1932
Grand Lodge of Missouri
47
The publisher of the "Missouri Freemason" wrote me that he had, "Learned definitely that Past Grand Master Gentry ordered the discontinuance of all advertising by Masonic bodies, sending of correspondence reports of meetings, and also discontinuance of the Secretaries' reports. In view of this very serious situation could you not find it possible to state specifically that as far as you are concerned advertising will be permitted if the Lodge so desires and that you will permit the sending of correspondence reports for pUblication as news."
I replied: "I have written you already, relative to the fact that Brother Gentry insists he has issued no orders against your concern, nor has any other Grand Master, so far as I can ascertain. Since no Grand Master has participated in any action against your pUblication and since the publication is strictly a commercial one, I cannot see that the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge has any particular business meddling into one's private affairs. There may be a distinct advantage in haV'ing a magazine for the dissemination of Craft news, but all the orders the Grand Master might give could not force Secretaries and others to patronize the publication, or to give it any news which they did not care to submit."
From the Phillips Masonic Directory Company, St. Louis, I received, on April 23, 1932, a communication stating: "Having studied the directory situation very carefully here in St. Louis and knowing that the last Masonic directory was published in 1929, I am familiarizing myself with some of the conditions which have arisen due to the fact that the former publisher did not, after selling advertising contracts and accepting payment therefore, publish a directory in 1930; the same condition continued during 1931, and still no directory has been published. The number of contracts run into the hundreds, the amount collected into the thousands, which left a deplorable condition in our city to contend with. • • • Having in mind the feeling that I could publish a directory compatible with the dignity of the fraternity and so arrange that no criticism or complaint on the part of anyone would be forthcoming, I have undertaken the task."
In my replies the following statements were made: "Inasmuch as such a proposition is entirely a commercial one, I do not believe it would be the part of wisdom for me to make suggestions to you any more than to say that if such a directory is published it should be one compatible with the dignity of the fraternity and so arranged that it will cause no criticism or complaint on the part of any of the members of our fraternity. I am sure y.our own judgment will dictate the character of the proposed volume. • • • We have a committee on Masonic PUblications, appointed at the last annual communication of the Grand Lodge, and it would appear that this matter would properly come under its jurisdiction. A special meeting of this committee is called for the month of June and I think it highly important to you not to accumulate any additional expense until you can be assured that your action in publishing the directory at this time would not prove objectionable to the Grand Lodge."