The Journal of The Masonic Society, Issue #22 by The Masonic Society

The Journal

Of The Masonic Society

Autumn 2013

Issue 22

Autumn 2013 THE JOURNAL OF THE

MASONIC SOCIETY WWW.THEMASONICSOCIETY.COM

ISSN 2155-4145

Executive Editor Michael Halleran editor@themasonicsociety.com

1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248 Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 Editorial Committee Kenneth W. Davis - Reviews Editor Queries concerning prospective articles should be sent to: Articles@themasonicsociety.com Design & layout John A. Bridegroom, FMS - Art Director Officers John R. Cline, President James R. Dillman, 1st Vice President John Palmer - 2nd Vice president Nathan C. Brindle, Secretary/Treasurer Christopher L. Hodapp, Editor Emeritus Directors Ronald Blaisdell Kenneth W. Davis Andrew Hammer James W. Hogg Mark Tabbert

Issue 22

FEATURES 12

Reframing the broken Windows Theory by John Bizzack, FMS

the Quarry Project Conference by James Dillman, FMS

Lovers of the Arts and Sciences: Masonic Colleges in Antebellum Alabama by Wayne E. Sirmon, MMS

The Rosicrucian tradition and its Orders by Kennyo Ismail, MMS

Traditionally Speaking by Cliff Porter, FMS

These guidelines apply to the reuse of articles, figures, charts and photos in the Journal of The Masonic Society. Authors need NOT contact the Journal to obtain rights to reuse their own material. They are automatically granted permission to do the following: Reuse the article in print collections of their own writing; Present a work orally in its entirety; Use an article in a thesis and/or dissertation; Reuse a figure, photo and/or table in future commercial and noncommercial works; Post a copy of the article electronically. Please note that Authors must include the following citation when using material that appeared in the Journal: “This article was originally published in The Journal of The Masonic Society. Author(s). Title. Journal Name. Year; Issue:pp-pp. © the Journal of The Masonic Society.” Apart from Author’s use, no material appearing in the Journal of The Masonic Society may be reprinted or electronically distributed without the written permission of the Editor. Published quarterly by The Masonic Society Inc. 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248, Indianapolis IN 46260-2103. Full membership for Master Masons in good standing of a lodge chartered by a grand lodge that is a member of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons of North America (CGMMNA), or recognized by a CGMMNA member grand lodge. (includes Prince Hall Grand Lodges recognized by their counterpart CGMMNA state Grand Lodge): $39/ yr., ($49 outside US/Canada). Subscription for nonmembers: $39/yr., ($49 outside US/Canada). POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Journal of The Masonic Society, 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248, Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 © 2013 by The Masonic Society, Inc. All rights reserved. The MS circle and quill logo, and the name “The Masonic Society” are trademarks of The Masonic Society, Inc. and all rights are reserved.

SECTIONS 4 President’s Message 5 News of the Society 9 Conferences, Speeches, 36 Symposia & Gatherings 14 From the Editor 32 Masonic Treasures 33 Book Reviews THE COVER: The Master Pythagoras, this striking and colorful art is the work of W. Bro. Konstantin Skoptsov, who has been a Past Master of the Golden Acacia Lodge, Grand Mater of Creremony of Ukrainian District of the Grand National Lodge of France, Grand Master of Ceremony of the Grand Lodge of Ukraine, Grand Junior Warden of the Grand Lodge of Ukraine. Konstantin applies his art to Masonic Aprons, and seeks the revival of the symbolism, allegory and beauty of the Masonic apron. AUTUMN 2013• 3

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The State of the Masonic Society by John R. “Bo” Cline, FMS

s I sit here to write my final president’s message to you the members of The Masonic Society, it is impossible for me not to reflect on the prominence of The Society today. The Masonic Society was born on May 1, 2008 after many months of behind the scenes work by an awful lot of very talented and passionate Masons. The purpose of The Masonic Society was to create a community of Masons who had a deep and abiding interest in the history, philosophy, and symbolism of Freemasonry and provide them an opportunity to explore the Craft and share their ideas with other like-minded individuals. In addition to looking back at the past of Freemasonry, The Masonic Society was formed to help Masonry progress into the modern era. At the onset, we targeted one particular group “as a proper object . . . of our favor”, Masonic lodges of research and research societies. It was our desire that the prosperity and enrichment of this group be advanced, and we offered our cooperation and the opportunity for their members to have papers regularly published for an international audience in this Journal. In an effort to provide outreach to our members, we established the 2nd Circle Committees who represented all of The Masonic Society members in a particular geographic area represented by a single grand jurisdiction. The purpose of the 2nd Circle Committees was to be the principal advocate for TMS within their jurisdictions, to maintain a liaison with their Grand Lodge, offering assistance with research and education where requested, and to promote and support TMS educational and fellowship activities. Today, The Masonic Society has nearly 1500 active members, with members in every US state and Canadian province and in 25 countries around the world. The Journal of The Masonic Society (published quarterly) is one of the most respected publications of its kind and continues to improve with every issue. In May of this year, we celebrated the fifth anniversary of our founding. In commemoration of this event, we commissioned a special medallion to be given to new members who join between May 1, 2013 and April 30, 2014. Current members of The Masonic Society may purchase the medallion from our website at www. themasonicsociety.org. From September 27 to September 29 of this year, The Masonic Society in partnership with the Masonic Library and Museum Association conducted a conference/workshop on researching and preserving Masonic history. The Quarry Project was an extraordinarily successful event, which brought professionals from the academic community and Masonic publishing, library, and museum organizations together with aspiring Masonic researchers and Masonic librarians and museum curators. Participants and presenters alike came away with a renewed enthusiasm for the subjects of research and preservation. I wish to extend my thanks to all who participated and supported this 4 • AUTUMN 2013

event, more especially to the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association, the Masonic Library and Museum Association, and, of course, The Masonic Society. I would also like to extend a special thanks to George Braatz and Masonic Service Association of North America and to Edward Fowler and the Provincial Grand Lodge USA of the Royal Order of Scotland for their most generous support. On Friday, February 2014, The Masonic Society will hold our annual meeting and banquet during AMD’s 2014 Masonic Week, to be held at the Hyatt Hotel in Reston, Virginia. The TMS board of directors will hold their meeting on Friday afternoon, with the banquet and annual meeting that evening. Our guest speaker for the evening will be Robert G. Davis, fellow of the Scottish Rite Research Society, author of the newly published The Mason’s Words: The History and Evolution of the American Masonic Ritual, and an individual well known in the areas of Masonic research and renewal. Please join us for this annual event and come enjoy some great fellowship in our hospitality suite. (http:// yorkrite.com/MasonicWeek/) The Masonic Society continues to grow and prosper, and our future looks very bright. The Quarry Project, which was never intended to occur as a single event, has helped spread our name throughout the Masonic research community. The success of this ground breaking event has reinforced our interest in making this a regular event, albeit biennially. Please watch this space and The Masonic Society forum and Facebook page for future information regarding subsequent events. Although, members of The Masonic Society are encouraged to continue to seek out and work with other members within their particular jurisdictions, as 2nd Circle Committees, for the betterment of their Grand Lodges and Masonry in general, I believe it is time to refocus our attention on our core purpose, i.e. to extend “the hand of assistance and cooperation to individual research lodges throughout the Masonic world.” In that regard, I encourage all TMS members who are not members of a lodge of research in their jurisdiction to join one. For those who are already members, I encourage you to become active participants in your lodge and work to help enrich them. Finally, for those of you who do not currently have access to a regular lodge of research or Masonic research society, I encourage to work with your Grand Lodge and other like-minded brethren to create such a group. It has been my honor and pleasure to serve as your president for the past two years. However, I could not have performed this role without the tremendous amount of support from the members of our board of directors and especially the executive committee. Their hard work and dedication has been inspiring. As I pass the baton to Jim Dillman, I know that The Masonic Society will be in very good hands. Jim has shared with me his ideas about soliciting feedback from the membership and conducting joint meetings with other Masonic research societies. Watch future editions of this column for details. Until then, “may the God of love and peace delight to dwell with you and bless you.”

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News of the Society SHOEMAKER NAMED TO TMS BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Masonic Society is pleased to announce the appointment of Bro. Aaron Shoemaker to our board of directors. Aaron is a Founding Fellow of TMS and fills a vacancy in one of the four fellow director positions. Aaron hails from the Kansas City, Missouri area and serves in positions of leadership in several Masonic bodies, among them Editor for the Missouri Lodge of Research and Chairman of the Truman Lecture series. We welcome Aaron to the board and look forward to his contributions. THE FREEMASON MOVIE TO BE RELEASED SOON Freemasonry is the focal point of another featuring film; The Freemason has wrapped up production and is set to be released soon although the official date has yet to be announced. Written and produced by John James, himself a freemason, the movie stars Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings) and was filmed in Utah. It was directed by Sohrab Mirmont. A video clip of the movie can be viewed at www. TheFreemasonMovie.com . More information from the website: “A wealthy banker lies ritualistically and brutally murdered. The banker’s daughter and only heir, Rana (Alex McKenna), calls upon Cyrus Rothwell (Randy Wayne), a brilliant but eccentric freelance writer, to assist in the investigation. Teaming up with veteran homicide detective Leon Weed (Sean Astin), they suddenly find themselves thrust into the cryptic world of Freemasonry — pitted against a killer searching for a legendary relic, shrouded by hundreds of years of myth and mystery. Rothwell’s troubles multiply as he deduces the killer is one of the banker’s close inner circle. With an inheritance of millions hanging in the balance, everyone is a suspect and every action perceived as motive. Rothwell’s path becomes even more cloudy as his relationship with the beautiful heiress dances on the edge of charm and collusion. Cyrus is forced to come to grips with powers beyond his natural senses as well as his own mysterious past ties to Freemasonry in order to unmask the killer before they strike again. The Freemason is a thoughtful suspense thriller — part Sherlock, part Hitchcock, creating a gripping mystery for you to unlock.” Executive Producer Joseph James, himself a Master Mason, hopes to satisfy the public’s insatiable appetite for the craft’s esoteric realms by allowing outsiders a glimpse into some of the secret society’s mysterious rituals. James explains that “The Freemason is the first film of its kind

to highlight actual initiation practices,” including a ritual experience that will surely thrill both Masons and non-Masons alike!” 3,000 POUND MASONIC STONE RELOCATED IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI A one-and-a-half-ton stone, originally featuring a brass door and a time capsule, was moved from its first home at a former Masonic country club to the Grand Rapids Masonic Building. Andrew Kreitz of Michigan Live (www.mlive.com) tells the story: “GRAND RAPIDS, MI — It’s a moment almost 90 years in the making that was nearly lost in time itself. A 3,000-pound Masonic stone that hid from its members for years traveled across town Tuesday morning before coming to a final resting place at the Grand Rapids Masonic Lodge. The stone, much like the time capsule it once held, tells a story of the fraternity’s grandest of celebrations in the Grand Rapids area nearly a century ago. That is, before it was forgotten — twice. ‘I want to learn of the men who put the stone there … I know what I went through to get it here, I can only imagine what they went through to put it there,’ said Michael Clark, a local Freemason. (photo credit: MLIVE.COM)

Clark joined the local Masonic fraternity in 1976 before moving to Florida and returning years later in 2008. A self-described history buff, he’s pored over minutes of the Grand Rapids Masonic Lodge No. 34 and discovered references to a ‘Cryptic Deposit’ located on the site of the former Masonic Country Club in Walker, which now is home to the Green Ridge Square shopping center. Freemasons across Michigan gathered by the thousands in 1922 at the site of the country club, celebrating the opening of the new course for their members. It featured 27 holes, tennis courts and a giant amphitheater to host sporting events and more. The Grand Rapids Herald at the time called it ‘an impressive ceremony’ with a 40-instrument band providing entertainment. The Freemasons were so proud of their achievements that they chiseled a hole inside one of the largest stones on the site and put in it a time capsule, not to be opened until June 19, 1999, 75 years after its dedication. It contained a coin, some letters to future mayors of Grand Rapids and Michigan, in addition to a small trowel, which is a Masonic symbol, Clark said. No one really remembered the course nor the time capsule until some 75 years later, in 1999, when Amy Van Steenbergen, living in Virginia, inquired. A lady called … saying, ‘When I was a little girl, my grandfather attended the dedication and told my father to tell me he wanted me to attend. So when’s the ceremony?’ Clark said. We said, ‘We had no idea what you’re talking about.’ From The Grand Rapids Press, in 1999: “The morning of June 19, she, her brother, Michael Hill of Albuquerque, N.M., nephew John Frisk, of Salt Lake City, and her husband, Terry, AUTUMN 2013 • 5

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News of the Society parked their car along the road behind Green Ridge shopping center. They got out and walked up the hill toward the old ninth green. Terry carried a metal detector, scanning the ground, looking for the time capsule, but finding nothing but junk. About a week after the story was published, a local neighbor contacted the Masonic Temple, Clark said. She knew where the crypt holding the large stone was and led members of the Michigan Masonic Library to its hiding place. But the time capsule and the bronze door had been removed — likely decades earlier — its contents yet again lost, Clark said. Because the stone was really of no value to anyone with no real plans to have it moved, the stone’s location again was lost. Clark said it’s been his personal journey since 2008 to find the deposit. With a map of the original country club in hand that year, Clark said he explored an area near the original 9th hole of the course, yelled ‘Where are you!?’ and found it just yards away from where Van Steenbergen and her family walked just a decade ago. Plans now are in development to create a new time capsule to be placed inside the stone to celebrate the Grand Rapids Masonic Temple building’s 100th anniversary in 2015.” SPOKANE’S MASONIC CENTER SOLD FOR $1.1 MILLION

Newell said he envisions using the neoclassical white-stone building as a meeting center and event venue. He also hopes to hire people to manage events or run restaurants inside the building. The grand plan, he added, is to make the revamped Masonic building a centerpiece for an ‘old town’ tourist and visitor area in downtown Spokane. Newell’s investor group becomes just the second owner in the building’s history. Since completion of construction in 1905, the Masonic Center – originally the Masonic Temple – has been occupied by the Masonic order and several affiliated fraternal groups, including the Scottish Rite and the York Rite. In recent years the nonprofit Masonic Temple Association of Spokane rented its various ballrooms and meeting places to area groups and schools for events, proms and other celebrations. The association has depended on donations from the Masonic Foundation of Spokane to cover the building’s costs. ‘But we’ve outlived the building,’ said Carlton Oaks, the association’s CEO, meaning Spokane’s Masonic groups have a fraction of the membership they enjoyed during the first half of the 20th century. After the temple was built, U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt visited it twice. Newell is leasing office space to the Masonic groups for [twelve] months, Oaks said. Newell said he realizes the building’s age and structural issues may require another investment of $1 million to make it usable and attractive as a social center. The cost of improvements reflects why the Masonic Association sold the building for less than its original asking price of $1.75 million. The building is on the Spokane historic register; it’s also in the Riverside Avenue Historic District, which is part of the National Register of Historic Places. Because of that status, Newell receives incentives for structural improvements. He cannot make changes to the 200-footwide exterior, graced by 18 columns. But he can make changes to the interior. Changes to some larger ballrooms or meeting spaces, however, must be reviewed by the city and county’s historic preservation office.” HOUSE STENOGRAPHER GOES ON WILD ANTI-MASONIC RANT

(photo credit: panoramio.com)

Another Masonic landmark has been lost to the fraternity. This is another chapter in the too-often-told story about a Masonic building that can no longer meet its financial obligations due to loss of membership, skyrocketing utility costs, and a shortage of funds to maintain the building. From the Spokane Spokesman-Review website (www.spokesman.com): “An Australian businessman who moved to Spokane five years ago has paid $1.1 million to take over ownership of the stately Masonic Center, one of the city’s largest and oldest meeting places. The buyer is Greg Newell, 50, who’s president of equipment manufacturing firm Power Handling Inc. This week Newell and some family partners bought the 108-year old Masonic Center at 1108 W. Riverside Ave. The 110,000-square-foot building has been for sale since October 2012.

6 • AUTUMN 2013

The stenographer for the U.S. House of Representatives, Dianne Foster Reidy, took to the floor of the House to deliver a nonsensical tirade against Freemasons. While our British brethren are routinely subjected to such convulsions, it happens rarely in the U.S. From the online magazine Slate (www.slate.com) : “It’s a sad coda to the already fairly pathetic shutdown tale. During the vote that ended the crisis, a stenographer grabbed a microphone and ranted about Freemason control of the United States while staffers pulled her away. ‘He will not be mocked,’ she said. ‘The greatest deception here, is that this is not one nation under God. It never was. Had it been ... the Constitution would not have been written by Free Masons and go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, Lord Jesus Christ.’

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News of the Society photo credit: freemasonicinformation.com

swamped with evidence and has to interview 237 officers who were on duty at the match. A source close to the probe said: ‘We have been told that no Freemasons are allowed on the investigation. One theory at the time was that the whole conspiracy was covered up by the group’s members as there are so many Masons in the police. The families have raised concerns… so we have prohibited them from being part of the investigation team. The deadline that officers were working towards is impossible and the review’s findings will be delayed.’ An IPCC source confirmed that Freemasons and former officers from the three forces had been banned from the probe.

I noticed this news after former Rep. Bob Ney, who retired after the Jack Abramoff scandal, shared it with shocked followers on Facebook. ‘She really is a well-respected person,’ he wrote. ‘She just snapped on the floor. I suppose in defense, if you had to listen to all that crap for years, you would snap!’ FREEMASON COPS BANNED FROM ENGLISH CRIMINAL PROBE photo credit: masoniccollection.co.uk

As noted above, suspicion of Freemasons in Great Britain runs rampant. Apparently, many Brits, particularly those who write for English tabloids, remain unable to comprehend that dishonesty or favoritism in any form is contrary to Masonic principles and practices. This story from The Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk) is typical of the kind of journalism British freemasons have come to expect: “Police officers who are Freemasons have been banned from working on the criminal investigation into the Hillsborough cover-up. The revelation adds weight to the theory that members of the secretive organisation suppressed the truth after 96 Liverpool fans died in 1989. The Independent Police Complaints Commission took the unusual move after families of the football fans who died in the disaster demanded that no members of a lodge be involved. All of the employees in the IPCC investigation have also been told they cannot be from South Yorkshire or Merseyside, where the tragedy occurred. Former West Midlands Police officers have also been banned after their force carried out a review that led to the flawed inquest verdicts being quashed last year. Officers from the force have also been accused of changing witness statements. The probe into the police role on the day of the disaster – codenamed Operation Resolve – employs 170 people, including 70 officers. The latest review, led by former Durham chief constable Jon Stoddart, was expected to report soon but the team has been

The investigation team, while independent from the fresh inquests into the deaths, is helping coroner Lord Justice Goldring to prepare for and carry out the inquests, set to start by March 3, 2014. Hillsborough was Britain’s worst-ever sporting disaster. Thousands of fans were crushed on the Sheffield Wednesday ground’s Leppings Lane terrace during Liverpool’s 1989 FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. Last December verdicts of accidental death from the original Hillsborough inquest in March 1991 were quashed. The action was taken after the Hillsborough Independent Panel reported that there had been a huge cover-up. The IPCC has previously revealed that statements given by witnesses could have been changed by police. The Freemasons [are] a ‘fraternal brotherhood’ dating back to the 14th century. It started as an organisation to monitor the qualifications of stonemasons. But in modern times the organisation is seen as an elitist group that has been dogged by allegations of corruption. The all-male group, governed by the United Grand Lodge of England, has 250,000 members. Many figures in authority are Freemasons. The first US president, George Washington, and another leading American revolutionary, Benjamin Franklin, were Masons. Today a significant proportion of the Royal household are members, and the Duke of Kent is grand master of the UGLE. Despite royal patronage, and their presence in the judiciary and the higher reaches of the City, the Masons deny being an underground arm of the Establishment.” NEW TRADITIONAL OBSERVANCE LODGE IN NORTH CAROLINA Sophia Lodge, a traditional observance lodge currently working under dispensation from the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, is the first traditional observance lodge in the state. It is, perhaps, no coincidence that the new lodge, which meets in Salisbury, N.C., was constituted by Grand Master Dewey Preslar, a native son of Salisbury and a member of the new lodge. Four other Grand Lodge officers are among the thirtyfour members. The lodge anticipates receiving its charter sometime in 2014. For more information, see Salisbury Post, internet edition, October 28, 2013, www.salisburypost.com DETROIT MASONIC TEMPLE SURVIVES ANOTHER CRISIS The news isn’t all bad for Masonic buildings. The Detroit Masonic Temple, the largest Masonic building in the world, has dodged another AUTUMN 2013 • 7

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ith great pride and appreciation, The Masonic Society welcomes the following brethren as our esteemed new members. James Smith Anderson John Matthew Anderson Seth Cody Anthony Stephen John Barr Omid John Bayati William E Behrend Jr. Armando Belman Larry A Bendt II John Wayne Berry Jr. Robert O. Boyington Gregory Brewer Richard Brooks Dr. David J. Cameron Graeme Cameron Michael J P B Carchrie Campbell Nathaniel Raymond Chance William T Clifford Robert Cordle John Louis Coulter III Wayne Cowley Nigel Craughwell Donald William Craze

Jake Anthony Dawson Joel De Leon Damon Paul Dees Edward J Dunfee Keith A Fellows Raymond S Forte III Aaron J. French Dr. Edward Ghiglieri C. Brian Gregory Michael Grossman Jerry W Hall Ronald John Hayes Fr Arthur Fred Hebbeler III Christopher Hebert Arthur L. Hendrickson III James C Hennessey III Brian Odell Hicks Larry Horath Peter Iacobucci Alexander Joseph Jordan Derren H Joseph Major Martin Collins Juul

bullet. After barely surviving a skirmish with the tax man and the local utility companies, the building seems to once again be on solid ground for the foreseeable future. From Michigan Live (www.mlive.com) : “Detroit Masonic Temple building manager Steve Genther believes he no longer has to prepare for the worst. Nearly three years ago, Genther waited for ‘the big gas bill’ that he thought would put the 500,000-square-foot, 1,037-room venue out of business. And for the past two years Genther, a veteran Mason, dealt with staff turnover, closure speculation and utilities shutoff notices taped to the building. Now there’s a concrete plan for the temple, the largest of its kind in the world, to climb out of financial hell and embrace a brighter future. ‘It’s October 2013,’ Genther said Thursday during a tour of the building. ‘And we’re still here.’ Consider the temple, built in 1922 by George D. Mason, engaged in the first phase of an aggressive turnaround plan that’s already reaping benefits. In a matter of just three months, this historic Neo-gothic structure has created a plan to tackle its debt, partnered with The Crofoot in Pontiac for event booking and started an aggressive marketing strategy. The temple also hired 30-year-old lawyer Bradley Dizik as a consultant. He’s a Farmington Hills native with experience dealing with General Motors’ bankruptcy who believes there’s no time to waste. Dizik has already helped the temple renegotiate all its finances, form a strategy to pay off its overdue DTE Energy utilities service bills in a year to 18 months and create a charitable foundation so it can receive donations. ‘We’re good as long as we can stay current,’ Dizik said of temple’s financial status. ‘The real question: How do we enhance our cash flow and how do we build upon the existing business model we have?’ Dizik, like Genther, sees one of the biggest challenges for a temple turnaround being the blighted neighborhood that surrounds it. But changes appear likely given recent city and state approval of Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch’s plans for a $650 million arena and entertainment complex in the area. Temple officials want to make sure they find ways to benefit from the infamous Cass Corridor neighborhood’s expected revival, too. ‘A lot of people are - let’s 8 • AUTUMN 2013

Frank J Kautz II Rolf R Keil III James M. Kiefer Kenneth Francis Klimek Andrew Lang Marvin S. Lebby Christopher M Leounes Felix B. Lopez Gary D Loten-Beckford Charles M. Masselli Sr. Ronald Maston Joseph Ben Mathis Charles F. William Maurer Todd Allen Mayer Marlon E. Mayfield Zane Peter McCune Joshua Kyle McElhatten Corey M McIntyre Lee Miller William Mark Moloney Kent Hilton Nolan Reuben M. Owens

Stewart M Owings Chris L. Poore Sherief Michael Rashad Sr. James H. Rice Ariel J Rosa Teofilo M. Saulog Lee A Saylor Jack Stewart Scroggins Russell E Sellers Aaron Joseph Sherman Jackson G Shores III Wayne T Smith Robert C. Talbott Scott Darren Treadwell Brian Matthew Truex William F Turner John McDonald Walston Jr. Clayvon A. Wesley Jeff Wessley Douglas Edward Wiggins Jr. Jerry Wayne Wood II

be honest - afraid to come to the Masonic Temple because it’s in the Cass Corridor,’ Dizik said. ‘And the Cass Corridor is notorious for being neglected. There’s burnt out buildings, a whole lot of nothing. It’s a scary place. We’re real excited with what may happen going forward with the stadium or just a general demolition (of nearby blighted properties).’ This venue recently became one of four state approved motion picture studios and has received interest from a radio station intrigued about using its existing transmitting tower. The tower hasn’t been used in 15 years, Genther said. ‘The difference between now and even a year ago is like night and day,’ Genther said. ‘Hopefully people see a vision changing. Not only in the building itself, but for the neighborhood as a whole.’ Former White Stripes frontman Jack White, a Detroit native. apparently believes in that vision wholeheartedly. In June White paid $142,000 in back taxes to prevent the building from going into foreclosure and now has a theater there named after him. White’s generosity made national headlines; his mother was an usher at the building. Several events this fall should also help generate buzz for the temple and its potential. IN MEMORIAM

. Bro. STANLEY L. WOODIN May 25, 1917 ~ Sept. 12, 2013 Stanley L. Woodin, age 96, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2013 at MatSu Regional Medical Center in Palmer, Alaska. Stanley served his country in the U.S. Army Air Corp during World War II and was honorably discharged in 1945. He was actively involved in several organizations, including: Mt. Susitna Lodge No.8, Matanuska Lodge No.7 (Worship Master 1993), Charter member of Mat-Su Valley Commandery, Knights Templar, 32 degree Scottish Rite Mason, Senior Advisor De-Molay.

Renew your membership now online at www.themasonicsociety.com

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Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings January 27, 2014 200 Years of the UGLE (Leicester) Lodge of Research No. 2429 Freemasons’ Hall, Leicester, England Speakers: Various www.qccircle.org.uk February 13-16, 2014 Masonic Week 2014 Hyatt Regency Reston, Reston, VA. Details TBA http://www.yorkrite.com/MasonicWeek February 14, 2014 The Masonic Society Annual Meeting and Banquet, Masonic Week 2014 Hyatt Regency Reston, Reston, VA Speaker: Robert Davis http://themasonicsociety.com/ February 16-18, 2014 Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel Baltimore, MD. Details: TBA http://www.cgmna.org/ February 22, 2014 George Washington Birthday Gala: Reception, Concert, Banquet, Presentation of George Washington Memorial Award George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Alexandria, VA www.gwmemorial.org

March 6-8, 2014 The Phylaxis Society, 2014 Annual Convention, MCM Elegante Hotel Albuquerque, NM www.thephylaxis.org March 22, 2014 Freemasonry, Civil Society, and Aesthetics University of California, Los Angeles Speakers: William D. Moore, Lilith Mahmud, Joy Porter, Stefan Hoffman www.freemasonryandcivilsociety.ucla.edu March 31, 2014 American Lodge of Research Stated Meeting 8:00 P.M. Masonic Hall, 71 W. 23rd, New York NY, Speaker: Jorge-Luis Romeu: “Challenges and Characteristics of Cuban Freemasons in the XX Century” www.americanlodgeofresearch.org

April 26, 2014 Masonic Symposium Pleiades Lodge No. 478 Westchester, IL Speakers: Anthony Mongelli, Charles M. Harper, Sr., Robert Herd, Mir Omar Ali www.pleiadesmasonicsymposium2014.com July 17-19, 2014 Rocky Mountain Masonic Conference Atlantis Hotel and Casino, Reno, NV Details: TBA www.nvmasons.org August 28-31, 2014 Austrailian and New Zealand Masonic Research Council Biennial Conference WHJ Mayers Lodge of Research Cairns, Far North Queensland http://www.anzmrc2014.com/

April 11, 2014 National Heritage Museum Lexington, MA Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism http://www.nationalheritagemuseum.org April 25-27, 2014 Masonic Spring Workshop Delta Lodge, Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada Keynote speaker: John Belton United Grand Lodge of England http://www.masonicspringworkshop.ab.ca

BROADCAST YOUR EVENT TO THE WORLD! To include your event in our listing, please submit the following information Event Name Event Location Event Date Speaker(s) Short Description Web Address or Contact Info Send these details to: ARTICLES@THEMASONICSOCIETY.COM with “EVENT” in the subject line. AUTUMN 2013 • 9

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Richard H. Curtis (January 6, 1939 - September 14, 2013) (photo credit: Valley of Boston AASR)

t is with profound sadness that we note the passing of Richard H. Curtis, a Founding Fellow of The Masonic Society. Bro. Curtis died suddenly on September 14, 2009 in Kennebunkport, Maine. He was 74. Bro. Curtis was a lifelong resident of Reading, Massachusetts, where he was active in various church and community organizations. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and the Vietnam War. Bro. Curtis had a long and distinguished Masonic record. A member and Past Master of Good Samaritan Lodge in Reading, he was awarded the Joseph Warren Medal by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts in 2011. A past Commanderin-Chief of the Massachusetts Consistory in the Scottish Rite Valley of Boston, he was a 33Â° Mason. Bro. Curtis was active and served in leadership positions in many other Masonic

organizations. He was a Fellow of The Philalethes Society and was serving as president of the organization at the time of his death. Bro. Curtis was best known as the longtime editor of The Northern Light, the official publication of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. He joined the staff of the magazine as Assistant Editor in 1970, was named editor a few years later, and remained in that position until his retirement in 2007. Bro. Curtis will be remembered for his outstanding contributions to Masonic research and education and his decades of service to the fraternity. Bro. Curtis was preceded in death by his wife, Linda, and is survived by his son, Keith, and daughter, Holly. The Masonic Society offers our condolences to his family and many friends.

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Into The Joys Of The Lord 10 â&#x20AC;˘ AUTUMN 2013

he scene amidst which C

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COMMENT

Reframing the Broken Windows theory By John Bizzack, MMS

n 1982, the “Broken Windows” theory, which explained the increase in crime, disorder, and widespread decline in urban and inner-city neighborhoods, was introduced. 1

Until noted political scientist and criminologist James Q. Wilson and George Kelling wrote about it, officials were perplexed as to what contributed to some neighborhoods thriving while others decayed a question which had fascinated social scientists for decades. The answer was found amidst the broken glass, litter and graffiti, telling us that ignoring the little problems creates a sense of irreversible decline that leads people to abandon the community or stay away. That theory, in turn, produced a revolution in law enforcement and shaped neighborhood activism. If there were broken windows in a neighborhood or community the goal was to get building owners to replace them. If there was graffiti on the walls, then scrub them clean, and then get tough with graffiti artists. If abandoned cars were found around the neighborhoods, then haul them away. If drunks were sleeping or loitering on the sidewalks, the get them off the streets, too. This widely accepted social theory that problems, if not promptly dealt with, become much worse than they would otherwise, is so simple, yet was so difficult to see until cities, their elected officials, neighborhood citizens, police, sociologists and criminologists stepped out of their own paradigms and examined it. Today, much of the success of Community Oriented Policing (a set of police administrative and management practices that evolved in part from the broken windows theory) can be attributed to a paradigm shift not only in policing, but in the way communities and elected officials view their role in crime control. Is it possible that something analogous is at work in Masonry today? Applying the Broken Windows Theory to Freemasonry Appearances mean a lot in American society, more than we probably care to admit or deem appropriate. Our lodges speak

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volumes to the general public and prospective Masons, as do our web sites and web presence. Christopher Hodapp, in a column entitled “Broken Windows” in the Autumn 2008 issue of the Journal of the Masonic Society, briefly explored the connection between the broken windows theory and Masonry: I contend that the same theory can be applied to our aging, decaying Masonic buildings. The more we neglect our Temples on the outside, the more they rot spiritually on the inside, spiraling into lethargy and failure. One of the most misunderstood phrases in Masonry is that the fraternity regards the internal and not the external qualifications of a man, and we’ve gone on to believe it about our Temples. The truth is that what is on the outside is a reflection of what goes on inside—both in men and in buildings. We’ve been breaking our own windows. And it’s high time we got a whuppin’ for it. Hodapp’s writing, while on target, stopped short of taking the analogy beyond the condition of our many decaying Masonic buildings around the country. His well-stated and troubling analogy can go much, much farther. When reframing the broken windows theory and relating it to the paradigm in which Freemasonry finds itself, one must of course extend the theory beyond the field of crime. There is no literal crime as such in the decline of Masonry, but some of the principles of the theory may be applicable. If we look, as we should, at Freemasonry (its mechanics, that is, not the core ideologies of the institution) systemically, it can be thought of as being in the same condition as the decaying neighborhoods that led to Wilson and Kelling’s seminal work. Our windows are broken,

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in the sense that the mechanics of how we practice, instruct and pass on Freemasonry have decayed along with our level of fundamental and ongoing educational work. The appearance of our lodges There’s confusion, as Dwight Smith so aptly noted in his powerful 1962 essay “Why this Confusion in the Temple?” as to why there is decay in the first place. Decay, in this regard, relates to Masonry’s fixation on the decline in membership and inability to stop the revolving door of members coming and leaving. This steadily deflects us from putting equal energy into retention efforts and engaging men early in the workings of the lodge. We find it perplexing that some neighborhoods (lodges) thrive while others continue to decay; yet fascinating us for almost a decade is the question why, even though some solutions remain untested or worse, discounted. Where cities and communities ignored the little problems of broken glass, litter and graffiti, we ignore the “little problems” of lodges only being able to do work when open to the Master Mason degree, inconsistent or little Masonic education, the mindset that ritual is education, overprompted ritual and slipshod floor work, a neglect of retention in favor of a perceived need to keep men coming into the fraternity, and the loss of traditions as they relate to fellowship opportunities, to name a few. A sense of unavoidable deterioration that leads people to abandon the lodge infects not only our membership but the communities in which the lodges are located and the general public’s perspective towards Freemasonry as an institution. Just like the veteran police officers who didn’t need Wilson or Kelling to tell them that broken windows speed the decay of neighborhoods and increase crime because they dealt with it every day, many Blue Lodge Masons recognize Masonry’s “broken windows” because they live it at their lodges – they see deterioration in education, fellowship and other components of retention not dealt with and observe as those problems become worse. Just as Wilson and Kelling identified what led to the neighborhood decay — the lessening sense of mutual regard and obligations — the community of the lodge projects a similar “no one cares” vibe. Hodapp is spot-on when he writes that one of the most misunderstood phrases in Masonry is that it is the internal, not the external, qualifications of a man that Masonry regards, and relates that to the decaying state of some Masonic lodges. What goes on inside the lodges is indeed the key, but their outer appearance also shapes men’s thinking about more than just our buildings. Does not the weakened appearance of our lodges reflect the weaknesses inside of Freemasonry as an institution? Is there not a subliminal message sent to society and brothers alike, subtly reinforcing the headlines about declining membership or allegations that there’s no longer any interest in what the Craft has to offer? Does not the presence of clandestine lodges, cluttering the Internet with nonsense and confusing the prospective Mason and public, suggest there is something amiss inside of Freemasonry, and create apprehensiveness in the minds of both current and potential brothers? As in any paradigm shift, particularly the one occurring within Freemasonry today comes a need to recalibrate thinking and attitudes about issues. The attitude that someone else will take care of something that might be amiss is one of the first recalibrations we, as Masons, must adopt when it comes to the external and internal appearances of

our lodges. The cosmetic appearances cannot be understated in their importance, yet it cannot stop there. We must give men what they are looking for within the scope of our abilities to do so under our Landmarks – new and old members alike. The Masonic experience, environment and the many ways we can keep men actively engaged in lodge and the practice of our Craft can indeed be improved. An honest look at our methods in assuring that occurs is the first step. After all, why do we wish to contribute to the making of “casual Masons” who are not engaged or active in their lodges? Just like in neighborhoods, as Wilson and Kelling pointed out in the broken windows theory, ignoring the little problems creates a sense of decline that leads many people to ultimately abandon the community or stay away. The same consequence is facing our fraternity. When the windows of our facilities are literally or figuratively broken and the appearance and state of our lodges are in need of attention, why would one consider the practice of the Craft in those lodges to be anything but in the same condition? To help restore, reinvigorate and refresh the practices of our Ancient and Honorable Fraternity, it is time we move ahead by concentrating on the external so that we can then proceed appropriately with a focus on the internal. As a Mason, what are you doing about it?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR John Bizzack, Ph.D., is an active member of Lexington Lodge No. 1 F &AM, Lexington, Kentucky and the Louisville Scottish Rite. He is a member of the Journal of Masonic Society, Texas Lodge of Research, Southern California Research Lodge, Scottish Rite Research Society, and the Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, Correspondence Circle. He was first appointed in 1996 by the governor to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Criminal Justice Training, Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. He was reappointed by two consecutive governors to that position in which he continues to serve today. Dr. Bizzack is a twenty-five year veteran of policing, retiring from the Lexington Division of Police in 1996. His career experience ranged from uniform duties, to detective, Commander of the Bureau of Investigation, Planning and Research, and Office of the Chief of Police. He is the author of eight books and numerous essays and articles dealing with leadership, criminal investigations and other topical issues in the field of law enforcement, criminal justice, Kentucky history and Freemasonry. He is active with various state and local boards, task forces and non-profit community organizations dealing with issues facing policing and criminal justice other components of the criminal justice system and community service. He speaks nationally on the issues of police standards and leadership in the criminal justice system along with various topics related to Freemasonry. NOTES 1

ichard Morin, “A Crack in the Broken-Windows Theory,” Washington R Post, January 30, 2005.

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FROM THE EDITOR

The Consent Agenda: A Stake in the Heart of the Boring Meeting? by Michael Halleran, Editor

The boring business meeting is the bane of the Masonic experience. Although our members might rave about degree work, or fellowship, or the food (or maybe not), very few of them comment on how we need to read more minutes or recite the bills for an extra thirty minutes to deliver the truly fulfilling Masonic experience. This is not news. Masonic jurisdictions have enjoined their members to shake up their stated meetings for the last hundred years. But how? Most urge the business meeting be shortened to make way for Masonic education – a laudable pursuit, to be sure. But again, how? The bills still need paid, committees still need to report at length (whether or not they have anything to report), and the minutes must still be corrected or ratified. Depending on the meeting, I’ve seen continents move faster. Some common sense suggestions involve at least using an agenda to limit wheel-spinning and keep meetings on track. This reasoning is

that motion is seconded and passed, the consent agenda will be active henceforth. The consent agenda works for lodges large or small. In lodges consisting mainly of younger members, who are likely to be in constant touch by email or social media, the Master circulates his proposed consent agenda electronically. He will receive comments back soon about

asonic jurisdictions have enjoined their members to shake up their stated meetings for the last hundred years. But how?

sound. A meeting without an agenda is a lot like a sailing without a ship – you might get where you want to go, but wind and tide will play havoc with your plans. If meeting agendas are already old hat, Masters might consider a further refinement: the consent agenda. Used by many local governments, service organizations, and nonprofits, the consent agenda is a tool used to streamline meetings by collecting routine, non-controversial items into one item disposed of with a single motion and vote. 1 Known as the “consent calendar” in Robert’s Rules of Order, this procedure is popular with busy boards as it limits needless discussion on commonplace items.2 In a Masonic context, if permitted by local constitutions and bylaws, routine items that are generally agreeable to all members would be placed on each consent agenda by policy with a formal motion of the lodge: “I move that in future the following recurring items of business, ________________, be placed on a consent agenda, subject to removal at the will of any individual member, but if not removed, to be disposed of with a single vote.” If

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whether or not the lodge members object to any proposed item. With larger lodges, or lodges in which email is still a distant glimmer of the miracles promised in the 1950s, the Master should email his draft agenda to every member with an electronic address, while distributing physical copies at the registration table for members unreachable by electronic means. In either case, the members can then consider if the suggested items are appropriate for the consent agenda. Typical items found on lodge consent agendas include: • Payment of normal, expected, and ordinary bills (rent, utilities, etc.) • Approval of minutes as presented or as previously amended • Acceptance of routine committee reports submitted for information and requiring no action (building committee, event committee, etc.) • Acceptance of routine correspondence (invitations, etc.) • Approval of formal gestures (memorial contributions, letters of thanks, etc.)

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Items that should never appear on a consent agenda include: • Balloting on petitions • Referrals for Masonic charges • Elections of officers • Formal communications from Grand Lodge (if such must be read aloud) At the stated meeting, the first order of business is a review of the consent agenda following the opening ceremonies. If any member objects to an item, the Master removes that item and assigns it to new or old business as the case may be. All remaining items not objectionable are then formalized as the consent agenda. Moving forward, no debate is allowed, and the Master calls the question, deciding the various matters with one motion, a second, and a vote. This simple parliamentary tool shortens business meetings dramatically. And although changing the meeting format may be anathema to members who are set in their ways, once the consent agenda becomes the habit of the lodge, any misgivings will evaporate when the members realize the significant savings of time in favor of Masonic education or other, more interesting, activities. FURTHER READING ONLINE: Board Source. The Consent Agenda: A Tool for Improving Governance. 2006. http://www.uic.edu/cuppa/gci/programs/profed/online/courses/ bd/week3/consent_agenda.pdf

Michigan State University. “Is a Consent Agenda Right for Your Board?” http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/is_a_consent_agenda_right_ for_your_board David O. Renz, Ph.D. “Consent Agenda.” Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, University of Missouri-Kansas City. http:// bloch.umkc.edu/mwcnl/resources/documents/consent-agenda.pdf ABOUT THE EDITOR The Editor of the Journal of the Masonic Society, Michael Halleran is also the Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kansas. The author of numerous articles and The Better Angels of Our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War, (Univ. of Alabama Press, 2010), Halleran has lectured on Masonic history widely in the United States and in Great Britain. NOTES 1

e Non-Profit Center. “The Power of the Consent Agenda,” (Accessed June 18, Th 2013). http://www.pppnet.org/council_resources/pdfs/ConsentAgendaOverview. pdf

enry M. Robert III, Wm. J. Evans, et al., eds.,. Robert’s Rules of Order, 10th, H Cambridge, MA:Da Capo Press, 2000, 349-50.

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, I was particularly drawn to the article on “The Mysterious Triple Dot” in your September issue. I found it interesting, but also somewhat lacking. Here is why. This symbol (:.) has three symbols in it; the dot, the number 3, and the triangle. “In Hindu philosophy the meaning of the numbers accurately convey the idea of the changing of…man’s progress: 1. Seed, 2. Germination, 3. sprouting.” (Nozedar, 2010) “The dot is both an origination and a conclusion, encompassing all the possibilities of the Universe within it, a seed full of potential and a symbol of the Supreme Being.” (Nozedar, 2010) The “triangle shares all the symbolic significance of the number 3...In alchemy, the upward triangle is considered synonymous with light and is a harmonious form...” (Nozedar, 2010) This is created by the opening knocks of the WM, JW, SW. S&F Bro. John McDermid. Whitecourt Lodge 153 Reference: A. Nozedar. The Illustrated Signs & Symbols Sourcebook. London England: Harper Collins (2010).

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If you can write it in 150 words or less, submit your letter via email to editor@themasonicsociety.com. We do not accept letters via US Mail. Include name, address, and day and evening phone numbers for verification purposes only. Do not include attachments. All letters are subject to editing for length, accuracy, taste and libel. Anonymous letters, letters to third parties, and letters to other publications will not be considered. Responses to other letters are welcome. Any letter published becomes the property of the Journal of the Masonic Society.

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EVENTS

Quarry Project Recap By James Dillman, FMS

he Quarry Project, a conference on Masonic research and preservation sponsored by The Masonic Society, The Masonic Library and Museum Association, and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, was held at the Memorial on September 27-29. Sixty-plus registrants and nearly thirty presenters attended the event. Friday and Saturday began with keynote presentations in the auditorium followed by four breakout sessions, two on topics related to research and two related to preservation. Both days closed with a general session in the auditorium that featured a panel discussion. The Saturday evening gala banquet held in the grand hall was well attended. Guests were regaled by Chris Hodapp’s speech on Dan Brown and Freemasonry and everyone appeared to enjoy themselves. Sunday was limited to a half-day general session with two keynote speakers and a panel discussion. The steering committee was very pleased with the response from those who attended. The comments were overwhelmingly positive with many attendees remarking on how helpful and instructive the various presentations were. The conference largely proceeded exactly as planned with only a couple of minor glitches. The facilities of the GWMNW proved to be perfect for an event of this type and many of the attendees took the opportunity to tour the building. The steering committee would like to thank the attendees as well as our excellent group of presenters, who were primarily responsible for making the conference such a huge success. We also thank our sponsors for their financial support, especially Ed Fowler and the Royal Order of Scotland. The ROS made an extremely generous donation that covered all of the very substantial printing costs for the conference. We are also grateful to George Braatz, Executive Secretary of the Masonic Service Association, for dedicating an entire Short Talk Bulletin to The Quarry Project. This was instrumental in getting word of the conference out to a very large audience. A huge thank you goes out to George Seghers and Donald Hicks, Jr., PGM (MA), Executive Director and President, respectively, of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial for donating the use of the

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building for the entire weekend. Your kindness, generosity, and commitment to Masonic education and preservation is greatly appreciated. A tip of the cap also goes to GWMNM staff members Mark Tabbert, Shawn Eyer, and Radka Mavrova for all of their logistical assistance, to Todd Johnstone for taking photographs, and to Beth Cline and Glenda Palmer for pitching in wherever they were needed. A final thank you goes to Masonic Society President Bo Cline. The Quarry Project was Bo’s brainchild and his vision, dedication, and enthusiasm for the conference never wavered, even through some uncertain times when we were not sure we could make it happen. The success of the inaugural phase of The Quarry Project and our continuing desire to promote Masonic research and preservation has the sponsoring organizations considering another event in 2015. We will conduct a thorough analysis of this year’s conference and determine how best to proceed. An announcement should be expected late next year or early in 2015. In the meantime, the website at www.thequarryproject.com will be maintained and updated. Much of the handout material for this year’s conference is now available on the website, courtesy of the presenters who have allowed us to publish their work. We welcome your comments on the 2013 conference as well as suggestions for future conferences. Please forward them to info@thequarryproject.com . ABOUT THE AUTHOR James R. Dillman is a Past Master of Lodge Vitruvian No. 767 in Indianapolis and First Vice President of The Masonic Society. He is Senior Warden in the Adoniram Lodge of Perfection in the AASR Valley of Indianapolis. He is a recipient of the Knight York Cross of Honor, the Grand Commandery of Indiana’s Distinguished Service Award, Demolay Legion of Honor (Honorary), and the Grand Lodge of Indiana’s Order of Service to Masonry.

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HISTORY

Lovers of the Arts and Sciences:

Masonic Colleges in Antebellum Alabama by Wayne E. Sirmon, MMS

n 1820, a man destined to serve as the Vice President of the United States drew the plans for a new town in Alabama. On a high bluff of the Alabama River, the plat included wide avenues with room for stately churches and homes that would display the wealth of the antebellum south. William Rufus King, a native of North Carolina (where he received the Masonic degrees in Phoenix Lodge No. 8), owned a large plantation ten miles downstream from the site. With the advent of statehood and the steamboat, he and other investors established the Selma Town Land Company and incorporated the town of Selma. During the next thirty years, Selma would grow in importance as it became a transportation hub for central Alabama. Along with the banks, railroads and churches, another indicator of the development of the town was the formation, in 1828, of Selma Fraternal Lodge No. 27. Twenty years later these Masons would construct a large, three storey building at the south end of Alabama Avenue. This grand structure would not be their Masonic Hall but was built to serve the surrounding community and state as the Central Masonic Institute. The Common School movement, championed by Horace Mann, led to the creation of public schools in the northern states in the first half of the nineteenth century. However, this system of education had only

Photo: Vaughanthree schools were Smitherman established by Texas Museum Masonic lodges with an additional twenty schools using Masonic buildings.1 Although generally overlooked, Masonic-sponsored schools were found across the antebellum nation and there are hints of a tantalizing 1851 enrollment of the Female Department of untold story. Sidney the Central Masonic Institute in Selma, AL as printed in the school catalogue. Kase provided some background of Masonic interest in education when the Masonic Service Association printed “Freemasonry and Public Education” in the November 1990 Short Talk Bulletin.2 Cloyd Bumgardner described the discovery of the Masonic foundations of Summerset Kentucky schools. Accompanying his article in the March-April 2010 issue of The Scottish Rite Journal was a list (reprinted in the Masonic Service Association’s Emessay Notes, May

he earliest colleges in America were founded by various religious denominations. Harvard, William and Mary, Yale, and Princeton were only the first such universities. What is almost totally missing from the standard histories is the influence of Freemasonry in the development of American education.

a weak effect in the southern states. Wealthy families might send their children to northern boarding schools to receive final preparation for attending college, but the educational needs of most southern youth were met through the uses of tutors and private schools.

2010) containing thirty-one Masonic colleges founded between 1840 and 1892.3 In five volumes of transcriptions of early nineteenth century documents, Edgar Knight collected a wide variety of materials related to education in the south. There the reader finds a detailed discussion of the efforts of North Carolina Masons to establish a “manual labor school” (1843) and “A Seminary of Learning” (1847).4 From these sources we know of the Masonic roots of schools and colleges in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee. But, there are many, many others and each represents a story of Freemasonry in action.

As the population of Alabama and the other southern states grew, the need for a better system of education became apparent. Most histories of American education make mention of the role of church-sponsored schools. From the days of the medieval universities, churches had shouldered this task. The earliest colleges in America were founded by various religious denominations. Harvard, William and Mary, Yale, and Princeton were only the first such universities. What is almost Photo: Vaughan-Smitherman Museum totally missing from the standard histories is the influence of Freemasonry in the development of American education. While somewhat familiar to Masonic scholars, efforts such as James Carter’s two volumes on Education and Masonry in Texas are unknown to those who study the history of American education. According to Carter’s tabulation, thirtyThe Central Masonic Institute, Selma, circa 1850. 18 • AUTUMN 2013

The southern pattern of private education being sponsored by various religious denominations was evident in Alabama. Prior to the Civil War, the University of Alabama (founded in 1831) was the only public school of higher education in the state. There are ten Alabama colleges that trace their origins to the antebellum period. While the University of Alabama’s entire history has been as a state school, five schools have

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In addition to references to books and journal articles, other internet resources include files such as the list of closed colleges prepared by Ray C. Brown. 8

Photo: Wayne E. Sirmon

Additional information is contained in the Proceedings of the various Grand Lodges, however many of the older records remain unavailable to the non-Masonic (or even Masonic) researcher. The lack of staff and training in the handling and maintenance archival materials further limits access to useful information.9 Grand Lodge histories are of variable quality and until recently did not provide adequate citations to primary documents. Joseph Jackson’s history of Masonry in Alabama does include a paragraph relating the 1842 effort by Thomas Chilton and the Committee on Education to establish a “Masonic Public School”.10 This school of “high literary character” would serve as a boarding school for the destitute orphans and was the first time Masons of Alabama considered the development of a Masonic Home and Orphanage.

The Vaughan-Smitherman Museum

maintained their historic denominational affiliation. Four others that were initially private, religiously based schools are now state supported universities. Even today, one-half of Alabama’s four-year colleges are private and only two do not have a denominational affiliation.5

Photo: Vaughan-Smitherman Museum

“We would go prepared, to say to the little sufferer; weep not! Death has indeed buried all your hopes in the grave of a father - and the tempest of adversity howls around you; yet look up and rejoice - we will be to you as father; - we are your friends, and have provided for you, a home, where the helpless orphan may safely rest!” 11 The possibility of creating this school continued to be discussed at the Grand Lodge sessions until 1853, but no action was taken. The concept of a Masonic Home would continue to be a topic of discussion in the closing years of the nineteenth century with the first positive vote occurring in 1906. The first children entered the home in 1913, however it did not include a school.

In addition to these surviving colleges the The Diploma of Martha F. Joiner, first graduate demand for educational opportunities of the Central Masonic Institute in Selma. Notice beyond primary schools and tutors that the school “Masonic University” was not officially changed until 1852. spurred the creation of numerous seminaries, institutes, colleges and universities. The 1840s and 50s marked a period of rapid growth in the population and wealth of Alabama and during these years there was While failing to act at the state level, local lodges and individual intense state-wide interest in the creation of “honors level” education. Masons did respond to the need to provide quality education. During While the majority (and most long-lasting) efforts were the product of the twenty years prior to the American Civil War there are five known religious associations, there are frequent references to local associations Alabama colleges with Masonic connections. These schools were 12 establishing schools that appear to have been started by a collection located in Auburn, Dadeville, Talladega, Eufaula, and Selma. of “concerned citizens.” Perhaps a significant portion of these schools reflect a common, but informal connection among their founders and Auburn Masonic Female College trustees. At times, these connections may have been religious while in Perhaps Auburn’s Masonic College is the best known of Alabama’s other circumstances these men may have been connected by the bonds “Masonic colleges” because the school’s chapel, which was the largest auditorium in east Alabama, was moved to the Auburn University of fraternity.6 campus in 1889. The remodeled building was renamed Langdon Direct fraternal involvement is a simpler relationship to demonstrate. Hall and continues to serve the educational needs of Alabama into The most obvious cases are when the word “Masonic” is contained the twenty-first century. While there were educational opportunities in the school’s name. “Auburn Masonic Female College,” “Dadeville for young men in the Auburn area, none existed for girls in 1840s. Masonic Seminary,” and Selma’s “Central Masonic Institute,” have Nathaniel Scott convinced Auburn Lodge No. 76 of this need and unmistakable fraternal ties. Less obvious are the “East Alabama Female in 1853 a state charter for the school was granted by the legislature. Institute” and “Union Female College.” The term “seminary,” while Scott was later instrumental in having the Methodists charter the East 13 not having an exact definition, tended to indicate a higher grade of Alabama Male College from which Auburn University traces its roots. schooling and was generally equal to the term “college.” Institutes could have included a range of curricula that approximate the courses found Dadeville Masonic Seminary in modern high schools, college preparatory schools or junior colleges. This school may be typical of many of the colleges sponsored by Freemasons in that little information is readily available about its Some also awarded degrees.7 operation. Located in Tallapoosa County near the site of the 1813 Battle The advent of computer search engines such as Google and JSTOR of Horseshoe Bend, this school for girls was identified as being “under has allowed researchers to locate Masonic connections that appear in control of Tohopeka Lodge No. 71 and Chapter No. 45, of Dadeville.” 14 a variety of sources which in the past would have been overlooked. Chartered in 1852, it was considered to be a “regular college.” AUTUMN 2013 • 19

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Photo: Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind

Central Masonic Institute/Masonic University Selma was a prime example of “cotton fever” that swept through antebellum Alabama. The rapid increase in the wealth of the planters, factors, and merchants involved in the growing, transporting and marketing of cotton is evident in the many fine examples of antebellum architecture that grace this city. Here, as in other southern cities and towns, was a concern over the advanced education of the sons and daughters of Selma’s leading families. In 1838 it was determined “That it is expedient and proper at this time to erect and establish an Academy in the town of Selma, for the education of females.” After a public meeting a committee was formed and was directed to investigate “erecting a Female Academy in connection with an Episcopal Church.”17 While it is unclear what developed from this committee, either the same or a parallel effort resulted in the creation of the “Ladies’ Educational Society of Selma.” Incorporated in 1839, its goal was the creation of schools. Once established, the operation of Dallas Academy was transferred to an all male board of trustees.18 This academy began operation in the 1839 and was highly regarded and continued in operation well after the Civil War.

The East Alabama Masonic Female Institute in Talladega was purchased by the state of Alabama to become the Alabama Institution for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. Illustration is from their 1870 annual report.

East Alabama Female Institute The need for schooling for young women in Talladega dates back to 1836 when the Talladega Academy was chartered. In 1850 the cornerstone for the “East Alabama Female Institute” was laid by the Masonic lodge which organized the school for “high grade” education of girls. After three years of operation, the school was sold to the Alabama Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, but this organization also failed to develop an enduring program. Although the school was closed in 1858, it was immediately rented for the purpose of opening a school for the deaf. Within two years the state of Alabama purchased the property and established the forerunner of today’s Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind.15 Now known as Manning Hall on the campus of the Alabama School for the Deaf, the legacy of this Masonic school continues as the administrative offices for AIDB and the AIDB Foundation, the AIDB archives and the Warren Museum. Union Female College In 1853 three organizations joined forces to establish a nonsectarian school of higher education for women. Chartered by the Masons, Odd Fellows and Sons of Temperance in Eufaula, this college began to experience a decline in the 1870s and ceased operations in 1905. By that time the Sons of Temperance was defunct and their share of the control of the school had been passed to the City of Eufaula. Around that same time, Brenau College-Conservatory (now Brenau University) was seeking to establish branch campuses and the Union Female College facilities were offered free of charge with a lease for ten years. Unfortunately “Alabama Brenau” never thrived and ceased operations after a few years.16

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The ladies continued to work on behalf of the education of women. In his detailed 1879 history of Selma, John Hardy acknowledges that these ladies “did much in the erection of church buildings and establishing schools.” Later he writes, “The society had used every laudable means to raise a fund in connection with the Masonic Order of the town, to erect a female academy.” On St. John’s Day, 1841, Selma Fraternal Lodge formed a procession and marched from the Episcopal Church to the southern terminus of Alabama Avenue where the cornerstone was laid.19 Photo: Auburn University Digital Library

The Chapel of Auburn Masonic Female College after it was moved to the campus of Auburn University in the 1880s.

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Every reference except one gives credit to Selma Fraternal Lodge for the construction and operation of the school that would be named the Central Masonic Institute. The Act of Incorporation, dated February 17, 1848, creates the Central Masonic Institute “for the purposes of educating youth of both sexes” and names “William Hendrix, Grand High Priest of the Royal Arch Chapter of the State of Alabama, and the most worshipful Rufus Green, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of Alabama, and their successors in office” and eleven other

men as Trustees.20 Hendrix served as Grand Master in 1850. Among the other trustees, Nimrod Benson was Grand Master from 1825-27 and John Strong had served as Junior Grand Warden in 1847. The Grand Lodge Trust Fund also supported the Central Masonic Institute with the loan of $2,753.75 in 1851. Additional funds were contributed by Sumter Lodge No. 17. When it surrendered its charter in 1848 the lodge donated its entire treasury to the school.21 It appears that the Institute began as a program for girls and later added a “Male Department.” This explains the early references to it being established as a “Female Academy” and its incorporation “for the purposes of educating youth of both sexes.”22 Additional support for the staggered opening of the Female and then Male Departments is provided by the 1851 Catalogue. In the summary of the “Female Department” section shows one hundred and fifty-one young women enrolled. Forty-one are enrolled in the Collegiate Course, seventy in the Academic Course (high school) and thirty-eight in the Primary Course (grammar school). The remaining two women are listed as Resident Graduates. Earlier in the Catalogue, Alumnae are listed with one graduate in 1850 and two in 1851. This indicates that the Female Department began offering college level courses shortly after being chartered in 1848. The copy of the Catalogue, provided by the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum, is missing two pages from the Male Department section. However, there is a listing of students enrolled in the Collegiate Course and the Classical Academic Course. There are only two men in the Collegiate Course and they are in the Freshmen Class. This suggests that the men’s college courses began several years after the school began operation. The Academic Course has forty-five men enrolled. The school also offered a less rigorous English Academic Course for “young gentlemen who may not wish to go through with a regular College course.” A partial list of the third class (English Course) contains twelve students. From this scant information, the size of the English Course appears to be equal or even larger than the Classical Course. There is no information to suggest that the Male Department offered the Primary Course. Nonetheless, the catalogue contains the names of two hundred and seventeen students.23

The location of the antebellum Alabama academies (high schools) and colleges sponsored by the Masonic fraternity.

The future looked bright, and early in 1852 the name was changed to “Masonic University of the State of Alabama.” Unfortunately, the university was not a financial success and even before the tremendous disruption of the Civil War there were signs of failure. Court records detail the Institute being sued by the Camden AUTUMN 2013 • 21

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Republic newspaper for unpaid advertisements and the Grand Lodge found it necessary to sue the school’s trustees in an effort to recover an overdue loan.24 During the Civil War the building was converted to use as a hospital for Confederate soldiers and during reconstruction it served the medical needs of the Freemen’s Bureau. The City of Selma purchased the structure and gave it to Dallas County to serve as the courthouse when the county seat was moved from Cahawba. It served this function from 1868 until a new courthouse was constructed in 1900. During the first years of the twentieth century the building again housed a school. This time it was a military high school operated by the Presbyterian Church. By 1911 it was again a hospital. For fifty years Vaughan Memorial Hospital would serve the citizens of Selma. Presently, the VaughanSmitherman Museum houses a collection of artifacts that describes the many changes witnessed by this building, town and state. The stories of Masonic brotherhood in times of war excite the imagination and record acts of friendship and compassion that stand as tributes to the impact that the fraternity has on the lives of men who have taken their obligations to heart. Yet, stories of equal importance lay silent. Unknown to Masons and the nation is a story of men who devoted their energy and wealth to promote the education of America’s men and women. The story of the Masonic colleges, academies, seminaries and institutes has been relegated to a few brief lines on roadside markers or a quaint factoid of isolated history of a repurposed building.

he four public universities that trace their origins to private schools are: Athens T State University (private female school 1822 – United Methodist 1842), Auburn University (East Alabama Male College 1856 - Methodist Episcopal), University of North Alabama (Le Grange College1830 - Methodist Episcopal), and University of West Alabama (Livingston Female Academy 1835 - Presbyterian).

Carter’s Education and Masonry in Texas includes detailed studies of the Masonic membership of the founders of Texas schools yielded a strong Masonic influence in the creation of those schools. Similar studies in other states may produce similar results.

hristie Anne Farnham, The Education of the Southern Belle: higher education and student C socialization in the antebellum South, New York NY: New York University Press, 1994, 65; David Mathews, Why Public Schools/ Whose Public Schools? What Early Communities Have to Tell Us (Montgomery, AL: NewSouth Books, 2003) 60-61.

“ List of Colleges and Universities the have Closed, Merged or Changed their Names,” accessed November 12, 2013, http://www2.westminster-mo.edu/wc_ users/homepages/staff/brownr/ClosedCollegeIndex.htm.

9 This was a major topic of discussion among participants at the September 2013 Quarry Project, sponsored by The Masonic Society, Masonic Museum and Library Association and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. 10

J oseph A. Jackson, Masonry in Alabama: A Sesquicentennial History, 1821-1971, Brown Printing: Montgomery, AL, 1970, 54.

rand Lodge of Alabama, Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons G of Alabama Annual Communication, December 1842, M. D. J. Slade: Tuskaloosa, AL, 1842, 12-16.

ther schools were started with the help of Masons but they do not appear to O have operated as colleges. Examples include schools located at Daleville, Dayton, Glennville and Oak Bowery.

alph B. Draughon, Delos D. Hughes, and Ann B. Pearson, Lost Auburn: A Vilage R Remembered in Period Photographs, Montgomery, AL: NewSouth Books, 2012, 48-49.

I . M. E. Blandin, History of Higher Education of Women in the South Prior to 1860, New York, NY: The Neale Publishing Co., 1909, 118. The lodge was named after the Creek village at Horseshoe Bend, moved and renamed Dudleyville and then renamed Dadeville when it returned to that location.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Wayne Sirmon PM, 33° is a member of Mobile Masonic Lodge No. 40. A Past Master of the Texas Lodge of Research, Sirmon was the charter President of the National Association of Masonic Scouters. He is a Lecturer in History at the University of Mobile and is the Chairman of the History Museum of Mobile Board. For eight years he served the Grand Lodge of Alabama as the Chairman of the Masonic Education Committee.

Blandin, 110-112.

Across the southern states it was the fraternity of Freemasons that sought to provide non-sectarian education of “high grade” to the young men and women. The devastations of war destroyed the majority of these efforts, but nonetheless they stand as moments of Freemasonry’s struggle against ignorance and superstition; a demonstration that these men valued the liberal arts and strove to build a better world.

16 B landin, at-135/.

77-79.

http://window.brenau.edu/articles/exceedingly-rare-brenau-

John Hardy, Selma, Her Institutions and Her Men, Selma, AL: Times Book and Job Office, 1879, 26.

Farnham, 56.

Hardy 34, 40.

cts Passed at the first biennial session of the General Assembly of the State of Alabama begun A and held in the City of Montgomery on the first Monday in December, 1847, Montgomery, AL: McCormick and Walshe, Printers, 1848, 61.

1 James D. Carter, Education and Masonry in Texas to 1846, Waco TX: Grand Lodge of Texas, 1963, and Education and Masonry in Texas 1846 to 1861, Waco TX: Grand Lodge of Texas, 1964, 596.

rand Lodge of Alabama, Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of the State of Alabama G Convened in the city of Montgomery, December, 1848, Montgomery, AL: McCormick and Brittan Printers, 1849, 14.

Sidney Kase, “Freemasonry and Public Education,” Short Talk Bulletin, Nov 1990.

Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Alabama, 1848, No. 13 (February 17, 1848).

loyd J. Bumgardner, “The Educational Legacy of Somerset Lodge No. 111,” The C Scottish Rite Journal, March-April, 2010.

atalogue of the Officers and Pupils of the Central Masonic Institute, Selma, AL: Reporter C Print, 1851.

dgar W. Knight, Ed. A Documentary History of Education in the South Before 1860, E Vol. 5, Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1949, 141-143, 340349.

eport of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Alabama, Vol. 35, R Montgomery, AL: Barrett, Wimbish & Co., 1860, 608-609; Report of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Alabama, Vol. 36, Montgomery, AL: Barrett, Wimbish & Co., 1861, 313-319.

NOTES

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ESOTERICA

The Rosicrucian Tradition and its Orders By Kennyo Ismail, MMS

osicrucianism is traditionally thought to have been developed in Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz who would have lived in the fifteenth century and who supposedly promulgated the basic Rosicrucian doctrines.1 These traditions comprise the original Rosicrucian literature, published for the first time in Europe in the early seventeenth century. Fama Fraternitatis and Confessio Fraternitatis are the two principle texts of Rosicrucianism, anonymously published around 1610 and 1615, respectively, in Germany.2

The Fama Fraternitatis describes the foundation and history of Christian Rosenkreutz a legendary or maybe allegorical character. Searching for knowledge Frater C.R.C.3 undertakes a journey to the Middle East, meeting sages and mystics (possibly Sufi and Zoroastrian masters),

learning esoteric teachings and developing healing powers. On his return to Europe, his discoveries were rejected by religious authorities and academics, leading him to form a restricted fraternity, the Order of the Rose Cross, which members were known as Rosicrucians. The book also describes the work done by its disciples and the discovery of Rosenkreutz’s hidden tomb. Confessio Fraternitatis deepens Rose Cross thoughts and proposes a reformation plan for the World with the creation of an invisible community named “Spiritus Sancti” where the Order may grow in secrecy. Focusing on personal development, the publication caused an instantaneous response from intellectual groups in Europe, and many attempted to contact the members of the secret order. The first historically-known members, whose efforts were to change the Rosicrucian knowledge into a study system, were Scottish Freemasons, through the Societas Rosicruciana. 4 The occultist literature indicates that the Rosicrucian Masons remained alone in this pathway for at least eighty-eight years. After that, many other Orders based on the Rosicrucian traditions developed, many of them by Freemasons. This article is an overview of the most prominent Rosicrucian Orders, and although it is by no means exhaustive, it is intended as a research guide for scholars who wish to explore the interconnectivity of the various Orders. Societas Rosicruciana – the Freemasonic Rose Cross: This society, restricted to Master Masons first appeared in Scotland in 1800. Today it is present in Scotland, England, USA, Canada, Ireland, Portugal, France, and Brazil. Its teachings are based on the Fama Fraternitatis and Confessio Fraternitatis. Next is a brief summary of the two most representative Societas in number of members:

Genealogy of the Rosicrucian Orders. By Kennyo Ismail

Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia – SRIA: It was founded in London between 1865 and 1867 by Robert Wentworth Little, a Freemason, who had been initiated at Societas Rosicruciana in Scotia. Many famous occultists from the nineteenth century were members: John Yarker, Paschal Bervely Randolph, Arthur Edward Waite, William Wynn Westcott, Eliphas Levi, Theodor Reuss, Frederick Hockley and William Carpenter, among many others.5 It was through SRIA that the Societas Rosicruciana in Canada has its origins. AUTUMN 2013 • 23

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Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis – SRICF: Founded in Pennsylvania in 1880 under the auspices of Societas Rosicruciana in Scotia. Its current headquarters is in Washington, DC. The Societas in USA maintains strong ties with Societas from Scotland, England and Canada, and promotes the strengthening of the Rosicrucian cause in other countries, notably Brazil. Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn: Founded by three Master Masons from the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia: William Wynn Westcott, Samuel MacGregor Mathers and William Robert.6 Created in 1888, it soon spread to France, Scotland, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. The Order promoted studies on the Kabbalah, alchemy, symbolism, astrology and tarot.7 It did not take long for the Order to become popular among the scholars of that time. 8 Its popularity was enormous between 1892 and 1896. In 1897, the Golden Dawn started to collapse; Westcott, a government coroner, succumbed to pressure to abandon the order due to concerns that a Crown Coroner was associated with an occultist entity. In the meantime, Mathers realized that the path was clear to take over the Order, and thereafter many conflicts started to occur. The situation got worse with the arrival of Aleister Crowley. Shortly after his admission, Crowley demanded his entrance to the Inner Circle that commanded the Order. He became acquainted with Mathers, who gave him authority over the Lodges in England.9 This led to an uprising of the English members that expelled Mathers and Crowley from the Order in 1900. William Butler Yeats, who would become a Nobel laureate in Literature a few years later, became the leader of the Order but renounced the post in less than a year.10 Its momentum spent, the Golden Dawn steadily lost members until it finally disappeared in 1915. Rosicrucian Order of Alpha and Omega – ROAO: An Order created in 1900 by Samuel Mathers after his expulsion of the Golden Dawn.11 Mathers promoted a scission in Golden Dawn, carrying with him a loyal group that gave birth to ROAO. One of its most famous members was Dion Fortune, but she ended up being expelled from the Order after many discussions and disagreements with Mathers. Samuel Mathers managed to keep the ORAO up and running until his death, in 1918. His wife, Moina Mathers, assumed his position until she passed away, in 1928.12 Stella Matutina: The also known as the “Mystic Rose,” this group originated from one of the dismemberments of the Golden Dawn in 1900, but unlike the Rosicrucian Order of Alfa and Omega – which was loyal to Mathers, the Stella Matutina was composed of those against Mathers.13 The Order’s focus, besides 24 24 • •SPRING AUTUMN 2013 2013

knowledge (a heritage from Golden Dawn), was the development of the skill of astral projection. Its efforts lasted until 1939, when the “Morning Star” finally succumbed. Ordre Kabbalistique de la Roise Croix – OKRC: The Kabbalistic Order of the Rose Cross was founded in Paris in 1888 by Stanislas de Guaita.14 The command was formed by a council of twelve members, six of them were “unknown” to ensure the survival of the Order in case of general failure of the others. The OKRC attracted attention of several occultists of its time, such as Papus (Gérard Encausse), François Barlet, Joséphin Péladan and Spencer Lewis.15 The teachings of the Order embraced tarot, astrology, alchemy, theurgy, numerology, and Kabbalah. This group still survives, and most of the teachings of the OKRC are directed to Kabbalah.16 Order of Catholic Rose Cross – CRC: It was founded by Joséphin Péladan in Paris in 1890. Péladan was co-founder of the OKRC, but claiming to have received from his older brother Adrian a different initiation lineage of Rose-Cross, took another way from Stanislas de Guaita. Aside from its esoteric studies, the Order focused on science, culture, music, theater and the arts in general.17 He died in 1918 and his disciples tried to divide the Order among them. The only one that succeeded was Emile Dantinne, with the OARC. Ordo Aureae & Rosae Crucis – OARC: Created by a Belgium disciple of Péladan, Emile Dantinne, in 1923.18 He divided it into three parts: Rose-Croix Universitaire, Rose-Croix Universelle and Rose-Croix Interioure. It was composed of a twenty two degrees system, in which the last degree was the “Emperor.” Harvey Spencer Lewis, the founder of the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (see below) and his son, Ralph Maxwell Lewis, received the title of Emperor by Dantinne’s himself in Europe.19 This is evidence of a friendly relationship between the OARC and the AMORC. The OARC still exists in Europe through several small groups that operate discreetly. Ordo Templi Orientis – OTO: This society had its origins in 1895 apparently by Carl Kellner, Henry Klein, Theodor Reuss, and Franz Hartmann. The OTO followed Rosicrucian traditions during the period that Reuss and Hartmann participated. There is even a letter from Reuss addressed to Harvey Spencer Lewis, dated 1921, in which he explains the Rosicrucian roots of the OTO.20 Lewis joined the OTO after Reuss invitation and quit the order when Crowley assumed its leadership in 1924. Many groups broke away of the OTO during the Crowley administration, which modified the content and structure of the Order giving a more thelemic aspect.

Official emblem of the Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis (USA).

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Several strands emerged after Crowley’s era presenting themselves as the legitimate OTO. The most successful was the one headquartered in New York which has operated the Order internationally. It was founded by Grady Louis McMurtry in 1979 when the “Agape” Lodge was revitalized that once it had its works in California and was directly linked to the original OTO. An interesting fact is that McMurtry’s OTO faced a legal dispute over the rights to rule the administration and the copyrights of its literary materials. Its opponent was a Brazilian Order called SOTO – Societas Ordo Templi Orientis, founded in 1962, and administrated by Marcelo Ramos Motta, who claimed to be the legitimate successor of Crowley.21 Marcelo Motta was the first thelemic promoter in Brazil and was Paulo Coelho’s esoteric leader.22 McMurtry’s OTO won in court and has the rights to keep using its name and publishing the Order’s works. Pansophicum Collegium – PC: Founded by Heinrich Tranker in 1921. He was the leader of the German branch of the OTO during the leadership of Reuss and rebelled himself when Crowley took over.23 Nowadays the PC consider themselves as the only owners of the true secrets of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood. Between 1921 and 1931 the PC partnered with the AMORC. During this period, a group of members from the PC unhappy with the Orders’ directions founded the Fraternitas Saturni – FS, with their vision even further into Thelema. Both the orders PC and FS still exist. Fraternitas Saturni – FS: Created in Germany by dissidents of the Pansophicum Collegium - PC in 1928 under the leadership of Gregor Gregorius.24 This group specialized in The Temple of the Rosy Cross. By Daniel Mögling, in 1618, with the pseudonym Teophilus Thelema and was inspired by the Scottish Rite Schweighardt Constantiens. It illustrates the temple described in the Confessio Fraternitatis. to create its own thirty-three degree system. In 1936, the Nazi government outlawed the which vanished in many countries, now being active only in Brazil and FS and Gregorius fled Germany to avoid being arrested. With the end a few other places. of Nazism, Gregorius returned to Germany and reestablished the FS, promoting several internal reforms. Fraternitas Rosae Crucis – FRC: Founded in Pennsylvania in 1920 Fraternitas Rosicruciana Antiqua – FRA: Founded by the German Henrich Arnold Krumm-Heller in Mexico in 1927, though its headquarters initially operated in Germany.25 Krumm-Heller was a member of the OTO and received orders from Reuss to collaborate with the expansion of the OTO in Latin America, but he decided to create his own Order instead. FRA was successful in the Latin American countries and even expanded to Spain and Australia, but with smaller results. Krumm-Heller neither formed new leaderships nor nominated a successor, so, after his death, the FRA started to operate under local leaderships, without an international unity. In many countries the FRA has joined the FRC to be able to survive. This weakened the institution,

by Reuben Clymer who argued to continue the work of Paschal Beverly Randolph.26 Actually, Clymer bought some archives and notes from Randolph through his widow. This Order dedicated much time and effort on the attempt to debunk the AMORC and its founder, HS Lewis.27 Randolph’s family rejected the affirmations that Clymer possessed all of Randolph’s knowledge, which had a great impact in the Order. In any event, Clymer stood as a source for many other occultists at the time, such as Krumm-Heller, founder of the FRA. In many countries the FRC and FRA amalgamated. Rosicrucian Fellowship: Also known as the Mystic Christians Association, or, simply, the Rose Cross Brotherhood, this group was AUTUMN 2013 • 25

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established in the USA by Max Heindel, in 1909.28 It is one of the few institutions that, instead of proclaiming itself a direct descendent and legitimate heir of the first Rosicrucian order, it claimed inspiration instead from the original Rosicrucian brotherhood. Instead of lodges, its members call the meeting place churches. In fact, it is a more adequate term, because the society is closer to a religion than to an order.29 Its headquarters is based in California. Lectorium Rosicrucianum: Also known as International School of the Aurea Rose Cross. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1924 by Wim Leene, Jan Leene and Henriette Stok-Huizer as the Dutch segment of the Rosicrucian Fellowship and became a separate institution, working independently, in 1936. The name “Lectorium Rosicrucianum” was adopted in 1945. With the death of Wim Leene in 1938, the Order came to be governed simultaneously by the two remaining founders,

each sharing the title of Grand Master. After the death of Jan Leene in 1968, the Order was instead governed by a collegiate of thirteen members. The Order has over 15,000 members and is spread over in thirty-six countries, including many countries in Europe, South America, North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.30 Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis – AMORC: One of the most recognized Rosicrucian orders, AMORC was founded by Harvey Spencer Lewis in 1915 in the USA.31 He declared that he had been initiated in Toulouse in 1909, and also claimed that AMORC was the only legitimate heir of the Rose Cross, based on studies developed by Masonic historian Dr. Julius Friedrich Sachse pointing that a Rosicrucian expedition in 1694 established a colony in Pennsylvania. As a growth and legitimacy strategy Lewis incorporated to the AMORC several small, but ancient Rosicrucian Bodies from whole Europe. It became possible through financial and other material support that the American AMORC provided to those willing to be incorporated. Despite that, AMORC’s greatest development happened when H.S. Lewis’ son, Ralph Maxwell Lewis, took his father’s place. Ralph created both the systems of mail instructions, and home initiations, and he also reduced the amount of Theurgy in his materials, focusing on the Mystic-Esoteric. The initiation rituals seem to be very influenced by Masonry, especially at the Memphis-Misraim Rite. Through its work, AMORC expanded to many countries, including the creation of the Grand Lodge AMORC of the Portuguese language. Ralph Maxwell Lewis’ mistake was not having prepared a successor, as well as not establishing a board truly capable of continuing his work. After his death, Gary Stewart took his place in 1987 as Imperator, but remained only three years as head of the AMORC, before a financial scandal embroiled the order. Following a three year court battle, Stewart was exonerated of charges of misappropriation of funds, and came to an agreement with the order. Stewart was succeeded by Christian Bernard in 1990.32 AMORC keeps an attached order: the Traditional Martinist Order – TMO. AMORC’s Imperator is also the highest chief of MTO, and to become a member of MTO one needs to be a regular member of AMORC.

The Hermetic Rose Cross. By Samuel Mathers, in 1887. Symbol commonly linked to the Golden Dawn, it is the most famous rose-cross model and subject of study in almost all Rosicrucians Orders. 26 • AUTUMN 2013

Antiquos Arcanus Ordo Rosae Rubae et Aureae Crucis – AAORRAC: Founded in Austria by Edward Munninger, it was a schism from the German jurisdiction of the AMORC that happened in 1952. They have adopted AMORC’s original name as a strategy to imply to the Order a sense of seniority that it, in fact, did not possess. AAORRAC’s teachings are mainly based on AMORC studies, and they

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have also been accused of unduly appropriate AMORC and OTO’s materials without any authorization. Its current headquarters is located in Austria.33

•

Mysticism: studies and practices that allow direct communion between man and the Divine without intermediaries or restrictions from any closed theological system;

Antient Rosae Crucis – ARC: This group was founded in 1990 by dissidents from the AMORC in the USA due to the Gary Stewart administration scandals. This particular group stood beside Stewart and against the AMORC, and begged him to become their Imperator. Its materials are based on those of the AMORC from the 1950s.34

•

Theosophy: a system comprising the harmonized interpretation of philosophical, religious and scientific principles.

Confraternity of the Rose Cross – CR+C: Founded by AMORC’s exImperator, Gary Stewart, as an alternative after the court incident. It operates similarly to the AMORC, utilizing material from HS Lewis’ period and prior to the several changes implemented by his son. CR+C works in communion with the OMCE – Ordo Militia Crucifera Evangelica, a Templar inspired Order. CR+C’s content is considered by many as the most faithful to the concepts of the Modern Rose Cross.35 Order of the Temple of the Rosy Cross – OTRC: Founded in London in 1912 by two women and a man: Annie Besant, Marie Russak and James Ingall Wedgwood. The Order was initially composed by theosophists and members of the co-Masonic Le Droit Humain, who considered themselves as representatives of the Templars and the Rosicrucians. The group disappeared in 1918.36 Corona Fellowship of Rosicrucians – CFR: Created by one of OTRC’s remainders when it was terminated. The members created the “New Rosicrucian Theatre”, in Hampshire, a forum that served as a stage for occultism debates and where several famous occultists appeared, like Gerald Gardner. It seems that this order did not survive through the Second World War.37 Les Freres Aines de la Rose-Croix – FARC: This institution claims that they were founded in 1316, a few years after the end of the Templar Order. According to them, some Templar Knights went to Scotland and re-opened their Order as the FARC. However, the FARC was officially created in 1971 by Roger Caro, French alchemist, author of the legend about their Templar origin.38 He served as Grand Master until he died, in 1992. The institution used to focus its studies in alchemy. After Rogers’ death the FARC was dissolved according to Rogers’ wishes. CONCLUSIONS: This study allows us to identify six distinct Rosicrucian elements. In order to obtain a better organization, these strands were named regarding the doctrinarian characteristics that distinguish them: Hermetic, Kabalistic, Thelemic, Gnostic , Mystique and Theosophical. A brief description of each strand may be done as follows39: • • • •

Hermeticism: the study and practice of the occult philosophy whose author is Hermes Trismegistus; Kabala: Jewish esotericism whose objective is to provide connections between matter and spirit; Thelema: it is philosophy based on love and will, based on its own “Book of the Law;” Gnosis: This regards to the search of spiritual and divine knowledge through feelings and personal intuitive experiences;

This research allowed us to realize an important finding, the close and collaborative relationship among the main leaders responsible for the dissemination of the Rosicrucian tradition during the end of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries: Clymer, Crowley, Eliphas Lévi, Guaita, Krumm-Heller, Mathers, Papus, Péladan, Reuss and Spencer Lewis. Despite a few clatters that occurred between some of these personalities, like Clymer and Lewis, history shows that it was common for the leaders of some Orders to be member of others, to sign manifestos together, to exchange titles and charters. Some Orders used to work together. This indicates that, despite personal and institutional interests, the diffusion of common Rosicrucian knowledge was generally treated as a priority. Another evidence of this synergic intention was the Papus’ initiative which received association of many of these leaders, the creation of the FUDOSI – Federatio Universalis Dirigen Ordines Societatesque Initiationis40, a global association for esoteric societies, most of which Rosicrucian. The first step towards this goal occurred in 1908. However, many of those several organizations’ leaders did not share a mutual respect feeling, which lead the FUDOSI to end its activities in 1951. It is also interesting to observe that the most popular and respected names of the occultism, like Eliphas Lévi, Papus, Stanislas de Guaita and, the most polemic of them, Aleister Crowley, were all adepts of the Rosicrucian tradition and were engaged in its cause. It is definitely a strong evidence of the importance and credibility that the Rosicrucian Tradition possessed among occultists. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kennyo Ismail, MMS, is Past Master of the Lotus Flower Lodge No. 38 – Masonic Grand Lodge of the Federal District (Brazil). He is also a member of the Arcanum Arcanorum College of the Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis; High Priest of Fredericksburg Chapter No. 16 of Royal Arch Masons of Brazil; and Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Brazil. NOTES

1 Rudolf Steiner, Christian Rosicrucianism and Modern Initiation (Great Barrington, MA: Anthroposophic Press, 2000), 83-84. 2

rances Amelia Yates, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment (London: Routledge, 1972), F 59-62.

3 Frater is the Latin designation for Brother. CRC is the abbreviation for Christian Rosenkreutz (or Christian Rosycross in English), first disclosed only on ‘Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz’, when published in Strasbourg in 1616. 4

illiam Wynn Westcott, The Rosicrucians, Past and Present, at Home and Abroad W (Pomeroy, WA: Health Research, 1966), 378.

eo Paijmans, Free Energy Pioneer: John Worrell Keely (Kempton, IL: Illuminet Th Press, 1998), 242.

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osemary Ellen Guiley, The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy (Ed. Facts On R File, 2006), 136.

hristopher McIntosh, The Rosicrucians: The History, Mythology, and Rituals of C an Esoteric Order (Boston, MA: Samuel Weiser, 1997), 100.

S tephen E. Flowers, The Fraternitas Saturni Or Brotherhood Of Saturn: An Introduction To Its History, Philosophy And Rituals (Runa-Raven Press, 2006), 55.

Peter-Robert Konig, Ein leben für die rose (München: ARW, 1995), 9-13.

S usanna Akerman, “Rose Cross Over the Baltic: The Spread of Rosicrucianism in Northern Europe” Brill’s Studies in Intellectual History, Vol. 87 (1998): 6.

aschal Beverly Randolph and R. Swinburne Clymer, Ravalette: The Rosicrucian’s P Story (Quakertown, PA: Philosophical Publishing Company, 1939).

llic Howe, The Magicians of the Golden Dawn: A Documentary History of a E Magical Order: 1887-1923 (London: The Aquarian Press, 1985), 242.

Ibid, 285.

. Swinburne Clymer, The Rosicrucian Fraternity in America: Authentic and R Spurious Organizations (Quakertown: The Rosicrucian Foundation, 1935), 11920.

hic Cicero et al., The Essential Golden Dawn: An Introduction to High Magic C (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Worldwide, 2003), 62.

Ibid, 63.

28 M ax Heindel, The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception or Mystic Christianity (Oceanside, CA: Mount Ecclesia, Inc., 2012), 530. 29

. Spencer Lewis, Rosicrucian Questions and Answers with Complete History of H the Rosicrucian Order. (Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2004), 157.

I srael Regardie, The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Worldwide, 2003), 272.

assimo Introvigne, “Lectorium Rosicrucianum: A Dutch Movement Becomes M International, CESNUR 97 International Conference, Free University of Amsterdam (1997): 1-22.

S usanna Akerman, “Rose Cross Over the Baltic: The Spread of Rosicrucianism in Northern Europe” Brill’s Studies in Intellectual History, Vol. 87 (1998): 6.

osemary Ellen Guiley, The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy (Ed. Facts On R File, 2006), 277.

Christopher McIntosh, The Rosicrucians: The History, Mythology, and Rituals of an Esoteric Order (Boston, MA: Samuel Weiser, 1997), 93-94.

Vide: http://www.okrc.org/

J ohn Michael Greer, Secrets of the Lost Symbol: The Unauthorized Guide to Secret Societies, Hidden Symbols and Mysticism (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., 2009), 13.

aria E. Di Pasquale, “Joséphin Péladan: Occultism, Catholicism, and Science in M the Fin de Siècle”, Canadian Art Review, Vol. 34, No. 1 (2009): 53-61.

arald Lamprecht: Neue Rosenkreuzer. Ein Handbuch. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, H Göttingen 2004

lvin Sen Evanger. “Manifestations of the Neo-Rosicrucian Current”. The Alchemy A Web Site, http://www.levity.com/alchemy/alvin.html.

alph Maxwell Lewis, Master of the Rose Cross: A Collection of Essays By and R About Harvey Spencer Lewis (AMORC, Inc., 2009).

onfraternity of the Rose Cross – CR+C, Official Website: http://www.crcsite.org/ C crc.htm.

artin P. Starr, The Unknown God: W. T. Smith and the Thelemites (Bolingbrook, M Illinois: The Teitan Pres, Inc., 2003), 112.

lexandra Heidle & Jan A. M. Snoek, Women’s Agency and Rituals in Mixed and A Female Masonic Orders (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill NV, 2008), 366-67.

J ames R. Lewis, Witchcraft today: an Encyclopedia of Wiccan and Neopagan Traditions (Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1999), 221.

hristopher McIntosh, The Rosicrucians: The History, Mythology, and Rituals of C an Esoteric Order (Boston, MA: Samuel Weiser, 1997), 133.

aulo Coelho is a Brazilian writer and one of the most widely read authors in the P world today. His most famous books follow esoteric subjects as The Pilgrimage, The Alchemist, Brida.

oger Caro, Legenda des Frères aînés de la Rose Croix (Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, France: R Ed. chez l’auteur, 1970).

bout these strands and related issues, see: Nevill Drury, The Dictionary of the A Esoteric (London: Watkins Publishing, 2002).

. Spencer Lewis, Rosicrucian Questions and Answers with Complete History of H the Rosicrucian Order. (Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2004), 150.

aja D’Aoust and Adam Parfrey, The Secret Source (Los Angeles, CA: Process M Media, 2007), 56.

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What Isn’t Traditional Observance? by Cliff Porter, FMS

ne of the unintended consequences of creating a label such as Traditional Observance is the reaction or perceptions of the label itself. European Concept, Traditional Observance, Observant Masonry, and the like were all born of a Masons or group of Mason’s desire to communicate they have found a way of practicing their Masonry that encapsulated the fulfilling Masonic experience. More than that, they wanted to share this with others.

is deemed important enough to strive for perfection. Progressive lines are generally deplored; education and philosophy are lauded. Practices considered detrimental to the Masonic experience are discouraged; practices that increase men’s happiness, fulfillment, and excitement are encouraged. Historically defensible traditions have been reinstated and membership-driven practices have been removed.

The real power of a label lies not with the user or the creator, but the receiver. European concept caused some to reject the word European. The American mindset was uncomfortable declaring something more fulfilling purely on its associations with another continent. Traditional Observance caused some to reject the word traditional while others feared that it was secretly a new rite intended to overthrow grand lodges.

There is irony in labeling Traditional Observance elitist. Most, if not all lodges practicing some level of Traditional Observance are excited about their lodges. Likewise, they are excited to share the lodge experience. They are visited often, encourage men from all over to come and share their particular approach to Masonry, and provide free- or low-cost speakers from all over the world so that members and non-members alike might have access to them.

Collectively, these groups are sometimes labeled as elitist. Why? Because they charge higher than minimal dues, dress in uniform for the celebration of Masonry, follow a strict decorum of reverence in lodge and conviviality at dining. The dining is fine dining. The ritual work

The irony is in the actions of those leveling the accusation of elitist. Their lodges are often shrinking in size instead of growing and sharing. They abhor any changes and require strict adherence to their particular practices and would exclude from lodge and the Craft those who

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disagree. That, in action, is much more elitist than any Traditional Observance lodge whose members choose to wear their Sunday best to meetings. It is not uncommon to hear some brethren rail against Traditional Observance while declaring proudly their wardrobe of jeans in lodge and their dislike of all things “best practices.” Traditional Observance is often derided, despite its critics favoring widespread and uncritical acceptance of all manner of Masonic clubs and groups no matter how divergent from Masonic principles. Yet, it is within Traditional Observance lodges that men dine together instead of sitting in cliques. It is within Traditional Observance lodges that we find men striving to improve, allowing for several different approaches and themes, and celebrating those things that enrich rather than deflate. If I wear jeans to lodge, sit in cliquish groups to dine, declare those with whom I disagree as uneducated, elitist, or at worst crazy; aren’t I the one being elitist? William Leslie Wilmshurst wrote in the 1920’s, “For real initiation means an expansion of consciousness from the human to the divine level.” The work of Traditional Observance is to celebrate this awesome undertaking with an emphasis on excellence in approach. Those who work within Traditional Observance lodges tend to focus the lodge’s energies on enriching and fulfilling the membership already within the doors, rather than worrying about the men who have not joined or may never do so. There is an additional irony to the one already identified. Traditional Observance lodges often suffer from the effects so often sought by their detractors. They average high attendance. Some have so many visitors that they exceed 100% in attendance, others boast waiting list to get in, never losing an Entered Apprentice, never having members dropped for NPD, and forgoing the progressive line for active competition among the men to prove they are ready for leadership positions. It’s not about filling chairs, it’s about selecting the best qualified to lead from a group of men desiring the position.

Traditional Observance , best practices, European Concept, Observant Masonry , and labels like them have little to do with reading minutes, collecting degrees, or the creation of a tri-fold membership brochure. Nonetheless, there is not a single ounce of the philosophy that would recommend that a man should be forced to practice a particular kind of Freemasonry. If a man is enriched by a lodge whose focus is social more than philosophical, then this is the lodge for him. If a man is enriched by philanthropic pursuits and has found a lodge to match his interest, then this is the lodge for him. If a man believes jeans is the proper uniform for lodge and has found a lodge of good, like-minded men, then the philosophy of Traditional Observance would dictate that we celebrate that a Mason has found a fulfilling experience. In a word, Traditional Observance is the pursuit of excellence in Masonry, a call for men to celebrate their Masonry, and a desire to practice the Craft in a solemn, sincere and most fraternal manner. Let those looking for elitism look elsewhere.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cliff Porter is the Chairman of Masonic Education for the Grand Lodge of Colorado, Hon. Past Grand Lecturer of the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia, Past Master of Enlightenment Lodge 198, and an associate member of the Lodge of Living Stones 4957 in Leeds, England. He is a veteran law enforcement officer and is recognized internationally for his work in the field of subconscious communications. Bro. Porter is the author of The Secret Psychology of Freemasonry (2011). His upcoming book, A Traditional Observance, will be available wherever fine books are sold.

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Looking for Masonic Society hats, shirts, cups, mousepads, Journal back issues and more? Visit our store at www.themasonicsociety.com where you’ll find a growing number of custom items to show your pride in membership!

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IN PRINT

Book Reviews: Current

For the Good of the Order: Examining the Shifting Paradigm within Freemasonry by John Bizzack, PhD

In our time many voices are crying to be heard on the subject of Masonic renewal. John Bizzack’s latest work, For the Good of the Order: Examining the Shifting Paradigm within Freemasonry, is a good place to meet and understand those voices. Bizzack brings together a number of contemporary writers on the subject of the current paradigm, and what may be the emerging paradigm, for Freemasonry. Some are well known (Thomas W. Jackson and Robert G. Davis); others are emerging or lesser known (Richard Graeter). Not only does Bizzack attend to the voices of the current Masonic generation, but he also reaches back to previous generations of Masonic leaders such as Dwight L. Smith and Albert G. Mackey The book argues that Freemasonry is in the midst of a turbulent period of paradigm shift. The voices mentioned above speak into this turbulence and offer guidance for a new Masonic paradigm. At the core of this paradigm shift Bizzack argues that lodges returning to a traditional paradigm of Masonic initiation and education show a way to the future. “Traditional Observance” and “European Concept” lodges are experiencing a Masonic renaissance in attendance and membership. He offers these as an important part of his case. At the core of Bizzack’s argument are a more robust model for Masonic education, a more traditional intiatic process that echoes earlier generations’ Masonic experiences, and a robust fraternalism that offers real fellowship and opportunities for self-improvement. Freemasonry may be smaller on the other side of the paradigm shift, but a quality Masonic experience will produce quality Masons and lodges. Bizzack does a good job of collecting and summarizing the writings that support his model for Masonic renewal. He acknowledges and explores voices that offer a different road: the long-traveled road of lower dues and lower admission requirements (including “one-day classes”). However, Bizzack clearly argues for what he calls a more traditional Masonic fraternalism. The book is a bit uneven in places, and sometimes the material is not arranged in a way that advances the argument. Some of the more interesting observations—Bizzack’s own additions to the debate on Masonic renewal— could use more exploration. For example, the chapter that explains and applies his “broken windows theory,” which he draws from his professional criminal justice experience, is only a few pages long. [Editor’s note: see

Bizzack’s article, “Reframing the Broken Widows Theory,” in this issue.] In addition, the book gives relatively short shrift to the power of social forces to influence the fraternity’s course.

However, if you are interested in the ongoing conversation about Masonic renewal, then this book is worth the effort—whether or not you accept John Bizzack’s conclusions about the best way to a better fraternity.

The Masonic Letter G by Paul Foster Case Few books convey as much wisdom as The Masonic Letter G, and fewer still in the space of only eighty pages. This short work is a profound examination of symbolism and a starting place for many esoteric seekers. Case explains the fundamental truths at the heart of the Masonic mystery in a tone that transcends generations and offers a comfortable read to modern scholars. Paul Foster Case lived as a Freemason, Rosicrucian, and scholar of the ancient mysteries. In this short book, he leaves us a wealth of wisdom in answer to the question of how the letter G is significant in Masonic symbolism. The criticisms of his contemporaries are eloquently addressed as false assumptions, and he backs up his theory with undeniable evidence from biblical sources. The letter G is revealed to be the alphabetical symbol for divinity in English, Greek, and Hebrew, the three principal languages of Freemasonry. Beyond this, the symbol denotes Pythagorean geometry and leads the student toward Hebrew gematria, introduced as the translation of letters and numbers, through symbology, to essential concepts regarding the operation of consciousness. In this way, the common understanding of geometry in Masonry alludes to a kind of higher geometry of the mind. Because of Case’s explanation, modern Masons may think about the symbol and be reminded that as application of physical geometry can build incredible temples, so might the understanding of mental geometry create those temples within. Case states plainly, “The processes whereby a man may so perfect and ripen his own consciousness … that he may have the same direct awareness of his immortal part that was attained by our ancient brethren, are the real secrets of Freemasonry.” The Masonic Letter G marks a definite starting point for dedicated esoteric researchers. As in his other works, such as The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order, Case links the attributes of all spiritual paths and opens the way for a deeper understanding of Masonic philosophy. Reviewed by Scott C. Werner Available in multiple free or low-cost editions MEET THE REVIEWERS: E. Oscar Alleyne is senior warden of Wappingers Lodge No. 671 in Wappingers Falls, New York, and a member of several Masonic research groups. He has an ardent love for Masonic ritual, history, philosophy, and symbology. He holds a doctorate in public health with more than twelve years of experience in applied epidemiology. J. Randolph Clark is a member of Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge No. 2 in Ohio, a past district deputy grand master of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, and an active member of the Ohio Lodge of Research. Kerry D. Kirk is lodge education officer of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22 in Alexandria, Virginia. He holds a BA from Virginia Military Institute and an MBA from the University of Virginia. He is a managing director of the global investment consultancy Cambridge Associates, LLC. Scott C. Werner is a member of Calhoun Lodge No. 792 in Hardin, Illinois. He is an esoteric author, speaker, and researcher.

Reviewed by J. Randolph Clark Autumn House Publishing & Consulting Group (2013), 105 pages Paperback US$22.50

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Book Reviews: Classic

All Men Free and Brethren: Essays on the History of African American Freemasonry by Peter P. Hinks, Stephen Kantrowitz, and Leslie A. Lewis “Prince Hall history is American history.” This phrase perhaps should be set as a foundation for discussion on the topic. Upon learning of the release of All Men Free and Brethren, I expected to be transported to the early years and moments of Prince Hall Masons where, in the authors’ own words, I would be able to delve into the psyche of the men who travailed, traveled, and triumphed in the face of clear adversity under the banner of Freemasonry. This book offered a bit of a twist. It is, in effect, a compendium of essays allowing the reader to plot a course through the history of African American Freemasonry. While the introductory chapter is best described as a lesson on verbosity and grandiloquence, the actual essays that follow touch upon the various social, geopolitical, economic, and religious factors that shaped what the Prince Hall Masonic fraternity became. The first chapter highlights the social and demographic diversity among the first founding initiates. It also reveals how they progressively championed the cause for the abolition of slavery by publicly and successfully engaging legislative and governmental processes. In addition, it describes how complex life was for eighteenth-century African Americans in Massachusetts who embraced Freemasonry with pride while developing their civic duties and responsibilities around equality for their community. The second chapter gives a glimpse into the early expansion of Prince Hall Freemasonry through the continued work of activism by its early leaders, notably John Hilton. This chapter touches on some of the struggles around establishing acceptance and the right to exist to the necessary decision of declaring independence and affirming its regularity and equality. An area of interest to the reader is the mention of other men of color who were already initiated as Masons and were seeking out Prince Hall Freemasonry in order to gain a new home for their practice of the Craft. Also explored are also the almost forgotten close ties between Prince Hall Masons and the early political leaders and Masonic brethren from the independent island nation of Haiti.

The third chapter shifts from New England to Philadelphia and provides a compelling description of the freed African American communities there. There is an interesting twist in the plight of the seafaring men and Masons who later communicated with Prince Hall to form a subordinate lodge. The description of this lodge’s diverse membership reinforces that even then, their Freemasonry cared little for rank, title, or worth but were mindful of current events, as shown by their public march following the death of George Washington. Later chapters highlight shifts in the oratory language of Masonic leaders through time. These shifts are used to gauge the transition from an antislavery perspective to a focus on the interest of African American Masons in equality, democracy, and citizenship. A peek at the controversial formation of the National Grand Lodge around the time period of Reconstruction provides context in an area of current debate among researchers of Prince Hall Freemasonry. The chapters on the undeniable contributions of African American women and the Prince Hall Order of the Eastern Star, as well as the prominent role of the African American church in the expansion and growth of the organization, will give the reader several “ah-ha” moments, as they explain many of the close-knit ties that presently exist due to an historical genetic make-up. The issue of nonrecognition in select areas serves as an epilogue for the closing chapter. It suggests that the impact that Prince Hall members have made over the course of time still remains underscored by the scars from the challenges of legitimacy and the need for the preservation of historical archives for future generations to come. I recommend adding this book to any Masonic library. Reviewed by E. Oscar Alleyne Cornell University Press (2013), 280 pages Hardback US$35

reemasonry and the founding of the United States have been intertwined since the very beginning. Now discover the brotherhood of Freemasons at the center of Dan Brown’s novel, The Lost Symbol. Follow fictional symbologist Robert Langdon’s factual trail through the streets and monuments of Washington D.C., and into the innermost lodge rooms and temples of the Masons. Best-selling author of Solomon’s Builders and Freemasons For Dummies Christopher Hodapp has created the definitive guide to the symbols, legends, and mysteries of The Lost Symbol. Take an insider’s trip to uncover the true stories behind the Freemasons and the nation’s capital, and interpret the clues and claims of Brown’s book. From Masonic presidents, secret codes, and esoteric rituals, to curious cornerstones, monuments, and symbols, Deciphering The Lost Symbol is the only key you need to unlock the secrets and the truth behind Dan Brown’s fiction.

ISBN: 978-1569757739 Ulysses Press. Paperback, 208 pages, US $12.95 34 • AUTUMN 2013

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