The Journal of The Masonic Society, Issue #27 by The Masonic Society

The Journal

Of The Masonic Society

Winter 2015

Issue 27

Winter 2015 THE JOURNAL

Issue 27

FEATURES

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: paper-submissions@themasonicsociety.com Design & layout John A. Bridegroom, FMS - Art Director Advertising Jay Hochberg, FMS - Advertising Director ads@themasonicsociety.com Officers James R. Dillman, President Clayton J. Borne III, 1st Vice President Patrick C. Craddock, 2nd Vice president Nathan C. Brindle, Secretary/Treasurer Christopher L. Hodapp, Editor Emeritus

Moving from the Square to the Compasses: The Masonic uses of the Builder’s Tools by Patrick C. Carr, MMS

The Masonic Relevance of the Four Cardinal Virtues by Christian M. Christensen, MMS

We Have a Problem with the 47th Problem by Brian C. Thomas

Gavels and Contagious Magic by Isaiah Akin

Directors Kenneth W. Davis José O. Díaz Andrew Hammer Aaron Shoemaker Gregg Hall Gregory J. Knott Gord Vokes

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 © 2014 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 8 Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings 9 36 From the Editor 26 The Observant Mason 28 Masonic Collectibles 29 Book Reviews THE COVER: The image gracing our cover is the Fellow Craft tracing board used by the Bavarian Illuminati as revealed in the translated manuscripts recently published in The Secret School of Wisdom: The Authentic Rituals of the Illuminati. This unique text is translated by Jeva SinghAnand, and edited by Josef Wäges and Reinhard Markner and gives a revealing insight into the true nature of the world’s most notorious secret society. WINTER 2015• 3

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

A Great Time to be a Member by James Dillman, FMS

he Masonic Society, the Masonic Library and Museum Association, and the Masonic Information Center are pleased to announce that Phase II of The Quarry Project will be held September 18-20, 2015 in Indianapolis, IN. The conference will be held in a downtown Indianapolis hotel. As this goes to print, we are ready to sign a contract with a hotel and the registration page will be up by the time you receive this issue of the magazine. The Quarry Project is a continuing effort designed to promote Masonic research and preservation by providing instruction and guidance to Masonic writers, researchers, and editors both within and without the fraternity and also to Masonic librarians and museum curators on the display, preservation, and cataloging of Masonic archives. Phase II will feature a third track on Masonic public relations sponsored by the Masonic Information Center, an arm of the Masonic Service Association. The public relations track will address topics such as effective use of social media, publications, and best practices. The format for Phase II will remain basically the same with a few tweaks based on feedback from Phase I attendees. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will begin with a general session featuring a keynote speaker. Attendees will then break out to the instructional sessions of their choice on Friday and Saturday with both days adjourning at approximately 5:00 P.M. Lunch on Friday and Saturday will be included in the registration fee. A banquet will be held on Saturday evening. Sunday will feature a roundtable discussion immediately after the morning keynote address and the conference will adjourn by noon. We invite anyone, Freemason or not, with an interest in these topics to attend the conference. The programs are currently being developed and will be made available as soon as they are complete. Further information will be released as it becomes available. The Quarry Project website is www.thequarryproject.com . In conjunction with The Quarry Project, The Masonic Library and Museum Association will hold their annual meeting prior to this event on Thursday, September 17. Please contact the MLMA for further details on their meeting. Their website is located at www.masoniclibraries.org . One of the presentations offered during Phase I of The Quarry Project addressed a proposed style sheet for Masonic organizations and publications who have never adopted one. The response to the proposal was positive. Kenneth Davis, a member of the TMS Board of Directors, and Brent Morris, Editor of the Scottish Rite Journal, have completed the first draft of the style sheet, which was introduced at Masonic Week 2015. The style sheet is now available on The Quarry Project website, which is linked above. We are encouraging Masonic organizations and editors of Masonic publications to officially adopt the style sheet. A list of adoptees will available on the website as well. We wish to thank all of those who contributed to the style sheet with your comments and recommendations.

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The Annual Meeting of The Masonic Society was held on Friday, January 30 at Masonic Week in Reston, VA. Approximately fifty-five guests enjoyed a very nice evening of food and fellowship. M. Wor. Bro. Michael Halleran, Editor of The Journal of The Masonic Society and current Grand Master of Kansas, gave an informative presentation on changes implemented in his jurisdiction during his year in the Grand East. As usual, we were pleased to welcome dozens of visitors to our hospitality suite. It is always a pleasure to renew acquaintances with so many TMS members and friends that we only see at this event. We also enjoy meeting many first-time attendees. Masonic Week 2016 will move to an area known as Crystal City in Arlington, VA. This location is near Reagan National Airport. There are plenty of restaurants and shopping venues nearby. This location will also offer quicker and easier access to Washington, D.C. for those who wish to sightsee. My understanding is that there will be significant program changes next year that spread the various events out over the course of the week and also allow more time for other activities. We look forward to seeing you there next year. We are constantly looking for ways to grow The Masonic Society as well as to enhance the value of membership in TMS. At the Board of Directors meeting during Masonic Week, we discussed a variety of topics. One of the principal areas of discussion concerned how we will deliver The Journal of the Masonic Society. More and more publications are going strictly digital. We do not anticipate that happening anytime in the near future, but we do have to consider the increasing costs that accompany a high quality paper magazine and increased postage, particularly overseas. One of the major concerns associated with going digital is protecting our material. We will be investigating one potential solution to that problem in the near future. We have yet to reach a consensus on precisely how to proceed, but it is unquestionable that a digital version of The Journal of The Masonic Society will be available in the not too distant future for those who prefer to receive their magazine in that format. We want TMS to be more than just a magazine and, as such, we are looking at various methods of providing content above and beyond what you get in The Journal. This would include video and podcasts. We will be consulting with professionals in the field in order to determine the best path forward. As always, I welcome any comments or suggestions you may have concerning the future of the organization. Please send them to president@themasonicsociety.com . We live in a world that seems to become more dangerous and divided every day. Wherever you live, please pray for your country’s leaders as well as for those in uniform protecting our freedom. As Freemasons, we can remain proud of our long history of friendship and brotherly love and especially our record of tolerance, which we find so lacking in the profane world. Thank the Grand Architect for the opportunity to be part of the world’s greatest fraternity.

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News of the Society TMS NAMES IN THE NEWS The 2015 World Conference on Fraternalism, Freemasonry, and History, to be hosted by Policy Studies Organization in Paris in May, will feature these brethren of The Masonic Society: Oscar Alleyne, Adam Kendall, and Casey Stanislaw. In addition, Joi Grieg, who has been published several times in the Journal, will present a paper. Alleyne also was one of the presenters at the December 6 meeting of Pennsylvania Lodge of Research, discussing the topic Lawrence Tucker of clandestine Freemasonry in America, after which he was elected a Fellow of the lodge. TMS Member Rob Moore of Zion Lodge No. 1 in Michigan was named 2014 Mason of the Year by his lodge. Moore also is Junior Warden of Michigan Lodge of Research and Information No 1. TMS Fellow Andrew Hammer was named Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina December 6. TMS Member Lawrence Tucker was installed Most Illustrious Grand Chancellor of the Grand College of Rites soon after the death of M.I. Lonnie Jolma last September, and Tucker was installed for a complete term in office during the GCR’s annual meeting on January 31. Founding Fellow Reese Harrison was installed Sovereign Master of Nine Muses Council No. 13 of Allied Masonic Degrees also on January 31. At the Philalethes Society Annual Meeting on January 31, editor of the Journal Michael Halleran was made a Fellow of that venerable research society, and TMS Fellow Rashied K. Sharrieff-Al-Bey was installed as Second Vice President of the Philalethes Society. TMS Founding Member Robert Wolfarth was elected and installed Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Utah on February 1.

Grand Orient of France, the nation’s oldest and largest Masonic jurisdiction. “Bro. Bernard Maris, economic columnist at CH, and Bro. Michel Renaud, formerly of Europe 1 and Le Figaro, were both active Freemasons in the Grand Orient, Bernard in Roger Leray Lodge in Paris, and Michel in Lux Perpetue Lodge in Clermont Ferrand,” Foreign Policy Journal reported on January 27. Source: www.foreignpolicyjournal.com ARSONISTS DESTROY MASONIC HALL IN KENYA Arsonists destroyed the Masonic temple in King’ong’o in Kenya in the early morning of November 19, 2014. No injuries were reported. The home of Mt. Kenya Lodge had been targeted for arson twice previously, in June 2014 and another occasion in 2007. It is rumored to be a place of devil worship. The property caretaker spotted flames coming from the lodge building, and saw men running from the scene. He attempted to enlist neighbors to help fight the fire, but was unsuccessful; Nyeri County firefighters arrived later and extinguished the blaze. Source: allafrica.com ONTARIO MUSEUM OFFERS MASONIC EXHIBIT Wellington County Museum and Archives in Ontario, Canada has an exhibit on Freemasonry through April 26. Masonic history, stereotypes of the fraternity, and a special focus on lodges in the area comprise the display. Source: www.wellingtonadvertiser.com INTERVISITATION BEGINS IN TEXAS The Grand Lodge of Texas voted to authorize inter-visitation with the brethren of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas on December 6, following the latter’s affirmative vote earlier in 2014 on the same. MASONIC BOOK CLUB IS DISSOLVED

Bernard Maris

Michel Renaud

GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE MEMBERS AMONG THE DEAD IN TERRORIST ATTACK Among those murdered in the January 7 terrorist attack on the office of the French periodical Charlie Hebdo were two Freemasons of the

In a Facebook post in December, the Illinois Lodge of Research announced the Masonic Book Club had ceased operation and had been dissolved in June 2013. The Book Club was a publisher of outof-print Masonic titles had provided a great service to students of Masonry everywhere by reprinting titles of great historical interest and rarity.

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News of the Society POLICE CONSPIRACY ALLEGED IN ENGLAND

QC2076 TO HOST HISTORIC ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE

The December 17, 2014 U.S. edition of the English newspaper The Guardian reports a constable’s allegation of a “Masonic conspiracy” to protect certain police officials from claims of negligent crowd control at a 1989 semi-final football game, where a human stampede, which came to be known as the Hillsborough Disaster, killed 96 attendees and injured 766 others. The accuser said police officials who were Freemasons met secretly to deflect blame for the catastrophe onto others.

To celebrate the singular occurrence of the tercentenary of the founding of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717, Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 will host a conference at Queens’ College, Cambridge next year. There is a call for papers.

Source: theguardian.com/us

Scheduled for September 9-11, 2016, the event will feature “three eminent keynote speakers,” according to lodge Secretary Richard Gan. Five conference sessions will consist of presentations of 10 to 20 minutes each, with time allowed for questions and answers. “Papers are invited on any aspect of the history and development of Freemasonry in general, and Grand Lodge in particular.” May 1, 2015 is the deadline for submitting synopses and outlines not to exceed 500 words. Authors accepted for the conference will be informed on August 1. On April 1, 2016 authors’ abstracts will be due. After the conference, on November 1, papers for publication will be due. All writings must be sent to new@le.ac.uk Gan welcomes questions at secretary@quatuorcoronati.com

LODGE IN AUSTRALIA VANDALIZED Australia’s The Brisbane Times of December 17 reports a vandalism attack on the Wynnum Masonic Centre in Queensland. The building, which dates to 1894, was defaced with graffiti that alleged Masonic complicity in terrorism and child sex abuse, and featured upside down crosses and the term “mabone.” Police were investigating. Source: brisbanetimes.com.au BROTHER DEFEATS GRAND LODGE IN COURT Eugene Nairn of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the Bahamas sued over being suspended then expelled from his lodge in violation of the Grand Lodge’s own constitution. The court ruled that Masonic jurisprudence cannot overreach the laws of the Bahamas. Source: www.tribune242.com CORRECTION

Itself marking its 130th anniversary in 2016, Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 is the premier lodge of Masonic research and education, being the first lodge to employ evidence-based research to publish historical facts about Freemasonry, setting the standard that inspires like-minded lodges and societies around the world. 2015 MASONIC WEEK IN RESTON VIRGINIA BY JAY HOCHBERG It goes by several names—AMD Weekend for veterans, and Masonic Week for more recent devotees—but the yearly gathering of Masons for the annual meetings of various small Masonic fraternities concluded February 1 at Reston, Virginia. One Past Grand Master affectionately dubs it a festival for the nerdiest Masons, and a perusal of the hundreds of attendees would seem to vindicate his assessment, as enthusiasts of Masonic history, philosophy, exotic rituals, unusual regalia, and assorted roads less traveled congregated in the dead of winter for several days to celebrate Masonic entities totally unknown to most Freemasons. A consultation with Google will yield plenty of information about these groups, including the Allied Masonic Degrees, the Grand College of Rites, the Knight

The Journal erred when describing the award conferred on TMS Founding Member Makia Pai in “TMS Brethren Recognized for Excellence” in Issue 26. The Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States awarded Bro. Pai the Knight Commander of the Temple, the second highest award given by the Grand Encampment. It was conferred for his exemplary service to the Chivalric Rite. Officers being installed at the Grand Council of Knight Masons of the United States of America. 6 • WINTER 2015

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News of the Society ith great pride and appreciation, The Masonic Society welcomes the following brethren as our esteemed new members. Louis N Abreu III COL William Michael Alexander Prof. Emilio Attinà Larry G Barham Gorka Bartolome Andre J Beliveau Jeffrey William Bloemker Greg Kelly Bramlett John A. Brown Ryan Paul L Brulinski Shawn R Butterfield Russ Charvonia Jeremy Michael Christensen Robert Merrick Cross Jr. Fred H Daily III

Louis J Desantis Jr. David “Kevin” Dumont Jarrod Henderson Dunham Kevin D Farlow Lawrence Scott Farrell Douglas C. Fraker Randolph Gaines Sr Jay Alan Gatlin Mark E Howard Michael W. Klinger Rodney Wayne Kohler Harold A. Krueger Jr. Paul F. Maglinger Daniel J Marr Corey S Millington

Masons of the USA, the Society of Blue Friars, the Masonic Order of Athelstan, the Order of St. Thomas of Acon, the Masonic Knights of the Scarlet Cord, the Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests, the Chevaliers Bienfaisants de la Cité Sainte, the “Operatives,” and, of course, the Masonic Society. Aside from the business meetings, there are degree conferrals, plenty of meals, and limitless opportunity for fraternal bonding throughout the Hyatt hotel and beyond, as the brethren greet old friends and meet new ones over dinner, drinks, and cigars. The tradition dates to 1938, and has continued without interruption, except for 1945 due to the Second World War. This year, change was evident. Most prominent was the absence of Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis. Known colloquially as the Masonic Rosicrucians, the fraternity split from the Masonic Week union last year, and its High Council will meet instead this November in Kentucky, resulting in lower attendance in Virginia. Also new were some of the brethren who attained leadership positions in Masonic Week groups without first having established careers there. In the Grand College of Rites, both Grand Registrar Gerald Klein and Grand Treasurer Steven Wilburn, both of Mississippi, were near perfect strangers to the

Michael Morgan Armand Pizani Robert Darrell Pollock William Wesley Price John Patrick Reynolds Jr. Arthur W. Schlichting Christopher Shaw Bryan Edward Simmons Dr. Mark A Smith Christopher John VanderKuyl Carlos Lenier Velez John Lyle Wagner Maj David E Westmeyer John H. Whitehouse, Jr. Jan B Zehr

GCR leadership before being tapped to assume the administrative duties. Within the Order of Knight Masons there is Great Chief ’s Council No. 0, which exists to welcome into the Order new members who do not have Councils local to their home jurisdictions, and the new Excellent Chief is Prince D. Selvaraj of Ontario, Canada—a key choice as the Order has room to grow north of the border. The Society of Blue Friars, a group of published authors, named its 104th member since its inception in 1932: Robert A. Domingue, the widely published philatelist—and arguably a novel choice. Points of view perhaps more often associated with the Masonic Restoration Foundation and The Masonic Society than with Masonic Week were aired at two key events. At the Masonic Society banquet on January 30, Michael Halleran, Executive Editor of this periodical and the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kansas, spoke confidently of the strategic plan his jurisdiction has executed since 2010 that modernized its leadership structure, membership relations, public image, and internal communications. The result has been a stronger fraternal bond among the brethren based on the meaning of Masonry. The next day at the Philalethes’ luncheon, Rashied Bey, an executive in a human resources consultancy and doctoral degree candidate, discussed the daunting challenges human beings face when trying to achieve harmonious cooperation with human nature always threatening disruption. He reminded his audience that while the square symbolizes the Worshipful Master, the square also is found beneath the compasses in a lodge of Master Masons, indicating the importance of circumscribing our passions is greater.

Lawrence Tucker takes the oath of office, becoming Grand Chancellor of the Grand College of Rites.

Masonic Week will relocate next year to the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, February 10-14. Photo credit: Jay Hochberg

WINTER 2015 • 7

Renew your membership now online at www.themasonicsociety.com

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Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings March 14, 2015 Andersonville National Historic Site in Andersonville, Georgia will feature Michael Halleran to speak on “Gentlemen of the White Apron, Masonic POWs.”

March 28, 2015 Michigan Lodge of Research and Information No. 1 to meet at 10 a.m. Location and progress TBA. michiganlodgeofresearch.org

March 14, 2015 New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786 to meet at 10 a.m. at Hightstown-Apollo Lodge in Hightstown, New Jersey.

March 28, 2015 Oklahoma Lodge of Research will meet at 10:30 a.m. Location and progress TBA. oklahomalodgeofresearch.com

March 17, 2015 Northern California Research Lodge to meet at 7 p.m. at the Valley of San Francisco. March 19, 2015 The Wendell K. Walker Memorial Lecture to be hosted by Independent Royal Arch Lodge No. 2 in New York City. Progress TBA. March 19-21 Chris Hodapp, Andrew Hammer, and John Bizzack will be featured speakers at the 159th Annual Communication, Grand Lodge of Kansas, Capitol Plaza Hotel in Topeka. March 21, 2015 Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge to host its Spring session, welcoming to the podium George Braatz, Executive Director of the Masonic Service Association of North America; and Mr. Kenneth Loiselle, author of Brotherly Love: Freemasonry and Male Friendship in Enlightenment France. 9 a.m. at the Freemason Cultural Center of the Elizabethtown Campus. RSVP to Secretary George Haynes at amksecretary@ pagrandlodge.org March 21, 2015 The Institute for Masonic Studies and UCLA’s History Department to host the Fourth International Conference: Secrets Revealed! Freemasonry and the Conspiracy Theories It Evokes. Visit: http://www.freemason.org/newsEvents/ article.htm March 25, 2015 Rubicon Masonic Dinner Club presents TMS Founding Fellow Thomas W. Jackson. Spindletop Hall in Lexington, Kentucky. $36 per person. Contact Eddie Hazelett at commdet24@hotmail.com March 28, 2015 Maine Lodge of Research will meet at 9 a.m. in the Bangor Masonic Center, located at 294 Union Street. Progress TBA. www.mainemason.org/mlr

March 31, 2015 The American Lodge of Research At Festive Board of Research, David Lindez will speak on “Jesuit Contributions at Clermont and the Revenge Motif.” Masonic Hall, Jacobean Room, 71 West 23rd Street, New York, NY. Cost per guest: TBA. www.americanlodgeofresearch.org April 1, 2015 Livingston Lodge No. 11 in Livingston, New Jersey to host speaker Anthony Mongelli. Details TBA. www.livingston11.org April 8, 2015 Anniversary Lodge of Research will meet jointly with Burns Lodge No. 66 in Littleton, New Hampshire. Details TBA. www.anniversarylodge.org April 8, 2015 Boston University Lodge to host David G. Hackett, author of That Religion in Which All Men Agree: Freemasonry in American Culture, at Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences. 685-725 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston at 8 p.m. in Room 211. Free and open to the public. www.bulodge.org April 17, 2015 Utah Masonic Research Society to meet at 7 p.m. in the Salt Lake Masonic Temple. Guest speaker: Founding Fellow Mark A. Tabbert. April 17-19, 2015 50th Annual Masonic Spring Workshop Delta Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada Keynote: Jordan Yelinek of California http://www.masonicspringworkshop.ab.ca April 18, 2015 Second Annual Masonic Education Symposium hosted by Pleiades Lodge No. 478. Seven speakers, including keynote Russell Schlosser, are scheduled to appear at the Westchester Masonic Temple at 10210 Canterbury Avenue in Westchester, Illinois. $40 per person. The lodge has a Facebook page for information. April 25, 2015 Fontana Lodge No. 653 in Fontana, California will host A Day of Masonic Light with speakers Charles Harper, Robert Herd,

Timothy Hogan, and Anthony Mongelli. $25 per person. Master Masons only. Contact info653@calodges.org May 2015 International Conference on the History of Freemasonry, scheduled to take place in Ontario, Canada, has been canceled. Ontario Masons reportedly are endeavoring to host an event under their own auspices. Progress TBA. May 5, 2015 Golden Compasses Research Lodge to meet at 7 p.m. at 1000 Duchow Way in Folsom, California. Progress TBA. May 15, 2015 Iowa Research Lodge No. 2 to host its Annual Meeting at West Gate Temple in Des Moines. Progress TBA. yorkrite.com/ia/lodge2 May 16, 2015 Wade Barney Lodge No. 512 in Illinois Masonic Education Banquet, with keynote speaker Anthony Mongelli, and featuring Robert Johnson of the Whence Came You podcast. Progress TBA. Ozark House Restaurant in Bloomington, Illinois. www.wadebarney512.org May 16, 2015 Hawthorne-Fortitude Lodge No. 200 in New Jersey Day-long symposium will feature three eminent local guest speakers. Progress TBA. www.hawthornefortitude200.com May 19, 2015 Northern California Research Lodge to meet at 7 p.m. at the Valley of San Francisco. May 29, 2015 Georgia Lodge of Research to meet at 7:30 p.m. in the Atlanta Masonic Center. Progress TBA. galodgeofresearch.org May 29-30, 2015 World Conference on Fraternalism, Freemasonry, and History: Research in Ritual, Secrecy, and Civil Society to take place at Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, France, hosted by Policy Studies Organization. Progress TBA. Call for papers now open. Visit www.ipsonet.org/ conferences/ritualconference-main May 30, 2015 The Colonial Degree at Old Fort Niagara, New York. Picnic at 1 p.m. and the degree at 5:30. $10 per person, with proceeds going to Old Fort Niagara. Only 100 tickets will be available. Progress TBA. Contact William Greene at bg122045@ roadrunner.com for info.

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FROM THE EDITOR

Farsighted: the Laudable Dwight Smith by Michael Halleran, Editor

’d never heard of Dwight Smith until I read Laudable Pursuit back in 2005. We younger Masons kept Laudable Pursuit in our apron cases, like something by J.D. Salinger. Almost certainly this marked us as suspicious characters to the old past masters (once they understood what it contained), and the fact that we even had apron cases no doubt confirmed us as very dodgy characters indeed.

“

It wasn’t long though before I learned that Dwight L. Smith (1909-1993) was the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Indiana F. & A.M. in 1945. He went on to serve as Grand Secretary of Indiana for a further thirty-two years, leaving office in 1979. A prolific writer and commentator, he was also the longtime editor of the Indiana Freemason.

It is worth repeating that he wrote this in 1966, and while perhaps not resonant at the time, there is hardly a Grand Master’s address in the last fifteen years that does not echo Smith’s complaint. Likewise, he had strong words for those who advocated easing restrictions on membership. In Traveling, he wrote caustically that the Fraternity should consider rejecting twenty percent of its petitioners, as opposed to ten percent which was standard in his day. “We cannot escape the fact,” he commented, “that men judge Freemasonry by what they see walking down the street wearing Masonic emblems. And if what they see does not command their respect, then we need not expect them to seek our fellowship.” Were Smith alive today, where some lodges reject less than one percent of petitioners, his blood pressure would require hospitalization. Smith’s importance as a commentator on basic Masonic doctrine cannot be overlooked. Progressive Masons (like the Knights of the North), lodges, and even Grand Lodges, cite Smith with authority

e cannot escape the fact,” he commented, “that men judge Freemasonry by what they see walking down the street wearing Masonic emblems.

Smith’s “Ten Questions” from his article Whither Are We Traveling (1963) and “Ten Pitfalls” from Why This Confusion in the Temple? (1966) were discussed in detail in Laudable Pursuit, and his influence in that book moved him to the top of my reading list. In 1963, Smith’s ideas were reactionary, fire and brimstone, fraternal fundamentalism and were largely ignored. But fifty years on, his writings have taken on a visionary quality. He sounds quaint and midcentury at times, talking about “wing-dings” (an extravaganza) and “Babbitry,” with the gee-whiz, shazaam of a writer from the Dick Van Dyke Show, but both Traveling and Confusion are well worth the read – and both are available online. Among his many accurate forecasts –Smith’s crystal ball foretold difficult times ahead for Craft Masonry vis-à-vis the appendant bodies. In Confusion, for example, he wrote unsparingly about the gulf separating the symbolic lodge from the other Masonic bodies. “I am getting good and tired of seeing Symbolic Freemasonry used primarily as a Sugar Daddy, as a benevolent old gentleman whose chief reason for existence is to provide funds and housing facilities and a stock pile for candidates. Especially do I seethe when I see the parent body so blithely ignored, neglected and starved by those who drain off its resources with such profligacy.... [M]any of our problems today can be traced directly to the ‘57 Varieties’ of appendant organizations which have attached themselves to Freemasonry.”

as Masonic precedent. And no one appreciates precedent more than Masons, not even lawyers (trust me on this). Smith’s commentary also gives us a snapshot of Masonry as it emerged from the booming 1950s, where membership in all Grand Jurisdictions peaked. The Fraternity’s priorities were vastly different at that time, and although many Masonic leaders thought the good times were here to stay, with lavish temples and swollen bank accounts, Smith saw trouble ahead. “If we have grown so prosperous and fat and lazy,” he wrote in Traveling, “there is nothing further to do except revel in our Status Symbols and create more Status Symbols [because] we have ceased to possess anything that is vital.” Although widely respected, Dwight Smith has not yet been raised to the same stature as Mackey, Wilmshurst or Pound, but his luster grows with each passing year. So, if you’re coming off one of the Masonic classics, and are looking for a practical book on Masonry – throw some Dwight Smith in your apron case, you’ll be amazed at how much you agree with him. ABOUT THE EDITOR Michael A. Halleran is a practicing attorney and the immediate Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kansas A.F. & A.M.

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SYMBOLISM

Moving from the Square to the Compasses: the Masonic uses of the Builder’s Tools By Patrick C. Carr, MMS Any Mason who has ever entered a lodge quickly sees the Volume of the Sacred Law upon the Altar and immediately recognizes the square and compasses positioned thereon, depending upon the degree. These implements of the ancient operative stone guilds each have their own usage and the fraternity has adopted them, but has placed their own esoteric meanings and symbology upon them. Upon his first entrance into the Craft, the candidate is told that the fraternity is veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. This has proven throughout the ages as being accurate, yet the candidate is rarely told what the symbols are, or their esoteric and practical usage. This article explores how the fraternity uses these tools of the builders, and how they unite to form an esoteric bond of wisdom with those who truly seek to understand their meaning. THE SQUARE: OPERATIVE AND SPECULATIVE USES The operative mason uses the square as a right angle – to square his work at the jobsite. This ancient tool can be used to square the corners of the building or to test as to whether or not a stone is truly square. A stone that is not square can create a problem for the finished building, since a building that is not square is more likely to fail. When a man becomes an Entered Apprentice, he is told that the square symbolizes morality. It is also a symbol for righteousness. It keeps us in touch with God, for morality and righteousness cannot be separated

is one of the qualities of morality. Morally we have promised to defend and protect a brother Mason and to whisper good counsel to him when it is deemed appropriate. We should remember that the square that we use to examine the brother’s worthiness should be his square, not ours, since each man learns the lessons of the Fraternity at a different level and pace. At the closing of any Masonic Lodge, the brethren are reminded that we should part upon the square of morality. This is to imply that we should treat all around us, both inside and outside of the Craft, as we would want to be treated. Clearly this refers to Golden Rule that have been taught by many great men and prophets. The Holy Bible, which is placed upon the altar of many Masonic Lodges, teaches that all men should treat each other as they would want to be treated. BASE NATURES RELATED TO THE SQUARE Albert Pike informs us that the two arms of the square are the essential appetites and human passions.2 These are the more base, or earthly essences of man. These human passions are what we as Masons are continually attempting to overcome. We will delve deeper into this as we progress through this study, but if we are to believe that the square represents our base animal instincts, then we can assume that there must yet be something to be learned to enable us to overcome these same instincts.

ndeed, the square represents all that is bad in the human condition. These base instincts are bred into each of us from birth, yet they do not emanate from the Divine Reason or Consciousness. These are the animal instincts that can cause, if you will remember the Biblical lessons of the Garden of Eden, us to sin against one another and against Deity.

from Him.1 The square therefore is symbolically an implement that is used to teach all Masons that they should act towards each other, and the world at large, with morality and justness. When a brother is given information “on the square,” it is a deep and personal charge not to reveal that information to anyone, without the charge being released by the brother who initiated the information. Thus, acting upon the square takes on an entirely different meaning when this action is invoked by the brethren. As the new Mason progresses through the degrees, the lessons of the square changes. As a Fellow Craft, he is taught that the square is a symbol for virtue. Virtue, as referred to in this degree, is the action of keeping oneself upright in his actions towards others. Virtue and morality go hand in hand, but do differ slightly. Morality is basically a belief about what is right and wrong in any given situation, while virtue 10 • WINTER 2015

Indeed, the square represents all that is bad in the human condition. These base instincts are bread into each of us from birth, yet they do not emanate from the Divine Reason or Consciousness. These are the animal instincts that can cause, if you will remember the Biblical lessons of the Garden of Eden, us to sin against one another and against Deity. These are the same inner qualities that Masonry struggles against. Tyranny and inequality are examples of what can happen when the baseness of man is not conquered. Thus, if we are to truly act upon the square towards each other, we must remember that the square represents both the good and the bad. The paradox that this inevitably leads one towards is that the square must be used to defeat the square! One may view this as absurd or impossible, but it can be interpreted in just such a manner. In order to overcome the base passions, one must constantly use the lessons taught to us through Masonry to subdue those instincts by treating our fellow man morally and with virtue constantly in view.

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THE COMPASSES is either the individual or a group of individuals. As an individual one The Compasses are instruments that were used by the original operative can see that the circle represents the outside world. We should strive stonemasons to draw arcs and circles. As a Freemason, one can quickly to keep ourselves inside that circle concerning the issues and troubles deduce the different situations where an arc of a circle is present in each presented by the outside world. IF we are the point in the circle, then Lodge room. As Entered Apprentices, we are taught that the compasses we can also see that we need to keep ourselves within the circle as teach us to surround their passions and keep them in due bounds with relating to others so not as to damage them in any way. everyone. When we behold the compasses on the altar, it reminds us Freemasons are taught that we to always remember to subdue should always keep the basic whatever base passions we are beliefs of the Craft within According to Pike, the two arms of the square symbolized the essential feeling and to keep them in the points of the compasses. appetites and passions inherent in all men. check. Friendship, morality, and As the square symbolizes brotherly love -- being the morality, the compasses most important tenets of our symbolizes spirituality. It is Fraternity -- should always be interesting to note that the kept sacred and with our view. compasses are symbolically Thus the open compasses on hidden when the candidate the altar can remind each of us is first brought to light in to always keep our brethren, Masonry.3 This realization and the world at large, close to us spiritually. Friendship, shows that the compasses are morality, and brotherly love a powerful tool in the arsenal are spiritual gifts given to us by of symbolic/esoteric Masonry. Deity. These are not the base While there will always be animal instincts that we have issues that arise, both in and inherited at birth, but virtues out of the Masonic lodge, we that we can learn and expand must strive to remember that upon as we grow spiritually the compasses will enable us and mentally. For Christians, to keep out those passions the Holy Bible teaches that the that could do harm to others greatest of the lessons of Jesus we encounter. the Christ is love. When we Albert Pike writes that realize this we begin to move “the compasses are used to our focus from the earthly to describe circles... in spherical the spiritual. This is where trigonometry in which the Masonry needs to reside in square cannot be used. They the hearts of all its members. are therefore a fit symbol of Earthly kingdoms and issues the sky, the heavens, which will all pass away if the Craft form as it were, the roof of a points its focus to the heavenly half-sphere, in crossing which and spiritual issues of Deity. the heavenly bodies appear to describe arcs of circles; and THE UNION OF THE the square is a fit symbol for SQUARE AND THE the earth.”4 This means that COMPASSES the compasses are used in Taken separately, we have seen instances to draw or outline that both of the builder’s tool items that the square is not have deep symbolic meaning. intended to do with its limited But for Masons, the square and capacity. The compasses the compasses are meant to be are a symbol of the heavens in union with one another. and Deity, while the square Uniting these implements, we is earthly and animalistic in see the elemental of the Craft. nature. As a Mason progresses through the several degrees of Craft Masonry, he sees different points revealed to him. Each revelation is intended to be SPIRITUAL NATURES RELATED TO THE COMPASSES a lesson that is to be learned and put into practical use. Beyond Craft The compasses, which are a fit symbol of the heavens, are also a fit Masonry, the 4th Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite symbol of all that is heavenly and spiritual.5 Masons are taught to look of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of at the point within the circle. Here the compasses are indispensable, America, Secret Master, as well as in a Lodge of the French Rite, when for the compasses draw the circle, based upon the point in the middle. the Senior Warden is asked. “Are you a Master Mason?” his answer is. When we look at the point in the middle of the circle, we can assume it WINTER 2015 • 11

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“I am; I have passed from the square to the compasses.”6 This is to teach the Brethren that we are leaving the earthly passions and issues behind us and focusing on what is spiritual and good. We are to focus no longer upon the base instincts of man, but to look heavenward for spiritual guidance and to focus on those things that have long term consequences. The moral sense and the reason come to us, as it was anciently said, “from above;”; the sensual appetites and animal passions, anger, revenge, hate, jealousy, envy, and the like, “from below.”8 When the square and the compasses are joined in union, with the points above the square, we realize that the spiritual things and issues have conquered the earthly issues and passions. This is the true equilibrium and balance that all Masons seek. This balance will enable us to overcome the earthly passions that will always be part of our psyche and to defeat them with the focus of Deity and spiritual needs and desires. When we move from the square to the compasses we see the balance that is available for our moral development. Only in focusing on spiritual, long lasting issues can we ever hope to defeat the baseness that is hard-coded into our DNA. Even one of the oldest symbols of Christianity can be said to represent the spiritual focus. The ichthys or vesica piscis, the “fish” shape created by interlocking two same sized circles with the edges of the circles passing through the center pins of the other, or at the center point of the radius – holds a spiritual secret. Once this could be drawn with regularity by an adept, he would then be able to create any angle, shape, or proportion and measure it accurately. With it one can make a 90 degree angle, triangle, square, and create any angle from 0 to 180 with absolute accuracy.7 One could infer, since this shape can create the square, then the Christian symbol for Deity, which is created by the compasses, is indeed a spiritual symbol for what is above! This spiritual symbol can then be used to create the square which is the symbol of all that is below. It is not difficult in the least to imagine that the spiritual conquers the earthly. CONCLUSION While both the square and the compasses are important in teaching different moral lessons to the Craft, we must realize that the union of the square and compasses, combined with the Volume of the Sacred Law upon the altars of Freemasonry, are the true culmination of the understanding of their moral and spiritual uses. Only by learning and

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understanding how they work together can we hope to begin to tame our earthly passions and begin to focus on our spiritual development in the Craft. Then, and only then, will we start to become true Master Masons, with the ability to travel and to seek the eternal. Our focus needs to be on more spiritual things and not on the base and earthly issues that we see each day of our lives. Focus upward and become what the Craft was intended to be. A society that makes both its members, and the world at large, a better place. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A self-employed entrepreneur in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, Patrick C. Carr serves the Grand Lodge of Arkansas as its Right Worshipful Grand Senior Warden. Patrick is an active member in many of the Masonic appendant bodies and currently serves the Western Arkansas Scottish Rite Bodies as the Venerable Master of the Lodge of Perfection. Family is an important part of Patrick’s life and he is currently the State Rainbow Dad for the Grand Assembly of Arkansas, where his daughter, Rachael, serves as the current Grand Worthy Advisor.

NOTES 1 Allen E. Roberts, The Craft and Its Symbols: Opening the Door to Masonic Symbolism (The Macoy Masonic Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., Inc., 1974), 23. 2

Albert Pike, Esoterika: The Symbolism of the Blue Degrees of Masonry (The Scottish Rite Research Society, 2011), 100.

Roberts, Ibid.

Albert Pike, Ibid., 96

Ibid.

yle G. Ferlemann, The Bridge Builders Guide (Cornerstone Book K Publishers, 2012), 80.

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ESOTERICA

The Masonic Relevance of the Four Cardinal Virtues By Christian M. Christensen, MMS

n most jurisdictions the newly made brother is introduced to the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, as part of the lecture in the Entered Apprentice degree. These virtues are described in great length, but little attention is given to them later in Masonic teachings. Subsequently, few Masons understand their relevance, what they signify, and how to use them as guidelines to govern behavior.

ORIGINS IN CLASSICAL GREECE The four cardinal virtues were first introduced by Plato in The Republic written 380 B.C.E., where they were identified as: wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice, and were used as part of a discussion describing the order and character of the just city state and man.2 Plato did not spend much time discussing the actual virtues, but rather used them as illustrations and concepts on how society was to act. In 44 B.C.E.

he cardinal virtues are the cornerstones we are to build our Masonic edifice and our moral character upon. And just like a building, if we do not get the first cornerstone correct, the structure will be uneven, crumble and fall. The exact definitions of the four cardinal virtues vary depending on the reference text, the philosopher, and especially the context. No precise and definitive wording has ever been agreed upon, but the overall meaning is the same. In many Masonic monitors we find a description of the virtues, such as the one from William Preston’s Illustrations of Masonry from 1829. Temperance – We are instructed to govern our passions and abandon unruly desires. Fortitude – We are taught to resist temptation and meet danger with spirit and resolution. Prudence – We are instructed to regulate our conduct by the dictates of reason. Justice – The boundary of right, constitutes the cement of civil society.1

The Four Cardinal Virtues personified

However Preston’s interpretation was hardly the first. Over a period of 1600 years, from 380 B.C.E. through 1274 C.E., prominent philosophers have argued, and in most cases reaffirmed the importance, definition, and interpretation of the cardinal virtues, which have resulted in the understanding we have today.

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Roman philosopher Cicero expanded on them further, and helped cement the four virtues even more by referencing them in his text De Officiis where he stated that “...anything that is morally right rises from some one of four sources… it is in each one considered singly that certain definite kinds of moral duties have their origin.”3 Despite their presence in antiquity, it was not until 387 C.E. that St. Ambrose referred to them as cardinal virtues in his Commentary on the Gospel According to Luke.4 This definition was later reiterated and emphasized by Dominican Friar and philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas in Summa Theologica from 1274, where he discusses the difference between the moral, theological, and cardinal virtues and concludes that the moral and cardinal virtues are the same.5 Though well established in philosophical and religious literature, one of the first references in Masonic literature to the cardinal virtues appears in one of the early exposures, Jachin and Boaz from 1797, where they are part of the Entered Apprentice lecture.6 They are also present in William Preston’s Illustrations of Masonry from 1829 and remain a staple in many monitors such as the Official Monitor of the Grand Lodge of Texas7 or Duncan’s Masonic Ritual and Monitor by Malcolm C. Duncan.8 They are also part of the 11th degree, Sublime Elect of the Twelve, in the Scottish Rite where Albert Pike writes in Morals and Dogma that “The bases of Masonry being morality and virtue, it is by studying one and practicing the other, that the conduct of a Mason becomes Plato, the author of The Republic irreproachable.”9

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DEEPER ESOTERIC MEANING

John Theophilus Desaguliers

As most things in Masonry, the four cardinal virtues have a deeper esoteric meaning in the rituals, and it is well established that the virtues are made to refer to the four perfect points of initiation. These connections were presented in Oliver’s The Historical Landmarks and other Evidences of Freemasonry Explained10 and further expanded upon in Duncan’s Ritual and Monitor from 1866. In that text Duncan takes the explanation of the virtues, links it to a certain part of the ceremony and further connects it to a perfect point of initiation. This can be hard to follow, but what Duncan attempts to explain is that during the ritual, the candidate goes through a situation that exemplifies the essence of a given virtue, and at that moment the interaction happens via the body part that represents the perfect point of initiation. One example of what Duncan says is the definition of fortitude, which is the ability to undergo peril. The link occurs during the degree when the candidate encounters a sharp instrument, linking the virtue with actual peril and providing an anatomical reminder.11 Duncan continues with “Temperance is that due restraint upon our affections and passions which renders the body tame and governable and frees the mind from the allurements of vice… This virtue alludes to the Mason’s obligation, which is the Guttural in reference to the way the hand is placed as part of the due guard for the EA obligation.”12 Duncan links prudence to the memory of the oath of an Entered Apprentice and the position of the hands at the altar, which he then refers to as Manual.13 Lastly Duncan determines justice to be the boundary of right, which should “be the invariable practice of every Mason never to deviate from the minutest principles thereof.” This is linked to the “charge you received while standing in the northeast corner of the Lodge,” and the attitude of the new Mason’s feet, an allusion to the pedestal or pedal as we more commonly know it today.14 The explanation of these connections do not seem like the most natural conclusions, and by searching further for the esoteric background it becomes clear that neither Duncan nor Oliver were the original philosophers behind these connections. Oliver refers back to an earlier text from around 1722 in his Revelations of a Square.15 Oliver’s book is basically a collection of older Masonic writings which he found important, the first text of which is called “The Revival” by John Theophilus Desaguliers. Relatively unknown outside Masonic research circles these days, Desaguliers was one of the founders of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717. Albert Mackey attributes the preservation of the Charges of a Freemason, the preparation of the General Regulations,

and most of the background material used by James Anderson in his Constitutions of the Freemasons (1723) to the work performed by Desaguliers. ESTORERIC REVELATIONS In his text “The Revelations” he talks about how the fraternity in the past had signs, symbols, and tokens of recognition which have become obsolete and forgotten. Desaguliers state “Many of our tokens of recognition… were curious and significant; but they were discontinued about the middle of the century and are now I believe entirely forgotten.” He explains that the symbols of the four cardinal virtues were “delineated by an acute angle variously disposed” or more plainly said, they were portrayed in different ways in the ritual by an angle less than 90 degrees, which alluded to the signs we discussed above. He postulates that if one were facing the East, the angle symbolizing temperance would point to the south and be called guttural.

he obvious is often not as attractive as the hidden and hard work is often eschewed in favor of continued search. Taking the cardinal virtues to heart and living them day by day requires work, just as becoming a better man is hard. Instead it is easier to continue the quest for light, blinding ourselves to the fact that the most important understandings are in front of us already. WINTER 2015 • 15

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The important part to remember is that the connection between the cardinal virtues and the perfect points of initiation has been established esoterically in the ritual, for as long as we have on record. It is possible to follow the link between the meaning of each of the cardinal virtues and their association with a perfect point of initiation, through how they are incorporated into the ritual as Duncan did. However taking the explanation further and linking the sign to an acute angle and thus trying to incorporate geometry, as Desaguliers does, is somewhat harder to follow, and is perhaps one of the esoteric parts of Freemasonry that has been lost to us. While it is clear that the cardinal virtues have been important to masons of old, the question remains why they are of interest to us as men and Masons in the twentyfirst century? The first reason is explained in the word itself “cardinal.” Coming from the Latin cardo or cardinalis, which mean principal or most important, these virtues are defined as the foundation on which to build our character. Albert Mackey called them the “pre-eminent or principal virtues on which all others hinge or depend.”16 In other words, the cardinal virtues are the cornerstones we are to build our Masonic edifice and our moral character upon. And just like a building, if we do not get the first cornerstone correct, the structure will be uneven, crumble and fall. It is therefore of critical importance for a Mason to ensure that he fully understands, and more importantly that he lives and practices temperance, fortitude, prudence, and justice or he will not be able to sustain the deeper esoteric lessons in thought nor action. STRAIGHTFORWARD MORAL INSTRUCTION Another good reason for us to pay attention to and practice the cardinal virtues, is that they are impactful, very straight forward, and easy to understand and apply. The explanations and direction given, (which when simplified) urge us to govern our passions, resist temptation, regulate our conduct and do what is right, is something every Mason should relate to. Masonry is proud of being a peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. Thus the few lessons Masonry gives away easily are unfortunately often not attractive to us. The straightforward nature of the cardinal virtues leads many Masons to forget them, in search of more secret teachings The virtue of Justice personified that seem more valuable or alluring. The obvious is often not as attractive as the hidden and hard work is often eschewed in favor of continued search. Taking the cardinal virtues to heart and living them day by day requires work, Comparing that to the Entered Apprentice due guard as explained just as becoming a better man requires is hard. Instead it by Duncan, most Masons should be able to see the connection. He, is easier to continue the quest for light, blinding ourselves to the fact however, continues with the explanation that fortitude was denoted by that the most important understandings are in front of us already. The a cross, which was the pectoral, which again was a sharp instrument cardinal virtues are cornerstones of the Craft, easily explained to us and applied to the traditional location. Prudence was, according to available for all to live by, if we are ready and willing to pick up our Desaguliers, an acute angle pointing south-east. It denominated working tools and apply them. manual and justice had its angle towards the north and was called pedal.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author unknown, Jachin and Boaz (R. Newbery, 1797) 12.

Christian M. Christensen, MMS, is the Junior Deacon of Memorial Lodge #1298 in Houston, TX as well as a full member of Texas Lodge of Research. He often travels to his native Denmark visiting the Grand Lodge, and participating in the Swedish Rite degrees.

Grand Lodge of Texas, Monitor of the Lodge, (Waco Printing Company, 2009), 34-36.

alcolm C. Duncan, Duncan’s Masonic Ritual and Monitor, Third Edition (Dick and M Fitgerald, 1866) 46-47.

Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma, Annoted edition (Supreme Council, 2011) 252.

George Oliver, The Historical Landmarks and other evidences of Freemasonry explained, (Richard Spencer, 1846) 175.

Duncan 46-47.

Ibid.

George Oliver, Revelations Of A Square, (Richard Spencer, 1855) 17.

Albert G. Mackey, An Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, (Moss and Company, 1874) 150.

NOTES 1

William Preston, Illustrations of Masonry, Fourteenth Edition (Whittaker, Treacher and CO, 1829) 43.

lato, trans., Adam Bloom The Republic of Plato, Second Edition (BasicBooks, 1991) P Book IV.

Cicero, trans., Walter Miller, De Officiis, Second Edition (William Heinemann LTD, 1928), 17.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_virtues

S t. Thomas Aquinas, trans., Fathers of the English Dominican province, Summa Theologica Part 2 (First part), Second Edition (Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd, 1927), 136.

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PHILOSOPHY

We have A Problem With The 47th Problem By Brian C. Thomas Why does Freemasonry uses the 47th Problem of Euclid – more commonly known as the Pythagorean Theorem – as such a prominent symbol of our order? Is there a hidden meaning and, if so, what is it?

Pythagoras established a mystery school. Pythagoras and his students believed that the universe and nature is ordered according to laws and mathematics of the Deity. The main focus of Pythagorean thought

GEOMETRY Geometry, the first and noblest of sciences, is the basis upon which the superstructure of Freemasonry is erected Most Masons, having studied geometry in high school, would rather forget the experience and can’t imagine why Masonry is based on it. Yet Geometry was the keystone of knowledge in the ancient world. Geometry (Geo = earth, metry = measurement) was the intellectual tool needed to build a structure, define a field, travel to a distant location, contemplate the heavens and describe the landscape – and create an enduring philosophy.

was ethics; that reality is mathematical, the soul is divine and certain symbols possess mystical significance.6

hy does Freemasonry celebrate Euclid rather than Pythagoras? Most Masons know that Archimedes, not Pythagoras, exclaimed “Eureka”

In the Fellowcraft degree Masons learn that Geometry allows us to “…trace nature and discover the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Great Architect of the Universe”.1 An attentive Mason leaves the degree with a notion that through Geometry he will come to better know the Deity through nature. Yet in the Master Mason degree the only mention of Geometry is the introduction of the 47th Proposition of Euclid with the notion that it merely teaches us to love art and science.2 Why does Freemasonry celebrate Euclid rather than Pythagoras? Most Masons know that Archimedes, not Pythagoras, exclaimed “Eureka” following his discovery that he could determine the volume of any object by the displacement of water. Is the absurdity of describing Pythagoras as exclaiming “Eureka,” an obvious fiction that is used as a pointer to say that there is a deeper meaning here? How does that deeper meaning connect to geometry?” 3 PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM Pythagoras (580 - 490 BC), a philosopher, mathematician, teacher, and mystic, preceded Euclid in describing that, given any right triangle, the sum of the squares of the sides equals the square of the hypotenuse. Pythagoras received that knowledge from the Egyptians who used ropes knotted in segments to redefine property lines and corners after the Nile River flooded each year. 4 But the rule was not unique to Egypt. It was known by the Sumerians, Babylonians, Chinese and many others as well.5

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Since the fourth century AD, Pythagoras has commonly been given credit for discovering the Pythagorean theorem, which Masons know as the 47th Problem of Euclid.

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This typical Past Master’s jewel illustrates the prominence accorded geometry by Masons.

EUCLID’S CONTRIBUTION Euclid, who lived between the fourth and third centuries BC taught in Alexandria and was a student of the great Plato. He wrote thirteen books, collectively called “The Elements” attempting to logically prove all of the mathematical and geometric constructs of the day. He was so successful that “Euclidian Geometry” has been one of the cornerstones of a classic liberal education for over 2500 years.

The author of the Constitutions of the Freemasons (1723), James Anderson (c. 1679/1680 – 1739) felt the 47th Proposition so important that he included an illustration of it on the front cover of his first edition of the Constitutions. Anderson wrote “[t]he Great Pythagoras, provided the author of the 47th Proposition of Euclid’s first Book; which, if duly observed, is the Foundation of all Masonry, sacred, civil, military,” which is very strong stuff indeed.

Euclidian Geometry is really pure logic. Starting from five common notions and five postulates - (ten axioms), Euclid built a series of proofs based on theorems and definitions. 7 Euclid’s first book contained the proof of the Pythagorean Theorem which he calls the 47th Proposition. The actual proof is not as important as the way he approached it. Euclid was one of the first to apply pure logic to both practical and abstract notions, which, in turn, was the basis for the scientific method developed in the Enlightenment and commonly used today.

Yet as we progress through the years the Preston-Webb writings muddle the issue by saying that; “This discovery (47th Proposition) was accepted by our ancient brethren as a key to the nature of the Divine Being. It inspires Masons to be lovers of the arts and sciences.” So now we learn in the Master Mason degree that the ancients thought the Proposition was a key to the divine nature but we now feel it teaches us to be a lover of art and science. Which is it – the “Foundation of Masonry” and a “…key to the nature of the Divine Being…” or something that teaches us to be lovers of art and science?

THE 47TH PROPOSITION IN MASONRY Masons are instructed that this theorem is “Greatest among the rules laid down by the Supreme Architect of the Universe” and that it “reduces the chaos of ignorance to the law and order of intelligent appreciation of the cosmos.” 8 This is all well and good, but Euclid proved many theorems. Why is the 47th Proposition more important than the all the others propositions unmentioned in Masonry?

Perhaps, Albert Pike put it best in when he said; “If the great symbol of Pythagoras, known as the 47th Problem of Euclid, means only…that Masons are great lovers of the Arts and Sciences in general, it should at once disappear from the charts or tracing-boards of our Lodges; for the explanation explains nothing, and makes the symbol no symbol at all of anything”.9

ames Anderson felt the 47th Proposition so important that he included an illustration of it on the front cover of his first edition of the Constitutions. WINTER 2015 • 19

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Pike, not a shy man, amplified his concern by stating that “the 47th Problem appeared on the tracing board for the sole purpose of ‘teaching us’ that Masons are great lovers of the arts and sciences in general,” was such a pitiful abandonment of any attempt to explain the symbol…”10 Yet he hints at the real meaning in his various books on the symbolism of the 32nd Degree mentioning the name of the philosopher, Benedictus Spinoza – of whom, more below. 11

Kant summed it up in his 1784 essay “What is Enlightenment ” by describing Enlightenment as, “man’s release from his self-incurred tutelage,” tutelage being “man’s inability to make use of his understanding without direction from another.” 13 The Enlightenment was egalitarian, addressed common concerns and was founded on reason. Many countries and kingdoms sought to suppress Enlightenment thought but these heretical ideas circulated freely in secret organizations and venues until the early 1700s when the threat of harm from the church and government authorities receded. 14

AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT In understanding the 47th proposition, it is necessary to move forward from 300 BCE to the Enlightenment in Europe, which occurred in the seventeenth century, Books were in short supply and in an attempt to explain why the many were censored, yet a thriving 47th Proposition of Euclid became underground allowed those that did so revered by intellectuals and Benedictus de Spinoza (1632-1677) is credited with laying the exist to circulate widely. Natural groundwork for the Age of Enlightenment, developing modern eventually Freemasons. The Age of conceptions of the self and the nature of divinity. history was the vogue. Revealed Enlightenment, sometimes referred Deity gave way to experienced Deity. to as the Age of Reason, describes a Nature demonstrated God’s work and period where the culture dramatically changed from one of superstition, the study of nature exploded. This was the environment that spawned intolerance, hierarchy, and authoritarianism to reason, tolerance and Freemasonry and from which Masonry took its values of oral tradition, individualism. secrecy, direct interaction with Deity, culture of trust and respect and egalitarianism. Recall that for over 1200 years the church was dictatorial and pedantic. The church controlled culture, society, politics, and life in general. SPINOZA Any deviation could be followed by physical, ecclesiastical, or social It’s difficult to say if sixteenth and seventeenth century philosophers punishment. The Catholic Church declared that no one could reach spawned the Enlightenment or if the Enlightenment generated many heaven without the blessing of the church hierarchy. The church great philosophers. Either way, the Enlightenment and the philosophers controlled the government in most European countries and kingdoms. who lived and wrote in it dramatically changed the world. Two eminent Enlightenment philosophers deserve the attention of Freemasons; Rene Kings and Potentates warred and plundered. Life for most was Descartes, and most particularly, Benedictus de Spinoza. Both used controlled and fatalistic. Yet a few hardy intellectual souls looked to Euclidian-based proofs to demonstrate their concepts. Just as Euclid the East and found more freedom of thought and action. The Orient started from several self evident axioms and definitions to create held knowledge that was forbidden in the West because it was not in propositions that led to geometric proofs, Descartes and Spinoza used accord with scripture. Though books were burned and intellectuals the same method to demonstrate and justify their concepts of God, were killed, a determined underground culture existed. spirituality, being, and thinking. The oral tradition persisted because books were scarce and education tightly controlled. Strangely, many monasteries possessed books and manuscripts with this secret knowledge unknown to the church hierarchy. New ideas were passed on orally and in secret among the intellectual class so that they did not literally lose their heads. The writings of Francis Bacon (1562-1626), Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), Rene Descartes (1596-1650), Baruch (Benedictus) Spinoza (16321677), John Locke (1632-1704), Voltaire (1694-1778) and others, sparked a desire for freedom of action and thought, challenging the church and stirring the people.12 At first slowly and later at a furious pace new ideas were dispersed and accepted. Reason and freedom became an accepted goal to the dismay of the church and princes. Enlightenment thinkers did not necessarily agree on methods but there was a consensus as to results. Immanuel 20 • WINTER 2015

Descartes preceded Spinoza and, it is reasonable to believe, influenced him though Spinoza disagreed with Descartes on several important concepts of God’s nature and the interaction of the human mind and body. Born Baruch Spinoza in Amsterdam on 24 November 1632, Spinoza’s Jewish family had fled Portugal to avoid the Inquisition and settled in Holland, the most intellectually tolerant of all European countries at the time. Spinoza’s early writings got him excommunicated by the Jewish community. He was reduced to wandering about as an itinerant lens grinder. While doing so he wrote Ethica Ordine Geometric Demonstrata (Ethics Demonstrated in Geometrical Order) which was published after his death and is now known as just “Ethics.” 15 Ethics is ingenious not only what it says but how it says it. It mimics Euclid and systematically proves that God is the universe, the single

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substance in which all natural phenomena exists. Such a concept of God could be universally accepted in all religions. Spinoza is clear that we can know God without intersession of the church and that a spark of the divine is within us to be discovered. These notions were horrifying to Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic theologians because such a God would not be an anthropomorphic father figure known only through priests or rabbis. Every person could find God in nature because God is nature.16 He uses the word “nature” in a broader and deeper sense than we use it today.17 So Spinoza and Euclid, though certainly not contemporaries, used the same method of arriving at their conclusion. Euclid rose on the shoulders of Pythagoras and Spinoza rose on the shoulders of Descartes but both proved the theories of their mentor. Ethics is not an easy read. The reader must slog through over 250 lemmas, propositions, and corollaries but the result is astounding, a definitive proof that God exists and is the universe. Because God exists and is the universe, the ethical laws of God are fixed and unyielding throughout the cosmos. Like the Stoics, Spinoza revered reason and our rational capacities and he saw that the reason in us and the reason in nature is intimately linked.18 WHAT INTEREST TO MASONS? Freemasonry is based on a belief in a Supreme Being and is built on the foundation of geometry. Masons use symbols as pointers and reminders in a lifelong journey. We are taught that Geometry is the first and noblest of sciences and is the basis upon which the superstructure of Freemasonry is erected. A careful reading of the Fellowcraft “Geometry Lecture” will yield many of the important points proven in Spinoza’s Ethics. Albert Pike cites Spinoza when he wrote “the human mind is a part of the infinite intellect of God.” 19 Geometry and the 47th Problem of Euclid might have been used symbolically in Freemasonry to avoid the charge of heresy; the inevitable result if Spinoza’s notions of God were plainly stated to an Enlightenment audience. It is possible that early Masons read, understood, and identified with Spinoza’s concept of God and our relation to him, and that the 47th Problem of Euclid points to a specific proposition in Spinoza’s Ethics that describes an important - perhaps the most important - concept of Freemasonry. Spinoza’s 47th proposition:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Brian C. Thomas, 32˚ KCCH is Past Master of Myrtle Lodge No.108 in Issaquah, Washington, a member of Seattle Valley, SRICF, and AMD. A retired Coast Guard Captain, corporate Research Director, and State Legislator he now owns and operates a winery.

Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington, 2-26.

Grand Lodge F&AM of Washington, Master Mason Degree, Lecture, 3-31.

homas Smith Webb, Freemason’s Monitor, or Illustrations of Masonry 1797, 1818, cited T in Jeremy Gross, The 47th Problem of Euclid, 4

4 H. Meij, The 47th Problem of Euclid, 2000, www.freemasoninformation.com/ masonic-education/esoterica/ 5

J eremy Gross, The 47th Problem of Euclid, Massachusetts Lodge of Research, 16 Jan. 2010, 7.

illiam Arthur Atkins, Philip Edward Koth, “Pythagoras” Mathematics. 2002, W Encyclopedia.com 20 Nov. 2014.

Gross, 8.

Masonic Service Association, Short Talk Bulletin, Vol.VIII, 1930 No. 10.

urturo DeHoyos, Symbolism of the Blue Lodge Degrees of Freemasonry, Albert Pike’s A ESOTERIKA, Scottish Rite Research Society, Washington D.C., 2005 , Preface, lv, Extracts from Albert Pike’s lectures to the Royal Order of Scotland.

DeHoyos, 114.

Albert Pike, Readings XXXII, Instructions in the Thirty-Second Degree, Cornerstone Books, 1st Ed, 2010, 85.

Wikipedia, Age of Enlightenment, 2014, 1.

Immanuel Kant, What is Enlightenment, published in Berlinische Monatsschrift, 1783.

Jürgen Habermas, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, (1989), 36, 37.

rooke Noel Moore, & Kennet H. Bruder, Philosophy: The Power of Ideas, McGrawB Hill, 2002, 102-3.

Moore & Bruder, 102.

Michael Morgan, The Essential Spinoza: Ethics and Related Writings, Hackett Publishing, 2006, vii.

Ibid.

Albert Pike, Readings XXXII: Instructions in the Thirty-Second Degree, Cornerstone Books, 2010, 85. I was fortunate to stumble over a short 2006 paper by Jeff Peace (Jeff Peace, The Burning Taper, burningtaper.blogspot.com/2006/04). While Peace merely speculated on the connection between the 47th Proposition of Euclid, Spinoza, and Freemasonry it was enough to get my attention and cause me to follow his lead. The connection between the 47th Proposition and Spinoza is also mentioned in a paper by Theron Dunn (Theron Dunn, Why the 47th Problem of Euclid?, beaconofmasoniclight.blogspot.com/2007/10).

Michael Morgan, The Essential Spinoza: Ethics and Related Writings, Hackett Publishing, 2006, 55.

“The human mind has an adequate knowledge of the eternal and infinite essence of God.”20 Thus it follows that the 47th Proposition of Euclid as used in Freemasonry points to the 47th Proposition of Spinoza which, in turn describes the root purpose of our journey in Masonry; to discover within ourselves the eternal and infinite essence of God.

NOTES

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COMMENT

Gavels and Contagious Magic By Isaiah Akin As MWB Robert F. Drechsler, Past Master of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, took the gavel out of the box and handed it to me, he explained that the wood of the gavel was mahogany from the door of the Capitol Building. On one side of the head of the gavel was an inlay of silver from the pitcher used by President (and Brother) Warren G. Harding when he was a member of the Senate. On the other side, an inlay of bronze taken from the statue of the Goddess of Freedom which is atop the Capitol dome. And around the head of the gavel was an engraved band of silver stating that it was a gift to Cathedral Lodge No. 40 in 1931. I was helping MWB Drechsler set up a display of notable gavels from the collection of the Grand Lodge of Washington, DC at my mother lodge, Naval Lodge No. 4, just blocks from the Capitol Building. Each gavel he brought seemed like it had a tantalizing story behind it. An ivory gavel carved from a walrus tusk by the indigenous people of King Island, Alaska, in 1928. A gavel made of stone from the Washington National Cathedral. A gavel with its head made of black walnut from Mt. Vernon, George Washington’s home, its handle made of wood from the construction of the Supreme Court Building. On top of that, it was inlaid with metal made in the Washington Navy Yard. A set of stone gavels purchased by a brother in Jerusalem’s Old City Bazaar in 1945.

President Carter Gavel When a U.S. President is sworn in, a temporary platform is built for the event on the West side of the Capitol Building. This gavel is made from scraps of wood taken from the platform on which President Carter took the oath of office. It was given to the Grand Lodge of DC by Bro. Warren Jernigan, who was then Chief Doorman for the U.S. House of Representatives. Shortly after giving this gift, Bro. Jernigan was paralyzed by a rare form of Polio. However he went on to became a very influential advocate for the rights of the disabled.

A gavel made from wood taken from the Spanish flagship Reina Christina after the destruction of the Spanish fleet by the by the U.S. Navy at the Battle of Manilla Bay in 1898. Another gavel made of wood from President Carter’s 1977 Inaugural stand. Because it is in the nation’s capital, the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia has had an unusual number of prominent members and visitors. So it is to be expected that it has received a vast collection of gifts, and gavels have proven to be a popular choice. Many of the gavels have a connection to an important place or person. Some, like the gavel made from the door of the Capitol, are literally made from remnants of an important place.

U.S. Capital Door Gavel This gavel made from the mahogany door of the Capitol Building that was burned by the British Army in 1814 was a gift of Arthur “Gus” Cook from Cathedral Lodge No. 40 in 1931. WB Cook served worked in the Capitol Building in various capacities from 1898-1958. Among his responsibilities, cleaning out unused spaces of the building and making gavels for the Speaker of the House. 22 • WINTER 2015

Making, taking, and giving what we would think of as souvenirs or relics is a universal act, done by people in all cultures at all times. Famously, Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer wrote that this is because of a universal belief in what he called “contagious magic.” He identified this as a belief “that things which have once been in contact with each other are always in contact,” and that “things act on each other at a distance through a secret sympathy.” It is hard to believe that a piece of cannon could hold its explosive force, or that through the hair of your enemy you can impact his health. However, there can be no question that souvenirs serve to stir

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Reina Christina Gavel During the Battle of Manila Bay, the first major engagement of the SpanishAmerican War, the U.S. flagship Olympia destroyed the Spanish flagship Reina Cristina. Once the rest of the Spanish fleet was destroyed, Brother and Shipmate Nicholas W. Phillips salvaged some wood from the wreckage as a souvenir. A year and a half later, he presented a gavel made from that wood to Hope Lodge No. 20 in Washington, DC.

up thoughts and feelings related to an items origins. An Eiffel Tower keychain may remind you of the day you bought it from a Paris vendor and may bring you some of the happiness you felt that day. After a breakup, some people will burn items associated with their ex to gain emotional closure. Even in the U.S. House of Representatives, when a Congressman misbehaves the Sergeant at Arms may present that Congressman with the Mace - a relic that is meant to remind the Congressman of the importance of his job and the need for decorum. In the same way, a gavel made from a tree on Bro. George Washington’s estate will raise thoughts of his bravery, fidelity, and commitment to the Craft. A gavel made of wood from the construction of the Supreme Court will remind you to be just and upright in all your actions.

Masons, each of us is told that, as speculative Masons, we use the gavel for the purpose of “divesting our hearts and consciences of all the vices and superfluities of life.” And when a Brother is installed as Master of a lodge, a gavel is placed in his hand as a symbol of his authority. The fact that the symbol of the Master’s power is a gavel helps to remind him that he is to use it to break off the rough edges of the lodge, and to make it a more perfect and harmonious body. When that gavel is also a literal tie to the past, such as a reminder of a famously just or good person or place, it does indeed exert that “contagious magic” Frazer described. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Isaiah Akin is Historian of Naval Lodge No. 4, Washington, DC, and Secretary of the Naval Lodge Board of Trustees. Isaiah works in the U.S. Senate and enjoys researching the connections between Freemasonry and political figures. He lives in Alexandria, VA.

Alaska Gavel Bro. Milton H. Howard presented this gavel made of ivory carved from a walrus tusk to Justice Lodge No. 46 in 1928. It was carved by a member of the Ukivokmiut people on King Island, Alaska.

As Masons, of course, the gavel holds symbolism, no matter what its origin. When we are first made

Washington National Cathedral Gavel The Washington National Cathedral was under construction from September 29, 1907, when the cornerstone was laid in the presence of Brother and President Theodore Roosevelt, until the last finial was installed in the presence of President George H. W. Bush in 1990. W.B. Gerhard Meinzer has helped build many important buildings in Washington, DC, and he presented this gavel made from stone from the National Cathedral to the Grand Lodge in 1995. WINTER 2015 • 23

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he scene amidst which C

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The Question Of Masonic Restoration by Andrew Hammer, FMS

he most exciting thing happening in Freemasonry today is the energy coming from men who became Masons within the last twenty years. These brothers are looking for ways to make the experience of being a Mason something more than just belonging to a club with some mythic elements of history. They are looking for much more than a public charity, which they can find easily and in abundance, anywhere in daily life. They are looking for ways and methods to make Masonry what it seems to have been to our near ancestors; a serious endeavor aimed at an actual improvement in the way men live. That desire, to make the Craft a relevant player in the life of the individual man, so much so that he wants to devote significant blocks of his time to it, has led to a general effort to improve the way Masonic lodges live. That effort has gone by a number of names in those twenty years, some better received than others, but the result in mind is mostly the same. The result being sought is a restoration of Freemasonry to its historical place as a philosophical institution, both viable and earnest, for men to seek meaning. During that time, we have seen groups of brothers come together to try to articulate, to give definition to the various notions of lodge improvement that had been put forth. Originating in the then new world of the Internet, forums and websites began to spring up from a well of both intent and discontent, offering Masons an opportunity to learn from each other in ways they were not learning from their respective lodges. Along the way, two terms stood out, or at least caught the attention of brothers interested in improving their Masonic experience. The first term is “Traditional Observance,” or “TO,” which has caused the most consternation in some areas of the fraternity. The term is and always

I find myself pointing out to brethren that I have never used that term either in relation to my own ideas or my own lodge. Whether it leads one into a debate as to whether or not Freemasonry is intended to be an extension of perennialism (space does not permit that far more extensive discussion here), or into a discussion of whether such a rigidly held rubric is itself a form of alternate practice that does not accurately reflect the actual traditional practices of Masonry, the term “Traditional Observance” has not, and does not communicate effectively the ideas of best practices in Masonry. One can certainly talk of traditions, and even more of being observant in our practice of Masonic ritual, history and law. But when the two words are capitalized and joined as some sort of label, the clarity of their meaning is somehow decreased. The other “label” that has caught on during the last twenty years is “European Concept” lodges. Sure, it sounds appealing to some, even chic. But as anyone who understands American society knows, the idea that Americans need to improve their own situations by importing ideas from Europe or anywhere else sells about as well as air conditioners in Nome. Here again, the term, more than the ideas behind it, is what gets in the way. It should also be pointed out that the term “European Concept” for a particular kind of restored lodge comes from Australia, which means that the idea has now passed through two continents before arriving on North American shores. At the end of such a global journey, however, are we entirely sure that the ideas that are supposedly found abroad cannot be found within our own historical lineage? [One small example of this is that a skull and crossbones, wrongly considered by some to be a “foreign” emblem in Craft Masonry, may be found in the center of the square and compasses in a Maryland Past Master jewel from the late eighteenth century.]

n fact, as I travel throughout North America talking with Masons about these ideas, the use of the term “Traditional Observance” is the most common complaint I encounter, even from brothers who are sympathetic to the general idea, or who may be practicing a form of it.

has been problematic. In fact, as I travel throughout North America talking with Masons about these ideas, the use of the term “Traditional Observance” is the most common complaint I encounter, even from brothers who are sympathetic to the general idea, or who may be practicing a form of it.

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Let me say that some of my dearest friends in the Craft have labored under these terms in their lodges, with nothing but the very best of intentions—and outcomes—in every aspect of their work. Let’s also be clear that the brothers who originally devised these terms were engaged in nothing more than seeking the very best in their Masonic experience. But after more than a decade of effort in a multitude of locations and

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scenarios, it is time—in fact overdue in the opinion of your humble correspondent—to drop the hard attachment to these terms, and express very simply and clearly what the objective is behind all of these attempts to put that goal into a convenient phrase: to restore Masonry to its sense of greatness. The fact of the matter, a fact that cannot be ignored by Grand Lodges any more than it can be put aside by the brothers who are inspired by it, is that the study of our history reveals a deeper and more mentally stimulating journey in the lodge than most of our lodges today are offering. Because Freemasonry was indeed seen in previous ages as a means of improving oneself intellectually, Masons today are seeking to restore lodges to that degree of engagement with the brethren, in order to restore Masonry itself to a position where it captures and holds the interest of serious men. Restoration is not innovation. It cannot be. Rather, it is a genuine effort to find out what we do not know, or might have forgotten about our own lodges and their histories, and bring that magic which made Masonry such a thing of value to our forefathers back into the lodges of today. Restoration is an ideal word to apply to this endeavor, not only because it speaks to rediscovering our own history, but because it also carries the meaning of restoring new life to the future of our Craft.

To that end, I invite our readers to find out more about the idea of Masonic restoration in general. For five years now, the Masonic Restoration Foundation (MRF) has offered annual educational symposiums throughout the continent where brethren from regular Grand Lodges can meet to discuss Masonry. This year the MRF will hold the Sixth Annual Symposium in Philadelphia, at the magnificent Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, from August 21-23. Any brother who attends the Symposium will not be disappointed, at the very least because it offers an opportunity to meet others who are interested in more light. Information about the Symposium and the MRF can be found at www.masonicrestorationfoundation.org. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Andrew Hammer is Past Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22, in Alexandria, Virginia, and presently serves as Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina. He is author of Observing the Craft: The Pursuit of Excellence in Masonic Labour and Observance, and regularly speaks to lodges on that theme, as well as philosophical aspects of the Craft. He is a Fellow of the Masonic Society, President of the Masonic Restoration Foundation, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association.

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18th Century Masonic Newspapers Newspapers may be considered the most classical of all ephemeral items. Coincidentally, the earliest recorded use of the word “ephemera” refers to newspapers. It is to be found in 1751, and is attributed to Dr Johnson in his The Rambler issue number 145. Referring to the minor journals and gazettes of his time, he calls them “These papers of a day, the ephemera of learning....seldom intended to remain in the world for more than a week.” In the Middle Ages town criers were the newsmen that conveyed information and in the sixteenth century various handbills, pamphlets and broadsides announced proclamations, victories and defeats in battles, coronations and other events of consequence. At the same time ballads and often insidious or controversial leaflets were also distributed. These,

. . . do assume the Name of Pretty fellows; nay, and even get new Names, as you very well hint. Some of them I have heard calling to one another....by the Names of, Betty, Nelly, and so forth. You see them accost each other with effeminate Airs: They have their Signs and Tokens like Free-Masons. . . Not long after the Premier Grand Lodge was formed, in June 1717 and its establishment was totally ignored by the contemporary press. The use of the newspapers, however, by the Masonic fraternity itself was not long in coming. All kinds of announcements by the Premier Grand Lodge became increasingly frequent. The Daily Courant of the 5 September 1719, for instance, has an announcement stating that . . . Master Masons in & about London are desired to meet some of their Brethren at the Vine Tavern on the Thursday. There is a definite element of discretion in these announcements. It is only when the press takes the initiative to report a Masonic event that we see Freemasonry openly mentioned as a Society. A series of announcements in the years following the formation of Grand Lodge give details of the admission of various personalities into the Society of Free-Masons.

the true predecessors of the modern newspaper, were sold at various fairs and circulated in coffee-houses and in the streets by “hawkers.” There has never been an exact definition of a newspaper as such and its size and shape, for instance, has never been formally determined, though the tabloid or folded folio size became standardised this century. The overall image of Freemasonry from before its days as an organised society in 1717 and through its early history, is reflected in various press reports. The first known mention of Freemasonry in a newspaper can be found in number 26 of The Tatler dated 7 June 1709. An anonymous letter dated June 6 is addressed to Isaac Bickerstaff, pseudonym for Richard Steele, who established The Tatler on 12 April 1709, abruptly ceasing publication in January of 1711. The relevant paragraph in The Tatler refers to the ongoing correspondence in the paper and reads:

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On 5 August 1721, the initiation of the Duke of Wharton at the King’s Arms Tavern in St Paul’s Church-Yard, was reported in Applebee’s Weekly Journal. It is the earliest report we have of Wharton’s Masonic activities. He was to become the sixth Grand Master in 1722 (the second Noble Grand Master) under circumstances controversial, at best. It is perfectly feasible that rumours, now effectively refuted though still disputed, that Christopher Wren had been initiated into regular freemasonry, began with the various reports and obituaries in contemporary newspapers which followed his passing. His death was announced on 28 of February 1723. On March 5 the following statement appeared in The Post Boy :

..the corpse of that Worthy Free Mason, Sir Christopher

Wren, Knight, to be interr’d...’.

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The British Journal, just a few days later on 9 March also referred to Wren as that Worthy Freemason. There is additional supporting evidence to show that Wren was involved in various Masonic activities but there is no supporting proof to his ever being initiated. The first hints of antagonism toward the craft also appeared in the London Journal on 15 February 1722 which was followed by the more blatant attack, the first exposure of Masonic ritual, which appeared in the Flying Post on April 11-13 1723, commonly referred to as A Mason’s Examination. Until very recently this was thought to be the only exposure in that year. In November 1998, however, I bought a copy of The Post Boy, number 5373 from a colleague in the Channel Islands. It was dated Thursday 26 December to Saturday 28 December 1723 and I had discovered a most exciting new find. Halfway through the second and ending nearly at the end of the following column on the reverse of the newspaper is a letter addressed to the Author of The Post Boy signed Yours &c A.B. It is in the form of a catechism consisting of forty-two questions and answers and is intended to be a blatant exposure, most likely by the penmanship of a Mason attempting to mislead the reader. The text of this catechism is unknown and this issue number 5373 of the newspaper is exceedingly rare. There is, however, an indirect reference to the text in the Free-Masons Accusation and Defence, an exposure published in 1726. The relevant statement begins as follows:

I remember, when I was last in Town, there was a Specimen of their Examination published in The Post Boy; but so industrious were the Masons to suppress it that in a Week’s time not one of the Papers was to be found; where-ever they saw ‘em they made away with them. If this basic statement is true, it explains the rarity of the copy of The Post Boy No. 5373, now in the archives of the Library of the Supreme Council, 33°, S.J., in Washington D C, USA. The author of the Accusation continues at length on the methods used by the Masons to do away with all available copies of the newspaper. This newspaper is now formally recorded as the second oldest published exposure of Freemasonry. The entire issue of the Post-Boy has been published in facsimile by the Scottish Rite Research Society who can be contacted at 1733 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20009-3199. Bibliography & Further Reading: C. Clark Julius, Masonic Memorabilia, Pennsylvania, 1991. Douglas Knoop, G.P. Jones, & Douglas Hamer, The Early Masonic Catechisms, QC London, 1975. Douglas Knoop, G.P. Jones, & Douglas Hamer, Early Masonic Pamphlets, QC London, 1978. S. Brent Morris, “The Post Boy Sham Exposure of 1723,” Heredom 7, Washington, 1998. WINTER 2015 • 29

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IN PRINT

Book Reviews: Current Secret Handshakes and Rolled-Up Trouser Legs: The Secrets of Freemasonry: Fact and Fiction by Richard Gan Richard Gan, retired deputy grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and former editor of the English Masonic magazine The Square, wrote this book to introduce the average Englishman to Freemasonry. His experiences with “cowens” led him to begin not with historical or charitable Masonry, but with the things he perceived most interested the public, namely “secrecy, power, influence and corruption.” The book is divided into two major sections. The first is a series of questions and answers concerning Masonic practice and culture, addressed to the nonMason. Queries range from “Do they really wear aprons in lodge?” and “What goes on in the lodge room?” to “How do Masons get the best jobs?” and “How do Masons manage to get off in court? The second section elaborates on subjects from the first section and addresses additional topics as disparate as Masonry’s origin and history, co-Masonry, Masonry and music, and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Much of what is in the first section of the book applies to the Craft on either side of the “pond.” Specifics in the book, about topics such as aprons, lodge officers, and Masonic funerals, are indeed different. While greater antipathy to the Craft seems to exist in England, the general public’s ambivalence to and ignorance of things Masonic strikes a familiar chord throughout the English-speaking world. The author’s coverage of English practices is frequently edifying, even to those who have visited English lodges. For example, the four pages on royalty and Freemasonry offer a concise explanation of the British royal family’s relationship with the fraternity. Some topics and what the author chooses to discuss are somewhat peculiar. The section on Masonic ritual gives a brief history of the printing of the ritual in England. I would have expected and preferred either an explanation of the importance of ritual or a comparison between Emulation and the various other English rituals. The author’s writing is succinct, readable, and occasionally witty. The illustrations used are helpful and attractive. I do not care for the reuse of paragraphs, or even entire pages, in both sections of the book. For example, Section One’s entry “Meeting on the Level” is repeated verbatim in the second section, including quoting the complete inscription on the Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial at Gettysburg. Enjoying his writing style, I feel this is wasted space in which he might have shared more of his extensive knowledge. Still,

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an American Freemason looking for an introduction to English Masonic practice will find this to be a title worth reading. Reviewed by Donald I. Crews Lewis Masonic (2014), 128 pages Paperback, £9.99 (US$16.68) That Religion in Which All Men Agree: Freemasonry in American Culture by David G. Hackett Many books written on the subject of Freemasonry come from inside the institution: Freemasons writing about their beloved fraternity. David G. Hackett’s That Religion in Which All Men Agree: Freemasonry in American Culture joins a number of works by academics on the role of Freemasonry in the history and culture of the wider world. Hackett begins in England with the emergence of Freemasonry and the shifts in English public life during the same period. His focus then shifts to Freemasonry’s transplantation to America and the new society that emerged there. Hackett is a scholar of religious history and examines Freemasonry from that perspective. He defines religion in the broadest sense as “shared ideologies and practices that help people become human in relation to transcendent realities.” Hackett traces the evolution and fortunes of American Freemasonry in the context of the American religious landscape. Beginning with the colonial era, he traces American religion and its interplay with Freemasonry which he summarizes succinctly as a “counter and complement” to changing American Protestantism. This religious history of America—broadened to include Freemasonry—also tells the story of American private and public culture. Of particular interest is Hackett’s description of Freemasonry as a private realm for men that both paralleled and intersected the female domestic realm (which included the majority of Protestant churches in nineteenth century America).

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The first five chapters focus on mainstream, white, Protestant America and its corresponding Masonic institutions. The final three examine African Americans, Native Americans, and Jews and Catholics. Each group joined the ranks of nineteenth-century Freemasonry but then appropriated its traditions and forms for their own contexts. For example, a robust but separate AfricanAmerican Freemasonry emerged over the course of the century— not unlike the separate churches and other social institutions of the same era. Readers will likely find the chapter on Native Americans challenging, but also as a new perspective on the relationship between them and the majority Whites as that relationship unfolded inside the lodge rooms of America. As American Freemasonry evolved a more universalist religious outlook as the century drew to a close, Catholic Americans launched their own fraternal expression in the Knights of Columbus; Jewish Americans acted similarly but for different reasons. Hackett’s treatment of Freemasonry as a “religion” will make some—perhaps most—readers uncomfortable. Members are taught, and the fraternity argues quite forcefully, that it is not a religion. But Hackett’s perspective adds to a better understanding of how Freemasonry shaped and was simultaneously influenced by its cultural context. Many of the changes in practices, as well as fluctuations in membership, are better understood in the light of this perspective. Readers familiar with other recent scholarly works (Steven C. Bullock’s Revolutionary Brotherhood and the works of Margaret Jacob, for instance) will find this a fine addition to academic treatments of the fraternity. Those unfamiliar with the growing body of scholarly research will find it a good place to start their reading. That Religion in Which All Men Agree is a scholarly work intended for the academic world rather than for Freemasons only. But the book is not an overly difficult read, and anyone making the effort will find light on a previously neglected but important subject. Hacket’s short epilogue is worth pondering. Not only does he deal briefly with the twentieth-century Masonic experience (a history worthy of a book of its own) but he also observes the recent trends in lodges and Masons seeking to revitalize Freemasonry. Those seeking a better future will do well to better understand the forces and philosophies that shaped the past—a past molded by Freemasonry as well — and about which David Hackett has written so well. Reviewed by J. Randolph Clark University of California Press (2014), 336 pages Hardcover $44.96 The York Grand Lodge by David Harrison David Harrison has published another in his series of short, focused histories of early English Freemasonry. This latest book, The York Grand Lodge, adds another spine to his growing shelf of works that pull the historical gaze away from London and the obtuse, disproportionate fable of 1717, and redirects it into other

corners of the Masonic edifice, about which comparatively little of value—or often little at all—has been written. The text points heavily toward primary sources, a good number of which are very legibly reproduced between chapters. Despite the goodly amount of such documentation, the history remains somewhat nebulous, as those sources are mostly unassuming archival materials from which inferences must be made and conclusions drawn. York seems to never have produced an analog to Anderson and his Constitutions, or if so, the work is yet undiscovered. As spare and murky as these factors leave Harrison’s text in places, they also make for a rather intriguing read, as the student of early Freemasonry will find himself paying acute attention to the puzzle pieces as they are each clicked into place. The picture that is painted is of a group of Masons, situated far from the seats of power, going about the practice of their Craft in what manner they are accustomed, regardless of events and personalities far away, and operating on their own terms. This is not to suggest that they were somehow unaware of the much larger Grand Lodge in London. The York appellation “Grand Lodge of All England” is as likely to be a serious posture as it is to be a tongue-in-cheek gesture. And the personalities revealed by Harrison suggest that it could have been a bit of both. From our vantage today, no matter the intention of York to stand independently, it is impossible not to contextualize it within greater 18th-century British Masonry, and hold it up for comparison to London. In this, The York Grand Lodge points out both notable similarities—say, in the class disconnect between the general membership and the upper echelons—and eye-catching differences—for instance, York’s allowances for Antient-like additional degrees. Extensive footnoting and an admirable bibliography make Harrison’s work into a field guide to precincts of Masonic history little known to most readers. As such, it renders service not only as simply a good book; in the best tradition it serves to encourage and support further inquiry by those who would undertake it. Reviewed by Tyler Anderson Arima Publishing (2014), 144 pages Paperback £9.99

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Ancient & Medieval Secret Societies: An Islamic Perspective by ibn Iftikhar Ibn Iftikhar’s book Ancient & Medieval Secret Societies: An Islamic Perspective is a delightful initiatory read into the historical origins of secret societies from around the world. Abu Zayan ibn Iftikhar is a prolific writer on Islamic topics and demonstrates an impressive knowledge of the Koran. His studies have focused on Islam and comparative religion, which stem from his upbringing: his father was a former Qari (a person who recites the Koran according to the rules governing pronunciation). His studies and family environment offer a respectful perspective, which easily and readily accommodates readers who may be unfamiliar with the religion, such as a glossary of Islamic terms and phrases (for example, hadith and salallahu alahi wasalam, respectively). The book is based largely on independent research and sources that date from 1837 to 1924. Ibn Iftikhar’s motivation for writing the book focuses on Freemasonry, but he approaches the fraternity as a conspiracy, such as the Illuminati, and he holds that such societies should not be dismissed, for they have influenced “many events throughout our history.” Ibn Iftikhar acknowledges that readers should not see conspiracies everywhere, but lumps Freemasons with other cults who claim to know the “Unseen,” or Mysteries, and he contends that initiates may believe they are performing a service to humanity, but “may not know the inner secrets of their masters.” Yes, the Koran forbids hypocrisy and secret councils where members conspire to do harm, except for “him who enjoins

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charity or goodness or reconciliation between people. And whoever does this, seeking Allah’s pleasure, shall be given a mighty reward” (4:114). Obviously, the latter refers to those true brothers who have gone before. With the author’s bias aside, the book Ancient & Medieval Secret Societies: An Islamic Perspective offers an excellent overview for researchers to begin their investigations into historical origins of secret societies. Reviewed by Jay S. Williams Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (2014), 79 pages Kindle electronic book, US$1.99

The Cross and the Compass: Freemasonry and Religious Tolerance in Mexico by Sarah Ann Frahm This apparently self-published book is part history and part Christian apologetic. From a narrative perspective the book is a competent, yet a tad overwritten, history of Mexican Freemasonry. In very broad strokes, and sidestepping the bewildering complexity of south-of-the-border Masonry, the history of Mexican Freemasonry goes more or less like this: the Craft arrived in colonial Mexico during the second half of the eighteenth century aided by French migration and probably by Spanish military lodges. Arquitectura Moral, Mexico’s first Masonic Lodge, appeared in 1806. Although the evidence is slim, it is possible that some of Mexico’s early liberals such as Miguel Hidalgo and José María Morelos were Freemasons.

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Soon enough Mexico’s political struggles helped split Freemasonry into two political camps, loosely connected to the York and Scottish Rite. A third way also emerged called the National Mexican Rite, aimed at creating a corruption-free political model. In short, the seemingly endless birth pains experienced by the Mexican state found their way into Masonic bodies throughout the country and continue to this day. To be sure, Ms. Frahm does not deviate from this basic, and mostly accurate, outline of Mexican history. In fact, she deserves credit for shedding light on lesser-known names such as Matthew Tindal and for resurrecting (or reintroducing) important individuals, their works, and Masonic connections (for example, John Locke and Thomas Paine). What is troublesome about her otherwise worthy effort is that the most cursory review of her sources reveals the usual array of anti-Masonic authors and tracts. She cites the discredited words of notorious anti-Masonic books such as Bernard Fay’s Revolution and Freemasonry, J. Blanchard’s Masonry Illustrated, and Jack Harris’s Freemasonry: The Invisible Cult in our Midst as credible and agenda-free sources. They simply are not. Bernard Fay was a French historian and an anti-Masonic and anti-Semitic polemicist who believed in a worldwide Jewish-Freemason conspiracy. Blanchard was instrumental in a failed attempt to resurrect the Anti-Masonic Party in the late 19th century. Jack Harris is a former Mason who writes and sells books attacking Freemasonry. Needless to say, Ms. Frahm did not have to spend that much ink, and her considerable research skills, juxtaposing the goodness of her Christian faith against Freemasonry’s well-documented, and apparently wicked, Deistic tendencies. It is a well-established fact that Freemasonry originated with Christian stonemasons in the British Isles and, influenced by the powerful winds of the Enlightenment, eventually took a Deist turn. What seems to trouble the author is not whether Freemasonry contains Deist tendencies (it does) or whether it has contributed to religious tolerance in Mexico and elsewhere (it has). The real research question behind The Cross and the Compass: Freemasonry and Religious Tolerance in Mexico is whether Freemasonry is compatible with Faham’s deeply felt Christian faith and whether it promotes religious tolerance for the “right reasons.” I’ll let readers of this review guess how the author answers these questions. Reviewed by José O. Díaz Palibrio (2014), 326 pages Paperback, US$22.95 Museum and Memorial: Ten Years of Masonic Writings by Mark Tabbert

The first essay is a delightfully entertaining, Dragnet-esque story titled “We Make House Calls,” in which Tabbert describes how he provided guidance to a lodge in the midst of selling its historic building. Tabbert continues with articles on the relevance of Masonic relics and exhibiting Masonic history. In other articles, he provides histories of some nineteenth-century fraternal societies, the introduction to his book American Freemasons, and an unpublished conclusion to that book, in which he makes the less-thanrosy observation that today, “outwardly the fraternity [Freemasonry] still looked like a classical temple dedicated to equality and rational thought, but within it was adorned with contradiction, confusion and pettiness.” Additionally, Tabbert provides his 2006 address to the Society of Blue Friars, a couple of articles dedicated to George Washington, and an article in which he describes the process of revamping and curating the displays at the George Washington Masonic Memorial, to more correctly align with the monument’s purpose: “To inspire humanity through education to emulate and promote the virtues, character and vision of George Washington, the Man, the Mason and Father of our Country.” Finally, he provides advice for “Restructuring American Freemasonry” in three articles on Craft Masonry, York Rite, and Scottish Rite, previously published in this journal. While Tabbert acknowledges that “many of these recommendations may be foolish,” he provides some very cogent arguments that provoke thoughtful consideration for the reader. Overall, I thought Museum and Memorial was a very enjoyable read and one which I recommend. Reviewed by Bo Cline Cornerstone Book Publishers (2011), 165 pages Paperback, US$16.95

Mark Tabbert is author of the critically aclaimed American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities. His later book, Museum and Memorial: Ten Years of Masonic Writings, is an interesting collection of anecdotes, notes on preserving Masonic history, and advice.

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MEET THE REVIEWERS Tyler Anderson is past master of Sandia Mountain Lodge 72 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He received his BAFA in art history from the University of New Mexico, where he worked at the University Art Museum for nearly a decade. He is an avid collector of fraternal regalia and photography and a writer on the subjects of travel in New Mexico and American fraternalism. J. Randolph Clark is a member of Huber Heights Lodge 777, Grand Lodge of Ohio, a past district deputy master of that grand lodge, and an active member of the Ohio Lodge of Research. Donald I. Crews is past master of Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge 2 in Cincinnati. His book, Cincinnati’s Freemasons, was released by Arcadia Publishing in October 2014. By profession, he is a librarian. He is a member of the Masonic Society, Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 Correspondence Circle, and the Scottish Rite Research Society, and he is active in the Ohio Lodge of Research.

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Jay S. Williams, PhD, is past master of Sandia Mountain Lodge 72, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and chair of the Grand Lodge of New Mexico’s Committee on Foreign Correspondence. He is a former college instructor and current technical writer for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. John R. “Bo” Cline is past president of the Masonic Society, a past grand master, twice past master of Matanuska Lodge 7 in Palmer, Alaska, and a member of various Masonic research groups. He is very interested in the study of Masonic history and symbology. José O. Díaz, PhD, is an associate professor, curator, and adjunct professor of history and Latin American studies at The Ohio State University. In addition to teaching courses in American and public history, Díaz has taught a course titled “From National Treasure to the Da Vinci Code: A Brief History of Freemasonry.” He is past master of York Lodge 563, Worthington, Ohio, a dual member of Arts and Sciences 792, and a board member and fellow of the Masonic Society.

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Masonic Treasures

Unique Ballot Box Our contributing writer, Isaiah Akin, shares another interesting Masonic artifact in this edition of Masonic Treasures . This unusual bowl-shaped ballot box is from the collection of Naval Lodge No. 4, in Washington, DC. Used by the lodge for only four years from 1891-1895, the details of its manufacture are unclear. At that time, many members of the lodge were craftsmen and workers from the nearby Washington Navy Yard, and it is possible that one of these men made this extraordinary ballot box for the lodge. As the illustration shows, there is no cover to the main reservoir, and voting is controlled by means of a wooden plug , which blocks the tube that allows the individual ballots from being received in the drawer. -- Isaiah Akin, Historian, Naval Lodge No. 4, Washington, D.C.