THE BUILDER MAGAZINE
april 1921
volume 7 - number 4
Memorials to Great Men Who Were Masons
GENERAL HENRY DEARBORN
BY BRO. GEO. W. BAIRD, P.G.M., District of Columbia
HENRY DEARBORN,
physician, soldier, patriot and statesman, was one of those remarkable
characters who covered much ground and did it well. He rose to the rank of Major
General in the Army of the Revolution, and yet the rising generation probably
can tell us less about him than they can about the champion boxer or the stroke
oar in the college race crew.
This Republic, which
we hear lauded in many Fourth of July orations, owes as much to General Dearborn
as it does to any division commander in the Revolutionary War. General Dearborn
was born in New Hampshire, in 1751, of English ancestry, and died at Roxbury,
Mass., in 1829, where he was buried. Past Grand Master Melvin M. Johnson, of
Massachusetts, informs the writer that the remains of General Dearborn, and
those of his wife, were removed to Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, in 1834. No
memorial was erected to mark either burial site.
Dearborn was a man of
great endurance, powerful, enthusiastic and sanguine. When he learned of the
Battle of Lexington he immediately organized a company of sixty men, marched to
Lexington, making sixty-five miles the first day, but unfortunately arrived too
late to get into the fight.
He was made a Captain
in Stark's Brigade, and was at Bunker Hill on the 17th of June, 1775. He
accompanied General Arnold to Quebec, going through the dense woods of Maine,
was taken prisoner at Quebec, paroled, and soon afterwards exchanged.
He served under
General Gates at the capture of Burgoyne and distinguished himself and his
regiment by a gallant charge at the battle of Monmouth, in 1778. He then served
with General John Sullivan (who was afterwards Grand Master in New Hampshire) in
the expedition against the Indians in 1780, and also with the Army in New Jersey
in 1781, and the following year was on garrison duty at Saratoga. He was
appointed Marshal of the District of Maine, by General Washington.
He served two terms in
Congress and was Secretary of War for eight years. He held that the Republic
expected every man to do his duty and was remiss if he did less, that the reward
for the performance of a great act was in the pleasure one experienced for
having performed it.
In 1809 General
Dearborn was Collector of the Port of Boston, and in 1812 was commissioned the
senior Major General in the Army and Commander of the Northern Department. In
the spring of 1813 he captured the town of York, in Upper Canada, and also Fort
George at the mouth of the Niagara, being afterwards recalled and placed in
command of the military district of New York City.
General Dearborn in
1815 resigned his commission in the Army to accept the position of Minister to
the kingdom of Portugal, where he remained for two years, being then recalled at
his own request.
His life was published
by General Henry A. S. Dearborn who was a prominent member of the Bar in Boston.
It is a pleasure to
note what a great number of our Revolutionary ancestors were Freemasons; how
pure and upright they were, but it is a pity their biographers have failed to
record their Masonic membership.
The only memorials to
this great man and patriot are a street in the city of Boston named after him,
and Fort Dearborn, at Chicago, shown as the frontispiece in this issue of THE
BUILDER through the courtesy of the National Geographic Society.
The War Department
will furnish gratuitously small markers for the graves of Revolutionary
soldiers, and even one of these modest and inexpensive stones would afford some
pleasure to the descendants of Revolutionary sires.
Fort Dearborn, which
was but a block house, has vanished, and the rising generation who thread their
way through the curves and tangents of Dearborn Street probably have never known
whence or why the street received its name.
Brother Dearborn was
made a Mason in St. Johns Lodge, Portsmouth, N. H., in 1777.
THE CRAFT IN THE BRITISH ISLES IN 1920
BY BRO. DUDLEY WRIGHT, ENGLAND
WHEN THE YEAR opened,
the Craft in England had to regret the absence of its Grand Master, the Duke of
Connaught, who had been compelled to seek convalescence, after an acute
bronchial attack, in the south of France. The year ends with the Grand Master
again absent from the country, but this time, he having been restored fully to
health, he is on his way to India as the accredited representative of his king
and country, and the latest report to hand, coming exactly at the moment these
words are being written, is that the Duke of Connaught is “enjoying better
health than he has enjoyed for some time.” Deo Gratias.
The past year has
witnessed the foundation in England of a record number of lodges, warrants
having been granted for the consecration of no fewer than 162, as compared with
129 in 1919; 88 in 1918; 39 in 1917; 24 in 1916; 21 in 1915; 30 in 1914; and 68
in 1913; this last being the average pre-war figure. The growth of the Craft in
England and the increase in the number of lodges has necessitated the
appointment of a second Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies in the United Grand
Lodge and of Assistant Provincial and District Grand Masters in the larger
Provinces and Districts.
In Royal Arch Masonry,
the progress has been marked in proportion, 71 chapters having been warranted
during the year. Six Grand Superintendents have been appointed to provinces and
two to districts: W. Lascelles Southwell to Shropshire, Lord St. Levan to
Cornwall, Edward Holmes to Leicester and Rutland, Dr. E. H. Cook to Bristol,
Rev. Dr. E. C. Pearce to Cambridgeshire, Major R. L. Thornton to Sussex, Sir
George Fletcher Mac Munn to Punjab, and James Mac Kenna to Burma. Here, as in
the Craft, it has been found necessary to appoint a second Deputy Grand Director
of Ceremonies in consequence of the increasing number of Chapter consecrations.
The principal change
in the government of Mark Masonry has been the appointment of Sir Richard
Vassar-Smith as Deputy Grand Master in succession to Mr. R. Loveland Loveland,
K. C., who has rendered long and valuable service in this degree in particular,
but in all branches of Masonry in general.
A similar story is
told by the Scottish Masonic authorities. New lodges are being formed, some in
very remote districts, and the enthusiasm for the Craft and its many branches,
apparently is deep-rooted and sincere. Certain restrictions as to the number of
candidates that may be initiated at one time have been introduced which has led
to the introduction of “waiting lists,” thus affording an additional test for
the neophytes. The Earl of Eglinton and Winton has been installed as Grand
Master Mason in succession to Brigadier General R. Gordon Gilmour, Scotland
being more democratic in its constitution than England, the Grand Mastership, in
normal times, changing annually. One of the most important Masonic events of the
year was the official visit of a deputation from the Grand Lodge of Scotland to
the Grand Lodge of England.
In Ireland, Colonel
Claude Cane has succeeded the veteran Sir Charles Cameron as Deputy Grand
Master, who has devoted some seventy years of his life to Masonic work and
propaganda. Ireland also, during the year, has lost its Grand Secretary, H. E.
Flavelle, who was also well known as an indefatigable worker.
The support given to
the three central Masonic institutions has been well maintained, the aggregate
amount collected at the annual festivals totalling up to no less a sum than
293,188 pounds from 16,056 Stewards; while the Mark Benevolent Fund also enjoyed
a record festival, 975 stewards being up to the sum of over 10,050 pounds. All
the institutions have once more accepted the whole of the qualified candidates
without subjecting them to the ordeal and expense of a ballot. The Freemasons
Hospital and Nursing Home, placed at the disposal of the military authorities
for the purposes of a War Hospital, has, during the year, reverted to its
original purpose and has already well justified its existence, despite the
doubts of many, when the scheme was first propounded, as to its necessity. There
was no formal opening ceremony, but the Grand Master paid an informal visit at
the time of the transfer and gave a welcome to the first patients. The Old
Peoples' Institution has now 1400 annuitants on its books, while 777 girls and
905 boys are being educated and maintained in the other institutions. During the
year, R. Percy Simpson has resigned from the secretaryship of the Girls' School,
and, just at the closing of the year, comes the news of the passing of James
Morrison McLeod, who, for more than twenty-seven years, guided the affairs of
the Boys' School in a masterly and highly successful manner.
Many honors, politic
and civic, have fallen to the lot of prominent Brethren during the year, but
none gave greater pleasure than the Baronetcy conferred upon the Deputy Grand
Master, Sir Frederick Halsey. The Earl of Stradbroke, Provincial Grand Master of
Suffolk, has now left to take up his duties as Governor of Victoria, but this is
the only province in England which is not under the direct government of its
appointed head. During the year three Provincial Grand Masters have been
installed into office: F. M. LaMothe, Isle of Man; Louis S. Winsloe, West
Lancashire; and the Bishop of Thetford, Norfolk. Four District Grand Masters
have also been appointed: Major-General Sir George Fletcher MacMunn, Punjab;
James MacKenna, Burma; John Langley, Egypt and the Soudan; and Henry J.
Hyde-Johnson, Nigeria.
The Masonic Million
Memorial Fund, originating with the Grand Master, is making steady headway, an
impetus having been given to the scheme during the year through the acquisition
by Grand Lodge of the long line of premises adjoining the existing Masonic
buildings in Great Queen Street. The Duke of Connaught has now expressed a wish
to meet all the Provincial Grand Masters in conference upon the scheme
immediately after his return from India.
One of the most
notable events of the year has been the formation of the grand jurisdiction of
Queensland, which promises to be one of the strongest of the overseas
jurisdictions.
A notable attack on
the Craft was made during the year by a prominent London daily, but the readers
of THE BUILDER have already been made familiar with the trenchant and effective
reply of Brother A. E. Waite.
The obituary list of
the year has not been heavy, but it contains some noted names of hard workers in
the Masonic cause. Four Grand Wardens have passed away: Lord Egerton of Tatton
(who was also Past Provincial Grand Master for Cheshire); the Earl of Dartrey;
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Gerard Smith (Past District Grand Master Western
Australia); and Sir Thomas Vezey Strong. Two Grand Chaplains in the persons of
the Rev. Richard Peek and Bishop Stevens have also joined the Grand Lodge Above.
Other notable names in the list are Judge Woodfall, the Rev. C.E.L. Wright (who
bequeathed his Masonic collection to the Grand Lodge Library), Sir Gabriel
Stokes, R. G. ; Venables, Sir David Mercer, and Riehard Luck, all Past Grand
Deacons, Percy F. Wheeler and James Morley, Past Assistant Grand Registrars; Dr.
Hill Drury, J.R. Cleave, William Lestocq, and James W. Mathews (founder of the
Genesius Club of Instruction), Past Assistant Grand Directors of Ceremonies. But
not all the ardent lovers of the Craft and workers in the cause are included in
Grand Lodge lists. Many names could be mentioned, but to the writer and to many
others, the passing of Frederick Henry Buckmaster, London Rank, an ardent
student of Masonry in all its branches and one who was a thorough
exemplification of what a Mason should be in practice as well as in
idealism, will be felt for many days and years.
And the future? As a
body we are the admiration of the world for our noble exemplification of our
Masonic principles of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. We can honestly lay
claim to that achievement as a body. Have we the same right to claim it as
individuals? Do those who are dependent upon us regard us individually with the
same high esteem and respect as the world at large appreciates us a body? By the
populace we are acquitted as possessing high ideals and acting up to them; what
is our individual position? It is a personal question, and the answer cannot
here be written. It must be answered individually.
----o----
GRAND LODGE OF ARIZONA ADOPTS N.M.R.S. STUDY CLUB PLAN
At the Annual
Communication of the Grand Lodg of Arizona the Committee on Foreign
Correspondence made the following recommendation to the Grand Lodge, which was
adopted:
“Your Committee
recommends that each and every Master of a Subordinate lodge in this Grand
Jurisdiction be directed to immediately proceed to the formation of a Study Club
(provided that one has not already been formed in his lodge), to meet at least
once every month and on a date when no degree work is in progress; that each
lodge decide for itself the manner of carrying out the objects of this
recommendation, but we recommend that each lodge follow the general outlines of
the Study Club plans as promulgated by 'THE BUILDER' of Anamosa, Iowa. Further,
that the incoming Grand Master see that this recommendation is carried into
effect at the earliest possible date and that each lodge be required to report
to this Grand Lodge at its next annual communication the progress and results of
the formation of the various Study Clubs.
Harry A. Drachman, Chairman,
H. D. Aitken, Member
Lloyd C. Henning, Member,
February 8, 1921.
Committee.
----o----
Good character is
human nature in its best form. It is moral order embodied in the individual. Men
of character are not only the conscience of society, but in every well governed
state they are its best motive power; for it is moral quslities which, in the
main, rule the world. - S. Smiles.
WHENCE CAME
FREEMASONRY
BY BRO. E. ELLISON,
CALIFORNIA
A REVIEW OF THE
HISTORICAL FORCES WHICH TENDED TO GIVE THE FRATERNITY ITS PRESENT CHARACTER
IT IS AN ambitious
undertaking to attempt to compress the history of this venerable institution
within the limits of a brief article. Let me say at the outset, that it is not
my intention to enter into details. Rather, I propose to draw a brief sketch,
or, more accurately, an outline of the historical forces which tended to give
the Fraternity its present character. Let me add that I do not lay claim to
original research or discovery in Masonic history. I shall only try to piece
together information obtained from a general reading, not only of Masonic, but
also of so-called profane works.
ORIGIN UNKNOWN
The origin of
Freemasonry is unknown. All attempts to penetrate the veil which enshrouds the
birth-place and cradle of the institution have proved fruitless. True, our
tradition informs us that “it has existed from time immemorial,” but is not that
in itself an admission that we do not know when or where it originated? Probably
we shall have to content ourselves with Topsy's philosophy and say that it “just
growed.” I mean by that, that it has sprung into existence in response to that
instinct which impels man to seek the association, the friendship, and the
protection, of his fellow men.
Up to a generation or
two ago, it seems to have been the accepted belief among Freemasons that their
Fraternity was in no particular the work of man but of divine origin; that is to
say, it was believed that at some time in the remote past the G.A.O.T.U. had
handed down the peculiar mysteries of Masonry to some of the personages of whom
we read in the Old Testament, and that these mysteries had been minutely and
regularly transmitted down through succeeding generations. There was, of
course, some question as to who first received the divine revelation. That
honour has been variously accredited to King Solomon, Moses, Noah, Tubal Cain
and even to Adam. But, in either case, the belief rests upon a foundation no
stronger than the legends which we find embalmed in the so-called Ancient
Charges or Gothic Constitutions, or in Dr. Anderson's “Constitutions and History
of the Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons,” and has
been discarded because it could not stand the test of scientific historical
examination.
HUMAN ORIGIN OF THE
FRATERNITY
We now look upon the
Fraternity as of purely human origin - the product of the minds of those who
comprise it and have comprised it. In other words, it is a reflex of the hopes
and ideals, the aims and aspirations of its membership. At the same time, it
has been subjected to pressure from without, because the men who comprise the
Fraternity are also members of the larger surrounding human society, and their
viewpoint as Freemasons is consciously or unconsciously influenced by the
education, the training and the experience they have acquired in the outside
world.
We know that there is
a constant change in the current of thought with reference to almost every
subject and condition of life. As science advances and knowledge increases we
are gradually throwing off many beliefs which our forefathers religiously
entertained, just as, by the swine law of progress, many of the things to which
we today pin our faith will be disproved and rejected by our descendants.
Like every other human
institution, Freemasonry has been affected by this change. The history of the
Fraternity, therefore, in a measure runs parallel to the history of the
intellectual development of humanity. On its long march down the centuries,
each age has put its seal and imprint upon the institution; it has been
impressed with the philosophy characteristic of successive ages; and it has
accepted, absorbed and preserved in its system many customs and usages, many
forms and ceremonies, many beliefs current in the outside world during different
periods. With the passage of time, some of these have become obsolete and have
been discarded, others are being carried along in the body of Freemasonry,
although the original significance of them has been lost sight of or forgotten,
and still others have been invested with new meaning - new symbolism.
MORAL PHILOSOPHY
DIVINE
There is one thing
divine and immutable about Freemasonry, namely, its moral philosophy. But in
that respect it does not differ from other organizations which undertake to
teach men their duty to God and to their fellows. There is no progress in moral
doctrines. The Moral Law - the Ten Commandments - is as true today as on the
day it was handed down to Moses in thunder and lightning at Mount Sinai. The
Golden Rule of the Carpenter of Nazareth is as truly a living ideal in our day
as on the day He first gave it to the world in His Sermon on the Mount.
OLD BELIEF ABANDONED
Why has the old belief
in the divine origin of Freemasonry been abandoned? In the past century
tremendous strides have been made upon every field of knowledge, including that
of history. Within the memory of living men, the sites of the cities of ancient
civilizations have been relocated and their ruins excavated. The languages of
peoples who have long since vanished have been reconstructed and translated into
modern tongues. The pyramids of Egypt have been explored and their hieroglyphs
deciphered. The temples of Ancient Greece and the catacombs of Rome have given
up their secrets. The gravemounds of the Scandinavian chieftains have been
opened and have laid bare their wealth of historical treasure. Travellers have
explored the countries of Asia, where no white man formerly had set foot, and
have returned with the sacred books of religions established centuries before
the Christian era. From the material thus obtained, coupled with the fragments
of ancient learning which have come down to us, the modern historian has
presented to us a reconstructed history, enabling us to form a clearer
conception of the lives and habits, the religious, social and political
institutions of the ancient peoples.
MYSTO-RELIGIOUS
SOCIETIES IN ANCIENT TIMES
Among other things, we
have learned of the existence in highest antiquity of secret mysto-religious
societies, similar in some respects to our present day Freemasonry. This
historical fact has received close study at the hands of Masonic students, who
have devoted years of labour in an endeavour to establish the descent of our
Fraternity from the mystic brotherhoods of ancient times. Some of our learned
brethren have essayed the task of tracing the pedigree of Freemasonry back to
the birth of civilization, and in order to demonstrate the ancient origin and
high descent of that institution, have attempted to reconstruct the rites of the
Ancient Mysteries. I shall not attempt to examine the various elaborate
pedigrees that have been traced, or the ingenious arguments that have been
advanced in support of them. The fact is, that no satisfactory written or other
authentic record has come down to us concerning the secret rites of these
Mysteries. Consequently, the efforts made to reconstruct them from the
references available are not likely to have met with better success than would
the attempt on the part of a profane of our day to give to the world the benefit
of our Masonic ceremonies.
It should be
remembered that we are here dealing with the customs and usages of peoples who
have long since disappeared from the earth, with whose institutions we are,
after all, but imperfectly familiar, and whose viewpoint it is difficult if not
impossible, for us to obtain. Let us also bear in mind that the secrecy of
present day Freemasonry is as nothing when compared with the jealous care with
which the ancients guarded their secrets from the profane. The laws the
Brahmins, for instance, provided that if an uninitiate was caught listening to
the reading of the sacred books, he was to be punished by pouring hot oil into
his ears, and if he had succeeded in committing to memory any portion of the
text, his throat was to be cut.
LEGENDARY OR
TRADITIONAL HISTORY
We shall divide the
history of the Fraternity into two parts. The first, we shall call the
traditional or legendary period, by which we mean the time before accounts of
current events were committed to writing; when all information was perpetuated
by oral communication from father to son, and from generation to generation.
The second, we shall call the historical period, and by that, we, of course,
mean that part of the life of the Fraternity concerning which we draw our
information from authentic records, whether found in lodge books, in the public
archives, or in the literature of the day. The first period is like a desert
“without milestone or finger post,” and the Masonic explorers who have attempted
to trace the path of the Fraternity by its “footprints upon the sands of time,”
have traversed so many divergent roads, and have arrived at so many conflicting
conclusions, that their labour is of little value to us. Each succeeding writer
has torn down and destroyed the hypotheses of those who have preceded him, in
order, as it seems, to make room for his own theory.
HISTORICAL PERIOD
The historical period
we shall again roughly divide into three eras. The first, (commencing about the
year 1200 and ending about the year 1550), we shall call the Operative period.
The second, (commencing with the Reformation and ending in the year 1717), for
want of a better name, we shall designate as the Operative-Speculative period.
The third, (commencing with the so-called Great Revival, the formation of the
first Grand Lodge, and carried down to our own day), let us call the Speculative
period. We will now consider these eras in the order named.
OPERATIVE PERIOD
(1200-1550)
Bearing in mind the
proposition we laid down at the outset of this discussion, that the character of
the Fraternity has been largely shaped by surrounding conditions, let us briefly
review the social and political institutions of the time.
FORMATION OF GUILDS
When the Roman Empire
fell before the invasion of the barbarians of the North, the conquerors built
upon its ruins a number of small tribal states. The people were barbarous and
quarrelsome, and these states were in constant warfare with one another. For
centuries might was the only law. Anarchy reigned supreme. The great
civilization of the Romans became engulfed and disappeared. This is the period
known in history as the Dark Ages.
Slowly and painfully
civilization had a new birth. The tribal governments gave way to national
authority. The people fell under the softening influence of Christianity. Wars
became less frequent, and men again began to practice the arts of peace.
During the disturbed
period of the Dark Ages, the artisans and workmen of the cities, in order to
obtain protection from the repacity and cruelty of then feudal lords, banded
themselves together into trade guilds, or corporations, and step by step, by
means of bribe, purchase, and quite often by open rebellion, succeeded in
wresting from their lords paramount the privilege of regulating the affairs of
their respective crafts, and, later, established the complete self-government of
their cities. The Masons, like their brethren of other crafts, also formed
corporations; but since their employers and feudal lords, in the majority of
cases, were ecclesiastical dignitaries, Princes of the Church, it was to them
that the Masons applied for their charters of privileges. References to these
instruments have been found in the fabric rolls and archives of medieval
churches.
GOTHIC CONSTITUTIONS
But the most
interesting information concerning the organized life of our forefather Masons
in medieval times is to be found in the so-called Ancient Charges or Gothic
Constitutions. The originals of these curious documents were drawn at a time
when the art of writing was known only to the members of the theological
profession, and they bear the imprint of the credulity and ignorance which
characterizes all the literature of the period. Their contents are usually
divided into two parts. The first, purports to be a history of the craft from
its inception down to date, and is valuable chiefly as showing what was the
belief of our Masonic fore-fathers concerning the origin and progress of their
craft. As a chronicle of actual events it has no value at all. The oldest
existing document of this kind is the so-called Halliwell Poem, composed about
the end of the fourteenth century, although it bears internal evidence of having
been compiled from much earlier manuscripts.
MASONIC LEGENDS
The Buchanan MS., a
seventeenth-century Scotch Constitution, may be taken as the type for all these
documents. In it we are told that God gave the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences
to Jabal, Jubal and Tubal, the three sons of Lamech; that when He was about to
take punishment upon the world for its sins by the Flood, the sciences were
enclosed in two pillars; one made of wood, that it might not sink; the other of
marble, that it might not burn; that after the Flood the pillars and the secrets
they contained were found by Hamarynes (Hermes), the father of all wise men, who
taught the sciences to Abraham, and were by him brought into the “Londe of
Egypt,” where he imparted them to his “Goode Clerke Euclid.” From Egypt the
sciences were in due course of time introduced into Palestine.
The building of King
Solomon's Temple pays an important part in the narrative, and we are told of
Hiram, the King, and Hiram, the Builder, the latter being referred to as the
King's Son of Tyre. We are told, further, that in the days of Charles Martel,
the science of Geometry, which our operative forefathers regarded as synonymous
to Masonry, was brought into France by one Naymus (Mamon) Grecus, who had been
employed at the building of the Temple. Now that edifice was erected about one
thousand years before Christ. Charles Martel ruled in France nearly eight
hundred years after Christ, so that our good brother Grecus must have attained
the rather unusual age of nearly eighteen hundred years. Of course, the matter
of bridging the span of eighteen centuries by the life of an individual did not
trouble the legend writers of the Middle Ages. I am citing these things to show
that the “legendary” history of Masonry is simply a compendium of sacred and
profane history coloured by the romance so generally accepted during that
period.
ANCIENT LANDMARKS
The second part of
these documents contained the rules and regulations of the Craft, and taught
members their duty to God and to one another. Many of these ancient regulations
have come down to our own time and are a part of the body of our laws under the
name of Ancient Landmarks.
It should be added
that in the days before Grand Lodges had been formed, the status of a lodge was
determined by it having in its possession a copy of these Ancient Charges.
These, therefore, served the purpose of our present day charters.
CLAIM TO DIVINE ORIGIN
The Masonic Craft is
unique in the respect that it is the only one of the medieval guilds for which
divine origin was claimed, or which itself laid claim to have been established
by Biblical personages. The probable explanation of this claim is to be found
in the fact, that the Masons were almost exclusively employed upon religious
edifices and therefore in close contact with the writers of history, as it was
then written, and were especially favoured by the historians by having ascribed
to their craft high antiquity and a long line of royal patrons and protectors.
We should bear in mind that in the Middle Ages high descent was regarded as of
great importance, and that many families, and nations even, claimed to be able
to trace their ancestry back to the flood and even to a more remote period.
The intimate
association of the Masons with the members of the religious order, also tended
to give to their craft that semi-religious character which it has maintained
ever since.
The Masonic guilds
also differed from other medieval trade corporations in the fact that in the
former masters, journeymen and apprentices remained members of the same
society. In other trades, especially in the commercial pursuits, the guild
masters became wealthy and arrogant, and made use of their power to oppress
their journeymen and apprentices, with the result that the latter formed guilds
of their own as protection from their masters.
In the Masonic craft
there was no opportunity for great financial gains. The masters did not
undertake work on their own account, as do our modern building contractors. The
owner of the building to be erected furnished all the material entering into its
construction, and the craftsmen, from master to apprentice, were engaged to
supply the skill and labour required in preparing plans and specifications,
shaping the material and assembling it in the edifice. The master was the
executive head of the job - the master workman - and laboured side by, side with
his “companions and varlets” (fellow-crafts and apprentices) in the lodge or on
the scaffold.
The pay was modest,
considering the character of the work and high requirements of the trade, not
only in manual dexterity, but technical training and scientific knowledge and
artistic sense. Still the craft had high standing among the trades, and ranked
among the most honourable of professions; and its members enjoyed certain
exemptions and immunities which may account for the fact that they assumed the
name “Free Masons.”
BLACK DEATH-STATUTES
OF LABOURERS
About the year 1340
Europe was scourged by a dreadful contagious disease, known as the Black Death.
So virulent was the contagion and so frightful its ravages that the population
in many countries was decimated, and in certain districts completely destroyed.
In consequence, there existed a great scarcity of labour, especially in the
skilled trades. The workmen, as might be expected, took advantage of this
scarcity to improve their wages and conditions of employment. Their efforts met
with strong opposition from the employing classes, who complained to King and
Parliament against what they regarded as exactions on the part of the workmen.
Drastic legislation was enacted prohibiting and punishing any attempt to
increase wages above the level prevailing prior to the pestilence. This and
kindred legislation has been classified in history as the Statutes of Labourers.”
It did not have the desired effect, as is shown by the fact that in every
succeeding Parliament the Commons renewed their complaints and grievances, but
the only remedy proposed was to increase and sharpen the penalties of the law.
Finally, a statute was enacted outlawing all forms of organizations having for
their object the regulation of wages and denouncing such organizations as
conspiracies. This was intended as a death blow to the guilds; but it failed
signally. The guilds formed themselves into burial societies and continued in
existence under that guise.
The prosecutions of
the Masons under the Statutes of Labourers were especially vigorous and severe,
and the members of the lodges, therefore, were compelled to assemble in secret.
It is an interesting question whether this may not be the period referred to in
the Monitor, where we are told that “our ancient brethren assembled on the
highest hill and in the lowest vales, the better to observe the approach of
cowans and eavesdroppers.” Prior to this time, according to the Ancient Charges,
the Masons in given districts met openly in Annual Assembly, and their meetings
were attended by members of the nobility as well as the civil magistrates. It
may be well to explain here that a “cowan” in Masonic language is one who
attempts to practice the craft without being a member of a regular lodge, and
having been duly apprenticed to the trade.
Curiously, the oldest
lodge minute extant, that of Edinburgh Lodge No. 1, Scotland, contains an
account the trial of one George Patton, who had vexed the souls of his brethren
by putting a cowan to work for two days and a half. The minute is dated July 31,
1599.
“ACCEPTED” MASONS
The lodges also
adopted the expedient of admitting to membership men of high birth and station
and placing themselves under the patronage and protection of these new
brethren. This gave to the lodge an air of respectability, enabled its members
to obtain employment on public buildings in preference to cowans, and insured
them a measure of protection from the severity of the Statutes of Labourers.
The number of non-operative members gradually increased, and they became known
in the Fraternity as “Accepted” Masons or “Geomatics.”
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
It was during this era
that the beautiful Gothic style of architecture was developed and perfected and
the noble churches erected which distinguish the ancient cities of Europe where
they stand as eloquent witnesses to the skill and industry of those who built
them, and the art and science of those who planned and designed them. The
architects of succeeding ages have copied and imitated, but have never been able
to improve upon either the style or construction of these famous edirces.
DECLINE OF GOTHIC
ARCHITECTURE
The Reformation was
followed by a decline in church building. The property of the church was
confiscated by the temporal powers, and Freemasonry as an operative science
became almost a lost art
OPERATIVE -
SPECULATIVE, PERIOD (1550-1717)
We have now arrived at
the most interesting period in the life of Freemasonry, the time when the
societies of builders and architects were transformed into speculative or
philosophical associations.
Although this era is
closer to our own day than that of Operative times, the lodge records are
extremely meagre and fragmentary. True, they bear sufficient testimony to the
fact that Freemasonry had a continuous existence from earlier times, and also to
the dual character of the membership of the lodges; but the lodge books are
silent upon the subject we are most interested in, namely, how the so-called
speculative element became superimposed upon the operative.
In Order to form an
opinion on that subject, it is necessary to consult contemporary literature,
supplemented by information concerning the lives, habits and intellectual
pursuits of men who were prominent in the Fraternity. Assembling all the
information thus made available, we can form a tenable theory.
POWER OF THE CHURCH
Let us first briefly
survey the social and political and life of the people. The power of the Church
had advanced so rapidly during the last centuries of the Middle Ages, that it
had become the dominant factor, not only in religion, but in the affairs of
state. So powerful had it become politically, that the Pope of Rome could compel
a German Kaiser to stand barefoot in the snow for three days, clad in the
penitential hair shirt, while begging forgiveness. The Church proudly
proclaimed the doctrine, that “as the sun is a greater light than the moon, so
is the spiritual greater than the temporal power.” Kings and princes ruled only
at the will and pleasure of the Holy Father at Rome. The influence of the
Church extended to every detail of life, and from the cradle to the grave.
During the Middle Ages
the Church had been the repository of all learning, and it was also the patron
of the arts and sciences. This position suited it, because it served to glorify
religion and to exalt the power of the Church. In its capacity as Keeper of the
Public Conscience, the Church was also the censor of public morals and beliefs,
and no one was permitted, except by its sanction, to give utterance to any new
idea upon any subject. As is always the case with irresponsible power, the
Church became arbitrary, despotic and tyrannical. Its sole care was to preserve
the existing order, and it therefore prohibited the publication of any
innovation. It mattered not whether a new idea or scientific discovery
conflicted with the dogmas of the Church. The fact that it was contrary to the
accepted belief was sufficient to exclude it. The author was haled before the
ecclesiastical tribunal and ordered to recant. His books were burned by the
common hangman, and the author himself was indeed fortunate if he did not share
the fate of his work. History records the names of many men who were thus
compelled to deny great scientific discoveries they had made, and of others who
refused to recant and sealed their conviction with their blood.
HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY
The Reformation
changed all this. That event was not only a protest against the many religious
superstitions perpetuated by the Church, but was a revolt against the mental
bondage laid upon the people. No sooner was the yoke lifted than men began
pursuing knowledge upon every field and in every direction. They threw
themselves with especial enthusiasm upon the study of the natural sciences in an
effort to solve the mysteries of Nature's wondrous laws. Having no previous
experience, and no rules of reason to guide them, they indulged themselves in
the wildest speculations and the most extravagant flights of fancy.
Among the studies
which occupied the time of the scientific men of that day were the following:
They studied the heavens, believing that in the courses of the celestial bodies
they could foretell coming events. They experimented with the transmutation of
the base metals into gold. They tried to compound a salt, or panacea, which
should be a sovereign remedy in all diseases which flesh is heir to. They
travelled in search of the fountain of eternal youth. They practised magic,
white and black. They endeavoured to form a “word,” or combination of letters,
which when properly pronounced would enable them to command the spirits, which,
as was then believed, inhabited the sea and air, etc. The generic term for all
these studies was the Hermetic, or secret, philosophy. Although we may smile
at the vagaries of these sages, we must not forget that humanity owes them a
debt of gratitude. Upon their labour and industry our modern sciences rest.
The astrologer, who studied the stars and cast horoscopes, is the progenitor of
the modern astronomer. The alchemist, who laboured to transmute the base
metals, is the forerunner of our chemist. Much of our medical science is
founded upon the experiments of the Hermetics who tried to produce the universal
salt.
ROSICRUCIANISM AND THE
KABBALA
The mystic philosophy
of the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross and of the Hebrew Kabbala was given to the
world about the middle of the sixteenth century and were widely studied by the
learned men of the day.
In those days there
were no universities in the modern acceptation of that term. The Hermetic
philosophers, who were as a rule poor men, attached themselves to the households
of men of high rank, who provided them with the necessary materials for
conducting their experiments and also afforded them protection from the ignorant
and bigoted populace. In those times it was not quite safe to be known as a
seeker after truth. The common people regarded the Philosophers with
superstitious dread, believing they were in communion with evil spirits, a
belief which was no doubt strengthened by the peculiarities of dress and habits
affected by the Hermetics. Many of them lost their lives at the hands of
enraged mobs who believed they were rendering both God and humanity a service by
ridding the world of them. It might be added that the noble patrons of the
Philosophers were not actuated by any desire to promote the general knowledge.
They sought their help, believing them capable of foretelling the outcome of
wars and intrigues. Greed for gold was no doubt their motive for patronizing
the science of alchemy. TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOCIETY
The bearing of these
facts upon the history of Freemasonry, is obvious. We have already noted that
in the Middle Ages a number of lodges placed themselves under the patronage of
powerful princes and nobles, and we stated the reasons which impelled them to
this step. Many of these high and mighty men also became employers of Hermetic
philosophers, and we are not overstepping the bounds of probability in stating
that the noble patrons introduced the Hermetic philosophers into the craft
societies, where, under the seal of secrecy imposed by the obligation, they
exchanged views, discussed the progress of their experiments, and thus gradually
transformed the lodges into speculative or philosophical societies, finally
incorporating in the ritual the so-called speculative element, which ultimately
gave to Freemasonry its present character.
At this point it will
be noted that, while Freemasonry as an operative art was practised in nearly
every country of Europe during the Middle Ages, it is in the British Isles alone
that we find the speculative element embodied in the Masonic system.
In Germany and France
the operative societies continued to exist until the middle of the last century,
when they were imperceptibly merged into the modern trades union movement. In
point of efficient organization the German “Steinmetzen” were in advance of
their brethren in other countries, having in 1549 organized their craft under a
national government, with headquarters at Strassburg, the Master of Works of the
cathedral of that city being the Grand Master.
EARLY “ACCEPTED”
MASONS
The earliest
“accepted” Mason on record is John Boswell, a Scotch nobleman; who was a member
of a lodge in Edinburgh in the year 1600. Earl Morey (Murray) is also an early
“accepted” Mason. He was only the patron of the Masons in his domain, but also
rated a great Hermetic philosopher. He was admitted in the year 1641. Elias
Ashmole, a great English antiquary and Hermetic and Rosicrucian writer, was
“made” in Warrington Lodge, England, 1647.
SPECULATIVE PERIOD
(1717 - )
We have now arrived at
the last period of our review, at the opening to which the Fraternity “threw off
the trammels of the operative art” and evolved into a benevolent philosophical
society, in which form it has spread to every quarter of the globe and is being
practised in every country where the people have arrived at a sufficient high
state of civilization to appreciate its beauty.
Let us again take a
view of the social and political conditions, as they presented themselves during
the first decades of the period we are now considering.
ABSOLUTISM IN
GOVERNMENT
The Reformation had
broken the power of the Church, but in doing so it had helped to build up
another power which, in course of time, became an even greater menace to human
freedom and progress. As the Church declined in importance, the authority of
the kings advanced. Step by step, the king became absolute, both in state
affairs and in the government of the Church. The latter became the handmaid of
the temporal power. Government control by both pulpit and press, and other
means of public expression, rendered it difficult and dangerous for the people
to air their grievances, and gradually they were deprived of every right and
privilege. “The King can do no wrong” became the principle by which the nations
were governed.
The only country in
which the people had maintained in their own hands a share in government, and
where the personal rights of the citizens were respected, was England. When the
king of that country attempted to make himself absolute, the people rose in
rebellion and assumed the reins of power into their own hands. England,
therefore, was regarded with great admiration and respect by the people of
continental Europe, and her institutions were studied and praised by the
reformers of other lands. In time the effects of the revolution in England made
themselves felt on the continent. About the beginning of the eighteenth century
the system there had become so rotten and corrupt that it was ready to fall of
its own weight. The “forward looking” men of the time boldly condemned and
denounced the existing order and demanded its overthrow. Art and science had a
new birth. This was the so-called Golden Age of literature.
DEISTS' CULT
During this period a
new religious cult sprang up, known as the Deists. They took the ground that
all religious dogmas are the invention of the priests with a view to keeping the
people in ignorance and subjugation, and they declared that the only right way
to worship God was in his wondrous works. They also preached the “Brotherhood
of Man” and gave to the world the slogan: “Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood.”
There is no doubt that Freemasonry became deeply impressed with the new
religion; one of the chief tenets of our Fraternity being religious toleration,
its only requirement being belief in the Supreme Architect.
In the early days of
the eighteenth century, a number of the foremost men of science and letters of
continental Europe visited England, some to study her institutions and others to
escape persecution at home. Naturally, they associated themselves with men of
their own views and pursuits. At this time the most prominent members of the
Royal Society, a body of British scientists, were members of the Masonic
fraternity. They introduced their visitors into the mysteries of the Craft.
When the latter returned to their own countries, they came as missionaries for
the new philosophy.
SPREAD OF FREEMASONRY
The society spread
rapidly from England and Scotland to other countries of Europe and also to
America. The men who were labouring to establish the new principle in religion
and government made use of the fraternity to propagate these principles, and did
so most effectively. It was not long, however, before the powers of the time
began to recognize in Freemasonry a menace to the existing order and took steps
to suppress it. Kings pronounced banishment and death penalties upon its
votaries. The Church hurled its anathema against them. And the blindly bigoted
populace pursued them in frantic fury. To this rule there were some
exceptions. King Frederick II, of Prussia, who, as Crown Prince, had been made
a Mason, on his ascension to the throne took the Fraternity under his immediate
protection and raised it to the dignity of a semi-public institution. A king of
Sweden had prohibited the practice of Freemasonry under pain of death. His
successor repealed the edict and bestowed marked favour upon the Fraternity.
This monarch was at the time engaged in a struggle with the old nobility.
Accordingly, he sought to make use of Freemasonry in his cause by securing the
admission of men who had made their mark in art, science and literature, thus
creating a new nobility of mind and attainment with which to combat the old
aristocracy of birth and wealth. The impress thus left upon the Fraternity in
Sweden has persisted to our own day. The Craft was introduced to America in
the year 1738, and here it found fruitful soil. We shall, perhaps, never know
the full extent of the part played by the Fraternity in establishing upon this
continent the principles of justice and democracy. We know that a number of
those who signed the Declaration of Independence were Freemasons, and among
those who were in the forefront of the struggle for independence were men who
had taken the oath upon the Masonic altar. In short, the early history of this
nation is intimately associated with the history of the Masonic Fraternity.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE
MOTHER GRAND LODGE
The history of
Freemasonry during the period we are now considering commences with the
establishment of the Mother Grand Lodge. On St. John's Day, 1717, the Masters
and Wardens of four lodges meeting in London assembled at the “Goose and
Gridiron” tavern, and, having put the oldest Master Mason in the chair, they
erected and proclaimed the Grand Lodge of England, which is the mother and model
of all grand bodies.
Shortly thereafter a
committee was appointed to examine the Ancient Charges and to “digest them upon
a new and better form.” One of the members of this committee was Dr. James
Anderson, a Scotch Presbyterian minister, author of the first printed work on
Freemasonry. His “Constitutions and History of the Ancient and Honourable
Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons” was published by order of the Grand
Lodge and was widely read. It passed through a number of editions; but it is no
longer regarded as a textbook, since more recent investigation has shown it to
be historically inaccurate and in other respects unreliable.
The committee
doubtlessly introduced a number of innovations in the ritual as well as in the
form of government of the Craft; but they simply built a new superstructure upon
an old foundation. The basic principles of the Fraternity have remained
unchanged through all vicissitudes of time.
Closing this
discussion, I would express the hope that the members of the Fraternity would
give to its history a more close study. It will enable them to understand and
appreciate many things about their glorious Craft which are now a sealed book to
them. It will tend to increase their respect and admiration for their ancient
institution, and that can but result in making them better Freemasons - and that
means better men.
MASONIC CLUBS IN THE A.E.F.
BY BRO. CHARLES F. IRWIN. OHIO
UPON THE entrance of
the United States into the World War, the several Grand Lodges considered
carefully the advisability of issuing charters to Military lodges. Most of them
declined to do so. Since the war and our return to peace-time conditions, the
wisdom of this decision is apparent to those who were in the army and who were
identified with the Masonic activities which were carried on through the Masonic
Club movement. Although the writer assisted in the conferring of the several
degrees in lodges which came over to France from several Grand Lodges at home,
yet I am convinced that in most cases it would have been as well both for the
candidate as for the Craft in general had the postulants waited till they
returned to America. Usually there sprang up in the minds of soldiers a sudden
desire to enjoy whatever privileges or benefits might flow from Masonry. They
were hastily entered, passed and raised without time to consider the several
steps or to familiarize themselves with the lectures. They therefore could in
the nature of the case get but the superficial view of the Fraternity and not
the underlying principles.
The decision to
refrain from issuing military charters or dispensations left the Craft within
the army to their own devices. The heroic struggle of the Grand Lodges of
America to send a Commission to France to provide for the Craft in the A.E.F. -
their efforts to break through the “invisible government” which hedged in those
who had the authority to grant the passports, is embodied in the report
submitted by the Committee under the leadership of Justice Scudder, of New York.
The Justice presented a bound copy of this report to me in Paris and it made
fine reading not only for us Americans but also for my British and French
Masonic brethren. I took pleasure in loaning it to numbers of both these
classes.
One of the evidences
of the vitality of the Craft is found in the spontaneity with which the Craft
got together under the most unusual and unpromising circumstances for social
intercourse and for comradeship.
Before embarkation for
foreign service groups of the Craft had gravitated together in the several
cantonments and embarkation camps. Aboard many transports of British and
American registry were found Masons in the crews. By the courtesy of these
marine officers and brethren, cabins were thrown open for our use and we held
conferences and rallies as we passed through the strain of expected submarine
attacks.
After landing in
France the natural places for Masonic Clubs to open were at the ports of entry
and the centers of largest concentration of troops. Consequently the clubs of
Brest, St. Nazaire, Bordeaux, Le Mans, Paris, Tours, etc., were the earliest. As
early as the fall of 1917 these clubs were coming into existence. Being left
necessarily to our own devices, and under the severe strain of fighting
conditions we were in no shape to turn our attention as actively toward Masonic
club life as we were after the signing of the armistice. Yet, early in the
spring of 1918, the clubs began to appear in the training camps and even in
individual units. The latter were invariably itinerant clubs and suffered a more
severe strain for support than the permanent clubs of the camps and depots.
With the Army of
Occupation, the Masonic Clubs entered the Rhine Valley and speedily became the
centers for relaxation and fellowship for Masons of high and low degree. The
Club at Coblenz was a fine example of these. With its commodious parlors and its
fine spirit of fellowship it has left an indelible record on the members of the
Craft who enjoyed its hospitality. This club still ministers to the Craft.
It is to be noted here
that four of the welfare organizations which worked with the army abroad were
strong supporters of our clubs and rendered us splendid support. I refer to the
Red Cross, Salvation Army, Jewish Welfare Board, and Y.M.C.A. The Y.M.C.A.
especially gave us invaluable assistance for which American Masonry can not be
too appreciative. This organization was offered and manned to an unusual degree
by Master Masons. One club - the Overseas Club of Paris - was composed almost
exclusively of secretaries and officers of the Y.M.C.A. The earliest attacks
upon that institution sprang from sources which have ever been opposed not only
to the principles for which the Y.M.C.A. has stood but also opposed to Masonry.
To attack the Y.M.C.A. meant to attack Masonry at the same time.
The places where the
clubs should assemble were matters of grave importance. Technically they could
not be held in military buildings. Actually many of them were held in military
buildings and were patronized by those in high command. The clubs usually came
into existence in the same way. A few enthusiastic Masons met together and
proposed a club. Investigation discovered who were Masons and an invitation was
issued for those to assemble in a certain place on a specified date. Usually
this proved to be a Y.M.C.A. hut. For in every hut you could find one or more
Masonic secretaries. The club contained the usual officers - president,
vice-president, secretary and treasurer. In addition to these came several
committees, the number varying according to the strength of the club. Meetings
were held weekly and programs were put on. These were made up of music, oratory,
and reminiscences. Later in the period of overseas life, contact was had with
the Entertainment Section of the A. E. F. and troupes were assigned to the
Masonic clubs just as they were to the huts and other places of troop meetings.
Later we also
organized the work of the clubs in several of the bases so as to have the
presence of the American girls working in the several welfare organizations.
Thus an element of the home life proved invaluable. At these special social
meetings dances and other forms of entertainment prevailed. One thing was by
common consent observed and that was the deposit of military titles as we
entered the door. It was unique in the American Army to hear a buck private
greet a Brigadier General as “Brother Smith.” It was even more illuminating as
to the democracy of Masonry to see that aforesaid buck private tag an officer of
high rank in a “Paul Jones” and sail away with the fair prize. I really think
for the first time we understood why this American custom was called “Paul
Jones.” When our French guests beheld it for the first time they were amazed.
For in their country it meant the height of rudeness to part a couple in the
midst of the dance.
At every regular
meeting of a club much attention was given “for the good of the order.” The
sick, the distressed, those who were staggering under burdens imposed by the
war, such received our attention. Flowers were sent to the sick in the
hospitals, and laid upon the caskets of the dead. Masonic emblems were placed on
the graves. The cases of Masonic soldiers were investigated and their desires
forwarded so far as military custom would permit. We ministered to the dead in
several ways. In all parts of our overseas army brethren who died were laid to
rest by Masons. Though we could not use the formal ceremonials, yet we employed
ceremonies understood by the Craft. One of many incidents comes to my mind. A
Richmond, Virginia, brother had died in the camp in which the writer served as
Camp Chaplain. At once there arose in the minds of the club the thought that he
might be laid away Masonically. A regiment was in camp whose Chaplain had at one
time been Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. I refer to that
prince of men, Captain Charles Dubell, of the Episcopal Church. I trust his many
friends may read this and let him know of my humble tribute to his merits.
Brother Chaplain Dubell chose for his pallbearers soldiers who were Masons. The
officer who commanded the detail of troops was a Mason. In fact every man who
had anything to do with the funeral was a Mason, and improvising with his
inimitable skill, Brother Chaplain Dubell committed this brother to the bosom of
mother earth with words which were understood to every Master Mason present. The
writer had occasion to bury a Surgeon, the head of one of the Indiana Hospital
Units at St. Nazaire, and in the sight of many soldiers, he laid away the
brother, having as Wardens two Jewish brethren, and improvising much of the
burial ritual of our Craft. One of these Wardens by the way was a Captain and
the other a Sergeant.
Opportunities also
came frequently to forward the interests of brethren who were sick or wounded.
An officer, a member of an Illinois lodge, lay with his hip encased in a plaster
cast. He was headed back to America and indications were unfavorable for his
recovery. Ascertaining that he was aboard the hospital ship I secured a pass,
boarded the ship, and entered the hospital bay. There, as they loosed the cables
that held the ship to France, we placed our arms about this brother and
whispered in his ears words of cheer and fellowship. And before we were able to
leave the ship in the lower harbor, we sought the ship's surgeon, found him one
of our number, and said good-bye with the assurance that our brother who lay in
weakness would receive princely care. Later correspondence establishes the fact
that this occurred.
During most of this
time the several clubs were self-upporting. When you consider that the “free
money” possessed by the average doughboy per month was $5 or $6, and that he
paid 25 cents a week dues and an assessment of 25 cents whenever flowers were to
be ordered, you can measure faintly the hold Masonry had on its membership
overseas. But a new period came with the arrival of the Overseas Commission
headed by Justice Scudder and Merwin E. Lay representing the Grand Lodges, and
of Charles Connery, representing the southern jurisdiction Scottish Rite. These
separate commissions established headquarters in Paris, under the same roof.
They worked in harmony and opened club rooms which were used by scores of the
brethren sojourning in Paris or passing through that city. They endeavored to
secure a list of the older clubs which had been formed throughout the A. E. F.
and I believe they have a large list of the clubs. It would be well for members
of the many A. E. F. Masonic clubs to forward their club names, locations, and
further information to THE BUILDER to be added to the list.
These Commissions
found many of the older clubs to be heavily in debt. This grew out of the fact
that these older clubs at the old ports of entry were now the centers of the
movement of troops homeward. By this time, the spring of 1919, the Masons were
becoming aware of the worth of their clubs and they availed themselves of them
at the ports of embarkation. Thus Bordeaux, St. Nazaire, and Brest faced serious
deficits in their treasuries. The Commissions as soon as they discovered this
condition forwarded moneys and erased the indebtedness. Moreover they financed
the establishment of secretaries over these clubs at the ports of embarkation.
Secretary Witte at Brest, and Secretary Huntley at St. Nazaire were two of the
number. They were in the uniform of the Y.M.C.A. but were supported entirely by
the Masonic Commissions.
These army clubs
proved to be the breeders of friendships that have spread clear across the
American continent. The brethten who met amid the shock of battle, who served in
the back areas, and who endured that long strain when all hearts turned homeward
and all feet marked time, and who sailed the Atlantic toward the civilian life;
all these cemented friendships which today are ripening into the richest of
experiences. My own most pleasant memories cluster around hundreds of these
Masonic friendships and I am sure that scores from the Atlantic to the Pacific
and from Gulf to Canada will recall those days we spent together when they see
my name at the head of this paper.
The Masonic itch to
create side degrees appeared everywhere at home and abroad. Numerous mushroom
degrees appeared, to flourish for a day in some one locality and then fall
asleep. The Order of the Frog was one which the writer helped to exemplify. Amid
this transient growth, there emerged one degree which will remain as the flower
of American Masonry in France. It originated in the aviation camps at Ramorattin,
in the brain of secretary Charles Huntley, of Schnectady, N. Y. Its beauty and
the potential power in its imagery were so apparent that it was impossible to
hold it within the bounds of the one camp. Thus it slowly spread to neighboring
camps. It is called the “S. O. L.” Degree. Its similarity to our army “hardluck”
slang proved a little unsatisfactory. But since these letters have no connection
with the army slang, the name will doubtless prevail permanently. Unfortunately
most of the troops had begun to return home before the worth of this degree was
recognized. It was when the Commissions at Paris saw its value and financed the
project of sending Brother Huntley to the various military centers to impart it,
that it began to grow in numbers. The degree is purely military. Its one lesson
is exalted patriotism. It is Masonry militant. It can be obtained only by Master
Masons who served overseas. Also by any overseas soldier who becomes a Master
Mason, and by the sons of any former overseas Mason. Thousands have received it,
the number being now probably between 5,000 and 10,000. It would be worth while
for any brother eligible to receive it to correspond with Brother Charles
Huntley, Schenectady, N.Y., who is the Adjutant General of the Grand Dugout of
America. The writer provided the 6 ritual and administered the degree to 400 in
Brest in August of 1919, in the space of two afternoons and evenings. And
literally hundreds of others were asking for the degree when the writer sailed
with his ritual.
Masonry thus touched
the soldier life on every side. It gave him entertainment; it furnished him
friendships; it ministered to him when sick, and laid him away when he died; it
spread its arms about him so that space and time lost their meaning to him; it
has perpetuated itself on the tablets of a thousand hearts. The emblem of the
Square and Compasses for the soldier of yesterday has become today the symbol of
a brotherhood that is invincible, true, glorious, eternal.
----o----
KEEP ME STRlVlNG
BY BRO. G. A. NANCARROW, INDIANA
O keep me striving after Thee, my God,
I ask no lighter way to tread;
I seek not flowers but e'en the rod,
And feed my soul on hunger's bread.
For I would grow to Thee in nature's part;
Not at a bound to scale the heights
But by the hungerings of my heart
Reach up to Thee through days and nights.
To win to Thee though eons intervene,
Though I shall labor through the dust
A thousand groping lives which lie between-
I shall for Thou hast said I must.
----o----
God grants Liberty only to those who love it and are always
ready to guard and defend it. - Webster.
FOR THE MONTHLY LODGE MEETING
CORRESPONDENCE CIRCLE BULLETIN NO. 47
Edited by Bro. H. L. Haywood
THE BULLETIN COURSE OF MASONIC STUDY FOR MONTHLY LODGE
MEETINGS AND STUDY CLUBS
FOUNDATION OF THE COURSE
THE Course of Study has for its foundation two sources of
Masonic information: THE BUILDER and Mackey's Encyclopedia. In another paragraph
is explained how the references to former issues of THE BUILDER and to Mackey's
Encyclopedia may be worked up as supplemental papers to exactly fit into each
installment of the Course with the papers by Brother Haywood.
MAIN OUTLINE:
The Course is divided into five principal divisions which
are in turn subdivided, as is shown below:
Division I. Ceremonial Masonry.
A. The Work of the Lodge.
B. The Lodge and the Candidate.
C. First Steps.
D. Second Steps.
E. Third Steps.
Division II. Symbolical Masonry.
A. Clothing.
B. Working Tools.
C. Furniture.
D. Architecture.
E. Geometry.
F. Signs.
G. Words.
H. Grips.
Division III. Philosophical Masonry.
A. Foundations.
B. Virtues.
C. Ethics.
D. Religious Aspect.
E. The Quest.
F. Mysticism.
G. The Secret Doctrine.
Division IV. Legislative Masonry.
A. The Grand Lodge.
1. Ancient Constitutions.
2. Codes of Law.
3. Grand Lodge Practices.
4. Relationship to Constituent Lodges.
5. Official Duties and Prerogatives.
B. The Constituent Lodge.
1. Organization.
2. Qualifications of Candidates.
3. Initiation, Passing and Raising.
4. Visitation.
5. Change of Membership.
Division V. Historical Masonry.
A. The Mysteries--Earliest Masonic Light.
B. Studies of Rites--Masonry in the Making.
C. Contributions to Lodge Characteristics.
D. National Masonry.
E. Parallel Peculiarities in Lodge Study.
F. Feminine Masonry.
G. Masonic Alphabets.
H. Historical Manuscripts of the Craft.
I. Biographical Masonry.
J. Philological Masonry--Study of Significant Words.
THE MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS
Each month we are presenting a paper written by Brother
Haywood, who is following the foregoing outline. We are now in “First Steps” of
Ceremonial Masonry. There will be twelve monthly papers under this particular
subdivision. On page two, preceding each installment, will be given a list of
questions to be used by the chairman of the Committee during the study period
which will bring out every point touched upon in the paper.
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