light_8

A Window for FreemasonryVol. 38 No. 3 AUGUST 2007

A Window for FreemasonryVol. 38 No. 3 AUGUST 2007

THE

Sousacomesmarchinghome

5 Bro. Force and His Band •7 The March King •13 Builder’s Council: NewMembers – 2007 • 14 How Are We Doing? • 14 Walks for Children withDyslexia • 14 Learning Centers in Operation • 15 The Heritage Shop • 17MasonicWordMath •25 Masonic Compact •27 QuickQuotes •30 Hiram• 30 On the Lighter Side • 32 Scottish Rite Charities

2 THE NORTHERN LIGHT / AUGUST 2007

AUGUST 2007 Volume 38 No. 3

Features

3 Sovereign Grand Commander

18 Notes from the Scottish Rite Journal

19 Brothers on the Net

20 Scottish Rite Charities

21 The Stamp Act

22 Book Nook

24 HealthWise

26 Views from the Past

28 Today’s Family

30 Readers Respond

31 Et cetera, et cetera, etc.

Also:

4 Driving Force

by Alan E. Foulds, 32°One man’s quest to honorJohn Philip Sousa.

SUPREME COUNCIL, 33°Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite

Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A.

SOVEREIGN GRAND COMMANDERJohn Wm. McNaughton, 33°

THE NORTHERN LIGHT (ISSN 1088-4416) is published quarterly in February, May,August, and November by the Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite,Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A., as the official publication. Printed in U.S.A.Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA, and at additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Northern Light, PO Box 519, Lexington,MA 02420-0519.Copyright © 2007 by Trustees of the Supreme Council of the Ancient AcceptedScottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A.

EDITORAlan E. Foulds, 32°

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTSSonja B. Faiola

Beth E. McSweeney

MEDIA ADVISORY COMMITTEEStephen E. Carpenter, 33°, chairman

Richard V. Travis, 33°William Fox Jr., 33°

William L. McCarrier, 33°Eric Ginette, 33°

Mailing Address:PO Box 519, Lexington, MA 02420-0519

Editorial Office:33 Marrett Road (Route 2A)

Lexington, Massachusetts 02421781-862-4410

Fax: 781-863-1833e-mail: [email protected]

Internet:www.supremecouncil.org

THEA Window for Freemasonry

Columns

8

4

What Makes A Mason

by Robert M. Wolfarth, 32°Examples of Masonic acts that make aman a Mason.

8

By the Way

by Aimee E. NewellEncountering Masonic signs along the road.

1016 The Ripple Effect

by Gina CookeReflections of a first year.

10

AUGUST 2007 / THE NORTHERN LIGHT 3

“Future generations will ‘discover’ this document

and marvel at the high standards set for the members.”— John Wm. McNaughton, 33º

Another Regius Manuscript

Masonic historians tend to agree that the first

recorded document related to Freemasonry is

the Regius manuscript.

Also referred to as “A Poem of Moral Duties,”

the document was believed to have been

penned around 1390.

Yet it took more than four centuries to realize

its importance to the fraternity.

The manuscript changed hands many times

before it was eventually sold to Charles II for the

Royal Library in the late 1600s.

It remained there until 1757, when George II

offered it to the British Museum.

Little was known of the document that was

hidden in the museum until James Halliwell, a

non-Mason, discovered its Masonic significance

in 1838.

Among a list of 15 articles for the Master

Mason was an admonition that he must be

“stedefast, trusty and trewe,” and that he

should do nothing that “wolde turne the craft

to schame.”

Considering the fact that it was written in the

14th century, the Regius poem is indeed a re-

markable piece of work.

It was not until I attended a March meeting of

the College of Freemasonry sponsored by the

Valley of Rochester that I discovered another im-

pressive document.

This one is dated 2006. When M.W. Neal I.

Bidnick was installed last year as Grand Master

of the Grand Lodge of New York, he appointed

a committee to develop a “Masonic Compact.”

At the Rochester meeting, the Grand Master

explained the significance of the document and

what the words should mean to us as Masons.

The Compact is reprinted on page 25 of this

issue. I encourage you to read the document. I

also urge you to analyze each paragraph care-

fully, realizing that — as the Compact states —

“these values and aspirations are guideposts for

(our) progress through life.”

It occurred to me that this document will

stand the test of time. It is a well-written defini-

tion of Freemasonry and an excellent guide for

all Freemasons to follow.

Perhaps centuries from now, future genera-

tions will “discover” this document and marvel

at the high standards that were established by

an organization that demanded so much from

its members.

Sovereign Grand Commander

John Philip Sousa seems like a logi-cal candidate to be immortalized inbronze. After all, his name is still ahousehold word 75 years after his

death. Such marches as “Stars andStripes Forever,” “El Capitan,” “TheWashington PostMarch,” and “SemperFidelis” are as famous now as whenthey were written.Every Fourth of July Sousa’s works

are at the center of the IndependenceDay celebration. Erecting a permanentmonument, therefore, seems like a “no-brainer.”“Not so,” says Ken Force, who

worked tirelessly over the past severalyears for the creation of a memorial tothe “MarchKing.”He says, “Sousawaslikemomand apple pie. Never a hint ofa scandal, and remembered still as a pa-triot, yet it took a long time to build a fit-ting tribute to him.”Captain Kenneth Force is director of

theMerchantMarineAcademyBand inKing’s Point, NY. His interest in Sousacomes jointly fromhis ownmusic back-ground as well as his lodge, St. Cecile’sNo. 568 in New York City, where heserved as Master.Many notable musicians and actors

— including several from Sousa’s Band—were also members there.Bro. Force has worked tirelessly for

many years to gain suitable recognitionfor one of America’s most notable mu-sicians.His efforts finally came to fruition

two years ago when Sousa’s likenesswas unveiled at theMarine barracks inWashington, DC.When asked how long it has been in

the works he said, “Oh, about 30 years,but movements toward that end havebeen ongoing since 1932.”Hewent on to explain that the first at-

tempt at a statue was planned shortly

after Sousa’s death. “General John J.Pershing, leader of theAmerican Expe-ditionary Forces during the FirstWorldWar,was appointed chairman of a com-mittee charged with commissioning asuitable monument to John PhilipSousa.“The plan called for the statue to be

placed in Port Washington, NY. Sousahad been a resident there andwas a pa-tron of the Sands Point Bath and Rac-quet Club in town. Due, in part, to Per-shing’s ill health, the plan never got offthe ground.”Skipping ahead, Ken Force’s in-

volvement took root in the late 1960s.Emmanuel Sousa (no relation to JohnPhilip) was hoping to erect a statue ofQueen Catherine of Braganza in NewYork City. Catherine was the wife ofKing Charles II and the city’s borough

of Queens was named in her honor.His group, called “The Friends of

QueenCatherine,” said that theywouldmost likely support the Sousa statueafter their own project was completed.Subsequent political squabbles put

the queen’s statue in doubt. “Catherinewas apparently a slave owner andmany residents felt it was not appro-priate to memorialize her,” said Force.With a change in borough leadershipthe project faded away.Bro. Force then turned his attention

downtown. Although Sousa receivedinspiration for perhaps hismost famouswork, “Stars and Stripes Forever,”whileon a voyage from Europe, he wrote thescore at the Madison Square Hotel inManhattan.Ken Force felt that siting the statue at

that locationwas appropriate. Through


DrivingForce

By ALAN E. FOULDS, 32°

One man’s quest to honorJohn Philip Sousa

Sousa’s statue is lowered to its pedestal in front of the new Marinebarracks inWashington, DC.

��

a project at the U.S. Merchant MarineAcademy he had met well-respectedsculptor Terry Jones of Philadelphia.Force and Jones developed a memo-

rial honoring the wartime service ofgraduates of the college.Among hisworks Jones created “Mo-

ment of Mercy” for the National CivilWar Museum in Harrisburg, PA; astatue of Ernest Hemingway in KeyWest, FL; the Korean War Memorial inLosAngeles, and the 21-foot Mariner’sMonument at the U.S. Merchant Ma-rine Academy in King’s Point, NY.Jones created a “maquette,” or clay

model, for a proposed Sousamemorial.In the original version of the modelSousa donned his civilian “Sousa Band”uniform, from his days in private lifefollowing his tenure with the Marineband.Force thought that Sousamight be so

honored, but the citywas not interested.In March 2003 the next attempt was

made. Bro. Force joined with MasterGunnery Sergeant Michael Ressler,chief librarian of the United States Ma-rine Band.John Philip Sousa was perhaps the

mostwell-knowndirector of “The Pres-ident’s Own” United States MarineBand. Itwould be appropriate, they felt,for the Marines to honor one of their

own. Together they approached Col.Timothy W. Foley, then director of theUnited State Marine Band.Foley thought the idea of a statuewas

a good one but he asked that Sousa bedepicted in the artwork wearing his

Marine band uniform.With the change made Ken Force’s

dream was on the road to reality. TheJohn Philip Sousa Foundation and theMarine Corps Heritage Foundationcame on board. �


Bro. Kenneth R. Force and John Philip Sousa IV, at the unveiling of theSousa mounument at the U.S. Marine Band’s, “The President’s Own,”a new band facility at the Marine barracks, Nov. 6, 2005.

When Captain Kenneth Force was appointed asmusic director for the U.S. Merchant Marine Acad-emy Band in 1971, he already had an impressivemusical resume.

Among other positions, he played trumpet for theRadio City Music Hall Orchestra and was involvedwith several Broadway musicals.

Bro. Force also worked for a time with the Rin-gling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Or-chestra. Today, in addition to his duties conductingthe band, he is also an arranger and composer.

The United States Merchant Marine AcademyBand had its beginnings during the Second WorldWar.

A band, consisting of New York professionals, wasformed, and played for the recruits during theirwartime training.

They would also perform weekend concerts andplay at dances.

According to its written history, after the war theprofessional band was replaced by one made up ofmembers of the academy.

In 1971, a full-time director of music was ap-pointed and the band was placed in its own com-pany.

Because of the schedule at the academy theband’s membership effectively changes each springand fall.

Twice a year new midshipmen replace the previ-ous season’s musicians. Because of the rotationthere is a new sound to the organization on a regu-lar basis.

In 1999, Captain Force and the band played majorroles in saving the residence of the legendary com-poser, Bro. George M. Cohan in Great Neck, NY.

In gratitude, Cohan’s grandchildren bestowedupon the musical organization, the nickname,“George M. Cohan’s Own.”

�The project dove-tailed nicelywiththe Sousa Sesquicentennial celebration,marking the 150th anniversary of hisbirth and the construction of the newMarine barracks in Washington, DC.The clockwas running, however, and

all pieces had to come together quickly.The new plan was to have the statue

in place at the new barracks buildingduring the 12-month celebration.The Marine barracks building, lo-

cated one block west and south of thehistoric barracks in Washington, wasdedicated on Nov. 6, 2004 — Sousa’s150th birthday.The occasion marked the beginning

of a one-year celebration of Sousa andhis works. As part of the opening cere-mony the model of the statue was pre-sented to the assembled crowd.Simultaneously, the newmusic facil-

ity was dedicated as the “John PhilipSousa Band Hall.”Events continued throughout the

year, including special commemorativeconcerts, wreath-laying ceremonies,and art exhibitions. Meanwhile,progress on the statue continued.Jones began work on the final sculp-

ture a month later and work was com-plete by Aug. 15. Then the foundryprocess began.By Oct. 5, all pieces were cast and

were delivered to the barracks Nov. 3.There they were assembled on a gran-ite pedestal.Two days later on Nov. 5 — the last

day of the sesquicentennial celebration

— the monument to John Philip Sousawas unveiled.Several dignitaries took part in the

ceremony including sculptor, Terry

Jones, as well as John Philip Sousa IV,great-grandson of the composer.Opening remarks were made by

Lieutenant ColonelMichael J. Colburn,the 27th director of the United StatesMarine Band.In part he said,” Sousa was a native

son of this city, a boy who grew up onthe Navy Yard and who played in thevery neighborhood upon which hisstatue gazes. The strains [of his music]excite patriotism no less today than theday they were written.“Sousa’s marches have become em-

blematic for allAmericans, and they areworks that represent the best charac-teristics of our country.“When we consider how deeply and

permanently John Philip Sousa is con-nected to the Marine Band, to Wash-ington DC, and most importantly, toour identity as Americans, it seems es-pecially appropriate that his statue findits home at the home of “The Presi-dent’s Own.”Sousa was born about a block from

where the statue now sits.After 30 years of effort Bro. Ken Force

had helped bring America’s “MarchKing” home.


Statue of Sousa in place at the Marine barracks.

The statue of John Philip Sousa peers out over the United StatesMarine Band at the dedication ceremony.


John Philip Sousa once said “A march should makea man with a wooden leg step out.” Throughout hiscareer he strived to write music that would do justthat.

Born in Washington, DC, just a block from theMarine band headquarters, he was never very farfrom the Marines or music.

His father, Antonio, was a musician in the U.S. Ma-rine Band while young Sousa learned piano and mostorchestral instruments. His favorite was the violin.

At the age of 13 he considered joining a circusband but instead his father enrolled him as an ap-prentice musician with the Marine band. For the mostpart he remained with the band until he reached 20.

After his discharge he toured with traveling orches-tras, finally landing in Philadelphia where he began acareer as a composer.

In 1880 he received a telegram offering him theleadership position of the Marine band. Neither theband nor Sousa would be the same again.

In short order he replaced most of the band’s musi-cal library with symphonic transcriptions and, wherenecessary, he changed the instrumentation to suit thenew style.

He was known as a strict conductor but trans-formed the organization into the nation’s premier mil-itary band.

With the Marines he wrote two of his most famouspieces: “Semper Fidelis,” known also as the “MarineMarch,” was Sousa’s personal favorite. Still later camethe “Washington Post March,” once the most popu-lar tune in America.

Stepping into a new era, under Sousa’s tutelagethe band made it first recordings. The ColumbiaPhonograph Company released 60 recording cylindersin 1890.

During his Marine years Sousa also became heavilyinvolved in Freemasonry. He joined Hiram Lodge No.10, the Knights Templar Commandery No. 2 andAlmas Shrine Temple, all of Washington.

In 1892 he retired as director. During a farewellconcert on the lawn of the White House Sousa waspresented with an engraved baton.

The baton is now traditionally passed to the newdirector of the Marine Band upon assumption of theduties.

His music making did not end there, however. Heformed his own group known as the Sousa Band. Inthe earliest days he wrote stirring patriotic pieces such

as the “Liberty Bell March” and “Old IronsidesMarch.” In 1895 he tried his hand at comic opera,penning the music for “El Capitan.”

The Sousa Band has often been called America’sfirst superstar band. It was the first to go on a worldtour and was the first music act to log more than amillion miles. It was also first to perform before a mil-lion listeners.

On one of the European tours a British journalistwrote that “since Johann Strauss Jr. was called ‘TheWaltz King’ Sousa should be called ‘The March King’”and the name stuck.

Sousa continued to tour with his band until hisdeath in 1932. Shortly before his passing he per-formed one last time with the Marine band. At theCarabao Wallow, a black-tie social event attended bymembers of the military and government, Sousa wasan honored guest while the Marine band providedthe entertainment.

At one point in the show the director, Captain Tay-lor Branson left the podium and handed the baton toSousa to conduct one song. Appropriately, that pieceof music was Sousa’s masterpiece, “Stars and StripesForever.”

The March King

Clay model,or maquette ofthe Sousa statue.

WhatMakesA Mason Examples of Masonic acts

that make a man a Mason


By ROBERT M. WOLFARTH, 32°

Ihave read a lot of lofty language bywell-meaning Internet writers at-tempting to describe what makes a

Mason. While no one owns this defini-tion, many have thoughts on it. Yet therhetoric I’ve read is often far too gen-eral. Where are the specifics?I’m not going to write about soaring

eagles, laughing grandchildren, or OldGlory waving over a corn field. We alllove apple pie. But associating these im-ages with Freemasonry doesn’t delin-eate us from the profane, and it smacksof American exclusivity.In humility, I submit for your consid-

eration some concrete examples of howI feel a Mason should act.• Recognize your fellow Mason as

your brother. Ponder what that reallymeans. But go one step further: treatevery man as your brother, and everywoman as your sister. Respect all.Whenyou cross paths with strangers, do notregard them with suspicion, fear, orjudgment.Assume instead that they areworthy of respect, consideration, andtolerance.• When you judge someone’swords

or actions, consider the intent moreprominently than the effect. People areeasier to forgive when it is clear thatthey meant no harm.• Always use your turn signal, even

changing lanes or in a parking lot. Don’tdrive aggressively. Yield to everyonewho has the right-of-way. If you are un-

sure who has the right-of-way, yield.Put a Masonic emblem on your rearbumper. You’ll be amazed by how ac-countable it holds you for your actionsbehind the wheel.• Showno preference of friendliness

toward one person over another. Be aslikely to greet a local celebrity or apretty lady as a trash collector.• When you are overcharged, raise

the issue — politely. Similarly, whenyou are undercharged, go back and paywhat you owe. The ethics are the sameeitherway. For goods and services, youmust pay the agreed upon price — nomore, no less.• Consider yourself a success not

when you are established in society or

have obtained wealth, but when youare a good man accomplishing gooddeeds.• Smile at people.• Fix the sink before your wife asks.

Then bring her flowers for no reason atall. Bemore industrious than people ex-pect of you. Never give anyone reasonto consider you lazy.• Volunteer at your house of wor-

ship. At least a couple of hours. Theycould use the help.• Take up nomore than one seat in a

crowded, publicwaiting area.Atypicalman sets his bag in the empty seat nextto him, ready tomove it when someoneasks to sit there. Set your bag underyour seat. Take up only the room youneed. No more. Don’t make peoplehave to ask you to free up a seat. Ifyou’re an able-bodied man, be the first

ROBERT M. WOLFARTH, 32°, MPS, is a member of WasatchLodge No. 1 in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a strong interest inethics which led him into our fraternity.

to arise when someone who needs aseat is looking for one.Again, don’twaitto be asked.• Donate to charity. Anonymously.

In cash. Remove praise and the tax de-duction incentive as motivations. Do itbecause it’s the right thing to do. Welive in a wealthy society by any meas-ure. Ifmore people gave—even a smallpercentage — then there would beplenty to go around. Do not fail to givegenerously.• Remove your hat when you go in-

doors or when you are introduced tosomeone. Yes, this includes your base-ball cap.• In business, marital discussions,

legal activity, and other such negotia-tions, don’t seek maximum benefit foryourself. Instead, seek justice —whichmay call upon you to relinquish some-thing you desire. Openly let othersknow that justice iswhat you seek. Sucha premise, if responded in kind, gener-ally results inmore equitable solutions.• Pick up your neighbor’s newspa-

per off the sidewalk and toss it onto hisporch to save him a few steps. Nevermention to him that you do it.• When you sense that someone is

following you as you enter a building ora room, open the door and let thempassfirst, even if it is several people. Greetthem as they pass.• Once amonth or so, send a “thanks

for all you do” card or e-mail to some-one.• Do not let self gain be your pri-

mary motivation to act or not act. Isometimes find myself wasting re-sources if I can tell myself that I’m notpaying for it. I am now fighting to trainmyself that the reason I turn off the lightis not just to save money (althoughthat’s a nice benefit), but because leav-

ing the light on is wasteful, and there-fore inherently wrong.• Befriend someone at least 20 years

different from you in age. Befriendsomeonewith a drastically different po-litical and religious perspective. Learnfrom them. People like to talk abouttheir areas of passion. Glean from theirphilosophies, not their knowledge ofcars. Learn to tolerate — nay, celebrate— their differences, and remain friends.• Pick up trash on the street as you

walk by. If there’s no trash can nearby,carry the trash with you, even in yourcar, until you find one. Why look theother way from an injustice when youhave the power to rectify it?• Most religions teach us to do good

deeds, that we may be rewarded. But Isay do good deeds because it is inher-ently holy to do them. Give with nothought of receiving. Seek no rewardfor benevolent actions. Be selfless inyour gifts to the world — as selfless asyou are able.Many of these suggestions come

down to this: Every time you are placedin a situation in which you must makea decision, consider first what is theright thing to do. Only secondarily

should you considerwhat is profitable,expedient, face-saving, or expected ofyou.If you adopt this consideration as a

matter of course, youmay be surprisedto learn that very soon, consideringwhat is right, will become what is ex-pected of you by other people.Youmight become the office ethicist,

amoral authority of sorts in your home,or a person whose perspective isrevered among your friends.If you are asked why you made a

choice, don’t hesitate to reply, “Becauseit was the right thing to do.”Surround yourself with people who

understand this statement, not withthosewho look at youwith puzzlementand try to equate right with profit orease.Keep pushing yourself forward

morally. If you look in the mirror thisevening and honestly believe that yousee a good man, then you are probablyright.But don’t accept that as victory. Take

the next step. Become a great man.Focus not on being better than others,but on being better to others. Rememberalways that you are an ambassador ofFreemasonry to all those around you.Now, having read all of these

thoughts, picture this: An entire lodgeof Masons who follow such a philoso-phy. Better yet, picture a whole GrandLodge that adopts it, continually push-ing to improve, noted by the local pa-pers as a group of men dedicated tonoble deeds — selfless deeds.Better still, envision Freemasons the

world over who aren’t simply niceguys, quietly attending lodge and send-ing a check to charity now and then,butwho collectively stand out as an ex-ample to the world of what men are ca-pable of being.This is what we can be.


An entire lodge of Masons who follow thisphilosophy. Better yet, picture a whole GrandLodge that adopts it, continually pushing toimprove.

BECOME A GREAT MAN.Focus not on being better than others,but on being better to others.

PICTURE THIS:


Isn’t it amazing how Masonic signsalong the roadways jump out atyou? Once you understand the sig-

nificance of the square and compasses,you start to see them everywhere —along your town’s roads and on lodgebuildings themselves.These signs fulfill their function re-

markably well. At a glance, they alertthe passers-by to the existence of alodge in the town, provide the name ofthe lodge, and signify the location of alodge’smeeting place— all in the blinkof an eyewhile going 30miles per hour.Today’s signs are neon or electric or

painted on metal, all extremelyweather-resistant, but they are merelythe modern version of a Masonic signtradition.Looking back to the 1700s and 1800s,

Masonic signs were painted on woodand could often be found outside thelocal tavern. Virtually every town had atavern in the 1700s and 1800s.They started out simply as providers

of accommodations for travelers butevolved into important community in-stitutions providing food and drink,beds, stables and meeting space.As places that served strong drink

and lodged strangers, taverns werehighly regulated beginning in the 1600s.Part of those regulations focused specif-ically on the tavern’s sign.Starting in 1647 inMassachusetts, the

law mandated that every tavern “shallhave some inoffensive sign, obvious,for the direction of strangers” postedwithin three months of its licensing.

Based on laws like this one, a conser-vative estimate suggests that over50,000 tavern signswere in use between1750 and 1850.Anumber of antique tav-ern signs now in museum collectionsinclude square and compasses or otherMasonic symbols on their face.

Often the same sign was repaintedover the years as needed. A sign from1824, now in the collection of Old Stur-bridge Village, has not only a visiblesquare and compasses motif, but alsoshows traces of previous compassesand a heart. One side also has an up-dated year at the bottom, “1882.”During the 1700s, few buildingswere

devoted exclusively to lodge meetingsand activities. ManyAmericanMasons

By theWay

By AIMEE E. NEWELL

Encountering Masonic signsalong the road

AIMEE E. NEWELL, is the Curator of Collections, National HeritageMuseum at Supreme Council headquarters in Lexington, MA.

New Englandtavern sign from1819, made ofchestnut and

maple.

NationalHeritageMuseum

collection.


met in coffee houses or taverns, whichwere conveniently located in town cen-ters near major roadways.It is tempting to assume that a Ma-

sonic symbol on a tavern sign meansthat a lodge met in that building; how-ever, research has shown that this wasnot the case.The signs illustrated here represent a

mix of taverns — some that did hostMasonic meetings and some that didnot.ForMassachusettsMasons, one of the

best-known taverns (and Masonicmeeting places) is the Bunch of Grapes,originally located on King (now State)Street in Boston.Established as a tavern as early as

1712, the building hosted the birth of theGrand Lodge of Massachusetts. Here,Henry Price constituted the first Ma-sonic bodies in the colony on July 30,1733, making it the third oldest GrandLodge in the world, after England andIreland.The Bunch of Grapes Tavern contin-

ued to play host to lodge meetings forseveral decades.In addition, GeorgeWashingtonwas

entertained at the tavern at least once;Lafayette visited in 1784, and it was thesite of many discussions and covertmeetings concerning American inde-pendence.Hanging outside the entrance was

the tavern’s sign — a gilded bunch ofgrapes, leaving no doubt as to the tav-ern’s name. Then, as now, signs exist to

be understood by a large and diverseaudience.Most tavern signs include a painted

or carved figure of an animal, a personor an object. They generally present thename of the tavernkeeper and perhapsthe date he opened for business.By the late 1700s, named signs were

mandated by law and a tavernkeeperwho did not include his name on hissign would be fined.

Atavern sign now in the collection ofthe National Heritage Museum showsthe common style of the 1800s.The dark-colored oval sign has gold

decoration with a prominent squareand compasses symbol in the center.Around the symbol, lettering reads,“Entertainment by J. Healy 1819.” JesseHealy’s (1769-1853) tavern was locatedin the Trapshire, NH, area.Healywas raised aMasterMason on

May 7, 1800, in Hiram Lodge No. 9, ofClaremont, NH.When Faithful Lodge No. 12, was

chartered in Charlestown,NH, the nextmonth, Healy was appointed SeniorWarden.He continued his service in that

lodge, serving as Worshipful Masterfrom1802-03, as Chaplain from1812-14,and as Senior Warden in 1815.Although Healy’s tavern sign in-

cludes aMasonic symbol, in this case itdoes not mean that the tavern hostedMasonic meetings.Sometimes using a Masonic symbol

on a tavern signwasmerely away to in-dicate the owner’s membership.During the early 1800s, Masonic in-

volvement was understood as a sign ofprestige. Travelers would see the sym-bol and know that the owner was aMasonwho could be relied upon to pro-vide good service at an honest price.Additionally, the use ofMasonic sym-

bols in such a visible way allowedlodges and members to generate �

The Green Dragon Tavern by John Johnston, in 1773, meeting place of theLodge of St. Andrew. Courtesy, American Antiquarian Society.

Cast iron symbol that hung infront of the Green Dragon Tavern.

From the collection of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.

� interest in the lodge withintheir community.In a sense, these signs of-

fered publicity, allowing thefraternity to continue to growand prosper.Signs with Masonic sym-

bols are only a subset of tavernsigns. Taken together, thesesigns were part of an effort tomake the newnation a unifiedcountry.Sometimes tavern signs

combined different types ofsymbols on the same side, or adifferent arrangement of mo-tifs on each side.This provided a way to ap-

peal to distinct subgroupswithin the region while signi-fying participation in the newsociety.Taken a step further, the de-

sign of tavern signs may havebeen part of a struggle aboutwho was able to speak for thenewnation, or to identifywho,or what, was considered“American.”One Boston institution

firmly linkedwith the birth ofthe American nation is theGreen Dragon Tavern.In the opinion of one writer

in 1917, “The Green Dragonwill probably outlive all itscontemporaries in the popu-lar estimation.”Indeed, the history that oc-

curred under the GreenDragon’s eyes during the late1700s will forever be remembered.The sign for the tavern was a metal

dragon that extended out above thedoor. A drawing of the tavern by JohnJohnston (1753-1818) in 1773 shows thedragon-shaped sign.The Green Dragon was located in

Boston’sNorth End andwas purchasedby the Lodge of St. Andrew in 1764.Members of the lodge included Paul

Revere and Joseph Warren. Several ofthoseMasonswere alsomembers of theSons of Liberty andmet at the tavern toconduct business for each group.According to the inscription on the

drawing, this iswhere the famedBostonTea Party was hatched. It says, “Wherewe met to Plan the Consignment of afew Shiploads of Tea Dec. 16 1773.”In 1798, the building was valued at

$3000 for tax purposes and was de-scribed as a three-story brick buildingwith 39 windows and a stable.

The story of the tavern’s sign demon-strates how powerful these symbolscould be for local residents.The published proceedings of the

centennial ceremonies for the Lodge ofSaintAndrew,which took place in 1856,include a report by the committeecharged with locating the originaldragon sign, or if unable to find it, withprocuring a reproduction of the sign.The committee spent 18 months ask-

ing everyone they could think of whomight know where the sign was lo-cated.They also “made very diligent search

in all placeswhere itmight be supposedto be laid away or concealed.”Unfortunately, they had no luck and

instead “prepared a model which theyhave caused to be carved in a truly artis-tic and workmanlike manner . . . by askillful person in the employ of Mr.Thomas J. Bailey, of this city [Boston].”The lodge then mounted the new

dragon sign in 1855 on thebuilding that was thenstanding on the original siteof the GreenDragon Tavern.The dragon sign is cur-

rently part of the collectionof the Grand Lodge of Ma-sons inMassachusetts.Madefrom dark-colored cast ironwith a slightly greenishtinge, this is also a repro-duction andmay ormay nothave been used at the site ofthe original Green DragonTavern.The 1855 committee report

suggests that the originaltavern sign was made ofcopper, “as far as the mem-ory of those who retainedany knowledge of it couldpoint out.”In addition, they used

memories of some lodgemembers to assist the artistin sculpting their reproduc-tion.Wherememory failed, the

artist “supplied the defectfrom a very beautiful andcostly work of art, repre-senting the patron saint ofEngland, St. George, and hisusual accompaniment, thedragon.”For the Lodge of St. An-

drew, a signwasmore than asign. By reproducing the fan-ciful dragon-shaped sign ofthe Green Dragon Tavern,they were able to honor the

memory of those who had gone beforewhile adding something tangible to thelandscape signifying the achievementsof their lodge.As the committee’s report concludes,

the sign “marks a spot which shouldnever be forgotten as one of the earlymeeting places of St. Andrew’s Lodge,and as memorable for its connectionwith many of the events of the Ameri-can Revolution.”While the material and form of Ma-

sonic signs have changed in the 21stcentury, their functions have not. Ma-sonic symbols are visible on signs andbuildings in almost every Americantown.As a spokesman for St. John’s Lodge

explained about the original Bunch ofGrapes sign, “This emblem is, indeed, atreasure to possess, in itself but a rudelycarved and ornamented symbol; butAmerican citizens, andmore especially


J. Brooks Tavern sign from 1824 featuringthe square and compasses.

Courtesy, Old SturbridgeVillage.


everymember of this time-honoredMa-sonic lodge, will value it asworthmorethan its weight in the precious metal itso rudely counterfeits.”The National Heritage Museum col-

lects antique andmodernMasonic andfraternal signs.Visitors to theMuseum’s popular ex-

hibition, “To Build and Sustain: Freema-sons inAmerican Community,”will re-member the eye-catching neon sign forMoose Lodge No. 1369.This signwasmade around 1940 and

called attention to that lodge, whichwas located in Robinson, IL.Themuseum collection also includes

three Odd Fellows signs from the early1900s, one sign for the Junior Order ofAmerican Mechanics dating to about1851, and one 1946 Masonic sign withthe square, compasses and “G.”We are interested in adding to our

collection of American Masonic or fra-ternal electrified and neon signs.If you can help us continue to tell this

story and have a sign that you wouldlike to donate, please feel free to contactAimee Newell at 781-457-4144 or byemail at [email protected].

Builder’s CouncilNew Members – 2007R. Perrin Baker

John and Claire Bertucci

Mike Brannon

Duckworth Family

Joseph W. and Marian B. Fennick

Lloyd C. Freedman

G. Gilbert Steffe Council ofPrinces of Jerusalem

Judd F. Garrison

Hiram’s Riders of Valley ofPittsburgh

Infinity Lodge No. 546

Charlotte Jackson

William E. and Julie M. Johnson

Frank R.and Betty Jane Koller

James M. Koscinski

Kenneth L. Larsen

Charles R. and Frances Lefever

Robert D. Lindner

Jack Maloney

Eric M. and Nancy S. Marshall

John L. McCain

Joseph T. Mezzina

William F. Milam

Jack and Carol Miller

Russell W. Nadeau

Jack and Joy Nicklas

Mr. and Mrs. Roger G. Nitzsche

Byron D. Olson

Robert H. and Lynda Parker

W. Bruce and Betsy A. Renner

Rodney L. and Norma St. Clair

Richard R. and Nancy Salsbury

Dale E. and Beverly Seiders

Pat Shaw

David J. Smith Sr.

Samuel W. Spanos

Virginia R. Stadtler

David S. and Elizabeth Stewart

Mark A. and Rita Weir

David B. and Edie Weisman

David and Kathryn Winters

Edward W. Zeh

Sign for the Bunch of Grapes Tavern, curently hanging in theGrand Lodge of Massachusetts building in Boston.

No worthwhile program, such asthe network of learning centers oper-ated by the Scottish Rite Masons, canoperate in a vacuum.Center directors solicit and receive

feedback in a number of ways. Thefollowing two quotes come from aparents questionnaire:“I have been very pleased with the

center and the work/tutoring thatMiss Carrie Shady has done with myson. He has never cared to read to meat home because it is such a struggle.It was quite touching one night, afew months ago, when he shared thathe ‘had read aloud in his class andthat he was reading better.’He then offered to read the same

text to me on his own. This actuallybrought tears to my eyes because hehas never volunteered to read to me.I am thankful for this tutoring and

appreciate all that has been done formy son.” (Parent – Erie center)

“This is one of the greatest gifts mydaughter will receive in her life. Shedoesn’t know that yet, but her dadand I know it.” (Parent – Lexingtoncenter)

Graduates of the training programare also asked to provide feedback,via a course evaluation.

These quotes are the results of boththe 2006 and 2007 training programs:“Compared to the dozens — and

dozens — of educational courses I’vetaken, this, by far, was the most re-warding, the most beneficial and themost helpful.” (David E. Richardson –Bangor center – 2006)

“Because of this program, myschool district has asked me to de-velop and run the Orton-GillinghamIntervention Program.They recognize my level of expert-

ise and the need for OG instructionfor so many children. The problem?Too many students and just one ofme!” (Jodi Zwain – Scotch Plains center– 2007)

“This program has revolutionizedthe way I teach reading. The coursework was very intensive, but theamount of work was far outweighedby the benefits.” (Diane Hickey –Scotch Plains center – 2007)

“This experience altered my viewof teaching reading and has had ahuge impact on me personally. I havelearned more through this trainingthan I felt I acquired in the 3 years ofmy graduate work in reading.”(Candace Pederzani – Nashua center –2007).


32° Masonic Learning Centersfor Children, Inc.

How Are We Doing?

With fall not too far away the annual “Walks for Children with Dyslexia”are in the planning stages for 2007. To date, throughout the 15-stateNorthern Masonic Jurisdiction, 26 events have been planned andmore are added every week. For the latest information and updatesvisit dyslexiawalk.org.

Walks for Children with Dyslexia

Waterbury, CTWilmington, DEChicago, ILFreeport, ILMoline, ILPeoria, ILSouthern IllinoisSpringfield, ILEvansville, INFort Wayne, INIndianapolis, INSouth Bend, INGreater Boston, MALexington, MAGreater Lowell, MAWorcester, MABangor, MEPortland, MEBay City, MIDetroit, MIWest MichiganNashua, NHSeacoast (NH)Burlington, NJHasbrouck, NJNewark, NJNorthfield, NJScotch Plains, NJTenafly, NJCentral New YorkRochester, NYAkron, OHCambridge, OHCanton, OHCincinnati, OH

Cleveland, OHColumbus, OHDayton, OHNorwood, OHSteubenville, OHToledo, OHYoungstown, OHAllentown, PAAltoona, PABloomsburg, PAErie, PAHarrisburg, PALancaster, PANew Castle, PAPhiladelphia, PAPittsburgh, PAReading, PAScranton, PAWilliamsport, PAProvidence, RIBurlington, VTMadison, WIMilwaukee, WI

OPENINGSOON:Danville, IL

Public SchoolInitiative Program:South Hadley (MA)Public School

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Alittle over a year ago, I foundmyself transplanted in centralI l l i n o i s .

After four years as director of the Val-ley of Chicago Learning Center, I hadvolunteered to uproot my family andrelocate to open a new center in Peoria.Once there, I had hardwork ahead to

get the new center up and running. Un-likemany ofmy fellow center directors,I didn’t have a local professional net-work to tap into.I had no teaching colleagues in the

Peoria area and couldn’t find muchlocal expertise in dyslexia or theOrton-Gillingham approach.I was starting from absolute scratch,

from the ground up. We started in July2006 with just two trainees and threechildren.Fortunately, our parents, our trainees,

our board of governors and our Valley

enthusiastically supported our growth.I had anticipated that the learning

centerwouldn’t be a solo project—afterall, I’d had tremendous support inChicago from our board, staff and fam-ilies.But what I didn’t anticipate was how

quickly our program’s reputationwould grow.Unlike Chicago, Peoria is really just a

large small town (even though it’s thefifth largest city in Illinois). It some-times seems that everyone knows eachother.After more than a year here, it’s still

rare that a week goes by without learn-ing about another “small world” con-nection. Word travels fast in a placelike this.In September 2006, I began training

my second group with seven highlyqualified trainees.Four came from a newspaper article,

and the remaining three found usthrough variousword-of-mouth paths.On our first day of training, I discov-

ered that several of our trainees already

knew each other. Some had previouslyworked together; others attended thesame church.The smallworld inwhich Iwas living

and working grew smaller.As we made our way through train-

ing into the fall, I began to see that thissmall world was really, more than any-thing, a close world.Everyone knows each other because

people here really invest in each other.They exhibit the basic, wholesome

values that we associate with the heartofAmerica: dedication toGod and fam-ily, a solid work ethic, and civic en-gagement.Of course, I had experienced won-

derful people andmeaningful relation-ships in the Chicago area, too, but thissmall town experience has been differ-ent.Within this small, closeworld of Peo-

ria, the educational community has al-ready felt the ripple effect of the learn-ing center’s work.Our second group of trainees is now

nearing certification. They’ve blos-somed — as trainees always do — intheir knowledge and understanding oflanguage education.They’ve taken the Masons’ gift of

knowledge and shared it with parentsand colleagues, including teachers,speech and occupational therapists,psychologists and administrators.Take a look atwhat they’ve done out-

side of their work at the center:• Convinced principals to provide

access to high-quality professional de-velopment for teachers, focusing onsound scientifically-researched princi-pals of initial reading instruction.• Taught classrooms full of children

about sounds, letters, spelling rules andpatterns in order to help them becomemore proficient readers and writers.


TheRippleEffect Reflections on a first year

By GINA COOKE

GINA COOKE, is the director of the Peoria, Illinois, learning center.

For more than a decade we have marveled at the

transforming effects that the learning centers

have on the lives of individual children and

families. What about the impact of our tutor

training program? How does the training aspect

of our mission touch our tutors, our trainees, and

the educational community at large?

• Demystified common misappre-hensions about the existence, nomen-clature and diagnosis of dyslexiaamong educational professionals.• Providedparentswith access to ap-

propriate reading and spelling supportfor dyslexic children, both within andoutside of the school setting.• Referred parents and colleagues to

the center for tutoring and trainingservices.Tutor trainees are grateful for the

training opportunity. As one traineeexplained, “In 30 years of teaching, noone has ever been able to tell us theexact things to do to teach reading.“We are left to our own resources to

figure it out. Butwith this training, I canunderstand what I am supposed to doand why it is better. We are lucky tohave learned from this.”Another veteran teacher expressed

her appreciation for the mentoring as-pect of training. “The supervision is sohelpful. Not all of this can be learnedfrom a book, that's for sure!”The repercussions of our training are

equally profoundwhen they take placeearly in a teaching career.One trainee, Mary, shared her grow-

ing knowledge with her studentteacher, an education major at a rep-utable central Illinois university overthe past year.The student teacher has been grateful

for the new insights and information.“We didn’t get any of this inmy collegereading courses,” she has said.Our tutors and trainees are well edu-

cated before they find us;many have al-

ready distinguished themselves in theircareers.They are respected by their peers.

They have many paths open to them.They don’t have to take part in ourtraining program but they choose to doso.It takes courage and humility to

tackle the rigorous, year-long commit-ment.

They do it out of a deep desire to bet-ter themselves and the children andcommunities they serve.All of our centers have stories similar

to ours.Besides commending our tutor

trainees, however, it’s also important torecognize the broader educational com-munity for opening themselves to ournew organization and to new informa-tion.Out of respect for their colleagues and

dedication to children, Peoria area ed-ucators have listened and learned.They have paid attention, and they

have been willing to reconsider long-held, well-intended, butmisguided be-liefs about teaching children how lan-guage works.In this small, close world of central

Illinois, the seeds of change have takenroot quickly and deeply.Most centers serve populations

smaller than Chicago; surely Peoria isnot the only one to have experiencedthe currents of change.But witnessing such quick changes

has been so eye-opening and so grati-fying that it was worth committingthem to paper.In the words of one of our trainees,

“What an experience this has been!”


MASONICWORD MATH

How to solve: Start with the first word. Add to it theletters of the second word. Then add or subtractthe letters of the following words. Total the remain-ing letters and unscramble them to find a wordassociated with Masonry.

(STRESSFUL) + (PREAMBLE) –

(BEAST) + (CAPTIVATE) – (PRESUME)

+ (CONTEMPT) – (LIVE) – (START) +

(PERSON) – (PEOPLE) – (CANNOT) +

(LITERATE) – (FILM) – (TART)

Clue for this puzzle appears on page 8.Answer from previous issue: COMMUNITY

=


N O T E S F R O M T H E

Ritual Monitor &Guide AvailableThe Supreme Council, 33°, S.J. hasjus t publ i shed a comprehens iveguidebook to the Revised StandardPike Ritual, the official ritual of theSupreme Counc i l , by Arturo deHoyos, 33°, Grand Archivist andGrand Historian. It is the first Scot-tish Rite monitor published in theU.S. since 1878. Subjects include: •Introductory material for new mem-bers; • Albert Pike’s views on the na-ture and purposes of Freemasonryand the Scottish Rite in particular; •the Scottish Rite’s origins and its rit-ual development; • Members’ andofficers’ regalia, rings, jewels, caps,etc. ; • Scottish Rite symbols, de-picted and described degree by de-gree; • a chapter devoted to each ofthe r i tua l s o f a l l 29 degrees (4°through 32°), plus the Knight Com-mander of the Court of Honour; • atranscription of Frederick Dalcho’sritual for the 4°; and much more. Thebook has 952 pages and costs $65plus shipping and handling. It canbe ordered f romwww.scottishritestore.org or by call-ing 1–866-445-9196.

Loge Liberté chérie was a Masonic lodgefounded in 1943 by seven brothers in-side Hut 6 of Emslandlager VII in Bel-gium. The name of the lodge was takenfrom the Marseillaise, the French Na-tional Anthem, and translates to BelovedLiberty. The hut that these brethrenwerekept in is notable because itwas reservedfor political prisoners and resistanceleaders, essentially anyone who wasdeemed in need of “re-education” andwhose only real crime was standing inopposition to the Nazi party.

Under those conditions it is amazingthat anyone could do anything beyondthemere essentials of survival, but at thesame time, the members of Liberté chérieknew that real survival goes beyond sim-ple subsistence living. In a small but pro-foundway these brethren inHut 6 foughtback by founding aMasonic lodge. Theybegan with only seven members, allFreemasons from Belgium, who met inHut 6 surrounding a table that they usedto sort cartridges during the day. To pro-tect their secrecy, a Catholic priest volun-teered to help watch the door.

Theceremoniesandritualwere simple,but they were still able to initiate, pass,and raise Bro. Fernand Erauw. Once theyhad raised Bro. Erauw, Liberté chérie, likemost lodges, set different programs foreachmeeting, suchasdiscussing the sym-bol of the Great Architect, the position ofwomen in Freemasonry, and the future ofBelgium.The lodgebegan itswork in1943andended it in1944, andonlyBros.Erauwand Luc Somerhausen survived the war.The rest did not live to see liberation.

Beloved Liberty by Paul Nadeau, 32°

The memorial for the Masonic LodgeLiberté chérie at the Nazi concentrationcamp Esterwegen.

Photo:http://en.wikipedia.org

The FortWorth Scottish Rite Valleyhad a special visit from a London“Beefeater” at their March 15, 2007,stated meeting. Worshipful BrotherRichard Sands, a yeoman warder ofHerMajesty’s royal palace and fortress,the Tower of London, presented a spe-cial program to the more than 150members and guests about his life as abeefeater. Bro. Sands hasworked at thetower for over 18 years after retiringfrom the British Army as a sergeantmajor.

Brother Sands kept the audiencespellboundwith his tales of the historyof the tower and what it was like to beone of only 36 yeomen warders.Warders are selected from retired sen-

ior non-commissioned officers of theBritishArmed Forceswho have at least22 years of service and hold the LongService and Good Conduct medals.(The first woman yeoman warder hasbeen selected and will begin service inSeptember 2007.) The origin of the term“beefeater” is uncertain, but some thinkit originates from the fact that earlywarders were paid a daily ration ofbeef. Brother Sands and his wife Eliza-beth live at the tower with the otheryeomen warders and raised twodaughters there.

Brother Sands is a Past Master ofone of the oldest lodges in London.Hiswife Elizabeth also works at the towerin the armory. — Dan Gilbert

Fort Worth Valley Visited by a Beefeater

Oh, how we love Pierre CharlesL’Enfant’s magnificent Federal City.There was just no way Norma and Icould pass up the opportunity to seeit again by attending this year’sSupreme Council annual session inWashington, D.C.

As it turned out, it was notL’Enfant’s city that made the impres-sion. Yes, Washington was as mag-nificent as ever, but what left thegreatest impression on me was ourfraternity. I left Washington with arenewed sense of optimism for thefuture of Freemasonry and a renewedsense of commitment to it.

Perhaps you think of SupremeCouncil sessions in terms of arcaneceremonies, gala dinners and lots ofsocializing. In reality, it isa massive recommitmentto Freemasonry, most es-pecially Symbolic Freema-sonry.

Freemasonry doesn’tbegin in Lexington,Mass., or Washington,D.C. It begins in lodges in places like Virginia, Ill.; Wester-ville, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wis., and Hershey, Penn.

No one understands this better than those who attendedthe Supreme Council session, especially the 177 men of ourNorthern Masonic Jurisdiction who this year received the33rd Degree. Of this honor, Sovereign Grand CommanderJohn McNaughton said, “Please do not accept your newrole as an accomplishment, but as a commitment for con-tinued service to our fraternity.”

Not an accomplishment. Rather, a commitment forcontinued service.

Those men I met took Commander McNaughton’s wordsto heart. Men like Frank Mayer, Ralph Behlke, Jim Verkestand Wayne Johnson were not basking in the glow of thehonor they received, but were focused on strengtheningand improving Freemasonry from the ground up.

As I listened to these and other men talk, I thoughtabout the Lodge of the Nine Sisters. This French lodge at-tracted such men as Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet), Jean-Antoine Houdon and John Paul Jones. Benjamin Franklinserved as its master at a most critical time.

Desiring to go beyond ritual and socializing, Franklinformed a philosophical group within the lodge. It wascalled the Société Apollonienne.

We had nothing so formal in Washington as the SociétéApollonienne, but its spirit was alive and well in the livelydebate and serious thought of our brothers in Washington.This bodes well for our future.

I again thought of Franklin and hislodge when Illustrious John Glenn spokeat the annual banquet.

It was a singular moment. Whatstruck me most was the subtle yetforceful challenge Glenn laid down.He talked about the relatively fewthings that can and often do dividepeople and the many things thatshould unite. For instance, people areunited by a faith in the same God,but are divided by the method inwhich to express that faith. Those di-visions are responsible for countlesswars and other acts of violence, all,ironically, committed in the name ofGod. Glenn, at least to my mind, leftno doubt that Freemasons can leadthe way in eliminating this and otherdivisions by focusing on that whichunites. I think Franklin would havebeen pleased. Again, this bodes well

for our future.I again thought of

Franklin and that Frenchlodge one evening whilesharing in conversationwith a number of men.One of those men wasJohn B. Van Hollen. J.B.,

as most people call him, was among those who receivedthe 33rd Degree.

J.B. is a young man, just 41 years of age. He is the cur-rent grand master of Masons in Wisconsin. Oh, one morething, he just happens to be the attorney general for thestate of Wisconsin.

Like every other 33rd Degree recipient I met, J.B. wasquite humbled by the honor. Like the others, at the end ofthe session he was returning home reinvigorated and deter-mined to do all in his power to strengthen and improveFreemasonry. And I believe he – and the others – will dojust that. Another reason for optimism.

Before we left, Norma and I visited the House of theTemple. This is the headquarters of the Southern MasonicJurisdiction.

From the two sphinxes that guard the building’s entranceto the Pillars of Charity, this building will take your breatheaway.

However, the most lasting impression was made by a fewobjects in the Executive Chamber, the room in which theSupreme Council of the Southern Masonic Jurisdictionmeets. In the center of the room is the altar. Upon the altaris an open Bible. To its right is the Tenach, the Jewish Bible.Above it is the Qu’ran, the sacred book of Islam.

Without so much as one word, this simple display speaksvolumes about Freemasonry and Freemasons. As Masons,we celebrate diversity while focusing on that which unites.Men of every faith and station in life united in a single pur-pose. This is Freemasonry.

Pick up a newspaper or turn on the evening news. Canthere be any doubt that the time is now for Freemasonry?

We’ll get back to the Internet, computers and such nexttime. In the meantime, I hope each of you will rededicateyourselves to Freemasonry.

As always, please send you questions and comments tome ([email protected]).


Leigh E. Morris, 33°, works in corporatecommunications for a major utilitycompany. He is a member of the Valleys ofMilwaukee and Springfield, IL.

Not an accomplishment;rather, a commitment

This is undoubtedly my favorite time of theyear. The days are longer and the weather iswarm. The morning commute is not as

fraught with gridlock as usual.It is a time to sit on the porch in the evening withlemonade and appreciate all the good things lifebrings us.Summer also marks the end of the fiscal year forScottish Rite Charities. Thus, it is a perfect time tolook back at some of the people who have reallymade this year special. Let me share some of thesewarm thoughts:July reminds me of the first time I met Ill. VicFrederick, 33°, of the Valley of Reading. In 2003 helaunched a largely solo circuit on his Harley David-son to visit every learning center as a fundraisingevent.His effort sparked the Hiram Riders, which hasgrown steadily in Pennsylvania; having fun and fel-lowship, while raising funds for the learning centerprograms throughout the Keystone State.This April the Pittsburgh chapter’s president Bro.Mark Bliler, 32°, presented Sovereign Grand Com-mander John Wm. McNaughton, 33°, a check for$25,000 to support its learning center. What anamazing and exciting program has grown from ahumble dream.Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, I think of Ill. DaveSmith, 33°, and his board in New Castle. I metwith Dave in February and was impressed with hiscommitment and enthusiasm. “We are going toendow our learning center!” he declared.Dave and his team have been resolute. This yearthey recruited four new Builders Council membersand are becoming one of the most successfulfundraising teams in the jurisdiction.April marked the opening of the wonderful“Sowing the Seeds of Liberty” exhibition at the Na-tional Heritage Museum.

Raising the funds to install thisimportant historical exhibitionabout the people and causes

leading up to the history-changing battle was ledby generous Masons; chiefly Ill. Carl Lindner, 33°,(Valley of Cincinnati, OH) and Ill. Forrest McKerley,33°, (Valley of Concord, NH). But along with frater-nal generosity, a committed team of Lexington resi-dents, ably led by Mrs. Elsa O. Sullivan, raised sub-stantial funds from their neighbors to make that ex-hibition a reality.Not only is the National Heritage Museum a val-ued Masonic center, it is also an important part ofour shared historical past.Now I find myself running out of space but stillfull of wonderful thoughts — like Bro. Earl Goetz’sbequest which helps the Columbus learning centerbecome endowed.

And the generous annuity established by Bro.Frank and Betty Koller for the Milwaukee center.

And the donation of 108 laptop computers byMonster.com and facilitated by Bro. J. GraemeNoseworthy, 32°.

And Ill. Joseph Carter’s determination to fullyendow the Worcester learning center.

And Ill. Larry Smerglia’s team whose success ingetting grants is remarkable in Canton, OH.

And the Illinois Masonic Health Foundationwhose $150,000 grant to the learning center proj-ects in Chicago and Danville add to their steadfastcommitment which has totaled $575,000.

And the dogged way Ill. Jim Owen, 33°, and Bro.Dick Duckworth, 32°, are finding major donors inRhode Island and Florida.

And every donor and volunteer whose generosityof spirit demonstrates daily the Masonic ideal ofcharity.

And Ill. Verdon Skipper, 33°, and Ill. MalcolmWernick, 33°, whose passion for the learning cen-ters in New Jersey is so strong that they have in-spired fellow Masons and others to provide severalhundred thousand dollars in assistance to thosecenters.So many good memories and so much for whichto be thankful. Knowing how much good yourwork and generosity is doing for boys, girls andfamilies throughout our Jurisdiction is the best giftof all. Thank you.


Promoting Knowledge and Learning

Ah, Summertime

Steve Pekock, 32°Director of Development

Matthew Stanley Quaywas born Sept. 30, 1833, inDillsburg, PA, the son of aPresbyterian minister. Edu-cated at Jefferson College,he started practicing law in1854. He was commis-sioned in the Union Army,rising to the rank ofcolonel. In December 1862,he took part in the chargeon the heights, at the battleof Fredericksburg, an ac-tion which earned him theCongressional Medal ofHonor. Following the warhe served in several electedpositions including U.S.Senator from 1887 to hisdeath in 1904. He alsoowned and edited a news-paper in Beaver, PA, andwas described as a greatclassical scholar by Bro.Rudyard Kipling who vis-ited with him in Beaverseveral times.

Bro. Quay was a mem-ber of St. James Lodge No.457 in Beaver, PA. He ispictured on a stamp issuedby the Isle of Man on May23, 2006, to celebrate theManx Links with Washing-ton, DC.

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Berlin, Germany (duringthe post-war period whenthey ran a postal service) is-sued a stamp onApr. 22,1951, to commemorate the100th anniversary of the

death of Bro. Gustav Al-bert Lortzing. He was ini-tiated Sept. 3, 1826, in thelodge “Zur Bestandigkeitund Eintract” in Aachen,Germany. In 1834 he affili-ated with the lodge “Bald-win zur Linde” in Leipzig.

Bro. Lortzing was bornOct. 23, 1801, in Berlin. Hetraveled throughout Ger-many with his parents (ashis father was an actor)while he also performedand studied composition.He completed his firstopera in 1825 and followedit with 19 more.

His works were inven-tive and popular and manyremain permanent parts ofthe characteristic Germanrepertoire. He served asKapellmeister in 1844-45 inLeipzig and later accepteda position in Vienna untilthe revolutions of 1848. Hereturned to Berlin and diedthere in poverty on Jan. 21,1851.

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Audie Murphywas bornJune 20, 1924, nearKingston, TX, the seventhof 12 children of poorsharecroppers. He pickedcotton and became skilledwith a rifle to hunt smallgame. His father left thefamily in 1940 and hismother died the followingyear leaving him to care for

his younger siblings.Upon the attack on Pearl

Harbor in December 1941,he rushed to enlist. Beingonly 5’5” tall weighing 110pounds he was turnedaway by the Marines andthe Army Paratroopers —he finally enlisted as an in-fantryman in the RegularArmy.

He received his baptismunder fire as he landed inSicily in July 1943 and hisdrive and determination re-sulted in his promotion tocorporal. After two boutswith malaria and somefierce fighting, he was of-fered a battlefield commis-sion to second lieutenantwhich he refused.

His war-time perform-ance is legendary and isthe subject of a book and amovie. In 1944 he was dis-charged as a sergeant andthen commissioned as asecond lieutenant

He completed his serv-ice as the most decoratedU.S. combat soldier ofWorld War II — 33 awardsand decorations includingthe Medal of Honor andfive decorations fromFrance and Belgium.

Following the war,under the prodding ofJames Cagney, Murphy be-came a Hollywood actorand appeared in 44 featurefilms. He died on May 28,1971, when a private planein which he was flyingcrashed near Roanoke, VA.

Bro. Murphy became in-terested in Freemasonry in1955 and joined North Hol-lywood Lodge No. 542 thatyear. The following year hebecame a dual member

with Heritage Lodge No.764 also of North Holly-wood. He became a Scot-tish Rite Mason andShriner in Dallas, TX, in1957. He often participatedin Shriner parades both inTexas and California. Hehas been pictured on manystamps around the world.The one shown here wasreleased by the USPS onMay 3, 2000, to note distin-guished soldiers.

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Bro. Gasparo Luigi Paci-fico Spontini, born at Ma-jolati, Italy in 1774 has beenhonored twice on stampsreleased by the Italianpostal authorities — in1937 and1975. Thestamp shownwas issuedon Oct. 25,1937. He wasa member ofthe lodge“L’Age d’Or”in Paragia,Italy.

Educated at the Conser-vatio de Turchini atNaples, he produced suc-cessful operas at Rome,Florence, Naples and Paler-mo and then settled inParis. While there he estab-lished the style called“Grand Opera” and severalof his works were pro-duced from 1804-14 whilehe was director of the Ital-ian Opera there. He thensettled in Berlin by invita-tion of Frederick William IIand supervised all musicperformed at the Prussiancourt. He retired to hisbirthplace in 1850 and be-queathed all his belongingsto the poor when he diedthe following year.


Robert A. Domingue is secretary forSt. Matthew’s Lodge, Andover, MA, and

editor of The Philatelic Freemason.

Solomon’s Builders Freemasons,Founding Fathers and theSecrets of Washington, D.C.

by Chistopher Hodapp.. Published in 2007 by UlyssesPress, P.O. Box 3440, Berkeley, CA $14.95.

When I first saw the title referring to the secrets ofWashington, DC, I had an immediate concern.

I was afraid that it would be a book claiming creditfor Freemasonry not only for being greatly responsi-ble for the idealism of the founding of the nation —that I do agree with — but also in the reflection ofMasonic symbolism in the physical layout of the cityitself.

There are far too many members of our craft with atendency to make relatively unsubstantiated claimsregarding the layout of the city and I find it difficultto agree with them.

I did not have to read far into the book until myconcern was reinforced. On page six the authorstated, “The building of a new capital, Washington,DC, would give the Masons a unique opportunity tocombine the modern with the ancient styles ofFreemasonry — the new speculative Freemasonrywould now have a chance to actually work in stone,erecting its own city from the ground up.”

I was very pleasantly relieved, however, when Ifound that this reference was not to infusing Masonicsymbols into the physical layout of the city but ratherto the injection of Masonic and Enlightenment think-ing into the physical as well as the idealistic structure

that was destined to become the pattern for so manyother nations.

Indeed, this is one of the better books that I haveseen that credits Freemasonry where credit is due,while debunking many of the more common claimsmade by both Freemasons who wish to see Freema-sonry’s positive influence everywhere, and by our en-emies who use it to reveal Freemasonry’s insidiousattempt at world domination.

He has revealed the humanism of those earlyFreemasons who exerted their idealism, perhaps dis-covered in a Masonic lodge, showing that they wereneither godlike in stature nor the precursors to thefallibility of present-day government leaders.

The author, who is also the author of Freemasons forDummies, has written an interesting, intriguing andeasily readable book and has performed commend-ably in presenting the influence of Freemasons andMasonic philosophy in the physical structure ofWashington, DC, as well as the system of governmentwithout laying claim to more than we deserve.

He defines this book as “the story of that brief mo-ment in time when Freemasonry, the Enlightenment,revolution and fate came together to build . . .,” whilepointing out that during the American Revolution theinfluence of Freemasonry played a vital role while itwas driven underground during the French Revolu-tion.

The book is divided into 12 chapters that define ef-fectively the origins and structure of Freemasonry, in-cluding pre-Masonic utopian ideals, through its ideal-ism of purpose; its impact upon the development of

America; the prominentFreemasons involved withthis impact, and the differ-ences in the ideologies ofthe early Americans in-cluding Masonic broth-ers.

It goes extensivelyinto the development ofthe city of Washington,DC, covering whereMasonic influence canbe justifiably creditedbut also into themyths and legendsthat have been ap-plied unjustifiably

to Masonic influence.One chapter is committed to dis-

cussing Masonic sites and buildings to be found inour nation’s capital, including photographs of thosestructures.

The final chapter is devoted to the final days,death, and entombment of Bro. George Washington.

I thoroughly appreciated some of his analysis andexpressions involving Freemasonry, such as,“Freemasonry was the firstborn son of the Enlighten-ment and it was a greater single influence on ourFounding Fathers than any other.”

Also, had I gained nothing else from reading thebook, I learned of the man “who invented America.”


Reviewed by Thomas W. Jackson, 33°

On the front cover is a statement, “discover the his-tory behind the Da Vinci code sequel.” If this be thepurpose of the book, it is the best that I have seen writ-ten, riding on the coattails of The Da Vinci Code.

I trust my review will stimulate you to read thisbook. It is worth reading and having in your library. Itwould also be a good book to recommend to non-Ma-sons who seek a better understanding of the craft.

(There was an observation made on page 24 thatconfuses me. When you read it, see if you know towhat I refer.)

Custodians of Truth:The Continuance of Rex Deus

by Tim Wallis-Murphy and Marilyn Hopkins. Published in2005 by Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, York Beach, ME. $22.95.

The authors of this text have also authored Rosslyn:Guardian of the Secrets of the Holy Grail, Templars inAmerica and Rex Deus.This book is written to expand upon a proposition

that Jesus was married and had children and whosebloodline continues through the Rex Deus family.Freemasonry comes into play due to their (not new)

proposition that the craft is the present-day custodianof the secrets passed through Rex Deus.According to TimWallis-Murphy, he was ap-

proached by a man revealing esoteric symbolism ofsecret traditions that his family preserved for over2000 years.He also revealed and proved, according to the au-

thor that he was a direct descendent of the firstGrand Master of the Knights Templar.The family to which this man referred is the blood-

line of Rex Deus who had their genealogies inscribedon the walls of rooms under the Temple at Jerusalem.According to the authors, Jesus was a pupil of John

the Baptist and that it is “a tradition that has been keptalive for 2000 years among the hidden streams of spiri-tuality preserved by the descendents of the ma’madot,namely the Rex Deus families and their spiritual heirs,the Knights Templars (who according to the authorwas created by them) along with the Freemasons.”The book contains 19 chapters running through top-

ics ranging from the origins of Egyptian Gnosis; devel-opment and tribulations of the Jews; the founding ofChristianity; the dark ages; the rise of Rex Deus; theKnights Templar, the Inquisition with the fall of theTemplars, the Sinclairs and the building of RosslynChapel and its significance, concluding with a spiri-tual awakening in the 21st century.Much of what is written in the book is not new but it

expands upon and supports some of the more far-reaching speculations that have found their way intoprint in recent years.According to the author the St. Clairs of Scotland,

along with representatives of the eleven other familieslinked by marriage, supported the Templars and

played a part in the foundation of Freemasonry inScotland.They were the “guardians of the divinely inspired

gnosis that was the true treasure of the Knights Tem-plar and this heritage was preserved and coded withinthe carvings of Rosslyn Chapel.”Also revealed in the carvings were Earl William St.

Clair’s plans for the future in creating an organization“that would treasure and guard these secrets, and passthem on to future generations throughout the world —the craft of Freemasonry.”It is the author’s contention that members of the Ma-

sonic guilds were brought together and under theguidance of the St. Clairs of Roslin transformed intothe modern speculative craft.Accordingly, Freemasonry is, therefore, a creation, or

rather a transformation into an organization with apurpose for the Rex Deus bloodline.Recognizing that I risk criticism when I recommend

reading a book of this far-reaching specu-lation and realizing the ani-

mosity that it will cre-ate in some readers, Istill think the book isworth reading, notbecause I believe it tobe factual — but be-cause it is interestingand thought-provoking.There is certainly

nothing derogatory toFreemasonry containedin it.Indeed, if even a small

fraction of the attributesthat he credits to the craftwere true it would signifi-cantly elevate our signifi-cance.

Reading the book caused me to develop a greaterunderstanding of some of the early history relating tothe development of both Judaism and Christianity.In addition, it caused me to also understand more

fully some of the ritual of the Holy Royal Arch Chap-ter.There are some glaring mistakes made that would be

quite evident to the knowledgeable Freemason today.In addition I could find no proof offered for the claimsmade relative to the existence of the Rex Deus blood-line.It is interesting, however, simply to speculate on the

feasibility of the accuracy of some of what is written.There is little doubt that the structure of present-day

Christian faith is a result of dominance of the religioushierarchy of the time that it was formulated. What in-deed, if it were not true. Interesting speculation.


THOMAS W. JACKSON, 33°, was formerly Grand Secretaryfor the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. He is Executive Secretary

for the World Conference of Masonic Grand Lodgesand the book reviewer for The Northern Light.

New treatment forCOPDUntil now, only smoking cessationand oxygen therapy were known toimprove survival rates for chronic ob-structive pulmonary disease (COPD),which includes emphysema andchronic bronchitis.Recently, a two-drug combination

(salmeterol and fluticasone propi-onate) has been found to reducedeaths from COPD by a significant17.5 percent.The study was presented to the

American College of Chest Physi-cians.

Climate increases goutriskHigh temperatures and high humidityboth increase the risk of experiencinga recurrent gout attack, according tothe American College of Rheumatol-ogy.Temperatures from 87 to 105 de-

grees increased risk. A similar magni-tude of increased risk was foundwhen the humidity increased from 64to 77 percent.

Leg muscles and thekneeStrengthening the muscle in front ofthe upper leg (quadriceps) that’s usedto straighten the leg at the knee canprotect against the loss of cartilage be-hind the kneecap (patella), say doctorsat the American College of Rheuma-tology.If you have knee arthritis, check

with your doctor to see what exercisesare best for you. Walking is also bene-ficial.

Oral health/pancreaticcancerAHarvard study of 51,000 male doc-tors showed that the men with a his-tory of gum disease were at 64 percentgreater risk for pancreatic cancer com-pared with those who had healthygums.The study is the test in a series of re-

ports showing that the health of yourmouth, teeth, and gums may have apowerful impact on your health. Gumdisease is also linked to heart disease,stroke, diabetes, and pregnancy prob-lems.

Olive oil may reduceulcer riskOlive oil has anti-coagulant effects inthe bloodstream that lower the risk ofheart attack and stroke.Now, there’s evidence that it may

also help to prevent stomach ulcers. Itseems that the phenols in virgin oliveoil kill eight strains of H. pylori in testtubes. H. pylori bacterial infections in-

crease a person’s risk of stomach ul-cers and stomach cancer.Researchers at the University Hos-

pital of Valme, Spain, say more stud-ies are needed. Still, it’s another goodreason for including olive oil in yourdiet.

Germs in purses,walletsA survey at the University of Arizonashows that purses can harbor thou-sands of germs. The same may be trueof wallets. The worst types of hand-bags were made of leather and plastic.Researchers say we have a natural

resistance to many organisms wecome in contact with. But the leatherand plastic, particularly at the bottomof a purse, can be cleaned with a dis-infecting wipe.

Use a tape measure totrack heart attack riskIf you always thought the body massindex (BMI) wasn't the best indicatorof your personal health, doctors atKaiser Permanente of Northern Cali-fornia agree. They have a better idea.They find that the size of the sagittal

abdominal diameter (SAD) is a betterindicator. (That's the size of the belly.)Measure half way between your backand your upper abdomen, midwaybetween the top of the pelvis and theribs. Measure standing up.After a 12-year study, researchers

determined that men with the biggestbellies have a 42 percent greater riskof coronary heart disease. For women,the risk was 44 percent greater thanwomen with the smallest bellies.Walking helps to reduce the size of

the sagittal abdominal diameter.


“Gee, mom, none of the other kidsare wearing their childproof caps.”


Masonic CompactBecause I am a Freemason . . .

�. . . I believe that freedom of religion is an inalienable human right and tolerance an indispensable traitof human character; therefore, I will stand in my Lodge with Brothers of all faiths, and respect their beliefsas they respect mine, and I will demonstrate the spirit of Brotherhood in all aspects of my life.

�. . . I know that education and the rational use of the mind are the keys to facing the problems ofhumanity; therefore, I will bring my questions and my ideas to my Lodge, and strive to advance thegrowth of my mind alongside my Brothers.

�. . . I know that the rich tradition of Freemasonry and its framework of Ritual are important platformsfor growth and learning; therefore, I vow to stand upon these platforms to improve myself as a humanbeing, and I vow to help in the mission of the Craft to provide tools, atmosphere, challenges andmotivation to help each Brother do the same.

�. . . I know that charity is the distinguishing human virtue, and that personal community service is thebest demonstration of one's commitment to humanity; I acknowledge that words without deeds aremeaningless, and I vow to work with my Lodge to provide service to the community, and to promotecharity, friendship, morality, harmony, integrity, fidelity and love.

�. . . I know that my obligation to community extends beyond my local sphere and is partly fulfilled inmy patriotism: love of my country, obedience to its laws and celebration of the freedoms andopportunities it symbolizes.

�. . . I know that leadership is best demonstrated by commitment to serving others; I will thereforeparticipate in, and help work at improving individual leadership skills, and serve the Brothers of myLodge to the best of my ability.

�. . . I know that friendship, fidelity and family are the foundations of a well-lived life; I therefore vow tobe a faithful friend to my Brothers, as I expect my Lodge to respect my personal obligations, and to treatmy family as though my family were their own.

�. . . I know that the last great lesson of Freemasonry — the value of personal integrity and the sanctityof one's word— is a lesson for all people in all times; I therefore vow to be a man of my word.

�. . . I know thatMasonry's power is best exercised when its Light is sharedwith the world at large; Itherefore vow to bring the best of myself to my Lodge, in order that my growth might be fostered andnurtured, and to present myself to the world as a working Freemason, on the path to building a moreperfect temple.

Because I am a Freemason,these values and aspirations are guideposts for my progress through life.

The Masonic Compact was developed by the Grand Lodge of New Yorkand distributed by Grand Master Neal I. Bidnick. He states that it “is a way to re-state ouragreement to bring the best we have to offer to the craft, and to trust that our lodges andour Grand Lodge will stand and work alongside us to become the best they can be.”


SCOTTISH RITEPHILOSOPHY

According to the views of manyprofound observers, there is but onefundamental problem in the world towhich all other problems are auxiliaryor incidental. This basic problem isthe conflict between ignorance andeducation; the warfare of scienceagainst superstition, of truth againstthe twin falsehoods of prejudice andintolerance.It may readily be seen, after due re-

flection, how all the other social, po-litical, commercial and religious prob-lems of our times might be regardedas phases of this basic problem of theprogress of scientific discovery andthe more popular diffusion of scien-tific knowledge and understanding.Probably, there never has been a moreexcellent statement of the benefits tobe derived from the solution of thisbasis problem than the maxim of theMaster Teacher — “Ye shall know thetruth and the truth shall make youfree.”Surely, the founders of Freema-

sonry and the authors and revisers ofour ritual must have given due regardto this basic problem of life when theydesigned the ceremonies wherebycandidates are inducted into our craft.Certainly, the central theme of all ourrituals is the leading of those blindedby the darkness of ignorance andbound by the cords of superstitionout into the uplifting light of truthand knowledge.

— Herbert Hungerford, 32°,The Builder, March 1929

Ancient Freemasonryand Present Day

Problems

One of the first things that a Scot-tish Rite Mason must learn is obedi-ence to the law of God or nature.Every Mason is bound to obey the

laws of his country providing theydo not interfere with his individualrights and privileges, free thought,freedom of speech, and free con-science. I do not refer in any way toman-made laws, outside those thathave been written for the better gov-ernment of the people and for thesafeguard of human happiness, andhuman progress. Especially is this sowhere the laws are based on equity,justice, right.Whenever a nation, people or sect

endeavors to take away from manhis right to believe according to thedictates of his own conscience,whenever any man or body of mentries to rob him of those rights andprivileges, it is then his boundenduty to rebel and not to obey.This fact was thoroughly compre-

hended by our forefathers who af-fixed their names to the followingprofoundly truthful and ever livingMasonic sentiment:“We hold these truths to be self-

evident that all men are createdequal; that they are endowed bytheir Creator with certain unalien-able rights; that among these are life,liberty and the pursuit of happiness.That to secure these rights govern-ments are instituted among men, de-riving their just powers from theconsent of the governed; that, when-ever any form of government be-comes destructive of these ends, it isthe right of the people to alter, orabolish it, and to institute a new gov-ernment, laying its foundation onsuch principles, and organizing itspowers in such form as to them shallseem most likely to effect their safetyand happiness.”It was the same Masonic spirit that

injected the above into our Declara-tion of Independence, that formu-lated these profoundly significantwords, constituting the Preamble ofour National Constitution: “We thePeople of the United States, in orderto form a more perfect union, estab-lish justice, ensure domestic tran-quility, provide for the common de-fense, promote the general welfare,

and secure the blessings of liberty toourselves and our posterity, do or-dain and establish this Constitutionfor the United States of America.”It was the same Masonic spirit that

unanimously selected and elected aMaster Mason as the first Presidentof these United States.And they who elected him

founded the Union upon the sameMasonic principles of equity, justiceand right “for the preservation andperpetuation of individual humanliberty.”They also founded the union upon

the same basis as Masonry. For in-stance, the federal government rep-resents the Grand Lodge. The vari-ous states the constituent bodies(lodges) over which the federal gov-ernment rules by the consent of thestates and peoples of those variousconstituent bodies.Every Scottish Rite Mason is

taught that it is his bounden duty toobey the law of God or nature. He isalso strictly enjoined to obey thelaws of his country providing thatthose laws do not conflict with hisunalienable rights and privileges asexpressed in our Declaration of Inde-pendence and in the Preamble of ournational Constitution.It is also firmly impressed upon all

those who enter the portals of Scot-tish Rite Masonry that every individ-ual man “is a law unto himself.”Every initiate will realize the fact

that man is the master of his owndestiny; that all men have the work-ing tools of the intelligent soul to ful-fill the law, consciousness and will.

— N. F. de Clifford, M.D.,The Tyler-Keystone, Aug. 5, 1910

Confidence is preparation. Every-thing else is beyond your control.

— Richard Kline

The way we communicate with othersultimately determines the quality ofour lives.

— Anthony Robbins

You have to expect great things ofyourself before you can do them.

— Michael Jordan

Fight for your opinions, but do not be-lieve that they contain the whole truthor the only truth.

— Charles Dana

A true friend never gets in the wayunless you happen to be going down.

— Arnold Glasgow

Some people think it is holding onthat makes one strong. Sometimes itis letting go.

— Sylvia Robinson

Your chances of success in any under-taking can always be measured byyour belief in yourself.

— Robert Collier

Build for your team a feeling of one-ness, of dependence on one another,and of strength derived by unity.

— Vince Lombardi

Unless I accept my faults, I will mostcertainly doubt my virtues.

— Edward Thomas

Awell-developed sense of humor isthe pole that adds balance to yoursteps as you walk the tightrope of life.

— William Arthur Ward

Adversity is another way to measurethe greatness of individuals. I neverhad a crisis that didn’t make mestronger.

— Lou Holtz

Know well what leads you forwardand what holds you back, and choosethe path that leads to wisdom.

— Buddha

Quick QuotesQuick Quotes


Respecting the origin and earlyhistory of Masonry, men differ andprobably will continue to differ.While some date its birth with thecreation of the world, others trace itback to an age enveloped by themist of time.“The erection of Solomon’s Tem-

ple,” said Bro. De Witt Clinton, “theretreats of the Druids, and the Cru-sades to the holy land, have been, atdifferent times, specially assignedas sources of its existence.“The order, harmony and won-

ders of creation, the principles ofmathematical science, and the pro-ductions of architectural skill, havebeen confounded with Freema-sonry.“Wherever a great philosopher

has enlightened the ancient world,he has been resolved, by a species ofmoral metempsychosis, or intellec-tual chemistry, into a Freemason;and in all the secret institutions ofantiquity, the footsteps of lodgeshave been traced by credulity.”Various as are the opinions rela-

tive to the infancy of Masonry, noone the least acquainted with his-tory can fail to trace her throughcenturies to a remote period.Her principles and virtues he rec-

ognizes among the good of every

age; on her roll, he reads the namesof illustrious men whose lives haveleft an unfading halo around theirmemory; and on the pages of herhistory he beholds the record of herbeneficent deeds, dating back to theobscure past.More than this, if he rightly com-

prehends the institution and its de-sign, he regards it as the most per-fect establishment ever conceivedand erected by man. He respects itfor its antiquity, but he reveres it forits purity and its intrinsic worth. Itis not to him a moldy relic of a bar-barous age unsuited to the presentwants of mankind ; it is not a soci-ety which has accomplished its mis-sion, and is fit only to be buriedwith decent ceremonies.It is a system perfect in itself; no

age can improve it, and yet it isadapted to every age and everypeople; and it is as young and vig-orous now as it was centuries agoand as capable of producing resultsbeneficial to the human race. Suchwe believe to be the opinion of Ma-sons who value our time-honoredorder and desire to promote its in-terests.

— Allyn Weston,The Ashlar, Oct. 1857

In order to fully appreciate andabsorb the lessons of the various de-grees, it is necessary for us to slipinto the mood of what is transpiring— to give full play to our emotionalreflexes.Our enjoyment of the Scottish

Rite degrees depends upon the par-ticular angle from which we illumi-nate the material.Masonry, like a diamond, is a

jewel of many facets. We, individu-ally, receive from it benefits predi-cated upon the light with which weapproach it.Having indicated our desire for

enlightenment when we first wereinitiated into its mysteries, it is quitenatural to expect that that quest willpersist unabatedly.Not because we have been disap-

pointed or unsatisfied; rather be-

cause we are constantly aware thatall that we have learned so far hasmerely undergirded what was stillwaiting to be unfolded.It takes light to illuminate any-

thing. It takes light to make thingsattractive — to make them shineand sparkle.We have received light, and more

light. Let us therefore pray that thepupils of our mental eyes may al-ways be dilated widely.Then, if we have absorbed and

practiced what we have learned atthe altar of Freemasonry, we may besure that we shall have no need totremble when our souls stand forjudgment before the GrandArchi-tect of the Universe.

— Curt A. Mundstock, 33°, ChicagoScottish Rite Magazine,

Nov. 1952

THE MOST PERFECT ESTABLISHMENT

The Scottish Rite Degrees

Travel bargain: StateParksMany of today’s state parks will bringyou closer to nature, and you won’thave to sleep in a tent to appreciate it.They have rustic lodges and cabinspriced from $29 to $80 a night. Mosthave good restaurants and greatviews. Those highlighted recently inNewsweek include:Blackwater Falls State Park, WV;

Brown County State Park, IN; BurrOak State Park and Resort, OH; Cum-berland Falls State Resort, KY; DegrayLake Resort, AR; Douthat State Park,VA, Fort Stevens State Park, OR; andKodachrome Basin State Park, UT.

More dogs at railstationsIn airports, dogs sniff cargo, luggage,and passengers. In subway and railstations, they focus on passengers andtheir bags. The Transport Security Ad-ministration (TSA) plans to add morehighly trained dogs, primarily Ger-man shepherds, Belgian malinois andvizslas, that are experts at sniffing outbombs.

According to TSA, the dogs projecta forceful image that reassures travel-ers. They convey the message that se-curity is happening. And they lookgood.TSAwants to make canine teams so

prevalent in transit hubs that suicidebombers would believe they’d becaught before they could strike.

New rules on children’spassportsThe Homeland Security Departmenthas announced that children will notneed passports to come into the U.S.by land or sea. Children who are 15 oryounger who are U.S. or Canadian cit-izens and have parental consent willbe able to enter the U.S. (when newpassport rules take effect in January of2008) with just a birth certificate.Those who come by air, however, stillneed a passport.Children age 16 to 18 will be al-

lowed to cross with birth certificates ifthey are part of a school, religious,athletic, or cultural group.The new rule was designed to make

it less expensive for families to travel.

A second shot forchicken poxThe Centers for Disease Control andPrevention now recommends thatchildren get a second shot of chickenpox vaccine between the ages of fourand six.Outbreaks of chicken pox tend to

start with unvaccinated children. Asecond shot offers more protection.

TV:Where do we watch?According to an April 2007 televisionstudy, one-third of television watcherswatch broadcasts outside their home.The Arbitron Inc., study confirms thattelevision viewing habits are changingbut television is still a social medium.Of those who said they watched TVaway from home, more watched TV insomeone else’s home, at 25 percent.About eleven percent said theywatched TV at a restaurant or bar andseven percent watched at work.

Less-expensiveadventuresIt may cost an arm and a leg to takethe family to one of the big amuse-ment parks, but there are a lot of otherexcursions that are fun, educational,and reasonably priced.• Steam railroads. There are more

than 40 19th century railroads in theU.S. and Canada on which you cantake a short ride for a reasonableprice. To find one near you, Google“tourist trains.”• Berry and fruit picking at farms.

Check the phone book or search theInternet for “pick our own fruit (statename).”• Hands-on science museums. Chil-

dren can learn about everything fromoceanography to the human body.Check the phone book or search for“hands-on science museums.”• Corn mazes. They are 3-D puzzles

you can walk through and have be-come very popular. Check cornfield-maze.com or call the chamber of com-merce to find one.

How IDs are stolenWhile consumers are more vigilantabout sharing personal information,some of the oldest causes of identitytheft are taking the highest toll. Ac-cording to Javelin Strategy and Re-search, 38 percent were caused by alost or stolen wallet, checkbook, orcredit card. Friends were responsiblefor 15 percent of ID thefts.Retail and telephone purchases

were responsible for 15 percent; stolenpaper mail for nine percent; computerviruses, spyware, hackers, and phish-ing, 12 percent. Online transactions,only four percent.



Of all the extraordinary books in theVan Gorden-Williams Library at theNational Heritage Museum, one of themost extraordinary is the first Ma-sonic book published in the UnitedStates, a book printed by BenjaminFranklin in 1734.Franklin’s book is a reprint of James

Anderson’s The Constitutions of theFree-Masons,which was the very firstprinted book of Masonic constitu-tions, published by William Hunter inLondon in 1723.Franklin’s book is a reprint — both

in content and in design layout — ofthe 1723 Constitutions. The layout ofeach page is, in most cases, an exactcopy of what one sees in the 1723 edi-tion, leading one to conclude thatFranklin must have had a copy of the1723 Constitutions open in his printshop (or at least nearby) as he set thetype for his reprint edition.Franklin’s Constitutionswas pub-

lished in June 1734, shortly before hebecame Grand Master of Pennsylva-nia. Interestingly, Franklin did notgive himself credit anywhere withinthe book for being the publisher. Howthen do we know that Franklinprinted this item?One way is that scholars have at-

tributed this book to Franklin’s presson the evidence of the type used — asort of typographical forensics. Thereis also further, secondary evidence,such as the series of advertisementsfor Franklin’s Constitutions whichfirst appeared in Franklin’s newspa-per, the Pennsylvania Gazette in May1734, all explicitly stating that thebook is “Reprinted by B. Franklin.”Franklin’s Constitutions is an exceed-

ingly rare book. Three fairly recentbibliographic censuses have beendone for this book — in 1971, 1974,and 2003 — each of which countedless than 20 existing copies in theworld.

That being said, there may be morecopies of the book in private hands.For example, the Van Gorden-Williams copy was purchased at anestate auction in 1988. This copy wasnot noted in the first two censuses, al-though it was counted in the 2003 cen-sus. The Van Gorden-Williams Li-brary’s copy of Franklin’s Constitu-tions becomes even more interestingthe more closely one looks at it.We notice, for example, the auto-

graph signature of a former owner ofthe book, Lewis Evans, as well as theyear 1741 written on page 30 of thebook. Lewis Evans was an importantearly cartographer, draftsman, and ge-ographer. A little research reveals thatEvans and Franklin knew each otherand that their personal connectionwas both close and long-lasting.Evans was born in Wales around

1700, was living in Philadelphia by1736, and as early as 1744 was work-ing with Franklin. The illustrations inFranklin’s An Account of the New In-vented Pennsylvanian Fire-Places, pub-lished in 1744, were drawn by Evans.In 1755, a year before Evans’s death,

Franklin published Evans’s AGeneral

Map of the British Colonies in America.Additionally, we also know thatEvans bought books from Franklin.Some of Franklin’s account ledgers

are still in existence and show thatEvans purchased particular booksfrom Franklin in the 1730s and 1740s.(Unfortunately, there is not, as far as Iknow, evidence in Franklin’s ledgerbooks that specifically shows Evanspurchasing the The Constitutions of theFree-Masons from Franklin.)A few intriguing questions remain.

First, why did Lewis Evans purchaseFranklin’s reprint of the Constitu-tions? I have not yet found evidencethat Evans was a Freemason.Also, why did Evans purchase this

in 1741, as he presumably did, sevenyears after the book was published?Franklin most likely printed the

Constitutions with the hope thatmembers of various colonial Masoniclodges would buy up the edition.However, as late as 1750, Franklin

was still advertising remainderedcopies for sale, an indication that theydid not sell as well as Franklin mighthave hoped.Did Evans buy his copy out of cu-

riosity about the fraternity? Becausehe was a business associate ofFranklin, did Evans obtain the book ata reduced cost or possibly even free,since Franklin was clearly not havingan easy time selling out the edition heprinted? These are questions that donot yet have answers, although, withfurther research, more may possiblycome to light.The Van Gorden-Williams Library &

Archives is open to the public Mon-day-Saturday, 10-5. Reference assis-tance is available.You may contact usat 781-457-4109 [email protected].

JEFFREY CROTEAU, is the Public Services Librarian at theVan Gorden-Williams Library at the National Heritage Museum.

Mystery surrounds extraordinary book

More than Just Books . . .Van Gorden-Williams Library at the National Heritage Museum

UnMasonic Meeting

In response to the Grand Comman-der’s article ‘UnMasonic Meeting’, itis a home run (Commander’s Mes-sage, Feb. 2007). There is a reason mygrandmother used to tell me “Keep itshort and sweet.” The sage wisdomof the past is good for the present andthe future. The year that I becameMaster was the same year I became anew father of twin boys. My time wasat a premium and so was the time ofmy young suite of officers. I practicedwhat the previous masters of mylodge had before me, being prudentwith the members’ and officers’ time.This type of enlightenment should

be mandatory for all officers enteringthe line. We need to run our lodgeslike we do our businesses, keepingaware that time is our most preciouscommodity.

William T. Moreau, 32°Pawtucket, RI

Dr. Robinson’s SonRemembers

Your recollections of Lynnfield are re-markably similar to my own with theexception that my memories go backabout nine years further than yours(Etcetera, etcetera, etc., Feb. 2007).The center of town was the locationof George Roundy’s general store.The post office was a small buildingowned by the Postmistress, AnneCox, who had a small gift and cardshop on one end of the building. I re-member the daily passenger train be-tween Boston and Lynnfield Centreon which my Grandfather commutedto Boston daily. I can recall my origi-nal telephone number, LC 27, and thefact that whenever I was trying tofind Dad all that was required was tolift the receiver and ask the operatorwhere he was. She nearly alwaysknew and could connect me. The craftwas such a large part of his life, be-ginning with his First Degree in 1923and continuing with the final visit tohis lodge last January.

George S. Robinson Jr., 32°Chester Springs, PA


HIRAM™ By WALLY MILLER

On the Lighter Sideof 4- and 5-year olds:• Melanie, 5, asked her Grannyhow old she was. Granny repliedshe was so old she didn’t remem-ber. Melanie said, “Just look inthe back of your pants. Mine say5 to 6.”

• Brittany, 4, had an earache andwanted a pain killer. She tried invain to take the lid off the bottle.Her mother explained it was achild-proof cap. Eyes wide withwonder, the little girl asked:“How does it know it’s me?”

• Susan, 4, was drinking juicewhen she got the hiccups. “Pleasedon’t give me this juice again,”she said, “It makes my teethcough.”

• Marc, 5, was in bed and lookingworried. When his Mom askedwhat was troubling him, hereplied, “I don’t know what’llhappen with this bed when I getmarried. How will my wife fitin?”

• James, 4, was listening to a Biblestory. His dad read: “The mannamed Lot was warned to takehis wife and flee out of the city,but his wife looked back and wasturned to salt.” Concerned, Jamesasked: “What happened to theflea?”

• Sunday prayer: “Dear Lord,” theminister said, with arms ex-tended toward heaven, “Withoutyou, we are but dust.” The littlegirl turned to her dad and askedin her shrill 4-year-old voice,“Dad, what is butt dust?”

We welcome letters fromour readers in responseto articles appearing inThe Northern Light andwill reprint them as spacepermits. Letters must besigned, should be brief,and are subject to editing.

All-seeing eyeIt is amazing how omnipresent thisfraternity can seem. It sometimes ap-pears to reach across time and space.In late May I took a short vacation

from the Supreme Council office andparticipated in the Cabot Trail Relay— a 185-mile footrace tracing thefamed Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Is-land in Nova Scotia.Headquarters for the race was in the

quaint little village of Baddeck on theshores of Bras d’Or Lake. As the last ofthe timing equipment for the 27-hourcompetition was packed away at thefinish line in front of the courthousedowntown, another event was takingplace nearby.Just a block north the Baddeck Ma-

sonic Hall, home to St. Mark’s Lodge,was celebrating its 109th anniversaryand was designated as an historic site.Interestingly, funding for the structure,back in 1898, came through a loanfrom Mabel Bell, wife of AlexanderGraham Bell. The well-know inventorand his spouse made Baddeck theirhome from the 1880s to the early1920s.

Blast from the pastApparently The Northern Light’s “ViewsFrom the Past” column has stirred in-terest around the globe. As its namesuggests, the feature highlights viewsand opinions that were printed in Ma-sonic publications through the years.In the February 2007 issue a story

originally printed in The Brotherhoodin July 1915 was highlighted.The 92-year-old article commented

on a request to the Grand Orient ofItaly, asking for approval of the forma-tion of two women’s lodges — one inFlorence and the other in Turin.

The Northern Light has been in-formed that in a recent edition of TheSquare, published in England, parts ofthe story were reprinted, but the origi-nal publication date of 1915 was not

mentioned. Under the heading “Femi-nine Overtures” The Square correspon-dent says, “Apparently the Grand Ori-ent of Italy has been asked to approvethe Constitution of two women’slodges and will do so.”The article ends by saying “We don’t

think the American committee forrecognition will take kindly to thisodd behavior.”It should be noted that The Northern

Light includes these writings fromlong ago, not as news items, but ratheras vignettes of our fraternity’s history.The good news from this incident is

that we know people are readingthem.

See you in thefunny papers?Longtime readers of The Northern Lighthave enjoyed the comic strip,“Hiram,” by Wally Miller since theearly 1990s.The light-hearted and Masonically

themed installments regularly appearon page 30 of the magazine.Unfortunately the artist passed away

in October 2005. Before he died,though, he supplied many issuesworth of Hiram’s adventures and TheNorthern Light has been publishingthem since that time.No decision has been made yet on

an eventual replacement. The pagemay take another form alto-gether.We are, however, consider-

ing the possibility of a newcartoon. If you are artisticallytalented, we invite you tosubmit samples of yourwork.

Keep in mind that any successor to“Hiram” must have a professionallook, must relate to the Scottish Riteand Freemasonry, and the artist needsto have a sense of humor.All non-returnable samples should

be sent to The Northern Light, 33 Mar-rett Rd., Lexington, MA 02421.Who knows? We may discover the

next Wally Miller.

Tree dedicationIn June the late Sovereign GrandCommander Walter E. Webber wasmemorialized with a tree dedication.The ceremony was held at Pounder

Hall, near the Central New York 32˚Masonic Learning Center in Oriskany,NY. Scottish Rite members from theValleys of Utica, Syracuse, Schenec-tady, and Buffalo attended. WalterWebber passed away in April 2006.

Relay on holdThe Valleys of Bloomsburg, Allen-town, and Reading — all of Pennsyl-vania — had planned an ambitiousfundraising event to benefit the learn-ing centers in their area.A 180-mile circle, beginning at the

Bloomsburg Fairgrounds was to havetraversed 37 townships.Race organizers, however, an-

nounced a postponement. Due toconcerns and restrictions of the Penn-sylvania Department of Transporta-tion all details of the race could notbe worked out on time.

The Valleys hope to revive theplan and host the inauguralevent in 2008.


ALAN E. FOULDS, 32°, editor

The Northern LightP.O. Box 519Lexington, MA 02420

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