THE BUILDER MAGAZINE
october 1916
volume 2 - number 10
MEMORIAL TO LAFAYETTE
BY BRO. GEO. W. BAIRD, P.G.M., DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
THE most beautiful group of bronze statuary in Washington
is that of La Fayette. It shows a greater number of figures than any other group
in the city, and is highly artistic in every way. It is situated in La Fayette
Square, very properly, but unfortunately, there are other statues in that
square. It deserved a separate site.
The group contains the figures of the French leaders who
were prominent as our allies in the War of the Revolution, namely, La Fayette,
Rochambeau, D'Estaing, Duportail and De Grasse.
The figures of these officers are all of life size. La
Fayette surmounts the pedestal, while the others are at the base; La Fayette
appearing in our continental uniform. The figure of America is at the base,
offering her sword to La Fayette.
This magnificent group was modeled and cast in France, for
which Congress made an appropriation of $50,000 in 1885. It was completed and
turned over to the government in 1891, but there was no ceremony or
demonstration whatever when it was unveiled.
During the time this group was being sculptured in France,
our Ambassador at Paris, Gen. Horace Porter, was making his search for the body
of Brother John Paul Jones, which search continued for a period of six years
before his efforts were crowned with success.
Mr. Henry Watterson, who was present when Jones' coffin was
opened, told the writer that its resemblance to Brother Houdon's bust of Jones
was so close that the entire party involuntarily raised their hats.
The critical comparison of measurements of the head, with
the sculptured bust of Houdon, the measurements of the body, the searching
examination of the lungs, heart and kidneys, etc., by the savants of the French
Academy, under the direct guidance of such eminent men as Dr. Capitan and Dr.
Papillaut, left no question of identity unanswered.
La Fayette was made a Mason in an Army Lodge at Valley
Forge, the degree being conferred by Washington himself. We find several records
of his having visited lodges; for example, Lodge No. 9, Williamsburg, Va., just
after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, and in company with Thomas Nelson, John
Marshall, and George Washington.
D'Estaing's name is found in the list of members of that
famous lodge Neuf Soeurs in Paris. Rochambeau's Masonic record is lost, but
(Monsieur Vadecard says) Madame Rochambeau was a member of the Ladies Masonic
Auxiliary in Paris, membership in which was dependent on her husband's Masonic
identity.
La Fayette served in the battles of Brandywine, Monmouth,
and Yorktown. He offered his services to the Colonies in 1777, and being
accepted, came at once to America.
The magnificent appearance of the La Fayette statue, though
overlooked in its inauguration, attracted unusual attention. It is by far the
most beautiful and most artistic of any of its kind in the city, and is the
first memorial of the Revolutionary services to any foreigner.
Archbishop Ireland, an Irish enthusiast, in passing was
struck not only by the singular beauty of the morial, but evidently felt a
twinge of jealousy, for at the meeting of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, in
York, shortly after, he was the principal speaker and said:
"I charge you, Sons of St. Patrick, to see to it that in
Washington City, near the monument of La Fayette and Rochambeau there be erected
a monument to some Irish Soldier to commemorate the part Ireland took in the
Revolutionary War." At the "meet" of the Ancient Order of Hibernians at Denver
in 1902, Mr. Dunleary, in his speech of welcome, said "the roll of honor in the
war of the Revolution shows such names as General Moylan, General Sullivan, who
led the retreat successfully across Long Island and in whose honor the National
Congress is contemplating a memorial in New Hampshire."
At Denver the speech of Archbishop Ireland was repeated (or
quoted) by one of the speakers. They probably discovered that General Sullivan
(Grand Master of Masons in N. H.) was not the kind of an Irish soldier the
Bishop would endorse, and they shifted to John Barry, a captain in the Navy (not
a soldier) during the Revolutionary War, whose record was fine.
A Bill paraphrasing Senator Lodge's Bill for the John Paul
Jones Memorial, substituting the name of Barry for that of Jones, was introduced
in Congress. The Barry Bill was lobbied by its adherents; the Jones Bill was
neglected. But the Committee evidently thought it would not do to appropriate
for the hitherto obsure Barry and neglect the historic Jones, so the two Bills
were reported the same day, and were passed the same day.
At the obsequies of John Paul Jones at Annapolis, April
24th, 1906, when the President, Secretary of the Navy, Governor of Maryland,
General Horace Porter, the French Ambassador and others spoke, it was decided to
place the body of John Paul Jones in the crypt of the chapel (which was being
built) in imitation of the tomb of Napoleon at Paris, and the President also
determined to ask Congress to reimburse General Porter for the $35,000 he had
spent in the recovery and identification of the body. General Porter, however,
asked that the $35,000 be added to the architect's estimate for the changes in
the crypt, to make it more beautiful, which was agreed to.
So the memorial of the great La Fayette and that of John
Paul Jones, both Freemasons, are linked by a modern tie.
The ubiquitous Hoosier, who is more practical than
aesthetic, gazed intently at the La Fayette statue, evolving an interpretation.
Finally he said: "The girl at the base is saying 'Here, Mr. Soldier, I'll swap
this sword for some of the clothes on your arm. I need the clothes and you may
need the sword.' "
FREEMASON'S MARCH
The words of this song were first printed in Watt's
"Musical
Miscellany, (V. III), 1730, under the title "The
Freemason's
Health." It appears to many eighteenth century song
collections,
the tune most commonly used appearing for the first time in
"Pills
to Purge Melancholy," (Vol. 2), 1719. It was popular well
into the
nineteenth century.
Come, let us prepare,
We brothers that are
Met together on merry Occasion;
Let us drink, laugh and sing,
Our Wine has a Spring,
'Tis a Health to an Accepted Mason.
The World is in Pain
Our Secret to gain,
But still let them wonder and gaze on;
Till they're shewn the Light
They'll ne'er know the right
Word or Sign of an Accepted Mason.
'Tis This and 'tis That,
They cannot tell what,
Why so many great Men in the Nation
Should Aprons put on,
To make themselves one
With a Free or an Accepted Mason.
Great Kings, Dukes, and Lords,
Have laid by their Swordes,
This our Myst'ry to put a good Grace on,
And ne'er been asham'd
To hear themselves nam'd
With a Free or an Accepted Mason.
Antiquity's Pride
We have on our Side,
It makes a Man Just in his Station;
There's nought but what's Good
To be understood
By a Free or an Accepted Mason.
Then Joyn Hand in Hand,
T'each other firm stand,
Let's be merry, and put a bright Face on;
What Mortal can boast
So noble a Toast,
As a Free or an Accepted Mason ?
----o----
THE STORY OF "OLD GLORY"--THE OLDEST FLAG BY BRO. JNO. W.
BARRY, IOWA
THE ONLY FLAG OF THE REVOLUTION KNOWN TO EXIST
PART IV
In Fig. 32 (Color Plate) is a photograph of the only flag
now in existence known to have been carried as a regimental flag during the
Revolution. If you should enter the flag room of the State House at Annapolis,
Maryland, you would see there this most treasured flag labeled as follows:--
"NO. 1--OLD GLORY" (56)
This flag is cherished as THE flag of the Revolution. It is
the flag shown by Trumbull in his "Princeton," in his "Burgoyne" and in his
"Cornwallis," it is the flag shown by Charles Wilson Peale in his "Washington at
Trenton." It is the flag ordered by Washington to be made by Betsy Ross, the
wife of a Master Mason, of whom a bit of personal history is now in point.
IN IOWA--THE ORIGINAL MASONIC CERTIFICATE OF THE FLAG
MAKER'S HUSBAND
Betsy Griscom married John Ross (57) a nephew of George
Ross, signer of the Declaration of Independence. He lost his life in the service
of his country, January, 1776, only a short time before Betsy made the first
flag. Betsy married Captain Ashburn in 1777. He was soon captured and in a few
years died a prisoner of war in Mill Prison, near Portsmouth, England. John
Claypoole, a lineal descendant of Oliver Cromwell, (58) had been his friend and
fellow prisoner. When released from prison, Claypoole returned to his home in
Philadelphia and delivered to Betsy the keepsakes and last message sent by her
husband. Later John Claypoole married Betsy, a union blessed with a family of
four daughters.
Betsy Ross-Claypoole continued the flag making for her new
husband who like those she had heretofore taken, had devoted his life to the
service of his country, had been wounded at Germantown and long confinement in
Mill Prison had broken his health. So as the bread winner, Betsy Ross-Claypoole
continued to make flags until 1827 when she turned the business over to her
daughter Mrs. Clarissa Sidney Wilson who in turn continued it until 1857, when
she moved to Fort Madison, Iowa Here ended all known record, so I wrote Brother
L R. Traverse, P. M. of Claypoole Lodge of Fort Madison, for further information
about the descendants of Betsy Ross-Claypoole. In response I received a letter
from Mary C. Albright Robinson saying her great grandfather John Claypoole was a
Mason and that she had his Masonic certificate under seal of the Grand Lodge of
Pennsylvania--that it is written on vellum and in English, French and Italian.
Here was something worth while. And immediately I got secretary A. C. Rowland on
the long distance cable tow and urged him to secure the loan of that
certificate--a most rare find. Here it is in Fig. 33 (Frontispiece, August), the
actual certificate of the soldier husband of the flag maker. It is dated March
30, 1780, and was issued on a request accompanied by the following certificate:
"Chester Town, 17th Dec., 1779. (59)
"I do hereby certify that Mr. John Claypoole was regularly
entered, passed and raised in Lodge No. 7, at "Chester Town, Maryland.
"By Order of the Master.
Signed "James Claypoole, Secy. Lodge No. 7."
Pennsylvania had previously constituted a number of lodges
in Kent County on the "eastern shore of Maryland" of which No. 7 was one, hence
the petition. Issued 136 years ago, it is a little the worse for wear, but
"Little of all we value here
Wakes on the morn of its hundredth year
Without both feeling and looking queer--
In fact there is nothing that keeps its youth
So far as I know but our flag and truth."
Therefore, this flag shown in Fig. 32, being of the series
made by the Mason's wife, is cherished because of that association but it is
also cherished because it is an actual battle flag, and the only one now left,
carried in the war of the Revolution. It is the flag of the Third Maryland
regiment commanded by Bro. John Eager Howard (60) at the battle of Cowpens, Jan.
17, 1791, and was carried by William Bachelor, who, being wounded was sent to
his home in Baltimore, but was allowed to take his flag with him. His death soon
followed and the flag was inherited by his son, William Bachelor, Jr., who
carried that same flag against the same old enemy again during the War of 1812
in the battle of North Point near Baltimore. (61) After the War of 1812, William
Bachelor carried this flag on many gala occasions as an attraction. Finally in
1907 it came into the keeping of the state of Maryland in trust for the people
of the whole United States. All honor to Maryland-- well is she guarding her
trust. Finally this flag is cherished because it is the victory flag used in
that pivotal battle of Cowpens of which Avery said:
"In point of tactics, the battle of Cowpens was THE most
brilliant battle of the war." (62) It was the turning point leading directly to
the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown nine months later, when occurred a most
rare bit of retributive justice. But a year before, General Benjamin Lincoln had
been driven to a humiliating surrender by Cornwallis at Charleston. Now
Washington directed that the sword of Cornwallis should be delivered to Benjamin
Lincoln--a brother who eight years before had been raised to the sublime degree
of a Master Mason in St. Andrew's Lodge at Boston, Mass. (63) Therefore this
"Old GLORY No. 1" is cherished above other flags because it commemorates the
devotion of the patriotic flag maker, the wife of a Mason, whose descendants are
today honored citizens of our own Iowa; it is cherished because it commemorates
the devotion of Masons to liberty in the defense of which they surrendered their
lives rather than betray their trust; finally it is cherished because it is the
victory flag leading directly to that final surrender of Cornwallis to
Washington and his Masonic brothers in arms at Yorktown. Therefore, as in the
beginning and all through the strife, so it was at the close, Masonry was in the
saddle and the sword of the vanquished first opposed by Masons at Lexington,
Concord and Bunker Hill was now directed by a Mason to be delivered into the
hands of a Mason. Well, did he receive it not only in token of the surrender of
Cornwallis, but as signalizing the final triumph of the TILER in putting out of
the new nation all cowans and eavesdroppers. May we be ever mindful that the
first great care of Masons is to see that the Lodge of The Nation is duly tiled
to the end that all cowans may be kept out.
MASONRY IN THE HOMES BEHIND THE SOLDIERS
Had the Revolution been a soldiers' war only, this story
would end here, but the fact is it was a Masons' war as well and there were
Masons outside of the army working "without any tool of iron" and what they
wrought fitted with remarkable exactness into the things wrought in "the clay
grounds" by Washington and his generals. The printed proceedings of the grand
jurisdictions of the several states give many names which when followed through
into their connection with the events of their time show what seems wonderful
"team work." It suggests a wide field of Masonic Research. Following are a few
illustrative of the many -all reproduced from Lossing's Cyclopedia of U. S.
History.
Here are six governors respectively of Virginia, North
Carolina, New Hampshire, South Carolina and New Jersey, honors which came to
these brothers as a recognition of their efforts for liberty through the long
struggle and everyone of them rich in Masonic honors. On the bench, in Congress
and in the state legislature, the team work was consistent and persistent.
Further illustrating the fact, here in No. 47, is Grand Master Marshall, Chief
Justice of the United States Supreme Court. As a boy he followed his father in
the Revolution and was fit inspiration for the well known picture, "The Spirit
of '76." While he was Grand Master he laid corner stones with the lodge opened
on the First Degree only.
IN CONGRESS THE PEN WROTE WHAT THE SWORD WROUGHT
Peyton Randolph, Grand Master of Virginia, was president of
the first Congress in 1774, and from that date to the final victory Masonry
continued to be a dominating influence at each and every session of Congress.
The place of meeting was the old state house known as Independence
Hall--Philadelphia.
There are many shrines of American liberty but perhaps none
more revered. In No. 49 you see it as it appears today, with the Statue of Bro.
Washington in front.
But if you could go back to 1776--and then around to the
other or Walnut Street side of it, you would see it as shown in No. 50.
David Rittenhouse had erected the tower to observe the
transit of Venus and it was used to herald the proclamation of Mars. Here hung
the "Liberty Bell" to "proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the
inhabitants thereof." The tower has been made higher --the clock taken from the
end and placed in the tower, while the bell is carefully treasured in
Independence room. Here Independence was declared. Here Congress sat during the
Revolution and here a Massachusetts Mason, Bro. John Hancock, succeeded Peyton
Randolph as president. But the crowning glory of the old building, erected in
1736, was the formation there of the Constitution of the United States under the
guidance of Bro. Washington as chairman and Bro. Benjamin Franklin, a Grand
Master of Pennsylvania.
Benjamin Franklin both at home and abroad did more by his
wisdom and diplomatic skill than any other one Mason, Washington alone excepted,
to place Old Glory high among the nations. He helped make both the Declaration
of Independence and the Constitution and is a signer of both documents. In the
treaty of peace in 1783, he secured such favorable concessions as to astound the
nations of Europe and they were not slow to manifest their displeasure. It was a
rare triumph of American diplomatic skill, seldom equaled and never exceeded
even in our one hundred years of brilliant achievement. Well did he use the
trowel.
THE MASTER'S CHAIR
The most historic furniture in America now in Independence
Hall, Philadelphia, consists of the two pieces shown in No. 53. Elson says:
"These two pieces of furniture were used for both the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution. On the chair a half sun is carved." (65) When
the Constitution was being signed, Franklin said with a meaning well understood,
referring to the half-sun emblazoned on the center of the back of the chair here
shown, "Painters have found it difficult to paint a sun near the horizon so as
to tell whether it was a setting or rising sun, but," said he, "after the
Constitution had been passed and the members were signing, I looked at the sun
behind President Washington and I saw for the first time it was a rising sun."
(66) In very truth may we not call this the Master's Chair? From this chair the
pen wrote what the sword wrought. As the sun rises in the east to govern the day
so rose the Constitution in the east to govern the nation with equal justice and
regularity.
"SECOND TO NONE IN PRIVATE LIFE"
When the war was over, Washington returned to his farm but
never for a moment did he cease to be actively true to that vow he made to his
officers on that memorable day in the "Temple" when he faced the ruffians. From
1783 to 1789 when there was only the semblance of a government, Washington's
course endeared him more and more to every true patriot. His character was so
aptly described by Bro. Henry Lee in a single sentence known the world over. How
often you have heard the first part of that renowned sentence --and alas, how
seldom the second! Here is the full sentence:--"First in War, first in peace,
and first in the hearts of his countrymen, HE WAS SECOND TO NONE IN THE HUMBLE
AND ENDEARING SCENES OF PRIVATE LIFE." "Second to none in private life," in
itself may not have made him president but it did give him the distinction of
being the only one ever elected president of the United States by unanimous
vote. Washington was inaugurated President at New York April 30, 1789. Grand
Master Robert Livingston administered the oath of office to him using a Bible
from St. John's Lodge. Well did he remember the vow he voluntarily made to his
officers on that memorable 15th of March, 1783. Here is his first cabinet--all
Masons but Jefferson. He appointed no one but those he considered best able to
serve the country, but among the men he knew so well in other scenes, he found
the right kind of nerve and loyalty to promote the best interest of all.
In the second office in power was an honored Mason of
Philadelphia, (68) the Hon. F. A. Muhlinberg, Speaker of the House. Thus was
"Old Glory" again sponsored by those taught to yield their lives rather than
their honor.
FIRST NATIONAL CORNER STONE LAYING
September 18, 1793, the corner stone of the new capitol at
Washington was laid by the Grand Lodge of Maryland, Washington using the trowel,
which is a treasured relic of Alexandria Washington Lodge No. 22. In the
description, two odd things occur as they appear to us now, first, the stone was
laid in SOUTHEAST corner and second, in the grand procession was a place for
"1. Masons of the first degree
2. Masons of the second degree
3. Masons of the third degree."
The event is commemorated in one of the panels of the
Crawford Bronze Doors, which open from the Senate Vestibule upon the portico.
This is the north wing of the Capitol. The door is double with eight panels,
each of which commemorates in high relief an important event in the life of our
country. The door was designed by an American sculptor, Thomas Crawford.
'Tis well, yea 'tis meet and propel that our brothers of
1776 should be thus commemorated in undying bronze in the inner chamber of the
national capitol at Washington. But me thinks that if these bronze lips could
but speak to us we would hear familiar words--thus--"Go therefore and may the
blessing of God attend you. Heretofore you have had brothers to speak and do for
you. Now you must speak and do for yourselves and for those to follow you--even
as we have done. We leave you the working tools bright from service--here is the
emblem "Old Glory" with a star for every state. Go, see ye to it that there
shall ever a state FOR EVERY star."
So mote it ever be.
(56) Vide Battle Flags in State House Md. Clinton L. Riggs
p. 5
(57) Vide Canby's & Lloyd Balderston Evolution of the
American Flag, p. 104-5.
(58) Vide Preble p. 265.
(59) Vide Old Masonic Lodges of Pa. Julius F. Sachse p.
210.
(60) Vide Shultz History of Freemasonry in Maryland, Vol 1,
p. 67, says that a picture of Bro. John Eager Howard hung in a Baltimore Lodge
room; that his son B.C. Howard also a general was a Grand Master of Masons in
Md. Later John Eager Howard was governor & U.S. Senator.
(61) Battle Flags in the State House, Annapolis, Md., p. 5.
(62) Vide Avery, V. 6, p. 288.
(63) Vide Centennial Memorial St. Andrew's Lodge, p. 112.
(64) Vide Elson's History of the United States, V. 2.
(65) Vide Elson's History of the United States, V. 2.
(66) Vide Elson's History of the United States, V. 2, p.
XVI.
(67) Vide Washington Man and Mason.
(68) Member Lodge No. 3 Vide Old Lodges of Penn. by Julius
F. Sachse, p. 248.
(69) Vide Washington, Man and Mason.
(70) Hired Handy of Washington. D. C., to make for Research
Committee
THE FIVE POINTS SYMBOLISM
1. Foot to foot that we may go,
Where our help we can bestow;
Pointing out the better way,
Lest our brothers go astray.
Thus our steps should always lead
To the souls that are in need.
2. Knee to knee, that we may share
Every brother's needs in prayer:
Giving all his wants a place,
When we seek the throne of grace.
In our thoughts from day to day
For each other we should pray.
3. Breast to breast, to there conceal,
What our lips must not reveal;
When a brother does confide,
We must by his will abide.
Mason's secrets to us known,
We must cherish as our own.
4. Hand to back, our love to show
To the brother, bending low:
Underneath a load of care,
Which we may and ought to share.
That the weak may always stand,
Let us lend a helping hand.
5. Cheek to cheek, or mouth to ear,
That our lips may whisper cheer,
To our brothel in distress:
Whom our words can aid and bless.
Warn him if he fails to see,
Dangers that are known to thee.
6. Foot to foot, and knee to knee,
Breast to breast, as brothers we:
Hand to back and mouth to ear,
Then that mystic word we hear,
Which we otherwise conceal,
But on these five points reveal.
--N. A. McAulay.
REGIMENTAL LODGES
BY BRO. C. M. SCHENCK, COLORADO
UNDER the above caption in the May number of The Builder,
Bro. J. L. Carson says, "Two lodges accompanied the American Army during the
Mexican War, while over a hundred dispensations for lodges are supposed to have
been issued during the Civil War," and continues, "Cannot some of our grand old
veterans tell us something of some of these ?"
The writer, the son of a veteran over whose grave in Mount
Hope Cemetery, Topeka, Kansas, stands a stone on which is inscribed:
"Maj. W. L. Schenck Late Surgeon 17th O. V. I. 1825-1910"
submits the following from the October, 1862, issue of the
Masonic Review, published at Cincinnati, Ohio:
An Ohio Army Lodge. Head Quarters 17th O. V. I.
Camp Schoepf, on Elk River, Tennessee, Aug. 15, 1862.
"Bro. Moore:--When our army was encamped on the field of
Shiloh, in this State, the 17th Ohio was there, and by virtue of a dispensation
from the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ohio,
duly granted to Bro. Bonham H. Fox, W.M., Jno. Stinchcomb, S.W., D.M. Rex, J.
W., and several other Brethen, a Regimental Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons
was duly organized and called "Ward Lodge," in honor of our gallant Major,
Durbin Ward. We organized near the place where General Beauregard's Head
Quarters were during the bloody fight of the 6th and 7th of April last.
The officers elected were: Bro. Durbin Ward, Treasurer, W.L.
Schenck, Secretary, Robert Gates, S.D., Owen W. Brown, J.D., ____ Sharp, Tyler.
"We keep our Lodge with us, and when we can't get a Lodge
room, we meet on the 'highest hills,' or in the 'lowest vales.' We have spent
many pleasant evenings together in the Lodge, but find many inconveniences you
would little think of, unless you were with us. Sometimes we are on the march
the night of our regular meeting, and so continue for several days, but as we
are nearly all in our Regiment, we can call a meeting with but little trouble.
We have done considerable work, and have to take advantage of our short stays at
camps, to work.
"At Tuscumbia, also, we met several times in the Masons'
Hall? which brethren there kindly gave into our charge. There is that romance
and oddity about a Lodge of Masons meeting under such circumstances, that I am
sure you would enjoy it.
"Our Colonel, J. M. Connell, was the first applicant, and
has the honor of having been made a Mason on the battle-field of Shiloh.
"Our Tyler, Bro. Sharp, died at Corinth in hospital, a few
days since, and Bro. Rex, our Junior Warden, formerly of Rushville Lodge, when
on a scout with the Regiment, injured himself so badly as to produce rupture,
and he by reason thereof has been compelled to resign. We lose two valuable
officers thereby in the Lodge, and also in the Regiment. Bro. Sharp commenced in
the ranks, but by his virtues and conduct as a soldier merited and received
promotion, and died a Captain. I may give you an item occasionally.
"Fraternally yours, (Signed) Jno. Stinchcomb."
In his declining years my father, at the request of his
children, wrote at considerable length "Recollections of his Life and Times"
from which I copy references to this Ohio Army Lodge, and to Captain Stinchcomb.
"My regiment slowly advanced toward Corinth to take its
place in the grand army under General Halleck that was following the rebels who
had retreated to that point from Pittsburg Landing. One of the pleasant events
in the regiment was the meetings on convenient occasions of Ward Lodge A. F. and
A. M. working under dispensation from the state of Ohio. We were going to have
such a meeting in one of my hospital tents on the way to Corinth, and I went
over to General Schoepf's quarters to invite his medical director, Surgeon
Strew, to meet with us. After doing so, he asked, 'Why don't you invite the
General?' who stood near us. I replied, 'Because I don't know him as a Mason.'
And addressing him, I asked, 'Are you a Mason, General ?' He replied, 'I am.'
Then I said, 'We would be glad to have you meet with us.'
"From this point, (Winchester, Tenn.) the army moved
eastward to the foot of the Tennessee Mountains where I recall two or three
incidents out of the common line of army life. . . . We were encamped in the
edge of a thick woods and in cleaning out the underbrush the craftsmen of my
regiment volunteered to make a lodge room in the open field in front of us by
enclosing an oblong square with proper ante-rooms, the walls being so thickly
brushed that the lights within could not be seen from without, and here Ward
Lodge U.D. held several meetings, at some of which General George H. Thomas,
General Thomas L. Crittenden, General Alvin Schoepf, and other officers and
soldiers exchanged fraternal greetings.
"A four horse ambulance, belonging to my regiment, whose
upper story had given out, had been fixed a la omnibus, and one of the boards
along its sides was supported at one end by a box containing the 'working tools'
of Ward Lodge A. F. & A. M. This being reported by my amiable assistant, who,
like the newly appointed medical director, was an anti-mason, the latter lost no
time in coming to enquire of me what was in the boxes that held up my omnibus
seat.
"I said, 'Some of them contain air, and in one there is a
square and compasses, a plumb and trowel, and sundry other like articles.'
"He said, 'I will give you just five minutes to take that
box out of your ambulance.'
"I rode forward to Major Ward, W.M. of Ward Lodge U.D. and
together we reported the facts to General Schoepf, who said, 'It is my order you
keep that box where you got him. I report him to General Thomas.'
"During the afternoon the medical director came along again
and asked if I had removed that box.
"I said, 'No it is still on duty.'
"'Didn't I say I would give you five minutes in which to
remove it?'
"'Yes, and I believe I said I would take the five minutes.'
"'So you mean to disobey my orders?'
"'I do.'
"'I'll report you to the General.'
"'Please do.'
"It is needless to say I never heard anything more about
removing the box.
"While my regiment was made up in a distant part of the
state, Fairfield and the adjoining counties, and the men all strangers to me
excepting Major Durbin Ward, who was from Warren County, when I went home on
furlough from Somerset, Kentucky, four of my personal friends, and members of my
Masonic lodge, Eastern Star No. 55, R.F. and George Ireland, John Gage and
Stephen Corwin went back with me and were mustered into Company B., Captain
Stinchcomb, all serving until the close of the war."
My father, from whose writings the extracts are taken, was
made a Mason in Eastern Star Lodge No. 55, F. & A. M., at Franklin, Ohio, in the
year 1848, and was its Master in 1850. Of this Lodge, instituted in 1819, his
uncle, William C. Schenck, was the first Master, and his father, Garret A.
Schenck, the first Junior Warden.
At the time of his death, which occurred at Topeka, Kansas,
in 1910, he was a member of Siloam Lodge No. 225, A. F. & A. M., Topeka, and
Topeka Commandery No. 5, K. T. His funeral services were conducted by this
Commandery.
"THE VOICE OF THE GUNS"
Never, perhaps, was lyric more bitterly born than Gilbert
Frankau's stirring "A Song of the Guns." two stanzas of which herewith are
given. Thus its prefatory note:
The author, who is now serving in Flanders, was present at
the battle of Loos, and during a lull in the fighting--when the gunners, who had
been sleepless for five nights, were resting like tired dogs under their
guns--he jotted down the main theme of the poem. After the battle the artillery
brigade to which he was attached was ordered to Ypres, and it was during the
long trench warfare in this district, within sight of the ruined tower of Ypres
Cathedral, that the poem was finally completed. The last three stanzas were
written at midnight in brigade headquarters, with the German shells screaming
over the ruined town.
We are the guns and your masters ! Saw ye our flashes ?
Heard ye the scream of our shells in the night and the shuddering crashes? Saw
ye our work by the roadside, the gray wounded lying, Moaning to God that He made
them--the maimed and the dying? Husbands or sons, Fathers or lovers, we break
them ! We are the guns ! We are the guns and ye serve us ! Dare ye grow weary,
Steadfast at nighttime, at noontime; or waking, when dawn winds blow dreary Over
the fields and the flats and the reeds of the barrier water, To wait on the hour
of our choosing the minute decided for slaughter? Swift the clock runs; Yes, to
the ultimate second. Stand to your guns !
THE MESSAGE OF THE BUDDHA From an Ancient Manuscript.
"Hate is a cruel word. If men hate you, regard it not; and
you can turn the hate of men to love and mercy and good will, and mercy is as
large as all the heavens.
"And there is good enough for all. With good destroy the
bad; with generous deeds make avarice ashamed; with truth make straight the
crooked lines that error draws, for error is but truth distorted, gone astray.
"And pain will follow him who speaks or acts with evil
thoughts, as does the wheel the foot of him who draws the cart.
"He is a greater man who conquers self than he who kills a
thousand men in war.
"He is a noble man who is himself what he believes that
other men should be.
"Return to him who does you wrong your purest love, and he
will cease from doing wrong; for love will purify the heart of him who is
beloved as truly as it purifies the heart of him who loves."
----o----
A COURSE OF MASONIC READING
BY BRO. ROD'K H. BAXTER, MANCHESTER, ENG.
(Herewith we reproduce a list of books suggested for a
course of Masonic reading, by the secretary of the Manchester Association for
Masonic Research, to which we have ventured to add a few American books. Most
heartily we recommend this reading course, (1) because the books named are
authentic and trustworthy, giving in a popular form the results of the best
Masonic research; (2) because they are, for the most part, inexpensive, and
might easily be owned by any Lodge having an interest in Masonic Study; and (3)
because a list of this kind will answer many inquiries which have come to ye
editor. Later we propose to publish like lists dealing with other branches and
rites of Masonry not included in the present course.)
"Knowledge is the solace of the intellect as religion is
the comfort of the soul. And its acquisition is not a toil but an indescribable
delight." - G.W. Speth.
INQUIRIES from young members of the Association have been
so frequent as to what books should be read to enable them to acquire a proper
knowledge of the craft, that the Council have decided to issue a curriculum, and
have entrusted me with the preparation of the work - a task which I undertake
with much pleasure.
Bro. Speth, than whom there could be no safer guide,
published a curriculum for English readers in 1890, in Vol. III of the
Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge (Ars Quatuor Coronatorum), and in
1901 prepared an admirable and much more extensive list of works, suitable for
American brethren, with a running commentary, forming a delightful essay, which
was published at Detroit, Michigan, in 1901. It would be presumptuous on my part
to endeavor in any way to improve on this work, were it not for the fact that so
many fresh Masonic books have appeared since that date as to render a revision
necessary, but I ought to add that my compilation is not merely a bringing up to
date of Bro. Speth's list, but a fresh plan, which I consider the circumstances
of the case require.
Bro. Dr. Chetwode Crawley, in the introduction to his
Caementaria Hibernica, says that there are three classical works which are
absolutely indispensable to all Masonic students, viz:- (1) Gould's History of
Freemasonry, (2) Hughan's Origin of the English Rite of Freemasonry, and (3)
Sadler's Masonic Facts and Fictions. Whilst fully appreciating the value of
these works, I would not, however, suggest that the student should begin by
reading them in the order given. The great history of Gould is too ponderous to
be attractive, and necessary as it is to every library, I would rather class it
as a work of reference than as a book likely to encourage a taste for Masonic
literature. One serious fault the work possesses - it has never been brought up
to date - and despite the fact that so many so-called fresh editions have
appeared, the text so far as I am able to ascertain, has never been revised.
My own suggestion is that instead of entering on a course
of advanced reading, the beginner should procure some of the more recently
published "tabloid" works at reasonable prices, which, when properly
assimilated, should create such a desire for further knowledge, that he would
not then grudge the expenditure of time and money in acquiring it. I hope I may
not be considered too egotistical in first of all mentioning a small work of my
own, "General and Historic Notes on Freemasonry" (James Clegg, Rochdale, 1s.,
or, post free, 1s. 2d.), in which I may hasten to add, I have no financial
interest whatever, as being probably the cheapest work available. Next in order
I would recommend the works in the following list:
The Master Mason's Hand Book, by F.J.W. Crowe. (G. Kenning
and Son, London. 1s. 6d.)
Things a Freemason Should Know, by F.J.W. Crowe. (Kenning,
London. 2s. 6d.)
Freemasonry before the Existence of Grand Lodges, by Lionel
Vibert. (Spencer and Co., London. 4s. 6d.)
A Short Masonic History, by Fredk. Armitage. (Weare and
Co., London. 2 vols., 4s. 6d. each.)
The Comacines: Their Predecessors and Successors, by W.
Ravenscroft. (Elliot Stock, London, 3s. 6d.)
The Builders, by J. F. Newton. (National Masonic Research
Society, Anamosa, Iowa. $1.50.)
Having-carefully perused the above primers, the student
will have acquired an elementary knowledge of Masonic history, but those
desirous of more light ought certainly next to read:-
A Concise History of Freemasonry, by R.F. Gould. (Gale and
Polden, London. 10s. 6d.)
The History of Freemasonry, by J.G. Findel. English
translation. (Kenning, London. 5s.)
It is time now to provide one's self with an encyclopedia
of some kind, and following the precedent already adopted, the following list
gives the works in the order of simplicity.
A Concise Cyclopedia of Freemasonry, by E.L. Hawkins. (A.
Lewis, London. 4s. 6d.)
Kenning's Cyclopedia of Freemasonry, edited by the Rev.
A.F.A. Woodford. (Kenning, London. Originally 10s 6d., but now about 2s. 6d.)
Mackey's Lexicon of Freemasonry. (Second-hand, about 5s.)
Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie's Royal Masonic Cyclopedia.
(Second-hand, about 12s. 6d.)
Dr. A. G. Mackey's Encyclopedia, edited by E. L. Hawkins
and W. J. Hughan. (A. Lewis, London. 2 vols., 50s.)
Under this heading, perhaps, ought to be classed Gould's
great work:-
The History of Freemasonry. (Jack, London. 6 half vols.,
:1883-7. Published at 3 pounds 15s., but now second-hand for about 15s.)
Before dipping into other works of reference, I suggest
that the following works be read:
The Origin of the English Rite of Freemasonry, by Wm. Jas.
Hughan. Second edition. (Research Lodge, Leicester. 10s. 6d.)
Masonic Facts and Fiction, by Hy. Sadler. (Second-hand,
about 15s.)
Masonic Reprints and Historical Revelations, by Hy. Sadler.
(Kenning, London. 5s. 6d.)
The introduction to the last-named work, by Bro. Chetwode
Crawley is one of the finest pieces of Masonic writing that I have ever come
across, and in my opinion ought to be read by every Mason, whether a student of
craft lore or not.
For special study the works under the various headings
hereafter given may be consulted.
GUILD LIFE
The theory that our ancient lodges were in some way
connected with the various guilds, amounts to something stronger than a mere
possibility, so that a knowledge of these early organizations is desirable. Many
good works have been issued on the subject, but a study of the following will
suffice:-
English Gilds, by Toulmin Smith, with a fine Introduction
by Brentano.
Two Thousand Years of Gild Life, by the Rev. J. M. Lambert.
The Cathedral Builders. The Story of a Great Guild, by
Leader Scott.
Records of the Hole Craft and Fellowship of Masons, by
Edward Condel, Jr.
Aberdeen Merchant Crafts and Guilds, by Ebenezer Bain.
The Incorporated Trades of Edinburgh, by James Colston.
TRADITION
Most of the traditions of the craft are dealt with in
general Masonic literature, but the following little work is of special
interest:-
The Symbols and Legends of Freemasonry, by J. Finlay
Finlayson. (Kenning, London. 3s. 6d.)
Speculative Masonry, by A. S. MacBride. (D. Gilfillan,
Glasgow. $1.50.)
SYMBOLISM AND ETHICS
The peculiarly difficult subject of symbolism is equally
difficult to advise about, but I suggest:-
The Perfect Ashlar, by the Rev. J. T. Lawrence.
The Keystone. Ibid.
Sidelights on Freemasonry. Ibid.
Byways of Freemasonry. Ibid.
The Etiquette of Freemasonry, by an Old Past Master (i. e.,
Bro. Franklin Thomas.)
(All published by A. Lewis, London. 4s. 6d. per vol.)
Symbolism of Masonry, by Dr. Mackey. (Macoy Co., New York. $1.50.)
JURISPRUDENCE
The Book of Constitutions should, of course, be in the
hands of every Mason, and should be carefully studied. No really good
interpretation of the book has yet appeared. Oliver and Paton have made more a
less indifferent attempts, and the most recent effort is:
Masonic Jurisprudence, by the Rev. J. T. Lawrence Second
edition. (A Lewis, London. 7s. 6d.)
But on no account should the critique of the wor by Bro.
Hextell be passed over, as some of the author's conclusions are very seriously
controverted.
SCOTTISH HISTORY
No country in the world is richer in old lodges and their
records than Scotland, and fortunately skilled craftsmen have done full justice
to the subject. The following works are all good; but Murray Lyon's work is
absolutely a classic, and must be consulted.
History of the Lodge of Edinburgh Mary's Chapel No. 1.
Embracing an Account of the Rise and Progress of Freemasonry in Scotland, by D.
Murray Lyon. (Second-hand about 15s.)
History of Canongate Kilwinning Lodge, No. 2, by Allan
Mackenzie. (Lodge No. 2. 7s. 6d.)
History of the Ancient Masonic Lodge of Scoon and Perth, by
D. Crawford Smith. (Cowan and Ca Perth. 10s. 6d.)
History of Freemasonry in Roxburgh, Peebles, and
Selkirkshires, by W. Fred Vernon. (Kenning, London. 4s.)
IRISH HISTORY
Ireland stood void of any serious Masonic historical works
until the advent of our distinguished Brother W. J. Chetwode Crawley, but his
brilliant talents have amply removed the stigma. His three volumes of Irish
Masonic Reprints are difficult to procure at any price but cannot possibly be
omitted from any list of books for Masonic students.
Caementaria Hibernica, by W.J. Chetwode Crawley. Fasciculus
I.
NUMBERS AND CHANGES OF LODGES
Bro. Jno. Lane, of Torquay, inspired doubtless by Bro.
Hughan, earned the distinction of being the statistician of the craft par
excellence, and although his works can scarcely be styled attractive, they must
certainly be regarded as monuments of research.
The Four Old Lodges and Their Descendants, by R.F. Gould.
(Spencer and Co., London. 5s. 6d.)
The Atholl Lodges, by R. F. Gould. (Spence London. 3s. 6d.)
Numerical and Numismatical Register of Lodge by W. J.
Hughan. (Second-hand, 1 pound. 1s.)
Handy Book to the Lists of Lodges, by Jno. Lan (Kenning,
London. 6s. 6d.)
Masonic Records, 1717-1887, by Jno. Lane.
Do. Do. Second edition, 1717-1894. (Grand Lodge, 1 pound.
1s.)
NUMISMATICS
Leaving out of account the eally works of Metzdorf,
Zaccharias, and Marvin, which are difficult of access, we have in the following
list a series of very nice books.
Hughan's Numerical and Numismatical Register (already
cited.)
Centenary Warrants and Jewels, by Jno. Lane. (Kenning,
London. 10s. 6d.)
The Medals of British Freemasonry, by G. L. Shackles. (Q.
C. Lodge. 12s. 6d.)
ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS
To Bro. Wm. Jas. Hughan, the craft is indebted for the most
careful investigations on the ancient MS. Constitutions, no roll having come to
light during the past forty years without his opinion having been consulted.
Unfortunately his books are all out of print and difficult to procure.
The Old Charges of the British Freemasons, by W. J. Hughan,
with an Introduction by the Rev. A.F.A.Woodford. (Second-hand, about 1 pound
1s.) Do. Do. (Second-hand, about 15s.)
Ancient York Masonic Rolls, with an Introduction by W. J.
Hughan. (Second-hand, about 10s. 6d.)
The first six volumes Quatuor Coronatorum Antigrapha
contain sumptuous facsimile reproductions of the most important of the MS.
Constitutions, with transcripts and commentaries, and Vols. IX and X are equally
valuable as containing reproductions of other early writings.
OLD BOOKS OF CONSTITUTIONS
The early editions of the Book of Constitutions are
treasures eagerly sought for by collectors, and are only purchasable at fancy
prices. Fortunately their contents are available in reprints, and no finer
description of the whole series has ever been done than that by Bro. Hughan in
Vol. II of the Archaeological Library.
Kenning's Archaeological Library, Vol. I., edited by the
Rev. A.F.A. Woodford, containing a (pretended) facsimile reproduction of the
premier Book of Constitutions, 1723. (Kenning, London. 6s.)
Do. Do. Vol. II. Edited by W.J. Hughan, containing a
facsimile reproduction of the Appendix, 1776, to the 1767 Constitutions.
(Kenning, London. 6s.)
Quatuor Coronatorum Antigrapha, Vol. VII, containing a
facsimile reproduction of the 1738 Constitutions. (Q. C. Lodge. 10s. 6d.)
I am not aware of any reprints of the Ahiman Rezon, the
Book of Constitutions of the Ancients. Very curious readings are to be found in
the different editions of this work. Copies of the 1778 and 1801 editions are in
our own collection.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
It may seem strange even to mention bibliographies as being
readable books, but the first four catalogues in the following list have been so
carefully annotated by Bro. Hughan that they are really interesting. The great
work of Wolfstieg is the most complete of the kind ever attempted.
Catalogue of the Worcester Masonic Exhibition, 1884. Edited
by Bro. Geo. Taylor.
Do. Do. Shanklin, 1886. Edited by Alfred Greenham.
Do. Do. Plymouth, 1887. Edited by W. J. Hughan.
Catalogue of the Worcester Masonic Library and Museum,
1891. Edited by Bro. Geo. Taylor. (Obtainable from F. L. Gardner, Gunnersbury.
7s. 6d.)
Bibliographie der Freimaurerischen Literatur, by A.
Wolfstieg, 1911-13. 3 vols.
GENERAL
Although my list has already reached considerable length, I
cannot possibly complete it without particularly mentioning:-
The Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076.
Vols. I to XXVI, which Bro. Hughan has described as veritable mines of wealth.
Other books which may with advantage be consulted are:-
Illustrations of Masonry, by Wm. Preston. (Second-hand,
about 5s.)
The Spirit of Freemasonry, by William Hutchinson.
(Second-hand, about 7s. 6d.)
Builders' Rites and Ceremonies, by G. W. Speth.
(Second-hand, 3s.)
The Religion of Freemasonry, by H.J. Whymper. (Second-hand,
7s. 6d.)
Masonic Sketches and Reprints, by W.J. Hughan.
(Second-hand, 1 pound. 1s.)
History of the Apollo Lodge, York, Ibid. (Second hand, 5s.)
The Jacobite Lodge at Rome, 1735-7, Ibid. (Research Lodge,
Leicester. 7s. 6d.)
History of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement, by Hy.
Sadler. (Kenning, London. 5s.)
Memorials of the Globe Lodge and Origin of the Red Apron,
by Hy. Sadler. (Kenning, London. 4s.)
Thomas Dunckerley: His Life, Labours, and Letters. Ibid.
(Kenning, London. 6s. 6d.)
Military Lodges, by R. F. Gould. (Gale and Polden, London.
5s.)
French Prisoners' Lodges, by J. T. Thorp. (Leicester. 5s.)
The Philosophy of Masonry, by Roscoe Pound, (National
Masonic Research Society, Anamosa, Iowa. 76 cents.)
Morals and Dogma, by Albert Pike. $5.00.
PERIODICAL LITERATURE
It is quite essential for every Brother, desirous of
keeping himself in touch with the current doings of the craft, to subscribe to
some periodical. The "Freemason" and "Freemasons' Chronicle" appear weekly, and
the "Northern Freemason" monthly. I do not for a minute suggest that these
journals are of a high order of merit, but it must be remembered that a more
generous response from the Masonic public would enable the proprietors to
provide better and cheaper fare. A very useful little publication is
"Miscellanea Latomorum, or Masonic Notes and Queries," edited by Bro. F. W.
Levander, 30, North Villas, Camden Square, London, N. W. (9 parts per annum for
5s.), which enables questions to be asked and generally satisfactorily answered
on altnost any branch of Freemasonry.
My strongest and last recommendation to every intelligent
Brother is to join the Correspondence Circle of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, the
foremost literary lodge of the world, where, for a joining fee of half-aguinea
and an annual subscription of like amount, he will receive the published
transactions of the lodge, and be entitled to all other advantages of
membership, except holding office and voting on matters of business. I say
advisedly that it is necessary to join this circle, and not merely to read some
other subscriber's copies of the publications, for it must be evident that a
very large influx of subscriptions is necessary to enable the work, which is so
highly appreciated by the foremost Masonic scholars in all parts of the world,
to be carried on.
----o----
SQUARE AND COMPASS
WORSHIPFUL Master and Brethren: Let us behold the glorious
beauty that lies hidden beneath the symbolism of the Square and Compass; and
first as to the Square. Geometry, the first and noblest of the sciences, is the
basis on which the superstructure of Masonry has been erected. As you know, the
word "Geometry" is derived from two Greek words which mean "to measure the
earth," so that Geometry originated in measurement; and in those early days,
when land first began to be measured, the Square, being a right angle, was the
instrument used, so that in time the Square began to symbolize the Earth. And
later it began to symbolize, Masonically, the earthly-in man, that is man's
lower nature, and still later it began to symbolize man's duty in his earthly
relations, or his moral obligations to his Fellowmen. The symbolism of the
Square is as ancient as the Pyramids. The Egyptians used it in building the
Pyramids. The base of every pyramid is a perfect square, and to the Egyptians
the Square was their highest and most sacred emblem. Even the Chinese many, many
centuries ago used the Square to represent Good, and Confucius in his writings
speaks of the Square to represent a Just man.
As Masons we have adopted the 47th Problem of Euclid as the
rule by which to determine or prove a perfect Square. Many of us remember with
what interest we solved that problem in our school days. The Square has become
our most significant Emblem. It rests upon the open Bible on this altar; it is
one of the three great Lights; and it is the chief ornament of the Worshipful
Master. There is a good reason why this distinction has been conferred upon the
Square. There can be nothing truer than a perfect Square--a right angle. Hence
the Square has become an emblem of Perfection.
Now a few words as to the Compass: Astronomy was the second
great science promulgated among men. In the process of Man's evolution there
came a time when he began to look up to the stars and wonder at the vaulted
Heavens above him. When he began to study the stars, he found that the Square
was not adapted to the measurement of the Heavens. He must have circular
measure; he needed to draw a circle from a central point, and so the Compass was
employed. By the use of the Compass man began to study the starry Heavens, and
as the Square primarily symbolized the Earth, the Compass began to symbolize the
Heavens, the celestial canopy, the study of which has led men to think of God,
and adore Him as the Supreme Architect of the Universe. In later times the
Compass began to symbolize the spiritual or higher nature of man, and it is a
significant fact that the circumference of a circle, which is a line without
end, has become an emblem of Eternity and symbolizes Divinity; so the Compass,
and the circle drawn by the Compass, both point men Heavenward and Godward.
The Masonic teaching concerning the two points of the
Compass is very interesting and instructive. The novitiate in Masonry, as he
kneels at this altar, and asks for Light sees the Square, which symbolizes his
lower nature, he may well note the position of the Compass. As he takes another
step, and asks for more Light, the position of the Compass is changed somewhat,
symbolizing that his spiritual nature can, in some measure, overcome his evil
tendencies. As he takes another step in Masonry, and asks for further Light, and
hears the significant words, "and God said let there be Light, and there was
Light," he sees the Compass in new light; and for the first time he sees the
meaning, thus unmistakably alluding to the sacred and eternal truth that as the
Heavens are higher than the Earth, so the spiritual is higher than the material,
and the spiritual in man must have its proper place, and should be above his
lower nature, and dominate all his thoughts and actions. That eminent
Philosopher, Edmund Burke, once said, "It is ordained that men of intemperate
passions cannot be free. Their passions forge the chains which bind them, and
make them slaves." Burke was right. Masonry, through the beautiful symbolism of
the Compass, tells us how we can be free men, by permitting the spiritual within
us to overcome our evil tendencies, and dominate all our thoughts and actions.
Brethren, sometimes in the silent quiet hour, as we think of this conflict
between our lower and higher natures, we sometimes say in the words of another,
"Show me the way and let me bravely climb to where all conflicts with the flesh
shall cease. Show me that way. Show me the way up to a higher plane where my
body shall be servant of my Soul. Show me that way."
Brethren, if that prayer expresses desire of our hearts,
let us take heed to the beautiful teachings of the Compass, which silently and
persistently tells each one of us,
"You should not in the valley stay
While the great horizons stretch away
The very cliffs that wall you round
Are ladders up to higher ground.
And Heaven draws near as you ascend,
The Breeze invites, the Stars befriend.
All things are beckoning to the Best,
Then climb toward God and find sweet Rest."
--Bro. B. C. Ward, Iowa.
----o----
NON-CHRISTIAN CANDIDATES
BY A SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON DISPENSATION, MASSACHUSETTS
(Several Brethren have asked of late about the admission of
non-Christians in general, and of Buddhists in particular, into the fellowship
of Freemasonry. Pertinent to this important question is the following report of
a Committee appointed to deal with the request for a Dispensation from the Grand
Lodge of Massachusetts for International Lodge at Pekin, China. The report is
the work of a very able Committee, of which Brother Roscoe Pound was a member,
and he it was who presented its findings to Grand Lodge. We take pleasure in
reproducing the report, as worthy of wide reading and long pondering, for that
it stands so squarely on the fundamental principle of Freemasonry, than which
there is no firmer basis for Freedom, Friendship and Fraternity among men.)
In Grand Lodge, Boston, December 8, 1915.
The special committee appointed to take under consideration
the fourth and fifth questions discussed in that part of the address of the M.
W. Grand Master at the last Quarterly Communication which has to do with the
establishment of International Lodge at Peking, China, begs to report as
follows:
Stated briefly, the first of those questions is with
reference to the eligibility of candidates who subscribe to prevailing Oriental
religions. This question may be considered with respect to Oriental religions in
general, but should also be looked at with respect to Buddhists and followers of
Confucius, since it is probable that the matter, so far as this Grand Lodge is
concerned, will be only academic as to other creeds. In the case of Mohammedan,
Hindu, and Parsee, the question no longer admits of discussion. The practice of
the United Grand Lodge of England and its predecessors, undoubted for almost a
century and a half, would of itself suffice. In 1776, Umdat-ul-Umara, eldest son
of the Nabob of Arcot, was initiated at Trichinopoly in a Lodge under the
jurisdiction of the Provincial Grand Master for Madras. This reception of a
Mohammedan Prince was an event of such significance that it was made the subject
of congratulations by the Grand Lodge of England. The Parsees of Western India,
so Gould informs us, long ago took an active interest in Masonry, and one of
them, Brother Cama, was elected Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of England in
1886. With respect to Hindus, it seems that there was an impression as late as
1860 that they were not eligible for Masonry, and the initiation of a Brahman in
Meridian Lodge No. 345, in that year raised a vigorous discussion in the Masonic
press. But it should be noted that the discussion did not turn upon any supposed
ineligibility of the adherents of Oriental religions, but solely on the question
whether the Brahman faith involved belief in God, as Masons understand such
belief. The arguments of the Master of the Lodge was that "the very groundwork
of the Brahman faith is the belief in one Grand Superintending Being." (See
Freemason's Magazine, April 21, September 8, October 13, 1860; May 18, 1861.) In
1861, two Sikh Princes were initiated, and there does not appear to have been
any doubt upon this matter since that time. In 1874 a Hindu was Master of a
Lodge under the English constitutions. (See Gould, History of Freemasonry, III,
333, 336; Mackey, History of Freemasonry, VII, 1892.)
It would belie all our professions of universality if this
were not so. We must guard jealously the Landmark--one of the few undoubted and
universally admitted Landmarks--that calls for belief in God, the Grand
Architect of the Universe. In Brother George F. Moore's well-known paper upon
the subject he justly pronounces this the first Landmark in Freemasonry. But the
idea of God here is universal. Each of us may interpret it in terms of his own
creed. The requirement is not that Masons adhere to this or that theological
system or conceive of God in terms of this or that creed. It is a simple
requirement of belief in the One God, however manifested, upon which
philosophers and prophets and saints and the enlightened religions of all time
have been able to agree. It is enough to say that we fully concur in the
eloquent and convincing presentation of this matter in the address of the Grand
Master.
Perhaps it is superfluous to add anything to the argument
from the practice of the premier Grand Lodge and the argument from principle.
But if any still harbor scruples it may be noted that except for Hutchinson and
Oliver, whose view that Masonry is a distinctively Christian institution
obviously can not be admitted, Masonic scholars and teachers have been at one
upon this point. In a passage afterward quoted in Webb's Monitor Preston says:
"The distant Chinese, the wild Arab, or the American Savage will embrace a
brother Briton [Webb adds "Frank or German"] and he will know that beside the
common ties of humanity there is still a stronger obligation to engage him to
kind or friendly offices." (Illustrations of Masonry, Bk. 1, par. 3). Certainly
we are not to suppose that this Chinaman and this "wild" Arab are Christians.
But Preston speaks elsewhere in no uncertain tones: "The doctrine of one God,
the creator and preserver of the universe, has been their firm belief in every
age; and under the influence of that doctrine their conduct has been regulated
through a long succession of years. The progress of knowledge and philosophy,
aided by divine revelation, having abolished many of the vain superstitions of
antiquity and enlightened the minds of men with the knowledge of the true God
and the sacred tenets of the Christian faith, Masons have readily acquiesced in
and zealously pursued every measure which could promote a religion so wisely
calculated to make men happy. In those countries, however, where the gospel has
not reached and Christianity [has not] displayed her beauties, the Masons have
pursued the universal religion or the religion of nature; that is to be good men
and true, by whatever denomination or persuasion they have been distinguished;
and by this universal religion the conduct of the fraternity still continues to
be regulated." (Illustrations of Masonry, 2 ed., 154.) The Grand Master's
address has already quoted Mackey upon this subject. A score of passages from
Albert Pike might be quoted to the same effect. Let one suffice. After
explaining that "these ceremonies have one general significance to every one of
every faith who believes in God and the soul's immortality," he proceeds: "In no
other way could Masonry possess its character of universality; that character
which has ever been peculiar to it from its origin; and which enabled two kings,
worshippers of different Deities, to sit together as Masters while the walls of
the first temple arose." Finally, we may cite the words of Rev. Joseph Fort
Newton, which have the endorsement of the Grand Lodge of Iowa: "While Masonry is
theocratic in its faith and philosophy, it does not limit its conception of the
Divine, much less insist upon any one name for 'the Nameless One of a hundred
names.' Indeed, no feature of Masonry is more fascinating than its age-long
quest of the Lost Word, the Ineffable Name; a quest that never tires, never
tarries, knowing the while that every name is inadequate, and all words are but
symbols of a Truth too great for words--every letter of the alphabet, in fact,
having been evolved from some primeval sign or signal of the faith and hope of
humanity. Thus Masonry, so far from limiting the thought of God, is evermore in
search of a more satisfying and revealing vision of the meaning of the universe,
now luminous and lovely, now dark and terrible; and it invites all men to unite
in the quest--
One in the freedom of the Truth, One in the joy of paths
untrod, One in the soul's perennial Youth, One in the larger thought of God.
Truly the human consciousness of fellowship with the
Eternal, under whatever name, may well hush all words, still more hush argument
and anathema. Possession, not recognition, is the only thing important; and if
it is not recognized, the fault must surely be, in large part, our own. Given
the one great experience, and before long kindred spirits will join in the
"Universal Prayer" of Alexander Pope, himself a Mason:
Father of all ! in every age, In every clime adored, By
Saint, by Savage, and by Sage, Jehovah, Jove, or Lord !" (The Builders,
262-263.)
It remains to consider whether Buddhists and followers of
Confucius are believers in God in such sense that they may be made Masons. As to
the former, we have the weighty opinion of Albert Pike that Buddha was a
"Masonic legislator"--that is that he gave laws in the spirit of Masonry. He
says of the original followers of Buddha: "They recognized the existence of a
single uncreated God, in whose bosom everything grows, is developed and
transformed" (Morals and Dogma, 277.) Professor Rhys Davids, the chief authority
in English upon Buddhism, indicates that this may be a matter of dispute. But
the committee does not deem it necessary to go into this question, to which it
is indeed scarcely competent. For if any Buddhists are to be initiated in
International Lodge they will be required to profess belief in God at the
outset, and as they will be men in whom our Brethren have confidence and will
come well recommended, we may be assured that their professions will be sincere.
The same point may be made with respect to the followers of Confucius. But the
Rev. J. Legge, an unquestioned authority, tells us that while the teaching of
Confucius "was hardly more than a mere secularism" his predecessors on whom he
built made abundant reference to the Supreme Being and their writings contain
"an exulting awful recognition of Him as the almighty personal ruler who orders
the course of nature and providence." It seems clear that monotheists may follow
the ethical teachings of Confucius, even if sceptics may do so likewise, and the
former only will be elected to receive the mysteries of Freemasonry.
The second question, put briefly, is with reference to the
adaptability of our rites when applied to adherents of Oriental religions. Here
again we may appeal to the settled and unquestioned practice of the United Grand
Lodge of England. In response to a request for information addressed to him by
the R. W. Grand Secretary, Sir Edward Letchworth, Grand Secretary of the English
Grand Lodge, writes, under date of October 25, 1915: "Adverting to your letter
to me of the 11th instant, it has always been the practice of this Grand Lodge
to permit Candidates for Freemasonry who are believers in a Supreme Being, but
not in the Christian Religion, to be obligated upon the Sacred Book of their own
religion. Thus Jews are obligated on the Old Testament, Mohammedans on the
Koran, Hindus on the Vedas, and Parsees on the Zendavesta."
On principle this must be the sound practice. It is indeed
but a corollary of the proposition involved in the first question. Moreover the
testimony of Masonic scholars is clear. The M. W. Grand Master has already
quoted from Mackey's Masonic Jurisprudence. In another work Dr. Mackey says: "Masonically
the book of the law is that sacred book which is believed by the Mason of any
particular religion to contain the revealed will of God; although technically
among the Jews the Torah, or Book of the Law, means only the Pentateuch or five
books of Moses. Thus to the Christian Mason the Book of the Law is the Old and
New Testaments; to the Jew the Old Testament; to the Mussulman the Koran; to the
Brahman, the Vedas; and to the Parsee the Zendavesta." In the Entered Apprentice
Lecture, as written by Albert Pike, he says: "The Holy Bible, Square, and
(Compass, are not only styled the Great Lights in Masonry, but they are also
technically called the Furniture of the Lodge; and, as you have seen, it is held
that there is no Lodge without them. This has sometimes been made a pretext for
excluding Jews from Our Lodges, because they can not regard the New Testament as
a holy book. The Bible is an indispensable part of the furniture of a Christian
Lodge, only because it is the sacred book of the Christian religion. The Hebrew
Pentateuch in a Hebrew Lodge, and the Koran in a Mohammedan one, belong on the
Altar; and one of these, and the Square and Compass, properly understood, are
the Great Lights by which a Mason must walk and work.
"The obligation of the candidate is always to be taken on
the sacred book or books of his religion, that he may deem it more solemn and
binding; and therefore it was that you were asked of what religion you were. We
have no other concern with your religious creed." (Morals and Dogma, 11.)
Much more might be cited from Masonic writers authority.
But the practice of more than a century the Grand Lodge of England and the
principle of the thing require no other support.
The committee would report that the conclusions of the M.W.
Grand Master upon the two questions referred are, in his opinion, beyond
controversy, being sustained by-long precedent and usage, by the clearest
deduction from the fundamental tenets of the Fraternity, and by the concurrent
testimony of Masonic scholars. Fraternally submitted,
EDWIN B. HOLMES,
ROSCOE POUND,
LEON M. ABBOTT,
FREDERIC W. HAMILTON.
R. PERRY BUSH,
Committee.
Report was accepted and adopted.
----o----
TRANSCENDENT PATRIOTISM
I am a man, and nothing that concerns human beings is
indifferent to me. By nature we are inclined to love mankind; take away this
love and you take away all the joy of life, for men are born that they may
mutually benefit one another. When one has studied the nature | 
