The Voice of Freemasonry | Vol. 15* No. 1 by The Grand Lodge, FAAM of Washington, DC

From the Grand Master M.

Brother Eldon J. Brown

First, my brethren, I would like to express my sincere thanks to you for electing andinstalling me as Grand Master of Masons of the District of Columbia. This honor is the pinnacle of my 40 plus years in Masonry, and I pledge to do my best in serving you and this Grand Lodge. Secondly, I would like to remind you that I support all of the traditional goals of this Grand Lodge (i.e., increased membership, better ritualistic work, inter-lodge visitation, etc.) My main goal in 1998, however, is the restoration of harmony and brotherly love as cornerstones of virtue in our fraternity. The attainment of this goal, of course, will require the input of every brother. My brethren, we in the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, as in every other jurisdiction, are constantly striving to contain what has been a persistant decline in membership over the last three decades. We should be emphasizing the introduction of worthy men into our ranks at all times. Sadly the indiscriminate use of the black cube sometimes keeps out worthy new members, men who, in turn, could bring in additional prospects. There is a further consequence. Misuse of the ballot also creates discord among our Lodge members. I fully realize that the ballot is sacred. However, when worthy, devoted, hard working brothers seeking affiliation, including a Grand Master, are denied membership, then something is very wrong. My brethren, when you reject a petitioner for the degrees or a brother for affiliation, you are also rejecting five other members of your own Lodge -the two signers on the petition or application and the three members that served as an investigating committee to appraise the worth of the candidate. I'm asking each of you to take a few moments and reflect on those first words spoken to you when you joined the fraternity. They were, in part, "Our ancient and honorable fraternity welcomes to her doors and admits to her privileges worthy men of all creeds and every race ... ." I also ask you to refresh your memory of the three obligations you took and then ask yourselves this question, "Am I doing right or wrong?" Let us all strive to make our fraternity greater than it is. This is a team effort and we can prevail if we will all work together.

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On the Cover: The city of Alexandria's annual wreath laying ceremony in commemoration of the birthday of Brother George Washington at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia. Pictured are: (I-r) Albert H. Tignor, Jr., Grand Master of Virginia; Kerry J. Donley, Mayor, City of Alexandria; Robert J. Klausing, VFW Post 609; Dan L Frederick, Deputy Grand Master of DC; James J. Benson, Supreme Tall Cedar; and John C. Naquin, Grand Master of Maryland.

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Who Are The

Promise Keepers? In recent months the media has inundated our air waves and newspapers with programs and articles concerning a group called the Promise Keepers. The most recent event of the group was held in Washington, DC, attended by hundreds of thousands of men prornising to be better family men, better citizens and more attentive to religious needs. During arecent visit upstate1 listened to some of the rhetoric and. viewed some of the actions of the group in Washington, DC. While digesting the programs, the thought occurred to me, FREEMASONS are the ORIGINAL PROMISE KEEPERS. We may not get the media recognition, but we surely have been in the forefront of promise keeping for centuries. Before the Revolutionary War, Freemasons promised to build a Nation of free people with equality for all. We promised Freedom to Assemble, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion and countless other Freedoms. These all came to fruition when many of our Brothers sat with non-Masons and wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Freemasons kept their promises. The various bodies that are part of our Masonic family have promised charity, aid and assistance to all of mankind. The Scottish Rite Schizophrenia Foundation and the new Dyslexia Centers for children, the Shrine Children's Hospitals, The Tall Cedars of Lebanon Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, the Grotto Dental program for specially challenged children and many others, have kept their promises. My Brothers, think back in your Masonic life, and remember the I

I996 Grand&o@ oflcer' - (I-r) Front Row: Jerold J. Samet, PGM, Grand Treasurer; Grant R. Berning, Junior Grand Warden; Dan L Frederick, Deputy Grand Master; Eldon J. Brown, Grand Master; Mansour Hatefi, Senior Grand Warden; Stafford Appel, Grand Lecturer; Stewart W. M~ner,PGM, Grand Secretary. Second Row: David A. Balcom, Grand Chaplain; Robert H. Starr, Senror Grand Deacon; G. Lee Ferguson, Senlor Grand Steward;VictorA. Adegbite, Assistant Grand Chaplain; Alphonse E.Tomasian, Assistant Grand T~ler;Jules S. Tepper, Junior Grand Deacon; Leonard Proden, Junior Grand Steward; W. Frederick Gore, Grand Pursuivant.

promises you made. You promised not to write, indite, print, stamp, stain, mark or engrave anything about this fraternity to anyone, except a worthy Brother. You promised to help aid and assist all needy Brothers, their widows and orphans. You promised not to cheat or defraud any Brother or Lodge. You promised to support the Constitutions and by-laws of your Lodge and Grand Lodge. You were urged to be steadfast in the Faith of your acceptance and faithfully direct your steps through life by the light you shall find as you shall find it. You promised to obey the moral law, be good men and true practice charity, tolerance, prudence and brotherhood. You promised to be a good citizen and a better family man. My Brothers, the promises we made must be adhered to. The future of Freemasonry as " The Premier Organization" of the world, depends on your actions and deeds. In this upside down world, where being good, decent, moral and ethical are not the norm, I challenge you to be different. I challenge you to live according to our great teachings, be upstanding in your daily lives, pillars of your communities, men with whom other men can relate and look up to for advice and leadership. We are the "ORIGINAL PROMISE KEEPERS." I ask you to reflect on the promises we made at the various degrees. Let us begin this new year with a renewed spirit that will show the world, "WE KEEP OUR PROMISES." -GARYA.HENNINGSEN Reprinted with permission from the Empire State MaSon, Winter 799%

Third Row: George R. Kidwell, Deputy Grand Lecturer; Patrick H. Lazere, Aide t o the Grand Master; Paul B. Najarian, Aide t o the Grand Master; Walter F. Simon, Assistant Grand Chaplain; George B. Colson, Grand Lodge Physician; Gerhard Meinzer, GrandTiler; Paul M. Bessel, Aide to the Grand Master; Carl R. LeVine, Grand Historian. Back Row: Albert M. Smith, Grand Standard Bearer; Craig R Lasher, Aide to the Grand Master; Bill F. Gresche1,Aidetothe Grand Master; Paul D. Gleason, Grand Lodge Physician; Gerald E. ColsonKirtley, Grand Sword Bearer; Robert F. Matsudaira, Grand Marshal.

in clowning. Clowning is a differential art form that has existed for thousands of years, and usually its practioners impact - Stewart W. Miner, PGM positively on the society in which they A year or so ago the attention of the and the PC, only two of untold thousands of operate. This is fully documented in the world was focused on Scotland where Dr. examples that might be cited, give us an cultures of ancient Egypt, of China, and of Ian Wilmut had successfullycloned a lamb opportunity to wax philosophically on the the native American Indian tribes. The named Dolly. This achievement caused objectives of the cloning process - aniclown, in short, by makeup, dress, and thinking people the world around to conmal, human, or otherwise. It is simply this: antic, is not only an entertainer, but also a clude that what he had done had human cloning allows m+nd to produce, to the communicator of note. ramifications. Their fears on this score highest degree possible, true duplicates of It seems that clowns in every age have that which already exists. It may be alamb; were substantiated by the subsequent anbeen messengers. Typically they are people nouncement that Dr. Richard Seed, aphysiit could be an automobile, it could be a who are usually artistic, enterprising, cist and fertility researcher, was going to personal computer, or it could be anything imaginative, inventive, original, and ingeelse conceived by the genius of men. open a human cloning clinic for childless nious in the presentation of ideas; their couples. This announcement elicited a The clone is, in reality, a copy, a object, more often than not, is to promote variety of negative responses, including facsimile, a reproduction. In the process of discussion, the acceptance of a challenge, cloning, differences are minimized, hopethose of some of the world's leading phiand heaven forbid, when necessity dicfully eliminated, in a cause that seeks stanlosophers, ecclesiastics, and politicians. tates, the acceptance of change. While for dardization and uniformity of product, To put the issue in perspective it may some the approval of a Dennis Rodman, be helpful to understand that the concept of thought, or routine. Cloning, in short, is tattooed and with imaginatively colored the route to orthodoxy, to conventionality, cloning has been alluded to since the birth and coifed hair, is difficult, perhaps even of time. We read in the opening chapter of to "normality." One can only speculate on impossible, no one can dispute that Dennis its outcome. if it were ~ermittedto develo~. Rodman, by demeanor and appearance, the book of Genesis, for example, that "God created man in his own image (Genbommands attention as he delivers, loudly a esis 1:27)." Does that mean that we have and clearly, his message. already been, despite our differences in In short, those who have perfected the stature, color, and appearance, cloned to art of clowning generally disdain duplicasome extent? The philosophical potential tion. As individuals they are precursors, of the thought is intriguing, to say the least. not followers. Clowns tend to live ahead of As brothers we may be closer to each other their times, and by so doing they differ than we think. from others. They are among the forerunIn speaking of clones and cloning it is ners in society, humankind's prototypes, essential that we recognize that the cloning folks who seek the new and the different, process is just as applicable to the inanipeople who strivefor individualityby seekmate as it is to the animate world. We have ing the unknown, the uncommon, the been practicing inanimate cloning since unique. Thus it is not unusual for the the dawn of the industrial revolution. I unrestricted, from generation to generaclown to incur the wrath of those who see once owned a Volkswagon Beetle. It was tion. How long would it take before we virtue in stability. would all look alike, think alike, speak really a clone, exactly like millions of I certainly don't mean to infer that all alike, and live alike? Furthermore, if such others that had been produced in the same those imaginative people who opt for diffactory, by the same set of machine tools, an eventuality were to come to pass, how ferentiation in life are necessarily clowns. and in accord with a common pattern. It would mankind react? I'm not sure that I Clearly this is not the case. But it is also was differentiated from its brothers and want to know. clear that just as there are some in society sisters only in the color of the paint that I do know, however, that for every who strive to move forward by innovation protected its metal surfaces. thesis there is an antithesis; for every copy and individualization,there are others who Morerecently, but no less extensively, or facsimile there is an original; for every seek the same goals by replication and cloning has characterized thepersonalcomstandard or uniform object or thought there standardization. If this is a fair evaluation puter industry. Millions upon millions of is or will be a customized counterpart; and of situation, and I believe it is, it seems PC's trace their origin back to a common for the company man or woman, there is essential to consider whether or not the parent -- and IBM or a Macintosh, from inevitably a non-conformist analogue. figurative clones and clowns of this world which they differ only in nameplate, color, Assuming then that some men and women can co-exist harmoniously and producand the size of their resident memory. are already cloned in thought and deed, tively in the general arena of human afInternally PC's are identical, or nearly so, where do we look for their counterparts,for fairs, and more particularly, in the instituwith their integral parts being generally those individuals whose intent is not to tion which we know as Freemasonry. interchangeable. "Did you buy an IBM?," replicate but to differentiate? Yes, my friends, in Freemasonry we one may be asked, and the answer almost Differentiation is everywhere, but have our fair share of figurative clones and invariably given to that question, is "No, I nowhere is it more apparent than in enterclowns, and while we are an organization bought a clone." tainment circles, and especially in that of great distinction and sophistication, we These brief comments on the Beetle circle of entertainment which specializes are also, in fact, a structural microcosm of

C l o n e s , Clowns, and the Craft

Those who have perfected the art of clowning generally disdain 1 duplication.

The officers of the Grand Lodge, led by the Deputy Grand Master, Dan L Frederick, participated in the City of Alexandria's annual Washington Birthday Celebration at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial on Sunday, March 1. The ceremony had been delayed to accommodate Masons who werein attendanceat theconference of Grand Masters in Philadelphia on the actual anr versary date of Washington's birth. Participatinginthewreath-1ayingcerem0ny7111 addition to our Deputy Grand Master, were the Grand Masters of Virginia - and Maryland; the Supreme Tall Cedar of North America; the represenof the Legion' Kens A.A.o.N.M& the KnightsYOrk and the mayor of the city of Alexandria, the honorable Kerry J. Donley. CLOWNS

Grand Lodge Officers at wreath laying ceremony - (I-r) Paul M. Bessel, Aide t o the Grand Master; Leonard Proden, Junior Grand Steward; Robert H. Starr, Senior Grand Deacon; Stewart W. Miner, PGM, Grand Secretary; Dan L Frederick, Deputy Grand Master, Kerry J. Donley, Mayor of Alexandria; G Lee Ferguson, Senlor Grand Steward; W. FrederlckGore,Grand Pursurvant; JulesS.Tepper, Junior Grand Deacon; Bill F Greschel, A~detotheGrand Master; George R K~dwell,Deputy Grand Lecturer; Albert M. Smith, Grand Standard Bearer; Robert F. Matsudaira, Grand Marshal.

- continued

society as a whole. Within the walls of our Lodges one finds figurative clones and clowns vying for the right to lead what in the minds of some are the drones of the fraternity, those passive but beloved and essential brethren who, for reasons best known to themselves, refrain from making significant inputs of time or effort into the Craft. This competition, as the fortunes of the Craft wane, grows ever more spirited. Having made the statement that there are figurative clones and clowns in the craft, it seems essential to offer some substantiating evidence. That is not particularly difficult to do for by and large, and for reasons that I shall subsequently enumerate, our figurative clones tend to be centered in the power structure of the Craft, occupying stationsand places in our Lodges and appendant bodies. On the other hand their counterparts, the figurative clowns, among whom one may find past or even current aspirants to office, are likely to occupy positions that are much more peripheral. In this fraternity we specialize in cloning largely because of our disposition to impose orthodoxy in organization, operation, and administration as the norm. Our codes and our practices are designed to create and preserve uniformity as a virtue. Hence, in any given jurisdiction, the practices of any one Lodge are essentially the same as they are in all other Lodges in the samejurisdiction. Experimentation is gen-

erally frowned upon, and innovation, heaven forbid, is regarded as no less than fraternal scurvy. Blind obedience to custom - written or otherwise - is the rule of the road, and woe be to anyone who would, on his own, presume to seek a new means to attain agreed fraternal goals. In short, we tend to make conformity to an established sense of normality the price of leadership. Thank God for our figurative fraternal clowns, those inquisitive, and sometimes irritating brothers, who by their questions and suggestions, are occasionally able to induce modifications in the mosaic of Freemasonry. "Why not confer the degrees in festival fashion," the clowns ask, and the clones respond, "it just ain't right," or, alternatively, "that's not the way I got it." And no force on earth will convince them otherwise, evenif the evidence proves them wrong. In like fashion support of the shortening or of the elimination of the catechism by our figurative clowns, if it is in the interest of the Craft to do so, is met with stony opposition on the part of our fraternal clones. So too are proposals to revert from the use of a single ritual in order to encourage the advance of Freemasonry among variant ethnic and language groups. I don't suppose that there is at present any issue that is more divisive among the figurative clones and clowns of Masonry than that which centers on the use of the

internet in the Craft. In certain circles, predominated by those who are almost totally uninformed, suspicion of the medium reigns supreme. Even among those who are informed there is a lack of uniform opinion on how it should be used. Unfortunately, if we were to impose the lowest common denominator of safeguards presumed to be essential, use of the internet would probably not be worth the effort. You can't swim until you jump into the water, my brethren, and you can't benefit from a communications miracle unless you "sign on." In closing it seems appropriate to suggest that we need both our fraternal clones and clowns. They each serve a purpose. The clone, through his convictions, offers the assurance of a certain and largely known continuity; the clown, on the other hand, promises potentially new and adventurous challenges and opportunities. While both clones and clowns are essential, what we really need, my brethren, are clonedclowns, brothers who will seek to preserve the heritage of our past by imaginatively exploiting the present - in order to assure that generations yet unborn will enjoy a bountiful fraternal future.

NOTE: This article has been extracted and condensed from an address delivered by the author at a table chapter hosted by Mount Pleasant Royal Arch Chapter No. 13 on February 13,1998.

Grand Secretary Awarded Distinguished Service Medal M W Brother Stewart W. Miner (r) is congratulated by Grand Master Robert F. Drechsler (I) after the presentation of the Distinguished Service Award.

The Grand Lodge, at its annual communication on Saturday, December 13, 1997, selected Most Worshipful Stewart W. Miner, Grand Secretary, to receive the 1997 Distinguished Service Medal of the Grand Lodge. The medal was then presented at the third stated communication of the Grand Lodge, on December 20, 1997, in conjunction with the installation of officers for 1998. In the citation accompanying the medal, recognition was given to Brother Miner's education at the New York State College for Teachers at Oswego, N.Y., at Syracuse University, and at Columbia University in New York City. It also recognized his World War I1 service as a B-25 pilot in the 12th Air Force and noted that he is now a retiree of the US Air Force and of the US Civil Service. Most Worshipful Brother Miner is a Past Master of Cherrydale Lodge No. 42, Andrew Jackson Lodge No. 120, and Virginia Research Lodge No. 1777, all in Virginia, and of Justice-Columbia Lodge No. 3 in the District of Columbia. He served the Symbolic Craft as Grand Master of Masons in Virginia in 1974, following which he was elected as an Honorary Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. Most Worshipful Brother Miner was exalted as a Royal Arch Mason in Arlington Royal Arch Chapter No. 35, and he holds membership in Mt. Vernon Royal Arch Chapter No. 14 and Triangle Royal Arch Chapter No. 73 in Virginia and in Mt. Pleasant Royal Arch Chapter No. 13 in the District of Columbia. He served the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Virginia as Grand High Priest in Capitular Year 1985, 86.

Other Masonic affiliations of Most Worshipful Brother Miner include Adoniram Council No. 2, Royal and Select Masters; Arlington Commandery No. 29; the Scottish Rite Bodies of Washington, D.C.; Kena Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S.; the Royal Order of Scotland; St. Simeon Stylites Conclave, Red Cross of Constantine; Arlington Hall Chapter No. 440, National Sojourners; Nor-Va Forest No. 163, Tall Cedars of Lebanon; George Potts Council No. 73, Allied Masonic Degrees; Virginia Council No. 12, Knight Masons; Arlington Chapter No. 39, Order of the Eastern Star; the Philalethes Society; and the Conference of Grand Secretaries of North America. In 1989 Most Worshipful Brother Miner received the Valentine Reintzel Medal from Grand Master Robert A. Statler. He has also been presented the Philip C. Tucker Medal of the Grand Lodge of Vermont; the Charles Henry Johnson Medal of the Grand Lodge of New York; and the Jeremy Ladd Cross Medal of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire. The citation noted that for more than a decade Most Worshipful Brother Miner has been serving as Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. He was first appointed to that office on February 7, 1987 and was then elected in his own right in December of the same year. The efficiency, responsiveness, knowledge, competence, and friendliness of the Grand Secretary's office, in the words of the selection committee, have been a special mark of his tenure.

Valentine Reintzel Medal recipients Grand Master Robert F. Drechsler (I) with the recipientsof the 1997 Valentine Reintzel Medals, W.B. Lemoine V. Dickinson, R.W.B. Thomas W. Jackson, and W.B. Eugene H. Albert.

Valentine Reintzel Medals Presented by Grand Master Also at the Annual Communication, the presiding GrandMasterpresented Valentine Reintzel Medals to Worshipful Brothers Lemoine V. Dickinson andEugeneH. Albert of Anacostia Lodge No. 21 and to Right WorshipfulThomasW. Jackson, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. In the citation accompanying the presentation to Brother Dickinson it was noted that in his more than46 years of serviceto the Craft, he had chaired several Grand Lodge committees, had served on three separate occasions as a Grand Lodge officer, and presided, in 1987,as the SupremeTall Cedar of North America. In like manner the Grand Master's citation for Brother Albert recognized his continuous service not only to his Lodge, but also to the Grand Lodge, where he has served either as the chairman or co-chairman of the MusicCommitteefrom 1969-1993and where he now serves as chairman of the Scholarship Committee. The Grand Master's citation of Right Worshipful Thomas W. Jackson, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, recognized not only Tom's leadership and servicein the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, but also his many contributions to Masonry outside of Pennsylvania. His service on the Steering Committee of the National Center for Masonic Information, his contributions to the Northern Light, and his service to this Grand Lodge on two occasions as a guest lecturer was particularly noted in the citation. The recognition of each of these brethren as the newest holders of the Valentine Reintzel Medal fully merits the hearty an unanimous approval that they were accorded in Grand Lodge.

forbid the free exercise of the kind of worship in which they believed. Slowly but persistently, however, the forms and customs of the lands from which the colonists had come began to be replicated in America. While it was always possible for the settler to find a place where he could worship his God when and how he saw fit, that place was not always in the community in which he lived. Thus for a large part, if not most of the 18th century prior to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, minority groups believed themselves to be at a considerable disadvantage in Puritan Massachusetts, in Baptist Rhode Island, in Quaker Pennsylvania, in periodically Catholic Maryland, and in Anglican Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia. This disadvantage, presumed on some occasions and actual in others, generated a number of movements which combined to undermine the old order. Of prime significance was the influx of a great variety of faiths. By the time of the revolution a combination of the unprivileged sects commanded a majority of the population in all of the colonies. Hence the pressure for religious freedom was irresistible. Moreover, the presence of the unchurched was equally strong. Both the underlying philosophy and the practical demands of the war for independence hastened the collapse of the old order. The ideals of the Declaration of Independence were simply inconsistent with religious intolerance and privileged churches. Furthermore, in order to win popular support for the war, Congress had to make concessions to the dissenters. The most dramatic struggle for liberty and separation occurred in Virginia over the tenyear period from 1776 to 1786. The fight began in the Virginia's constitutional convention of 1776. Thomas Jefferson drafted a proposed constitution at that time which granted "full and free liberty of religious opinion" and forbade the compulsion of anyone "to frequent or maintain any religious institution." Although the clergy and wealthy planters joined forces to defeat Jefferson's blueprint, the new constitution did contain a "Declaration of Rights," drafted by Madison and George Mason, which guaranteed the "free exercise of religion." While this declaration eventually became the keystone of our national religious policy, it did not, at that time legally and financially disestablish the official church. Disappointed, the dissenting sects

I This address wasgiven by Stewart W. Miner in a ceremony commemoratingFreedom o f Religion Day in Fredericksburg, Wrginia, on Januaty I I, 1998. Participatingin the ceremony were members of the American Legion, the Knights o f Columbus, andseveral of the Commanderies o f Knight Templarsin Hrginia.

We have come together today as men and women of faith to celebrate what has become known as Freedom of Religion Day. It is important that we do so, for it is in ceremonies like this that an appreciation of one's heritage is enhanced. To that end it will be my purpose on this occasion to briefly review the evolution of religious freedom in America; to praise those whose work has notably shaped religious policy in the United States; and lastly, to induce resolution on your part and mine to monitor, protect and preserve an American heritage which is, in truth, the envy of mankind everywhere. It is my prayer that you will find merit in these objectives. Let us begin by recognizing that religious freedom was apreoccupation of those of our forefathers who first settled along the east coast of this country. The colonists and their forebears for five hundred years had suffered from ecclesiastical authority in the establishment of which they had no part, from the forced support of ecclesiastic institutions in which they had no spiritual interest, and from imposed doctrines they were forbidden to ignore or refute, sometimes on pain of death. Many of our forefathers had come to the new world solely to escape from persecution for their religious views, and they had no intention of setting up a new government that would

showered the new legislature with petitions to address the issue. The conservative legislature refused to go all the way, but it did abolish penalties for heresy and special taxes for the support of the clergy. Three years later, in 1779, the legislature repealed all laws that authorized public support of the official church. Realizing that the fight to maintain a single establishment was over, a number of religious leaders then began an effort to make Christianity the religion of the state and to authorize state support, equally and impartially, of all Christian faiths by a general assessment. In 1784 they introduced a bill embodying these aims. This bill alarmed those who believed in the complete separation of state and religion. Included in the separatist group was James Madison, who then circulated throughout the state his monumental tract entitled Memorial and Remonstrance. In this tract he set forth sixteen arguments against governmental support of religion, even on a non-preferential basis. "Who does not see," he asked, "that the same authority which can establish Christianity in exclusion of all other religions, may establish with the same ease, any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other sects?'The Remonstrance so aroused the people of the state that the legislature dropped the bill. The final blow came in 1786 when the legislaturepassed the historic Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, one of the greatest documents in the history of human liberty. It was based on a proposal drafted in Fredericksburg by Thomas Jefferson in 1777. Discarded at the time that it was originally proposed, the proposal was resurrected by Madison, who engineered its passage with the help of various dissenting sects that supplied the necessary pressure. The statute guaranteed complete freedom of conscience and forbade any kind of taxation for the support of religion. It effectually ended all hopes for all time of a general or particular religious establishment in Virginia. The delegates to the subsequent Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 paid little attention to religious questions. They were, for the most part, concerned primarily with the organization of a government strong enough to maintain order, promote commerce and industry, protect property, and gain the respect of other nations. Only one clause in the Constitution as presented to the people

FREEDOM

- continued

pertained to religion. But it was a highly significant one. Inserted unobtrusively near the end of the document (in Article VI) one reads that "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." The Article was approved with scarcely any discussion, but it did provoke some heated debates in the subsequent state ratifying conventions. With the ratification of the Constitution a campaign was launched to secure an amendment that would safeguard freedom of conscience and prevent the establishment of a national church. These efforts bore fruit in December 1791, when the Bill of Rights, drafted and sponsored by Madison, became a cherished part of the Constitution. In the first of the ten amendments comprising this "Bill," it is established that: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Significantly, the First Amendment guaranteed four other inter-related rights: the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and petition. Without them the attainment and preservation of religious freedom would have been impossible. This is not to say that the First Amendment has been able to prevent controversy, for it has not. But it has enabled the citizens of this country, from generation to generation, to address their religious differences rationally and to reach solutions that have been righteous, just, and satisfying to the vast majority. Here

men and women holding to particular spiritual beliefs find that their common interests far outweigh their differences. Furthermore, with the disclosure of the abuse of believers for their beliefs elsewhere in the world, inter-faith cooperation, domestic and international, has become significantly stronger in America since the end of World War 11. In the past 50 years, we have encountered and passed a number of milestones in the cause of religious freedom, starting with the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948. Therein it was declared that "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; [that] this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance." Powerful words, indeed! And in a world that was troubled by so much intolerance,those words were badly needed. The action by the United Nations was followed, in turn, by the adoption of Article 9, of the European Convention on Human Rights in 1950; by the pronouncement issued by the Second Vatican Council in its Declaration on ReligiousFreedomin 1965; and by the establishment, in 1996, of a Special Advisory Committee to the Secretary of State onReligious Freedom Abroad. In supporting these actions the citizens of this country, founded by men and women who sought refuge from religious persecution, continues to serve as a world model,

one which proclaims that the adherents of different faiths and beliefs can and should live and work together in peace and harmony. Lest we be lulled into the belief that everything that needs to be done has been done, however, I should like to make a couple of observations. They pertain to recent events that transpired not in another country, but in our nation's capital and in nearby Virginia. During the recent holiday season an attempt to demonstrate interfaith cooperation and brotherhood was launched on the ellipse immediately south of the White House. That effort, unfortunately, was marred by what appears to have been the intentional defacing, by vandals, of the Star and Crescent display placed there by supporters of the Muslim faith. I say vandals in the hope that the act was not, in fact, the work of religious extremists. No less serious is the intemperate way that a proposal to create a Muslim educational center near Ashburn, Virginia, is being received. This proposal, which has divided the community, underscores the fact that the tests of the first amendment go on, and on, and on, even as we rejoice and give thanks for the noble cause of religious freedom. In recognition of the constancy of challenge, let us pray to your God and to mine for wisdom and resolve that is sufficient in scope to enable us to cope with all of the complexities and challenges of life, thereby making each of us worthy of the unparalleled heritage with which we have been so richly blessed.

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Grand Lodge FAAM of DC 5428 MacArthur Blvd., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20016

Charles Be Gilley, Sr.

Grand Master I963 /I

December 18, 1920 - February 28, 1998 Initiated: June 20, 1947 Passed: July 18, 1947 Raised: September 19, 1947

W .W . BrofberCharles 9 . Gi//ey,Grand W a sfer O f Wasons of fbe 9 i s ~ coff Columbia in 5'963, receioedbis degrees in Co/urnbia&odge %.3 , wbicb be served as Worsbipf;/ Wasfer in IG55. 9% ofber Wasonic sflkafiom included W f . 5'3; . 90fomac Commande 303 , 3Cnigbfs T'Ieasanf 9 0 y d %cb Chapter 90 7emp/al;.WasbingfonC o u d s o . 5', 9 0 y d a n d delecf W mfers; .%/ma 7emp/e, .%.%0 . 3 . W . d . ; {be d c o ~ s 9ite; b and Co/umbia Chapter %o. 5'5, Order offbe 6asfem dhr. W o s fWorsbip$l9rofber Gi//eybrougbf fbe enfbusiasrnofyoufb to fbe oflce of Grand Wasfer, be being 42 years of age sf fbe fime ofbis insiallafion. 9un'ng his adminishafion fbe Grand &odge ~ounshed,latgely in consequence Of his abiliy lo organize and imp/emenfprogramsfbaf were of interest fo fbe memberdip as a whole. ?he S;rand&odge, under fbe leadership of tbe &puiy Grand W a sfec 9 a n & Trederick,par~ia~afedin a graoasid~Wasonicservicefor WodWorsbipf;/9rofber 5;i//eyin .%rods, Virginia on d afurday, Warcb 7, I996. 2he W mfer's orafion was W afsudair, fhe Grand Warshal dehered by Worsbipfd 9roi'her 540bed I

Will Computers Replace Grand Lodges?

In essence that was the issue discussed on February 18, when the International Chapter of the Philalethes Society and Benjamin B. French Lodge No. 15 hosted an Oxford-style debate, the title of which was "Resolved; that the Internet will make Grand Lodges redundant." Speaking in support of the resolve were Richard Curtis, Editor of the Northern Light, the official publication of the Scottish Rite, Northern Jurisdiction, and Robert Davis, the new President of the Philalethes Society, one of the largest Masonic research organizations in the world. They were pitted against Forrest Haggard, Past Grand Master of Kansas and a Past President of the Philalethes Society, and Thomas W. Jackson,the well-known Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Sparks flew from the start as these four friends and Masonic brethren engaged in good-natured kidding as they made serious observations about the purposes of Grand Lodges, what they are andwhatthey should be, about how the use of the Internet is helping bring Masons together and how it is changing the face of Freemasonry. Those supporting the resolve pointed out that Grand Lodges were started, after Lodges already had been established to facilitate administrative functions. Since then, however, Grand Lodges have accumulated power over Lodges. Now individual Masons around the world are bypassing normal Grand Lodge communications channels by using their computers

and the Internet to share information and ideas. Already some Grand Lodge policies have been affected, and in the opinion of some of the speakers, the expanding use of the Internet will make Grand Lodges less powerful and return decision-making authority to the individual Lodges and Masons. Those who stood against the resolve spoke about the coordination function of Grand Lodges, including the regulation of the ritual and record-keeping, and they averred that no computer system will ever be able to replace this service. They also held that the computer is unable to effect the important role of personal contact in Freemasonry. Another issue that they addressed is the control of Masons who, unsupervised, may state opinions on the Internet that are contrary to the policies of Grand Lodges, even to the point of directly criticizing Grand Lodge leaders. Stewart W. Miner, our own Grand Secretary, then provided a humorous, yet thoughtful summary of the arguments presented. Throughout the evening the audience of more than 100 Masons (more wanted to attend, but there wasn't enough room for them) appeared to be on the edges of their seats with interest and enthusiasm. Several questions were raised, some beforehand by Masons who were unable to attend, and the debaters took them all in stride. In attendance were several officers of our Grand Lodge as well as Masonic lead-

11 The debate teams and event organizers (I-r) Forrest Haggard, PGM of Kansas and a Past President ofthe PhilalethesSociety; Robert Davis, the new President of the Philalethes Society; Victor Petrossian, (rear) Master of Benjamin B. French Lodge No. 15; Thomas W. Jackson, the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania; Richard Curtis, Editor of the Northern Light, and Andre Kesteloot, Senior Deacon of Benjamin B. French Lodge No. 15.

ers from other jurisdictions, who were in town for the annual AMD meetings. The Master of Benjamin B. French Lodge No. 15, Victor Petrossian, the Lodge Orator, AndrB Kesteloot, and Past Masters of the Lodge, J. Kenneth Gibala and Joseph Crociata, are due commendation for arranging a very interesting and provocative program. - Paul Bessel

Attended by Prince Hall Grand Masters A few years ago it would have been unthinkable. The Conference of Grand Masters in North America is the annual gathering of Grand Masters of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Provincesof Canada, and the York Grand Lodge of Mexico. It is the most formal national gathering of Masonic leaders in North America and it met this year in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This year three Prince Hall Grand Masters attended the Conference, as guests, to tell all assembled about Prince Hall Masonry. They did so in two workshop sessions established for that purpose. Those speaking for Prince Hall inc1udedM.W. Brother Edwin F. Medlin, Past Grand Master of Prince Hall Masons in Nebraska; M.W. Brother Howard L. Woods, Grand Master of Prince Hall Masons in Arkansas and the President of the Conferenceof Grand Masters, Prince Hall Masons; and M.W. Brother Noman C. Hall, Past Grand Master of Prince Hall Masons in Nebraska. Times have changed. Just nine vears

Conference of Grand SecretariesElects New Officers for 1998 At the recently concluded conference of Grand Secretaries in North America our Grand Secretary,StewartW. Miner, brought his 6-year term as Conference SecretaryTreasurer to a conclusion by being elected Second Vice President of the Conference. This is the first time that the District of Columbia has had an officer in the progressive line of this organization. With all things being equal, M.W. BrotherMiner should be President of the Conference in the period February 2000 - February 200 1. In the meantime it is his intent to write a history of the Conferenceto coverthe entire span of its existence - from its beginning in 1928 to date.

ago none of "our" Grand Lodges recognized Prince Hdl Masonry, Now 26 out of 52 jurisdictions recognize Prince Hall Grand Lodges, some for intervisitation and some completely. And most of the rest, while not having taken any official action, have expressed an interest in the movement. Our Grand Master, M.W. Brother Eldon J. Brown, was an active participant in the Conference workshop. He recalled how the Grand Lodge of the Districtof Columbia bad cooperated with our Prince Hall counterpart in the District of Columbia and asked the Prince Hall Grand Masters to review how mutual recognition had developed in other jurisdictions. It was his intent, he said, to invite Prince Hdl participation in the sesquicentennial celebration of the laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument this summer. Many of those who participated expressed the convictionthat by these workshops the cause of mutual respect and understanding had been well served.

- Paul Bessel

MW Brother Eldon J. Brown (r) pausesfora photcl with former presidential candidate and US Senator, Brother George McGovern at the recent Conference of Grand Masters in North America held in Philadelphia. Brother McGovern was a keynote speaker at the Conference.

The Grand Master, Eldon I. Brown and his wife, Joyce, (5eated)along with the D.C. delegation at the Conference of Grand Masters in North America. (I-r) Mansour Hatefi; Dan L Frederick; Gertrude Miner; Stewart W. Miner; Beverly Berning; Grant R. Berning; MargaretSamet; RobJ. lSamet. ert B. Heyat; Nazi ~ e ~ a t ' ~ e r o d

Haw F r e s o n r y Has Influenced My Life c-aral

Robert Springer, USAF Retired

Thank you vff B k F'nxident. Right Worshipful Gad Master, distinguished members ofthe6ead'tabIe, ladies and gentlemen. I hare to &Jl you I'm having a ball over all&is Thereis no other assembledbody anywhere intbeworld this evening that brings together somany wonderful men and women, And I suspect you all wonder why they brought this old retiree in here to talk to you and the answer is that several months ago Tom Jackson called and asked me if I still believed in free speech. I said "certainly I still believe in free speech." He said, ''Good, come and give one." I said, "my goodness, Tom, do you have any idea what Colin Powell gets to give a speech these days?He said, "yes I do. I also know Colin Powell and you're no Colin Powell." So just remember you get what you pay for in this world. It is great to be here with you, back in my native state. I was raised in the Grand Lodge a little over a decade ago. Hence I thought maybe it might be interesting to talk to you this evening about how Masonry has influenced my life. Unfortunately we don't have time to fully coverjust how incredibly important it has been to me throughout my life. I was born in central Pennsylvania during the depression years. I was the last of eight children from my father's and mother's two marriages each. My father was 53 and my mother was 40 when I was born. Shortly after my tenth birthday my father passed away. I had never known him as a healthy man. We were quite poor. I had a social security card when I was 10years old because I was trying to make a couple of dollars a week to help with the family income. Four years later, when I was 14, I was offered an opportunity to attend the Patton Masonic School for Boys. The school encompassedthe final three years of public school, the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades. Mr. Patton, who endowed the school with his fortune, had lost his only son when his son was 10-years old. He willed the bulk of his estate to establish a school for boys, whose fathers were dead, a school where the bible would be taught. Those were the only stipulations. My father had not been a Mason but the Old Fort Lodge No. 537 in central

Pennsylvania had several brothers who were residents of my little home town of 700 people. Needless to say they were very influential and important gentlemen in that community. They talked with the folks at Patton Masonic School. They talked with my mother and told her they would be pleased to sponsor me to Patton. Fortunately I had a loving and an understanding mother who realized that my opportunities at the school would be much greater than she could afford to give me at home. I'd be better fed; I'd be better clothed; and I'd probably be better educated than I would if I stayed at home. The Patton School was kind of like a boarding school. I could go home at Christmas and I could go home in the summer months. So as a 14-year-old I went off to the Patton School, about a hundred miles from home. I thought that was great because the school had only a small group of students, about 35 boys, with aboutadozen in each of the three classes. The studentteacher ratio was ideal. We spent half of our day in academics and half in shop - either the carpentry shop or the machineshop. It was during my half days in the carpentry shop that I realized how important it was to get an education for I had neither the patience nor the skilled hands to be a craftsman. I then decided I had better get an education. We started each day with a spiritual service and each meal was preceded by prayer. We were also encouraged to attend a church of our choice in Elizabethtown each Sunday morning. With such few numbers in the overall student body, we were involved in everything. After graduating from the Patton School I was accepted at the nearby Elizabethtown College. Elizabethtown College was a small church supported liberal arts school. It remains so today. I was fortunate enough to get a small scholarship there, and concerned and caring people at the Patton School permitted me to live in the Patton dormitory. I could walk, as a commuting student, to my classes in Elizabethtown. In May of my sophomore year at Elizabethtown, while eating my lunch my sandwich and my apple -an Air Force recruiter walked over and asked me how

far along in college I was. I said that I was finishing my second year. He asked, "Are you going to pass?" and 1 replied, " Not by much." He asked, "Have you ever thought about flying airplanes for the Air Force?" replied, "No I haven't." He proceeded to talk to me about flying airplanes in the United States Air Force and about the Aviation Cadet Program. He said that with two years of successful college study I would be eligiblefor the program. Completion of the program, he told me, would get me gold bars, silver wings, and a good salary - $422.50. I asked, "every year?" andhe said, "shucks no, boy, everymonth!" I took that paper and I signed it and here I am. I got my gold bars, I got my silver wings, and six days after graduation, I got married. Now I must tell you that the most macho thing I did on my wedding night was to leave the reception, get in my fatherin-laws stick-shift automobile, drive two blocks up the street, turn right, get out and let my bride drive because I had never driven an automobile. I was an Air Force pilot with wings, but I had no drivers license. Well I spent 36 years in the Air Force on active duty and my family and I have travelled and lived throughout America as well as in Germany and Japan, and my government extended me an all expense paid trip to Vietnam for a year. I've flown into and out of more than 50 countries. Moreover the Air Force gave me a chance to complete my degree in education by permitting me to earn my Masters and Graduate Degrees while I was on active duty. I've had the opportunity to serve my nation and my God for 36 years. If you go back and ask how did all these opportunities come about there is a simple answer. Its because of folks like

SPRINGER - (continued)

Brother Bobby Silver and Brother John Watkins of OldFort Lodge No. 537. Those gentlemen saw in me a teenager who was fatherless and they opened avery wide door by sponsoringmeto PattonMasonicSchool. Over the past half century my Air Force has given me a lot of other opportunities. My character today reflects my active duty days in the United States Air Force and my career in the Air Force harkens back to my days as a teenager at Patton School. Over the years I have encouraged all my subordinates, when making decisions, to predicate their actions on three principles: what's best for the Air Force; what's best for the nation; and what's best for God. I think we do that within the fraternity as well - what's best for the fraternity is what's best for the nation and what's best for the nation is what's best for God. It's now been more than ten years since as I was raised as a Master Mason h2re in Philadelphia. That was a very special moment, a very special opportunity for me. But I was raised by this fraternity in an earlier era in a different manner when I was trained at the Patton Masonic School for Boys. That too was a special experience in that it established the foundation for my life. Sometimes I wonder if our brothers in Masonry really know how important their service is to Freemasonry. Do they appreciate the impact of the nearly billion dollars that they contribute to charity every year? Do they see firsthand the good that they do when they help the less fortunate to live

better; by helping the orphans and the little Bobby Springers of the world to receive an education? These are noble causes that we serve and I pray that despite our dwindling numbers, that we will never shirk our responsibilities. When I reflect back on my life there are three significant persons, other than my natural parents, who were supremely influential in my life. First, there was a gentleman I never knew, a Mason, a man by the name of Thomas Franklin Patton. He left his money to establish a home for fatherless boys. Secondly, there was an individual I met at Elizabethtown. I can't recall his name. I wish I could. I'd like to look him up. He was that young Air Force recruiter. Third is my little bride of more than 44 years, Bonnie Brubaker Springer of Elizabethtown. Frankly, without Thomas Patton and without this fraternity, I wouldn't have been at the Patton School. And without the Patton School I'd never have had the opportunity to meet that Air Force recruiter and I wouldn't have been in Elizabethtown to meet my wife either. So you see, Freemasonry has shaped my life and I am grateful. God bless Freemasonry and God bless you Freemasons, one and all.

Note: These remarks, extracted and condensed, were made in an address at the annual banquet of the Conferenceof Grand Secretaries in North America in Philadelphia on February 23, 1998.

Gerald E. Colson-Kirtley (I); PaulT. Sumler(l2);ToddA. Croteau(1); H. Austin Esfandiary (5); Morad Eghbal(5); JamesJ. Black(7); Kevin P. Jay ( 7 ) ; ( ? ) ; EldonJ. Brown, 1998Grand Master; Robert F. Drechsler. 1997 Grand Master: Dennis D. Kirk (35):J. Kenneth Gibala (15): Victor A. Petrossian

Washington Monument SesquicentennialCelebration On the following pageof this issue of the Voice of Freemasonry you will find information pertaining to our planned celebration on July 18, 1998 of the sesquicentennial of the laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument by Grand Master Benjamin B. French. It is the hope of the Grand Master that every Lodge in the jurisdiction, as well as the appendant and coordinate bodies, will be represented at both the cornerstone reenactment in the morning and the Sesquicentennial banquet that evening. The Grand Master, the Grand Secretary, and the Grand Treasurer have been in frequent contact with officials in the National Park Service. They are happy that we are taking the lead in involving the public in the renovation effort, and they have asked us to accept responsibility for refurbishing a bronze plaque on which the history of the monument is recorded. We have accepted the challenge and the restored plaque will again be put on display on July 18. We thank the Park Service for their cooperation in helping us plan our sesquicentennial program. Among those who have been especially helpful are Gary Scott, Park Service Historian and Past Master of Naval Lodge No. 4; Jill Nicole and Kristen Hopfenspirger of the National Park Foundation; Stephen C. Lorenzetti, Chief, Division of Resource Management; Lisa A. Mendelson, Special Assistant for Partnerships; Diana Smith, U.S. Park Police; and Rick Merryman, National Park Service Programs. All readers of this publication are invited to consider participation in what promises to be a great weekend. Why not join your brethren for everything by registering at our convention headquarters, the Sheraton National in nearby Arlington, Virginia? The rates are right - $85 per night, single or double occupancy, and transportation to and from the monument will be provided free of charge. To make hotel reservations call the SheratonNational Hotel at (703) 521- 1900 or 1-800-468-9090 and be sure to mention our convention code - "F.A.A.M." - to receive our special discounted room rates. Your presence will make that day memorable.

II I

es, 9 wan! fo become a sponsor Ofbe ZquicQniQnnia/ce/ebrefionp/annedior Bafurday, Bu&18, 1998. Name:

Zip:

State:

In the current effort to restore the Washington Monument, the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia has spearheaded a fund-raising campaign in which it has employed not only its own publications, but also the internet and the publications of the Supreme Councils of the Scottish Rite, Northern and Southern Jurisdictions. Thus far the campaign has raised more than

3sb&9inam a %'ason and bold ~iwi'b~r-under fbeju~sdiciion &odge 30. offbe hnd&odge of

1 9am nof a wmon buf 9

concluded only with the completion of the renovation program in the year 2000. 1 Enc/kwdp/hsefnd my sponsor~b@ This year, on July 18, 1998, the Freeconfribufin in fbe arnounf of masons of this nation will gather at the I $ monument to celebrate the sesquicenten- I CELEBRATION HEADQUARTERS (minimum $75.00perper~on) nial of the laying of the cornerstone of this I &?%aw&HW&~ edifice. That ceremony,now being planned I COLUMBA PIKE & WASHINGTON BL VD. sponsor contributing a minitnum by the Grand Lodge ofthe District of Co- I ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA lumbia, is expected to draw support from I of $75 or more will be provided courtesy Grand Lodges across America. That I bus transportation between the Sheraton evening the Grand Master of Masons of 1 National Hotel and the Washington Monuthe District of Columbia, M.W. Brother I ment for the Cornerstone Re-enactment, 10:30 a.m. at the base of the Monument Eldon J. Brown, will host a Sesquicenten- a seat at the Sesquicentennial Banquet, a E nid Banquet at the Sheraton National H ~ -I Sponsorship Certificate, S O U V ~ ~of~ the tel in Arlington, vlrginia. All friends of I sesquicentennial celebration, and other the Washington Monument are extended I amenities appropriate to the occasion. 7:30p.m. at the Sheraton National Hotel a cordial invitation to participate in the I commemorative occa- I Note: AN sponsorship checks should be festivities of a sion. I made payable to: I Grand Lodge, EA.A.M., of D.C.

To make reservations, please fill out the dpomor %@fraiYon Ck-m.

and mailed to: Stewart W; Miner, Grand Secretary 5428 MacArthur Boulevard, N. W. Washington, D.C. 20016-2524

Grand Master Eldon J. Brown demonstrates his version of the "Chicken Dance" at the Conference of Grand Masters in North America. (TheMummers wereproviding the 'professional" entertainment.)

Washington Monul-npnt Restoration Program

Grand Master Eldon J. Brown presents a check to the National Park Foundation in support of the Washington Monument Restoration Program. Present on this occasion were Jerold J. Samet, Grand Treasurer; Jill Nicole, Vice President of the National Park Foundation; the Grand Master, Eldon J. Brown; and Kristen Hopfenspirger, also from the National Park Foundation.

Quatuor Coronati Lodge, t Lodge in the world, at the Masonk National Memorial

Voice of Freemasonry Grand Lodge, F.A.A.M., of D.C. 5428 MacArthur Blvd., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20016-2524

The Semi-Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge, F.A.A.M., of the District of Columbia will be held on Wednesday, May 13, 1998 at 7:30 p.m. in the Scottish Rite Temple, 2800 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. At this communication committee reports will be received and the general business of the Grand Lodge transacted. Masters, Wardens, and Past Masters are requested to wear their jewels at this communication. Dress for the evening will be as follows: Grand Lodge Officers White Tie; Past Grand Masters - Tuxedo; and Lodge Representatives - Business Suit.

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