1960
GRAND LODGE OF MISSOURI
13c
ing at least five had never recognized the Grand Orient. I checked 22 of the remainder and found everyone of them upheld the action of Louisiana and severed fraternal relations with the Grand Orient between 1869 and 1874. A few instJances are: 1869-Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri; I 870-District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada; 18"71-ldaho; I872-Connecticut; 1873-Maine; 1874 -Delaware, Nebraska, etc. The statement should be that the Grand Lodges of the United States, most of them having previously withdrawn recognition of the Grand Orient of France because of their invasion of the Masonic territory of Louisiana, did not re-establish fraternal relations with the Grand Orient again because, in 1877, they no longer required a belief in God by their candidates. The full date on which the Grand Orient removed the Bible from the altar is September 15, 1877.
FREEMASONRY IN FINLAND Because of the distance and the difference in language, information out of Finland is hard to secure. In a Finnish publication, Koilliskulma, we find the following official sketch: Finnish Freemasonry has threefold ties to the American Freemasonry, certainly more firm than with any other country. Firstly-the foundation of the Suomi Lodge, secondly-the connection created by the Sibelius' ritual music, and thirdly the contact of Koilliskulma with American-Finnish Freemasons. Let us have a closer look at these fraternal ties. The Suomi Lodge No. I was founded by:
J.
E. Tuokkola, Brighton Park Lodge No. 584, Chicago, Illinois Alfors Ahnger, Brighton Park Lodge No. 584, Chicago, Illinois Gid. Lindqvist, Raisine Lodge No. 18, Raisine, Connecticut K. Lindqvist Julie Aatila, Brighton Park Lodge No. 584, Chicago, Illinois Renne Helander, Greenwood Lodge No. 569, Brooklyn, New York Armas Oulasvirta, Theodore Roosevelt Lodge No. 1022, Chicago, Illinois
on Monday, August 14, 1922. The provisional charter was granted by the grand master of Grand Lodge of New York, Arthur S. Tompkins, and brought to Finland by Toivo H. Nekton, whom he had appointed deputy grand master. Four days after this meeting, on August 18, 1922, the Suomi Lodge held its first ordinary meeting, on which occasion 27 candidates obtained all the three degrees. At the same time the new ordinary officers were elected and then followed the solemn consecration of the lodge. This was the first time the Grand Lodge of New York performed Masonic work outside its own jurisdiction, and the importance given to this event is shown by the fact that at the meeting at The House of Estates in Helsinki were present the Grand Master Tompkins himself, the Grand Secretary Robert Kenworthy, the Grand Historian Ossian Lang, and former grand officers Townsend Scudder and James Kilby. As their present to the Suomi Lodge No. I they gave the regalia, which formerly had belonged to the officers of Enterprise Lodge No. 228. This regalia is still in use in Helsinki. The first master of the Suomi Lodge was Axel Solitander. This was the rebirth of the Finnish Freemasonry from its 100 years' sleep. In the year 1924, on September 9, the Grand Master Arthur S. Tompkins, and James Kilby consecrated the Grand Lodge according to the decision made at the meeting of the Grand Lodge of New York in May 1924, granting the warrant for independent work. This was the firm ground on which the first ties between the American and Finnish Freemasonry were laid. Among the first candidates obtaining their degrees on August 18, 1922 was also