The Journal of The Masonic Society, Issue #19 by The Masonic Society

The Journal Of The Masonic Society

SPRING 2013

Issue 19

Spring 2013

Issue 19

FEATURES

THE JOURNAL

OF THE

MASONIC SOCIETY

Masonic Authors - Reliability and Unreliability by Alain Bernheim

WWW.THEMASONICSOCIETY.COM

ISSN 2155-4145

Executive Editor Michael Halleran editor@themasonicsociety.com

The Death of Captain John Williams by Isaiah Akin

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

Editorial Committee Jay Hochberg - Submissions Editor Kenneth W. Davis - Reviews Editor

Behind the Letter G by Adrian Castro

Queries concerning prospective articles should be sent to: Articles@themasonicsociety.com

Requiem for a Nut Cup by Jim Tresner

Design & layout John A. Bridegroom, FMS - Art Director Officers John R. Cline, President James R. Dillman, 1st Vice President John Palmer - 2nd Vice president Nathan C. Brindle, Secretary/Treasurer Christopher L. Hodapp, Editor Emeritus Directors Ronald Blaisdell Kenneth W. Davis Andrew Hammer Jay Hochberg James W. Hogg Mark Tabbert

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Aeronautical Masons by Michael Halleran

Traditionally Speaking by Cliff Porter

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). POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Journal of The Masonic Society, 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248, Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 © 2013 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.

SECTIONS 4 President’s Message 5 News of the Society 6 Conferences, Speeches,

36 Symposia & Gatherings

8 From the Editor 30 Masonic Treasures 31 Book Reviews THE COVER: This photo shows the Officers of Hammond Chapter No. 117, Royal Arch Masons of Indiana circa 1925. Photos such as this give us a rare glimpse into the character and history of the Fraternity of Freemasonry. A look at the archives of a local body often reveal treasures such as this, and give us a heritage to be proud of and to live up to. A full version of the photo is show to the above right. SPRING 2013• 3

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

A Journey of Enlightenment. by John R. “Bo” Cline, FMS

ecently, I have been reading Albert Pike’s Esoterika , and I was struck by the similarity in Pike’s experience upon receiving the degrees of Masonry with my own. It is my understanding that Pike’s interpretation of the symbols of Freemasonry is based on a contention that the true meaning of Masonry can only be found by a study of history, religion, science, and philosophy, and that it is absurd to accept a literal interpretation of our ritual text as its true meaning. Additionally, I have come to understand that our ritual text (especially in North America) has been altered from the original Craft ritual, by mercenary and ignorant itinerant lecturers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and made worse by the method of transmitting the ritual from a coach to a candidate. As such, the ritual, as practiced by lodges throughout my country, varies markedly from one jurisdiction to another. Soon after being raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason, I remember thinking to myself, is this all there is? It wasn’t that I didn’t feel properly prepared, because I didn’t know what properly prepared meant. I felt that there was something missing, something that I had been promised by the ritual that was yet to be discovered. At that time, I was very curious about the origins of Freemasonry, and I asked several

to Masonic research was very limited by my geographic location (Alaska) and by the small number of Masons in my jurisdiction who shared my interest. I decided to join, not because of this high quality journal or my ability to interact with the membership through the forum, neither of which I was aware of at the time, but because of the names of The Masonic Society fellows, who I recognized as a Who’s Who list of Masonic scholars that I might gain access to. As it turned out, The Masonic Society fellows were just the tip of the iceberg of esteemed Masons whose interests in the history, philosophy, and symbolism of Freemasonry sustain the dialogue that is The Masonic Society today. I have truly enjoyed my relationship and interaction with the members of The Masonic Society and look forward to many years of continued research into this great fraternity of ours. Freemasonry is not a destination, but a journey of enlightenment. It provides each Mason an opportunity to become more aware of himself and his place in the cosmos. It provides a model for what is good in mankind, and a roadmap to assist the inquiring Mason to become a better man and to achieve a closer relationship with his creator.

felt that there was something missing, something that I had been promised by the ritual that was yet to be discovered.

of the respected members of my lodge for their recommendations of books I might read to expand my Masonic knowledge. The two books that they recommended were Robinson’s Born In Blood, and Knight and Lomas’ The Hiram Key. Although entertaining, these books were highly speculative, provided romantic notions about Freemasonry’s origins, and fell very short of expanding my knowledge of the Craft. After advancing further in Masonry in my lodge and gaining much broader access to worldwide Masonry through the internet, I began to cultivate relationships with brethren who were somewhat better-read than those Masons who first guided me. I owe a debt of gratitude to Masons like RW John Cooper, who introduced me to Stevenson , Jacob , and Yates and encouraged my further studies in the Rosicrucian Enlightenment, Hermeticism, and the Kabala. Through reading these authors, and more especially by capturing their sources through the bibliographies in their books, I was able to expand my Masonic library and discover more about this Craft that I love. In late 2008, I became aware of a new organization (The Masonic Society) that promised to be “A significant group of passionate Masons [who] have joined together to create what is now the fastest growing research society in Freemasonry.” This promise of a Masonic research society that I could participate in intrigued me, especially since my access 4 • SPRING 2013

This edition of the Journal of The Masonic Society marks a turning point in the development of our great organization. Chris Hodapp, founding editor, is stepping down to enjoy some well- deserved rest. In his place, I am very pleased to announce the addition of Michael Halleran (jurist, university lecturer, and author of The Better Angels of Our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War) as the new Executive Editor of the Journal of The Masonic Society. I am also pleased to announce that John Bridegroom will take on the role as Art Director to assist Michael. The Masonic Society is blessed to receive the benefit of these two esteemed Masons. Recommended Titles Albert Pike, transcribed and anotated by Arturo de Hoyos. Esoterika: The Symbolism of the Blue Degrees of Freemasonry, Washington D.C.: Scottish Rite Research Society, 2008. David Stevenson, The Origins of Freemasonry, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988. Margaret C. Jacob, The Origins of Freemasonry, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. Frances A. Yates, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment, London and New York: Routledge, 1972.

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News of the Society

he Masonic Service Association of North America announced George O. Braatz, its Executive Secretary, has been appointed to represent MSANA on the National Advisory Committee for the U.S. Veterans Administration Voluntary Services for a two-year term. The Past Grand Master of Ohio is the first representative of the fraternity to serve in this capacity “in many years.” The Masonic Service Association was established after World War I to simplify Masonic charity outreach to American soldiers serving abroad.

n other MSANA news, the organization known for its monthly Short Talk Bulletins announced it may begin publishing the STBs, starting at the beginning, in bound books, depending on the success of advance sales. For information and to order, see http://shopping. msana.com/

he British Museum has sent one of its most significant artifacts of the ancient world on an American tour. The so-called Cyrus Cylinder is made of baked clay, measures approximately nine inches in length, and is inscribed all around its barrel shape in Babylonian cuneiform with news of the Persian king’s repatriation of peoples forcibly taken to Babylon. While the text does not mention Jews, Biblical history describes the return to Jerusalem of Jews who rebuilt the Temple, and the decree of Darius and story of the returning exiles form the basis of many Masonic degrees in the York and Scottish rites. For more information, see www.paaia.org/CMS/cyrus-cylinder-tour. aspx

ames in the news: Faces familiar about the apartments of The Masonic Society are among those making recent headlines. At Masonic Week in Alexandria, Virginia: Founding Fellow Shawn Eyer was named the 102nd Blue Friar on February 9 at the annual meeting of the Society of Blue Friars, the fraternity of Masonic authors. TMS Member Mohamad A. Yatim of New Jersey was appointed to the progressive officer grand line of the Grand Council of Allied Masonic Degrees of the USA, while Member Henry G. Abel succeeds Yatim as Grand Superintendent for New Jersey of the Grand Council. Founding Fellow Jay Hochberg, also a Fellow of the Grand College of Rites, received the College’s Knight Grand Cross.

ounding Fellow Piers A. Vaughan, Worshipful Master of historic St. John’s Lodge No. 1 in New York City, appeared on the CBS News program “Sunday Morning” on January 20, displaying the George Washington Inaugural Bible, the VSL on which America’s first president took his first presidential oath of office in 1789. Vaughan explained his theory of how Washington’s hand came to rest at Genesis 49-50. Piers posted the video on youtube.

hile Super Bowl XLVII will be remembered for the power failure in the Superdome and the San Francisco 49ers’ amazing performance afterward, many Freemasons objected to a MercedesBenz commercial featuring what appeared to be a Masonic ring. Actor Willem Dafoe wore the questionable ring in his portrayal of the devil, getting the attention of many brethren on Facebook and the blogosphere, who signed an on-line petition calling the car company to task. As a result, the German automaker altered the edit of the commercial for the Super Bowl airing removing the close-up of the ring, and issued an official apology on their Facebook page: We apologize to anyone offended by the use of the ring worn in our commercial, ‘Soul,’ that ran during the Super Bowl. It was not our intention to make any association with the Freemasons or any organization. In fact, neither we nor our advertising agency were aware that the ring could be associated with the Freemasons. To avoid any confusion going forward, we will modify the commercial prior to any future television airings.

he Masonic Restoration Foundation will host its fourth annual conference August 16-18 in Manchester, New Hampshire, the Traditional Observance advocacy group announced. Coincidentally, seven of the eight scheduled speakers hold memberships in The Masonic Society: Patrick Craddock, Shawn Eyer, Kyle Ferguson, Andrew Hammer, Piers Vaughan, Mark Tabbert, and Kirk White.

he Michigan Masonic Museum and Library in Grand Rapids seeks a full time Director. The ideal candidate will possess a bachelor’s degree, experience in a museum and/or library, and an in-depth knowledge of Masons and Masonic history. Resumes to: Masonic Pathways, Human Resources Department, 1200 Wright Avenue, Alma, MI 48801.

rom the police blotter: A 50-year-old New Jersey man was arrested February 8 after reportedly attempting to break into the premises of Cincinnati Lodge No. 3 in Morristown while armed with four oneSPRING 2013 • 5

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News of the Society ith great pride and appreciation, The Masonic Society welcomes the following brethren as our esteemed new members. John Austin Ralph Brunson Luis Camilo Rios Castañeda Ph.D. Dwight M Clarke Andy Corsun Rene Crudo Brian Crumb Dr. Carlo de Rysky James Anthony Gelzer Ashok Gopalan Eric Neal Greene John Hairston Michael A. Halleran

Sean Michael Hanney Theodore “Ted” H. Jacobsen Jason Maurice Jewett Frank R. Keedy Daren L Kellerman Joseph Lopez Jason L. Mair Anthony Maisano III Robert B. Malwitz Douglas McCollough John McDermid Michael Thomas McKenzie Steven Scott Oothoudt

gallon containers of gasoline. Arson and destruction were prevented because Bro. Drew Jardine, who happened to be on-site preparing to clear snow off the front steps, fought off the attack hand-to-hand until police arrived. At Baker Lodge No. 441 in Baker, Louisiana, a fire that news accounts say resulted in “heavy smoke and heat damage” on February 6 is being investigated.

he Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, part of Yale School of Medicine, has recognized the work done by the Children’s Dyslexia Centers, the network of special education clinics operated by the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, by sharing the story of the Centers on its website at dyslexia.yale. edu/childrensdyslexiacenters.html

ounty Commissioners in Franklin County, Georgia have denied a request by area Freemasons to dedicate their new fire station with a Masonic cornerstone. According to the Independent Mail in Anderson, South Carolina, “the Masons had requested they be allowed to donate the cornerstone which would feature the Masonic symbol and the names of county and municipal leaders…. But the Franklin County commissioners were split in their support of the cornerstone request. The motion to approve the cornerstone was defeated in a 3-to-2 vote.”

ommissioners Tom Bridges and David Strickland voted in favor of it and Clint Harper, Bob Franklin and Jeff Jacques voting against the request. According to the report, Harper opposed the cornerstone request because he was concerned that a Masonic cornerstone would be seen as political advertising.

6 • SPRING 2013

Michael F Redin John Charles Robinson George A Sherman Jeremy Manuel Silva Alexander Robert Sives Carlton R Smith Jason E. Stouffer Robert William Streeter David L Tucker Gerald B Williams Matthew Yeager

“This (EMS building) belongs to the citizens of Franklin County. They paid for it. As commissioners, we did not have a lot to do with it either way. I am against doing this.” Prior to the vote, Harper added that if Strickland’s motion did pass, he did not want his name on the cornerstone. Franklin said he was worried if the county allowed the Masons to donate the cornerstone with their symbol on it, other groups would want the same thing on other county buildings. “Lord only knows how many more,” Franklin said. “Are we going to sit up here and say it’s OK and then the next group comes along and we say, ‘We don’t want their group.’ So, I’m against it.” Jacques recalled a similar situation in the county last year that raised ethical and conflict of interest issues. “While it is very positive, seemingly, we had a very similar issue that arose last year where a business or group that wanted to provide a similar service to the county and we said ‘no,’” Jacques said. “I believe you’re setting yourself up on a slippery slope.” Bridges said he had no problem with a Masonic cornerstone and pointed to other surrounding public buildings. “I did a good bit of research and discovered quite a number of courthouses around the state have these on them, primarily because the Masons are the backbone of America,” Bridges said. “The closest one is the courthouse in Habersham County.”

or further reading see: http://www.independentmail.com/news/2013/ feb/21/request-for-masonic-cornerstone-at-lavonia-ems/

Renew your membership now online at www.themasonicsociety.com

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Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings April 1, 2013 The American Lodge of Research: Paper on Freemasonry and the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints to be presented. 8 p.m. at Masonic Hall, 71 West 23rd Street, New York City. April 6, 2013 Maine Masonic College to meet at Bangor Masonic Center. Presentation to be announced. April 9, 2013 Northern New Jersey Chapter of Rose Croix, AASR-NMJ Stated Meeting with keynote speaker Bro. Timothy Hogan from Colorado. Open to all Masons. 7:30 p.m. at Loyalty Lodge in Union. April 20, 2013 1861 Civil War Lodge of Research (Grand Lodge of Tennessee) to meet. Noon at Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 18 in Murfreesboro. Presentation to be announced. April 25, 2013 Mississippi Lodge of Research DCXL to meet. 7 p.m. at Old Highway 43 North in Jackson. April 25, 2013 Walter F. Meier Lodge of Research No. 281 (Grand Lodge of Washington State) to meet. TMS Founding Member Stephen Osborn to speak on “The Spirituality in Masonic Teachings.” 7:30 p.m. at Greenwood Lodge No. 253 in Seattle. April 26-28, 2013 48th Annual Masonic Spring Workshop, The Delta Lodge at Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada. Theme: “Say NO to Nostalgia,” Keynote speaker: Pierre G “Pete” Normand. Our Craft has had a long and storied past. No suits. No regalia. No titles other than “Brother.” Register online at http://www. masonicspringworkshop.ab.ca April 30, 2013 Northern New Jersey Chapter of Rose Croix, AASR-NMJ Stated Meeting with keynote speaker Bro. Michael Halleran, editor of The Journal of The Masonic Society, on the U.S. Civil War and Freemasonry. 7:30 p.m. at Loyalty Lodge in Union. May 3-5, 2013 Midwest Conference for Masonic Education, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Information can be found at http://www.midwestmasoniced.org/ May 4, 2013 Spring 2013 Truman Lecture: Alton G. Roundtree shares fascinating stories regarding the history and development of Prince Hall Freemasonry. His presentation will be followed by a Q&A session. Grand Lodge Complex, Columbia, MO. $20 lunch and lecture. http://www.molor.org/TrumanLectureSp ring2013#purchasetickets

May 18, 2013 Grand Lodge of Ohio, Third Annual Civil War Freemasonry Symposium. Details to be announced. May 22, 2013 Masonic Lodge of Research (Grand Lodge of Connecticut) to meet. 7:30 p.m. at 285 Whitney Avenue in New Haven. Presentation to be announced.

July 19-20, 2013 Rocky Mountain Masonic Conference hosted by the Grand Lodge of Montana, at the Great Northern Hotel, Helena, MT. No contact information provided. July 20, 2013 1861 Civil War Lodge of Research (Grand Lodge of Tennessee) to meet. Noon at Beaver Creek Lodge No. 366 in Knoxville. Presentation to be announced.

May 24-26, 2013 International Conference on the History of Freemasonry, Freemasons Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland. http://ichfonline.org

August 16-18, 2013 4th Masonic Restoration Foundation Symposium, Manchester, New Hampshire, hosted by Phoenix Lodge. No contact information provided.

May 25, 2013 Walter F. Meier Lodge of Research No. 281 (Grand Lodge of Washington) to host its table lodge, exemplifying a centuries-old first degree. 7:30 p.m. at Greenwood Lodge No. 253 in Seattle.

August 20, 2013 Mississippi Lodge of Research DCXL to meet. 7 p.m. at Old Highway 43 North in Jackson.

June 2013 The American Lodge of Research to meet on a date to be announced. 8 p.m. at Masonic Hall, 71 West 23rd Street, New York City. Presentation to be announced. June 8, 2013 New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786 to meet. 10 a.m. at HightstownApollo Lodge No. 41 in Hightstown. June 27, 2013 Walter F. Meier Lodge of Research No. 281 (Grand Lodge of Washington State) to meet. 7:30 p.m. at Greenwood Lodge No. 253 in Seattle. Presentation to be announced. June 29, 2013 A. Douglas Smith, Jr. Lodge of Research No. 1949 (Grand Lodge of Virginia) to meet. 10 a.m. at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria. Presentation to be announced. June 30, 2013 Imperial Shrine Session, Indianapolis, Indiana. July 6, 2013 TMS Editor Michael Halleran will present on Freemasonry in the Civil War at Gettysburg National Military Park sesquicentennial event. 12.30 p.m. Admission is free. July 6-7, 2013 Civil War Lodge of Research No. 1865 to meet at Hagerstown, Maryland. July 14-16, 2013 Annual Great Smokies Summer Assembly of York Rite Masons at Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Theme: “Challenge, Commitment, Crusade.” Speakers to include Sean Graystone, and others. www.yorkrite.org/nc/GSSAeform.htm

August 22, 2013 Walter F. Meier Lodge of Research No. 281 (Grand Lodge of Washington State) to meet. 7:30 p.m. at Greenwood Lodge No. 253 in Seattle. Presentation to be announced. August 31, 2013 A. Douglas Smith, Jr. Lodge of Research No. 1949 (Grand Lodge of Virginia) to meet. 10 a.m. at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria. Presentation to be announced. September 14, 2013 New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786 to meet. 10 a.m. at HightstownApollo Lodge No. 41 in Hightstown. September 14, 2013 Tennessee Lodge of Research to meet. Noon at Oriental Lodge No. 453 in Knoxville. Presentation to be announced. September 25, 2013 Masonic Lodge of Research (Grand Lodge of Connecticut) to meet. 7:30 p.m. at 285 Whitney Avenue in New Haven. Presentation to be announced. September 27-29, 2013 The Quarry Project: Conference on Masonic research and preservation at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia. The conference is open to anyone interested in Masonic research and preservation, but will be specifically targeted to members of Masonic lodges of research as well as authors, writers, and researchers, both published and aspiring; and Masonic librarians and museum curators.

Please send notices of your event to Jay Hochberg at articles@themasonicsociety.com SPRING 2013 • 7

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

FROM THE EDITOR

Éminence Rouge

by Michael Halleran, Editor With this issue, and with the retirement of Founding Fellow and Editor, Christopher Hodapp, the Journal of the Masonic Society enters a new phase. From the printing of the inaugural issue of the Journal in 2008, Chris has been the driving force – and to many, the public face –not only of the Journal but the Society itself. Under his leadership, the quality of coverage and the reach of the Journal grew every year, and he leaves behind a record of accomplishment that sets a very high standard. We will miss him, and we wish him well in his retirement. In part because of the high standards Chris set for the magazine, I had some misgivings about accepting the position of Executive Editor, but ultimately the lure of the magazine itself, with its prominent red seal – the Éminence Rouge of Masonic commentary -- settled the issue. Between the covers of every issue of the Journal we have discovered, and will continue to find, the very best in Masonic content. The articles published here – and this issue is no exception – span a wide arc of interest, whether historical, esoteric, or philosophic. There is no bland fraternal filler here. Rather, the magazine has made a name for itself by attracting the most passionate, inspired, and creative writers on offer in the Masonic world. In this issue distinguished Masonic scholar Alain Bernheim provides incisive commentary on a particularly pernicious affliction of the Freemasonry – bogus scholarship – as well as highlighting the some of

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!

8 • SPRING 2013

the better methods and mediums in Masonic study today. Jim Tresner also appears between our covers with a delightful essay a la recherche du temps perdu , and Cliff Porter contributes an editorial column on observant Freemasonry. Balancing out our Spring offering, two new authors, Isaiah Akin and Adrian Castro, contribute historical and esoteric offerings that we hope you will enjoy; and we have added a news section this year: product reviews. These departments, together with our news, notices and book reviews round out this issue. With the assistance of Art Director John Bridegroom, and the editorial committee, we intend to live up to Bro. Hodapp’s high standards by providing you with thought-provoking commentary on a timely basis. If we don’t – I hope you will let us know.

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he scene amidst which C

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MASONIC SCHOLARSHIP

MASONIC AUTHORS – RELIABILITY AND UNRELIABILITY 1 By Alain Bernheim

fundamental idea I would like to stress for those genuinely interested in historical research is the great difference between facts and opinions. In many books and papers, both are mixed up in such a way that a candid reader is not able to sort them out. There is quite a difference between “We know that ...” - meaning this fact can be checked and proved - and “I believe that...” - implying this is my opinion, I am not sure if it is true.

lot of wrong information recopied by generations of careless scholars.

When a Masonic writer states a fact, there are two possibilities only.

• Either he learned it somewhere and should show where, which is the object of end- or footnotes. However, the reader must not forget to check if the sources are sound and accurate.

• Or, he discovered an unknown document establishing the point he makes. Then he must state precisely where the document is and quote it.

I told this to a friend recently and he commented dryly: “you forget a third possibility; the author’s own imagination.” A good example of an unreliable well-known source is Claude-Antoine Thory (1759-1827) often considered as the earliest French Masonic historian. His anonymous books are easy to read, especially his Acta Latomorum (two volumes printed in 1815) but they are filled with a

10 2010/2011 10 •• WINTER SPRING 2013

For instance:

• a new type of Masonry founded by Ramsay in London in 1728,

• an imaginary Lord Harnouester elected Grand Master in France as a successor to Lord Derwentwater on 24 December 1736 (Thory recopied this from Lalande), whereas actually it was Derwentwater who was elected Grand Master three days later,

• a Grande Loge anglaise de France said to have existed from 1743 to 1756, an imaginary body which found its way in most books and papers describing French Masonic history up to vol. 100 (1987) of Ars Quatuor Coronatorum [AQC] under the pen of John Webb, and that of Paul Naudon (La franc-maçonnerie, Que sais-je, 1999, 17th revised ed. [!], vol 1064, p. 38), deliberately misquoting the Mémoire Justificatif of La Chaussée which he had under his eyes. How right was Gould when he wrote : “That writer … can only make a lame attempt to prove his charges by tampering with documentary evidence, or by wholesale suppression and perversion” (History III: 147). A simple way of verifying an author’s degree of reliability is to check the accuracy of the dates, quotes, and sources he mentions whenever possible. If what one is able to verify appears correct, the rest is likely correct too. If not, the reader should draw his own conclusions. Accordingly - you

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probably guessed it already - an abundance of notes, references and footnotes is no guarantee whatsoever for the reliability of a writer. In 1991, the French writer Georges Perec made a wonderful parody of an academic-sounding paper, Cantatrix Sopranica L.,3 written in hilarious pseudo-scientific English. Alan Sokal, Professor of Physics at New York University, did better in 1996: he wrote a paper, ”Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity,” which he later described as “a parody... a mélange of truths, half-truths, quarter-truths, falsehoods, non sequiturs, and syntactically correct sentences that have no meaning whatsoever.”4 His paper, however, was printed as a straightforward contribution in a highly respectable American scientific publication, Social Text, regarded as an influential left-leaning periodical devoted to sociology and the relatively newly developed field of cultural studies. “What I feared did happen: they published it, unfortunately,” commented Sokal. Sokal’s hoax shows that a paper accompanied with heaps of notes and references can easily dupe erudite readers, unfamiliar with a specific subject. A nearly similar case – though an involuntarily one – happened in Quatuor Coronati Lodge in London. A full member of the Lodge read a paper entitled “The Strict Observance” on 15 February 1996.5 No less

A “

There was a time when each new volume of AQC was a treasure for every serious scholar of the Craft. That glorious time is over. Historians like C.C. Adams, Wilhelm Begemann (never elected a full member although he invented the still valid classification of the Old Charges), Harry Carr, J.R. Clarke, W.J. Chetwode Crawley, J.R. Dashwood, George Draffen, Lewis Edwards, W.K. Firminger, R.F. Gould, Ivor Grantham, W.B. Hextall, W.J. Hughan, Bernard Jones, Douglas Knoop, John Lane, Heron Lepper, Robert James Meekren, Henry Sadler (who had to wait sixteen years after the publication of “Masonic Facts and Fiction” to be accepted as a member), W.J. Songhurst, G.W. Speth,

detailed, analytic rebuttal of many of Bro. Bernheim’s statements is not justified, as it would be of little interest for most readers of AQC and would serve only to confuse the larger issues concerning the Strict Observance.”

than 145 endnotes were appended to its printed version. The author was unanimously praised by his peers,6 one of them laying stress on “the seven and a half pages of notes alone testifying to the huge amount of research entailed.”7 In an article, “That ‘Strict Observance’ Paper,” reluctantly accepted by the editor of AQC, I demonstrated one year later that the greater part of that paper was merely a poor summary of a single book issued in 1970 out of which the author had recopied most of his notes as well as his secondary references. Acknowledging his main source only once in a while, the rest of his paper had been recopied from Masonic encyclopaedias and dictionaries mentioned in only one half of his celebrated notes.8 Asked by the Editor for a comment, the author chose to answer: “a detailed, analytic rebuttal of many of Bro. Bernheim’s statements is not justified, as it would be of little interest for most readers of AQC and would serve only to confuse the larger issues concerning the Strict Observance.”9

Boris Telepneff, J.E.S. Tuckett, Lionel Vibert, and William Wonnacott had one thing in common: they made Masonic research. They did not rehash old papers to write new ones. Nor would they have capitalized on the fact that many members of the Lodge are unfamiliar with foreign languages and Masonic literature. They would have been ashamed of contemplating the idea. A FEW RECOMMENDATIONS Is it more than a coincidence? At the time AQC began to decline – a decline, which got worse over the last ten years – René Guilly issued the first volumes of Renaissance Traditionnelle in Paris. One year before René died, the first volume of Acta Macionica was issued in Brussels. One year after his death the first volume of Heredom was issued in Washington by its present excellent editor, S. Brent Morris. Is it not as if an invisible light had passed across the sea and the ocean? If you are an earnest Masonic scholar not already familiar with these three masonic publications, take a look at them.

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I conclude by mentioning the names of two exceptional living masonic historians.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

One is the present editor of Acta Macionica, the Belgian, Pierre Noël. His latest achievement was to explain the origin of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite’s Craft degrees. In a brilliant paper issued in vol. 12 (2002) of Acta Macionica, he was first to demonstrate that they derived directly from the translation of Three Distinct Knocks issued in London in 1760!

Alain Bernheim, born in Paris and since 2002 a French resident in Switzerland, stopped his musical career in 1980 for health reasons after giving some 2,000 concerts.

The other one is the American, Art deHoyos, a frequent contributor to Heredom. He happens to be the Grand Archivist and Grand Historian of the Supreme Council of the United States, Southern Jurisdiction. Such a high Masonic responsibility has never been more appropriately fulfilled before. His knowledge of every aspect of the history and of the rituals of Freemasonry, as well as his unusual memory are simply amazing. In my opinion, he will soon be acknowledged as the greatest Masonic historian of the twenty-first century.

He was made a Mason in 1963 and belongs to Lodge No. 40, Masonry Universal, in Geneva (Swiss Grand Lodge Alpina). He is a PM of Lodge No. 30, Ars Macionica (Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium) and the first French full member of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, London, which awarded him the Norman Spencer Prize twice (1986 and 1993).

MASONIC PUBLICATIONS Acta Macionica. Issued yearly since 1991 for the Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium by the Lodge of research Ars Macionica n° 30, Brussels. Ars Quatuor Coronatorum (AQC). The Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, United Grand Lodge of England. Heredom. The Transactions of the Scottish Rite Research Society, Washington, D.C. Issued yearly since 1993. Renaissance Traditionnelle. B. P. 161. F-92113 Clichy Cedex. Issued quarterly since 1970. NOTES 1

Conclusion of ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’, a conference I gave in Rome on 4 October 2003 before Loggia Quatuor Coronati n° 112 (Gran Loggia Regulare d’Italia). The full English text and its Italian translation appeared in 2004 in de hominis Dignitate. Rivista di Cultura Masonica, Anno 5, Numero 6, 102-123.

See my Introduction-Avertissement to the reprint of La Chaussée’s Mémoire together with Thory’s Histoire de la Fondation du Grand Orient de France, Slatkine 1992, XXVI-XXVII.

http://www.h2mw.eu/. Then type “Perec” in the window “Rechercher.”

Alan Sokal, ‘Transgressing the Boundaries: An Afterword’. Dissent 43 (4), (1996), 93-99. 5

Jacques Litvine, ‘The Strict Observance’, Ars Quatuor Coronatorum 109, (1997),19-50.

“Erudite work... chorus of gratitude for this fully documented paper...”(Caywood ibid., 56. Stewart ibid., 52). Michel Brodsky, a Prestonian Lecturer and Past Master, whom the author thanked “for his help” and “advice” (ibid., 43, 68), and who said “Brother Litvine deserves congratulations” (ibid., 58). The only critical remarks came from Pierre Noël, a member of the Corresponding Circle.

Frederic W. Seal-Coon, An Historical Account of Jamaican Freemasonry, (1976), 59.

Bernheim, “That “Strict Observance” Paper,” Ars Quatuor Coronatorum 110, (1998) 192-207. 9

Ibid, 207.

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Among his many accolades, Bernheim is a Visitor General Honorary of the Great Priory of Belgium, a member of the Royal Order of Scotland, and a 33°, Inspector General Honorary of the Supreme Council (S. J., U. S. A.). A Fellow of the Scottish Rite Research Society, he was presented with the Albert G. Mackey Award for Excellence in Masonic Scholarship in 2001. In addition he has also been elected a member of the Masonic Brotherhood of the Blue Forget-Me-Not in 1996, and a Blue Friar in 2007. He is the author of Les Débuts de la Franc-Maçonnerie à Genève et en Suisse (Slatkine 1994) ; many entries of the Encyclopédie de la Franc-Maçonnerie (Pochotèque 2000) ; Réalité Maçonnique (Alpina Research Group, Lausanne 2007) ; Une certaine idée de la franc-maçonnerie with a foreword by Ill. Arturo de Hoyos (Dervy 2008) ; Le rite en 33 grades – De Frederick Dalcho à Charles Riandey (Dervy 2011) ; and Ramsay et ses deux discours (Télétes Paris, 2012), besides some 150 papers in French, English ; and German in foremost Masonic magazines.

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HISTORY

The Death of Captain John Williams By Isaiah Akin

rom the minutes of Naval Lodge: Sunday October 18th AL 5812

The members of this Lodge with a great number Brethren, members of the different Lodges in the District being previously invited, assembled at this Lodge room at 10 o’clock A.M. when a procession was formed and Marched to Christ’s Church accompanied with the Marine Corps, and a Solemn Charge from the Marine Band. Where an appropriate discourse was delivered by our Reverend Brother McCormick in commemoration of our deceased Brother Captain John William, after which they returned to this Lodge room, closed the Lodge and partook of refreshments prepared for the occasion. Thomas Howard, Secretary

This short paragraph belies the importance of the funeral held that day. The death of Captain John Williams, USMC, marked the end of one of the strangest and most secret wars fought by the United States.

United States, the British - a close ally of Spain - could use East Florida as a staging area for an invasion of the U.S.1 It was a combustible mix of race, politics, and thirst for new territory On January 3, 1811, Madison sent a secret communication to Congress asking for authorization for a military occupation of East Florida.2 Both the House and the Senate met in secret session to discuss the proposal, and based on the minutes of the proceedings there does not appear to have been much opposition.3 By January 15, a secret resolution was delivered to and signed by the president authorizing the invasion of the foreign territory.4 The president then sent diplomats to demand that Spain cede East Florida to the United States. Meanwhile, he made arrangements for the Marines to take possession of East Florida by force if the demand was refused, or if it appeared likely that Britain might take possession of the territory.5 On April 22, 1811, Capt. Williams received orders to take his detachment to Cumberland Island, Georgia – a stone’s throw from East Florida.6 Williams was living in Centreville, Virginia when, at the age of 40, he gained a commission in the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant.7 There is no indication why he joined the Marines at such an advanced age, but he seemed to excel at his new career. By 1811, he had been promoted to captain and was stationed at the Marine Barracks in Washington, DC.8 It was around this time that he became very close with Commandant Franklin Wharton and his family.9 While no lodge records of that time have survived, he may have visited Naval Lodge No. 4 while stationed at the barracks since it was just up the street. Carrying out the orders of President Madison, Williams boarded the USS Enterprise with nearly 50 men under his command on April 24, 1811. What followed was the inevitable outcome of a poorly planned and poorly supplied10 mission with vague orders.

The Oct. 24, 1812 announcement of the Masonic memorial service for Capt. John Williams in the National Intelligencer.

The story of his death begins where it ended – in Washington, DC. President James Madison had been increasingly concerned about the fate of Spanish-controlled East Florida in 1810. The Spanish were exercising relatively light authority, and the Seminole Indians and free blacks had become a powerful force in this region which included the entire Florida peninsula but none of the “panhandle” of modern Florida. Many Americans at that time felt that allowing Indians and free blacks to have so much freedom in such close proximity to the American South could lead to slave rebellions. Some in Madison’s administration were also concerned that with war looming between Britain and the 14 • SPRING 2013

For nearly a year, Williams and his men were stationed on Cumberland Island, where an outbreak of disease killed seven of his men.11 However, just a few miles away, the machinations of General George Mathews, the American Commissioner in East Florida, were bringing things to a boil. Mathews had organized several hundred Americans from Georgia and East and West Florida, and in March of 1812 these Americans, called “Patriots,” along with regular American naval forces, invaded and occupied the town of Fernandina, just across the river from Cumberland Island.12 A few weeks later, the Patriots and regular troops headed South, toward St. Augustine, leaving Williams in command of the occupation of Fernandina.13 Later, many Spaniards living in Fernandina wrote that

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The secret Congressional resolution authorizing war in East Florida (courtesy National Archives and Records Administration).

n appropriate discourse was delivered by our Reverend Brother McCormick in commemoration of our deceased Brother Captain John William, after which they returned to this Lodge room, closed the Lodge and partook of refreshments prepared for the occasion…

Williams was kind and polite to the people of the city while he and his troops occupied it.14

Over the next few months, the invasion of East Florida became known in the U.S., and opposition grew.15 Williams began to get conflicting orders, some from Washington telling him to withdraw and cut the supply lines for the troops further south, and others from the local governor telling him to stand pat. In the end, Williams followed the orders from his direct chain of command in East Florida and stayed.16 He did this in spite of a lack of adequate supplies, a long sick list, and rules of engagement that prohibited his men from firing unless fired upon. In a letter to Lieutenant Samuel Miller on September 6, 1812, Williams wrote, “I wish you, if you can, would find out the reason of the U.S. Troops being kept in this province without the liberty of firing a gun unless we are fired upon. Our situation is an unpleasant one as well as an unhealthful one.”17

Williams and his men were moved further south and ordered to keep the supply lines open between Fort Stallings and the Patriot troops at Four Mile Creek.18 On September 12, 1812, Williams led about 20 of his men, along with two wagons, into Twelve-Mile Swamp to bring supplies to the Patriots who were attempting to lay siege to St. Augustine. That evening his party was ambushed by a group of Indians and blacks that were apparently under orders from the Spanish government. Williams was hit in the first volley of gunfire, then the draught horses went down, and his sergeant was captured and scalped. The Marines returned fire, and by all accounts fought bravely, but at first would not counterattack and stayed behind cover. Williams, wounded by eight gunshot wounds, rallied the men and led a bayonet charge that scattered the attackers and ended the fighting. Williams then ordered those men who could march to return to camp while he stayed the night and kept watch over the wounded and dead until a rescue could be organized in the morning. 19

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Williams survived for more than two weeks, an astonishing feat given the extent of his wounds and the quality of medical care available. Both the Secretary of the Navy and the Commandant sent their best wishes, and Williams was able to dictate a report detailing the ambush. Excerpts from his report were published in a Washington newspaper: …as I was marching with a command of about 20 men with two wagons from the camps to this place, I was…attacked by a party of Indians and negros [sic]…it being dark, we commenced battle which continued nearly as long as a man of my command had a cartridge, during which time I received eight wounds…My right leg is broke, my right hand shot through with three balls, my left arm broke, my left leg shot through, a ball in my left thigh near the groin: another through the lower part of my body, which renders me altogether helpless. They found one man on the ground that was dead and scalped, several more wounded that had escaped in the bushes… The enemy, from all account, were about fifty in number. You may suppose that I am in a dreadful situation, tho’ I yet hope I shall recover in a few months. 20 Unfortunately, Williams finally succumbed to his wounds on September 29, becoming the second U.S. Marine officer in American history to be killed in combat. An elaborate memorial service was organized in Washington, D.C. As is reflected in the minutes of Naval Lodge, a procession of Masons, Marines, and the Marine Corps Band marched to Christ’s Church

Capt. John Williams, Florida, 1812, by Arman Manookian (1920). 16 • SPRING 2013

(which still stands on G St. S.E., between 6th and 7th) where a eulogy was delivered by Reverend Brother McCormick, the Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. In East Florida, Williams was mourned for other reasons. His death and the failure to resupply the Patriot soldiers outside St. Augustine meant an end to the siege. The commander of the American troops called off further attacks on local settlements, and put all efforts toward evacuating the Americans. It was clear that the supply lines could not safely be kept open, and the American troops withdrew quickly and haphazardly.21 As support for the war in East Florida evaporated, the nation’s attention turned to the larger War of 1812. Originally buried by his men in Georgia, Williams’ body was moved to Arlington National Cemetery, under a private memorial in 1904.22 His grave is inscribed with the following: Here lie the remains of John Williams, late a Captain in the Corps of Marines who was born in Stafford County, Virginia on the 24th of August 1785 and who died on the 29th of September 1812 at Camp New Hope in East Florida. On 29 September 1812, the Captain, on patrol with a command of twenty men to Davis Creek Block-House in East Florida, was attacked towards evening by upwards of 350 Indian and Negroes who lay concealed in the woods. He instantly gave battle gallantly supported by his men, who inspired by his animating example fought as long as they had a

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cartridge left. At length, bleeding under eight galling wounds, and unable to stand, he was carried off the battlefield whilst his heroic little band pressed by superior numbers was forced to retreat. Eminently characterized by cool intrepidity, Captain Williams, envied, during this short but severe contest, those military requisites, which qualify the officer for command and if his sphere of action was too limited to attract the admiration of the world, it was sufficiently expanded to crown his with the approbation of his country, and to addled to his brethren in arms, an example as highly useful, as his exit was sealed with honor the life of a patriot-soldier. The body of the deceased was removed to this spot over which his brother officers of the United States Marine Corps, having used this pile to be entered in testimony of his worth and their eternal admiration of his gallant end. 23

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Isaiah Akin is Historian of Naval Lodge No. 4, Washington, DC, and Secretary of the Naval Lodge Board of Trustees. Isaiah works in the U.S. Senate and enjoys researching the connections between Freemasonry and political figures. He lives in Alexandria, VA, with his wife, Mya.

This article was adapted from Isaiah’s book “The 1812 Minutes of Naval Lodge No. 4” available for purchase at http://tinyurl.com/naval-book NOTES

Ibid., 287.

McClellan, 19-20.

McClellan, 5-6. See also Cusick, 103-125.

McClellan, 26-27.

James G. Cusick, The Other War of 1812: The Patriot War and the American Invasion of Spanish East Florida, Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2003, 13-28.

Congress of the United States. The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States. Eleventh Congress – Third Session. Washington: Gales and Seaton, 1853, 370.

Ibid., 370-380.

Resolution Taking Into View the Peculiar Situation of Spain and of her American Provinces, Eleventh Congress—Third Session (1811).

Cusick, 33-37.

Edwin N. McClellan, “Indian Fights 1807-1813: Materials and Sources of Chapter XIX, Volume I, History of the United States Marine Corps” (unpublished manuscript, revised edition, June 30, 1931, copy held by the Marine Corps History Division), 1-2.

7 8

Ibid., 35. Ibid., 1.

J.H. Alexander, “The Ambush of Captain John Williams, U.S.M.C.: Failure of the East Florida Invasion, 1812-1813,” The Florida Historical Quarterly 56: 3 (Jan., 1978): 284.

George J.F. Clark, testimony in U.S. vs. Ferreira, Senate Mis. Doc. No. 55, Thirty-sixth Congress, First Session, (1860), 19.

Cusick, 136-139. See also J.H. Alexander, 287.

McClellan, 27-28.

Ibid., 10.

Ibid., 9.

Ibid., 30. See also J.H. Alexander, 280-294; “A letter from a gentleman at St. Mary’s,” National Intelligencer, Oct. 6, 1812; and Cusick, 235.

National Intelligencer, October, 20, 1812.

Cusick, 234-5.

George Richards, “Captain John Williams, U.S. Marine Corps, A Tradition,” Marine Corps Gazette 17:2 (Aug., 1932), 14.

Stephen Coode, Marine Corps History Division, in e-mail to author Nov. 9, 2012.

Washington, DC in 1833. The Navy Yard can be seen along the Anacostia River and the Marine Barracks where Capt. Williams was stationed are just behind. SPRING 2013 • 17

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ESOTERICA

Behind The Letter “G” By Adrian Castro, MMS “’God is always Geometrizing’…So said Plato some 23 centuries ago. It is merely an accident of the English language that Geometry and God begin with the same letter; no matter what the language or the ritual; the initial of the Ineffable Name and that of the first and noblest of sciences are Masonically the same” --Carl Claudy1 A survey of the plethora of Masonic decoration – from catalog regalia to popular kitsch to the interior of temples worldwide – reveals that the Square and Compasses surrounding the letter G is undoubtedly the most recognized and utilized symbol of Freemasonry. The symbol is a rather poignant one since it seems to be at odds with the patterns and rhythm of most other Masonic objects and symbols found in a lodge such as the working tools, the greater and lesser lights, perfect and rough ashlars, etc. Sometimes A typical display of the letter G in an the letter G is within a figure American lodge. Photo by M. Halleran depicting light like from a Blazing Star or sunburst, other times it is freestanding, on tracing boards at times, and within an equilateral triangle. In most American and Latin American jurisdictions the letter G is displayed in the East, while in Continental jurisdictions it is usually suspended somewhere in the center of the lodge-room ceiling.2 Irish

jurisdictions hang the letter G in the East within the Square and Compasses, but in their work the G stands for the Master’s Word.3 For at least the last two hundred years, Masonic monitors and exposes have divulged the meaning of the Letter G; when it is brought to the attention of the aspiring candidate; in what is perhaps the central lesson of the Fellow Craft degree. Writing in 1802, Masonic commentator William Finch described the Fellow Craft lecture as follows, Q: Bro. S. W. for why was you made [sic] a F. C.? A: For the letter G. Q: What does that denote, A: Geometry 4 According to the Florida Masonic Monitor, “By Geometry, the architect is enabled to construct his plans and execute his designs…. By it also, the astronomer is enabled to make his observations and fix the duration of times and seasons, years and cycles. In fine, Geometry is the foundation of architecture and the root of mathematics.”5 Arithmetic being one of the Seven Liberal Arts, it is clear how geometry plays a key role not only in the Fellow Craft degree but, arguably, in Masonry. The role of geometry has been well documented in ancient manuscripts of operative masonry (e.g. Buchanon MS circa 1660-1680, Cooke MS early 1700s), speculative masonry (Sloane MS, early 1700s, and Prichard’s Masonry Dissected, 1727), and subsequent lectures by Masonic scholars like Preston, Coil, Pike, Webb, and Mackey. Let us look briefly at how the original meaning of the letter G -- denoting geometry -- began to evolve into other possible meanings. The G is symbolic of Geometry, even for the operative ancestors. This is not to suggest that the operatives routinely used the Letter G in their guilds or lodges, but there are isolated examples, such as an edition of Ptolemy’s Geography (1525), that do include the letter within a Square and Compasses.6 According to Mark Dwor, “[t]he first time that we see the letter “G” used as anything other than Geometry is in one of the early 18th century English exposures (Prichard), about 1727. There is a vague reference in the catechism to a secondary meaning for the letter G, which had until that time always been described as being in the centre of the Lodge and standing for Geometry.” 7 In Le Catéchisme des Francs Maçons, a French expose released in 1744, we see a different discussion of the letter G when the candidate enters the middle chamber,

View from the West at Press Lodge No 432 in Ireland. www.irishfreemasonry.com 18 • SPRING 2013

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Q. When you entered [the middle chamber] what did you see? A. A great Light in which I perceived the Letter G. Q. What does the Letter G signify? A. God, that is to say DIEU, or one who is greater than you. 8 A little reflection should raise an immediate issue-- the fact that the letter G is the initial letter for the word God only View of the East in a German Lodge. in English and Germanic www.freemasonryfordummies. languages. While in Scottish, blogspot.com English, and Irish lodges the G is prominently displayed, and modern Freemasonry as we know it originates in the British Isles, it can be argued that Masons of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries could have conceived the letter G to mean both Geometry and God. However, the symbol is as conspicuous in Italian, French, Spanish, Slavic and Albanian lodge rooms as in the English, American, and Germanic lodges. The initial letter of the word for God in the romance languages such as Spanish, French and Italian, is D; in Slavic languages, B, and in the Albanian language, P. Why then in these countries is this letter G not changed into D, B or P? Why would the brethren perpetuate a symbol which has no linguistic connection or meaning to them? In the Romance languages, the word Geometry does begin with the letter G. It seems that would be reason enough for lodges that speak or conduct their ceremonies in any of the Neo-Latin languages to also use the letter G as a symbol for geometry. Albert Pike said, “the highest claim of Freemasonry to consideration is that it is philosophical truth, concealed from the masses and taught to the adepts by symbols.” 9 Those who are familiar with the winding journey of three, five, and seven steps, to finally arrive at the middle chamber, know when the initiate witnesses the G. Their attention is drawn to it very poignantly. In an effort to more profoundly understand the symbolism of this degree, we may look for the origins of the word geometry. We find its roots in Greek meaning “geo” (earth) and “metria” (measurement). If we examine the origins of the English letter G in the Greco-Roman alphabet, we see that it comes from gamma, the third letter in the Phoenician-originated Greek alphabet. And what is the symbol for

gamma? A Square. In the beginning of the ritual the initiate is received with a square. Then in the climactic part he is shown the letter G. This is an intriguing play of symbols that reflects and refracts the beginning and climax of the degree. In an interesting anecdote Jones recounts that in May 1742, two Freemasons who had gotten themselves into trouble with the Grand Lodge organized a public procession of mock-Masons which was reported in the local newspaper. From that report we learn that the letter G symbolized geometry, for the sake of which “all Fellow-Crafts are made.” In the same newspaper it was also reported that when the lodge was opened from first to the second degree a square was placed in the center of the blazing star so the brethren could tell which degree was being worked. 10 According to John T. Thorp, “[i]t so happens that the old gallows’ square L is one original form of the Hebrew ghimel , the Hebrew character in the roof, and also of the Greek gamma both of which correspond to our English letter G; this fact may account for the gradual substitution of the letter G for the square.”11 We now have a related triad of words that begin with G. In the beginning of the Fellow Craft degree the newly-passed Fellow receives the lesson about the square – a gamma-shaped instrument -- and in the culminating teachings of the degree receives rewards. At this point, he again perceives the symbol, albeit changed to a more recognizable G, which reflects resplendently back to the beginning of his journey. This pattern of symbols teaching one lesson then transmuting into another lesson later is common throughout Freemasonry and is characteristic of the “unruly nature of symbols.”12 The symbol appears at first in one form to have one or several meanings, then appears again to have other deeper or more expanded meanings. In a 1928 article in The Builder, L.F. Strauss commented that the “word [Gematria] itself constitutes a kind of combination of two others, of the two words Grammateia and Geometria. Geometric “Grammateian” principles were applied by sages called K(C)abalists, in their search for the principles, the laws, that are operative in the evolution of life, in the structure, the Building of this our Universe…The principles on which the Gematria rests is not stated in traditional literature, but it may be assumed is essentially the same as that which is found in the Cabala, though in the latter it has been developed along the lines of cosmogonic theories. 13

A Tracingboard for the Fellowcraft Degree

Gematria or gimatria, a Hebrew term, is a system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase, in the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person’s age, the calendar year, or similar information. It is likely that the term derives from the order of the Greek alphabet, gamma being the third letter of the Greek alphabet (gamma + tria).14 SPRING 2013 • 19

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Seventeenth century Freemasonry, at least We have seen the square referenced in the Greek prior to Anderson’s Constitutions, was Christian. word gamma. The square (the working tool) is, It is very unlikely the early Masons in England seen from one point of view, an incomplete or Scotland had a working knowledge of equilateral triangle, a quarter part of a circle, Hebrew, or would purposely hide a symbol or half of a geometric square. We have seen in a way that no one would decipher it. This gimel as representative of the number three in is not to argue that early Freemasons were the Kabalistic or gematrian sense. thinking of gematria; or that the letter G stands for gematria, but certainly symbols and After the initiate departs the Middle Chamber their meanings are “unruly” and change with and receives his wages, he may begin to believe time. So, can the letter G have transmuted into he should work intelligently, diligently, and other meanings as the generations passed and The Letter G shown along with the virtuously, in edifying that temple not built Freemasonry became more diverse? Can that Gamma and Gimel characters with hands, so the G:.A:.O:.T:.U:. will pay same symbol have become an arrow pointing his just reward. He may even realize that to a different direction that previous generations had not envisioned? within himself is where he will find the resources that will complete the Since the symbol itself has changed as the Fellow Craft ritual progressed equilateral triangle, or the geometric square (symbolized by the perfect (i.e. from a square in the reception to a letter at the climax) could the ashlar). Ritually, it has been established that the Deity will supervise and letter G be also a symbol reflective of the Masonic journey itself? pay our wages. We have established that there is abundance (through the sheaf of wheat); and we have established that Deity is involved in our It is important to understand that the mental and spiritual lessons of daily lives. This belief is arguably the foundation of all further Masonic the Fellow Craft degree concern a man’s journey after leaving youth— light. The belief in the immortality of soul/spirit, the vindication of the education, psychological, and spiritual work, the journey into the self, rejected work, the arduous journey to build the temple within, hinges reward, and punishment for a life well lived (or not, as the case may be). on the belief that Deity takes an active role in our labors. If we are to use the techniques of gematria (used primarily in Hebrew, Greek, Syrian, and Arabic) and look at the Hebrew aleph-bet (alphabet), we see the third letter is Gimel. It is written like a vav with a yud (similar to a Masonic square) as a “foot,» and it resembles a person in motion; symbolically, a rich man running after a poor man to give him charity. Charity here is not merely a rich man giving a homeless person some bread or a few dollars out of mercy for his next meal -- charity extends far deeper. According to Rabbi Aaron Raskin, “Gimel has several meanings. One is to nourish until ripe.” 15 It is also helping someone worthy receive an education; learn skills that will help him improve his lot in life. Much emphasis is placed in the second degree on the value of education. The ritual illustrates this type of education is embodied in the seven liberal arts of grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, music, astronomy, and geometry. Jacob, the third Patriarch of the Hebrews, is associated with gimel, the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet.16 In contrast to Isaac, who never left the land of Israelites, Jacob spent most of his life in exile, traveling on camels (which is said to derive from the related word gamal).17 He had to measure himself against the hard reality of work, and the responsibilities of caring for his large family. He had twelve children at the outset and eventually seventy souls with whom he descended into Egypt to save them from famine. Jacob’s world was a place where work, trials, and struggle against difficulties were an integral part of his spiritual growth. R. Yehudah Loew, the fifteenth century Maharal of Prague, explains that the power of the number three is its ability to combine two contrasting forces—to bring about integration. The oneness of alef denotes the ultimate perfection that is only possible within God, while the dualism of beit implies diversity, heterogeneity, multiplicity, and incompatibility. The gimel, in this paradigm, represents truth and the capacity to neutralize, to integrate the divergence between two contrasting forces of the material and the spiritual and blend them into a harmonious whole. 18

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Again in Finch’s Masonic Treatise, we see how the lecture alludes to these connections, Did they see anything there that principally struck their attention, They did. What was it, The representative of our Supreme Grand Master. What does it denote, One greater than your worship, or Sir Peter Parker. Who is that who is greater than Sir Peter Parker, Earl Moria. Is there any in the Masonic Order greater than him, His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales. Is there any greater than his Royal Highness George Prince of Wales, Grand Master of the Masonic Order --, GOD, the Grand Geometrician of the Universe, to whom we ought at all times cheerfully to submit and obey. So mote it be, can you my friend define this letter G, In the M.C. of this temple there stood a letter G to be by true F.C.s. farther defined. What is farther meant by that letter G,

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By letters four and science fifth this G has a right to stand, it means the God we all adore, you have your answer friend. Please to give a farther reference, Your science fifth hath well composed a noble structure vast, a point, a line, a superfice . . . but solid is last.

NOTES (Endnotes) 1 Carl Claudy, “Introduction to Freemasonry-Fellowcraft,” Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, http://www.freemasons-freemasonry. com/claudy2.html (Accessed 20 October 2011). 2 Bernard Jones, Freemasons’ Guide and Nashville:Cumberland House: Nashville TN.) 298.

What is a Point, Beginning of a [all?] geometrical matter. What is a Line, Continuation of the same. What is a Superfice, Length and breadth without a given thickness. What is a Solid or Cube, Length and breadth with a given thickness, which forms a cube and comprehends the the [sic] whole of Geometry. 19 Are the four letters which “means the God we all adore,” a reference to the tetragrammaton, the JHVH? Is the fifth alluding to geometry? We see in this catechism a reference to the Neo-Platonic concepts of a point forming a line, forming a surface, forming eventually a tetrahedron, representative of the universe. Suffice it to say they allude to the NeoPlatonic idea that God emanates from geometric forms and as Carl Claudy has written is thus “always geometrizing.” Although the letter G clearly symbolizes geometry, and to the early speculative Masons in England perhaps also meant the name of Diety, the poignancy of the symbol draws attention to itself and reflects light towards a direction requiring further search. This further search leads to an esoteric education through a path that eventually leads to a deeper knowledge of a geometric symbol (the square). The manner in which the symbol transmutes is itself reflective of the Masonic journey. The meaning of the square changes from a tangible object to the intangible concepts of geometry and God. This letter G further speaks about the nature of God and man’s quest to emulate moral and spiritual qualities, while completing the long journey up his personal winding stairs to become a symbol for the temple of God that dwells within.

Compendium,

3 Mark Dwor, “The Letter G,” Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, http://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/theletterg.html (Accessed 20 October 2011). 4 William Finch, “Masonic Treatise with an Elucidation on the Religious and Moral Beauties of Freemasonry”, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, http://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/ritual/finch.pdf (Accessed 2 November 2011). 5 Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida. Florida Masonic Code, 2008, 95. 6 Jones, 299. 7 Dwor. 8 Dwor. 9 Albert Pike, “Esoterika,” Washington: The Scottish Rite Research Society, 2008, 75. 10 Jones, 300. 11 John T. Thorp, “The Origin and Meaning of the Letter ‘G’ in Freemasonry,” Merseyside, Vol. III, quoted in Bernard Jones, Freemasons’ Guide and Compendium, Nashville: Cumberland House, 1956, 300. 12 Dwor. 13 L.F Strauss, “Gematria and the Letter G,” The Builder Magazine, 14:8, (August 1928). http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/the_builder_1928_ august.htm accessed October 2011. 14 Wikipedia (Wikipedia n.d.) s.v. Gematria.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adrian Castro is a member of Hibiscus Lodge No 275 in Coral Gables, FL. He is the author of three books of poetry Cantos to Blood & Honey (1997), Wise Fish (2005), Handling Destiny (2009) all published by Coffee House Press. His essays and poetry have appeared in over twenty literary anthologies and journals. He has won many literary awards and fellowships including recently the USA Knight Fellowship. He is also a Licensed Acupuncturist and herbalist. He lives in Miami with his wife and children.

15 Chabad.org. “Letters of Light,”. Web. accessed 7 November 2011.s.v. Gimmel. 16 Tzfat-Kabbalah.org. International Center for Tzfat Kabbalah, (Accessed 20 October 2011), s.v. Yod, Gimmel. 17 Ibid. 18 Ibid. 19 Finch, 23.

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PERSPECTIVES

Requiem for a Nut Cup

Courtesy of Harmonie Lodge No. 699, Buffalo, NY

By Jim Tresner

I love Freemasonry. I love what it does for the society in which it exists; I love what it does for my Brothers; and I love what it does for me. And that is why it sometimes makes me very sad. I regret what has been diminished, although I truly believe that the lost can be found again. That thing which has been diminished is pride. I don’t mean arrogance, there is very little of that; I mean a sense of pride in our traditions, our contributions, and, if you will, our specialness. American society has “bought into” a strange cultural definition of equality. It would never have occurred to our forefathers to think of equality as sameness. Fifty years ago, a good welder was proud of what he could do. A good teacher was proud of his or her ability, and was respected in the community for that ability. A good scholar took pride in his scholarship, and his friends took pride in his accomplishments. Institutions took pride in their accomplishments as well, whether that institution was a church, a business, a school, or a fraternity.

for reading accomplishments. A line from the story read, “As with everything Freemasons do, no one can do it better or with greater style.” And that was true. As a fraternity, we used to feel special enough that no expense was spared on our buildings, our projects, or our events. Especially on lodge events. But over time, as our average age increased and our average dues decreased relative to income, we left the time when “only the best is good enough for a Mason” to doing whatever was cheaper, easier, and less demanding. It seems to me one can trace this most obviously in Lodge banquets and feasts. (We usually call them “Lodge meals” today—a quiet recognition that they are no longer feasts or banquets.) Almost every Lodge had a set of Lodge china, especially made for them with the Lodge name fired into the glaze. And it was a full set, with plates, salad plates, dessert plates, cups, saucers, gravy boats, several sizes and shapes of serving dishes, and plates for bread and butter, as well as sugar bowls and cream pitchers. And there was flatware— usually not sterling silver, but heavy polished stainless steel.

But in the last fifty years, a creeping “sameness” has overtaken our nation and even our own thinking. We have decided that no one should feel pride in an accomplishment or ability, lest those without that ability should feel somehow lessened. Consider the giving of trophies to everyone in a race, just so those who did not win would not feel that they had lost.

I can remember the banquets. Snowy spotless linen table cloths covered the tables, and folded linen napkins were at each place. The china shone in the light. Glasses sparkled. Often there were fresh flowers in vases in the center of the table. And always there were nut cups.

For those not old enough to remember let me mention a few examples. A story in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper from 1948 mentioned that a local lodge was giving awards to school children

Probably most of our Brethren today have never even seen one. A nut cup was a small cup, about 1 1/2 inches high and 1 1/4 inches wide. They were usually made of paper and disposable, although some

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lodges had nut cups made of china or crystal. They were sometimes plain, but were often decorated with stickers or small flowers of the season. They held either nuts or a mixture of nuts and mints. And they were considered essential to a meal. Indeed, the typical description of a full meal was “everything from soup to nuts” a reference to the fact that soup was the first thing served and nuts were consumed last. A lodge banquet was a noble and glorious thing. But, slowly, we decided it was too much trouble. It might still have be said and even thought that “nothing but the best was good enough for Masons,” but it cost money to send linen napkins to the laundry, and so we started using good paper napkins, and then less expensive paper napkins, and then paper towels—unless someone found a really great deal on cheap paper napkins at Wal-Mart. Then it was too much trouble and too expensive to send table cloths out to have them washed and ironed. We started using plastic tablecloths, and then rolls of butcher paper, and then did away with table cloths all together and just started washing—well wiping down—sometimes—the tables after a meal. China had to be washed, and that took time and trouble. And, after all, we had started trying to get through a lodge meeting as quickly as possible, so who wanted to take the time to wash china. Paper plates would work as well. And so many lodges have cabinets with stacks of china, covered by thirty years of dust. And it was silly to spend money on real flowers. Men didn’t care about flowers. So the vases disappeared, except when Eastern Star was meeting, and they used plastic flowers, because that was cheaper. No

one seemed to think that the value of a flower is that it is temporary and fading. And somewhere in the process, the nut cups faded into oblivion; one, now, with the ghosts of Nineveh and Tyre. I lament their loss, but more especially the loss of the attitude they represented—a sense that little things matter when they add quality; that it is worth taking trouble as a way of showing respect for oneself and others; that cheapness is not the ultimate value; that practicality is not the highest good. I hope the nut cups will return, and bring with them the attitude of excellence they represented. And it may happen. Some lodges have actually set out nut cups again. They were much in evidence at Oklahoma Grand Master Randall Rogers’ apron presentation last year. That is a sign of hope. They are little things, but they are links in the chain to our days of glory. About the Author

Born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma, Jim Tresner holds a Ph.D. in communications. He is a Past Master and perpetual member of Albert Pike Lodge No. 162 in Guthrie, Oklahoma, a member of the Oklahoma Lodge of Research, a member of Oklahoma College, Masonic Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederalis and Past Sovereign Master of Father Murrow Chapter, Allied Masonic Degrees, and is the Grand Musician of the Grand Lodge of the State of Oklahoma. In the Scottish Rite, he holds the 33°, and the Grand Cross of the Court of Honor. He is Director of the Work for the Guthrie Scottish Rite Temple, and the book review editor for the Scottish Rite Journal . The author of a host of Masonic books, his latest work, But I Digress , is published by Starr Publishing and is available wherever fine books are sold.

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HISTORY

Aeronautical Masons: Two Examples of World War I Masonic Nose Art by Michael Halleran, MMS

reemasonry and military matters are inextricably linked. British military Masons exported the fraternity to the corners of their Empire, and Masonic fraternization in warfare is well documented. And despite – or perhaps because of – the fact that Freemasonry is at great pains to distance itself from the political motives of military conflict, it was and remains popular with soldiers. However, there are no Masonic regiments among the armies of the world, nor do we observe Masons unfurling their banners in battle. During the American Civil War, a single Federal warship is thought to have exhibited a Masonic decoration, but Masonic military decoration in the twentieth century is almost unheard of, and suggestions that aircraft and fighting machines bore Masonic markings often prove to be no more than Masonic urban legend.1

“nose art” was born. Not to be outdone, the French employed national aircraft markings from 1912 onwards, and as the air campaigns of the Great War (1914–1918) intensified, their pilots displayed both national markings and individualized decoration as well. Other nations followed, and by war’s end, the practice was universal. 3 Today, even the casual student of aerial warfare will recognize von Richthofen’s red Fokker, or Rickenbacker’s hat-in-the-ring. More indepth study reveals that French ace George Guynemer painstakingly lettered his plane with the name Vieux Charles (Old Charles), commemorating a fallen comrade, and German ace Ernst Udet painted his girlfriend’s name (Lo!) on the side of his fighter. With these examples of the airborne aristocracy to emulate, countless other pilots followed suit. 4 Although Great War nose art generally eschewed the scantily clad “pinup girl” images popular in the second World War, pilots adorned their aircraft with all manner of figures. Stylized animals were popular – cats, storks, wolves, and hornets -- and so were images of mortality such as skulls or coffins. Other designs such as lightning bolts, vivid stripes, and

Lt. McElvain’s Nieuport 28 #5 clearly marked with the Square and Compasses below the machinegun bench. Courtesy A. Toelle.

Historical Precedent Decoration of military weapons and equipment predates recorded history. The ancients gaudily painted their shields, chariots, and triremes; the Vikings took care to embellish their longboats, and the plains tribes painted their warhorses, their weapons, and themselves. With the rise of combat airpower, pilots and their ground crews bestowed the same artistic attention on their implements of war. Given the prevalence of Masonic military membership, one might expect to find some evidence of Masonic decoration of military equipment, but this remains elusive. 2 Personalized markings on military aircraft – which is not to be confused with official national or squadron designations -- is nearly as old as military flight itself. Italy was the first country to deploy combat aircraft (to Tripoli in 1912) and by 1913, its aircraft displayed national and unit markings. It wasn’t long thereafter that some flamboyant pilot or crew member added an artistic embellishment, and the first instance of 24 • SPRING 2013

A close-up of #5 showing the emblem. The identity of the man in the pilot’s seat remains unknown. Courtesy T. Hamady.

even heraldic shields with family crests were commonly seen in the skies, and commented upon by historians and aircraft aficionados. Despite all the attention given to nose art throughout the historian of military aviation, however, little attention has been given to the two American fighter aircraft that sported the Masonic square and compasses during World War I, even though photos of the aircraft have been in print and well-circulated for the last eighty years.5 Masonic Machines Both were Nieuport 28C.1s assigned to the 27th Aero Squadron of the U.S. Army Air Service (predecessor to the U.S. Air Force), operating

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Lt. Rucker in front of his aircraft, marked similarly to Lt. McElvain’s. Courtesy A. Toelle.

in northern France during the summer of 1918.6 Nieuport 28s were French-built planes, as the United States relied on France’s welldeveloped military aviation program to supply its airframes during the war. Fragile by today’s standards, the aircraft received good reviews from most pilots. Maj. Harold E. Hartney, commander of the 27th, admired the Nieuports for their speed and handling. “What a superb machine,” he wrote, “[o]f French design, although in disfavor with their own pilots, it was a fast moving, fast acting gem, with a 9 cylinder 165hp. Monosoupape [French for ‘single valve.’] rotary engine.”7 Like the rest of the squadron’s planes, both “Masonic” aircraft were painted in standard French camouflage with the exception of a red, white and blue rudder. Each was prominently marked with its assigned number and the eagle insignia of the squadron. Not visible in the photos, although certainly present, are the American bull’s-eye cocardes, painted in the national colors of red, blue and white, and the checkerboardpatterned stripe of the squadron, all on the upper wing surfaces. The underside of the lower wing surfaces would also have featured the brightly-colored cocardes; these markings enabled anyone looking up at the aircraft to identify it as friend or foe. In addition, distinguishing them from all other Nieuports, these two aircraft each display a small square and compasses surrounding the letter G on the left side of the fuselage, beneath the Vickers machinegun bench. 8 Although it is impossible to determine who painted the Masonic symbol on either airplane, two pilots are associated with the airplanes and both were Missourians and Masons. First Lieutenant Clifford A. McElvain, a native of Albany, Missouri, was assigned to aircraft #5 (tail number N6214), while aircraft #18 (tail number unknown) was piloted by First Lieutenant Edward W. Rucker, Jr. of Fayette, Missouri. Both pilots were active Masons. Rucker (1894–1945), a member of

Fayette Lodge No. 47 in Fayette Missouri, took his degrees from July to September 1915 and remained an active member on the lodge rolls until his death. McElvain (1894–1968) joined Athens Lodge No. 127 at Albany, Missouri on 11 February 1916, took his second degree on 25 February, and was raised a Master Mason on 16 March. In 1917, before serving in France, he was appointed Junior Deacon, although it is not known how long he served in that position before his military duties intervened. 9 There is no conclusive proof that McElvain and Rucker painted these Masonic emblems on their aircraft; unfortunately the squadron records are silent on any details concerning its pilots’ personalization of their aircraft, and they provide no information as to any nose art. Nevertheless, the fact that Rucker and McElvain are associated with those particular aircraft while they were active members of the fraternity certainly makes it more probable than not that these marking were their personal nose art. It should also be noted that that pilots were acutely aware of personalized markings on aircraft, particularly on enemy planes. Rickenbacker wrote about his encounters on several occasions with a German reconnaissance plane bearing an orange “rising sun,” and members of the 27th routinely described in their after-action reports any personalized markings on German planes they had encountered. It is possible that German fliers may have noticed or officially remarked on Rucker and McElvain’s Masonic markings, although no documentation of this has been discovered to date. 10 The Fate of #5 The fate of Rucker’s aircraft is not known, although he himself survived the war and earned a Distinguished Service Cross in November 1918. McElvain’s #5 ship, however, was lost in combat. On 1 August 1918, both pilots were part of a large “protection patrol” of eighteen aircraft SPRING 2013 • 25

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to the attack. I would see them, then lose them, then see them again, each time a little nearer. It was a long climb for them. I kept hoping that the Salmson would finish its picture-taking before they reached us, but they kept coming and we kept going back and forth. 14 The German aircraft climbed past the Americans and attacked from above, and one by one McElvain lost track of his squadron mates before he too came under attack. Alone in the sky, the lone American was attacked by five Fokker D-VII’s and he fought a long duel with Lt. Alfred Fleischer, pilot of Jasta 17.15

Masonic POWs interred in Vilingen, Baden, Germany shortly before the armistice. Lt. McElvain is standing second row, third from the left. Courtesy A. Toelle.

providing cover for a reconnaissance flight over Fereen-Tardenois. Jumped by enemy fighters, the squadron suffered severe losses. Lieutenants Jason Hunt, Charles B. Sands, and A.L. Whiton of the 27th were killed in action and McElvain and another American pilot were shot down over enemy lines and captured. 11 Reports claimed that, during this combat, McElvain wounded and possibly shot down the commander of Jasta 17, Ltn. d R. Günther Schuster, as well as another Fokker D. VII, although McElvain never officially claimed either victory. In a 1955 speech, which was later published in the Chicago Tribune, McElvain commented on his final combat mission of the war.12 I joined our escort, a Salmson13, over its field at the scheduled time and climbed with it to its mission altitude, around 18,000 feet. Things can happen so very fast in the air; one minute the sky will be empty, then, with vigilance relaxed for just an instant, you can be surrounded by the enemy. It was standard practice to fly with necks swiveling constantly, systematically – scanning the sky – under, above, behind, below, on one side then the other – never stopping. I suppose you know that is why silk scarves came to be worn inside shirt collars. Necks would wear raw without them. At mission altitude the pilot and observer, whose names I have never known, started taking their pictures. The area being photographed was well inside enemy territory and they flew in and out, back and forth; it seemed they would never get through…Below us I could see German formations rising 26 • SPRING 2013

Lieut. McElvain fought bravely and determinedly five enemy machines by himself using up all his ammunition in a combat lasting twenty minutes. He succeeded in shooting down two Fokkers, but finally had his engine so badly shot up by machine gun fire that he was forced to land in enemy territory, destroying his machine in so doing. As an indication of the enemy’s appreciation of this officer’s extraordinary heroism he was complimented by the enemy patrol leader on his work and informed, of the fact that he had destroyed two Fokkers in his effort.16 McElvain was captured and interred in several German prisoner of war camps, including Villingen in southern BadenWürttemberg.17 Buttressing the claim that he was actively involved in the fraternity, McElvain was later photographed in that prison camp as part of a group of Masonic officers from various branches of the American and British armies. Although the circumstances of that photo are unknown, there is also some evidence to suggest that Freemasonry was prevalent in the American Air Service, since at least one newspaper published notice of a Masonic club meeting and a well-documented report of a banquet put on by fifty “Aeronautical Masons.”18 Conclusion – Further Research Required The proximity of two Masonic-marked aircraft in one American squadron certainly implies a continuing, and visible, Masonic presence in the military, at least as late as World War I. Both aircraft were subtly, but unmistakably marked, and the designs on each appear identical. The evidence of Masonic membership among American pilots suggests that Masonic marks on other aircraft might easily have escaped historical scrutiny, just as these Nieuports remained largely unnoticed. In addition, the flying services of the other belligerents would almost certainly contain Masons, as well. This begs the question; are Rucker and McElvain’s aircraft the only examples of Masonic military decoration in the twentieth century, or are there other examples waiting to be discovered?

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About the Author Michael A. Halleran is a practicing attorney and an instructor at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. He is also Executive Editor of the Journal of the Masonic Society and the Grand Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge of Kansas. Halleran has written extensively on military Freemasonry and has lectured in both the United States and Great Britain. He is the author of The Better Angels of Our Nature; Freemasonry in the American Civil War (University of Alabama Press: 2010) and the editor of Bro. Brother’s Journal, a regular column appearing in The Scottish Rite Journal. NOTES (Endnotes) 1 For an unparalleled discussion of Freemasonry in the British military, consult Jessica L. Harland-Jacobs, Builders of Empire: Freemasons and British Imperialism, 1717-1927, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2007; for instances of Masonic fraternization in battle, see the author’s Better Angels of Our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War, Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2010. The warship in question, U.S.S. Baron De Kalb, displayed a device that appears to be a Masonic square and compasses between her smoke stacks, although whether the design is in fact Masonic in origin cannot be stated irrefutably. 2 Jeffrey L. Ethell and Clarence Simonsen. The History of Aircraft Nose Art: World War I to Today, St. Paul (MN): Motorbooks, 2003, 8. 3 Ibid., 17. An Italian Nieuport-Macchi M.5 flying boat is thought to be the first documented aircraft with personalized markings. The nose of that particular flying boat was painted to resemble a sea monster. 4 Capt. Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (1892–1918) was the most successful German fighter pilot of World War I with eighty combat air victories. During his heyday, Richthofen flew a number of different aircraft, all of which were painted entirely, or mostly, red. Capt. (later Col.) Edward V. Rickenbacker (1890–1973) was likewise the most successful American air ace of the war with twenty-six air victories, and a Medal of Honor recipient. The hat-in-the-ring insignia that became associated with Rickenbacker was actually the marking of his unit, the 94th Aero Squadron. Rickenbacker’s personal nose art was a Liberty Bond poster doped to the top of the lower wing of his aircraft. 5 Gary Velasco. Fighting Colors: The Creation of Military Nose Art, Nashville: Turner Publishing, 2004, 8 -12.

pilots are on file at the Grand Lodge of Missouri. It should be noted that there is no evidence that McElvain remained active in the fraternity following his return from the war. He was later suspended for nonpayment of dues by the Grand Lodge of Missouri in 1925. 10 Rickenbacker, 131, 135, 148; e.g., “Combat – August 1, 1918, Lt. R. Nevius Reports,” in Gorrell’s, Ser. E, Vol. 6, 252. 11 27th Aero Squadron, First Pursuit Group. “General History of the 27th Aero Squadron – Operations Memorandum, August 2nd 1918,” in Gorrell’s, Ser. E, Vol. 6, 151; James J. Hudson. Hostile Skies: A Combat History of the American Air Service in World War I, Syracuse University Press, 1968, 115. 12 Norman Franks and Greg Van Wyngarden. Fokker DVII Aces of World War 1, Part 2, Oxford (UK): Osprey Publishing, 2004, 78-9; Wayne Thomis. “Chicago Unites Two War Aces, Once Enemies,” Chicago Tribune, September 19, 1955, D11. 13 The French-built Salmson 2A2 was a biplane reconnaissance aircraft in use with the American Air Service in 1918. 14 Dave McElvain. “Clifford McElvain and the Black Day,” http:// www.reocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7133/mcelvain.htm (Accessed 4 February, 2013); See also Wayne Thomis. “A Sky Battle is Relived: Friendship Grew Out of Flight,” Chicago Daily Tribune, November 14, 1937, G8. 15 Hudson, at 115 n.1. As McElvain glided in for a landing with a dead engine, Fleischer held his fire and landed beside him. The German identified himself to McElvain and following the war, the two became friends. After World War II McElvain, then head of a mortgage company in Chicago, sponsored Fleischer’s immigration to the United States. 16 “McElvain Was ‘Out of Luck’ For His ‘Twenty-Three Carrot’ Soup,” Out of Control [First Pursuit Group], Vol. 1 No. 3 (Dec 13, 1918) 10. 17 “Roster of Officers, 27th Aero Squadron on the Front,” in Gorrell’s, Ser. E, Vol. 6, 42. 18 “Aeronautical Masons Give Fine Banquet in Spirit of the Season,” Flights & Landings [Official AEF Air Service Newspaper], 1:23 (December 1, 1918), 1; “Masonic Meeting,” Plane News [AEF France], II:5, December 21, 1918, 6.

6 27th Aero Squadron, First Pursuit Group. “Roster of Officers, 27th Aero Squadron on the Front,” Gorrell’s History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917-1919 [hereafter Gorrell’s], Ser. E, Vol. 6, 40. The 27th Aero Squadron arrived at Touquin, France on June 28, 1918 with nineteen pilots. 7 Theodore Hamady. The Nieuport 28; America’s First Fighter, Atglen (PA): Schiffer, 2008, 10, 21, 48; Eddie Rickenbacker. Fighting the Flying Circus, New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 119-20; Harold Hartney. Up and At ‘Em, Harrisburg (PA): Stackpole, 1940, 143-4. 8 Hamady, 253-6. 9 27th Aero Squadron, First Pursuit Group. “Operations Order No. 3 – 2 June 1918,” in Gorrell’s, Ser. E, Vol. 6, 67. Masonic records for both SPRING 2013 • 27

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by Cliff Porter, FMS

Photo courtesy Cliff Porter

reemasonry began the twenty-first century much as it left the twentieth, with frantic efforts aimed at stemming the loss of membership. The first decade of the twenty-first century saw the continued the practice of one day classes, and a more public Freemasonry eager to sport the interior of their temples on any news station that might have it, but despite these tactics membership continued to dwindle. There have been a number of prophets in the wilderness and even more naysayers. One Past Grand Master from a mid-Atlantic jurisdiction announced that the problem with Freemasonry was the difficulty in obtaining membership. It must be easier and faster, he concluded. To affect this, the Fraternity should provide the Entered Apprentice degree, eliminate the outdated and cumbersome Fellow Craft degree, and provide a video of the Master Mason degree. Thus, the newly –minted member would be a full-fledged voting member of his lodge by the end of the evening and the ever-important dues card would leave with him nestled nicely in his wallet. Less severe and more successful programs advocated that men should be initiated in their home lodges and then passed and raised with a group. These schemes were tried in a number of jurisdictions, as well. It is ironic that the Da Vinci Code and Lost Symbol were poised to give Freemasonry a boost as both books collectively gave rise to an interest in secret societies, but the Fraternity largely ignored the opportunity. Both books were popular because the societies they mentioned were cloaked in mystery. The general Masonic response was to declare that there were no secrets and that anyone could become a member. Dan Brown had understood something the Freemasons missed; men were seeking the mystery, not things mundane and ordinary. Traditional Observance was born of a desire to create a solemn and special initiatic experience that fulfilled the membership of the lodge and gave little care to quantity of membership; choosing instead to focus on quality of membership. The “traditions” of traditional observance are historically defensible Masonic practices designed to enrich the Masonic experience. Let’s examine some of the goals that lodges adhering to a Traditional Observance model seek to achieve:

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SOLEMNITY OF EXPERIENCE. This is achieved by dimming or eliminating electric lights and lighting candles, and by using music at appropriate times, such as when the altar is being attended. Traditionally observant Masons dress up instead of dressing down to communicate outwardly the importance of the situation. These practices are no different than those observed at weddings, church, or special work events. It is not a desire to be elitist, but a desire to communicate just how special Freemasonry is. Another strong tool in achieving the proper atmosphere is requesting silence and contemplation on the sidelines instead of idle chitchat. RITUAL PROFICIENCY. The art of ritual is treated as sacrosanct and those not qualified to present ritual are not allowed to do so. Men practice and compete to be allowed to participate. Men are expected to dedicate time learning, practicing, and delivering the ritual. This expectation comes without apology.

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EDUCATION AND ENRICHMENT. An educational speaker or conferral of a degree upon one candidate is the focus of the evening. Every aspect of the evening is treated as deserving of attention. This is achieved by limiting the amount of meetings so that each meeting can be planned and treated to the attention it deserves -- one special meeting in a month versus four boring or rushed ones. Dues are sufficient to not only pay the bills, but provide a quality experience as well. CANDIDATE DEVELOPMENT. It is treated as exceptional to become a member of the lodge and petitions are not just given away without thought. Men are interviewed, scrutinized and, when best for Freemasonry, turned away. The men who make it through the gate are nurtured and meet with their mentors once a week. When their day for proficiency comes, they are expected to demonstrate their proficiency in long-form, as well as lead an educational presentation, or write a paper.

Masons are charged several times throughout their ritual experience to revere the special and select character of the Fraternity. Yet, we appear determined not to apply this simple lesson to the running of the fraternity itself. Membership drives, one day classes, and the cheapening of the Masonic experience in lieu of the philosophical, spiritual, and educational aspects of the same have wreaked havoc on the very membership those same programs sought to bolster. In the upcoming segments of Traditionally Speaking we will examine the chamber of reflection, the Agape, and other important elements of Traditional Observance Freemasonry to gain a better understanding of how and why the implementation of these ideas has proven so successful in the areas trying them. Until then brethren, don’t just practice Freemasonry, celebrate it!

The objections to Traditional Observance go something like this: THE GRAND LODGE IS THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO PRESCRIBE RITUAL. This is correct. Traditional Observance can be seen as an ideal of upholding any given Grand Lodge’s highest standards. It is not a rite or system. There are no Traditional Observance degrees or rituals. The label Traditional Observance is designed to communicate that a lodge is attempting to achieve highest possible mark in the Masonic experience allowed by their Grand Lodge. TRADITIONAL OBSERVANCE LODGES ARE ELITIST. Elite and elitist are different. Telling someone who wants to light a few candles, dress nicely, and celebrate Freemasonry with a wonderful meal that they cannot because ”we’ve never done things that way,” is elitist. Allowing a man who wants to celebrate his Freemasonry through charity, through social interaction, or even through Traditional Observance practices is Masonic and fair. DUES ARE TOO HIGH.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As our temples crumble, we scrounge for financial crumbs to keep the fraternity running on artificially low dues designed to appease the frugal. This harms our fraternity. We need to create quality programs and that requires money. For those upset about that fact, this would be a wonderful time to practice the charity they often espouse as central to the practices of our Order.

Cliff Porter is the Chairman of Masonic Education for the Grand Lodge of Colorado, Hon. Past Grand Lecturer of the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia, Past Master of Enlightenment Lodge 198, and an associate member of the Lodge of Living Stones 4957 in Leeds, England. He is a veteran law enforcement officer and is recognized internationally for his work in the field of subconscious communications. Bro. Porter is the author of The Secret Psychology of Freemasonry (2011). His upcoming book, A Traditional Observance Lodge, will be available wherever fine books are sold.

WE’VE NEVER DONE THINGS THIS WAY. This is also correct. It’s not the way we have always done it. The way we have done it is not working. Traditional Observance lodges are reporting more than 100% attendance, no loss from non-payment of dues, not a single Entered Apprentice failing to advance, and some even boast a waiting list to become a member.

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Masonic Treasures Bavarian Illuminati Minerval Jewel This beautiful jewel is a cast reproduction of one of the three remaining Minerval jewels, from the original Illuminati, the only one in America. The original is currently in the personal collection of famed Masonic author Arturo de Hoyos. Countless hours have been spent analyzing the original piece, ensuring each strike is identical and all hand detailing is exact. Creating this product has been a true labor of love for Michael Cain Seay and its fine quality is a testament to his dedication in providing dignified regalia.

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IN PRINT

Book Reviews: Current The Mysteries of John the Baptist: His Legacy in Gnosticism, Paganism, and Freemasonry, by Tobias Churton After such successes as The Gnostics, The Golden Builders, and The Invisible History of the Rosicrucians, a new book by Tobias Churton demands attention. The Mysteries of John the Baptist doesn’t disappoint. It’s a sound and entertaining exploration of John as a character in history, religion, folklore, and of course Freemasonry. Using the Gospels, Josephus, and other ancient sources, Churton redefines the historical John the Baptist, portraying him as a key player in the politics of first-century Judea. In the process, he argues for a new chronology, both relative and absolute, for the executions of John and Jesus. Although some of Churton’s conclusions are conjecture, he clearly identifies them as such. Churton also makes the fascinating case that the historical link between John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, such as the one made in Freemasonry, is based on more than just a coincidence of their names and their 180-degree division of the church year. As in all his work, Churton is master of metaphor and wordplay: “The Grand Lodge [of England] was a tight ship, with Whigs in the rigging”; “Medieval masons . . . made wilderness bloom in stone”; “Jesus’s speeches seem to go on forever. He’s got all the timelessness in the world”; [In ancient Galilee] “there were masons all over the place. Galilee did not look like Arizona: more like a building site.”

Taken by Surprise, by Yasha Beresiner Freemasonry tends to be a gregarious brotherhood. Many Masons enjoy being called on to perform ritual, make educational presentations, and occasionally serve as master of ceremonies. Generally, they are given time to prepare, calmly organize their thoughts, and plan oratorical techniques suitable for the task. At other times, however, a Mason, upon entering lodge or with fork in hand, may be asked to “say a little something,” make an introduction, or even serve as the impromptu main event. Even the most experienced orators may require quick help before stepping into the spotlight. Taken by Surprise, by Yasha Beresiner, is a pocket-sized collection of speech starters, light enough to stow in an apron case. One section of the book, “Quotes and Anecdotes,” lists uncredited sayings by topic. Another, “Freemasons’ Immortal Words,” compiles quotations from famous brethren, along with their personal histories and Masonic honors. Sometimes all that is needed for inspiration is the right quote to get started. Aptly named, Beresiner’s book may be useful to any Masons who find themselves “taken by surprise.” Reviewed by: Adam Hathaway Lewis Masonic, 112 pages Paperback £6.22, US$9.95, C$10.95

Early in the book, Churton lays out one of its great themes: “For where did the Masons first call their lodge? ‘At the holy chapel of St. John.’ The wilderness is where the path will be made straight. Have we reached it yet? John stands straight in the wilderness, pointing the way of return to the divine temple. And the path, being really an ascent, may be very hard—though never so hard, in the end, John tells us, as the path of not finding it.”

Meet the Reviewers:

The Mysteries of John the Baptist is a splendid guide to John’s path. And as Churton reminds us throughout the book, Freemasons are “St. John’s Men.”

Adam Hathaway is master of the Lodge of Research of New Mexico, past master of Sandia Mountain Lodge 72, New Mexico, and grand marshall of the Grand Lodge of New Mexico.

Reviewed by: Kenneth W. Davis Inner Traditions, 288 pages Paperback US$19.95, C$22.95, £12.74; Kindle and iBooks editions, US$9.99

Kenneth W. Davis, Ph.D., is chaplain of Albuquerque Lodge 60, New Mexico, and past master of Lodge Vitruvian 767, Indiana.

Continued on page 32.

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IN PRINT

Book Reviews: Classic The Meaning of Masonry by W. L. Wilmshurst Wilmshurst’s The Meaning of Masonry (1922) is the first Masonic book I read, and it remains one of my four or five favorites. To achieve that status, the book has had to overcome three huge obstacles: First, it’s not easy to read, with sentences that often top a hundred words. Second, much of its history is oversimplified at best and inaccurate at worst. Third, and most egregious, the final chapter, “Freemasonry in Relation to the Ancient Mysteries,” includes a totally gratuitous attack on the Church of Rome.

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So what saves it? What saves it is its brilliant, unified approach to Freemasonry’s symbolism and initiatory potential from a spiritual, philosophical, and psychological viewpoint. In what might serve as a thesis statement, Wilmshurst writes, “ Masonry is a sacramental system, possessing, like all sacraments, an outward and visible side consisting of its ceremonial, its doctrine and its symbols which we can see and hear, and an inward, intellectual and spiritual side, which is concealed behind the ceremonial, the doctrine and the symbols, and which is available only to the Mason who has learned to use his spiritual imagination and who can appreciate the reality that lies behind the veil of outward symbol.” The Meaning of Masonry would be a terrible choice for introducing the Craft to a non-Mason. But for a Mason seeking more light, Wilmshurst surely provides it. Reviewed by: Kenneth W. Davis Available in multiple free or low-cost paperback, e-book, and Web editions.

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

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PRODUCT REVIEWS

Properly Clad & Vouched For The Master’s Jewel – Skillful to Work in Gold, Silver…

Seeking masculine Masonic jewelry that is a cut above the rest? The artistry of The Master’s Jewel (www.mastersjewel.com) leads the league with the Man Who Would Be King jewel available in solid 14 or 18k gold or .925 sterling silver. An homage to one of the great Hollywood adventure films: John Huston’s The Man Who Would Be King (1975), this finely crafted Masonic jewel delivers impressive quality with impeccable styling. A replica of the jewel featured in the movie, this is no pot-metal pendant. Each piece is individually hand-made by Masonic jeweler Andrew Horn, who told us that he spends about four hours to cast, wax and hand-polish each example. That is about three hours and fifty minutes more time spent than on typical mass-market jewelry. But with most Masonic jewelry coming in at under $100, we asked if the price could be popular with the Craft? Horn explained that his customers feel a deep connection with Freemasonry, and that a handcrafted jewel, while more costly, underscores that deep commitment. “Freemasonry is sacred,” Horn told us, “and it deserves to have jewelry that is meaningful to the wearer.” Our review sample was the solid sterling silver model, which came gift boxed with a special polishing cloth. The piece itself it very substantial , weighing in at nearly one-half ounce, and measuring 1 3/8 inches wide and nearly one inch tall from the bottom of the square to the top of the compasses, providing for a masculine heft without weighing you down. The chain too, is pretty manly with a classic diamond-cut curb chain with a lobster claw hasp – in matching sterling silver. Buyers have the choice of a 20” length for hanging closer on the neck, or 24” to wear either under the shirt, or over the tie. Our sample came equipped with the longer chain and it was invisible under an open-collared dress shirt. Over the tie, it would make a fun ornament at any lodge function. The gold models feature the same length choices, but in a matching diamond-cut rope chain. All models have a smooth, mirror-polished back (except for the small hallmark) suitable for engraving. The design itself is a nice contrast to the traditional G, featuring a stylized AllSeeing Eye surrounded by the sturdy tools of the quarry. The silver models feature a modern, striking silver/antiqued black contrast that makes the design really pop. Gold models are not highlighted or antiqued. The test drive consisted of a day at work under shirt and tie, followed by leisure at home. A glance in the washroom mirror at the office confirmed that it was indiscernible to any profane gaze, which underscores the neatness of design. After all, it’s a large piece, but it may be worn personally and discretely. Smooth and polished to a soft luster, there were no sharp edges or quirky chain to annoy, and after only a few minutes wear, the silver warmed to body temperature, imparting a pleasant (and solid) feel. Overall, the weight, design, the craftsmanship, even the gift packaging and the special polishing cloth, combine to make this jewel very impressive. Although

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the price insures that these jewels are not impulse buys, the quality and artistry are certainly right on the money. Whether in gold, or the affordable silver, this jewel is the perfect way to commemorate a raising, or celebrate a successful year in the East. $195/Sterling Silver $1,700/14K White or Yellow Gold $2,800/18K Yellow or White Gold Gift boxed.

Macoy Puts the “Grand” in Grand Lodge Aprons

White and purple satin, gold braid, and velvet ribbon are just some of the materials featured on Macoy’s Grand Officer Aprons at www.macoy.com. Hand-embroidered by American workers, these aprons are richly decorated and classically styled. Our sample, made of white satin, was ornamented for the Grand Lodge of New York and bore the seal of that jurisdiction and the crossed keys of the Grand Secretary, but we are assured that Macoy can manufacture aprons for any jurisdiction. Square (15.25“ wide x 14.25“ long), with a triangular bib, the apron is trimmed with a deep purple velvet border and heavily embroidered in bullion and trimmed with gold braid. Substantial, but not uncomfortably heavy, the apron weighs just shy of thirteen ounces – a testament to the weight of metal it carries. The elastic belt, in purple, featured the traditional snake clasp and was adjustable to fifty-five inches, which can come in handy after too many Grand Lodge banquets. On the back of the apron is an accessory pocket for gloves or whatnot, all trimmed in purple. Satin is typically stiffer than leather owing to the backing fabric and this particularly apron is relatively inflexible. Some brothers may find this uncomfortable in the act of sitting (as the apron catches the thighs), however, other brethren might appreciate the stiffness as it prevents the apron from developing wrinkles. Your call. $751/with some additional charges based on customization.

Unique Offerings from The Craftsman’s Apron

Tired of in-your-face Masonic shirts? Looking for something more subtle? The Craftsman’s Apron’s (www. craftsmansapron.com) Wisdom, Strength, & Beauty Golf Shirt is a discrete approach to Masonic apparel visible only to the initiated. The lightweight but sturdy pique knit shirt is 100% pre-shrunk cotton featuring a standard soft collar with three wood-tone buttons. From a distance, it appears to be just a normal sport shirt,

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but a closer look, however, reveals the three principle orders of architecture crisply embroidered on the shirt: Beauty (Corinthian Capital – representing Hiram Abiff) over the heart, Strength (Doric Capital – representing Hiram, King of Tyre) on the right sleeve, and Wisdom (Ionic Capital –representing King Solomon) – on the back of the shirt at the neck line. This clever arrangement not only mimics popular embroidered brand marks with something more meaningful, but also imitates the position of these columns in your lodge. Our test sample was thick, study and soft. Washes up well, but depending on the heat of your clothes dryer, it may require an iron. $40.00/Available in M-2XL

The TCA Signature Tie from The Craftsman’s Apron’s (www. craftsmansapron.com) is on the way to becoming the standard Craft necktie in North America. This finely woven 100% silk tie offers an elegant way to make more than just a fashion statement. Featuring an integrated square and compasses with a blue background, gold details, and just a hint of red throughout, our sample tie (a four-in-hand) is a bit longer (65 inches) than standard-length ties allowing a generous knot for even the thickest necks. Smaller men will want a Windsor knot, or similar, to take up the excess fabric, or opt for the bow tie variant. A distinctive American design for American Masons, this tie coordinates perfectly with a dark suit or a blue blazer.

Don’t want to meet yourself walking into lodge? Check out this Past Master’s Apron . Inspired by bespoke aprons at three times the price, The Craftsman’s Apron’s (www.craftsmansapron. com) offers a customized, real leather apron that won’t break the bank. The weighty (6.75 ounces), imported lambskin is finely grained with a beefy substantial feel. Set off with all-natural (not synthetic) royal blue or white cotton trim and backing, the wearer is offered design choices at each stage of production. First, choose the shape of the apron – the rectangular modern style with triangular fall, or a more timeless, “classic” pattern with rounded body and bib. Once the shape is chosen, the wearer can tweak the design – which is influenced by the historic “Paul Revere jewel” made over 200 years ago – adding additional design elements as well as the name and lodge of the recipient under the bib. Overall, a quality apron with great customization for the price. Our demo was a rounded model measuring 14.25 “ wide by 14.75 “ long, with an adjustable belt and a very heavy snake clasp in gold-toned metal. The apron drapes about the waist and upper thighs naturally, and bends easily when sitting. As with all natural leather aprons, creases can develop over time; which some brethren dislike. Personally, I regard these wrinkles as part of the character of the apron, which like the wearer, ages with time. $225.00/with some additional charges based on customization.

$35.00/ Available in Four-in-Hand, or Bow Tie. Gift boxed.

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

Masonic Treasures

GRAND COMMANDERS JEWEL Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, Commonwealth of Virginia The Grand Commandery of Virginia has one of the most beautiful examples of Masonic Regalia in its collection. The Jewel worn by the Grand Commander during his term, while serving the Grand Commandery, is this Gold Cross, encrusted with diamonds and surmounted by a radiant crown. It is a stunning example of the craftsmanship once devoted to our fraternal regalia. Its unparralelled beauty is even matched by its impressive size. The Jewel was designed by Em. S.K. Fred A. Morgenroth and was selected and approved by the Grand Commandery of Virginia in 1953. The first Grand Commander to wear the Jewel was PEGC Charles T. Morton(1953-54), but the first Grand Comander to be installed with the Jewel was PEGC J. Allen Brown(1954-55) the following year. The purchase price in 1953 was $3,800. Although its value must be extraordinary today, items such as this are indeed priceless, as their history, and what they represent can never be replaced. It shows that at one time, the High Offices of our fraternity were held with due reverence, and works of art such as this were created to commemorate them. This piece is a stunning article of Masonic History, a Masonic treasure indeed!