasonry made its mark on me, as long as I didn’t stay away from it for too long. Jesse and I share the first syllable of our last names, Hod. In the operative Mason trade, a “hod” is an important piece of equipment. It is a three-sided wooden box, with a pole sticking out of the bottom. The “hod carrier” puts the pole over his shoulder, and the box is stacked full of bricks or stones. So, no matter how much skill a craftsman possessed, it was the unskilled “hod carrier” who brought him the stones he needed to work. I guess that made both Jesse and me, and other “hods” like us, important in the world, but nonetheless easily replaceable in the grand scheme of things. Important, helpful, needed, but never irreplaceable. In Quabbalah, Hod is the eighth sephirah of the Tree of Life. Spelled ‫ דוה‬in Hebrew, the word means “majesty” or “splendor.” Hasidic Judaism regards Hod as a form of submission, especially in prayer, or yielding to outside forces. Alchemically, Hod is described in some quarters as a force that breaks down energy into different, distinguishable forms, associated with intellectualism, learning and, appropriately, ritual. I asked the Oregon Ebay dealer about how he came to own the watch. He told me that Jesse Hodshire’s son had turned it over to him to sell, with other items of his deceased father’s. I offered to send Jesse’s son a description out of our archives of his father’s year as Master of my lodge, but the reply came back that he wasn’t interested. Freemasonry and his father’s time in the lodge meant nothing to him. Our long-ago Brother was unable to pass along the Masonic traditions to his son, or those traditions held no interest for him. Either way, the result was the same. That’s how the watch ended up in an Oregon drawer, neglected, forgotten. Remember the line in the Middle Chamber lecture of the Fellow Craft degree: “Freemasonry, notwithstanding, has still survived.” When the watch arrived at my house, I carefully unpacked it, shook it back and forth to wind the internal mechanism, and it started immediately. It has been on my wrist ever since, keeping perfect time, and I think of Jesse and his son every time I look at it. Those years of neglect didn’t make the Freemasonry it represents any less important or less relevant. Just forgotten for a time. That little watch teaches me something new every single day of my life. My friend Andrew Hammer says in his book, Observing The Craft, “Ideas never die, but they can be easily forgotten. Just stop talking about them.” Don’t let Freemasonry get tossed in the back of the drawer and forgotten. Live it every day. Keep it moving. Examine it, talk about it, read about it. Live up to your obligations. Be a leader. Be legendary. Be the very best Freemason you can be. And whatever you do, pass it on. WINTER 2010/2011 • 35

The Masonic Society 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248 Indianapolis, IN 46260-2103

POSTMASTER: ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Masonic Treasures

here are so many Masonic treasures in the possession of Philanthropic Lodge in Marblehead, Massachusetts, that the Lodge was able to exhibit numerous artifacts in the museum of the town’s historical society last year as part of Philanthropic’s 250th anniversary celebration. Entire walls of oil paintings, display cases full of ceramic pieces, regalia, parchments, all kinds of antiques, and other historic items were on display to the public for several months earlier this year, but a priceless pair of Great Lights was kept at the Lodge. The brethren call the set the “1776 Square & Compass.” On May 17, 1776, the schooner Franklin, commanded by Captain James Mugford, captured the Royal Navy schooner Hope, which wound up providing essential materiel for Gen. George Washington’s forces at Cambridge. Mugford, not a Freemason, was killed in action later that year. The compass, termed a “divider,” and the square are believed to have been the working tools of the British ship’s navigator, Bro. James Topham, a descendent of Mugford, donated the compass to Philanthropic Lodge in 1858, and then gave the square in 1862. They have been used to make Masons in Philanthropic Lodge ever since. —Jay Hochberg