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May 2010
Commerce Lodge No. 439 A. F. & A. M.
 The Commerce Lodge No. 439 A. F. & A. M. in Commerence, Texas |
Texas Masons - A Photo Contest For "Grand Moments In Texas"
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May 2010
Commerce Lodge No. 439 A. F. & A. M.
The Commerce Lodge No. 439 A. F. & A. M. in Commerence, Texas |
Texas Masons - A Photo Contest For "Grand Moments In Texas"
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This Small Town Texas Mason's E-Magazine is not affiliated with any state Grand Lodge or individual Blue Lodge. It was created to enlighten, educate and entertain Masons and non-Masons alike. As title suggests, each issue will feature a small town Texas Masonic Lodge and some Texas Masonic history or hero in each issue The beliefs, ideas and opinions expressed here are strictly those of the authors and not necessarily those of the editor, any individual Blue Lodge or any state Grand Lodge.
A very sincere effort was made to avoid using any copyrighted material, without permission or giving credit to the author, in the creation of this web site. If you discover something that is yours, without giving you due credit, please let me know and due credit will be given or the item will be replaced.
Any material in this site may be used to increase the understanding of Freemasonry.
Story tools: |
Commerce Lodge No. 439 A. F. & A. M.
Texas Masonic History - Samuel May Williams
The Secret Society Series - The Fifth of Six
Sydney's Masonic Secrets Revealed
The Birth of Free-Masonry; the Creation of a Myth Part 4 of 6
The Genesis of Freemasonry - Freemasonry Conspiracy Theories Debunked
Civil War; Readers Write (Rural Lodge Newsletter)
The Really Great Masonic Educational Web Sites Series
Group Offers Local Men A Unique Social Network
The Simpsons" and the Freemasons
Building Freemasonry in the 21st Century
Masonry's Invisibility, and the Unfilled Hunger for Light.
Thoughts From Raymond SJ Daniels, Grand Master of Ontario.
Mt. Olive Lodge Has Served As Cornerstone For Rural Community.
Scotland: Masonic Lodge Is 100 Years Old.
The Internet – A Blessing and a Curse to Freemasonry..
A Look Inside A Freemasonry Lodge.
Freemasons Still Shrouded In Myth, Conspiracy Theories.
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Background info. A brother in WV was publicly humiliated in his own lodge by the then Grand Master, in conduct by the GM which is unbecoming a Mason. That brother was expelled from the WV grand jurisdiction.
This brother moved to Ohio where he was examined and made a Mason. He was voted in unanimously, and the GM of Ohio, MW Terry Posey, posted that information on his blog. The GL of WV then made itself even more of a pariah by withdrawing its recognition of the GL of Ohio.
The brother who was humiliated and expelled was a Past GM of WV. Both blogsites have been recommended in these pages before:
Chris Hodapp
MW Terry Posey had an interesting blog site even before this imbroglio started, and was recommended in these pages. The reflections are informative, generally discussing the GM's progress. Although it is ex cathedra, it cannot be regarded as an official website.
From Chris Hodapp's blog 22 April 2010:
PGM Frank Haas Initiated, Passed and Raised In Ohio
The following was posted on the official Grand Master of Ohio's blogsite last night.
He moved to Ohio last year. After that, he petitioned Steubenville Lodge # 45 for the degrees of Freemasonry.
I thoroughly researched the Code of the Grand Lodge of Ohio and there is nothing to prevent his receiving these degrees. Inasmuch as he is an Ohio resident, the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Ohio confers jurisdiction over his membership to the Grand Lodge of Ohio and the lodge's membership.
He made a full disclosure of the Notice of Expulsion by the Past Grand Master of West Virginia and answered all questions presented to him by the Lodge's Committee of Investigation. The Lodge did the necessary background work, including a home visit. They were assured that he was a good man and true, and he met all requirements, including residency for the requisite time, for membership. Steubenville Lodge # 45 gave a unanimous ballot approving his membership.
On April 17, he received the three degrees of Freemasonry in Steubenville Lodge.
Recaps of the expulsion of Past Grand Master Haas in 2007 and the subsequent actions can be found at The Freemasonry For Dummies Blogspot.
21 April 2010
Grand Lodge of West Virginia Withdraws Recognition of Ohio
This was posted today on the Grand Lodge of Ohio's website:
The Grand Master of West Virginia, Gregory A. Riley, Sr., issued an edict on April 19, 2010 withdrawing fraternalrecognition from the Grand Lodge of Ohio because Steubenville Lodge No. 45 elected Frank Haas to membershipand conferred the three degrees of Masonry on him on Saturday, April 17, 2010.
There is no information on the Grand Lodge of West Virginia AF&AM website, which has not been updated, apart from the Grand Master's name, in at least four years.
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From The Mille Lac Messenger
Temps were below zero at 6 a.m. on Saturday as the contestents lit their cookers and got ready for the day, but when the sun came up, temperatures followed and there was a lot of good food to be tasted. Last year's winner, Dave Covington said the cold made it easier to stop the cooking immediately when he was searing his meat on a Weber before putting it in his smoker. Dave Swenson and Wally Rich from Luck Wisconsin competed as the team, “Nothing Butt Smoke. ” They only use an all natural lump charcoal and flavoring woods for their barbecue. They are careful not to contaminate the flavor with additives from briquette charcoal. Last year at Fire on Ice they competed for the first time. Brandon Cruz and Walter Wesley came from Wharton Texas at the invitation of the “Bones Brothers,” Chris Collette and Kirby Olson from Anoka. The Bones Brothers are the only registered Kansas City Barbecue Society registered, Masonic-sponsored team on the barbecue circut. Olson, Collette and Cruz are Masons and heard about each other's barbecue feats through the Masonic Lodge. “It started as a Facebook joke,” David Broman, a lodge brother of Cruz said. The Texans invited the Minnesota team to Texas last summer, and after cooking in 106 degree temperatures in Texas, they invited Cruz to the Fire on Ice contest in Minnesota. Some members of the Anoka Lodge came to cheer their brothers on in the contest. The two teams shared a tent for preparing their meat for the judges and encouraged each other's efforts. In the end, Don Bickford of Ham Lake, Todd Krynski and Mark Burgess of Effingham Ill. took first place honors as “Loose Stool Barbecue” team.
In addition they took home two trophies for fifth place in pork loin and ribs, seventh place in chicken and 10th place in tri tip. After the event, leftover meat is served with Buzzie's side dishes to all who want to eat. Proceeds of the meal go to the Isle Food Shelf.
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SAMUEL MAY WILLIAMS Texas Pioneer, Businessman, and Freemason
His education was in Providence, R.I., and at the age of 15 he became an apprentice to his uncle, Nathaniel F. Williams, a Baltimore commission merchant. This apprenticeship afforded him the opportunity to travel, and soon he journeyed to Buenos Aires. It was here that he mastered the Spanish language and Latin American business practice. Upon his return to the United States, he settled in New Orleans. In 1822, using an assumed name, E. Eccleston, Sam Williams went to Texas. It is unclear why he used the assumed name; some say it was because of a business deal gone bad; others say it was to escape creditors; and some say it was because of a woman – but whatever the case, Sam Williams set forth and became one of Stephen F. Austin's original "300" settlers. A year later, Samuel May Williams resumed his true identity, and became Stephen F. Austin's translator and secretary. For the next thirteen years, Williams was Austin's lieutenant; he wrote deeds, kept records, and directed colonial activities during Austin's absences. In 1826, Sam Williams was named postmaster of San Felipe and was appointed revenue collector and dispenser of stamped paper by the state of Coahuila, Mexico. For these services he received eleven leagues (49,000 acres) of land which he selected on strategic waterways including Oyster Creek and Buffalo Bayou. In 1833, Sam Williams entered into a partnership with Thomas F. McKinney and formed McKinney and Williams, a mercantile company, and they soon dominated the Brazos cotton trade. Williams and Texas Independence When Texas declared independence from Mexico, the firm of McKinney and Williams used its credit in the United States to purchase arms and raise funds for Texas. As the company relied heavily on maritime commerce, both McKinney and Williams were strong supporters of a Navy for Texas. They were successful in obtaining letters of Marque and Reprisal from the newly formed Texas government (letters granting them permission to act as warships for the Texas government), and they set about immediately to arm some of their existing fleet. Sam Williams traveled to Washington DC to negotiate with the US government for a loan to allow the Republic of Texas to buy warships, and McKinney became the captain of his firm's retrofitted sailing ship "San Felipe". When Stephen F. Austin was released from Mexican prison, McKinney was dispatched to transport Austin, by sea, back to Texas. At the end of the voyage and as they approached the Texas shore, the San Felipe encountered the Mexican warship "Correo", which was attempting to capture a US merchant ship that was unloading lumber at McKinney and William's dock! McKinney was hesitant to attack the Mexican ship with Stephen F. Austin on board his ship, so Austin was put on a smaller boat and taken to shore. The San Felipe then attempted to attack the Correo. Both ships were sailing vessels and relied upon the wind for power, and the wind that day was such that neither ship could gain an advantage. They spent the rest of the day (for lack of a better way of saying it) taking pot shots at each other. The wind was no better the next morning, so one of McKinney and William's steamships, using the load of lumber from the US vessel as fuel, steamed out to the San Felipe and towed her over to an ideal attack location, and the Correo surrendered! The ship was seized and the men on board taken prisoner. McKinney was sure that the United States would try them for piracy, as they had attacked a US merchantman. The United States, however, refused to do so. When Sam Williams learned that the United States had refused to hear the case against the men of the Correo, he decided that it was time to stop negotiating for a loan to buy warships, and take positive action. He purchased the newly built "Invincible" using his own credit, and this ship became the flagship of the Texas Navy. Sam Williams thus became know as the "Father of the Texas Navy." Before the revolution was over, McKinney and Williams invested nearly $100,000 (in 1836 US dollars) in the cause of the Republic of Texas. Samuel Williams and the Republic of Texas As an investor in the Galveston City Company, Sam Williams aided in developing the city by helping to construct the Tremont Hotel as well as the commission house and wharf. In 1842, Henry Howell Williams assumed his brother's interest in the firm, which became H. H. Williams and Company, and Sam Williams concentrated on banking. Under William's leadership, the Galveston Commission house received special permission from the Texas Congress to found a bank to issue and circulate paper money as an aid to commerce. Sam Williams later ran for the United States Congress in 1846, but was unsuccessful. In 1848, Williams activated a charter he received in 1835, obtained from Coahuila and Texas and approved by the Republic of Texas in 1836, to open the Commercial and Agricultural Bank of Galveston, which also printed its own money. This venture was eventually closed because of unpopular sentiment about banking that prevailed during that time. Samuel Williams and Masonry
Although Williams is not listed as one of the original members of the Grand Lodge of Texas, it was very soon after this body's founding that he became a member. That he was not one of the original members is curious, given his history with Austin and his early work to bring Masonry to Texas. He was active in Grand Lodge, however, and served as the Grand Master of Masons in Texas in 1840. Later Life
Sam Williams lived quietly with his wife, Sarah Patterson Scott, on a country estate west of the city of Galveston. He died September 13, 1858, and was buried with a Knight Templar ceremony. He was survived by his wife and four of his nine children.
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Morristown Freemasons Offer Glimpse of Secretive Society
BY Rob Jennings • Staff Writer
By 2 p.m., only about a dozen visitors had ventured into the building, home of Cincinnati Lodge No. 3 since 1938. Masonic lodges throughout New Jersey opened their doors to the public Saturday for "Square and Compassses Day,'' a longtime, semi-annual tradition whose name derives from Masonic symbols, said member Alex Gillespie. Gillespie said the square represents "squaring one's actions with virtue and morality,'' and the compass denotes "circumscribing your passions within due boundaries.'' '
Phil Caliolio, whose title is "worshipful master,'' maintained that interest in the Masons has heightened in recent years, in part due to references in movies such as "The da Vinci Code'' and "National Treasure.' Back in the old days, it was pretty much secret,'' he said.
The open house in Morristown was aimed at providing at least an overview of the still-mysterious organization. Thirteen signers of the U.S. Constitution and 14 U.S. presidents, the last being ,
The goal of Saturday's outreach, Gillespie added, was not necessarily boosting declining membership but raising awareness. "Masonry in general is not as large as it was 20 years ago, but frankly that's good. Our quality is up,'' he said. Before initiating a new member, Masons proceed with diligence, he explained. "You wouldn't want someone who is right-handed to join a left-handed organization,'' he said.
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Source: Central Sydney – Where I live BY ROBERT BURTON-BRADLEY
Following a resurgence of interest in the society after Dan Brown’s novel The Symbol focused on the organisation, the Freemasons have produced a book about the society in Australia called, It’s No Secret – Real Men Do Wear Aprons by Peter Lazar. It is the first to identify notable Australians as Freemasons, the first to include quotations from the ancient Masonic rituals still in use and the first to show Masonic “Tracing Boards”, which are at the heart of Masonic teaching. Masons trace their origins back to the time of King Solomon and the stone masons who built his temple. Famous Australian Masons include Matthew Flinders, Robert Menzies and Don Bradman. There are more than 200 lodges in NSW, including the Grand Lodge at the corner of Goulburn and Castlereagh Sts – home to an extensive museum collection open to the public on weekdays. Few are allowed into the inner chambers. Almost every family has a connection with the Masons according to the society. Most have a dad, or an uncle, or a grandfather who went off to a lodge – without ever saying what happened there.
Masons believe in a higher power, but one that could derive from any number of faiths and Masonic altars contain a number of holy texts including the Bible, the Koran and the Torah.
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Reprinted From The Rural Lodge Newsletter
This study is concerned with the age of our society.
It is not an attempt to make it seem older than it is,
for an unquestionably great history does not need to be given an artificial patina.
Eric Ward, Ars Quatuor Coronatorum vol. 91 (for 1978) pp. 77-86 ISBN: 0 9502001 6 6. FREE FREEMASONS The preceding contentions should have made unnecessary any consideration of the seemingly endless other interpretations of the word free such as are found in masonic literature. However, there is one dear to many writers which keeps recurring, namely the freedom of a town, gild or company. An apprentice to any trade centred upon a town would, on completion of his training, be approved by the craft body to which he belonged. Such approval, accompanied by some formalities, qualified him to practise his craft without hindrance from within. He was then free from the tedium of apprenticeship and free to work as a skilled craftsman, but to secure protection of his business from outsiders it was necessary to obtain the Freedom of the town. In all these variations in meaning of the term free, none was used as a prefix to a trade description denoting a man's craft and in the building trade a freestone mason, i.e. a freemason was already so-called before becoming a Freeman of his town. Therefore to be awarded the Freedom contributed nothing to the derivation of free in freemason. Municipal records throughout the country contain countless examples supporting this simple fact, as is demonstrated by the following typical extracts from the Burgess Books of Bristol:
7 Aug 1713 'William Chatterton junior ffreemason admitted into the liberties of this city for that he was the son and apprentice
of William Chatterton . . .'
Newsletter Editor: Note the ff as an initial letter in 18th century MSS merely means 'capital F', so The freemasons in the two examples are frequently mentioned in contemporary building records and are noted for their work in freestone. Chatterton belonged to a family which, for generations, had been employed on the fabric of St. Mary Redcliff Church. OPERATIVES AND NON-OPERATIVES In the previous sections and in historical literature generally references are made to nonoperative masons as the opposite numbers of operatives, but such an apparently obvious distinction is not, strictly speaking, always adequate. All are familiar with the expression 'we are not operative, but free and accepted or speculative masons,' and cumbersome as it may be this phrase indicates a subtle and not so obvious difference. It is a commonplace that from the earliest recorded times medieval trade organizations customarily elected as members prominent persons not directly interested in their trading or working activities. We have no evidence of English stonemason bodies ever doing so but Scottish mason lodges are on record from 1634 of having such members. It is however of historic importance that, despite the influx of these non-operatives, the Scottish lodges without exception remained operative in character and customs until well into the 18th century. This is true even of the lodge at Haughfoot, originally composed entirely of non-operatives but later supplemented by men of the trade. The customs of this lodge do not appear to have differed from those of other decidedly craft lodges in the vicinity. The non-operatives in Scotland evidently had no authority materially to alter trade customs and we know of no instance of such changes.
In England an entirely different and unprecedented situation developed in the 17th century when lodges began to appear which from their inception were independent of the mason trade. Because of this autonomy, which included independence as between lodges, the members were not inhibited from making changes in rites and customs as they thought fit. These lodges being the prototypes from which Free-masonry took shape, the term non-operative if applied to the membership infers the existence of operative members. This is misleading because the trades or professions of members of this kind of lodge were immaterial and a better description is still accepted or adopted masons as was current at the time. Thus, the difference between self-governing English lodges of accepted or adopted masons, independent of the trade of building, and the essentially operative Scottish lodges, using standardized formalities which their correctly termed non-operative members had no power to change, is historically significant. Furthermore, it provides a key to the explanation why early English lodges borrowed, assimilated and developed so much ritual matter patently of Scottish origin. THE REVIVAL? Attention has already been drawn to several early commentators who, in distinguishing between operative and nonoperative masonry, evidently recognized these two very different entities as coexisting at the time when they wrote. To carry this recognition to a logical conclusion, the emergence of Free and Accepted masonry when the building trade was still flourishing should have indicated the need for a history of its own as an independent growth. Those who gave thought to the matter must have been faced with two problems, the more urgent and difficult being to find evidence of what we call the speculative element as a feature of medieval masonry. The second problem, which followed from the first, was that, if such a speculative element had existed among working freemasons for so long, why did they allow so valuable an adjunct to their trade to fall into disuse and, by the 18th century, let it be taken over entirely by nonprofessionals ? There was a way of reconciling these two problems, albeit at the expense of admitting that non-operative masonry had a discontinuous history and this was achieved by calling the events of c. 1717 the 'Revival'. To exponents of this theory, revival meant bringing back to life a Free-Masonry which had become moribund when the golden age of Gothic architecture declined and was for the time being superseded by another very different style. We can here only briefly consider how the theory came about.
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Continued From Page VII
Anderson, obsessed as he was by a style which as he put it was recovered from the 'ruins of Gothic ignorance', could hardly
have argued simultaneously on behalf of a revival of the Free-Masonry which he regarded as associated with the latter.
All these circumstances, together with the conspicuous absence of documentary
evidence of operative mason bodies approximating in character to the nonoperative
English lodges of the 17th and early 18th centuries, led to the theory that
the event of 1717 was a revival of a movement whose heyday was in the Gothic era
when the building of great thin-walled structures unquestionably demanded both
design and manual skills of a very high order.
With the decline of Gothic architecture, so it was said, 'no more churches built; the builders die out' (Gould AQC 3, p. ii). Lionel Vibert (reprinted in AQC 85, p. ii, etc.) started his paper 'Freemasonry . . . before Grand Lodges' with '. . . when the revived
Freemasonry of London and Westminster' and thereafter pursued the notion that, resulting from the decline, the operative secrets known to the builders were lost to their successors. This paper of Vibert's is a remarkably plausible mixture of fact and imagination and is quoted only as an example of a widespread belief that once existed to explain away absence of data to demonstrate continuity between the mason craft of the middle ages and free and accepted masonry of the early 18th century.
Now it is true that several examples of the original Gothic Constitutions have survived and Anderson's incorporation of a digested
form of these documents in the 1723 Constitutions gave the appearance of a direct link. But the fact of stating that
very few lodges were in existence in the London of the early 1700s despite the feverish activity in the building trade following
the Great Fire needed explanation.
To those who believed that the fraternity c. 1723 was destined to preserve unto the mysteries prevalent in former times, the
absence of operative lodges as organized entities in the South of England in the 18th century seemed inevitably to point to
revival. Out of this belief there emerged the further assumption that the lodges used by medieval masons and those of the
non-operatives served much the same philosophic and esoteric purposes or, at least, that there was enough in common to
equate them.
But if we take 'revive' to mean assuming fresh life or vigour after nearly dying, we have to consider why the freemason's craft
was thought to have passed through such a traumatic experience. In fact it did not, for building in stone continued with as
much vigour in the 17th and 18th centuries as in earlier periods. Furthermore, some modern scholars (e.g. H M Colvin, A Biographical
Dictionary of English Architects 1640-1840) maintain that the sixty years between 1666 and 1720 constituted one
of the finest eras of English architectural craftsmanship. Realization that this was a conspicuous fact probably led to the view
that the Reformation and consequent reduction in church building caused the decline of Gothic architecture and with it a loss of secrets in that art.
There is no evidence of any such loss resulting from the Reformation and indeed the Gothic style was itself revived in the
19th century without any insuperable difficulties being encountered. Undoubtedly, we now know far more about building
techniques than the medieval mason even dreamed of.
However, the fatal weakness of the revival theory is that not only does it by definition destroy any claims to continuity but
requires a great deal more information than has ever been discovered to show clearly what it was that was being revived.
The prime purpose of this section of my paper has been to demolish a commonly-held belief in a revival of Freemasonry
from Gothic times, something that was lost but found again. Although such a belief rests upon the flimsiest of foundations,
there was nevertheless a form of revival much more limited, quite different in character and unquestionably true.
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 Freemasonry Has No Dogma Or Sacraments. By Very Worshipful Bro. Don Paterson
Every two or three years for over 50 years when I returned to Melbourne after periods interstate or overseas it was so pleasant for us to meet with our wives. One had been a friend since we were together in 2nd Grade, I had met my wife at his home and he had been my Best Man. One of the wives was my wife’s best friend since schooldays. Five of us had become Freemasons quite independently, but only I remain affiliated. Our conversations would re-commence where we had left off. But our recent meetings have become strained. It would be cynical to say that “God had got them” because the problem has resulted from a church that they all now attend together. Their God is not the one I know. Their preacher has persuaded them that Freemasonry is one of the great evils of the world, satanic in nature. You might ask how this churches’ view has changed in the last 20 years? I do.
I have searched the volume of literature on the Internet for an explanation. Every word of the Craft ritual has been perused and invariably subject to adverse criticism. I would not attempt to respond to each comment. However, it seems that these are the main areas of criticism:
· That masons are sinful by not referring to Jesus by name (referring to the use of the name “Great Architect of the Universe”)
· By accepting the relevance of all religions with a Supreme Being masons are detracting from the only true church (theirs!).
· Taking an obligation is sinful.
· There should be no secrets that cannot be revealed to your Confessor.
But how should one try to explain all this to a zealot, one who is prejudiced or feels some threat from Freemasonry that offers a brotherhood to all good and God believing men? Let us then look at the credibility of some of our accusers who condemn a Fraternity whose sole objective is "brotherly love, relief and truth". Clearly this does not apply to all but we have seen behaviour that cost a Governor General his commission. Some we know would make a Madam blush and sadly too many children cry. Freemasons, elders of a church, have been denied a church funeral but such a service has been given even recently to those who have erred in a way which would offend religious standards. It seems hard to believe that there are principles behind the criticisms, but just prejudice and self interest. Ignore them and suffer some religious isolation.
I have found that in the long run nobody prospers simply by criticizing others. Churches used to be one of the main providers of welfare, education and healthcare and well as providing spiritual nourishment. It is time some focused on these ministries. | |
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From the National Heritage Museum
Our blog turns one year old this week, and we thought we'd harken back to our first post and return to the subject of Masonic impostors, by featuring another image from the Album of Masonic Impostors, published by the General Masonic Relief Association of the United States and Canada in 1903.
One of the main ways that they accomplished this was by publishing a warning circular that was distributed to relief boards in major cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. From there, the relief boards would pass on the information within their local jurisdiction. The goal of all this? To try to spread information about known frauds and impostors who were looking to bilk Masonic relief boards out of money. The Masonic Relief Association compiled physical descriptions, and sometimes photos, of known impostors into their circulars and sent the circulars to relief boards - hopefully in advance of the arrival of the Masonic impostors described within. Shown above is Patrick Logsdon, from the Album of Masonic Impostors. He is described as follows: Traveling showman, sleight-of-hand and song-and-dance man. Claims to have been a rough rider and wounded at San Juan Hill. Says he is a member of a Lodge in Lexington, Ky.
The Official Warning Circular (No. 503, September 1928 is shown here) was distributed by the Masonic Relief Association to the various masonic relief boards throughout the country. The hope was that by centralizing communication, word could spread faster than a Masonic impostor could travel. For example, if the relief board in Chicago discovered someone trying to defraud them, they could send a telegraph or place a telephone call to the Masonic Relief Association. The Association would include this information in the compilation of their four-page monthly circular - publishing names, descriptions, and sometimes photographs of known Masonic impostors who had been caught attempting to defraud local relief boards. The circular was mailed out to all the relief boards that belonged to the Association. By the time the Masonic impostor in Chicago made his way to Boston, the Boston relief board would already have seen his mug shot in the warning circular. (An aside: if you're interested in communication networks and how news travels, check out our post on the spread of the Lexington Alarm from last month.)
In addition to publishing newly reported impostors, the Official Warning Circular also republished old cases, reported missing persons, and gave a list of "Lost Receipts" - i.e. Masons who had lost their membership cards - cards which subsequently might have fallen into the hands of a current, or future, Masonic impostor, who might assume the name and identity from the membership card.
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I would have loved to be able to attend the lecture since military masonry is a passion of mine. Thank the Junior Grand Warden for
offering more information on a subject that is often overlooked.
Editor. This is the photo I selected to advertise the upcoming 8th Lodge Of Instruction presentation on Wednesday 7 April.
RW Herbert F Merrick, Jr. DDGM #2 District MWGL of Kansas |
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This Month - The British Columbia And Yukon Grand Lodge Web Site By Corky 
(Editor's Note - For this E-magazine and my Lodge newsletter I borrow many of the stories from a number of sites with permission of the editor or authors and give proper credit when known. Although I try to pick out some of the better stories and articles for Masonic news, education and even a little fun, some viewers would like to read more. For that reason I am introducing some of the better Masonic education and news sites with this series. - Corky) The "British Columbia And Yukon Grand Lodge" web site is one of the Masonic web sites that I used to find Masonic material when I first started writing Masonic newsletters back in 2000. So, I have been using the site for about 10 years and I still go back to it every so often. Although it is a Canadian Masonic Grand Lodge web site it has excellent library of Masonic essays and papers for researchers or just to enjoy reading.
On the Main page, (pictured above) click on the INDEX OF RESEARCH PAPERS link. On the index page (pictured on the left) ,you will find papers in eleven different catagories. Click on one of the four different links in the box on the left side of the page, ANTI-MASONRY. ARS QUATUOR CORONATORUM, SYMBOLISM INDEX and HISTORY PAPERS for many other papers. This box also also contains a link to the site's Search Engine to locate topics of interest, or you can also email requests for specific information to the Grand Lodge Librarian.
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"Regularity
Every autonomous Masonic body has its own tests of regularity, based on its perception of its own character. Thus, each Grand Lodge considers itself to be regular, and requires its constituents to abide by its criteria, whether clearly defined or not. Consequently, every Mason considers himself to be regular because he (or even she!) was 'regularly' initiated in a 'regularly' constituted lodge, chartered by his (or, indeed, her) Grand Lodge."
Within the closed system of the autonomous Grand Lodge, determination of regularity—or its converse, irregularity—is a relatively easy process, and entirely valid. Problems arise when the definition of 'regularity' of one autonomous body is applied to another autonomous body, because 'regularity' is a factor in determining whether Grand Lodge A should 'recognise' Grand Lodge B, and vice versa.
Recognition
If two autonomous Grand Lodges wish to establish and maintain a fraternal relationship with each other, it is customary for them to 'recognise' each other by formal treaty. This usually involves a comparison of the two systems, to determine if they meet each other's criteria for recognition. Each Grand Lodge has its own list of requirements which, in most cases, may be summarised as follows:
I think that Tony Pope's explanation is fairly clear, but if not, here's a real-world example: let's say you join the American Federation of The Order of International Co-Freemasonry (a.k.a. Le Droit Humain). You will consider yourself a legitimate Mason, the body which conferred degrees upon you considers itself perfectly legitimate, and you may know other men and women who consider themselves Masons and who will consider you a Mason. Yet there will be other Masonic bodies (e.g. any of the "mainstream" Grand Lodges in most U.S. states) that will not consider you a Mason. This is because there is no formal recognition between, say, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and The Order of International Co-Freemasonry. (Curious about who the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania does recognize? They maintain a list of Grand Lodges that they recognize on their website.)
So why do I bring up such a confusing subject? To educate, of course!
More to the point, I bring this all up to mention that our Library & Archives collects broadly about the world of Freemasonry. Because we are interested in giving researchers the ability to look at the history of Freemasonry and fraternalism in its entirety, our Library & Archives collects broadly in both Freemasonry and other fraternal groups (focusing especially on Freemasonry and fraternalism in the United States), so our collections contain publications by and about any number of different Masonic organizations. Some of these organizations admit just men, some both men and women, and some just women.
While we'll refer you to a particular Masonic body if you've got specific questions about whether one Masonic body recognizes another or considers them regular, we'd be happy to assist you with learning and conducting research on any aspect of Freemasonry - whether you consider it regular or irregular.
The photo above shows Worshipful Brother Mary Arlotte, Grand Sword Bearer. It's from the May 1933 edition of The Ray, a magazine published by The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons. (And, yes, members of this self-described "masonic fraternity of women in the U.K." do refer to each other as Brother, something that they address on their FAQ page.) This organization is not recognized by a lot of the "mainstream" Masonic bodies, and I include it as an example of something that might be surprising and eye-opening to folks who know little about the rather large world of Freemasonry in general. If you're curious about women and Freemasonry and you're in London, you might want to check out an exhibition called Women and Freemasonry: The Centenary, that's currently on view at the The Library and Museum of Freemasonry.
As for our collections, we have a single issue of The Ray: |
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By Grand Master Barry A. Rickman of S.C.
My Brethren,
First and foremost, the man asking should not receive a petition “unless you are convinced he will conform to our rules; that the honor, glory, and reputation of the Institution may be firmly established, and the world at large convinced of its good effects.” That is one of our first lessons learned as a Mason in the Charge of an Entered Apprentice. It is our duty to decide if he is worthy long before we ever give him a petition to our Lodge. I know of Masons who believe they must give a man a petition merely because he asks for one. The man must next find a second Mason who is a member of his Lodge of choice who knows him well and will also sign his petition. We should never be a second-signer unless we do indeed know the man. Hearing about him for the first time at the Secretary's desk is not knowing the man. If he is found worthy to receive a petition from the two of you, he must complete it in his own handwriting and present it to the Lodge. His name and information is then read in Open Lodge and he must be able to pass an investigation of a committee composed of three Master Masons. These Brethren are to check into the life and character of the man. Interviews are to be conducted with his employer and fellow employees, his family and neighbors along with anyone else who may be able to shed light on the prospective member. Once all this is complete, the committee must next agree the man would still be worthy to be called a Mason. If he is, it is on to the next step. The time has now arrived when the Lodge decides if he will join the Fraternity. His name is once more brought before the members and he must be approved at the ballot box by unanimous consent. Therefore, you see, one does not become a Mason simply by asking one. Much has to happen before that day may or in some cases may not come. Our Institution of Freemasonry could be at jeopardy. Our Lodges today have many members who do not contribute of themselves to the Fraternity. They may have influence within our membership, be a member of many Masonic organizations, come to all the meetings and be some of our best ritualists but they have no concept of what it is to be a Master Mason. It never occurs to them that their daily life, the window for the world, is being looked at by the public every day and that the Fraternity at large judged by their public dealings, associations, actions and language. These Brethren through no fault of their own were allowed to enter through the West Gate without being properly investigated and we are now suffering from this deplorable mistake. Our once brilliant luster is now faded. We must be jealous of our membership and hold it in highest regard. It must mean more to us than merely having a dues card in our pocket. We are members of an Honorable Institution. We have standards to live up to and obligations to keep and that is why “Our Focus is on Quality.” We have got to have quality with our candidates. Starting now, we must guard the entrance to Freemasonry much closer, which begins at the end of our hand. Be cautious to whom you give a petition, because the future but more especially the “honor, glory and reputation” of Freemasonry depends on it…one new member at a time. May God continue to bless America and our great Fraternity and may the blessings of Heaven rest upon you and your families. Fraternally,
Barry A. Rickman | |
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From The Freemasonry: Reality, Myth, and Legend BLOG
That cultural icon, the television show The Simpsons, has long been known for its depiction of a faux Freemasonry. A 1995 episode titled “Homer the Great” featured a fraternity called the Stonecutters. Now, The Simpsons has mentioned Freemasonry explicitly and at some length, in the recent episode “Gone Maggie Gone.” The episode identifies itself in its opening moments as a spoof on The Da Vinci Code. During the episode, a couple of groups seek the fabled Jewel of St. Teresa of Avila, which is prophesied to lead to an era of peace. In an encounter at the foot of the Springfield sign atop Springfield Hill (reminiscent of the climax of Hitchcock's North by Northwest), sleuthy Lisa—accompanied by Principal Skinner and Comic Book Guy as 'the Brethren of the Quest'—are confronted by Mr. Burns. Burns explains that a group of high-ranking Freemasons have been searching for the Jewel of St. Teresa for years. In fact, he says, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and King George III conducted the American Revolutionary War just to cover up their entirely amicable association, as they searched for the Jewel. Burns goes on to claim: “I joined the Freemasons before it was trendy. That's my eyeball on the dollar bill. That's also my pyramid.” (See image above.) It is unwise to read too much into a Simpsons episode: the writers simply do things because they're funny. But it is also unwise to just pass over details in The Simpsons as if they were totally unimportant, either: the writers are famous for working cultural references into their episodes, sometimes quite subtly; if nothing else, a Simpsons episode is an expression, intentional or not, of the cultural Zeitgeist. What, if anything, does “Gone Maggie Gone” have to say about the way that Freemasonry is perceived by the general public? How is this different from the depiction of Freemasonry in its guise as 'the Stonecutters' in “Homer the Great”? The Image of Freemasonry in The Simpsons I found it interesting that, in “Gone Maggie Gone,” the writers saw no need to explain who the Freemasons are: the writers just made the reference, with the assumption that the audience would know who 'Freemasons' are, in the same way that they expected the audience to know who Ed Begley, Jr. is (Begley also showing up briefly in the episode). At least for the Simpsons writers, the Masons are sufficiently well-known to need no introduction. It was nice to hear Burns refer to joining the Freemasons as now being “trendy.” I wish I had more hard data on this issue, but the notion that Freemasonry is becoming popular again certainly fits with my anecdotal experience, as I see a substantial number of men in their twenties and thirties entering the Fraternity through my mother Lodge in Florida over the last couple of years, and the Lodges and affiliated organizations that I have been visiting in New York City over the last few months. Of course, having Burns as a Mason does lend at least a slightly sinister cast to Masonry. I was happier when Grandpa Simpson casually identified himself as a Mason during “Homer the Great.” It is interesting to see how the two Simpsons episodes reflect two different caricatures of Freemasonry. The Stonecutters of “Homer the Great” are heirs to a noble tradition that they have sold out for drunken entertainment. As their Chapter leader, Number One (voiced by Patrick Stewart) tells Homer immediately after his humiliating initiation: “You have joined the sacred order of the Stonecutters, who since ancient times have split the rocks of ignorance that obscured the light of knowledge and truth. Now let's all get drunk and play ping-pong!” When the Chapter brothers discover that Homer's birthmark identifies himself as the prophesied 'Chosen One' of the Stonecutters, they elevate him to a high rank of leadership—but when Homer tries to lead them into a variety of service projects, the entire membership of the Fraternity defects to form another self-centered fraternal group: the No Homers Club. In “Gone Maggie Gone,” the Freemasons are shown in the light of the currently popular stereotype, as devoted to the pursuit of secrets and mysteries. Masonry, in this view, is the possession of men like Burns, who hold power, but not a decent character. (At one point, Burns is talked into giving Lisa and others a ride on the skids of his helicopter. During the flight, Burns' lackey Smithers asks Burns if it feels good to help people. Burns' response: “No. It feels … weird.”) What Masons Can Learn From The Simpsons Of course it is the case that the image of Freemasonry in these episodes is shot through with inaccuracies. (Hey, lighten up, fellas: it's a cartoon, not a documentary on Discovery Channel or The History Channel.) However, rather than catalog these inaccuracies, it might be worthwhile to consider what these episodes have to say that might have some relevance. What might Freemasons have to learn from these caricatures? Several things come to mind. First, Freemasonry would do well to look to its noble traditions, and emphasize the unselfish service to others that is a core value of the Fraternity. I have been fortunate to see several lodges and affiliated Masonic organizations of my acquaintance engaged in such service, often in secrecy. I think that this is closer to the norm than The Simpsons would lead one to believe—but one cannot emphasize enough the need for us to remember that our fraternity is supposed to be about something, and service to others is a central part of that something. Second, we would do well to remember that, in point of fact, part of the mission of Freemasonry indeed is, as Number One put it, to “split the rocks of ignorance that obscured the light of knowledge and truth.” Real Freemasonry uses different language and symbols, but the mission of the Masonic Fraternity is actually rather well expressed in the language of the cartoon episode. Masons would do well to remember two things about our fraternity: (a) Masonry is supposed to change the individual Mason, to help him on a journey to knowledge and truth that will require serious inner growth; and, (b) Masonry is supposed to help the individual Mason to affect society for the better, dispelling ignorance with knowledge and truth. Not for nothing did the Masons of an earlier era establish public education in different nations. Not for nothing did Grand Lodge Masonry emerge during an era that is now known as the Enlightenment. No, Masons do not possess the secrets of the Pharoahs—but they are supposed to possess a degree of personal enlightenment that is more valuable than any external secret. What are we doing, as individual Masons, as particular Lodges, and as Grand Lodges and affiliated organizations, to further that goal? Third, we do need to correct the notion that Freemasonry is about gaining unfair personal privilege and power. I have already mentioned the implication of having Mr. Burns as the example of Freemasonry in “Gone Maggie Gone.” In “Homer the Great,” the power trip is even worse, with Homer Simpson (after his initiation as a Stonecutter) obtaining preferential treatment in everything from getting his plumbing fixed to receiving a massage chair at work. In my experience, lodges do emphasize that a desire for preferential treatment is an unworthy motive for entering the Fraternity; we need to emphasize this even more, and counter this image in the mind of the public, as well.
The Buddhists say that 'one can learn from a stone.' I hope that we as Freemasons can learn from a cartoon show.
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Part 1: The Membership Challenge From The Masonic BLOG
Freemasonry faces a membership challenge, for several reasons. If Freemasonry is to continue as a force for good, in individual lives and in society, Freemasons must come to grips with this challenge. This will involve activities on the part of Grand Lodges, local lodges ("Particular Lodges"), and individual Masons. In this series, I respectfully offer some suggestions to help Freemasonry to thrive. In the series as a whole, I consider these topics: · the membership challenge in Freemasonry todayThe Membership Challenge in Freemasonry Today In 2003, there were about 1.7 million Masons nationwide, a membership figure even lower than during the Great Depression year of 1941. As the Masonic Information Center put it, "Freemasonry is at its lowest membership level in at least 80 years" (It's About Time!, p. 3; see image above). We may think about the Blue Lodge's membership problems in terms of two factors: low rates of entry into the Craft, and high exit rates. Each of these is described below. Low Entry Rates It is well known that fewer people enter Freemasonry today than entered in earlier years. The situation in any given Grand Lodge can be established by considering the statistics reported in its Grand Communications. One example--neither better nor worse than the typical Grand Lodge, I would guess--is the Grand Lodge of Florida. In Florida, the number of men initiated was flat over each of two recent years (2004 and 2005), at approximately 1,480 per year, even as the population of Florida itself increased each year. (There was a 7.5% increase in the number of initiations during 2006, to 1,591; of course, 2006 was the year of the release of the motion picture, The Da Vinci Code, which mentioned Freemasons and, more especially, the Knights Templar. It is yet to be seen whether this increase will be permanent or not.) High Exit Rates Men exit Freemasonry in several ways: through death; through official voluntary exit, or "dimit"; through suspension, and, through expulsion. Suspension can be for a number of reasons, the most common being suspension for non-payment of dues (NPD); thus, we may think of a suspension for NPD as a sort of 'silent dimit.' Thus, official dimits and suspensions for NPD together can be labeled "voluntary attrition." Again, using the Grand Lodge of Florida only as a typical example, for the period 2004 through 2006 (see References below for sources), we note the following: · The number of deaths averaged 1,449 annually during this period, while the number raised as Master Masons averaged 1,217 annually. Thus, deaths alone outnumbered the number raised as new Master Masons by over 19%. These statistics are no doubt what led the distinguished Brother giving the Welcome at the opening session of the 2007 Florida Grand Communication to state, "We are one generation away from extinction." This Brother might as well have been saying this to just about any Grand Lodge in the United States. It is a little-known but crucial finding that the amount of time that many Brothers remain in Freemasonry before attrition has sharply declined in recent generations. In one study, the average number of years between initiation and either dimit or suspension NPD has shown a stunning decline, from 17.8 years (for those initiated in the late 1940s) to 6.5 (for those initiated in the early 1980s). Thus, those who join and then ultimately leave have remained for a much shorter period of time, "about 20-30% of the time they [remained in Masonry] half a century ago," as John Belton put it. As noted Masonic author Chris Hodapp has observed: In jurisdictions across the U.S. and Canada, the losses of members from deaths have been statistically tapering off, while the losses due to Freemasons walking away from the fraternity have been rising. ... [M]en whom we have initiated, passed, and raised are deciding in increasing numbers to say "No thanks" to what their local lodges offer. What could be the cause for this painful situation? In Part 2: The root causes for membership problems in the Blue Lodge. References. Statistics of annual returns. (2006). In Proceedings of the One Hundred and Seventy-Seventh Annual Communication of the M:.W:. Grand Lodge of F. & A.M. of Florida, Held at Orlando, Florida, May 29, 30 and 31, 2006 (p. 111). n.p.: The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida.. Statistics of annual returns. (2007). In Proceedings of the One Hundred and Seventy-Eighth Annual Communication of the M:.W:. Grand Lodge of F. & A.M. of Florida, Held at Orlando, Florida, May 28, 29, and 30, 2007 (pp. 115-116). n.p.: The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida..
Statistics of annual returns. (1008, May). In Report of M:.W:. Robert P. Harry, Jr., Grand Master, M:.W:. Richard E. Lynn, Grand Secretary, to the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida (p. 65). n.p.: The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida.
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(Series: Building Freemasonry in the 21st Century) From The Masonic BLOG
1. The general public simply does not know about Freemasonry anymore. This contributes to the low entry rates noted in Part 1. I consider the first two of these issues below. The Invisibility of Freemasonry Freemasonry has made an appearance twice during the 20 seasons of The Simpsons (as I describe in another post), and has been mentioned, almost in passing, in Dan Brown's hugely popular novel, The Da Vinci Code. Of course, Freemasonry was mentioned extensively in the motion picture National Treasure (and briefly in its sequel). However, aside from these noteworthy exceptions, Freemasonry is all but invisible in popular culture and general society. As the Masonic Information Center (MIC) put it, the public's perception of Freemasonry can be summarized by three terms: confused (as in, 'is Freemasonry a religion?'), mistaken ('is it a devil-worshipping religion? Is it just for older gentlemen?'), and oblivious. Concerning this last point, as the MIC stated, "people are not even aware Masonry still exists" (It's About Time!, p. 9). The Unfilled Hunger for the Meaning of Masonic Symbolism Many lodges do a very creditable job of instructing their brethren in the details of performing our initiatory rituals. However, all too many lodges need help to guide their brethren in investigating the meaning of Masonic symbolism, and in the application of that symbolism to their daily lives. (Consider, for example, the commemorative plate shown above, which displays several Masonic symbols. Has your lodge discussed the meaning and application of any of these, lately--outside of the degree work?) There is a great hunger, perhaps especially among newer brethren, for this kind of Masonic education; without it, brethren are more likely to slip away into inactivity, or even leave the Fraternity. Consider the following: · We Initiate, Pass, and Raise brothers in ceremonies of high drama and mystery. Then, when these brethren finally are able to attend Stated Communications as Master Masons, in many local lodges they find that these are typically business meetings, with no discussion of the meaning of the complicated symbolism with which these brothers have been entrusted, and about which they thought they would learn more. The current mini-spike in Masonic membership, which many have noted anecdotally around the country, apparently is driven by new initiates seeking just the type of esoteric wisdom that Freemasonry has. As Brother G. Cliff Porter, a relatively new Mason in his mid-thirties, stated in the March-April 2007 issue of The Scottish Rite Journal: The young man approaching the Craft today does so to supplement and add to what his church and family have already given him. A certain tugging at his soul speaks to him to seek a deeper meaning in life, in family, and in God. He researches and desires an initiation into the esoteric and ancient quest for Truth. He requests a petition with these hopes in mind. Why shouldn't he? The eloquent writings of Masonic scholars ... have hinted at the existence of such knowledge, and Masonic writings abound with hints of this very thing. ... We as Master Masons should return Masonry from a primarily social institution to one that studies ancient symbolism and the truths so revealed. (Emphasis added.) In sum, there is a hunger among the brethren--now, largely going unfed--for a thoughtful consideration of the more esoteric aspects of Masonic symbolism. The more this hunger is left unfed, the more it inclines brethren interested in this material to drift away from Freemasonry.
In Part 3: The challenge of Anti-Masonry; and, an overall approach to meeting the membership challenge.
Reference
Hudson, Phillip A. (2007). Grand oration. In Proceedings of the One Hundred and Seventy-Eighth Annual Communication of the M:. W:. Grand Lodge F. & A.M. of Florida, Held at Orlando, Florida, May 28, 29, and 30, 2007 (pp. 272-275). n.p.: The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida.
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By Nicholas W Inman From The Marshfield Mail, Missouri
The story of Mt. Olive Lodge begins in 1871 when a group of Dallas Township citizens (a rural township between Rogersville and Marshfield) came together with the idea of constructing and organizing a church for their small farming community. Information contained in the Webster County Historical Society Journal explains that most of those citizens had come from areas of the South and brought with them to Missouri the traditions and allegiances of the Southern Methodist Church and the Masonic Lodge.The original piece of land totaled one-half acre and was donated by Christopher W Brooks and Jomanda Dameron Brooks. CW Brooks was born 5 February 1844 in North Carolina and became a resident of Webster County in 1854. It is believed that Brooks' father, Robert H Brooks, decided to move to the Ozarks after a friend and neighbor, James K Dameron, relocated 10 miles southwest of Marshfield. Soon the Brooks family settled in the area and purchased a farm from the Breedlove family. Having established roots in the area, the family found it crucial to establish a place of worship for all of the neighbors and relatives. The original donors deeded the acre to William R “W.R.” Brooks, who was a trustee for the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Presently, the Mt. Olive Lodge is the oldest Masonic Lodge west of the Mississippi River that is still meeting in the location where it was chartered. Mt. Olive Lodge No. 439 was chartered on 16 October 1872, and the first Master was Worshipful Brother James H Williams. The first meeting of the lodge was held on 27 March 1872, and the following charter members were present: CW Brooks, JH Williams, JR Johnson, Micahah Aldridge, Thomas Henslee, John Reid, TF Henslee and JK Dameron. Samuel T Brannock served as the head carpenter of the building project and oversaw the work, which was completed by local individuals. The foundation for the building was made of stone laid on top of the ground, leveling the foundation with smaller stones and mortar. The building was completely finished in the spring of 1872, and soon the downstairs was being used for worship services and the second floor as the lodge.The building was completed as the Mt. Olive Methodist Church, and its first minister was Dr. CH Briggs.
The Methodists held services at the building until 1965, when the church dissolved. The lodge presently uses the first floor on the historic building as a fellowship hall. Many members of the Brooks and Dameron family can be found buried in the cemetery around the building. Robert H Brooks passed away in 1862 and his family later removed his casket from its original burial location, and relocated it on the Brooks farm, where they had planned a family cemetery. His grave was on the one-half acre that Letha Boswell Brooks had her oldest son deed for the church and lodge. This established the surrounding ground for a burial location, and later additional land was added by the Dan Brooks and Sharpensteen families. The original donor for the invested cemetery account was a granddaughter of Robert H Brooks. The lodge continues to hold monthly communications and maintains an active membership, hosting the annual Christmas dinner in Fordland at the end of last year. The group has donated several items pertaining to the grange and the lodge history to the Webster County Historical Society.
Bob Courtney is the current Worshipful Master for the Mt. Olive Lodge.
The building is located at 6078 State Highway KK.
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From the
Palmetto Mason BLOG
Let this be made clear – Freemasonry can not be practiced on the Internet. There are, however, Internet sites that have Freemasonry as their predominant subject material. This is often commonly referred to as e-Masonry. Most readers will already be familiar with the websites that belong to Grand Lodges, subordinate lodges, and appendant bodies. Those types of sites are not the subject of this piece as we all know about those sites and their purposes. Many readers will also be familiar with the conspiracy theory and anti-masonic sites and, since those can not be considered as containing accurate information about Freemasonry, they will also not be examined in this article.
The situation today finds a variety of e-Masonry sites. The ones that most folks come into contact with are the forums and it is in these sites that many Masons first experience e-Masonry – often leading to other Internet sites and ventures. There are a variety of forums that are oriented toward Freemasonry, of which The Sanctum Santorum and the Mastermason.com Forums are but two examples.
Beyond the forums, one can find the personal websites, of which there are many. An example of one of the longest running can be found in Anti-Masonry: Points of View, which makes a point of exposing anti-masonic rhetoric as well as bogus or quasi-masonic organizations. Anti-Masonry is now in its eleventh year of existence. The Masonically inclined personal websites multiplied drastically as people discovered the ease and cheapness of using existing blog services. Such services as Blogger and WordPress gave even the most website design challenged folks an easy way to share their message. One of the more popular examples of these types of sites can be found at Freemasons for Dummies. Even some Grand Lodge officers have began to use blogs to communicate their messages to their jurisdictions and with others. An example of this can be found at Grand Master's Musings.
Despite the perceived popularity of e-Masonry, the most prolific forum posters and the website owners represent a very small percentage of Freemasons. This relatively small group of e-Masons has, over time, loosely organized itself into an online community by way of cross links to each other's sites and cross posting of various articles. One can go to a variety of forums and sites that allow outside comments and find the same screen names over and over. This has resulted in a loose nucleus of sites and Internet personalities that could be thought of as the unofficial news network for Freemasonry. The King Solomon's Lodge Blog Aggregator is representative of one useful method that has loosely tied these sites together.
Relatively recently, an effort to more formally organize some of these sites was undertaken and Freemason Information was the result. Freemason Information brought some of the more popular sites – all of which happened to be blogs – under one umbrella along with the Masonic Central podcast.
In what is probably the greatest concentration of serious online students, researchers, and writers of Freemasonry; a new research society – operating almost entirely on the Internet – was born not very long ago. The Masonic Society includes many of the "who's who" of modern day Masonic researchers and operates its own forum for members only. The methodology of The Masonic Society has allowed it – best as is possible at this time – to solve the problems associated with anti-masons and clandestine masons on the Internet.
Due to the nature of their fraternity, Freemasons have understandably been hesitant to jump into the Internet world without caution. Like those that feel the need to spout anti-masonic rhetoric, people belonging to some of the clandestine, quasi-masonic bodies have never – for the most part – been constrained by this sense of caution. This resulted in a proliferation of sites and online personalities which represent irregular and unrecognized masons. As Freemasons explore their fraternity on the Internet, they can not help but to run into these types of sites and personalities. Therein is found one of the dangers of e-Masonry. The other danger arises when Freemasons – out of ignorance – engage in discussions that can be construed as Masonic communication of an unauthorized nature or divulge internal Grand Lodge or lodge business that should not be shared with the rest of the world.
There can be little doubt that Grand Lodges were caught off guard by the proliferation of e-Masonry. Quite frankly, the codes and constitutions of the various Grand Lodges were not written to directly deal with this phenomenon – though the obligations should be sufficient. The phenomenon is here, however, and time will tell whether Grand Lodges are able to effectively cope with it by way of education and guidance to their members – and it must be coped with in this age of an increasingly Internet savvy society where a young man will "Google" first and ask questions later.
The Internet is a tool and, like all tools, Freemasons must use it with caution and respect. Remember – a hammer can bless you with a properly driven nail or curse you with a busted thumb.
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From The 
“We don’t drink goat’s blood, we don’t commit murder and we don’t bring down governments,” Pialba Lodge’s RW Bro. Tony Ozanne said yesterday. “We have only one edict for members and that is they must believe in a supreme being.” Mr Ozanne (past junior grand warden) and RW Bro. Arnold Horne (past assistant grand master) were speaking to the Chronicle on the eve of the national launch of a new book on Freemasonry. It’s No Secret – Real Men Wear Aprons, edited by Peter Lazar (pictured below), will be launched in Sydney on Thursday. “Far from being secret,” said United Lodge of Qld grand master Graeme Ewin, “Freemasons in Australia have worked hard to make the ancient craft more widely known and better understood.” Mr Horne, a retired dairy farmer who has reached the 33rd Degree, the highest symbolic level of Freemasonry in the world, says the society promotes self-discipline, personal development, compassion and concern for others and the value of community service. “Men join us because they’ve heard of our intentions to do good, for fellowship, because a family member or friend belongs and because they want more out of life, something with meaning. “We give away thousands of dollars to good causes and to care for people.” Tony Ozanne, a manufacturer in Hervey Bay, said Masonic temples are now mostly called lodges and on the Fraser Coast there are two in the Bay and three in Maryborough, including the women’s lodge, Star of the East.
Middle Ages stonemasons travelled widely and developed secret handshakes to identify themselves. Today Freemasonry uses the metaphors of operative stonemasons’ tools and implements, against the allegorical backdrop of King Solomon’s Temple, to convey what has been described by both Masons and critics as “a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols”. Mr Horne says a “little black book” does exist in lodges but everything is learnt from memory. “We learn charges, or parts of the ritual, and pass those on to initiates.” Both men said Masons and Catholics now got along and Catholics were often Masons. “You take the vow not to divulge any secrets you’re given but frankly we don’t have very many secrets left.” Members can also hold their own beliefs and religion and politics are not allowed to be discussed in lodges.
INSIDE THE MASONS Chips Rafferty was a Mason, and so were Charles “Bud” Tingwell and prime ministers William McMahon, Robert Menzies and John Gorton The secret handshake and words have no practical meaning or purpose except to identify Mason to Mason Sixteen Australian VC winners were/are Masons Modern Masonry began in England in 1717 When a Mason dies a white lambskin apron and a sprig of green leaves are placed on the casket Men can join at 18 Masonic lodges are oriented east and west The Master’s chair is in the east, recognising the sun rises there and that learning comes from there Masonic Lodges in the 1700s and 1800s often met in taverns and it was common to wear swords for protection Military men brought Masonry to Australia. There are Lodges in Iraq and Afghanistan today Masons don’t ride goats or drink their blood at Lodges– early documents refer to the supreme being as “God of all Things” – GOAT Mock murders can be carried out as part of the Third or Master Mason Degree 1816 was the year of the first Lodge in Australia The floor of a Lodge always features black and white squares like a chessboard The Masonic apron comes from those worn by stonemasons in the Middle Ages
The Australian Order of the Eastern Star – secret women’s business for Masons but men can come along – began in Qld in 1912
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By Greg Mercer Waterloo Record, Waterlloo ON From The Rural Lodge Newsletter
As the top-ranking Freemason in Ontario, the retired Kitchener high school teacher has heard just about every far-fetched accusation you can imagine: that Freemasons, one of the world's largest “secret societies,” are devil worshippers, a Jewish front for world domination, and evil plotters who arranged the assassination of JFK. Yes, there are people who genuinely believe those things. Which means Daniels, the first grand master for Ontario's 50,000 Freemasons to hail from Kitchener, spends a lot of his time dispelling the myths and conspiracy theories that have dogged his organization for centuries. Though Freemasons first built lodges in Galt and Kitchener some 150 years ago, the society still remains an obscure organization for many non-members today. Daniels is trying to change that with a new openness for a group that was once very closed to outsiders. “Conspiracy theories sell more books than the truth,” Daniels said during a recent sit-down interview. “There are people who delight in calling us a cult ... but I've never attended a lodge ceremony where we sacrifice virgins or kill babies. I'm still waiting for that.” The truth about Freemasons may be far less exciting. What if they're just a bunch of guys who are into brotherhood, non-satanic rituals, self-improvement, and charity work? In its heyday in the 1960s, there were some 120,000 Freemasons in Ontario. Then, the Masons went into a long, slow decline where “no one joined anything,” Daniels said. Today, there remain about 1,000 members in Waterloo Region. Daniels thinks things may finally be changing for the better. His organization inducted about 1,350 new members last year, most of them “disillusioned young men” who are “looking for something more” in their lives, he said. And they just christened a new Masonic lodge in Afghanistan, a sign that Freemasonry is growing in popularity among Canadian troops, he said. Though Freemasons went “underground” in the early part of the last century, Daniels said, it's hardly a secret society anymore. “We're in the phone book. I wear a ring. I have a decal on my car. We have quite an extensive web page. We publish a magazine that anyone can see. Now, if that's being secretive, we're not very good at it,” he said. But that hasn't stopped detractors, including religious fundamentalists, from accusing Freemasons of everything from conspiring with aliens to holding wild orgies and occult rituals to secretly running the world — or trying to destroy it. Part of the conspiracy theories may be blamed on the number of important men in history who have been Freemasons. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Sir John A Macdonald were all members. So was John Diefenbaker, and about a dozen premiers of Ontario. And so was Horatio Herbert Kitchener, the British war hero this city is named after. Even in the age of the internet, Freemasonry still retains enough mystique to invite uninformed speculation. Lodges keep their doors closed to non-members, except for rare open houses, and windows are generally made of concrete, not glass. The organization places great importance on Egyptian symbols, secret passwords and hidden meanings. But even the secret Masonic handshake, once a way for Masons to identify themselves around the world, can be found in a quick Google search. Daniels, as grand master, carries his ceremonial clothes in a plain black briefcase. Inside, there's a gold collar with entwined serpents and the North Star, attached to the Masonic symbol of a compass and ruler. There's the “all-seeing” eye — yes, the same one you can find on the U.S. dollar bill — and an ornate lambskin apron decorated with lotuses, suns and pomegranate. Though few Freemasons actually work in stone anymore, the stonemason imagery at the centre of their organization still has meaning — the idea that like stone, the lessons of Freemasonry outlasts all else.
He says Freemasonry has given him a good life. He joined his father's Orillia lodge in 1959 and remained active during the 23 years he taught music and history at Eastwood Collegiate in Kitchener. In 1993, he became a worshipful master, or a Masonic teacher, and worked his way up the organization's ranks. “The men I have been associated with have changed my entire outlook and my entire being for the better,” he said. “I'm so grateful for the things they've given me.” It's not all about self-improvement, though. Ontario's Freemasons do charity work, too. In 2005, they raised $2 million for hearing research at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Every year, lodges across the province give away thousands in bursaries and scholarships, and money to a wide range of local charities, from summer camps to the Children's Wish Foundation. You don't need a connection to join, and any man over 21 can apply for membership. Because Freemasons put such importance on being law-abiding citizens, applicants will need to go through a background check and a criminal record check. Applicants who pass that process will be visited by three Freemasons, who will try to gauge their character through a series of interviews. They may speak to family, too. Lodge members then take a vote on the applicant's admission, and undergo an initiation rite that is imbued with symbolism. “It's almost like getting a job at Wal-Mart,” Daniels said. Not everyone makes the cut. And about once or twice a year, a Freemason in Ontario is kicked out of the organization for bad behaviour, a delicate procedure that Daniels oversees. Local Masons include Christians, Jews and Muslims, and the whole spectrum of trades and professions, he said. The only religious questions applicants are asked is: “Do you believe in a greater power than yourself?”
“Where else does a young man look today for role models, stability and trustworthiness?”
he said. “The old trustworthiness of another man, that's something we cherish.”
With an emphasis on gentlemanly behaviour and being a good citizen, Freemasons
offer members strict moral principles in a morally deprived society, Daniels
said. And if that makes Freemasons old-fashioned, so be it, he said. “You're darn
right we're out of step with modern society,” he said. Brother Kitchener Kitchener is not a household word in America, but in Canada and Britain it certainly is.
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener,
(24 June 1850 – 5 June 1916) was a soldier, diplomat and
statesman, famous for his roles in Egypt and Sudan, in the Anglo-
Boer War and WWI.
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Beever gives his drawings an anamorphosis view, his images are drawn in such a way which gives them three dimensionality when viewing from the correct angle. It's amazing !!!
 Drawn On A Flat Sidewalk With Colored Chalk.
The 710
Yesterday at the car dealer. A blonde woman came in and told the mechanics she needed to buy a seven-ten.
They all looked at each other, and one mechanic asked, "What is a seven-ten?"
She replied, "You know, the little piece in the middle of the engine. I lost it and need a new one. It had always been there."
The mechanic gave the woman a piece of paper and a pen and asked her to draw what the piece looked like. She drew a circle and in the middle of it wrote 710.
He then took her over to another car which had the hood up and asked, "Is there a 710 on this car?"
She pointed and said, "Of course it is, it's right there."
Actually, this was a test. You have all seen one but, how many of you shade tree mechanics know what a 710 is? Skip down to the bottom of the page to see one.
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The Lord be praised for those wonderful Church Bulletins!
The Fasting and Prayer Conference includes meals. The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.' Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house Bring your husbands.. Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.. Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.. Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.. A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice ..
Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several
new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
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