Audi, Vide, Tace

Kansas Lodge Calls for Papers on Modern Masonic Practices

2009-06-19T14:55:00.000-06:00

Mount Zion Lodge No. 266, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Kansas, operating in Topeka, Kansas, announces a call for papers and presentations for its first Modern Masonic Practices Symposium entitled The Gentleman, the Scholar, and the Mystic: Exploring Modern Masonic Practices in North America to be held from Friday, April 16 - Sunday, April 18, 2010.

Fully conforming with established customs and rituals of the Grand Lodge of Kansas, Mount Zion Lodge operates within the broad realm of Traditional Observance and European Concept practices, as defined by modern American Masonic culture, but does not tie itself to any specific model or identity. The Modern Masonic Practices Symposium will select and present original, scholarly research papers on the phenomenon of progressive development and modern trends in Traditional Observance and European Concept lodges in North America. Diverse perspectives and methods of examining this phenomenon are encouraged from a broad range of study.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

The development of modern and progressive changes to Freemasonry in North America, including its underlying causes.
Sociological challenges facing Freemasonry in North America today.
Governance and administration issues and solutions for Lodges adopting new practices.
The rebirth and importance of the philosophical and spiritual aspects of Freemasonry.
European Masonry reconciled with European Concept Masonry in form and practice.
Transcendent traditions in Freemasonry and their place in Modern American Masonic Practice.

The papers should be scholarly in tone, with a maximum length of 4000 words, which may be presented in a 30 -45 minute oral address to the symposium. All submissions must be from a Master Mason in a Lodge in Amity with the Grand Lodge of Kansas. The symposium committee will award prizes as follows: First Place, Runner-Up, and Honorable Mention. Authors of the winning papers will be invited to present their work at the symposium as guests of Mt. Zion Lodge.

Deadline for Submissions: November 1, 2009

Submission Format: Completed papers with a resume or c.v. should be sent to:

Joesphe G. Stiles

c/o Mount Zion Lodge 266

P. O. Box 1217

Topeka, KS

Joesphe at gmail dawt com

Be sure to include full contact information (name, address, email, phone, and affiliation).

Must -See TV Downgraded to Might-See TV

2009-03-09T21:32:00.002-06:00

Fans of the television show Modern Marvels – prepare to be disappointed. I have it on good authority – very good authority – that Actuality Productions of Woodland Hills, California, which produces the show, is drastically slowing down production at the behest of network supremos in New York. Once the flagship of the History Channel, Modern Marvels is now taking the back seat in favor of more UFO- and Monster hunt shows.

“No new episodes will be shown this year [2009],” my source tells me, “all you’ll get is re-runs.” After that, the number of new episodes will be cut in half.

Although in recent years, the show has featured things that were neither modern, nor marvelous, MM has always delivered television found nowhere else: solid, slick information about stuff that is really cool, and [novel concept] presented so one can actually learn something. Where else can you get a VIP pass to a brewery, check out the latest in car wash tech, or a get a 50 minute tour de force of chocolate in all of its sweetness and succulence? Not network, that’s for sure.

Don’t get me wrong, I am more than capable of geeking out to UFO Hunters or Monster Quest, but after the 20th episode where they don’t interview aliens or capture Nessie, it’s just more of the same. The truth is out there, apparently, but we aren't privy to it. You’d think the suits in New York could figure that out and use these fantasy shows more sparingly while keeping the History Channel about history.

But that would be a Modern Marvel.

Maybe we should storm the network with torches and pitchforks.

New Column at Freemason Information

2009-03-08T00:51:00.002-06:00

My latest column, "Upon Attaining Middle Age: Wilmshurst, Masonry & the Man Boat" is now online at Freemason Information.

Multitasking

2009-02-25T00:04:00.002-06:00

It’s difficult to know who coined the term “multi tasking,” but I’ll wager he was drunk when he did it. According to some, it originated in the dark digital days of the 1960s when the prospect of computers being able to fully complete more than one task at the same time was still an uncertain proposition. Not so today. Pretty much on a daily basis my computer can (and does) inform me that it has blocked three popup adds while simultaneously locking me out of Outlook and downloading 1 x 1023 terabytes of Microsoft patches automatically, effectively making my browser speed something close to glacial. Now that’s progress .
In common parlance, to multitask is taken to mean doing more than one thing during the same moment in time, but that is surely incorrect. True multitasking is doing more than one thing at the same time and doing it well, which I would argue is definitely not the case with most multi-taskers. Take the toaster oven for instance; it toasts and it bakes, but it neither toasts as well as a toaster, nor bakes as well as an oven. It doesn’t even look very cool, it just takes up counterspace. Multitasking, it seems to me, is hugely overrated.

But when Greg Stewart of Masonic Traveler and Masonic Central got ahold of me and told me about his idea for his new site, Freemason Information – aha! I thought, here is a multi-tasker that might actually fit the bill. Over the coming weeks, you Dear Reader, will find the finest variety of Masonic thought on- or offline right here. A toaster oven you say? Maybe, but I prefer to think of it as a toaster oven on steroids, with Dafoe at the throttle and Milliken amping up the kilowatts just to make sure it stays extra hot. I'll be there, as well. This thing will toast, bake and iron your shirts.

Check it out – I think you’ll like it.

Call for Writers

2009-01-13T00:17:00.002-06:00

Last September I was asked to join the board of directors of the Scottish Rite Research Society, and as part of my duties I am now the assistant to the editor of The Plumbline, the quarterly newsletter of the Society. I regularly read many excellent Masonic blogs and to that end, I post a call for writers to contribute.

The Plumbline is seeking original, never-before-published scholarly monographs on Masonic history, philosophy, or esoterica consisting of 1800-2400 words (no more than 5 pages, single-space 10 pt. type), referenced according to the Chicago Manual of Style. Writers wishing to submit MSS for consideration should direct their queries -- a brief email detailing subject matter, length, and import of the topic, as well as any particulars about the author that would interest our readers to me, in care of the contact address on this page. I will respond to each and every query within 72 hours of receipt.

I hope to hear from you.

The Convivial Lodge

2009-01-03T21:38:00.001-06:00

A new year brings a new order to my TO Lodge – Mount Zion No. 266. I have, only now, returned from our once-monthly meeting with batteries recharged and faith restored. This is not to say that my mother lodge is in any way unfulfilling – rather, it is to suggest that like a fine aperitif, the TO Lodge adds spice to an otherwise filling meal.

No minutes to trouble with. No endless reading of bills, no tedium. Instead, the lodge opens solemnly, with scrupulous attention paid to ceremony, the lights dimmed, the candles standing ready. All of this is prologue to a meeting that concentrates on Masonic education, which to my foreign readers is refreshing. Tonight’s agenda contains a précis on the Age of Enlightenment in Europe, and provides this month’s backdrop to our year-long discussion of the origins of the Craft.

Afterwards, the brethren mysteriously, and coincidentally, coalesce at the local pub where conviviality, sterling conversation, and fellowship is the order of the day.

Of better times, there are but few.

At Auction

2008-12-09T16:26:00.004-06:00

About two years ago in Sedan, Kansas, I happened upon an auction. As country auctions go, this one was lightly attended, no doubt because of the pouring rain. I am preternaturally fond of auctions, not just because of simple acquisitiveness, but because auctions afford the discerning bidder a crack at some real treasures. Nearly everything can, or has been, sold at auction, and you never know what you’ll come across – old Civil War swords, real Persian rugs, a first edition buried under a pile of Life magazines. It could be anything, really.

I had only stumbled upon the sale by chance and when I arrived it was winding down. The larger items, the house, a car, some farm machinery, and the furniture had all sold. All that remained was the personal property of the late Evelyn Brother, a widow of considerable antiquity and something of a pack-rat. Held in her barn (which sold with the house), there were only a few score boxes left, overlooked and forlorn. These had been pre-sorted by the auctioneers and they contained bits and stuff – nothing of apparent value but interesting to me nonetheless. The bidding was on-going as I walked past the china (ho-hum) and pawed through the books (unremarkable) until an old A.H. Fox 12-bore caught my eye. They go high, you know, but this one wouldn’t. With a badly shattered forearm and a frozen lock, it might sell as a jack handle, but nothing more. Costume jewelry, kitchen wares, a collection of old telephone directories dating back to 1961(?!); nothing of interest – until I came to a large box containing old pipes, none of which appeared valuable, a smoking jacket, and other tobacciana.

“There’s a oak humidor in there, too – a big one,” said one of the auctioneer’s assistants over the din. He was right, there was, and it was locked.

“Is there a key?” I asked. He shook his head.

Well, I don’t know about you, but a locked wooden humidor is the same thing as a treasure chest to me, so I resolved to wait my turn and bid on it. I didn’t have to wait long.

“Lot number 130,” the auctioneer intoned, “smoking pipes – might even be a corncob in there smoked by Harry Truman. Who’ll bid Ten dollars? Tindullatindullatindulla? Do I see a saw buck?”

I was still wondering whether he meant Douglas McArthur, when he switched cadence.

“Five dollars? Who’ll bid fi-dullafi-dullafi-dullarfi-dullar…?” he was looking right at me.

I looked around. There were only four other bidders and one of them was waiting for the old Magnavox television (Lot 141), another was trying to put the wheel on a bicycle that had seen better days, and the other two were arguing over dishes.

“One dollar,” I said out loud.

“SOLD!” he said without missing a beat. The auctioneer’s assistant smiled and told me I could pay near the corn crib.

As I drove home, I speculated on what could be inside that old humidor? Cigars, I thought, were likely, old nasty ones, too, unless the widow smoked regularly, which I doubted. I’d seen her china pattern and it had periwinkles and lilies on it. Gals who smoke cigars don’t go for that pattern, in fact, they don’t generally go for china much at all. So it was almost surely the husband’s, and who knew how long he’d been gone? Maybe cigarettes, or cigarillos or something odd like that. Maybe nothing? It didn’t rattle when I shook it gently.

When I got back, I carried it down to my workshop. It was a nice box, solid, dove-tailed, brass bound. It was pretty scratched and the varnish was shot, but I figured it would clean up fairly well… once I got it opened. I tried jiggling the lock with my pocket knife but it wouldn’t budge, and I didn’t have any other odd keys that would fit it, so I finally took the hinges off and opened it that way.

No cigars. Instead, there were four small leather-bound diaries, a watch (Waltham) in a gold-filled case, a Masonic emblem on a chain, and a stick-pin bearing the square and compasses. The diaries contained the personal reminiscences, dating from 1896, of a Mason from Kansas City named Hiram H. Brother, who through chance, happenstance, or sheer ignorance seems to have come in contact with more notable Masons of the 19th century than Albert Pike himself. Since discovering the diaries, I’ve been slowly editing them – no major revisions, you understand – just standardizing spelling and corroborating dates, and I am hopeful that they will be reproduced in full before long. Until that time, the good fellows at the Scottish Rite Journal have consented to feature selections from them in their august publication – a sample of which may be found here.

Some of the pages contain little more than weather reports, and complaints about the high price of sherry, with which the author was (I can assure you) intimately familiar. But other entries contain … well, you’ll just have to wait and see.

(Illustration by Ted Bastien)

Brother's War

2008-12-07T21:15:00.003-06:00

A new film featuring Freemasonry has begun its publicity cycle: Brother's War. Set, at least in part, in Poland in 1945, the film's promotional material describes the plot as follows:

Based on real events, the setting for Brother's War is the Eastern Front during the final days of World War II. In the midst of fierce fighting, as the Western Allies and the Russian Red Army make their advance toward Berlin, a British Army Officer attached to the Red Army discovers a secret that can shatter the unity of the Allies.

Seized by Stalin's dreaded Intelligence Service, he finds unexpected help from an enemy and fellow prisoner, a German Captain. A common bond through Freemasonry binds the two Officers by honor, oath and secrets. Joined by Anna, a beautiful Polish nurse cast adrift in the tides of war, the three are pursued by a ruthless Russian Intelligence Officer intent on preventing them from reaching Allied Command with their secret which could change the course of the war and the fate of millions.

The promo page for the film speaks favorably about the Craft in general, which is not surprising as, according to Charles Martin's blog, the star and co-author of the screenplay, Tino Struckmann, is a brother and member of Sunset Lodge No. 369, in Santa Monica, California.

I don't wish to criticize a brother's work, but I feel I must, however, speak out about a statement by the film's publicity people and their comments on Nazi connections to the Order: "[i]t is believed that many of the top leaders in Germany during the war had been Freemasons... and it was said that Göring was a Mason as well."

Although members of the NSDAP hierarchy may have had affiliations with the Craft, it is demonstrably false that Göring was a Mason. While incarcerated and awaiting trail at Nuremberg in November 1945, he made the following statement to his American warders:

You can't fathom your fate. It depends on such little things. For instance the little thing that prevented me from becoming a Freemason. I had a date to meet some friends to join the Freemasons in 1919. While waiting for them, I saw a pretty blonde pass by and picked her up. Well, I just never did get around to joining the Freemasons. If I hadn't picked up that blonde that day it would have been impossible for me to get into the Party, and I wouldn't be here today. (Gilbert, G.M., Nuremberg Diary, Da Capo Press, 1995, pp. 15-6.)

From an historian's standpoint, although one occasionally encounters Masonic references in WWII-era diaries from Allied soldiers, very little information is available from the Deutscher soldat's perspective.

This should be interesting, and I wish Bro. Struckmann every success.

Hangover at the A.F. & A. M. Drive-Thru?

2008-11-13T14:59:00.007-06:00

Surprising statistics accompany a proposed by-law in this jurisdiction concerning one-day classes; 31% of the members in 2003-2006 who became Masons in this state via one-day conferrals have been suspended for non-payment of dues or have left the lodges by dimit. Of members raised old-school, only 8% have requested dimits or have been suspended in the last 2 years. Further, there is a report that at least one lodge in this jurisdiction that lost 50% of their members that came
in through a one-day class since 2006, compared with a 9% loss rate for traditionally-raised men.

Perhaps these types of statistics are not news to anyone but me, but they seem to support the view that one day classes don't make Masons in many instances, but that they are rather good at making Former Masons.

Do your jurisdiction's statistics confirm this view also?

Someone could earn a thesis on this topic, surely.

GL WV Concludes Session

2008-10-15T14:51:00.003-06:00

From the comments, or the lack thereof, on Masonic Crusade, it would appear that reform-mindedness at the aforesaid did not meet with majority approval. Details, however, are hard to find.

Can anyone enlighten us, or direct us to a blog where more information can be found?

The Beehive

2008-10-11T23:39:00.005-06:00

The author of The Beehive, Fred Milliken, has kindly invited me to post in his space and I have taken him up on it.

In the intervening span of time, I've had the opportunity to get to know the Squire a bit better, and I am very glad I have done so. If you haven't read his stuff, do yourself a favor and check him out.

The Real Name of the Widow's Son

2008-10-02T11:11:00.004-06:00

No, not that Widow's Son.

The other one; the craftsman mentioned in Kings and Chronicles who aided Solomon in building the Temple in Jerusalem.

Hiram (חִירָם), also called Huram (חורם), the artificer first appears in I Kings (7:13) "And King Solomon sent and took Hiram, [a man] from Tyre, whose mother was a widow of the tribe of Napthali, and who father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he [Hiram] was a most expert craftsman." A skilled craftsman in the employ of Hiram, King of Tyre, he was sent to aid King Solomon in the construction of the temple. He is later mentioned by the Chronicler (II Chron. 2:12) as the“ son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skillful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him.”

In 1912, the Biblical scholar Charles C. Torrey examined the linguistic origins of the craftsman’s name and his conclusion is interesting.

“The accepted translation, which seems to receive strong support from the wording of the parallel passage in Kings, renders as follows: ‘These and all the utensils belonging thereto made Huram-abi for King Solomon for the house of Yahwè.’ To be sure, the reading אביו [Abiu] gives a good deal of trouble … and [supports the suppostion] that this founder of the Masonic Order to have been called ‘Huram-abiu ‘ (or perhaps Hiram-abiu) [often written Abiv or even Abif]."

Not so, he says.

Torrey reasons that the name of the Phoenician craftsman, as originally written in Kings, was certainly Hiram, the same name as the king of Tyre. The Chronicler for reasons unknown rendered both the name of the craftsman and that of the Tyrian King as Huram, but these are minor variations. Additionally, the Chronicler refers to the widow as a Danite, not from the tribe of Napthali, but, Torrey discounts this variation as simply one of style. The main interest for Freemasons is the form in which the name of the craftsman is given in the original Hebrew: אביו

Torrey argues that is isn’t a name at all, but a title.

“The fact is the word אב here is not a part of the proper name, but the noun meaning ‘right hand man,’ ‘trusted counselor’ as in Gen. 45:8, I Macc. 11: 32…etc. The correct rendering is: ‘I hereby send to you a skillful and wise man, Huram my trusted counselor .’

If Torrey is correct – I am no Hebrew scholar, but I suspect he is – then we’ve got it wrong about what many of us have assumed was simply the man's surname. Not that I advocate starting a revolution to change the ritual, however.

See Torrey, Charles C. “Concerning Hiram (“Huram-abi”), the Phœnician Craftsman," Journal of Biblical Literature, 31:4, 151-6, 1912.

Masonic Regalia from Chicago Break-In Still Missing

2008-09-29T07:38:00.002-06:00

Many of you will recall the news item from June of this year, of the burglary of the Valley of Chicago, AASR, NMJ. Valley officials have sent out another email requesting assistance which I reproduce here:

On Sunday, June 22, 2008, between 2:00 am and 4:00 am, the
office of the Valley of Chicago, along with several other offices
located in the building that we are temporarily operating from until the
development of our new headquarters is complete, was burglarized. As of
this morning, upon discovery of the burglary, the proper law enforcement
agencies have been notified.

During the burglary, our secured vault was compromised. As
a result, many of the Valley's precious metals and historic jewels were
taken. Among those items removed from the vault include, but are not
limited to:

- Past Presiding Officer Jewels of the Lodge of
Perfection; Council Princes of Jerusalem; Rose Croix; and Consistory;
each inscribed "Property of AASR - Valley of Chicago" and properly
numbered;

- 33º Member Jewels;

- Diamond Membership Pins;

- Dudley and Elgin Masonic Watches;

- Lapel Pins, Oriental Consistory;

- Past Presiding Officer Jewels from various Grand York
Rite Bodies;

- Past Master Jewels from various Masonic Lodges; and

- Other Masonic Jewelry and Historic Metals.

Should you happen to come across any suspicious items, on
Ebay or other auction sites for example, please contact Gregory R. Klemm, MSA, 33º, at (800) 774-3467, ext. 302, or at gregoryklemm at aol (dot) com.

As a result of this burglary, a great deal of Masonic history has been compromised. Your assistance in helping us to recover that history is greatly appreciated.

Certainly any Mason who locates the items will notify the authorities, and hopefully any Mason who locates the thieves will take them on a tour of the nearest convenient rocky site.

Poll: Your Masonic Studies

2008-09-23T10:09:00.004-06:00

Historian: an unsuccessful novelist.
-- H. L. Mencken

Not everyone is enamored of history. Fewer still, it seems, are fond of Masonic history if my site meter is working properly. Still, it’s worth noting that Masons seem to care more about the history of their Order than, say, Odd Fellows, or Rotarians, both of whom share our fondness for green bean casserole, but not our antiquity or our contributions to the Momentous. It seems clear that Masons, as opposed to other fraternal groups enshrine, at least formally, the love of study. Who, after all, has ever heard of Elk-onic education? Or the Moose Lodge of Research? It would not be surprising if such a thing exists, but if it does, and if it consists of more than a few bookshelves in the basement of the Moose HQ in Mooseheart, Illinois, I would appreciate a postcard to that effect.

By contrast, our Order is positively enjoined to study. Some members note that this prescription seems these days more honored in the breach, but Masonic study remains a viable thing, even if individual Lodges often devote their energies to “fun” activities at the expense of studiousness. Even a casual reader will observe, for example, that the Masonic community on-line is a place of vigorous debate, some shouting to be sure, but in general a hive of thought. Our record of print scholarship, too, dates back centuries – some of it funny stuff, poorly researched, linking our early ritual to Australopithecus, or Piltdown Man, or whomever -- but much of it of real value conducted by men who receive small compensation, and no tenure, for it.

I tend to view all study about Masonry as Masonic history, which reflects my historian’s hubris, as I assume that all subjects will somehow reference the Masonic past, and hence history. But I know Masons who study Masonic jurisprudence, ritual, and traditions who do not consider themselves Masonic historians, but scholars, and they are, of course, correct in this.
Thus, this survey.

I would be grateful for comments explaining an omitted item (I can only list seven per the polling company) and your secondary or tertiary, etc., interests, too.

UPDATE: Blog Flux polls have been entirely unsatisfactory of late, and due to some poll errors, I have replaced the poll with another version (which also allows me to list more options). If you have already voted in the prior poll, please re-vote.

Ready, Aim: Tile! Military Lodges During the American Civil War.

2008-09-22T13:11:00.003-06:00

Deeply rooted in the fabric of peace-time America, Freemasonry was quite prevalent among the soldiers in America's Civil War. Although portrayed as a secret society cloaked in mystery, Masons in America were - and remain today - very visible in society. Army life was no different. Individual members of the fraternity identified themselves by wearing Masonic emblems - the familiar square and compasses chief among them - on their uniforms, and when associated together they coalesced in camp and bivouac. At times, this association signified nothing more than individual Freemasons banding together to share a tent, or form a mess. More elaborate expressions of Masonic solidarity were not uncommon, however.

Masons in the 102nd Illinois Infantry constructed a “beautiful encampment” near Lookout Mountain in 1864, decorated with archways over the company streets formed by the layout of the long lines of tents. The arches were carved and decorated to suit the soldiers who made them, and one of these was emblazoned with the square and compasses. In the camp of the 12th Indiana Infantry at Scottsboro, Alabama, the officer’s tents were also decorated with verdant arches, “while in front of the Colonel’s tent, a larger arch, with the Masonic emblem, all in evergreen, formed the central point of beauty.” Given enough Masons, a regiment was sometimes justified in forming a lodge within their army unit. The officers and men of the 1st New York Engineer Regiment, famous for their skill as artificers, “erected a Masonic Temple, commodious and a beautiful work of art, constructed of the rustic materials the Island afforded” on Folly Island, South Carolina in November 1863.

This last example suggests the establishment of an actual lodge within a military unit, a circumstance for which Masonry was prepared. As explained in Chapter 2, a lodge of Masons must meet certain requirements before it can formally operate as such. First, it must have a charter or warrant – a license from a higher Masonic authority – empowering it to conduct business, initiate new members and perform ritual work. Without such charter, granted outright or provisionally under a dispensation (known as a “Lodge UD” in Masonic parlance), the Lodge would not be recognized. In Masonic terms it would be “clandestine” and Masons from regularly approved lodges would be prohibited from interacting with it. In addition to the charter, a Lodge must have a “volume of sacred law,” which in most instances during the Civil War would have been the Holy Bible, although any holy book of any faith would have fulfilled this requirement. Finally, a Lodge would require some “working tools,” a square, compasses and sundry other objects of ritual significance, along with a quorum of Master Masons present to conduct business. If these three requirements were met in an army unit, a lodge might be formed.

Known as Military or Traveling Lodges, these lodges were common during the war. Armed with authority of the Lodge that chartered them - generally the Grand Lodge of the state in which the regiment was organized - these lodges functioned as satellites of the chartering Grand Lodge and were empowered to meet and conduct business just as “stationary” lodges at home. In the Union army, a total of 98 military lodges were authorized during the war with Indiana having the most (38). Masonic jurisdictions in the Confederate States authorized more, a total of 153 military lodges from 1861-65; the Grand Lodge of Texas authorized 33, Mississippi had 29 and Virginia had 26. Among those jurisdictions which permitted military lodges, Arkansas is typical. By war’s end, the Arkansas Grand Lodge had approved sixteen dispensations:

1. To Brother E. N. Hill and others of Col. Lyon’s regiment Arkansas Volunteers to be called Kilgore [Lodge]. 1861.
2. To Brother L. A. Saunders in Col. Gantt’s regiment to be called Saunders. Aug. 20, 1861.
3. To Brother Samuel S. Ford in Col. Merrick’s regiment to be called Tenth Regiment, Aug. 20, 1861.
4. To Brother J.W. Cavanass in Col. Bell’s regiment. March 25, 1863.
5. To Bro. Stanly in Col. Morgan’s regiment to be called McRae. April 14, 1863.
6. To Brother Jewel in Grinstead’s Regiment to be called Grinstead. May 12, 1863.
7. To Brother Reynolds in Arkansas Troops in Bragg’s army to be called Harper. 1863.
8. To Brother Cook in Col. Hawthorne’s regiment to be called Fitula. May 26, 1863.
9. To Brother Ferguson in Col. Monroe’s regiment to be called Monroe. November 22, 1863.
10. To Brother McCown in Col. Dawson’s regiment, to be called Camp Bragg. December 23, 1863.
11. To Brother Pindall in General Parson’s Brigade, to be called Sterling Price. December 23, 1863.
12. To Brother Carroll in General Dockery’s Brigade to be called Dockery. December 25, 1863.
13. To Brother Clark in General Marmaduke’s Cavalry, to be called Stonewall.
14. To Brother Blakeney and other Masons of Arkansas connected with major Thomas’ Quartermaster Department to be called Theresa Brandon. February 24, 1864.
15. To Brother Henderson in Col. Crawford’s regiment to be called Young. February 26, 1864.
16. To Brother Hays in Col. Shaver’s regiment to be called Julia A. English. August 8, 1864.

Of these lodges, four made regular reports to the Grand Lodge: the McRae lodge reported a total of 61 members, Dockery claimed 24, Camp Bragg reported 21 members on its rolls, and Julia A. English Lodge stated its membership at fifteen men.

The Grand Lodge of New York began granting dispensations for military lodges by resolution in 1861, but with the proviso that they were not to make Masons of men from outside New York without first obtaining the permission from the Grand Lodge of the home jurisdiction of the soldier.

Some jurisdictions, however, forbade Military Lodges; Kansas, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Wisconsin, for instance, prohibited them out of concern that Military Lodges would admit the “wrong sort” of man. A committee appointed by the Wisconsin Grand Lodge to study the matter voiced concern over the quality of men obtained through these lodges:

[D]uring the present war several of the Grand Lodges have established, by dispensation, what are denominated Military Lodges, the officers and members of which are volunteers from the respective States, by the Grand Lodges of which such Lodges are established. A Lodge so established travels with the regiment or brigade to which it is attached, and is opened and held at such times and places as may be convenient, and wherever its members may happen to be located by the exigencies of the service. Authentic information has been received that persons who have been for several years, and still are residents of Wisconsin, have been initiated in such Lodges.
[S]ome of such persons would, doubtless, have been rejected if they had applied to the Lodge nearest their residence, and where they were known, and … others had already been rejected at home. What has occurred in reference to residents of this jurisdiction has undoubtedly occurred to residents within the jurisdiction of other Grand Lodges. We have no hesitation in saying that this is an evil which ought to be promptly remedied. Of what use is it for the fraternity of Wisconsin to labor to maintain a high standard of personal qualifications, and to sustain the dignity of the character of Free Masonry in this jurisdiction, if these unworthy and rejected applicants are to be thrust upon the Craft by other Grand Lodges, through the medium at Dispensated Lodges working outside their territorial jurisdiction? …. Whenever a Grand Lodge deems it proper to establish a traveling Military Lodge, it should make due provision that the Lodge so established should not interfere with the jurisdiction of other Grand Lodges, and should give it no more extensive power than it may lawfully grant to ordinary Lodges within its jurisdiction. We feel confident that this subject, being brought to the attention of our sister Grand Lodges, they will see the propriety of staying the wrong which they are thus inflicting upon the Fraternity in other jurisdictions.

The Grand Lodge of Virginia, which permitted Military Lodges, shared the concern of Wisconsin, and, commenting on the Wisconsin argument, injected the question of politics into the equation.

[I]t clearly appears that these Lodges were conferring Masonic character on unworthy men, who could not obtain it at home, and initiated men who never were under the jurisdiction of their Grand Lodges. How far this evil goes, we know not; but we have reason to fear they make white men Masons who were under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. And when we see some of the Grand Lodges teaching that Masonry has politics, and her politics teach the equality of mankind and the support of the nationality of the United States, we have reason to fear that the canon of Masonry, which limits its benefits to the free-born, is through these Lodges to be set aside, and Masonry made an instrument to subvert all our social and governmental institutions.

By contrast, the Select Committee on Military Lodges for the Grand Lodge of Florida was more egalitarian, stating that they were

fully satisfied that it is Masonically right and proper to authorize such Lodges, and that the practice is supported by ancient custom. Historical tradition informs us that… during the Revolutionary War, there were Military Lodges in both American and British armies, receiving their charters from Grand Lodge of England [sic].

Acting on this report, the Florida Grand Lodge approved the formation of Military Lodges and adopted detailed regulations concerning their operation.

That dispensation as a general rule should be granted, and they for a term not exceeding two years; and the terms plainly expressed in the … dispensation, with instructions that the same be extended by endorsement. If not extended within two years, then the dispensation to expire by limitation, and all acts done under such dispensation after the expiration aforesaid, and without such renewal, to be clandestine and void.
…
That all requirements of the [Masonic] Constitution, resolutions and edicts of the Grand Lodge of Florida, relative to applications, petitions, advancement, secrecy and unanimity of the ballot-box, must be strictly adhered to.
…
That initiation and membership in such Lodges must be strictly confined to persons legally belonging and attached to military service, and to be confined to the encampment, station, or command, where located for the time being.
…
That upon the expiration of the term of service of any company, regiment, battalion, or other military command, in which such dispensation may have been granted, on their discharge from the same, the dispensation shall cease to be in any force or effect, and the same, together with the jewels, furniture, records and other fixtures thereof, shall be forwarded to the Grand Secretary…
…
That no dispensation shall be granted to a less number than seven , and all petitioners must be Master Masons, and to obtain such dispensation, the recommendation of the Lodge nearest to the place where the petitioners may then be located or stationed is indispensably necessary.

Military lodges had historical precedent both in America and abroad and examples are seen not only dating back to the American Revolution, but during Napoleon’s campaigns, as well. Despite the reluctance of some Grand Lodges to permit their formation, these lodges flourished during the war, and the vast majority of Grand Lodges both North and South, though encouraging care in the admission of individual members to maintain the quality of the brotherhood, promulgated their growth.

-- Excerpt from the forthcoming Better Angels of Our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War, © Michael Halleran 2008

Politics and the Taming Hand of Masonry

2008-09-08T21:55:00.002-06:00

Conservative, n: A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal who wishes to replace them with others. ~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

I am a recovering political junkie, and to confirm this one need only ask my wife. An inquiry concerning my beastliness in all things political would occasion the bland assertion that I was insufferable during the 2000 election season, the 2002 by-elections less so, although I became unhinged over the local dogcatcher race, and that by 2004 my conduct bordered on lunacy, unfit for civilized company. And that is probably putting it mildly. So like any true addict, I daren’t allow myself so much as a sip of the forbidden political brew, although I must confess that following both the Democrat and Republican conventions, I have yearned to drink deep of the political draught, telling myself that I can quit anytime I want to. The problem is, of course, that I can’t quit, and moderation is an unknown to me when I am immersed in the political debate. I am a partisan, pure and simple, and for me at least, that is a very corrosive thing. I’ve lost friends over politics.

However, the taming hand of Masonry has effected no small change in me. Guided in part by the Ancient Charges, that

You may enjoy yourself with innocent Mirth, treating one another according to Ability, but avoiding all Excess, or forcing any Brother to eat or drink beyond his Inclination, or hindering him from going when his Occasions call him, or doing or saying anything offensive, or that may forbid an easy and free Conversation, for that would blast our Harmony, and defeat our laudable Purposes. Therefore no private Piques or Quarrels must be brought within the Door of the Lodge, far less any Quarrels about Religion, or Nations, or State Policy, we being only, as Masons, of the Universal Religion above mention'd, we are also of all Nations, Tongues, Kindreds, and Languages, and are resolv'd against all Politics, as what never yet conduct'd to the Welfare of the Lodge, nor ever will. [Emphasis added]
(Charge II. “BEHAVIOUR after the LODGE is over and the BRETHREN not GONE,” Constitutions of the Free-Masons, 1723.)

I also credit the cool and civilizing influence of the lodge itself, which holds those mighty political passions as not only unwelcome, but downright unwholesome. Although we might (or at least I might) still argue the merits or demerits of one political philosophy against another, the inescapable conclusion is that politics only rarely augments the commonweal – far more frequently it is the cause of violent disagreements that add nothing but incivility to public and private life. This realization, which I became aware of through Masonry, is one with which you may not agree, but be that as it may, I find myself less concerned with the outcome of this election – not because my political certainties have lost their edge, but because my passions have cooled, which is what I set out to do at the west door in the first place. Having said all that, I don’t think blogs written by Masons should be devoid of political content, just that blogs written by this Mason must be.

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Valley of Topeka -- September 16, 2008

2008-09-04T18:20:00.002-06:00

I will have the honor to address my brethren in the Valley of Topeka as the featured speaker at the regular stated meeting on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at the Topeka Valley Scottish Rite located at 2300 SW 30th Street, Topeka, Kansas. Social hour starts at 5.30, dinner at 6.30 and the closed meeting follows at 7.30 p.m.

For those of you nearby who are interested in Civil War Masonry, we will be discussing the Masonic myths surrounding the death of Confederate General Lewis A. Armistead.

Restaurant Review - Nothing to Do with Masonry

2008-08-21T17:36:00.004-06:00

I live in a small town which is noted for many things – a small university, an active Masonic lodge, a vibrant agricultural community, and beautiful natural vistas. It is not noted for fine cuisine, however. In our town, there are any number of McWhatnots serving fast food, plus a few low-end chains serving steaks as thick (and as flavorful) as corrugated cardboard, a few authentic Mexican family-owned restaurants which are good, provided you like to eat Mexican every time you go out, but that’s about it. So a new restaurant is a powerful lure.

Our newest restaurant, Peking Express, 728 E. 12th Avenue, I discovered, is something of a misnomer. Although it offers nominally Chinese fare, the word “express,” in this context at least, connotes swiftness, speed and a degree of alacrity in the preparation and serving of the bill of fare. My wife and I visited the restaurant tonight and can confirm that haste at the Peking Express was conspicuously absent.

To be sure, a certain amount of anticipation is desirable when dining, but this should be calculated in advance by the staff and not arise from dilatory service. There was plenty of lackluster service in evidence, but, as it turned out, that was the least of our worries. From long experience with Chinese food, I ordered a basic no-frills entrée – Beef Lo Mein – always a crowd-pleaser, and next to impossible to screw up. My wife –adventurously -- chose a seafood/vegetable rice dish, despite the fact that we reside over 800 miles from the nearest ocean.

Once the food arrived, though, I stopped cursing the wait.

Possessing culinary acumen that is not possible to attain this side of a Mongolian army mobile field kitchen, the Iron Chefs in the back managed to screw up the impossible-to-screw-up Lo Mein with aplomb, substituting boot leather for the beef, and sprinkling in a good tablespoon of barely cooked egg scabs with the more traditional egg noodles – a little something extra from the chef – all served at the blisteringly hot temperature of 55F. But the seafood whatever-it-was was the real masterpiece: smothered, (and I do mean SMOTHERED) in a barely digestible cornstarch sauce, half-Elmer’s glue, and half uncooked Belgian Waffle batter, with a few of 1994’s best mushrooms, it was at least hot. Unfortunately, the elevated temperature gave wings to a less then wholesome fishy aroma (think 9th Ward three days post-Katrina) that would have even put Morris the Cat on Macaroni and Cheese for Lent. In a word, the entrées were execrable.

Add this culinary prestidigitation to the majestic presentation – Styrofoam platters, plastic utensils and individual plates made of paper so thin that it was possible to read a crossword through them, and you have the makings of the worst dinner I’ve ever eaten in my small town. Hands down. Bar none. Positively emetic.

Had I been French, and had I known the Chinese word for ORDURE, it would have figurered prominently in the abuse I would have hurled at the Chef. Oh, and the Coke was flat, too.

Sacré bleu!

The Racial Experiment - Alpha Lodge No. 116

2008-08-18T11:22:00.007-06:00

History tells us that some mainstream American Grand Lodges both north and south had admitted black men to traditionally "white" Masonic lodges as far back as the 19th Century, but these few men of color were largely an apostrophe to mainstream American Masonry’s implicit whites-only policy. As most of us are aware, black Freemasons were largely undeterred by this, and black men had coalesced within their own branch of the fraternity – Prince Hall Affiliation (PHA) Masonry -- which has existed since the late 18th Century. Many of us are also aware that a fundamental shift occurred in the late 20th century which led to amicable relationships between many, although by no means all, of the mainstream Grand Lodges, and the PHA Grand Lodges. This was not the first instance where mainstream Masonry re-thought the racial bar, however.

At the close of the American Civil war, another such shift is perceptible. It is clear that the end of slavery made at least some impression on the mainstream Grand Lodges, largely those in the North, and following the end of hostilities, some mainstream Masons re-examined the issue of race. In race-conscious America, this effort was necessarily small, and it faced considerable opposition, but for those who saw the goal of universal Freemasonry as laudable, some progress was made, although this can be measured by (in a literal sense) individual members.

The New England states, noted for their antagonism to slavery in the antebellum period, were among the first jurisdictions following the war to cross the color bar, at least in a few isolated cases. One example was the prominent Massachusetts caterer (and later state legislator for Cambridge), Joshua Bowen Smith. A member of Adelphi Lodge in South Boston, Smith was described as “a shade darker than the Caucasian” albeit with facial features “not decidedly African,” which, although irrelevant today, spoke volumes in that era. (1)

Smith was raised in December of 1867 and later joined the Scottish and York Rites in Boston. He was initiated, passed and raised in St. Andrew’s Lodge in Boston – Massachusetts Masonic law allowing a man to be raised in one lodge and affiliate with another – and, according to Voorhis, his was not the only petition by a black man acted on by St. Andrew’s lodge. (2)

Whether or not the example of Massachusetts inspired other progressive Masons is not known, but by the close of the 1860s, racial integration was very much on the minds of Masons in nearby New Jersey. As early as 1867, the Grand Master of New Jersey had spoken in favor of Masonic universality by encouraging the Craft to admit men of all races and religions. (3) By 1872, this sentiment – in New Jersey at least – culminated in the newly organized Alpha Lodge No. 116 in Newark which began admitting suitable men without regard to race. This was a momentous decision in post-Civil War America, although it was not without its detractors.

Embroiled in some controversy from its inception, Alpha Lodge was formed in 1871 by white New Jersey Masons following a failed attempt by New Jersey Prince Hall Masons to form “Cushite Lodge” under the auspices of the mainstream New Jersey Grand Lodge. Although that effort was foiled by procedural red tape, the Grand Lodge of New Jersey stated that color did not bar membership -- an extraordinary statement at that time -- and the members of the prospective Alpha Lodge apparently contemplated admitting black men soon after their charter was granted. The Grand Lodge spasmodically reacted to this news, and seized Alpha’s charter briefly before restoring it after much debate at its Grand Communication in 1872. That was not, however, the end of the matter. (4)

In 1872, Trenton Lodge No. 5 adopted resolutions to the effect that the initiation of colored men into the fraternity would tend to disturb the harmony of the craft, and would be of no benefit to them, after it was learned that the newly warranted Alpha Lodge had admitted several colored members. These resolutions were sent to every lodge in the jurisdiction, with the request that they take appropriate action to arrest the threatened peril.

On May 27, 1872, formal charges were filed against Alpha Lodge and its officers. They were read at the 1873 communication and referred to the Committee on Jurisprudence. This committee presented a report exonerating the accused, and which further stated that the action of Alpha Lodge, since the restoration of its charter, had been in accord with masonic law. The Grand Lodge adopted the report, and the resolutions of Trenton Lodge No. 5 were declared out of order. (5)

Although the smoke had cleared and Alpha Lodge was free from interference within the confines of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey’s jurisdiction, interstate squabbles began as soon as other jurisdictions became aware of Alpha’s unique character. Although most grand jurisdictions took no formal action beyond disapproval, Delaware’s Grand Master, J.C. McCabe, issued orders in June of 1872 that Delaware lodges should have no contact with Alpha Lodge. The Grand Lodge of Mississippi’s response was more drastic, if slightly delayed. In 1873, the Grand Master of Mississippi informed the Craft of Alpha Lodge and following a debate in which it was recommended (but not adopted) that fraternal relations be severed, the following resolution was passed;

That the M. W. Grand Lodge of Masons in New Jersey has been found adequate to deal with the question of admitting Negroes into membership with its subordinate lodges and it is the confident expectation of this Grand Lodge that she also will be found adequate to meet the emergency presented by the action of Alpha Lodge No. 116 of Newark, N.J. (6)

With this fig leaf in place, Mississippi made no further comment regarding Alpha Lodge until 35 years later, whereupon, unannounced, the Grand Master of New Jersey, William D. Wolfskeil, received a communication from his Mississippi counterpart, Edwin J. Martin, which stated that Martin “had heard that there is a lodge in your Grand Jurisdiction composed of negroes, and that your Grand Lodge permits the initiation and affiliation of negroes as Masons,” and requesting clarification. Upon receipt of Wolfskeil’s affirmation of Alpha Lodge, the Grand lodge of Mississippi severed Masonic relations with New Jersey, citing that,

Masonry never contemplated that her privileges should extend to a race, totally, morally, and intellectually incapacitated to discharge the obligations which they assume or have conferred upon them in a Masonic Lodge. It is no answer that there are exceptions to this general character of the race. We legislate for the race and not for the exceptions. We hold that affiliation with negroes is contrary to the teachings of Masonry, and is dangerous to the interest of the Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons. (7)

As a result, there were no fraternal relations between the Grand Lodges of New Jersey and Mississippi for twenty years. Relations were finally restored following Mississippi’s Grand Communication of 1928, when, without comment on the substantive reasons for the divorce, the Grand Master urged the Craft in Mississippi to “forget this difference and resume fraternal relations with the Grand Jurisdiction of New Jersey.” (8)

Despite these troubles, Alpha Lodge persisted and by 1878, had elected a black man, Abram T. Cooke, as master. Although some scholars conclude in retrospect that white membership declined as a result, contemporaneous accounts suggest that white and black men were still amicably sitting in lodge together as late as the 1930s, although race-consciousness remained a factor in the minds of many men. (9)

[Alpha Lodge’s] growth has been modest but substantial, 79 members being enrolled as of January 1, 1931 and its work and internal harmony is beyond reproach. It is worthy to note that colored men of Newark did not rush to become members of Alpha in order to be connected with a white grand lodge. The great majority of colored masons preferred to affiliate with the three lodges of Prince Hall descent now functioning in that city. (10)

Nationally, however, the progress of the post- Civil War years had eroded. Just as individual black Masons had served as notable examples for the process of fraternal integration, an individual would later personify the racial stasis of the fraternity. William J. Anderson, a black man, was raised in the mainstream Simonds Lodge No. 59 in Shoreham, Vermont in 1898. Active in his lodge for over 30 years, Anderson served as both Chaplain and Secretary. Although he was raised in a period of great potential for racial amity in the Craft, by 1940, Anderson was the only black man listed on the rolls of a mainstream lodge in the United States, evidence of a de facto racial schism within the fraternity that existed for throughout much of the 20th century and only now is narrowing. (11) Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Alpha Lodge figures prominently in the history of racial relations within the Craft. The scholar Henry Davis summed its importance this way;

Its simple presence reflects and suggests many things of interest and moment. It touches the peculiar field of race relations from a different angle than is commonly seen by students of sociology; it brings to the foreground the whole question of the legitimacy of Negro masonry; it encroaches upon the doctrine of exclusive grand lodge jurisdiction ; it gave an honored grand lodge the opportunity of making a sound and courageous decision on a matter of extreme delicacy, when considerations of expediency might have tempted it to do otherwise; and it has been the subject of much discussion, misrepresentation, and ignorance throughout the American masonic world. Moreover, its continuous and harmonious existence should give food for thought to those timid masons who have always feared that formal acknowledgment of their colored fraters would mean the Africanization of their lodges with its attendant social discord. All of these things Alpha Lodge caused, or became involved in without conscious effort on its own part, and for reasons not of its own making. It was a catalytic agent in the family of lodges, creating commotion by its mere presence, and thus a masonic cause célèbre. (12)

And Alpha Lodge No. 116 remains, a paradox from what is now largely a bygone age, at least north of Mason-Dixon. Located currently in East Orange, NJ, about 11 minutes from Newark, the lodge meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 7.30 p.m.

Its membership remains diverse.

NOTES:
1. Fahey, David M. Temperance & Racism; John Bull, Johnny Reb and the Good Templars, Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 1996, p. 58.
2. Voorhis, Harold V. B., Negro Masonry in the United States, New York: Henry Emmerson, 1940, p. 107-8.
3. Fahey, p. 58.
4. Davis, Harry E. “Alpha Lodge No. 116, New Jersey,” The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr., 1935), 180:189, pp. 181-2.
5. Ibid., p. 183.
6. Voorhis, p. 100.
7. Ibid., p. 101.
8. Ibid., p. 102.
9. Fahey, (p. 58) insisted that a white exodus began as soon as the lodge elected it first black master, but reports from the early 20th century indicated that the composition of membership remained mixed. Davis reports that “[a]s late as 1924 its membership was still reported as mixed, although Alpha Lodge is generally referred to as a colored lodge.” See “Alpha Lodge No. 116, New Jersey,” p. 189. See also, Harold V.B. Voorhis, Our Colored Brethren: the Story of Alpha Lodge of New Jersey, New York: Emmerson, 1960.
10. Davis, p. 186.
11. Voorhis, p. 108.
12. Davis, p. 181.

Pellets & Boluses; Roscoe Pound

2008-08-01T11:22:00.006-06:00

Lawyers are acquainted, although in some instances just barely, with the distinguished American legal scholar Roscoe Pound (1870 – 1964) by virtue of his connection with the American Legal Realism movement of the 1920s. The author of
such stem-winders as:
Outlines of Lectures on Jurisprudence (1914), The Spirit of the Common Law (1921), Law and Morals (1924), and Criminal Justice in America (1930), Pound was at the forefront of contemporary legal thought in America in the first half of the last century. Freemasons, however, are often more familiar with Pound than lawyers are, largely due to his work on Masonic jurisprudence, and Masonic philosophy, which appear much more relevant today than his legal writings. Chris Hoddapp included a piece about Pound on his blog, and my lodge library has several titles in which his articles appear prominently. Pound was Past Master of Lancaster Lodge No. 54 AF & AM in Lincoln, Nebraska and he helped found the Harvard Lodge AF & AM on 18 May 1922 -- the first academic Masonic Lodge in the world.

I began reading Pound while in the middle of researching something else, and I couldn’t stop. Different, or perhaps less woo—spooky than Pike, and much more accessible than Preston, or Krause, his is a voice that can appeal to 20th and 21st century Masons. Among his many articles, one appealed to me as particularly apropos. Pound recognized, unlike many Masonic writers and scholars, that Masonry is not immutable. He does not challenge the ancient landmarks, a sport which remains popular today, but rather suggests that within the greater fabric of the Fraternity, there is an inherent flexibility. Although the subject of Masonry “changing with the times” is a recurrent theme among Masons, non-Masons, and ex-Masons, Pound does not suggest that the Craft is rootless, itinerant, or somehow subject to the whim of popular culture. But he does embrace the notion that different ages (or perhaps it is better to use the $5 term: epochs) of men must necessarily have their own priorities. This, he says, is as it should be, and Masonry must be a reflection of the Masons then living who constitute the Masonic body politick at a given period in time. This is an interesting twist to the conundrum we find ourselves faced with – and presumably all Masons have always found themselves faced with – how does Masonry fit with our time? From any number of camps, one will receive any number of answers to that question. Conservatives will argue that Masonry must not change, while rebels will argue that the whole applecart is subject to being tossed over at any moment.

In “A Twentieth-Century Masonic Philosophy,” Pound had this to say;

We have long outgrown the notion that Masonry is to held to one purpose or one object or is to be hemmed in by the confines of one philosophy. If we are taught that the roof of the Mason’s workshop is nothing less than the “clouded canopy or starry-decked heavens,” nothing that goes on beneath that capacious covering can be wholly alien to us. Our fraternity is to be of all men and for all men; it is to be of all time and for all time. The needs of no one time and of no one people can circumscribe its objects. The philosophy of no one man, can be admitted as its final authority. Hence it is no reproach to Masonry to have, along with lessons and tenets for all times, a special lesson and a special tenet for each time, which is not to be insisted on at other times. Truth, after all, is relative. Vital truths to one time cannot be put into pellets or boluses to be administered to all times to come. If the Craft is to be perpetual, it must appeal to each time as well as to all times.

Pound, Roscoe, Lectures on the Philosophy of Freemasonry, Anamosa, Iowa: National Masonic Research Society, 1915, p.73.

This view reflects an intellectual suppleness that is enormously refreshing. Like the best of philosophers, however, Pound’s writing does not prescribe answers, it merely points the way towards potential answers. But lest you think that Pound writes an Rx on iconoclasm, take a look for yourself. Lectures on the Philosophy of Freemasonry is available on-line.

Proof of Pound’s remarkable intellectual character is that although he studied law for a year at Harvard, he soon returned to Nebraska, and was admitted to the bar without a law degree. Unheard of today, this was not unprecedented in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries – but Pound was much more than a mere lawyer. He later taught law at the University of Nebraska, was on the faculty at Harvard, was a high officer in the GL of Massachusetts, and in his spare time, apparently, received of all things, a Ph.D. in botany.
His papers may be found in an on-line collection here.

À la Recherche du Temps Perdu... Again

2008-07-07T22:18:00.004-06:00

The second degree conferred tonight summoned a ghost, not in any spectral sense, although I could, perhaps, be wrong. He was a friend and brother, dead this long last year. He had been J:.W:. when I came in and the work, or much of it, still rings with his voice in my mind's ear. He was killed in a car accident - minding his own business, wearing his seat belt and driving the speed limit, but it didn't matter, and before the dust settled he was dead. It crushed his family, and it tore the heart out of our Lodge.

His particular ritualistic specialty was the FC lecture, and he would take his charges on that long, winding walk - he took me, when I passed that way - and he imparted something particularly, but elusively, meaningful to it. Hard to define, musical, more chord than chorus. He was first to admit, and he often did, that he was by no means a polished public speaker. Actually he was not fond of speaking in public at all. Nor was he required to do so by his profession, as he was, unbelievably in this day and age, an honest-to-God cowboy. From 6 to 5, but sometimes from 6 to 11.30 p.m., he rode a horse, minding cattle, and he would not infrequently arrive in Lodge with spurs on, which would announce his arrival halfway down the hall. He had a Kansas twang to his voice, which produces hard endings to words that stop on t or r, but which coddles the middle syllables languidly. All of this was keyed in a gentle rhythm that gave the lecture an honesty that flourish or polish could never achieve. Jerry just did the work because he loved it.

"...this triflin' defect," he would say slowly, "proved them Ephraimites, and cost them... their laives."

No one in our lodge knew the lecture, we didn't have to. It was his. Since his death we had to ask other lodges to fill the gap. Maybe no one wanted to learn it, forestalling the acknowledgment that he wasn't coming back. Maybe not. But it crossed my mind a time or two. But tonight was different; one of our own, W:. Bro. Blaine, had it, and this was his debut. It was well and truly done, a thing of great beauty. It wasn't Jerry's work, but it wasn't meant to be either. I was fortunate to sit in the South tonight, and in our jurisdiction, the lecturer interacts with the J:.W:. - it is to him that the explanation of the trifling defect is given, and as Blaine came to that line, a line we both had remarked upon earlier as a signature of Jerry, I saw him well up just a bit as he delivered it. I understood why.

At my interaction with him, I smiled broadly, realizing that we, he and I, and I suppose the Lodge as well, had crossed the river that for so long stood in flood.

Freemasonry in Tzarist Central Asia?

2008-07-06T21:53:00.005-06:00

Frederick Gustavus Burnaby (1842-1885) was an English army officer, an inveterate wanderer, an intrepid adventurer, and quite probably a Freemason. I have no absolute proof of his membership in the Craft, but Burnaby himself (shown here at right) provides us with clues as to his affiliation in his writings. He is most famous for his exploration of 19th Century Central Asia which he documented in A Ride to Khiva, (1876) a Khanate (in what is now Uzbekistan) not known for its hospitality to non-Muslims, and for the equally fascinating On Horseback Through Asia Minor (1878) which details his five month's travel in Ottoman Turkey on the eve of war with Russia. Both of these locales figured prominently in the struggle for dominance in Asia by both Russia and Great Britain -- a struggle that predated our own Cold War by a hundred years. Termed "The Great Game" by its participants, and Burnaby certainly was one, it was not played on battlefields by armies and generals, but rather, it was a covert war of intelligence, counter-intelligence, and subterfuge.

In Asia Minor, Burnaby's avowed intent was to explore Turkey first-hand, to get a feel for its people and customs, while keeping an eye on the Russian frontier, of course. But the narrative notes so many fortifications, fords, defiles, and roads capable of carrying artillery that it must surely have found a place on the shelves of the Foreign Office before the ink was dry. There is a Masonic cadence to some of his writing as well, with many phrases interspersed that have a familiar ring to a Mason's ear, and which I assume are indicative of membership. One passage, however, comes tantalizingly close to eliminating my doubts on the subject. In the town of Ardahan, Burnaby came across a compatriot -- an English officer in the employ of the Sultan as an artillerist who had been in Turkey nearly twenty years -- and their conversation soon turned to military matters.

"Would the Kurds help the Russians?" [Burnaby inquired]
"The Kurds would probably join the strongest side. I have been a great deal in the mountains, and I know the Kurds well. There are freemasons among them," added the Colonel. "Their freemasonry dates back from the time of the ancient Assyrians."

On Horseback Through Asia Minor, New York: Cosimo Publications (reprint), 2007, p. 337.

This has a certain Man Who Would be King ring to it, something which heretofore, I would have dismissed as pure fancy. But this account suggests that perhaps it is deserving of more scrutiny.

As for Burnaby, to those of us who cast our eyes back longingly to the 19th Century, he is an icon. Presumably bored to tears and averse to indolence, he was the first man to solo across the Channel in a balloon (1882), but he missed seeing active service in the Egyptian campaign of that same year. Undeterred, he went a.w.o.l. to participate in the Suakin campaign (1884), and was wounded at El Teb while acting as an intelligence officer under Baker Pasha. Shaking off his wounds, he was quick to join a punitive expedition up the Nile and was appointed to fresh military and political duties by Lord Wolseley. He joined the Gordon Relief Expedition and died as a result of a Mahdist spear wound in hand-to-hand fighting at the battle of Abu Klea (17 January 1885).

Kipling, who had an eye for such things, penned this;

When Earth's last picture is painted and the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died,
We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it -- lie down for an aeon or two,
Till the Master of All Good Workmen shall put us to work anew!

Perhaps he was equally correct about Freemasonry in Central Asia.

Summertime, But the Livin' Ain't Easy

2008-06-30T09:28:00.002-06:00

Supposedly, my Mother lodge went Masonically dark on 23 June, but no one bothered to tell our newest members, and they have been proving up left and right. In this jurisdiction, one can prove up in open Lodge or before a committee of three Master Masons. One of the newest EAs proved up in Lodge on our last meeting; another announces that he is ready to do so at our convenience. This is slightly problematic, as we won't open again until September, but it's a nice problem to have. I suspect a committee of three will be formed to look over his work, then a special meeting will be held to accept the proficiency and see him passed probably within the month.

Normally, I dislike the customary Masonic stasis of summer, but this year has been a trying one (for reasons I will not discuss here) and I had welcomed - along with most of the lodge - the dormancy of summer. It appears as though we will be at labor for some time yet, and, the enthusiasm of the newer members is catching.

Odd how that happens, ain't it?

The Transformative Effect of Freemasonry

2008-06-25T23:19:00.003-06:00

Speaking on St. John’s Day, 1849 in Sabine Lodge, Fort Jesup, Louisiana, William Hunter, a Masonic orator, declared that “Masons are frail as well as others, and are not necessarily converted men [i.e. men who sought salvation through Christian tenets], nor have we claimed that Masonry has the power to transform man… it can only modify or check, not regenerate; hence it receives men degenerate and defiled; and though we deeply regret the indiscretions and sins of the members of the Order, while all other institutions composed of mortals are liable to the same afflictions, we will not abandon ours for sharing a similar fate.” (Freemasons Quarterly Magazine & Review, London: Richard Spencer, 1850, p.439)

Hunter’s remarks formed only a small part of a larger exposition on the teachings of Masonry but his refutation of the transformative power of Freemasonry struck me as peculiar, and to a certain extent, deserving of rebuttal, despite the intervening 159 years.

Although I readily concede that there must surely be men among us in lodge who allow their passions free reign – and I do not claim exception from this group -- and that among those men, some even remain reprobates without any apology. But certainly the vast majority of our members remain in Masonry seeking something. The question is – do they seek something which transforms them?

It may also be conceded that some of our members are not prepared in their hearts to become Masons, and that many of them arrive at the West Gate for any number of reasons, some philosophical, others fanciful, and some downright frivolous. Increasingly though, many have done their homework. They have researched the Order thoroughly whether through books, or online, and it is no longer uncommon for investigating committees to be asked detailed questions which a generation before would never have been uttered by prospective candidates. But none of these men can know the empirical experience of Masonry as they are outsiders and Masonry does not display its treasures like the brazen goods of the pawn shop. Thus, while many may have a vague idea of good works, or good company, worthwhile men, or, yes, a funny hat with a tassel, the prospective Mason is more than likely in doubt as to the actual benefits of membership as these are not readily ascertained by the profane. And that is as it should be.

However, as each Mason is admitted into the sanctum sanctorum of the Order, he is given secrets which he may apply and use in his daily life. That many do not, or cannot, is lamented by Masonic commentators from the 18th Century to the present day, but some, perhaps a great number, do make use of those rules and guides and give life to the phrase improve myself through Masonry. Undoubtedly, this commitment to improvement is transformative in nature. Some examples;

Bro. B____, is a recovering alcoholic, sober these sixteen years. Within five years of joining his Twelve Step program, he sought out Masonry, not to keep him sober, but because his sponsor was a Mason, and incidentally, a man he admired. He still attends his “group,” as he calls it, but he rarely misses lodge. “It reinforces,” he claims, “what I’ve learned in group, and it goes farther than that – emphasizing not only sobriety, but moral, physical and intellectual improvement. I haven’t found that anywhere else.”

Similarly, another member admitted that he found sitting a lodge with men of color helped him shed biases and prejudices he held since childhood, something he claimed was inconceivable to him prior to him joining the Order. Less sensational, but equally transformative, is the brother who never was interested in study, but who cannot pass a Masonic title on the bookshelf without immediately taking it home and devouring it.

That Masonry is passive in its moral instruction, leaving each member to follow his moral compass as he sees fit, rather than actively conducting coursework on virtuous living, allows commentators like Hunter to claim that Masonry does not transform. Yet, this view must be erroneous. These few examples indicate real change – self reported to be sure – but change nonetheless. They are indicative of what some Masons have gained from their association with our Order and their exposure to our tenets. And I suspect they are not isolated examples. If a Mason does not know someone who has been transformed by the fraternity, then, I posit, he isn’t looking hard enough.

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Note (30 June 2008) - The Blog Flux poll I had incorporated in this post (above) has apparently crashed along with the entire Blog Flux website. Would the Grand Inter-Galactic Masonic Conspiracy please have those responsible for this cockup liquidated at once?

Among the Tall Trees

2008-06-16T11:07:00.003-06:00

Slow posting lately - much to do at work, and at lodge before the darkness of summer. One of the more enjoyable duties - a book signing - took place on Saturday in my little town. It was well attended with about a dozen area authors and featured a gamut of books on offer: sci-fi, self improvement, history, fitness, investing, mystery novels, and even humor. The newspaper, radio, and, a local blogger, Cheryl Unruh, whose beautiful website may be found here also attended to interview the authors.

I don't give many interviews, so it was a novel experience for me. It was more enjoyable however to be included in a group of successful authors, and for a few minutes at least, pretend to be one.