The Journal of The Masonic Society, Issue #30 by The Masonic Society

The Journal

Of The Masonic Society

Fall 2015

Issue 30

Fall 2015

Issue 30

ISSUE FEATURES THE JOURNAL

OF THE

Ahead of their Time:

MASONIC SOCIETY WWW.THEMASONICSOCIETY.COM

William H. Upton, the Grand Lodge of Washington, and the Aborted Recognition of Prince Hall Freemasonry

ISSN 2155-4145

Executive Editor Michael Halleran editor@themasonicsociety.com

By John R. “Bo” Cline, FMS

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

Editorial Committee Kenneth W. Davis - Review Editor Queries concerning prospective articles should be sent to: paper-submissions@themasonicsociety.com

Let Him Wait with Patience?

How Solicitation, Recruitment and OneDay Conferrals Failed North American Freemasonry

Design & layout John A. Bridegroom, FMS - Art Director Advertising Jay Hochberg, FMS - Advertising Director ads@themasonicsociety.com

Officers James R. Dillman, President Kenneth W. Davis, 1st Vice President Patrick C. Craddock, 2nd Vice president Nathan C. Brindle, Secretary/Treasurer Christopher L. Hodapp, Editor Emeritus

Communications Strategies for Modern Lodges By Emily Limón

Directors Jay Hochberg José O. Díaz Andrew Hammer Aaron Shoemaker Gregg Hall Gregory J. Knott 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 © 2016 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.

By Michael A. Halleran, MMS

SECTIONS 4 President’s Message 5 News of the Society 8 Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings 10 From the Editor 26 Masonic Collectibles 28 Thoughts on the Craft 36

30 Book Reviews THE COVER: The Egyptian Room in the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania: One of the most extraordinary lodge rooms in North America, the Egyptian Hall in the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania’s Masonic Temple, located at One North Broad Street in Philadelphia, is a showcase of Egyptian Revival architecture. Completed in 1889, the lodge hall is decorated in the style of the ancient monuments of the Nile valley. According to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, “twelve huge columns stand on the four sides of the room,” two of which are shown here flanking the master’s chair. Each are “surmounted by capitals peculiar to the Temples of Luxor, Karnak, Philae and other ancient edifices. Each column has an original in Egypt.” For more information about this extraordinary room, visit http://www.pagrandlodge.org/tour/egypte.html FALL 2015• 3

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

New Horizons for The Masonic Society by James Dillman, FMS

his will be my final opportunity to address you as President of The Masonic Society. Though I’m seldom at a loss for words, I’m finding it difficult to adequately express what a true honor and privilege it has been for me to serve TMS since its founding in 2008. When I took my obligation as an Entered Apprentice fifteen years ago, I could never have imagined that an opportunity like this would come my way. As a result of my good fortune, it’s likely that no one in the long history of this fraternity has pinched himself more often than I have over the course of my Masonic travels. The entire journey has been almost surreal and I’ve continually needed to remind myself that, yes, this is all really happening. It’s been an incredible experience and I’m grateful to each of you for allowing me to serve and to all of those who have contributed in some way to my Masonic education. That’s enough about me for now. I want this final column to be about you, our members, and the future of The Masonic Society. I don’t feel any need to provide a tally sheet listing the successes and failures of the organization over the last two years. Suffice it to say that there have been some of both. On November 7, several of the TMS officers and directors met in St. Louis to map out a course for the future. We examined our strengths and weaknesses. We discussed every aspect of the organization including performance standards for officers and directors, finances, membership development, alternative methods of delivering the magazine to members, the format of the magazine, taking better advantage of available technology, use of social media, expanding our footprint in the Masonic community, the future of The Quarry Project, our relationship with lodges of research, and our annual meeting in Washington, D.C. It was a long day of intense discussion that I believe was as productive as any meeting I’ve ever attended. We reached a consensus on a number of items and opted to continue to investigate options on others. One of the things that we continue to agree on is that we’re publishing one of the finest Masonic magazines in the world. We also agreed that we have the talent and resources to be much more than a magazine. To that end, we will be unveiling some new programs in the coming months. They are all in the developmental stage at this time and there is no firm timetable for their implementation at the moment, but I’m optimistic that we’ll have something to say about a couple of them at the annual meeting during Masonic Week in February. I am very bullish about the future of TMS and I’m excited about the new direction that we’ll be taking in the coming months. Our primary mission of promoting Masonic research remains the same, but we’ll also be offering you an opportunity to advance in Masonic knowledge and we may even delve into the area of lodge development on a limited basis. In closing, I must offer a heartfelt thank you to our past presidents Van Gorden, Poll, and Cline, to all those who have served as officers

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and directors, and to our editorial staff. Your contributions to TMS are very much appreciated and I’m personally indebted to you for your kindness and your counsel. To you, the members of TMS, we value each and every one of you and we never take you for granted. All of our efforts are aimed toward giving you your money’s worth and enhancing your personal Masonic journey. We hope that you will continue to enjoy membership in TMS for years to come. During my eight years of service, I have been fortunate to travel to TMS events in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Salt Lake City, St. Louis, and here in Indianapolis. I was invited to speak to the wonderful brethren of Quinta Essentia Lodge 500 in New Haven, CT. I was a guest of the Grand Lodge of Kansas and our journal editor and past grand master of Kansas Michal Halleran at his grand lodge annual communication in Topeka. It has been my great pleasure to meet many of you along the way. I have made many new friendships that will last for the remainder of my life. The kindness and hospitality that was extended to me will never be forgotten. Your support and your words of encouragement meant more than I can say. I wish our incoming President, Ken Davis, the best of luck. Ken is one of the brightest guys I know and he has been diligently preparing to hit the ground running when he takes office in February. He is supremely qualified to lead TMS and he has a great team to work with. I know that great things are in store for us. This is not a farewell. I intend to keep working on behalf of TMS as long as I have something to offer. I hope to continue to travel to TMS events, to renew friendships, and to make new ones. Thank you so very much for a wonderful two years and a lifetime of memories. Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again. ****************************************************** Masonic Week has been moved to a new hotel this year. We’ll be meeting at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, located near Reagan National Airport and the Pentagon. Please also note that our annual meeting will be held on Saturday, February 13 at 7:00 P.M. This is a change from previous years, when we’ve met on Friday evening. This will be the only banquet held on Saturday night, so it will not interfere with any other meetings or banquets. As this is being written, we have yet to confirm a speaker, but that will have been taken care of well before you receive this issue of The Journal. Registration information can be found at www.yorkrite.com . We look forward to seeing many of you there.

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News of the Society NEW LOCATION, SCHEDULE AT MASONIC WEEK

MASONIC MATERIAL CULTURE AS ART

Masonic Week, the time of annual meetings of a variety of Masonic groups, including the Masonic Society, will have a new location and a different schedule in 2016. The new venue will be the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Among the schedule changes are the inauguration of a Friday night banquet hosted by all the Masonic fraternities that meet during the annual event, and the move from Friday to Saturday night of The Masonic Society’s dinner-meeting.

Two venues in New York City will exhibit Masonic artifacts as works of art in January. At the American Folk Art Museum, Masonic (and Odd Fellows) pieces will be displayed from January 20 through May 8. At Metropolitan Pavilion, Mr. Bruce Lee Webb, author of a book on American fraternal folk art, will show and sell Masonic and other fraternities’ antiques, January 21-24.

AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION EYES FREEMASONRY

THE DEMISE OF ICHF?

When the American Historical Association hosts its annual meeting at Atlanta in January, one of its sessions will be “Freemasonry: The World’s First Global Social Network,” chaired by Bro. Richard Berman of England. Three speakers, including Berman, will present papers on that theme. (Source: aha.confex.com) PRESTONIAN LECTURER TO TOUR AMERICA Coincidentally, Bro. Richard Berman also will serve the United Grand Lodge of England as its Prestonian Lecturer for 2016, and will present his lecture “Foundations: New Light on the Formation and Early Years of the Grand Lodge of England” before Masonic audiences in North Carolina, Iowa, New Jersey, and Washington, DC in mid January. (Source: themagpiemason.blogspot.com) HENRY MARKETS ‘MASONIC RIFLE’ Henry Repeating Arms Company, manufacturer of lever action repeating rifles since the U.S. Civil War, announced a new product that sports Masonic symbols. The “Henry Golden Boy Freemasons Tribute Edition” is a .22 LR rifle that shows the Square and Compasses, Fellow Craft Working Tools, All-Seeing Eye, and other familiar symbols in raised 24 karat gold relief on floral pattern engraving. Its American walnut stock depicts Bro. George Washington wearing Masonic regalia and standing on a checkered floor. MSRP: $1,020.00. Available from Henry dealers. (Source: henryrifles.com)

(Sources: folkartmuseum.org and metropolitanevents.com)

With no International Conference on the History of Freemasonry hosted in 2015, the biannual pace of the popular event was disrupted, and word comes from the Grand Lodge of Scotland, which initiated that tradition in 2009, that it is considering the possibility of hosting a different event (on a date to be announced) that would focus solely on Scottish Freemasonry. Meanwhile English Masons, through Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076, will host a tercentenary celebration of the birth of the Grand Lodge of England at Queens’ College, Cambridge in September 2017. Both eventualities indicate ICHF will be on a long hiatus, at the very least. 2016 CONFERENCES OF GRAND MASTERS The Conference of Grand Master of North America, an annual meeting of North American grand masters will meet in February in Madison, Wisconsin. The Conference of Grand Masters Prince Hall Masons will hold their annual meeting in New Jersey in May. For more information see www.cgmna.org and www. conferenceofgrandmasterspha.org/ respectively. MRF SYMPOSIA CITIES ANNOUNCED The Masonic Restoration Foundation has revealed the cities where its next three symposia will convene: August 2016 in Asheville, North Carolina; 2017 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATED AT MASONIC CEMETERY For the second year, the Masonic Cemetery Association in Fallbrook, California organized a Dia de los Muertos celebration on November 1. Crafts, food, face-painting, and other family-friendly attractions drew approximately 850 guests to the event, which is intended to celebrate the lives of the deceased through activities they enjoyed in life. (Source: villagenews.com) OTHER GRAVE CONCERNS IN NEW JERSEY, ALABAMA The brethren of Madison Lodge 93 in New Jersey seek donations through gofundme.com to raise money to finance replacement of the severely damaged headstone marking the grave of Jepthah B. Munn, Grand Master of New Jersey from 1820 to 1824, in a cemetery across the street from the lodge. Munn was a colorful figure in the history

FALL 2015 • 5

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News of the Society of the state and in Freemasonry, having assisted New York Masons who broke from their grand lodge in the 1830s during one of New York’s famous schisms. Munn Lodge 203 in New York City is named for him. In Alabama, the brethren of Athens Lodge 16 were enlisted recently to help locate the lost final resting place of William Jordan Mason (1801-33), a prominent citizen and a past master of Athens Lodge and grand master of the grand lodge. Scanty historical records were some help, and the brethren located the grave on overgrown land that had been a small cemetery. FUNNY BECAUSE IT’S TRUE? Perhaps it was inevitable, but Masonic cyberspace now offers a website of satirical “news coverage”—similar in tone to The Onion—that mirrors current events in Freemasonry. “The Past Bastard” was launched in September. Headlines at the time this edition of The Journal went to press included “Well Dressed Man Put on Trial by Lodge, Charged with Engaging in Metrosexual Behavior,” “Police Officer Investigates Domestic Disturbance at Local Masonic Lodge, Elected Steward,” “Thor Denied Entry to Lodge for Being Practicing Odinist,” and “Shriners on Parade Mistaken for Doctor Who Fan Club.”

FOOTBALL FREEMASONS IN THE U.K. Affinity lodges, where brethren are united in Freemasonry but also enjoy another lifestyle commonality, are nothing new under the United Grand Lodge of England, and English football has its historical ties to the Craft, but in November it was announced the grand lodge will charter a lodge of players, managers, and referees in Hampshire that will meet four times a year. (Source: dailymail.co.uk) LONG-LIVED AUSTRALIAN LODGE GOES DARK After more than 120 years of Masonic labors, Longreach Meteor Lodge in Queensland, Australia went dark in November, citing declining membership and expensive operating costs. The brethren will continue at lodges in other communities, but they sold their historic lodge building in June. “The lodge in Longreach has been going since 1894 in a couple of different venues, the current venue having been [there] since 1929,” said W. Bro. Ian Merritt. “I think it’s something like 581 members over the lifetime of the lodge, so it was a very sad day.” (Source: abc.net.au)

(Source: www.thepastbastard.com) LIBRARY AND MUSEUM NEWS The Masonic Library and Museum Association held its annual meeting the day before The Quarry Project II in Indianapolis in October, electing a new slate of officers: President Aimee Newell, Vice President Brian Rountree (TMS Member), Secretary Cathy Giaimo, and Treasurer Eric Trosdahl. The association will hold its 2016 meeting at Waco, Texas. In other news, the Grand Lodge of Nebraska unveiled its library and museum in September at the grand lodge headquarters in Lincoln. SOCIAL MEDIA LODGE TO BE SET TO LABOR Masons in Middlesex, England were scheduled to start Social Media Lodge in November. Not to be confused with UGLE’s Internet Lodge 9659, this endeavor’s purpose is to employ internet social media platforms “to promote, recruit, and communicate,” said Provincial Communications Officer Stewart Graham. (Source: pglm.org.uk) 6 • FALL 2015

LODGE ARSON SUSPECT TARGETED FORMER PRESIDENT The suspect in an arson attack on the Masonic temple in Pittsford, New York on October 17 was identified by authorities as a man who once made threats concerning former U.S. President George W. Bush. Benjamin J. Smith, age 46, was charged with first degree arson, allegedly having attacked the building with a Molotov cocktail. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office disclosed Smith’s arrest record, including a 2014 arrest in New York City for possessing a rifle, ammunition, and a machete, and screaming “Bush will get his!” He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months home confinement. The Masonic temple suffered no serious damage, a grand lodge officer said. (Source: democratandchronicle.com)

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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. Frederick Clay Ackiss

Raymond J. Hartman

Adam Laurence Litvin

Gene F Sims

Bruce Wayne Barker

Scott R Hilsee

Francisco Marques

Ian G. Vernon

Wallace Edward Bernard

Therone L Hopkins

Dr. Oscar Patterson III

Andrew T Walker

Jed K Brandow

Jeffery Scot James

Kymir R Pearson

Brandon Neely Willeford

Martin Del Rio

Matthew Karth

Donald R. Qualls

Dr. Charles W Wood

LaValle Jean Englund Jr.

Al K Kearney

Thomas Kyle Samford

Ken Gibson

William B Krebaum

Phillip W. Schoenberg

James Wheeler Hammontree Dr. David Louis Laske

Edwin Sepulveda PhD

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Renew your membership now online at www.themasonicsociety.com

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Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings January 2016 Bro. Ric Berman, the United Grand Lodge of England’s Prestonian Lecturer for 2016, will undertake a brief speaking tour in the United States to present “Foundations: New Light on the Formation and Early Years of the Grand Lodge of England.” Progress: TBA on all dates. January 9 and 10—Greensboro, North Carolina January 11 and 12—Chapel Hill, North Carolina January 13—Des Moines, Iowa January 14—New Jersey January 15—Washington, DC January 8, 2016 Amid the sessions to be part of the American Historical Association’s 130th annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, one will focus on “Freemasonry: The World’s First Social Network.” Three speakers, including Prestonian Lecturer Ric Berman who chairs the session, will present papers. See aha.confex.com January 16, 2016 Texas Lodge of Research will meet in San Antonio. Location and progress TBA. texaslodgeofresearch.org January 20, 2016 American Folk Art Museum in New York City will exhibit Masonic and other fraternal orders’ antique paraphernalia, regalia, etc. Closes May 8. January 20, 2016 Southern California Research Lodge will meet at 7 p.m. Progress and location TBA. www.theresearchlodge.org January 21-24, 2016 Outsider Art Fair to be hosted at Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City also will display (and sell) Masonic and other orders’ lodge items. February 10-14, 2016 Masonic Week: The annual meetings of The Masonic Society, Grand Council of AMD, Grand College of Rites, Grand Council of Knight Masons, et al., to convene at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport in Virginia. www.yorkrite.com/MasonicWeek February 13, 2016 Western New York Lodge of Research 9007 to meet at the Cheektowaga Masonic Center (97 Lucid Dr. in Cheektowaga, New York) at 10 a.m. Progress TBA. wnylodgeofresearch.us

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February 21, 2016 George Washington Masonic Stamp Club will hold its annual meeting and related festivities at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia beginning at 1 p.m. gwmsc.tripod.com/index.html February 18, 2016 Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 will meet at 4 p.m. at Freemasons Hall (Great Queen Street) in London, England. Bro. Peter Davies to present “The Reason Why: How Freemasonry Evolved in South Wales.” www.quatuorcoronati.com February 20-23, 2016 Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America to convene at Madison, Wisconsin. www.cgmna.org March 12, 2016 New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786 to meet at 10 a.m. at Hightstown-Apollo Lodge in Hightstown, New Jersey. March 13, 2016 Grand Masters Day, hosted at the DeWint House historic site in Tappan, New York (20 Livingston Avenue) at 1 p.m. Open to Masons, ladies, friends. (Rescheduled from October 2015.) March 26, 2016 The Maine Lodge of Research will meet at 9 a.m. (note the new time) in the Bangor Masonic Center (294 Union Street) in Bangor, Maine. Progress TBA. March 29, 2016 The American Lodge of Research to meet at 8 p.m. at Masonic Hall in New York City (71 West 23rd Street). Progress TBA. March 31-April 3, 2016 Eighteenth Century Freemasonry and the Arts, to be part of the American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies’ annual conference at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. March 31-April 3, 2016 North American Masonic Academic Convocation, sponsored by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and hosted by Boston University Lodge, will feature lectures, discussions, social activities, and more. www.bulodge.org April 5-9, 2016 Phylaxis Society Convention at Chicago, Illinois. Progress TBA. masonicspringworkshop.ab.ca

April 8-10, 2016 51st Masonic Spring Workshop at Kananaskis, Alberta. Progress TBA. www. thephylaxis.org/phylaxis April 20, 2016 Southern California Research Lodge will meet at 7 p.m. Progress and location TBA. www.theresearchlodge.org April 30, 2016 Educational Symposium to be hosted by the Grand Lodge of New York’s OrangeRockland District at Walden, New York. Progress TBA. May 2016 Conference of Grand Masters of Prince Hall Masons to meet in New Jersey. Progress TBA. www.conferenceofgrandmasterspha. org May 12, 2016 Quatuor Coronati Lodge will meet at 4 p.m. at Freemasons Hall (Great Queen Street) in London, England. Bro. Iain D. McIntosh will present “Aspects of the History of Freemasonry in Scotland, Considering in Particular the Effects of the Jacobite Uprising on Masonry in the East Coast of Scotland.” www.quatuorcoronati.com June 23, 2016 Quatuor Coronati Lodge will meet at 4 p.m. at Freemasons Hall (Great Queen Street) in London, England. Bro. Robert Bashford to present “Aspects of the History of Freemasonry in Ireland.” www.quatuorcoronati.com June 24-25, 2016 MASONICon 2016: “Building the Future of Freemasonry”—A weekend of educational classes, Grand Table Lodge, and other attractions hosted by the Grand Lodge of New Mexico at Ballut Abyad Shrine (6600 Zuni Road SE) in Albuquerque. June 25, 2016 The Maine Lodge of Research will meet at 9 a.m. (note the new time) in the Bangor Masonic Center (294 Union Street) in Bangor, Maine. Installation of officers. July 20, 2016 Southern California Research Lodge will meet at 7 p.m. Progress and location TBA. www.theresearchlodge.org August 2016 65th Annual Rocky Mountain Masonic Conference, hosted by the Grand Lodge of Idaho. Progress and location TBA.

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he scene amidst which C

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FROM THE EDITOR

CHANGE AND THE PROGRESSIVE LINE by Michael Halleran, Editor

The column for this issue is an excerpt from the editor’s forthcoming book, The Modern Worshipful Master’s Assistant due out from Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., in 2016. Change is not un-Masonic, although that may be news to many Freemasons. Some Masons cling to the idea that the fraternity is as stable now as when it was formulated by... Noah, or George Washington, or whomever, way back when. But that is simply not the case. History shows us many examples of wholesale change in Freemasonry, from Anti-Masonry to the Baltimore Convention of 1843, and from the mid-twentieth century membership boom to the appendant body’s disagreements with grand lodges today. Despite this history of change, the Masonic experience —how Masons enjoy and participate in lodge activities—has changed much more slowly. Some lodges are very supple, altering how their members

Added to these problems is the institutional inertia that accompanies the “one and done” approach to Masonic leadership. Under this model, the Master advances to the East, dictates his vision to the lodge, and they faithfully follow his example until he retires and his replacement discards his ideas for an entirely new set of priorities. Combined, these attitudes force the lodge into a circular path as opposed to a linear trajectory, resulting in a merry go-round that never achieves any forward motion. But there is another approach. Instead of embracing the isolation of the Master, lodges would do well to consider that most-Masonic of virtues: continuity. Masons don’t talk much about continuity, and in fact our traditions sometimes lead us to assume that it is valueless. But, at the death of the Architect, it was discovered that there were no designs on the trestleboard—and what was the result? Confusion. So while our history discloses that continuity was, to some degree, neglected in former times, serious reflection demands that we consider it in lodge administration today. It is helpful to understand that in many jurisdictions the path to the Oriental chair goes through the “Progressive Line,” which often times is an oxymoron. Masonic commentator John Bizzack notes,

n these time capsule lodges, the Masonic experience is essentially the same as it was in the 1970s-1980s, right down to the IBM Selectric on the secretary’s desk.

can enjoy Masonry when prudentially deemed expedient. They have modernized the facilities, adopted new technology, and revived ageold Masonic traditions (festive boards, Masonic education) because their members wanted something more than euchre night every other Wednesday. But in other lodges, there is a definite resistance to any alteration in “how we’ve always done things.” In these time capsule lodges, the Masonic experience is essentially the same as it was in the 1970s-1980s, right down to the IBM Selectric on the secretary’s desk. In large measure this resistance to change is a cultural problem. Our ceremonies and traditions stress that we will make no innovations in the fraternity and Masons faithfully adhere to those instructions on all matters, not just the original plan of Masonry.

“the premise [of the progressive line] is that by the time a man moves through the chairs and becomes master of the lodge (usually six years) he has experienced the duties and responsibilities of all the chairs.”1

In some lodges, this suspicion of change is abetted by the progressive line of officers. As membership dwindles, the old guard are the sole custodians of the lodge, and more often than not, their view of Masonry is through the rear-view mirror of their own experience.

Clearly they have a point. Lodge elections often just rubber-stamp a predetermined outcome—kabuki theatre where merit, foresight, and innovation pale in comparison to the number of pancakes flipped, or fish fried, kids C.H.I.P-ed, or coffee pots filled. The progressive system rewards those who have faithfully guarded the island despite war’s end years ago.

These old past masters resemble the Japanese Army holdouts on isolated islands after the end of the Second World War, guarding the temple according to the long-ago programs of some past grand master ten or twenty years gone, equipped with a rusty rifle, some decaf coffee, and a busted radio. In the event some of them are not opposed to change outright, they are simply too tired, or too comfortable, to pay more than lip service to any new ideas about Freemasonry. Meanwhile, another generation slips away. 10 • FALL 2015

In most lodges, however, the progressive system is simply institutionalized stagnation. The line usually starts with the junior steward, and the incumbent advances along it each year until he stands for election as junior warden. “Standing for election” is something of a misnomer, however, as in the vast majority of cases the election is uncontested; despite this (or perhaps because of it), many Masons are fiercely opposed to what amounts to automatic advancement under the progressive system.

But there is a flip side. Continuity is a force multiplier, tapping the energy of not only the chief executive, but his officers as well. If the officers in the progressive line all commit to advancing an agreed-upon program over a span of years, lodges can break the Masonic merrygo-round of “one and done” Masters. This concept of continuity, hinging on concert of action between a Master and his officers, can be

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a powerful tool. When paired with the progressive system, it has the potential to transform even the most moribund lodge. So what’s the first step? Planning. Appointed officers already in line should engage their colleagues to determine a plan of action, charting a desirable trajectory for the lodge which each pledges to implement when they are elected. Likely these plans will be a compromise of individual initiatives and they should be blended into one plan with separate components. A suggested method of moving forward with a concerted plan is as follows. Initially, the officers must define the lodge by answering the following questions. What kind of lodge do we wish to have? How can the lodge

deputy grand masters can be very helpful in shaping the direction you want your lodge to travel within the boundaries establish by Masonic tradition. If sufficiently engaged, these men can become ambassadors for your lodge as it begins its transition. Even the best laid plans can veer off course without attention and recalibration. Thus, as the plan is formulated, insure that checkpoints are built into the process to ensure that at least two times a year outcomes can be measured against objectives, perhaps before the lodge goes dark for the summer, and before the annual communication. The advantage of concerted action is readily apparent. The new Master who proposes a detailed plan with the backing of his officer corps can achieve formidable momentum that would be impossible to attain acting alone. This transforms a single year’s plan into a multi-

ontinuity is a force multiplier, tapping the energy of not only the chief executive, but his officers as well. If the officers in the progressive line all commit to advancing an agreed-upon program over a span of years, lodges can break the Masonic merry-goround of “one and done” Masters.

achieve success in this role? However the officers define that success, insure that it is consistent with the landmarks of the Order and the regulations of the grand lodge.

year effort, breaking the annual Masonic cycle, and capitalizing on any underutilized officers, bringing them fully into leadership roles.

An example of programs might be:

Leveraging continuity isn’t an innovation in the body of Masonry, although after years of stagnation, it might feel like it. Continuity is the essential component in successful leadership—whether Masonic or otherwise. As you step into a leadership role in your lodge, be sure your trestleboard will survive you.

• Better Communication with Members

ABOUT THE EDITOR

• Better Ritualistic Work, and

• Better Masonic Education

Michael A. Halleran is the Immediate Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kansas A.F. & A.M.

Then in discussion with all officers who agree to take part, choose three types of programs that you want to advance, disregarding all others.

Finally, assign each officer to one of the programs and ask them to develop a plan, working out the details so that the membership can understand it and get behind it. It is equally important to involve the grand lodge in the planning stage. District representatives or district

NOTES 1 John Bizzack, Taking Issue: An Anthology of Commentaries about the Practice & State of Freemasonry in North America, Autumn House Publishing, 2015, 13.

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HISTORY

Ahead of their Time: William H. Upton, the Grand Lodge of Washington, and the Aborted Recognition of Prince Hall Freemasonry

By John R. “Bo” Cline, FMS Not since the Morgan Affair has any event shaken American Freemasonry: the recognition of Prince Hall Freemasonry by the Grand Lodge of Washington in 1898. Unique to the United States and Canada, Freemasonry is divided by race. In the case of Prince Hall Masonry, this has resulted in two centuries of struggle for recognition. This paper provides some background regarding the players and the issues involved in the 1899 controversy, an account of the events surrounding that fateful episode, and an examination of the establishment of mutual recognition between the Grand Lodge of Connecticut and Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut leading to an almost universal recognition of Prince Hall Freemasonry in North America today. PRINCE HALL (1748 - 1807)

Court bench. William Upton completed undergraduate education at Yale before serving three years as the Secretary of the Navy. While in Washington D.C., he studied law at George Washington University and was admitted to the bar in Washington D.C. Moving west in 1880, Upton practiced law in Walla Walla, where he was elected to the city council, the state legislature in 1888, and to the Superior Court bench in 1889. In 1890, he became a Master Mason and in 1892 was elected master of Blue Mountain Lodge 13, in Walla Walla. Upton relocated to Seattle in 1897, where he started a successful law practice in partnership with John Arthur, Grand Master of Washington (1902 - 1903). Although he was a lawyer by profession, Upton was a Masonic scholar by choice. His studies made him an accomplished writer and speaker and he was a particular object for the favors of grand lodge. Installed as Grand Master in 1899, he devoted most of his grand master’s message to the controversy over “Negro Masonry.” 3

The namesake of Prince Hall Freemasonry, Prince Hall was born in Bridgetown, Barbados William H. Upton, Grand Master of Washington in the British West Indies on September 12, 1898-99 (courtesy Grand Lodge of 1748. His father was Thomas Prince Hall, an Washington Masonic Library and Museum ) Englishman, married to a free black woman of French descent. At twelve years of age, Prince was apprenticed in the leather trade, where in March 1765 he immigrated to Boston to LEGITIMACY OF PRINCE HALL MASONRY increase his prospects. In 1774, he embraced Christianity and was ordained a Methodist minister in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On To be considered legitimate in Freemasonry, a lodge must be a member March 6, 1775, Prince Hall, along with fourteen other free black men, of a grand lodge that can demonstrate legitimacy of “origin” to one or was initiated into Freemasonry in Lodge 441 (a military lodge of the more of the three Home Grand Lodges (the Grand Lodge of England,

lawyer by profession, Upton was a Masonic scholar by choice. His studies made him an accomplished writer and speaker and he was a particular object for the favors of grand lodge.

Irish Constitution), attached to the 28th Foot, garrisoned at Castle William, Boston Harbor.1 Prince Hall was a staunch supporter of equal treatment for blacks, education for black children, and for abolition of slavery and the slave trade. For the remainder of his life, he advanced the cause of Black Freemasonry in the newly developing United States. 2 WILLIAM HENRY UPTON (1854 - 1906) Grand Master of Washington (1898 - 1899), William H. Upton was born Weaverville, California June 19, 1848. He was educated in the Portland schools, where his father served on the Oregon Supreme 12 • FALL 2015

the Grand Lodge of Ireland, and the Grand Lodge of Scotland). By this standard today, the grand lodge in question must have been created by three or more lodges, all of which can trace their heritage back to one or more of the three Home Grand Lodges. For example, the Grand Lodge of Alaska was formed by eleven lodges, all of which were previously members of the Grand Lodge of Washington, which descends from the Home Grand Lodges. But in the early days of Freemasonry in North America, this strict standard was not applied in every case. At that time, there was in addition to the Grand Lodges of Ireland and Scotland, two English Grand Lodges (the Antients and the Moderns) and Mother Kilwilling Lodge No. 0, in Scotland, all of which were chartering lodges in the Americas.

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Adding to the uncertainty of early legitimacy; were the many military lodges operating under traveling warrants, which “in many instances imparted the degrees of Masonry to persons of respectability residing at or near their place of encampment, and on leaving gave them a warrant to confer these degrees on others in lieu of a certificate of enrollment.” 4 On December 16, 1786, the Grand Lodge of Georgia was formed from only two lodges, Hiram Lodge 42 chartered by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania (Antient) and King Solomon’s Lodge 139 chartered by the Moderns. Even George An artistic illustration of Prince Hall (c. 1735 Washington cannot - 1807) who is considered the founder of escape the early trials of “African-American Freemasonry.” American grand lodge formation, having been made a Mason at the Masonic lodge in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1752, a lodge which cannot claim a chartered existence until July 21, 1758.5 “When the British Army left Boston in 1776, the Lodge No. 441 granted Prince Hall and his brethren a ‘permit’ to meet as African Lodge No. 1. For eight years these brethren, together with others who had received their degrees elsewhere, assembled and enjoyed their limited privileges as Masons.” On March 2, 1784, Prince Hall petitioned the Grand Lodge of England (Moderns) for a warrant, which was granted to fifteen men in Boston, Massachusetts on September 29, 1784, with Prince Hall as worshipful master, forming them into African Lodge 459.6 The warrant was signed by Thomas Howard, Earl of Effington, Acting Grand Master, under the authority of his Royal Highness, Henry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland and attested by William White, Grand Secretary. The actual warrant did not arrive in Boston until 1787, when on January 14, African Lodge listed thirty-three Masons on the roll.7

In 1827African Lodge 459 declared itself to be an independent grand lodge – the African Grand Lodge of Massachusetts which was later named the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. All Prince Hall Grand Lodges are descended from what is now the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.10 Despite this background American Freemasons have denied the legitimacy of Prince Hall Masonry for over 200 years. Clearly for some, this was racially motivated. In a letter written to an unnamed individual in 1875, Albert Pike wrote candidly on the subject.11

Prince Hall Lodge was as regular a Lodge as any Lodge created by competent authority, and had a perfect right (as other Lodges in Europe did) to establish other Lodges, and make itself a mother Lodge. That’s the way the Berlin Lodges, Three Globes and Royal York, became Grand Lodges . .

I am not inclined to meddle in the matter. I took my obligations to white men, not to negroes. When I have to accept negroes as Brothers or leave Masonry, I shall leave it. Better let the thing drift. deluge].12

Après nous le deluge [after us, the

It is unfortunate that such attitudes toward Black Freemasonry persist in some segments of our population, even today. Although, it should be remarked that Pike’s sentiments softened in later years; he became good friends with Thornton A. Jackson, Grand Commander, United Supreme Council, 33º, S.J., P.H.A., and even furnished Jackson with a set of Scottish Rite Rituals.13 Today, attitudes regarding the legitimacy of Prince Hall Masonry have changed and more and more American Grand Lodges are entering into fraternal relations with their Prince Hall counterparts. In 1994, to clarify the question of legitimacy, the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) issued a resolution on Prince Hall Masonry, which stated in part that: “In spite of the unusual transformation of its original lodge into a grand lodge, the philosophy and practice of Prince Hall Masonry today are of exemplary regularity.” 14 THE EVENT THAT SHOOK AMERICAN MAINSTREAM FREEMASONRY

African Lodge 459 remained on the English registry for many years, occasionally contributing to the Grand Lodge Charity Fund, until the consolidation of the Antients and the Moderns into the United Grand Lodge of England in 1813, when all English lodges in the United States were erased.8

In the troubled relationship between Prince Hall Masonry and mainstream Masonry in America there have been a few bright spots. One incident of particular note was the recognition of Prince Hall Masonry by the Grand Lodge of Washington in 1898.

According to a report on “Negro Masonry” written by Upton for the Grand Lodge of Washington in 1898 (of which more below), “Prince Hall, a man of exceptional ability, worked zealously in the cause of Masonry; and, from 1792 until his death in 1807, exercised all the functions of a Provincial Grand Master. In 1797 he issued a license to thirteen black men who had been made Masons in England to ‘assemble and work’ as a Lodge in Philadelphia and organized another lodge in Providence, Rhode Island.”9

In 1897, the Grand Lodge of Washington received a communication from some Masons residing in Seattle “claiming to be ‘Free and Accepted Masons of African Descent,’ and appealing to this Grand Lodge to ‘devise some way whereby’ they ‘as true, tried and trusty Masons can be brought in communication with and enjoy the fraternal confidence of the members of the Craft in this state.’” The communication was referred to a special committee of three, to report at the next annual communication of the grand lodge.15 FALL 2015 • 11

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At the 1898 Annual Communication, the special committee on “Negro Masonry” validated the credentials of those who presented the petition, and discussed the prevailing objections to their legitimacy with the committee’s conclusion, and their recommendations in the form of resolutions to the Grand Lodge.16

some lodges in the jurisdiction of Alaska to remain on the rolls of the Grand Lodge of Washington after the Grand Lodge of Alaska was formed. The 1889 Grand Lodge of Washington Special Committee on Negro Masonry observed that “Being . . . not a landmark, but the result of a ‘revolution’ [innovation] from the ancient usage, it seems evident . . . that this doctrine cannot be justly or logically applied to test the regularity of the negro bodies.”19

Of the so-called objections to legitimacy, the committee argued that “the objections which have been urged against the regularity of the negro Lodges ‘excuses’ rather than ‘reasons,’ because, . . . we do not think there is a single one of them that would have been seriously urged by well-informed brethren but for the existence of the race antipathy which has for generations caused the white man and the black to remain at a seemingly perpetual distance in all social matters.” 17 The committee did discuss three particular objections, which at first sight may appear plausible, but which, upon closer examination, were deemed invalid. These three objections were (1) “Validity of Their Charter,” (2) “Invasion of Jurisdiction,” and (3) “‘Free’ or ‘Freeborn.’” The first objection has been addressed above and put to rest by the UGLE 1994 resolution on Prince Hall Freemasonry. The third objection (“Free” or “Freeborn”) was similarly put to bed by the committee when they referenced the Grand Lodge of England striking the word “freeborn” from its list of qualifications of candidates and substituted the word “free,” in 1838. 18 The second Jurisdiction”), discussion:

objection (“Invasion of however, bears additional

The conclusion of the special committee was that in their opinion “persons initiated in socalled Negro Lodges which can trace their origin to Prince Hall, or Prince Hall Lodge, No. 459, are as fully entitled to the name of Masons and to brotherly recognition as any other Mason in the World.”20 Gail L. Smith - Grand Master of Connecticut in 1968, who like Upton, saw the need to move beyond race in American Freemasonry.

Before proceeding to their recommendations, the committee expressed their confidence that no “friction with sister Grand Lodges is to be expected” as a result of any actions taken by the Grand Lodge.21 The committee made four recommendations in the form of resolutions, which were subsequently voted on by Grand Lodge:

(1) That, in the opinion of this Grand Lodge, Masonry is universal; and, without doubt neither race nor color are among the test proper to be applied to determine the fitness of a candidate for the degrees of Masonry.

The American doctrine or the doctrine of “Exclusive Territorial Jurisdiction” is a (2) “That . . . this Grand Lodge does very misunderstood concept, which has not see its way clear to deny or question been used as a hammer to prevent the the right of its constituent lodges, or the recognition of Prince Hall Masonry since members thereof, to recognize as brother its inception. Most believe that Exclusive Masons, negroes who have been initiated Territorial Jurisdiction allows there to be Gail N. Smith, the son of Gail L. Smith, and also in Lodges which can trace their origin to only one regular, recognized Grand Lodge Grand Master of Connecticut who presided Prince Hall Lodge, No. 459. in each State of the United States, and the over the Grand Lodge of Connecticut’s acceptance of more than one recognized recognition of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut in 1989. Grand Lodge in a territory, by mutual (3) That . . . the Grand Lodge deems consent, is tantamount to an invasion of it to the best interest of Masonry to declare that if regular territory. This concept or doctrine is exclusive to the United Masons of African descent desire to establish, within the States, where it has been violated over and over again since State of Washington, Lodges confined wholly or chiefly to it was devised during the American Revolution. An example brethren of their race . . . to erect a Grand Lodge for the better of such a violation of the doctrine of Exclusive Territorial administration of their affairs Jurisdiction most familiar to Alaska Masons is the agreement between the Grand Lodges of Alaska and Washington to allow

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(4) That the Grand Secretary be instructed to acknowledge receipt of the communication from Gideon S. Bailey and Con A. Rideout, and forward to them a copy of the printed Proceedings of this annual communication of the Grand Lodge . . .”22

All four motions passed by an almost unanimous vote of the members present. This was an extremely significant event in annuls of American mainstream Freemasonry, as this was the first time such an initiative was ever proposed and balloted by a mainstream grand lodge. Unfortunately, the confidence expressed by the 1898 special committee that no “friction with sister Grand Lodges is to be expected” was not how things turned out. In his message to the Craft, during the 1899 Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Washington, Grand Master Upton reported that all U.S. grand lodges, save for the grand lodges of Maryland, Rhode Island, Virginia, Utah, Massachusetts, and Maine, in one way or another severed relations with the Grand Lodge of Washington as a result of their vote the previous year regarding Prince Hall Masonry.23 Although not severing relations with the Grand Lodge of Washington, the six grand lodges noted above made similar recommendations, summed up by those of the Grand Lodge of Maryland:

That the Grand Lodge of Maryland fraternally, but most earnestly trust that the Grand Lodge of Washington will at its next Annual Communication reconsider said action [recognition of Prince Hall Masonry].24

Grand Master Upton was explicit in his disgust to the comments received from the various Grand Lodges, more especially the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, when he wrote:

For the first time in history, an attack has been made on the independence and autonomy - the ‘sovereignty’ – of an American Grand Lodge. We are informed by certain Grand Lodges, headed by Kentucky, that they and other Grand Lodges have, long since or recently, ‘decided’ a certain question; but that the Grand Lodge of Washington may not even express an opinion concerning that same question—nay, may not even decline or ‘fail to see its way clear’ to legislate concerning it—under penalty of Masonic ostracism. They tell us that our Grand Lodge shall be singled out, and it alone, among all the Grand Bodies in the world, shall be denied the right to determine what Masons or Lodges within its territorial limits it will recognize as regular.25

In the end, Grand Master Upton acquiesced to the Grand Lodges of Maryland, Rhode Island, Virginia, Utah, Massachusetts, and Maine

and recommended that the four resolutions adopted the previous year be referred to a committee for consideration and report.26 Upon review, the committee made a rather lengthy declaration regarding the attacks of misguided brethren on the sovereignty of the Grand Lodge of Washington, but, like the grand master, acquiesced and stated their desire to promote “that harmony which all recognize as the very keystone of Masonry.” Finally, they recommended that the first resolution passed the previous year be reaffirmed and that the second and third resolutions be repealed. Their recommendations were “adopted by the Grand Lodge with marked unanimity, there being only two dissenting votes.” 27 Another attempt by a mainstream grand lodge to recognize Prince Hall Masonry occurred in 1947, When “the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, after some research, voted to acknowledge the legitimacy of Prince Hall Masonry in their state. Again, American Grand Lodges severed relations with the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. A year later, Massachusetts rescinded their earlier vote just as Washington had done” in 1899. 28 RECOGNITION IN THE MODERN ERA The tides of change began to pull on American mainstream Freemasonry and in the 1960s mainstream grand lodges entered into informal discussions with their Prince Hall counterparts. For the next two decades, grand lodges across the country (both mainstream and Prince Hall) opened lines of communication and developed contacts with one another.29 In 1963, the Grand Lodge of Connecticut established a “Brotherhood in Action” committee, for the purpose of establishing better relations among Masons and the community, with members of groups which had previously been “perpetually at a distance” from Freemasonry. Among the different groups were members of the Knights of Columbus, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut, and B’nai B’rith. As a result of this initiative, bonds of friendship were established between the various groups.30 Gail L. Smith, Grand Master of Connecticut (1968) was a strong supporter of Prince Hall recognition and promoted the same for many years after he retired as grand master. A grand master’s influence over the affairs of grand lodge diminish when they leave office and attain the designation PGM. This was the situation with Past Grand Master Smith, as regards Prince Hall recognition, until his son, Gail N. Smith assumed the office of Grand Master. On March 29, 1989, at his installation, during the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut, incoming Grand Master, Gail N. Smith extended the courtesy to his father, Past Grand Master Gail L. Smith, to present a resolution authorizing the grand master to appoint a special temporary subcommittee to the Committee on Fraternal Communications to explore the process of establishing full recognition of the companion Prince Hall Grand Lodge. The resolution was immediately approved by grand lodge.31 A parallel committee was established by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, and after diligent effort by representatives from both grand lodges in Connecticut, a resolution and proclamation were made and presented before both grand lodges on October 14, 1989. The presentation was made to the Grand Lodge of Connecticut at a special communication while the presentation to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut

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Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Ironically, the most recent mainstream Grand Lodge to recognize Prince Hall Masonry is the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, which was so vehemently opposed to the Grand Lodge of Washington doing so in 1898. CONCLUSION During the One Hundred and Twenty Third Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Washington, held in Wenatchee, Washington, June 21-22, 1990, the members of the grand lodge approved a request from the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Washington for “recognition with rights of visitation,” thus making the Grand Lodge of Washington the third North American mainstream grand lodge to recognize their Prince Hall counterpart. This effectively ended the saga of Prince Hall recognition by the Grand Lodge of Washington that began more than ninety years before and championed by Grand Master Upton.

The monument to William H. Upton at the Mountain View Cemetery, Walla Walla. It was dedicated on June 8, 1991 following recognition in accordance with Upton’s wishes (courtesy Grand Lodge of Washington Masonic Library and Museum).

was made simultaneously at their annual communication held at a separate location. The resolutions and proclamations were overwhelmingly approved by members present at both locations, making Connecticut the first mainstream grand lodge of the present era to grant Masonic recognition to a Prince Hall grand lodge.32 The possibility of other grand lodges withdrawing recognition from the Grand Lodge of Connecticut was considered and discounted with the admonition, that the Grand Lodge of Connecticut had “no control over other Grand Lodge’s actions and our vote should not be influenced on what could possibly happen but rather what was prudent and proper for Connecticut Masons.” 33 Subsequently, the Grand Lodge of Tennessee chastised the Grand Lodge of Connecticut and the Grand Lodge of Louisiana temporarily withdrew recognition.34 The flood gates were now opened, and by 1995 an additional thirteen mainstream grand lodges entered into amity with their Prince Hall grand lodge counterpart. Today, according to the Paul Bessel website, forty two grand lodges have voted favorably toward recognition of Prince Hall Grand Lodges and nine grand lodges have not yet done so.35 The nine mainstream grand lodges that have not yet entered into amity with their Prince Hall counterparts are the Grand Lodges of Arkansas, Louisiana, West Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, South

16 • FALL 2015

On June 8, 1991, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Washington and the Grand Lodge of Washington dedicated a monument to Grand Master Upton at a joint special communication. The ceremony was held at the Mountain View Cemetery in Walla Walla and attended by more than 400 Masons and their guests. The purpose of this occasion was to honor the man who persuaded his fellow Masons “that a course of action was proper because it is morally repugnant to do anything else.”36 It was also to respect Grand Master Upton’s wishes in his last will and testament, which asked that no honors be bestowed upon him until such time “that all Masons regardless of color should dwell together as recognized Masonic brethren.”37 It is interesting to speculate what the character of American Freemasonry would be today, if the initiative of Grand Master Upton and the Grand Lodge of Washington had been successful in 1898. Freemasonry itself has had a significant influence on American culture, and it is supposed that success in 1898 may have led to improved race relations in this country today. However, Freemasonry is slow to embrace change. This is not a fault, as long as Freemasons remain true to the principals of its founders, and as Dr. Anderson charged “to be good Men and true, or Men of Honour and Honesty, by whatever Denominations or Persuasions they may distinguish’d; whereby Masonry becomes the Center of Union, and the Means of conciliating true Friendship among Person that must else have remain’d at a perpetual Distance.” 38 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bo Cline, is a past grand master of the Grand Lodge of Alaska (2009) and is past president of the Masonic Society (2012 - 2013).

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Ibid., 56.

Ibid., 57.

Ibid., 59.

Ibid., 60.

3 Paul W. Harvey, “Not Made With Hands, The Centennial History of Grand Lodge Masonry in Washington and Alaska” (Grand Lodge of Washington, 1958), 61.

GLWA “Annual Address of the Grand Master,” Proceedings, 1899, 319-349.

Ibid., 334.

4 Grand Lodge of Washington (GL WA), “Negro Masonry, Report of Special Committee,” Proceedings, 1898, 54.

Ibid., 329.

Ibid., 335.

Ibid., 373 – 377.

NOTES 1 Allan DeLuca, “Prince Hall - The First Negro Freemason,” The Square (March 2015), 45. 2 Oscar Alleyne, “Clandestine and Irregular Freemasonry, Part I,” The Plumbline, 22: 1 (Spring 2015), 1.

5 Ibid. 6

Alleyne, 3.

DeLuca, 45.

28 John B. Williams, “Recognition of Prince Hall Grand Lodges in America,” Phylaxis Society Masonic Education Series, 1993.

Proceedings (GLWA), 1898, 52.

Williams, 1993.

Ibid.

Kenneth B. Hawkins, Sr., interview, May 13, 2015.

Alleyne, 3.

Proceedings (GLWA), 1898, 53.

31 Hawkins, Kenneth B., Sr., “Regardless of Race, Creed or Color,” Connecticut Square & Compass, (Feb./Mar./Apr., 1990).

12 Arturo de Hoyos (Grand Archivists for the Supreme Council 33º, SRSJ) has confirmed this letter to the author but was unable to tell to whom it was written or the circumstances under which it was written. 13 Arturo deHoyos, “On the Origins of the Prince Hall Scottish Rite Rituals,” Heredom 5 (1996), 51. 14

Alleyne, 3.

GLWA, “Masons of African Descent,” Proceedings, 1897, 188.

Proceedings (GLWA), 1898, 50 – 60.

Ibid., 53.

Ibid., 54 – 57.

Ibid.

Hawkins, interview.

35 Bessel, Paul M., “Prince Hall Masonry Recognition details, Recognition Chart,” http://bessel.org/masrec/phachart.htm 36 GLWA, “Oration Delivered at the Dedication Ceremony of the William H. Upton Memorial Stone,” Proceedings, 1991, 219. 37 From the inscription on the William H. Upton Memorial Stone, Mountain View Cemetery, Walla Walla, WA. 38 Charge I, “Concerning God and Religion,” The Constitutions of the Free-Masons (London, 1723), 48.???

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BEST PRACTICES

Let Him Wait with Patience?

How Solicitation, Recruitment and One-Day Conferrals Failed North American Freemasonry By Michael A. Halleran, MMS Note: this article formed the author’s presentation at the XIV World Conference of Regular Masonic Grand Lodges in San Francisco California in November 2015. At the Annual Communication of 1954, Bruce Newton, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kansas A.F. & A.M., beamed with optimism. “Masonry in Kansas,” he announced “is on a high plane. Good work is being done by all the lodges.... We raised 4,037, which brings our total membership to 98,386. There are no ominous feelings or ill winds blowing and I predict that we can look forward to an era of unprecedented growth and achievement.”1 He wasn’t alone. The grand master of West Virginia, William G. Johnson, reported in October 1954 that “Masonry thrives and prospers.... Petitions, while not so numerous as heretofore, are still being received in healthy numbers from the proper types of person.” Throughout North America in the 1950s, the fraternity looked forward to a bright future. 2 CYCLES, SANG SELECTIVITY

FROID,

Serving together in 1954, West Virginia Grand Master William G. Johnson (left) and Bruce Newton, Grand Master of Kansas were both optimistic about Masonic membership growth. Photo credits: http:// gwm.lunaimaging.com and the Grand Lodge of Kansas.

AND

The confidence and certainty expressed midcentury, because Masonic history shows frequent periods where membership has decreased, sometimes drastically: the Anti-Masonic period 1828-1838, the Panic of 1873, the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the midcentury crash of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Still, prior to the mid-twentieth century, Freemasonry faced these lean times with relative composure, and saw eventual upticks in membership. And isolated calls for loosening of restrictions on new members during these historic downturns, the grand lodges rejected any attempt to modify admission practices. A report by the Grand Lodge of Canada (Ontario) in 1905 summed up a common sentiment found across most jurisdictions. “In this age when so many societies exist and fraternalism is in the air, the Masonic body, which values quality not quantity, should set its face as flint against anything tending to make Masonry cheap or common.”3

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LANDMARKS OR ROADBLOCKS? But by the 1960s, membership tapered off in all jurisdictions. Alarmed, and still cognizant of the losses of the 1930s, the fraternity sought solutions, and came hard against the absolute ban on recruiting. The prohibition against recruiting is old and well-established. Preston’s second edition of Illustrations of Masonry (1775) uses the familiar phrase “unbiased by friends and uninfluenced by mercenary motives, you freely

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DESPERATE MEASURES The first notable incursion on the recruiting prohibition came in the form of an advertising slogan: 2B1ASK1 , which arrived on the scene in the United States in the 1970s, and it said, apparently, all that needed to be said about Masonic membership. To be(come) (a Mason), ask (a Mason). Although its origins are difficult to determine, by the late 1980s the phrase was Masonically ubiquitous and forty years later, it is still routinely encountered in North America. 2B1ASK1 directly addressed the mid-twentieth century linear decline in membership, and it attempted to skirt the issue of recruiting by couching overt solicitation in the form of a question. Want to be a Mason? Just ask to join. THE RUBICON Clever though it was, 2B1ASK1 failed outright; the numbers just kept falling. In response, several jurisdictions began experimenting with more overt solicitation. In the Midwest, the Grand Lodge of Missouri passed a resolution in 1989 allowing solicitation. The Grand Lodge of Colorado followed suit three years later. Colorado’s grand master, Richard A. Miklich reported on the “universal problem” of declining membership during a visit to the Grand Lodge of Kansas, stating that during his administration, “each of the lodges in Colorado has been challenged to raise at least ten new Masons.” As a result, he said, “Colorado has changed its requirements on solicitation.”7

Masonic visionary Dwight Smith foretold that recruitment would eventually be embraced by the grand lodges. Photo credit: freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com

and voluntarily offer yourself a candidate for the mysteries of Masonry,” and this restriction was understood by generations of Masons to mean that a man may not be solicited to join the Order. As we shall see below, as the membership rolls shrank, this principle was called into question. 4 Masonic visionary Dwight Smith, past grand master of Indiana (1945) and grand secretary (1947-1979) described the new thinking. Assemble in one room a half-dozen Masonic leaders of any Jurisdiction [and] I am willing to place a small wager that within 15 minutes one of them will say, “Well, it seems to me that sooner or later Masonry is going to have to face up to reality and discard the foolish notion that a good man, highly esteemed in his community, may not be invited to petition for the degrees.5 Still, not every jurisdiction embraced this new way of thinking. Ohio Grand Master Daniel F. Iceman reported that the Grand Lodge of Ohio lost 3,812 members in the Masonic year 1978-9. Iceman lamented the loss and hoped for an increase in members, but not via active solicitation and “not at the expense of quantity over quality.” 6 Grand Master Iceman’s statement, with its emphasis on attraction not promotion, and quality trumping quantity is typical of the old attitude. As the twentieth century slipped away, those attitudes would fade with it.

This was by no means a Midwestern perspective. The following year, the Ohio Grand Lodge adopted a similar measure as an official program of the grand lodge: “You’d Make a Good Mason,” which encouraged its members to engage potential members with that phrase.8 By the mid-1990s the grand lodges began recommending, not just allowing, outright solicitation.9 In 1995, for example, Kansas Grand Master Morris L. Fisher challenged the members of Kansas lodges to actively search your memory for the names of good men of your acquaintance....Ask that individual if he would have any interest in becoming a member of the Greatest Fraternity in the World. If he indicates an interest, the door is open for you to ... get the petition process started. So long as you allow him to make his own decisions, you are not violating any Masonic law, as we believed in generations past [emphasis added]. 10 At the conclusion of his term, Grand Master Fisher reported optimistically on modest membership gains during his term, but emphasized that “our survival lies in the recruitment of these good men, and in them recruiting those of their peers, who are also qualified [emphasis added].” Thus in the span of just a few decades, we transition from outright prohibition of recruiting to public pronouncements urging recruitment. As the twenty-first century loomed, the die was cast. 11 COMPREHENSIVE CHANGE Once the grand jurisdictions began to loosen the ancient restrictions, change came quickly. But what was left to change? Given that the Masonic system is dependent upon a first person transmission of the secrets of the fraternity, this required creativity. Likely by studying appendant body initiation practices, the fraternity arrived at the idea that by bringing “spectators” to an initiation performed on an exemplar, more men could be initiated in a shorter span of time. FALL 2015 • 19

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This, when combined with overt solicitations to come-one, come-all, and coupled with pro-forma proficiency, permitted a group of men to be made Masons in one day. When these practices coalesced, and it is not certain exactly how and when they did, the one-day conferral was born.

THE OHIO EXAMPLE

History affords us few precedents for mass raisings. A similar situation, however, arose in the “Mormon lodges” in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1842, where the lodge initiated 286 candidates and raised 256, in just five months—numbers that were impossible under traditional Masonic work. The Illinois grand lodge concluded that “the intention and ancient landmarks of our institution have been departed from to an inexcusable extent.” In response, the Grand Lodge “withdrew” the dispensation of Navoo lodge in 1844, declared the lodge clandestine, and suspended the membership. 12

The largest mass raising in American history, Ohio’s effort was hailed as “an amazing shot in the arm for many Lodges. About 550 ... Lodges participated with at least one Candidate. A few larger Lodges added 50 to 80 new members at one time.... One small Lodge grew by about 50 percent on that one day.”18

Perhaps the most spectacular incident of mass raising took place in Ohio in 2002. The Grand Lodge of Ohio raised more that 7,700 new Master Masons in a mass raising, after a six-year legislative effort to restructure its bylaws to permit it.17

Ohio Past Grand Master George Braatz, who was the serving grand secretary in Grand Master James R. Vannice stressed that the fraternity’s 1992, was asked how the Grand lodge greatest concern should be in quality not quantity. Photo of Ohio reconciled the ancient landmark credit: http://freemason-wa.org requiring a candidate to come to the west gate “of his own free will and accord,” with the promotional efforts used for the 2002 class. Braatz explained that “[t] One hundred fifty years later, though, all that had changed. The first mass here was no need to ‘reconcile’ anything. No change was ever made. All 19 raising in the modern era occurred in 1992 in the District of Columbia candidates petitioned the lodges ‘of their own free will and accord.’” by order of Grand Master Jerold J. Samet. This “Grand Master’s Class” His report showed a net gain of 2,754 members reversing the prior year’s conferred all three degrees of Craft Masonry over a two-day period. Since net loss of 4,853 for a total membership of 131,557 members among that time at least thirty-one other grand lodges have adopted some form 558 lodges (plus one under dispensation). Was this a promising start to of mass raising, usually over the span of a single day – from whence the a new trend? 20 term One-Day Class derives.13 UNSUSTAINABLE GAINS It was not without its detractors. Addressing the Craft at the annual communication of the Grand Lodge of Washington in 1992, Grand For a time, the easing of centuries-old Masonic restrictions appeared Master James R. Vannice expressed his reservations. encouraging. Masonic commentator Paul M. Bessel examined membership trends in the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia Surely numbers and totals are important. But is this where our from 1992 – 2000 to evaluate the cumulative effect of grand master’s greatest concern should lie, in numbers, in quantity? I think classes. Bessel concluded that “Grand Masters Classes are a useful tool not. It is my contention that we as a total fraternity, that we as for some lodges and some men, and at the same time there are some the complete body of Freemasonry should be concerned with who prefer to use the traditional degree methods or a combination of the quality. Quality of character, quality of knowledge, quality of two. There is no evidence that proves any of these choices are harmful to charities, quality of actions as Freemasons .... Numbers and Freemasonry.”21 quantities without substance, without quality, will not, cannot, enhance the status of Freemasonry. 14 That said, it is clear that one-day conferrals have not created any longterm benefits in membership. North American Masonic membership Despite these reservations, many grand lodges were seduced by the continues on a downward trend across all jurisdictions despite possible windfall and adopted the new thinking. In 1994 Kansas moved abandonment of dearly held traditions. definitively towards shortening the time required between degrees and issued a considerable number of special dispensations to that effect while Further, given the tremendous success of the Ohio model, it would be experimenting with one-day conferrals. The following year, the newly follow that one-day conferrals would be universally accepted in North installed grand master of Kansas, Morris L. Fisher shortened degree American Freemasonry. That, however, is not the case, and the verdict conferral periods and experimented with “chance to advance” conferrals among North American Masons concerning one-day conferrals and reporting a net gain of 1000 new Masons. 15 many of the other changes that arose in the 1990s are mixed. Seduced by this windfall, by 1997, like the majority of other grand jurisdictions, the Grand Lodge of Kansas stopped experimenting and fully authorized one-day conferrals.16

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In 2007 the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, which ushered in the first Grand Master’s class in 1992, abandoned the idea. The first decade of the new century also saw the rise of a grassroots rebellion against what has been called “a misunderstanding of the initiatic tradition

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has been honed over the years since that first effort. It is not a program for everyone or every Grand Lodge, but when the conditions are right, it is a good program.”25 CONCLUSION The twentieth century saw substantial doctrinal shifts in membership practices in North America. At the beginning of the century, Masonic doctrine was uniformly conservative regarding membership. The grand lodges banned recruiting, placed heavy emphasis on proficiencies, and conferred degrees according to stringent, centuries-old Masonic traditions. Despite periodic membership crises, these practices remained official policy. However, by midcentury, as membership declines continued, the fraternity began to modify its viewpoint, bending the dogma in an effort to attract more men to the Order.

Past Grand Master of Florida Jorge Aladro expressed concern that one day conferrals were a “nineties solution” designed only to increase numbers. Photo credit wildhunt.org

of Masonry.” Groups such as the Knights of the North, the Masonic Restoration Foundation, and scores of observant, traditionally observant, and “European Concept” lodges throughout North America have all commented negatively on one-day conferrals as well as many other innovations of the 1990s.22 Addressing the Grand Lodge of Kentucky in 2013, Jorge Aladro, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Florida remarked that there “is no doubt in my mind that we have two schools of thought regarding the state of the Craft.” One school believes that we are in the membership business and therefore we have a crisis with a need for aggressive recruitment of members at whatever cost. The other believes that we are in the fellowship business and we need to be very careful who we let in our midst… Not selecting the right men has brought our Fraternity great pains and unnecessary exodus as demonstrated by the Morgan Affair and the Great Depression. Just before these two periods in our history we were Initiating Masons indiscriminately which at the very first signs of trouble left our Fraternity in great numbers. 23

By the 1990s it was clear that those half-measures had failed and dramatic action was required. The last decade of the century saw grand lodges experimenting with shortening degree periods, modifying or eliminating proficiencies altogether, and initiating more men per degree, before finally permitting the wholesale making of Masons within a single day. At variance with more than 250 years of Masonic practice, this deviation was condoned by thirty-five North American Grand Lodges in some form or other. Why? Clearly the steady decline in membership since 1957 led many grand lodges to assume the worst, despite historical examples of similar membership declines in the past—declines that were overcome without drastic action. What changed? It is irrefutable that the fraternity indulged itself during the twentieth century with the construction of lavish temples and other facilities, projecting Masonry in a far more overt fashion than in times past (which arguably constitutes another doctrinal shift in and of itself). As it became more visible the Order also took on extensive charitable commitments, which had the concomitant benefit of enhancing the standing of Freemasonry among the profane. Sustaining these expenditures required continued growth in membership.

Past Grand Master Aladro went on to argue that the one-day conferral was “the nineties solution to the membership problem,” designed to increase numbers alone. “The One Day Class was brought to us as a way to make wholesale Masons that were too busy in their lives to do it the traditional way....In other words, to resolve our membership problem we are bringing in men that have no time to become Masons or practice Masonry.”24

Some speculate that appendant bodies of North American Freemasonry, namely Shriner’s International, had a hand in shaping these policies. By the 1990s, the Shrine was actively involved in charitable endeavors, arguably suffering to an even greater extent than the grand lodges as national Masonic membership plummeted. Anecdotal accounts, unverifiable by any official reports, suggest that local Shrine centers and individual Shrine members played a role in shaping grand lodge membership policies, curtailing membership criteria that were deemed too restrictive for prospective Masons and, perhaps more importantly, new Shriners. It is certainly true that many one-day conferrals ended with Shrine initiations immediately following, evidence that, even if not integral to the process, Shriner’s International certainly benefitted from it. 26

By contrast, many Grand Lodges and Masonic leaders continue to support the idea of one-day conferrals. Ohio Past Grand Master Braatz commented that “I supported one-day classes in 2001, and I support them today. Over the years in Ohio -- and elsewhere -- a variety of ways have been used to implement a one-day class and I believe the process was

Regardless, there is conclusive evidence that grand master’s classes, solicitation, and recruitment were expressly implemented to halt the decline; the grand lodges say as much in their proceedings. Did they succeed? A glance at Masonic membership in North America confirms that these efforts not only failed, but failed spectacularly; the gains FALL 2015 • 21

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experienced as a result are statistically insignificant. But this is not to say that these doctrinal shifts came with no effects. The unintended consequences: a devaluation of the Order, a cheapening of the initiatic experience, and a break with centuries of tradition, have created problems of their own, which may require yet another doctrinal shift to repair the damage. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

GLKS, “Acceptance Speech,” Proceedings (Salina: 1995), 172.

GLKS, “Acceptance Speech,” Proceedings (Salina: 1996), 15.

12 John Carson Smith, “Mormonism and its Connection with Freemasonry 1842-3-4, Nauvoo, Illinois, The American Tyler 19:15 (February 1, 1905); Grand Lodge of Florida, Proceedings (1830-1859), (New York: J.F. Brennan 1859), 116; Jerry Stokes, Mormonism 2009: A Handbook on Mormonism (Newberg, OR: Chehalem Baptist Church 2002) 467-8; 13

Paul M. Bessel, Statistical Evaluation of Grand Masters Classes (June 19, 2001), 1. http:// bessel.org/gmclass.pdf (Accessed 8 April 2015).

GLWA, “State of the Craft” Proceedings (Wenatchee: 1992), 25.

GLKS, “Special Dispensations,” Proceedings (Salina: 1995), 19-23.

LKS, “Acceptance Speech,” Proceedings (Salina: 1995), 172; Interview with Tracy L. G Bloom PGM, Grand Secretary, Grand Lodge of Kansas, 10 April 2015.

eorge Braatz, “Breaking the Barriers,” Scottish Rite Journal (August 2002), G http://204.3.136.66/web/journal-files/Issues/aug02/braatz.htm (Accessed 7 April 2015).

NOTES

Ibid.

Grand Lodge of Kansas (GLKS), Proceedings (Topeka, KS: 1954), 20.

Ibid.

rand Lodge of West Virginia (GLWV), Proceedings, “Address of M.W. William G G. Johnson” (Clarksburg: 1954), 21; See also, e.g., Grand Lodge of Washington (GLWA), Proceedings, “Message of Grand Master” (Spokane: 1953), 14;.Grand Lodge of Connecticut (GLCT), Proceedings, “Address of the Grand Master” (New Haven: 1952), 37.

GLOH, “Report of the Grand Secretary,” Proceedings, (Toledo: 2002), 47.

aul M. Bessel, Statistical Evaluation of Grand Masters Classes (June 19, 2001), 10. P http://bessel.org/gmclass.pdf (Accessed 8 April 2015).

ansour Hatefi, “Frontiers of Freemasonry” (2012), 4; Dennis V. Chornenky M “Members or Masons: One Day Classes and the Initiatic Tradition,” (2004) www. masonicrestorationfoundation.org/ (Accessed 22 April 2015); See also, Laudable Pursuit (2005) www.thelaudablepursuit.com; Masonic Restoration Foundation, http://www.masonicrestorationfoundation.org/ .

GLKY,”Keynote Speaker” Proceedings (Louisville: 2013), 24-5.

Ibid at 25.

Braatz, Interview.

he Ohio one day conferral allowed Scottish Rite Reunions and Shrine “cold sands” T after the degree conferrals. See Braatz, “Breaking the Barriers.” Although incidents of coercion of the Grand Lodges by appendant bodies remain largely anecdotal, in the case of the author, who presided over the Grand Lodge of Kansas in 20142015, there was considerable pressure from Shriner’s International to conduct oneday conferrals as the only way to “save Masonry.” Although the requested one-day classes were repeatedly denied during 2014-2015, he did authorize a chance-toadvance class that caused an equal amount of dissension from traditionalists within the Grand Lodge.

Michael A. Halleran is the Executive Editor of the Journal of the Masonic Society and the Immediate Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kansas.

rand Lodge of Canada (Ontario), “Report of the Board on the Condition of G Masonry,” Proceedings (Hamilton: Spectator Printing Co., 1905), 386.

William Preston. Illustrations of Masonry, 2d., London, 1775, 59.

Dwight Smith. “Into the Highways and Hedges,” Why This Confusion in the Temple? (1966). http://www.vitruvian.org/papers/WhyThisConfusion.pdf (Accessed 2 May 2014). It should be noted that Smith was no proponent of solicitation, and he vigorously opposed any form of recruitment.

GLOH, “Address of the Grand Master,” Proceedings, (Columbus: 1979), 32.

GLKS, “Greetings From Colorado,” Proceedings (Salina: 1992), 32.

GLOH, “Address of the Grand Master,” Proceedings, (Cleveland: 1980), 19.

S ee e.g. GL CT, Proceedings, “Address of the Grand Master” (Cromwell: 1993),45; Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, Proceedings, “State of the Craft” (Guthrie: 1993),29; Grand Lodge of Washington, “State of the Craft,” Proceedings (Wenacthee: 1999), 14-15; Grand Lodge of Kentucky (GLKY), “Friend to Friend,” Proceedings (Jefferson County: 1996) 30; As late as 2003, the Grand Lodge of Minnesota referred to lodge websites as “public relations and recruiting vehicle[s].” Grand Lodge of Minnesota, Proceedings (St. Paul: 2003), 21.

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COMMENT

Communications Strategies for Modern Lodges By Emily Limón

nformation consumption continues to evolve rapidly. News and information has become entertainment: According to a recent study,1 Americans now spend more time consuming digital media than they do watching TV; as of November 2015, Facebook has 1.5 billion active users.2 Public relations has changed dramatically, and the impact of print media, while still effective, is faltering. Yet regardless of how media vehicles have changed, a strong communications strategy remains essential in moving an organization forward, focusing its membership, and building goodwill in its community. Masonic lodges and grand lodges are no exception: To remain relevant, they must share their many inspiring stories with their own members to instill pride, and to their communities as an education and prospecting effort. Building a strategic communications plan takes time and planning, but the results are well worth the effort. CASE STUDY: A STATEWIDE EFFORT Recently, Masons throughout California took part in a series of exercises designed to shape the future of California Freemasonry. They voiced their perspectives on the fraternity’s essential values, priorities, and goals through peer workshops, leadership retreats, and in online surveys. More than 6,000 Masons participated, and the vision they defined for the fraternity will be implemented over the next five years. An ongoing communications strategy with professional leadership is an important driver of the success of their vision. Communications professionals at Grand Lodge will help shape future initiatives, inspire members, and lead blue lodges in engaging members at a local level. A primary aspect of the communications strategy is also to educate the public about the fraternity, which is critical for an aging organization’s ongoing success and ability to attract new members. Developing a five-year vision for California was an intensive process. But any communications team can implement various aspects of a strategic communications plan. Here are five steps to take when building an effective plan. Step 1: Articulate Your Goals A good strategic communications plan begins with defining the overall goals of the organization. Businesses and traditional nonprofits generally know what their overall goals are: higher profits, more donors, more clients served. Masonic lodges likely have much softer goals, such as deeper member engagement, meaningful ritual, closer friendships, and higher quality prospects, to name a few.

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Whatever the specific goals may be, the communications strategy must directly address them. Articulating the goals, and the context in which they exist, is an important first step in developing a strong strategy. Step 2: Define Your Audience Defining your audience is the fun part. What makes members tick? Why are they Masons? Are they interested in history/ritual/volunteering/ golf? Are they just starting their careers/busy with family life/enjoying retirement? What magazines/movies/books capture their attention and imaginations? Masons are not a monolithic group – they vary, just like the general population. The best way to define your audience is by asking members directly, either through surveys or in person. Another good way is to measure their responses (more on that later). The answers will help communications professionals build messages that resonate more deeply. Step 3: Develop Key Messages: Define the “Why” Your key messages should always tell your audience should why it’s important to act. For example, if a grand lodge wants to raise attendance at its annual communication, key messages might include:

• It’s important to vote on proposed legislation because it will affect your lodge and you as a member. • You will expand and deepen your Masonic relationships by meeting brethren from throughout the state. • You can enjoy a great night out with your friends and family at the Grand Master’s banquet. Messages should then be customized for each audience segment. In this case, the audience and the event’s details would inform how to wordsmith each message into compelling communications. Consider: Which audiences should get which messages? Will all messages resonate equally at all phases of your campaign? By customizing and timing these messages, you will better motivate your audience to act. Key messages must be twinned with clear, concise calls to action: RSVP NOW. CLICK HERE. PAY DUES. The more opportunities your audience has to react, the better. For example, when you send an email, make sure there are many links for the reader to click – one text link is not sufficient. Step 4: Leverage Your Best Content It is crucial to use the organization’s most creative energy on building great content that will engage and motivate

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readers. Once you have great content, make the most of it: using it in as many media platforms as possible gives it the best chance of reaching your audience. All communications efforts fall into at least one of these categories:

Since the Grand Lodge of California has implemented new strategies over the past year, more Masons have attended annual events and leadership retreats, more members have donated to charitable causes, and more followers engage on our social media sites. The Grand Lodge communicates more frequently to members, and they are better informed about brethren throughout the state. New processes better distribute higherquality content, and all content is created to be effective in multiple channels.

1. Owned media is content that you create and distribute on your own. This includes the lodge’s Trestleboards, magazines, email campaigns, website, signage, messaging at events, etc. 2. Shared media is social: When posts on your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds are liked, shared, or commented upon, they are shared with your audience’s followers. This is great thirdparty endorsement, and it’s free. Plus, shared media lets you quickly determine what makes your audience tick, because the social sites have made monitoring results easy. 3. Paid media includes both online and print advertising, TV and radio spots, paid outdoor signage, and sponsored ads you might purchase as a part of your lodge’s charity efforts. While Masonic organizations typically do not buy much media, re-targeting and social media campaigns can be run with very small budgets, and may be useful. 4. Earned media is public relations. Any time another organization promotes your efforts, you have “earned” that attention. Earned media can be repurposed easily through digital channels, including social media and email lists. It engenders pride within the fraternity and can help boost community relations. A successful strategic communications plan leverages as many of these channels as possible. For example: If a charity event is covered in a local paper’s web site, link to it from your lodge’s website and social media. Boost the post on Facebook with a tiny budget, geo-targeted to your town. “Tag” any Masons who are featured in positive posts to reach their friends and family, who might then share the story too. Harness the energy of your “fans,” -- let them amplify your messages. You’ll be surprised by the reach you can achieve through compelling content and loyal members. Step 5: Measure Your Results Measuring your results is critical, as it allows you to track success and identify where you need to adjust. Digital media, in particular, allows you to easily review results on a consistent basis. Testing and experimentation on the digital platforms can inform changes to your more expensive paid media channels, such as print and direct mail. You may even find that it makes sense to discontinue utilizing a tactic (or two) if it isn’t effective.

Masons have a unique raison d’être: Their story is interesting and unique. As younger generations seek meaningful experiences in which to invest their time, the fraternity has a lot to look forward to. A strategic communications team, and the strategies they implement, can make all the difference in motivating members, educating the public, and moving the organization forward for future generations. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Emily Limón is the vice president of communications at the Masons of California and executive editor of California Freemason magazine. She directs all communications strategies for Grand Lodge and its entities, including internal and external communications, fundraising communications strategies, and public relations. Prior to joining the Masons of California, she was the director of marketing and sales at the San Francisco Symphony, where she was responsible for the overall marketing and sales strategy, including campaigns designed to find new audiences and inspire loyal ones.

NOTES 1. Video Ad Spending Vs. TV Ad Spending 2014. Augustine Fou. May 2014 http://www.slideshare.net/augustinefou/video-ad-spending-vstv-ad-spending-2014-by-augustine-fou 2. Leading social networks worldwide as of November 2015, ranked by number of active users (in millions). Statistica. November 2015. Sources: Facebook; We Are Social; WhatsApp; Twitter; Tumblr; LinkedIn; Google http://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/globalsocial-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/

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Masonic Postcards The first postcard in the world was issued in Austria in October 1869 and the British Post Office followed suit within a year, publishing its own postcards in 1870, embossed with the postage stamp at half the letter rate and monopolising the industry. By 1919, at the end of the Great War, over eight hundred million postcards had been mailed within Great Britain! It is not surprising, therefore, given the pictorial potential of a postcard and the popularity of freemasonry, that this theme should be well depicted on postcards. The concept of the postcard was simply a cheap method of sending a message. Half the letter rate was the officially established cost. Early

postcards were made of thin buff board with the stamps and instructions printed on them. They also had to be of a standard size. The advertising potential of such “open” letters was quickly seized upon by various enterprises, especially those in the tourist and catering trades. Thus, toward the end of the Century, early plain worded advertisements gave way to beautiful often delicate designs and the picture postcard made its first appearance in 1894. These cards, which were also usable with adhesive stamps, became known as “chromo-lithos,” referring to very high quality and attractive printing method adopted by private manufacturers. From a collector’s view point, this first and early period of postcards ends in 1899. The next period is popularly referred to as the Golden Age of the postcard. Printing methods were more sophisticated and the postcard itself was a highly popular mode of communication. The contemporary collector also came into the scene at the same time. The subject matters covered by the postcard were innumerable. Topography was an almost obviously fashionable theme. Commemorative cards became a must for every event and exhibition of consequence. Portraits, politics, war, art and humour fed the public’s insatiable appetite for more original postcards of every kind. Then, almost suddenly in 1919, the Post Office decided to increase the postage rate to 1 full penny (equivalent to approximately 2 US Cents) and the whole trade and activity, including collector interest, ceased as if it had suffered a fatal heart attack! It was not to recover, as a popular collectors’ hobby until the 1970s. The majority of the desirable Masonic postcards belong to this Golden Age periodmentioned.Thesubjectcanbefurthersub-dividedintotwomajorareas: a. humorous Masonic postcards, almost invariably cards drawn by an artist (as opposed to photographic) and certainly the most popular, and b. pictorial Masonic postcards, normally photographic, and depicting Masonic temples, Masons and regalia as well as other related subjects. A word of caution here will be in order. Where in early days the rate of postage was the determining factor in establishing a card being an actual postcard, the modern collector will be satisfied with the text on the back of the card stating “Post-Card,” or indicating that it is intended for postal use. Many ordinary photographs, however, are printed on postcard stock, not intended for commercial use.

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The most famous and light hearted of the humorous English postcards is the wonderful “Gran-Pop” series of which a set of six was devoted to Freemasons. They were published following the First World War by Valentine & Sons and drawn by Lawson Wood. Clarence Lawson Wood - who chose to drop his first name when still a teenager - was born in Highgate in 1878. He came from a distinguished family of artists, his grandfather, Lewis John Wood, having exhibited at the Royal Academy. Lawson Wood created his chimpanzee character at the turn of the Century and it became, to his dying day, in 1957, the most prominent feature in all his artistic output. The amiable Gran Pop has appeared on posters, calendars and has illustrated various books. A very large series on postcard are still avidly collected. The Masonic set has wonderful elements of fun in the designs. They refer to various masonic activities, such as “A Brother in Distress” depicting playful monkeys and aproned piglets under the “supervision” of Gran Pop who wears a masonic collar. The titles have all clear connotations: “Gran Pop goes through the Chair” shows the chimpanzee literally falling through the torn seat of a chair, inebriated. A sign on the wall behind him states “Bro Gran Pop - Simian Lodge.” “Gran Pop’s Lodge of Instruction” is another, depicting the Orang-utan, with an almost familiar face! He is instructing a monkey and the same piglet, both wearing aprons. On the wall a royal arch apron and a master’s collar hang from hook. On the floor an improvised square and compasses and cards with Masonic emblems. The whole set is signed Lawson Wood. A well-publicised full stop appears preceding his signed name: it is in memory, so to speak, of his discarded name, Clarence. Although complete sets of six are not so easy to come by, individual cards of the Masonic series can readily be obtained at various postcard and philatelic functions. It should be noted that a cigarette card series has also appeared. A second series of humorous postcards devoted to the craft are not as kind as Lawson Wood’s were. A set of 24 different cards were publishes in London by Millar & Lang in the 1940s, entitled the Comic Collectors series. Each postcard has the same thematic heading “Are you a Mason’” followed by a different subtitle in each case, usually intended as a double entendre. The drawings are quaint and colourful but frequently derogatory, clearly intended to poke fun, if not ridicule, Masonic activities. The limited knowledge of Masonic affairs on the part of the artist and publishers concerned often becomes apparent from the drawing itself. It is not always easy to interpret the supposed Masonic allegories on the postcard. Some are obvious references to well-known fallacies. For example one of the post cards is sub-titled “Riding the Goat” will be a theme particularly familiar to American brethren. It depicts a man having come out of a bath, riding on the back of a goat. The reference is to the now long forgotten vulgar misconception by anti-Masons that an element of devil-worship took place in Masonic initiation ceremonies. Dr Oliver is

recorded to have stated that there was in England a common belief that Freemasons were accustomed “to raise the Devil” in their lodges. Since ancient times and in Greek & Roman mythology, the goat has been equated with the devil. The ancient god Pan was known to be “goat-footed” and Satan, the Christian equivalent, inherited similar characteristics: the horns, beard and cloven hoofs. In more recent times, witchcraft stories will often state that the Devil will appear riding on a goat—thus the absurd reference to the Masons on this postcard. A collection of Masonic Temples throughout the world would undoubtedly lead to a large accumulation of postcards covering the whole of this century and a varied variety of nations. A fascinating and easy to collect subject closely related to philately.

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A Few Good Men? by Stephen J. Ponzillo, III, MMS How does a man become a Freemason? He asks a Freemason, and the We entered an era of touting the “good old days” and bemoaning the process begins. Several Grand Lodges employ a period of exposure to the failure of the baby boomers to follow their fathers into the Fraternity. activity and membership of a given Lodge before a petition RATIO OF MASONS COMPARED TO TOTAL MALE POPULATION OVER 18 YEARS OF AGE is submitted, others follow the direct petition route. Both Year Male U.S. Number of % of Masons relative % Change of Membership approaches require a thorough Population over 18 U.S. Masons to all Men over 18 numbers from previous decade investigation. Additionally, some Grand Lodges require an 1930 46,300,000 3,279,778 7.1% independent background check 1940 49,900,000 2,457,262 4.9% - 25% before the Lodge investigatory 1950 54,000,000 3,644,634 6.7% + 48% process begins. Not enough 1960 67,600,000 4,099,161 6% + 12.5% men today are asking to become 1970 76,600,000 3,763,213 4.9% - 8% Freemasons. However, others 1980 85,400,000 3,251,528 3.8% 14% say we need to control the influx 1990 93,800,000 2,531,643 2.7% 22% to accept all petitioners without 2000 106,100,000 1,841,169 1.7% -28% appropriate vetting. In an era of 2010 116,400,000 1,373,452 1.2% - 25% declining membership, which approach seems to work? Chart Notes: Many studies regarding the decline in Masonic membership in the 1. From 1930 until 1990, almost all Grand Lodges required the United States reveal that the peak in membership in most Grand 21 year old entry age Lodges occurred during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The same 2. From 1930 until at least 1990, most American Grand Lodges studies seem to reveal that the large post World War II membership did not admit certain racial groups was able to be achieved by the significant increase following World War 3. Given numbers 1 and 2 above, the earlier percentage of Masons I. This is in spite of the losses incurred during the Great Depression. relative to general population would actually be higher Grand Lodges adjusted to meet the influx, loss, influx cycle by frequent Today, we have entered an era of renewed interest in the Fraternity degree conferrals, a renewed emphasis on the investigation process and and are debating issues of mentoring the new Mason while making the an increase in requirements before eligibility to progress to collateral symbolic lodge more instructive and meaningful to new members. We bodies. Following its World War I influx, one Grand Lodge required debate whether we are just searching for quantity when we need quality. all Lodges to require the Third Degree catechism before allowing Some believe that there is little quality without quantity. Some say that advancement to any body requiring the symbolic Lodge membership we need “a few good men,” others see a need for many good men. as a pre-requisite. The result of that activity did not deter the joiners of the 50s and 60s from Shrine membership or other bodies. It was during Just what is the figure that informs us that we have enough members? this period that increased membership saw full blue lodge lines, large The answer to that question would relate to each brother’s vision for York Rite membership, record Scottish Rite membership, significant his lodge. Could we dilute the quality of our membership by having Masonic youth members, and a plethora of Shrine Units parading in too many members? Should we follow the English model and limit streets across the United States. the size of lodges? These questions and many more arise as we debate Freemasonry in the United States had record members, but was soon to begin a steady fifty year decline in membership and influence. So much of a decline occurred that Lodges merged or ceased to exist; the York Rite, once far larger than the Scottish Rite, became less influential; and the Shrine, once regarded as “The Elite” Masonic organization, shed the York and Scottish Rite requirement in a vain effort to recruit more members. 28 • FALL 2015

how to reverse ever declining numbers of members. Many lodges and Grand Lodges look for an answer to arrest the decline. Several have active media efforts to pronounce that Freemasonry is still here and not dormant like the Redmen, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows and more bodies that are shrinking to insignificance. These media efforts have created an influx of new members. This subsequently requires lodges to

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make men Masons at a rate that has not occurred since the late 1950s. Some critics of these efforts worry that the Fraternity is just concerned about numbers and not the quality of the men who are joining. While the problem of how to manage an influx of young men into Freemasonry’s ranks is a problem for some; it is seen as salvation by others. Without question, this debate is one which focuses on the Fraternity’s mission and its future. An examination of some of the many positions taken in this debate is in order. Are we looking for a “few good men” or many good men? Around those two phrases, Masons seem to align and that alignment is revealing. All Masons seem ready to argue that the Fraternity makes good men better. It reminds its members that if within a brother’s circle of acquaintance, a person expresses a desire to become a Freemason, the member should be careful not to recommend him unless he will conform to the rules of the institution and will become a worthy representative of the Fraternity. It can be concluded that a balance of quantity and quality is needed. Not precluded is the need to mentor or train the new Freemason, appeal to his special needs with Lodges that maintain and enhance the mystique of the Fraternity, provide activity, and meet the expectations of new members as well as the more mature members. An examination of trends in Masonic membership over the last eightyfive years is instructive. At the beginning of the Depression in 1930, seven percent (7%) of all men in the U.S. were Freemasons. It has never been higher. While membership numbers dramatically declined during the Depression, these numbers would climb to all-time highs in the late 50s and early 60s with six to almost seven percent of American men being Freemasons. Why is it important to consider the percentage of men who are Freemasons? The answer is clear when one considers the influence of the Fraternity in society. Certainly if the percentage of membership is high, the Fraternity is well known by the general populace. If six to seven percent of American men were Freemasons today, that would mean more than eight million members. Such a membership would begin to “self-perpetuate” as younger men influence their friends and family members to belong. During the 40s, 50s and early 60s, we had little membership recruitment issues. If 8,000,000, or seven percent of the projected population, were Masons, the need for media membership efforts would melt away Today, only 1.2% of American men are Freemasons. People see the Fraternity as quaint, a remnant of a bygone age. The dynamic community building and making men better organization that Freemasons promote as the raison d’être of the Brotherhood is difficult to promote when numbers of members continue to shrink. Many advocates of a smaller Fraternity argue that it is not meant for all and is really designed for professionals and businessmen. They say a few good men can leave a greater impact than large uncommitted members. They would say the answer to our diminishing influence lies in training or mentoring the brothers. To use the military analogy, they see the Fraternity like the US Marines – effective when it is lean and mean. The solution to the membership decline requires unified action. If current rates of decline go unattended, by 2025, just ten years away, the Fraternity in the U.S will have less than one million members. It is unlikely that significant numbers of men, no matter their socioeconomic status, will seek membership in an organizations whose numbers are shrinking to insignificance. A cursory look at the status of the Odd Fellows of today may be instructive for Freemasonry. Once

more numerous than the Freemasons, today the Odd Fellows in the U.S. number 200,000 members. Smaller numbers do not equate to greater quality of members. In 1960, Masonic lodge lines were more full, York Rite bodies flourished, Masonic youth groups were never larger, and Shrine Bands marched down the streets and did not ride because legs were too old. Thus, within greater numbers was greater quality. The smaller numbers of today cannot support the organizational structure of thirty years ago. Therefore, in ten years as the number of lodges shrink, the York Rite may face near extinction, and the Shrine will increasingly face the contentious argument to initiate non-Masons. Despite the many efforts to mentor new members, to create more traditional lodges, and to sponsor other innovative efforts, the answer will forever be new members and more numbers. If we do not address the need for new members, we will shrink to insignificance by the middle of this century. Let’s look at the U.S. Marines who proclaim themselves lean and mean and looking for a few good men. The need for more numbers was apparent even the Marines drafted in World War II. They had to train the draftees and make them Marines with the same motivation as the enlistees. They succeeded; as many of those draftees, along with enlistees, stormed the beaches at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Similarly, a major influx of new members would require mentoring or training in how to be a Freemason, and veteran Freemasons would provide that guidance or training. The viability of the Fraternity requires quantity from which we will select those whom we will make “better men.” To do so may require an examination of process and procedures in as much as for the past thirty or forty years we have been in declining numbers; and for today’s Freemasons, that is the norm. The new normal requires a half-century of “look back” to see how our grandfathers managed membership gains. Therefore, it may not be just looking for a few or many good men, it may also mean we must learn by going back to the future. We know that the new members of today are telling us that they want the complete Masonic experience. Many want a more focused educational experience in the esoteric and philosophic meaning of the craft, its history and contribution to making the world a better place. If Masons agree that the Fraternity needs to rebuild, then we need to know the following: 1. What programs or efforts seem to work? 2. When will we know that our efforts are successful? 3. What structural or procedural changes will make the fraternity successful into the mid-twenty-first century? In the next issue, we will look at some efforts being taken by American Grand Lodges to arrest membership declines and renew interest in becoming a Freemason. The Fraternity will always need more than a few good men. SOURCES: National World War II Museum website: www.NationalWWIIMuseum.org www.Leatherneck.com Forum by Robert Mitcher, January 30, 2009 Pacific War Online Encyclopedia: “Conscription” WW II, www.pwencycl.kgbudge.com Hell to Pay: Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan, 1945-1947, Robert Giangreco, 2009. U.S. Census CIA World Factbook, June 30, 2015. Masonic Service Association of N.A. 2012. Masonic Membership Since 1924. FALL 2015 • 29

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IN PRINT

Book Reviews: Current Taking Issue: An Anthology of Commentaries about the Practice and State of Freemasonry in North America by John Bizzack Taking Issue is a collection of essays collected from the commentaries by John Bizzack in the online web magazine The Craftsman, located at http://www.thecraftsman.org. The author has selected the most popular commentaries to include into the volume, and that content is no longer available on the website. Assembled together, the book is very readable and accessible and does not feel like a disjointed collection of various writings by a single author that were originally published elsewhere; rather, the progression of ideas takes the form of a manifesto for the author’s vision of the future of Freemasonry. “Commentaries,” Bizzack writes in his introduction, “can often serve to validate what we have thought or are thinking.” He concludes that commentaries “cause us to think beyond what we sometimes just accept at face value without proper analysis” (page 3). Every chapter takes an “issue” or idea and expands upon the concept, sometimes offering historical or sociological background. The best chapter, titled “When You Hear Hoof Beats What Do You Think?”, which focuses upon “Hidden Hand that Shaped History” theories regarding Freemasonry, discusses the idea succinctly and with humor, and takes advantage of full-color photographs in making its point. The content and ideas of the book, for the most part, are not particularly novel to most of the readers of The Journal of the Masonic Society; they are written from a perspective that champions Masonic education and a traditional and traditionalist observance ethos. Some of them have been previously published in this journal. Keeping this in mind, one could guess what the argumentation is going to be in most of the chapters, which are prefigured completely by the ethos. The chapter on the cost of dues is about raising dues. The chapter on formal dress argues a preference for formal dress. The chapter on leadership calls for a greater continuing emphasis on leadership development. While these concepts are not new, and have been argued in much more detail elsewhere, Taking Issue acts as a “CliffsNotes” clearinghouse for the primary Masonic subjects of the past decade. The book would likely be the basis of a good discussion group or for short talks in lodge.

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The undergirding argument made by Bizzack throughout Taking Issue is his perspective that Freemasonry is a “system.” Taking Issue is not a book about systems theory, but there is a chapter on the subject—the sixth, “The Systems Theory Applied to Freemasonry.” Unfortunately, the actual engagement with systems theory is fairly minimal, and the way he discusses it tastes like systems theory, but doesn’t really discuss systems theory as such, and even cites sources that have nothing to do with systems theory. Systems theory is a legitimate perspective of inquiry, and it is taught in many disciplines, from engineering to family counseling, but what Bizzack presents is a meditation on what it means to call Masonry “a peculiar system of morality.” In actuality, what he is discussing is Freemasonry as a system of thought, in the same sense that a theologian might speak of a systematic theology or a summa. It’s unclear to me what exactly he means by this term, which seems to be the most important subject of the book, and his use of the term often takes the form of rendering the concept of “system” as a kind of buzzspeak, and the return to the concept of a “system” is often predictable. I have no reason to doubt that Bizzack knows what systems thinking or theory is, but the lack of detail here, even in an entire chapter devoted to the subject, arises for me as a problematic theme throughout the text. So, what is this “system” which Bizzack discusses? We can be assured that Freemasonry is a system with many moving parts; when it breaks down “it may change into a system of a different type” (79). Freemasonry “is indeed a system, designed to be practiced as a system, not just the parts we find most easy or convenient” and “Freemasonry as it was intended to be will survive well into the future” (84). Freemasonry is a system, and it is systematic. But what is it? The closest we get to a descriptive definition arrives in the seventeenth chapter, but it’s a slippery one and hardly univocal. The meaning of Freemasonry “varies from Mason to Mason,” and there are many reasons for these variations. Bizzack observes: This may be, however, part of the brilliance of Masonry as a system—the malleable meanings allow men from all walks of life to consolidate their association with other men centered on uncomplicated core ideologies that can be interpreted in many different ways. As lodges proliferated around North America, the basic framework of this brilliant system survived, but was diluted as traditions vanished for the sake of expedience and protocols began to vary. The problem is that many generations have passed without practicing Freemasonry as an entire system. The whittled down parts of ritual, traditions, and practices produced a “pick and choose” style of Masonry, as if the Freemasonry were offered on some sort of menu as opposed [to] being required to be practiced as a complete system.

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Adding to this, Bizzack writes of the legend in which the Buddha “is said to have claimed there are 84,000 paths to enlightenment,” concluding, “Some Masons joke that he must have been correct since we see so many variations in the way Masonry is administered, managed and practiced in North American lodges” (105). In other words, the brilliance of Masonry, as a system, is in its wide diversity, a diversity even defined individually, but the individual choices, insofar as they do not measure to what Bizzack’s vision of what the future might be, are “pick and choose.” Freemasonry is, then, a system so long as the individual’s self-definitions of it are not too self-defining.

He further claims that because of political correctness, “Freemasonry has managed to excise most of the intellectual and philosophical qualities of the Craft, eroding not only its uniqueness,” but depleting its attractiveness of the lodge “of men who may well benefit from active membership” (82). Reading this, I know many who will hear a jab at “political correctness” and shake their heads with an “amen,” and the argument just flows from there, on the next page, of the solution, “the closest thing to practicing Freemasonry as a system” is, of course, “Traditional Freemasonry,” adding, “Freemasonry, as the system it was intended to be, has many moving parts, yet they are all connected, thus making it a system” (83).

I understand the point Bizzack is trying to make, that the future of Freemasonry isn’t to reinvent it, but rather to mine the past to recover the lost treasure. In fact, is not one primary Masonic myth the recovery of that which was lost? The impression left by Taking Issue is that there is a lost system that must be recovered. When discussing the buzzword “crisis of identity” (Chapter Five), Bizzack writes: “Traditionalism in Freemasonry carries no earmarks of an identity crisis whatsoever. Traditionalists do not suffer role confusion” (33). In a society that is “dumbed down” (Chapter Four), we can be assured that “part of [the] original intent” of Freemasonry is “the idea of seeking truth, knowledge, a deeper awareness of the world, and made up of many men who stressed emphasis on the arts and sciences” (27). The small number of Masons who seek out genuine wisdom are those—one might at this point guess—who do “practice Masonry as a complete system” and will not “choose to settle for less than adherence to the systemic Freemasonry model” (30).

To this end, I would suggest that the opposite is actually true. Freemasonry’s most historic moves and dynamic contributions to society have been when Freemasonry was the opposite of being politically correct—and we should recognize that most of these moments have been long in the past. Over the recent decades of decline and stagnation of which Bizzack focuses his critique, the moments when Freemasonry has succumbed to “political correctness” have been sparse: too sparse. Rather, the social function of reifying the comfort of the middle class, the Protestant work ethic, and our still racially segregated and separated traditions has shown over and over again Freemasonry’s inability to define and transform culture. Freemasonry that is socially engaged is “the style that acquiesces to societal change,” he writes, “and slowly diminishes the exceptionalism offered by the institution” (120). Bizzack can talk about quality and not quantity in terms of numbers and the mistake of socially engaged Freemasonry; I ask here the question of cultural relevance. Again, the reactionary nature of the progression of arguments in Taking Issue, I believe, is counterproductive to the good points that he has.

How raising dues, wearing more formal dress, and so on, exactly do this is never really addressed. Sure, dressing up makes people take what they’re doing more seriously, and requiring a financial commitment makes people financially invested; this is common sense, and the kind of common sense that is the value of Taking Issue. Bizzack will acknowledge that genuine Masons can, and should, “tolerate” those who don’t live up to the dress code and other standards (30), but never is there anything offered specifically in terms of how the seven liberal arts are elevated by dress codes, or Masonic traditions of demanding political justice facilitated by perfected ritual. I don’t take issue with what Bizzack is necessarily saying about traditional practices of Freemasonry, but the way in which he argues it carries a consistent subtext involving this vague sense of “system” and a necessary return to the past. The argument discloses some truths about itself at a few turns in Taking Sides as a reactionary argument fueled by buzzwords. In Chapter 13, Bizzack writes: We live today in a society dominated by the concept of political correctness stressing the attitude that everyone should have the same as everyone else regardless of ability, initiative, or work ethic. We have watched as Freemasonry slowly bought into that idea, which has consequently shattered much of the quality of the Craft, thus the public perception and the ability of the fraternity to positively influence the continued evolution of society.

In the Chapter Twenty-four, Bizzack discusses what a “reasonable” curricula would look like for Masonic knowledge to be taught and practiced. Some of these are my terms to simplify Bizzack’s ideas: ritual, history, polity, charity, apologetics, ethics and dogma (155-6). Although Bizzack doesn’t name it as such, this does point toward a sense of a “system” of Freemasonry, at least in terms of knowledge areas. But what I think he means by “system” is that Freemasonry becomes the fundamental ordering principle of one’s life, or the supreme moral code, or string of codes, which organizes or mandates all others. Rather than a summa, which explains all things, a Masonic system systematizes morality. As “systematic,” another term used in Taking Issue, there is no indication that a metaphysics is offered. Epistemology and morality are hinted, but again, they’re never formally defined. “The ethics and dogma represent,” he writes, “a Masonic system,” adding that how the virtues of morality “are encouraged to be integrated into our personal lives is imperative” (155). On one level, here we find a definition of the system, but they are principles that are self-defined and situational. There is nothing wrong with situational or principalistic ethics, but what does it mean to be a “system”? An all-encompassing philosophy that exceeds religion? A religion? An organizing method to one’s religion? A philosophy, albeit one without a metaphysics? While Masonic authors of the past have used terminology like “dogma,” we should be careful to know what these terms really indicate. FALL 2015 • 31

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Could it just be that Bizzack is using the wrong word? Or that I am bringing in outside baggage to impose on this sense of “system”? Freemasonry, I believe, is too important to organize or define using buzzwords that aren’t particularly helpful, and Taking Issue’s solution would be satisfying for those who already agree with him or have an affinity for believing the best days of Freemasonry are in the past; we need to stylistically or aesthetically emulate the appearance of perceived glory days. I am left longing for an actual paradigm shift, rather than a relabeling in the hope of change. Reviewed by Christopher D. Rodkey Autumn House/CreateSpace (2015), 174 pages Paperback, US$36.50 Masonic Perspectives: The Thoughts of a Grand Secretary by Thomas W. Jackson Masonic Perspectives is a new title from Plumbstone Publishing. Its author, Thomas Jackson, is the past grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania (1979-1999) and past executive secretary of the World Conference of Regular Masonic Grand Lodges (1998-2014). Masonic Perspectives is a collection of forty-four short essays, previously published in The Pennsylvania Freemason (the bulletin of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania), from May 1988 until the author’s retirement in 1999. A common thread that winds through most of the essays is the concept of brotherhood, or more specifically that Freemasonry is “a Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God.” Jackson romantically but convincingly describes the positive influence Freemasonry has had on the development of America and the world, and the value it has for the future of humanity. The essays are presented in chronological order, and although Jackson provides a very positive outlook throughout, later essays take on a slightly hard edge when projecting the future of American Freemasonry. Masonic Perspectives is a small book that can be read in an afternoon or two or three evenings. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read and very inspirational, and a book I most readily recommend. I look forward to seeing more of Jackson’s writings collected in book form. Other books available from Plumbstone Publishing and worth considering include Sing the Art Divine: A Traditional Masonic

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Songster, by Nathan St. Pierre and Shawn Eyer; Ahiman: A Review of Masonic Culture and Tradition, edited by Shawn Eyer; The Meaning of Masonry: Revised and Expanded Edition, by W. L. Wilmshurst; and The Masonic Initiation: Revised and Expanded Edition, by W. L. Wilmshurst. Reviewed by Bo Cline Plumbstone (2015), 113 pages Paperback US$14.95, Kindle US$9.97 The Working Tools of Leadership: Applying the Teachings of Freemasonry by Michael J. Kurcab This book is a concise and relatively comprehensive manual on basic leadership skills. It uses the working tools of the three degrees of symbolic Masonry to illustrate sound leadership principles. Symbols help us remember things and more importantly, to remember to act in certain ways.The application of the principles set forth in this book are not limited to lodge leadership but are equally and perhaps even more suited to other interpersonal relationships at work and in the home. The author uses many examples from all three settings to ensure that the reader truly understands both the principles and their applications. The principles set forth in this little book are sound and have been proven to work. At the end of the narrative, a journal or log is provided for each principle in order to assist the reader in developing good habits of behavior that should greatly enhance his or her effectiveness in leading groups to successfully accomplish, as a team, almost any sort of task. This small book contains a clear, concise, and well communicated tutorial of how to become an effective leader and should lead the aspiring leader to a more in-depth study of the art of leadership Reviewed by John L. Palmer Liberty Rose Publishing (2014), 142 pages Paperback US$16.99

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Book Reviews: Classic Ernst and Falk by G. E. Lessing

“The mystery of Freemasonry, as I have already told you, is that which the Freemason cannot bring to his lips, even if it were possible that he should wish to do so.” Lessing’s romancing of Freemasonry drew ire from within the lodge, but is today one of his better-known works because of its connection to Freemasonry, though there are few secondary texts on the subject. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781) was a German philosopher, playwright, poet, and critic whose work is today read by Continental philosophers as part of a larger trajectory of German Enlightenment and idealist thought. This trajectory culminates into later and better known figures Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche—who, of course, impacted twentiethcentury theology more than many would like to admit. Ernst and Falk, sometimes published in English as Lessing’s Masonic Dialogues, is a five-dialogue sequence written between 1778 and 1780 in Lessing’s typical style as a playwright, and it is a little reminiscent of the use of Socrates’s character in Plato’s texts. The underlying thrust of the dialogues, which do not have a structure that seems to warrant much importance, is that if Freemasonry took Freemasonry seriously, Freemasonry would change the world in profound ways yet unrealized by the great Western religions. In the dialogues, characters Ernst and Falk converse and quickly turn to the subject of Freemasonry. Falk corrects Ernst’s conception that Freemasonry is not serious, and Ernst eventually joins a lodge. But he does not understand the ritual, philosophy, or the point of Freemasonry, and Falk keeps luring him deeper into the inner core of Masonic philosophy and its connections with a variety of subjects from Templary to America. The dialogue concludes with a hint that the conversation continues, though it is not reported. As a work of the German Enlightenment, Ernst und Falk should be considered within Lessing’s larger corpus, especially his work Nathan the Wise (Nathan der Weise). Ernst und Falk is not written with the literary imagination of his better-known play, but reading the two together we can see what Lessing was doing, which is enacting Masonic principles to his larger German culture, with one role of Masonry the disruption of ethnic and religious tribalism and racism. The primary symbol of Nathan the Wise is a magical ring which guarantees favor to its owner. The father owning the ring promises it to each of his sons, but at his death there are three rings. In the debate over which ring is the true magical ring, Nathan the Wise admonishes the sons to consider that all of the rings are

replicas, and that that the original has been lost, and that the three rings are representative of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Although Nathan the Wise was written well after Lessing became a Freemason, and its literary origins are not Masonic, the text is usually regarded as a bold religious statement about Lessing’s own commitments against anti-Semitism, which was iconoclastic for his time. However, when read with Ernst and Falk, we can see that Nathan the Wise is an invocation of Masonic themes—the recovery of something that is lost and other themes—and that his text is more than a statement against anti-Semitism: it is a true vision for the unity of humanity. That vision is apocalyptic, but in German philosophical style, this utopia is accessible through the best of humanity. The play can be performed within a lodge or at another function, though some of its references might be obscure. At the same time, the experience of the initiate’s disappointment in trying to interpret his experiences is one that many of us can relate to, and we see it allegorized in the play. Perhaps a greater discussion to be had is whether religious tolerance is a practiced Masonic virtue or not; Lessing’s idealism might be paid good lip service, but tolerance and acceptance of, for example Muslims, within the lodge is not openly practiced. What if lodges became community resources for combating Islamophobia in our towns and cities: would that even be possible? Reviewed by Christopher D. Rodkey Available in English at http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/the_builder_1929_november.htm, http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/the_builder_1929_december.htm, http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/the_builder_1915_january.htm, and http://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/lessing_g/ernst_und_falk. html.

MEET THE REVIEWERS John R. “Bo” Cline is past president of the Masonic Society, a past grand master, twice past master of Matanuska Lodge 7 in Palmer, Alaska, and a member of various Masonic research groups. He is a staff reviewer for the Journal of the Masonic Society, with special interest in the study of Masonic history and symbology. John L. Palmer is past grand master of Masons in Tennessee, managing editor of Knight Templar magazine, and a staff reviewer for the Journal of the Masonic Society. Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Rodkey is a member of Mt. Lebanon Lodge No. 226, Lebanon, PA, and is pastor of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Dallastown, PA. He teaches at Penn State York. His most recent book is Too Good to Be True (Christian Alternative, 2014).

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

Masonic Treasures

The Jewel of the Grand Master of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar Possibly one of the rarest of Masonic treasures, this jewel is worn by the Grand Master of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America, of which there have only been 58 to date. Pictured here is the actual jewel, which is only worn during the Triennial Session, at all other occasions, a replica jewel is worn. Measuring an impressive four inches in length, the jewel is in the shape of the Triple Cross, the symbol of the Order. Cast in solid gold, with the illuminated shafts of the cross in purple enamel, it is approximately four inches in length and features a large diamond set in a golden starburst, encircled by a ring of smaller diamonds, and these surmounting a diamond encrusted escutcheon. When worn it is suspended from the neck by a purple cord. Beyond the considerable cost of this jewel in precious metal and diamonds, its unique character and history add a value that is incalculable.