The Journal of The Masonic Society, Issue #6 by The Masonic Society

The Journal

Of The Masonic Society

Autumn 2009

Issue 6

THE JOURNAL OF THE

MASONIC SOCIETY Editor in Chief Christopher L. Hodapp Phone: 317-842-1103 editor@themasonicsociety.com 1427 W. 86th Street Suite 248 Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 Editorial Committee Jay Hochberg - Submissions Editor Randy Williams - Assistant Editor Submit articles by email to: articles@themasonicsociety.com

The Officers and the Board of Directors cordially invite you to attend

The Second Annual

Dinner and Meeting of The Masonic Society Masonic Week 2010 The Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Alexandria, Virginia Friday Evening, February 12, 2010, 6:00 PM

“National Treasure, Dan Brown, and Public Perception” Christopher L. Hodapp, Moderator All Freemasons and Ladies are Welcome! Please make all reservations through the Masonic Week 2010 Website: http://yorkrite.com/MasonicWeek IMPORTANT NOTE: We are honored to be an official participant in the Allied Masonic degrees “Masonic Week” program. Tickets for the banquet are available ONLY in advance through the AMD Week organizers. All Meals MUST have a ticket. All RESERVATIONS must be made by FEBRUARY 1, 2009. No meal tickets will be sold at the HOTEL! ALL DINNER TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 1ST, 2009! Visit the AMD reservation website at http://www.yorkrite.org/MasonicWeek/index.html or contact: Paul Newhall, 13611 Dairy Lou Court, Oak Hill, VA 20171-3342 Telephone Number (703) 598-5077 Email: pnewhall@cox.net Hotel reservations are available by calling 1-800-HILTONS Identify the hotel property as the “Hilton Alexandria Mark Center” Rooms may still be available at a reduced rate under the group name “AMD3” The Society will once again sponsor a hospitality suite at Masonic Week 2010. Please check at our membership table for the room number.

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Officers Roger S. VanGorden, President Michael R. Poll, 1st Vice President Rex R. Hutchens, 2nd Vice President Nathan C. Brindle, Secretary/Treasurer Christopher L. Hodapp, Editor-in-Chief Directors Ronald Blaisdell James R. Dillman Jay Hochberg James W. Hogg Fred G. Kleyn III Mark Tabbert

The Journal of The Masonic Society Autumn 2009 Issue 6 Published 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 © 2009 by The Masonic Society, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Perfect Ashlar By Christopher Hodapp

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY AUTUMN 2009

ISSUE 6

Sections 4 President’s Message 5

News of the Society

Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings

Masonic News

33 Letters

Articles 12 Restructuring American Freemasonry, Part I by Mark Tabbert

35 From The Editor

Special Report 22 What’s Wrong With The Lost Symbol

17 Order of the Royal Ark Mariner In England by Yasha beresiner

by Rex Hutchens

Special Report 25 Lectures of Pleasure by Jay Hochberg

19 Beyond the Tracing Board: Masonic Education Outside of the Lodge by Randy Williams

Masonic Treasures 36 The Perfect Ashlar By Christopher Hodapp

The Inexperienced Ghost by H.G. Wells

COVER: This issue’s cover features Albrecht Dürer’s Melencolia I (1514). For an extensive Masonic interpretation of the engraving (only one of literally hundreds of explanations of this historic print), see the entry “Dürer, Albrecht” in In H. L. Haywood’s revision of Albert Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (1946), which features a long analysis by W. P. Tuckerman.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Leaving the Status Quo Behind By Roger S. VanGorden

few years ago during a breakout session at the Grand Master’s Conference, author and professional speaker Joel Barker spoke about paradigm shifts. One of Barker’s points was dynamic change within an organization is often caused by forces outside the organization. For a case in point, look at the current state of the American banking and automobile industries. Well, Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol is upon us. Could the change within our Fraternity many are seeking come from the outside? Perhaps Dan Brown’s series of books, the National Treasure movies, Discovery, National Geographic, and History channels will cause change. Many men will be drawn to Freemasonry due to the increased attention in pop culture. I can hear many of you raising the question of quality of petitioners. Will we be deluged with the “Dungeon and Dragons” set wanting to play with skulls and swords? Perhaps we will. But, these men may prove to be our best and brightest new members. My fear is we will be deluged by men seeking the fraternity of Washington, Franklin, and Voltaire. What will we offer them? Will we offer them deep introspection, or spaghetti on paper plates and a job at the next child ID fair? Will we demonstrate the great fulfillment found in solid friendships or will we bore them with the trivia of bill paying?

Matt Lauer and Dan Brown at the House of the Temple.

importance of our secrets. We have longed for positive public perception to the point we changed the Fraternity. When we market our Fraternity, often we use words similar to those used by service clubs or charities. If we talk about self improvement at all, we use the cliché, “making good men better.” We fear talking about secrets, initiations, and symbols will make us look weird or worse, cultish. Yet, these are the very things The Lost Symbol relishes, raising curiosity from the public. A couple of issues ago I wrote of a book, The New Recruit. The author, Sarah Sladek wrote, “If you can bring value to younger

I was pleasantly surprised by Mr. Lauer’s attitude toward our Fraternity. I was expecting him to be “weirded out” and looking for a fast way to escape. But, just the opposite, he showed interest. As with some of the programs found on the History Channel, Brown’s Robert Langdon says Freemasonry is not “a secret society, but a society with secrets.” Hyping the release of the book during the Today Show, Matt Lauer visited a couple of sites familiar to Masons; the House of the Temple and the George Washington Masonic Memorial. To my surprise, Mr. Lauer referred to the House of the Temple as “cool”. While at the GWMM he also reiterated Freemasonry “is not a secret society, but a society with secrets.” I was pleasantly surprised by Mr. Lauer’s attitude toward our Fraternity. I was expecting him to be “weirded out” and looking for a fast way to escape. But, just the opposite, he showed interest. Over the years I have become accustomed to people viewing our Fraternity as creepy or strange. I am not alone. This negative public perception is the root to many members lessening the 4 • AUTUMN 2009

members, they will never question whether a membership is a worthwhile investment, and they will refer your organization to their peers.” During a recent episode of The Simpsons Mr. Burns quipped, “I joined the Freemasons before it was trendy.” Freemasonry changes with each generation that sweeps into it. Will we seek ways to make the initiatic experience more important in the lives of our members? Will we start to distance ourselves from the service club model and return to the Fraternity’s roots? Most important, if we are fortunate to have a deluge of men seeking the mysteries of Freemasonry, is an end to the status quo far behind?

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

News of the Society

he 2009 Semi-Annual Meeting of the Masonic Society took place October 24th, 2009 at Indiana Freemasons’ Hall in Indianapolis, Indiana. Forty brethren were on hand for an outstanding day of presentations, tours, food and friendship, with the over arching theme, “Rededicating The Craft.”

• Jeffrey Naylor presented “The Gentleman Mason,” on the importance of dressing the part of, and behaving as, gentlemen. • José Diaz presented “Notes on teaching the Craft: The Millennials’ view of American Freemasonry,” an outline of the class he teaches on the subject of Freemasonry at Ohio State University. • Chris Hodapp presented the “Dan Brown Effect” and “Reviving a Failing Lodge” • Most Worshipful Brother Charles Marlowe, Grand Master of Indiana, gave the keynote address, and especially charged the Society with the mission of encouraging Masonic poetry. The Grand Master’s presence was especially appreciated, as he crisscrossed the state in order to be at multiple events. • Mark Tabbert – presented the George Washington Masonic Memorial’s program of preserving electronic records for researchers. • George Haynes presented “Working the Plan: Lodge Models and Model Lodges,” an account of the battle plan and wounds resulting from the formation of a new lodge in Pennsylvania, and the lessons learned along the way.

From: Ronald D. Martin, Executive Director TMS To: Roger VanGorden, President & The Board of Directors Date: September 11, 2009 Subject: Resignation as Executive Director of TMS Effective 10/31/2009 Dear Brothers & Founding Fellows/Members, As many of you know I am in the process of getting ready to make a move to Las Vegas so that my wife, Valerie, can complete her BSN RN at Touro University (a medical school with other healthcare specialty programs). I will be traveling back and forth between Las Vegas, Sacramento and Mt. Shasta over the next 18 months. During the next few months I will be completing the last of my classes in both of my graduate programs. I will then complete the dissertation portion of my Ph.D. program over the next 12 months. All of these items are very time consuming and truly require my complete attention so as to make the most of this experience. Having been involved with TMS from its inception it was very difficult for me to come to this decision. We have accomplished that which many told us we could not do. Pulling together such a broad and diverse group of Masonic brothers to help support this cause was simply history in the making each and every day. Our Society has the opportunity to do many wonderful things; we simply need to keep in mind our initial goals, Society philosophy, and our Members interests. I have expanded my circle of friends by way of our endeavors here at TMS and have assimilated many different and very diverse perspectives of both our Craft and our inherently microcosmic reflection of society. I have found strength in our diversity and as long as a theory of justice is applied in our actions the means will always drive the end. I have several TMS duties that I intend to complete due to commitments to our Members and to provide for a smooth transition. The Executive Director position is very time consuming and requires a command of a number of diverse skill sets. I hope to assist my replacement with as much training as is necessary and to inform him of the various nuances that come with the position. My date of resignation shall be October 31, 2009. If there are any remaining questions following that date I will of course be available to answer them. I look forward to participating with TMS, as time allows, over the next 18 months. Following that time period I will be free of the educational commitments I currently have and I will once again look forward to unrestricted Masonic sailing. I truly want to thank all of my brothers here at TMS for their friendship and Masonic tutelage; I learned a great deal from each of you. With all due respect, Ronald D. Martin, Founding Executive Director TMS

M Special thanks to Colin Peterson for acting as master of ceremonies for the day; to John Bridegroom for creating new graphics for the Society’s traveling display; to Fred Ward for conducting a tour of the Scottish Rite Cathedral; to James Dillman for arranging not one, but two meals for the attendees; but most especially to everyone who came out for this tremendous event. (Photos by Nathan Brindle)

asonic Society member and Founding Fellow Bruce Pruitt was accorded a rare honor at this summer’s triennial Grand Encampment of the United States in Roanoke, Virginia. Grand Master William H. Koon II presented Brother Pruitt with the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar National Award. The National Award is available to be given only every three years at the triennial meeting of the Grand Encampment and is the highest award given by that order. In some years no suitable recipient is chosen, so this event is quite unique. The recipient is selected on the basis of broad service to the Order of Knights Templar, the Masonic Fraternity, and military, community, and religious involvement. Among his lengthy list of personal and professional accomplishments, he is the author of The Truth About AntiAUTUMN 2009 • 5

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

News of the Society ith great pride and appreciation, The Masonic Society welcomes the following brethren as our esteemed new members from July 1st through September 30th, 2009. Jarrod R. Adkisson Mir Omar Ali Christopher L. Allen Robert Atcheson John J. Babin III Bill F. Baker Frank C. Baker Jason Basile Richard Baskin David R. Bedwell Dr. Robin Wm. Beissell John L. Belanger Lyle P. Bird David R. Bloomquist Jeremy Borie Blake L. Bowden Chad Brown Floyd Burgher Robert J. Burns Matthew Byers Jairo Alberto Cardenas Jeb W. Carroll Anthony M. Castaneda, Jr. Dr. Michael A. Chaplin, D.C. John C. Christie Chris Cochrane Robert William

Cockerham Oliver Craughwell Louis J. Devillon Joe P. Diederich William Dobrinin Philip A. Donnelly John J. Eberts Douglas Eichen Bob Ervin David Eschrich Craig L. Evans Paul M. Ferreira Jörg Fischer John R. Gann Garland Gisclair Martyn Greene Jim Gregory Martin Guberman C. Todd Hamilton Bill Harlan Joseph R. Haydock Donald Heller Maurice C. Himes Donald E. Hohler, Jr. Jeffrey Scott Holbrook Adam Holtzapple Brian G. Hook

Andrew B. Hutchinson George A. Ingles, Jr. Wm Garrett Jackson Daniel S. Jameyson Aaron Jones Isaiah Juste Teodoro Kalaw IV Gerard T. Kendle John M. Klaus Chris Larsen John S. Laws Ion Lazar Les Little Bryan M. Long William J. Lorenz Dale A. Lynch, Jr. Ezequiel Passos Marinho Victor Marshall Timothey S. Marshbanks Joseph S Martin Arthur McGinley Bob McNamara Brady T McNulty Dale I. Miller Rommel John Miller Harlan J. Mohn Joey Monroe

Masonry in which he addresses the questions and criticisms that non-Masons have about the fraternity. Brother Pruitt lives in Roseville, CA with his wife of 53 years, Shirley. They have three married daughters and eight grandchildren.

f you have a Facebook account, be sure to add “The Masonic Society” group to your profile. And please remember, if you aren’t signed up and participating in our members-only online Forum, you are missing one of the biggest benefits of your membership. Exchange ideas, assist each other with research, keep up to date on news and Society activities. Simply go to www.themasonicsociety. com and follow the links and instructions to sign on to the Forum.

Secretary-Treasurer’s Musings rethren, the Society now numbers over 900 members. As a B point of reference, that’s about the largest my mother lodge ever got back in the 1950s. I still don’t know how the Secretary at that time got by without a computer. My guess is that he was retired and had plenty of time on his hands to type letters, mimeograph them, and address them with the Addressograph machine. Not to mention updating hand-written ledgers and keeping up with the file work. Communication was an issue back then, and even in our wired world of the 21st Century, it still is. Particularly in a society with members widely scattered throughout the 50 US states, Canada, and the rest of the world. What this is leading up to is a concern on my part that communication from members back to the Society is not happening. (I know that communication to members is happening, 6 • AUTUMN 2009

Steven A. Morrison Doug Morton John Newton Max Norris Dmitri Ivannovich Ostrovski Matthew R. Paulish Michael R. Pender, Jr. Michael Perez MD Joshua V. Pollock Harold Powell Doug Reece Thomas Rensvold David M. Robinson Charles Wayne Russell Frank Russell Scott Russell Cecil A. Ryder, Jr. William M. Sailor Joseph H. Santisteban Richard L. Sawyers Danny Scalise Lee Seagondollar David C. Shanley-Dillman Fred Shepard Scott M. Sherman Frederick J. Skeggs

Chris A. Sloffer Ronald K. Smith Steven C. Smith I Terry Spalding-Martin Greg Starr Joe Steve Swick III Jesse L Tanner David G. Terrell James Tome William Van Zile Richard Vazquez J C Walker Frank H. Wallace Jerry Wasson J. F. “Jeff” Webb Scott I. Weber Bryce Weiner Daniel M. Weiner Carl B. Willi Dennis R. Williamson Robert W. Wilson George F. Winters Willie R. Yeargan Harry Zaphir

via the Forum everyday, and via the Journal four times a year.) I receive e-mail every now and then from members who tell me they haven’t received their copy of the Journal -- and not just the current copy, but the one before that, too. And every now and then I get Journals back from people who moved but didn’t notify me of their new address. Unfortunately my guess is that I don’t get nearly as many returned to sender as actually do not get delivered. Because we don’t control the bulk mailing process, it’s hard to say sometimes why Journals don’t get through. We send our bulk mailer a database of addresses in a standard format, and so far as I can tell, they are properly addressing magazines on their way out the door. We kid around that perhaps the post office personnel are reading the Journal and will send it along as soon as they’re done, but we know that’s probably not really the case. The best way for us to keep a handle on missing mailings is for members to report missing Journals and any changes of address promptly to secretary@themasonicsociety.com, or by regular mail to our address found in the front of the magazine. Address changes can also be submitted via the Society’s website at http:// themasonicsociety.com/membershipupdate . The deadlines for address changes for the Journal to take effect are as follows: Summer Issue: By July 1. Fall Issue: By October 1. Winter Issue: By January 1. Spring Issue: By April 1. Normally we make an announcement on the Forum on the day the Journal is mailed out. If you have not received your magazine within 30 days of mailing, please contact me and I will provide a replacement copy. (Overseas Journals go First Class International, so you should receive your copies at the same time or even before US Domestic members.) Nathan Brindle, Secretary/Treasurer

Renew your membership now online at www.themasonicsociety.com

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Founding Fellow Stephen Dafoe. Conferences, Delta Lodge, Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada http://www.masonicspringworkshop.ab.ca/ Masonic News Speeches, June 25-27, 2010 Symposia & Grand Lodge of New York’s St. John’s Weekend Masonic Care Community, Utica, New York. Gatherings November 2, 2009 Nutley Lodge No. 25, Nutley, New Jersey Bro. Mohamad Yatim to speak on “V.I.T.R.I.O.L. and the Chamber of Reflection.”

September 17-19, 2010 Columbian Council No. 1, Royal and Select Masters, New York City Bicentennial Celebration. Banquet and program to be announced.

November 4-8, 2009 Masonic Library and Museum Association’s annual meeting To be hosted by the Henry Wilson Coil Library & Museum of Freemasonry in San Francisco, California.

November 12, 2010 Scott Council No. 1, Royal and Select Masters, New Jersey Sesquicentennial Celebration. Banquet and program to be announced.

November 9, 2009 Rededication of Daniel D. Tompkins gravesite, 131 East 10th St., New York City. AASR-NMJ to assist United States Daughters of 1812 in restoration, and unveiling.

May 2011 Third International Conference on the History of Freemasonry George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia.

November 11, 2009 Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange, New Jersey Thomas R. Hughes, Grand Master of the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New Jersey, to speak on Freemasonry’s historic importance to African-Americans.

June 1-4, 2011 New Orleans Scottish Rite History and Research Symposium Sponsored by the A&ASR Southern Jurisdiction, the Valley of New Orleans, and co-hosted with The Masonic Society.

November 14, 2009 Nutley Lodge No. 25 in Nutley, New Jersey Heather Calloway, Director of Special Programs, Supreme Council of the A&ASR-SJ, to speak on “Significant Masonic Buildings in the United States.” November 29, 2009 Fairless Hills Lodge No. 776 in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania Annual Lodge Banquet with keynote speakers Founding Fellows Thomas Jackson and S. Brent Morris. December 12, 2009 New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786 Meets at 100 Barrack St. in Trenton at 10 a.m. All Master Masons welcome. December 19, 2009 Pennsylvania Lodge of Research Annual Meeting Papers: “ A Short History of Cumberland County and Masonic Connections Therein” by Bro. S. Eugene Herritt;. “John A. Brashear, Astronomer and Mason” by Bro. Albert Kappeler; “ George Washington’s Caves” by Bro.Jack Speece. All Master Masons welcome, 10 AM. Lunch $7.50. Carlisle Masonic Center, Carlisle, PA

Please send notices of your event to Jay Hochberg at articles@themasonicsociety.com

Speedway Lodge No. 729 Needs Your Support!

Speedway Lodge in Indianapolis and the GL2013 Committee need your support as they prepare to host the Indiana Grand Master’s reception in 2013. For your generous donation as indicated below, we will send you a free gift!

Donate $100

Receive a Limited Edition Silk Tie from England!

February 10-13, 2010 Masonic Week Annual meetings of numerous York Rite affiliated bodies, plus other ceremonies and special events to be announced. Alexandria, Virginia.

Donate $25

Receive a Limited Edition Shrine Circus Ball Cap!

February 12, 2010 The Masonic Society’s Second Annual “First Circle Gathering” Masonic Week, Alexandria, Va. April 9, 2010 National Heritage Museum First biennial symposium: “New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism” Lexington, Massachusetts April 16-17, 2010 A&ASR Southern Jurisdiction Leadership Conference At the Downtown Sheraton Hotel, New Orleans. April 23-25, 2010 Alberta Masonic Spring Workshop Enlightenment: The Soul of Freemasonry Speakers to include Professor Margaret Jacob of UCLA and

Donate $60

Receive both books The Lost Symbol Freemasons For Dummies

ORDER TODAY AT www.gl2013.com AUTUMN 2009 • 7

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Masonic News

s promised, Dan Brown’s novel, The Lost Symbol, was released on September 15th. Despite worries around the Masonic world that Freemasonry would be treated badly in the book, it is a 509-page love letter to the fraternity. The book sold 1 million copies in the U.S. on its first day, and 2 million in the first week. Press coverage was sizeable, on the international and national level, as well as many local stories that featured Freemasons commenting about the novel and its portrayal of Masonic rituals, philosophy and customs. After more than a month, the news continues to feature Masonic stories. The book is a fast-paced thriller that takes place in Washington D.C., as predicted. Much of the most harrowing action takes place in the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction’s headquarters, The House of the Temple. The Almas Shrine and the George Washington Masonic Memorial in nearby Alexandria both make a cameo appearance. Because of the interest the book continues to create, Masons would be well advised to read The Lost Symbol to be aware of its claims and errors. (See Rex Hutchens’ article on page 22, What’s Wrong With The Lost Symbol?)

Masonic Society brethren were featured on many local and national television programs throughout the weeks following the book’s release, and Dan Brown was interviewed by reporter Matt Lauer on NBC’s Dateline in the House of the Temple. His comments were extremely praiseworthy of the fraternity. The show also featured Masonic Society members Cliff Porter, Shawn Eyer, Timothy Hogan, and the brethren of Enlightenment Lodge No. 198 in Colorado Springs. A two-hour special, Hunting The Lost Symbol, was aired by the Discovery Channel, and also featured several of our members, including Brent Morris, Chris Hodapp and Mark Tabbert. A twopart report also aired on the CBS affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah featuring Glen Cook, Past Grand Master of Utah. Publicity for the fraternity has been uniformly positive, and grand lodges across the country reported major increases in contact for information about membership. The effects of the book will have an extended reach, as it will undoubtedly remain

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popular through the Christmas season, followed by the paperback release next year, and the inevitable movie, expected to be released in 2011.

hortly before the release of Dan Brown’s novel, The Lost Symbol on September 15th, The Masonic Society launched a website, in conjunction with the Masonic Service Association of North America, and the George Washington Masonic Memorial, to answer questions and deal with inaccuracies in the book. The response has been phenomenal. As of October 31st, the site received more than 41,000 hits, and dozens of lodges, grand lodges, and individual sites have linked to it. www.freemasonlostsymbol.com

n July 25th, Most Worshipful Brother Gale Kenney, Grand Master of Masons in Washington state and the officers of the Grand Lodge of Washington consecrated and installed the officers of Krucible Lodge No. 318 in Tacoma. The lodge has been operating under dispensation since April 2008. Krucible is now officially the newest chartered lodge in the state. Congratulations to Worshipful Master Kevin Davis and the brethren of Krucible Lodge No. 318!

he Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction’s National Heritage Museum in Lexington, Massachusetts opened a new exhibit on October 3rd, “Freemasonry Unmasked!: Anti-Masonic Collections in the Van Gorden-Williams Library and Archives.” Also on display is “The Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts: Celebrating 275 Years of Brotherhood,” featuring more than 150 objects, photographs and documents related to Masonic history in Massachusetts. Washington’s House of the Temple, headquarters of the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction, gets all of the press lately, because it has a beautiful, monumental building in D.C. Don’t short-sheet the AASR-NMJ (which has similar membership numbers as the Southern Jurisdiction, in spite of being in just 15 states). The museum is outstanding and well worth a visit if you are in the Boston area. Check the museum’s website at www.monh.org

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Masonic News

here are incredible online resources for those involved in the preservation of our older Masonic temples. Our buildings share common problems with churches—aging facilities, historic considerations, volunteer membership, frequent changes in building management, dwindling numbers, and of course, limited funds. The largest site is the Church Buildings Maintenance in Scotland Project (www.maintainyourchurch.org.uk). Obviously written for churches and for the Scottish market, it nevertheless contains a treasure trove of resources for owners of all older buildings, regardless of purpose or location. It is supported by the Church of Scotland, the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal Church, and Historic Scotland. The massive site has a glossary of architectural terms so you and your roofer or construction company are speaking the same language. It lists articles on maintenance issues, as well as case studies of large projects. The resource download section is the greatest portion of the site, and it is filled with specific articles to address everything from bird control, graffiti removal and metal theft prevention, to roof repair, masonry decay and timber rot. Equally valuable is the U.S. Partners for Sacred Places (www. sacredplaces.org). It describes itself as a “non-sectarian, nonprofit organization devoted to helping congregations and their communities sustain and actively use older and historic sacred places.” Their website includes more than 125 articles, and many have to do with fund raising and capital campaigns, as well as professional advice on building condition surveys, repairs, HVAC systems, and many case studies of churches that have stopped the deterioration of their buildings. Both sites are well worth detailed examination by anyone struggling with the issues of aging temple buildings.

he Associated Press reported on July 16th that fourteen members of a Masonic lodge on the island of Fiji were arrested and detained overnight for “practicing sorcery.” According to various reports, eight Australians and a New Zealander were among those jailed after their meeting was raided by police, allegedly because they did not have the proper permits. The New Zealand Herald quoted an unnamed police spokesman who said officers acted on complaints from villagers of “strange goings-on” at the lodge. Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama ordered their release the next day. Police in the town of Lautoka seized Masonic paraphernalia, described in the papers as “wands, compasses and a skull.”

rother Russ Spice at the Detroit Masonic Center has some irreplaceable works of art in need of a new home. The Scottish Rite in Detroit moved out of the Detroit Masonic Temple a few years back, and left one hundred lines of stage drops used in conferring the Scottish Rite degrees. The full size drops are at least forty-five feet wide, and perhaps thirty feet tall. They were made by McDonald Stevens of New York around 1926. A new management company has recently taken over the operation of the Detroit facility’s stages, and to keep them flexible for other shows, some of the drops will undoubtedly need to be removed. If you know of a Scottish Rite Valley in need of these types of drops, or of a museum that would be interested in them, contact Russ Spice at Russellspice@aol.com

he 64th Knights Templar Triennial Conclave took place in Roanoke, Virginia in August. Almost 400 Sir Knights gathered at the Hotel Roanoke for drill team competitions, elections and general business meetings. There were 377 voting members representing 47 states and 6 foreign countries. William H. Koon II has been elected as the Most Eminent Grand Master, Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America. David Godwin has been elected as the Right Eminent Deputy Grand Master, and Duane L. Vaught has been elected as the Right Eminent Grand Captain General.

reemasons, families and friends gathered in Washington, DC on October 3, 2009 for a service of prayer and thanksgiving. The Nation’s Capital Masonic Day of Prayer took place at the Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, and was jointly organized and hosted by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia, Inc.

ost Worshipful brother Raymond S. J. Daniels, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario has announced the Grand Master’s project for 2009-2011. A fund has been established to create a Centre for Masonic Studies in conjunction with Brock University, St. Catharines, in Ontario. A series of lectures is planned beginning in the spring of 2010. AUTUMN 2009 • 9

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Masonic News The purpose of the Centre is “to advance the study and understanding of Freemasonry and to encourage research into the “Freedom Restored”: A Case for significant impact fraternalism in general and Freemasonry in parMasonic Recycling W. Bro. wasthe back the hundred United States ticular have Trevor made onStewart society over lastinthree years.…this fall, by John Belton To gain credibility in the academic community would restore the true historical perspective of the fraternity.” y friend Nick Tkatschuk who lives in the east of Poland This proposed partnership will honor the name of R.W. Bro. (born in Yorkshire to a father born in former Poland, Charles A. Sankey (1905-2009), who served as Chancellor of the now Ukraine, and a Yorkshire mother) sent me an University from 1969-1974. A renowned Masonic scholar, he e-mail announcing the reopening of a lodge in Lublin: Wolnosc was active in all the concordant bodies of Masonry – Ancient & Odzyskana. I struggle to pronounce the name so I am sticking to Accepted Scottish Rite (33°), Royal Order of Scotland, and Royal the translation Freedom Restored–it is much simpler. Arch Masons. His extensive collection of rare Masonic books and The lodge that was going to be reconsecrated had originally papers is in the Special Collections of the James Gibson Library at been charted in Lublin under a warrant from the Grand Orient Brock, providing a rich resource for research scholars and students. of France in 1784 and worked until 1821, when all lodges were closed down by Russia’s invasion of Poland. After that, in the twentieth century there was a co-Masonic lodge and an attempt between 1935 and 1938 to revive. Clearly, reconsecrating a lodge called Freedom Restored had connotations in Poland with what had happened there over the last twenty so years. I made up my mind to go to the consecration of the new lodge, and thought how nice it would be if I could get hold of a set of working tools from one of the many lodges in Manchester that have closed down. I had a word with Robert Mitchell, the APGM for our Internet Lodge, and that it when the idea came alive. His response a couple of weeks later, was “Yes, and is there anything else they need?” The inference was that anything was possible. It took the Polish Brothers a while to grasp this fully, but their final response was “Yes, please!” Thus it was that a couple of weeks later, I collected two rather battered old suitcases and a large black painted metal box that came with the full blessing of the members of the former Coronation Lodge No. 2930, which had recently closed and turned in its charter. They had thought it was all over, he headquarters of the Grand Orient of France on rue but suddenly, out of that darkness came the possibility that they Cadet in Paris’ 9th arrondissement caught fire on Saturday, could shed Masonic light somewhere else in the world! September 19th. Reports indicated that the blaze started in an The contents spread ever wider over the carpet as I unpacked electrical cabinet. There were no casualties, but the building was the suitcases—Wardens columns, gavels, malls, a full set of wands, extensively damaged. The archives, library and museum collections officers collars and jewels original candidates aprons, a brass letter were mostly unaffected, but lodge rooms were destroyed by fire G, a hardly used set of tracing boards, pair of ashlars and a set of and water damage. The building is closed indefinitely. (The Grand working tools. Together with my co-conspirator, Alan Turton we Orient of France is the largest obedience in France with about cleaned, polished, and fettled, and then packed everything up in a 50,000 members, but is not recognized as regular by mainstream big wooden box. It weighed in at 132 pounds! We also discovered North American and UGLE-derived Freemasonry.) that the rather used collars were transformed into newness by a quick trip to the dry cleaners. At the end of September, we joined a queue of migrant Poles going home to see family and friends and flew to Warsaw. There we met up with a party of French brothers and a couple from Sweden and all went to dinner to get to know each other. The ither because of publicity in the press about Freemasonry, following day we all visited the main cemetery and were taken on or simply coincidence, a flurry of reports of break-ins and a tour of some of the past leading brothers over the past century, vandalism to Masonic lodges were reported in September and Grand Masters and 330 masons. How nice they are still fondly October. Lodges in Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, and Georgia regarded. were targeted by a variety of miscreants in a three week period. It The next morning it was off by coach to Lublin, a three hour doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a trend, but it should be a reminder journey across the east of Poland, eastwards towards the Ukraine. for all lodges to make sure their security systems and alarms work The consecration was to take place at what was once a stately properly. Higher visibility in the press can mean problems we home in the countryside, but had become a theatre workshop. don’t always think about.

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Masonic News The main hall was set up ready with a stage and row of king-sized chairs (presumably from Shakespeare kingly plays), and looked very grand indeed. How strange it was to see the Coronation Lodge gear all now back in action, wands by chairs, gavels on pedestals and the masters silver collar jewel awaiting use but engraved for Coronation Lodge 2930 in 1902! The Grand Lodge team arrived and prepared what they needed, and the Grand Master, MWBro Marek Zlotkiewicz, conducted the ceremony. When it came to the actual consecration, they actually poured the oil and wine, and scattered the corn and salt on the original tracing board of 1902. The immediate thought was ‘that’s an antique, you can’t do that’ - but of course you can and should. After all, how many tracing boards have two lodges consecrated on them! After the consecration was completed, and Brother Nick was installed as the first Master, we adjourned for a buffet lunch. Upon our return, the new lodge held its first meeting, always a heady occasion. There might only have been seven founders, but the first business of the lodge was to interview a candidate, and this occupied the main part of the meeting. The candidate was brought into the lodge blindfold and questioned by the members of the lodge for almost half an hour. He then retired, and the vote was taken. Unanimous! We closed the lodge, took the obligatory photographs, and went back to Lublin for a celebration dinner. A month later, I was at Manchester Science and Art Lodge No. 5309 which is now the lodge of the members of the former Coronation Lodge. I took with me a bottle of the best Polish vodka, and all present got a shot. I obeyed my orders from the new Master of Wolnosc Odzyskana, and called a toast to the members of Coronation Lodge as a thank you, and then we all rose and drank a toast to a new lodge a thousand miles distant. Internet Lodge had offered an engraved Square and Compasses to Lodge Freedom Restored but they were so taken with the entire process that they decided at their next meeting to create a Development Fund, and stocked it with £1500, so that the exercise could be repeated several times in other places. Whenever the story is told, those hearing the tale find it just as rewarding as we did in making it a reality. It really was a win/ win for all involved, and of course, not only does the donor lodge

know its loss is Freemasonry’s gain, but that they have played a part in spreading Freemasonry to places it has long been absent from. It is not simply the transfer of the physical items that takes place, but a message of support, that travelled across Europe from the Province of East Lancashire. How better could one express the values of Freemasonry Universal. And how much better it is recycling gear from closed lodges rather than simply accumulate it in a dank basement in some Masonic hall. And so, our second recycle was a set of tracing boards to Fraternitatea Lodge No. 11 in Ploiesti, Romania. A new project is to help a lodge in Minnesota. The Sir Winston Churchill Lodge No. 352 is being formed in Minneapolis to work and demonstrate the English Emulation Ritual. We discovered this because Brother Frank Harris is a member of Internet Lodge, and we have agreed to help by recycling some of the very English items not used in American lodges. These will travel across the Atlantic in the suitcase of our Senior Warden, a Canadian from Ontario, who lives just over the border from Minnesota. We hope that by supporting a lodge with a difference we will add to the richness of the Masonic experience in another part of the world. There was a great outpouring of generosity from Masons and nonMasons alike, which really made this exercise so rewarding. Many thanks to the members of Coronation Lodge for the gift, a transport company in Rotherham who export packed it, to the Polish exporter and transport company and the engraver who gave us their services for free, and who found it as exciting as we did. And to the Province of East Lancashire, its officers and PGM who helped make this happen.

This article was first printed in The Square in March 2009 and is reproduced with permission. John Belton was initiated in 1980 in England and in 1999 was the second Master of Internet Lodge 9659 UGLE. He has had a long-term interest in researching the decline in freemasonry and takes a keen interest in current issues in masonry across the world, as well as doing traditional historical Masonic research. He has been a member of various orders and currently devotes time to the SRIA (equivalent to the MSRICF).

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ORGANIZATION

Restructuring American Freemasonry, Part I by Mark Tabbert

“

reemasonry,” to paraphrase Brother Will Rogers, “like the weather, is something everyone talks about, but no one does anything about.” But that is not entirely true. Masonic leaders in the last 30 years have changed the fraternity in many ways, including Prince Hall recognition, changes in Shrine membership requirements, and an ever-expanding presence on the World Wide Web. Even so, organized Freemasonry at the local level, and in its tiered degree structure, has remained static for more than 70 years. This paper presents several dramatic, even radical suggestions to renew, restore and simplify the Craft. Its ideas are for your speculation, consideration, modification, adoption or rejection, but let’s examine together how local lodges are organized and from whence all Masonic organizations’ memberships are derived. While there are many challenges facing Freemasonry, I believe there are four cardinal dichotomies to resolve: 1. Private vs. Public – Is Freemasonry a “secret society” or a “society with secrets”?

within six months, be a Knight Templar, 32° Scottish Rite Mason, a Shriner, or a member of a half-dozen other Masonic organizations. Each organization may initially be happy to collect money from “everyman,” but odds are great that he will soon be suspended for non-payment of dues. What’s more, when “everyman” boasts of his vast Masonic accomplishments over such a short period, he confuses, confounds, and encourages ridicule from his family, his friends, and the public. A few rational and deliberate policies on when, where and how degrees are conferred could improve personal and public and perceptions alike. This paper affirms a Grand Master’s authority over the Craft in his jurisdiction, meaning that everything proposed herein could happen only if a Grand Master made it so. To suggest otherwise is contrary to the Craft’s “ancient customs and usages.” On the other hand, this paper affirms the rights of “a free man in a free lodge of Master Masons.” The suggested changes are designed to return trust and authority to the lodge and district levels. It presumes that if the West Gate admits only good men, there will be less need for regulatory decrees originating from the Grand East. It also presumes that good men actively engaged in their lodges will labor to make Freemasonry better and protect it from harm.

Freemasonry has made dramatic changes throughout its history, and has always adapted to serve the age and society in which it resided. In this first of a three-part series, Mark Tabbert proposes some new changes for the fraternity.

2. Elite vs. Popular – A question that dates to the rivalry between the Grand Lodges of the Antients and the Moderns. 3. Local vs. National – Another debate dating back to the 18th century, when a national Grand Lodge for the United States was proposed. 4. Static vs. Evolving – Are rituals meant to be recited from memory in unchanging ceremonies – or can they be read out during one-day mass initiations, delivered via video and PowerPoint, etc.? Critical thinking and strategic planning in Freemasonry must address these four concerns. I believe the following proposals could restore the distinction of the Third Degree, the dignity of a Worshipful Master, and the honor of the Craft. They would restore balance between lodges and Grand Lodges, and encourage harmony within the family of Freemasonry. At the heart of this proposed restructuring lies a slower pace. By establishing more requirements, more challenges and more rewards to be a Freemason, the Craft may be renewed. No one is served when “everyman” can petition a lodge and, 12 • AUTUMN 2009

Local Lodge Reform

hat is a practical number of lodges and lodge brethren?

Premise: More lodges are better than fewer lodges, and friendly competition among lodges is good. • A new lodge may form with 15 brothers. • A new lodge may form without the consent of other lodges. • Diverse lodges, characterized by ethnicity, language, ritual choice, shared professions, and other common interests, should be encouraged. • Lodges that will not or cannot do the work of Masonic

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initiation and education should be closed in a respectful and timely fashion. The assets of dark lodges will be assigned to “Lodges of the Inactive” (see below). • Lodge should be limited to no more than 150 members. • Current lodges with more than 150 members should be “sub-divided” accordingly (e.g., a 500-member lodge would be divided into no fewer than four lodges). • Past Masters of the parent lodge would be assigned as Charter Masters of newly “sub-divided” lodges. Past Masters should be challenged to educate and inspire a new generation and pursue the unique opportunity to build a new lodge. • When divisions are made, every attending brother would choose which lodge to join. Those not present would be chosen by or assigned to lodges, with those holding plural membership given last priority. • Divided lodge assets are split among the lodges, with the parent lodge retaining more than its children (e.g., 60/40, 40/30/30, 28/24/24/24, etc.). • To meet the 150-member level, inactive members would be

• Lodges may open and close on any degree and conduct business on any degree. Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts are encouraged to attend business meeting as observers only (may not speak unless allowed by WM, and cannot vote), but only Master Masons would be full members. • No business is to be conducted when degrees are conferred. The work of Freemasonry is ritual initiations, not paying bills or voting. • With Grand Lodge review and approval, a local lodge may select its own ritual work and perform it in the language best suited for its members (e.g., French degrees in French, Emulation Degrees in German, Preston-Webb in Japanese, etc.). • Lodges may choose to translate degrees into cipher or discard Grand Lodge ciphers and teach mouth-to-ear. • A man must be 21 years old to be initiated as an Entered Apprentice. There is no good reason to lure an active 18-year-old DeMolay man into a lodge. • No lodge would initiate more than ten new members per Masonic year. • Candidates would be received when they are ready and

No one is served when “everyman” can petition a lodge and, within six months, be a Knight Templar, 32° Scottish Rite Mason, a Shriner, or a member of a half-dozen other Masonic organizations. assigned to a “District Lodge of the Inactive” (see below). While the number of lodges may not grow substantially, the number of lodges within a given city or a temple may quadruple. This means greater representation at Grand Lodge sessions, both per capita and geographically. A large city with only two lodges of 500 Masons apiece might now be represented by as many as ten lodges. More lodges would afford greater opportunities for young Masons to take leadership positions. New and different lodges will encourage new and different ideas, activities, pursuits and greater fraternizing. Diverse lodge locations and memberships will better reflect 21st century demographics. These new lodges would be better able to respond to the needs of both their members and the local community. Ultimately, lodges will live or go dark according to the merits of their brethren. What is the proper regard for Masonic mysteries and ceremonies? Premise: Masonic degrees should be conferred like college courses, with sponsors instructing like professors. Lodge officers should rise by merit and retain office for several elected terms. • Lodges would meet often as the members decide, even every week, but must meet at least four times per year.

have satisfied all lodge requirements. Candidates may advance only by merit, and not by any other demands or to fit a timetable. • Sponsors and designated lodge officers are responsible for a candidate’s education and proper exemplification. Hence the lodge as a whole fails when its candidates fail to advance in a timely fashion. • Each lodge would establish requirements for candidate advancement to the next degree, but such requirements would be at the lodge’s discretion. • Upon becoming a Master Mason, it should take at least seven more years for a man to progress through the officers’ line and become Worshipful Master (e.g., JS, SS, JD, SD, JW, SW, WM). Under special conditions, a lodge may allow the progression to start at Junior Warden. • Worshipful Masters may be elected to serve in the East up to ten years. • No elected officer (including secretary and treasurer) may: serve longer that ten consecutive years; serve as an elected or appointed officer in another lodge; or serve as an elected officer in any other Masonic body, be it at the local, district, state/provincial or national levels. AUTUMN 2009 • 13

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• Candidates for an office may be elected only if they have passed a ritual exemplification of the office they seek. By limiting the number of men who are initiated per Masonic year, both “demand” and competition are created, similar to colleges (“Classes are filling up!”) or special events (“Seating is limited!”). Conversely, candidates are highly valued and are given greater attention, better education, and more responsibility. All brethren are challenged to maintain higher standards. Lodge members will have control over when to meet, what ritual to work, and what identity to cultivate. The young Mason will mature among brethren who are dedicated to the lodge and well-grounded in the tenets of Freemasonry. District Reform

hat are the best ways our districts can serve the Craft?

Premise: Masonic districts are under-utilized and overly controlled by Grand Lodges. Districts are a great means to build Masonic connections and alleviate lodge inertia. Any form of social activity, large or small, that is sponsored in Freemasonry can be done at the district level. • Masonic districts would be adjusted periodically and according to geography, and would contain no more than ten lodges (each with 150 members or fewer, for a maximum of 1,500 brethren in a district.) • In addition to having a total of ten active lodges, each district will have a “Lodge of the Inactive” (see below). • District Deputy Grand Masters (DDGMs) would be elected by the local lodges every two years. DDGMs would be selected from among the Immediate Past Masters within the district. The Grand Master retains the right of arbitration and final approval. • DDGMs would act as the “first among equals” within the district, but also as direct liaison to the grand lodge. • District Deputy Grand Secretaries (DDGS) would be elected every two years from among the past and current lodge secretaries in the district. The Grand Master and Grand Secretary would retain the right of arbitration and final approval. • The DDGM and DDGS can be elected to serve up to ten consecutive years. • The primary purpose of the DDGM and DDGS is to

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govern “The Lodge of the Inactive.” • The DDGM’s secondary purposes are to supervise instruction and degree proficiency, and to communicate between lodges and the Grand Lodge. • District activities are scheduled and sponsored by the lodges, with DDGM leadership. Lodges of the Inactive

hat is the correct Masonic way to preserve the memberships of our inactive brethren?

Premise: 80% of Freemasons do not attend lodge, yet they retain full voting privileges. Many of these inactive Masons are life members who make no contribution or have little commitment to the lodge. Greater rights and authority should be given to active lodge brethren, and less power to inactive members. Those who choose to serve the Craft are to be rewarded with all the privileges of membership. Those who choose not to attend lodge may remain as members, but should be denied the privilege of attending numerous other Masonic meetings. • Each district would charter a “Lodges of the Inactive” (LOI) for brethren who do not attend lodge. • LOIs are funded in large part by the Grand Lodge as part of its membership-retention programs, but also by lodges and the donations of assets. • Such a lodge would meet monthly for the purpose of instructing lapsed or “rusty” brothers. • A brother who fails to attend his lodge according to a set percentage of meetings will have his membership transferred to the LOI. The percentage may be as low as 25%, or as high as 33%. • A LOI brother no longer pays his lodge dues, only annual grand lodge assessments, fees, etc. • All Masons are eligible to be assigned to a LOI, from the youngest Entered Apprentice to Past Masters, Grand Masters, Scottish Rite Sovereign Grand Commanders, and Imperial Potentates of the Shrine. • LOI brothers remain members in good standing of Grand Lodge, but lose all voting privileges in their mother lodges. • While assigned to a LOI, brothers are suspended from all other Masonic organizations. • A LOI member may attend only his mother lodge’s stated

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and called meetings, and the LOI itself. Attending social functions would be prohibited. • Once a LOI member attends three meetings (or meets the required attendance percentage) of his lodge, his lodge would approve his release from the LOI. Once reclaimed as an active member, he becomes free to attend all of his other Masonic organizations. • LOI members must past tests in proper Masonic etiquette, customs, and ceremonies before being re-instated as full members of their lodges. Reorganizing districts will strengthen administration and communications between lodges and Grand Lodges. DDGMs will represent the local lodges, but also report directly to the Grand Master. A strong district made of healthy lodges will foster stronger friendships among active Masons. Allowing the LOI to deal with inactive members removes that burden from lodges, and it keeps those members in good standing while they relearn the necessary skills for their return to activity. Through a mandatory attendance percentage, a Freemason will stay connected to his mother lodge every year. Grand Masters, Potentates, High Priests, Tall Cedars, Sir Knights and others will attend a lodge three to eight times per year; maybe some will choose to attend more often, but all will be reminded of the obligations that made them Masons in the first place.

lodge officer only. • Grand lodges shall have the right, through proper review, to move, close and merge inactive and failing lodges. • Grand Lodges should have the right, after adequate warning, to fine temple associations and boards of trustees who fail to maintain the interior and exterior of lodge buildings and grounds. • Grand Lodges, through proper district and local lodge review, shall periodically adjust districts. • Grand Lodges should meet at least twice a year. Each Grand Lodge session should contain the necessary business and elections, but should also feature demonstrations of the ritual, lectures, and educational presentations from brethren. • Grand Lodges should meet in Masonic buildings, not in hotels or resorts. Grand Lodges should meet in different locations within their grand jurisdictions to promote accessibility and encourage greater attendance. • Grand Lodge communications should discourage “official” attendance by the heads of other Masonic organizations. Grand Lodges should limit introductions to Past Grand Masters and guests from other Grand Lodges.

Society outside the temple could again view Freemasonry with respect by coming to know the Craft through its brethren, and not via aggressive membership efforts or endless appeals for charitable donations. Grand Lodge Reform

an Grand Lodges improve their responsiveness to the needs of subordinate lodges and the brethren?

Premise: Grand Lodges have grown too large and bureaucratic. Where once they served as a “hub” of activity, with the local lodges as the spokes, many have now grown distracted and even disconnected from the lodges that established them. • Grand Masters should serve two-year terms and be eligible to be elected up to five terms. • Progressive elected grand lines should begin no lower than at Junior Warden. • Voting members of a grand jurisdiction should consist of elected grand officers, Past Grand Masters, and the current masters and wardens of each local lodge. • Past Masters, lodge secretaries and DDGMs should not vote at Grand Lodge. • A Freemason may vote in Grand Lodge as a proxy for one

• Grand Lodge committees should be reviewed every two years for their effectiveness; those that are unnecessary or not functioning should be disbanded. • Members of Grand Lodge committees should serve no longer than ten years. These proposed reforms would return Grand Lodges to their original purposes of regulating basic functions and of supporting the constituent lodges. Grand masters could spend less time visiting other Masonic organizations and non-Masonic groups, and instead work on strategic planning and current issues affecting the lodges. Conclusions

etting aside what impact the above changes might have on Grand Lodges, districts and lodges, let us consider what they could mean to the aforementioned “everyman.” If implemented, they would change the perception of Masonry from a general “everyman is a candidate” to an impressed “that man is a Freemason.” Society outside the temple could again view Freemasonry with respect by coming to know the Craft through its brethren, and not via aggressive membership efforts AUTUMN 2009 • 15

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or endless appeals for charitable donations. At the individual level, when a man, aged 21 and above, asks a Freemason if he may join the lodge, he then becomes the focus of all lodge activities. Through each step, the candidate is carefully interviewed and his investigation is thorough. In addition to his sponsor, the candidate would meet other members of the lodge on several occasions, either individually or in small groups. It may take up to three months before the petition is read in lodge. At his initiation, the lodge is well-rehearsed and each elected and appointed officer presents his part. When receiving Light, the whole lodge surrounds the candidate. After each degree, the candidate is given individual and group education, which may include witnessing a degree at another lodge. Through this slow and methodical process the candidate is, dare I say it, “crafted” into a better man. From the candidate’s point of view, his sponsors are with him at every Masonic step. His lodge is small in number; he knows all the members and they know him. The degrees are conferred when he feels ready. In between degrees, he visits other lodges and attends district events. By the time he becomes a Master Mason, he has made many close friends and knows numerous other men in his district. After receiving the Third Degree, proving his proficiency and signing the lodge by-laws, the man is now a full member of the lodge. But what’s next? If his lodge is willing, and if the opportunity presents itself, he may be appointed an officer on the path toward becoming the Worshipful Master in ten years. If the man is 25 when he joins the lodge, he may turn 35 when he is installed in the East. Is this too long a wait? Too long a climb? Perhaps. But for whom – the man, the lodge, or other Masonic organizations? And the man does have other options. If his lodge is well-staffed with excellent brothers who are anxious to be officers, he is always free to attend other lodges. Perhaps he will be attracted to an “affinity lodge” of brethren who share particular interests; he may join that lodge (while maintaining his mother lodge membership) and consider becoming an officer there. In the meantime, because his lodge is small, well-attended, and well-led, the new Master Mason has more time to spend in his profession, with his loved ones, and in pursuit of other neighborhood, religious, club, or social activities. Outside his lodge, the non-Masons in his life would likely notice the connection between his Masonry and his commitment to family, community and deity. They may conclude, “That man is a Freemason” – and they may wonder, “Could I be one, too?” What does it mean to the lodge if it takes considerably longer for its new members to evolve from candidates for initiation to installation as Worshipful Master? It means meritocracy, especially for the lodge fully staffed at 150 members. It means each man must rise by his own efforts and talents, earning the support and respect of his brethren. If the lodge is small or low in spirit, the young Master Mason is free to make a choice: 16 • AUTUMN 2009

either work at rebuilding the lodge or leave for a better one. A lodge ought to live or die according to its merits, not exist on life support according to the demands of its Past Masters or the Grand Lodge. To conclude, let’s revisit our four cardinal dichotomies: 1. Private vs. Public – Local lodges will become more private because they will have a smaller, more selective memberships. Freemasonry, however, will become more public as the number of lodges in our communities increases. 2. Elite vs. Popular – Allowing local lodges to define themselves will resolve such conflict. Some lodges will choose to be “elite,” with strict dress codes, high dues, mandatory attendance, etc. Other lodges will choose to be popular, with a focus on community service projects and social activities. 3. Local vs. National – This issue relates directly to governing bodies, but can touch local lodges. Lodges could create “affinity associations” across the nation or world. These associations would strengthen any tie that might bind them, such as all lodges that are named for St. Alban, or speak Italian, or are comprised of firefighters, or any other trait. For example, it would be a good thing if every lodge named after George Washington coordinated celebrations of Washington’s birthday or visited the George Washington Masonic Memorial every year. 4. Static vs. Evolving – With Grand Lodge permission and strict supervision, it is possible for some lodges to continually update their delivery of ritual, means of communications, and methods of upholding Masonic culture – in short, to be laboratories for new ideas. Conversely, some lodges will remain conservative/ traditional and even be chartered as “re-enactment” or “living history” lodges which perpetuate Masonic practices of the 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s.

Part II of Restructuring American Freemasonry, concerning the relationship between the Craft Lodge and its brethren to the York Rite of Freemasonry, will appear in the next issue of The Journal. A Founding Fellow and Board Member of The Masonic Society, Mark Tabbert is a Past Master of Mystic Valley Lodge in Arlington, Massachusetts, and is the author of American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities.

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DEGREES

Order of the Royal Ark Mariner in England By Yasha Beresiner, RAMGR (England)

Mariners. Published on February 20, 1871, the document states: ngland and the United States of America are two great nations divided by a common language and, it seems, by “…this Fraternity having existed from time immemorial, and identical Masonic orders placed in different contexts. The working by universal constitution — do hereby agree to the Order of the Royal Ark Mariner, which has always been and following Regulations for the guidance of the Order from this remains a minor degree beyond the Craft, is today controlled date….” and conferred in England by Mark Grand Lodge. Its equivalent American “location” would appear to be the York Rite, but it A most interesting and relevant incident was also reported is not so — there, it is found at the top of the list of the Allied as occurring in 1790 in a publication, unrelated to Freemasonry, Masonic Degrees. Thus, by force of circumstance in the United titled The History and Description of the Town and Borough States, the Royal Arch degree is a pre-requisite for the Royal of Ipswich, which was written by G.R. Clarke and published in Ark Mariner, which is true also for Scotland, Ireland and many 1830. It would appear that at the local elections in the Borough other jurisdictions. It seems to be England alone (and a few of Ipswich: persistent jurisdictions that follow everything the English do) One of the candidates, a Sir Jon Hadley D’Oyley, was where a Mark Mason qualifies for the Royal Ark Mariner Degree assisted by a person of the name of Noah Sibley, a man of some without further ado. parts and oratory, (who had) established a club or society, at This difference may be explained by the origins of the degree, a house in St Clements’s, purporting to be a particular branch so far as they are known, which began in England. of Freemasonry, called the Good Samaritan, or the Ark Mason: It was just a few years after the establishment of organized the oath of introduction was binding upon every member to Freemasonry on June 24, 1717 — when the Premier Grand unite in brotherly love and friendship and to assist each other as Lodge was formed in London — that Freemasonry, as a simple much as possible on every occasion…. Their public exhibitions two-degree system, began to spread its wings throughout were attended with much ceremony in their various processions Europe. Clearly, a mere two legends did not provide sufficient through the different streets of the town when a model of Noah’s ritual or colourful dress for our European brethren, and before Ark, and a variety of insignia and banners were displayed. long a wide range of new degrees and orders began to appear on Setting aside the impropriety the continent. There is a record of the use of the fraternity from the mid-18th century that for political advantage, the shows a list of more than 1,000 Clearly, a mere two legends did not provide implication of the existence now Masonic orders and degrees in existence simultaneously! sufficient ritual or colourful dress for our European of the Ark Mariner as a degree is of considerable interest. Was It was within this context and brethren, and before long a wide range of new ambiance that the Royal Ark degrees and orders began to appear on the continent. this club or society the start of the Order? Noah Sibley, whose Mariner degree was devised correct first name was Ebenezer, by unknown authors who was involved in many aspects adopted the theme of Noah’s of Freemasonry, and held the flood, a Biblical event for office of Deputy Grand Commander Noah at the time of his which archaeological evidence strongly suggests actual physical death in 1799. The degree of Royal Ark Mariner, that had by occurrence. As mentioned, it is not known where the degree that point been worked in Craft lodges, Royal Arch chapters, originated, but it is unlikely that it was brought to England from Knights Templar encampments and Mark lodges, appeared to the United States a little before 1780, despite that theory being have effectively expired after Sibley’s death. advocated by an extraordinary and indefatigable Freemason The degree had benefited, however, from the involvement of named Thomas Dunkerley. several prominent Masons, not least that of the remarkable and Further, there is no clear evidence to show that a Grand ubiquitous Thomas Dunkerley. The illegitimate son of George Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners had been working early in the II, Dunkerley had enjoyed and given up the office of Provincial 18th century and was reconstituted in London in 1772 under H.R.H. The Duke of Clarence. He was supposedly the Grand Grand Master of Hampshire, where he was a member of a lodge Commander of the Order, with the royal brothers, the Dukes of in Portsmouth. In the 1780s, he held the post of Provincial Sussex and Kent, as members. This repeated claim originates in a Grand Master for the Isle of Wight and Dorset, and he had been document at Mark Masons Hall in London, but its authenticity intensively involved in many of the degrees beyond the Craft, is doubted. It was signed by John F. Dorrington, whose name we not least the Mark degree and the Order of the Knights Templar. shall come across again. When the Ipswich incident took place, Dunkerley was Provincial The first proper written evidence we have of a conferral of Grand Master for Essex, and the possibility of his making a point the Royal Ark Mariner Degree dates to 1790. The minutes of of meeting Ebenezer Sibley, even if only to reprimand him, has the Knights Templar Encampment of Antiquity No. 1 in Bath not been lost on various Masonic historians. Thus it is not too record that “William Boyce took all the degrees of ye Red Cross surprising to find a report in Freemasons’ Magazine in August also Royal Ark Mariner.” There have been several interesting, 1794 stating that “the Diluvian Order or Royal Ark and Mark though blatantly false, attempts to invest the degree with Mariners held a meeting in London at the Surry Tavern in the greater antiquity. Not least of these was the Regulations for the Strand under Thomas Dunkerley, Grand Commander of the Government of Royal Ark Masons, as approved by the Grand United Orders.” Lodge of the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Royal Ark “United” refers to the Knights Templar Encampment, AUTUMN 2009• 17

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under the auspices of which the Royal Ark and Mark Mariners were meeting. With Dunkerley’s death in 1795, his duties were assumed by Robert Gill, an exceedingly active Freemason, who is distinguished inter alia for holding the post of Grand Senior Warden at the time of the Union of the two English Grand Lodges in 1813. Mark Grand Lodge has a warrant dated 1796 and signed by Gill as Acting Grand Commander Noah, which states: “A Dispensation Granted on board the Grand & Royal Ark Vessel Moor’d at Surry Tavern Strand London… I do empower… Bro Charles SINCLAIR… to hold Royal Ark Vessel enter Ark Mariners etc.” Ebenezer Sibley is again mentioned in this document, which now gives powers to various individuals to make Royal Ark Mariners by virtue of the warrant. In the same year, Lord Rancliffe, the Irish Peer and Provincial Grand Master for Leicestershire & Rutland and Grand Master of the Knights Templar, took up the mantle of Commander Noah. Sibley was appointed his Deputy and Gill the Assistant. This was the end of Royal Ark activity prior to the Union. Even if someone new had taken on the Royal Ark Mariners after Sibley’s death, the Union of the two Grand Lodges in 1813 would have disrupted any potential development, as it did for all orders and degrees with the exception of the Royal Arch. The Duke of Sussex was adamant and ruthless in suppressing all but the three Craft degrees, which now “incorporated” the Royal Arch. Those brethren able to keep various orders alive had to do so until the Grand Master’s death in 1843. Thereafter the many orders began to flourish and prosper. It began with the Knights Templar and the Ancient and Accepted (Scottish) Rite in 1846, followed by the Mark Grand Lodge in 1856. Meanwhile there were interesting developments so far as the Royal Ark Mariner degree was concerned. The persistent, if not obstinate will of a number of brethren kept the degree alive over the dark first half of the 19th century. With the appointment of a new more liberal Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge in the Earl of Zetland, there were two opposing Royal Ark Mariner camps. On the one hand, John Dorrington, who surfaced again as early as 1843, laid futile claim to the continuous existence of a Royal Ark Mariner Grand Lodge, stating that it had been reconstituted in 1772 and that he saw himself as the Grand Commander Noah. Simultaneously, several Mark lodges, most prominently the Time Immemorial Old Kent and St Mark’s Lodges of Mark Master Masons, continued to confer the degree of Royal Ark Mariner, claiming authority by virtue of the original “Gill warrant” of 1796. The latter, originally a Scottish Mark lodge now belonging to the English Constitution, held a Royal Ark Mariner meeting of great consequence on May 2, 1870, at the George Hotel in Aldermanbury in London. Many prominent Mark Masons were present, and several were elevated in a three-part ceremony — all with the consent of Mark Grand Lodge. Among those so elevated was one Morton Edwards. Dorrington was, at this time, still presiding over London meetings of the Royal Ark Mariners and continuing to lay claim to his own standing as the Grand Commander Noah. Either by persuasion of Dorrington or his own fiery ambition, the newly elevated Morton Edwards held a meeting in Dorrington’s house on May 13, 1870. He was here appointed and invested Deputy Grand Commander Noah – just ten days after his elevation. In July, a new warrant signed by John Dorrington reconstituted the Grand Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners of England and Wales and Dominions and Dependencies of the British Realm. Morton Edwards, a fledgling two-month old Royal Ark Mariner, was appointed Grand Commander Noah. At first, in the early days of the establishment of Mark Grand Lodge, with its own teething problems, scant attention was 18 • AUTUMN 2009

paid to these events. Grand Lodge accepted the authority and activities of the Time Immemorial Lodges under its jurisdiction. The formation of a new Grand Lodge, however, even one representing a different order, was seen as an affront to the Time Immemorial Mark Lodges and to Mark Grand Lodge itself. In what may have been a precautionary move, the Rev. Canon G.R. Portal, then Grand Master of Mark Grand Lodge, along with several Grand Officers, was elevated to the Royal Ark Mariner Degree at a meeting of the Old Kent Lodge of Mark Master Masons on June 14, 1870. Swift action followed. In May 1870, a committee consisting of twelve members was appointed by the Grand Master to look into the subject. On August 2, 1870, the committee reported to an emergency meeting of Grand Lodge that it had gathered all the evidence and heard those involved in the various aspects of the Royal Ark Mariner Degree, which had been worked at intervals since 1790. The committee’s report stated that the degree was not one of consequence or importance, and that the establishment of an additional Masonic supreme organization, namely a grand lodge for its control, was undesirable. It was recommended, therefore, that the Mark Grand Lodge should allow Mark lodges under its jurisdiction to confer the degree against the payment of a fee to Grand Lodge. At the quarterly communication of December 6, 1870, the MW Grand Master suggested omitting from the minutes relating to the May 31 meeting the part relevant to the Royal Ark Mariner, because these were in conflict with certain bodies claiming the right to work the degree. The dispute was finally resolved with two payments to Morton Edwards: one of £15.00 for the equipment belonging to the so-called Royal Ark Mariner Grand Lodge, and an additional £25.00 given personally to Edwards, against which he surrendered all rights to the degree. Thus on June 6, 1871, having been himself first installed as Grand Commander, the Grand Master of Mark Master Masons of England etc. was able to announce in Grand Lodge that the Royal Ark Mariner Degree was now under the protection of Mark Grand Lodge and that a Grand Master’s Royal Ark Council had been specially set up to administer the degree. This assimilation of the Royal Ark Mariner degree was the first of the “conquests” of Mark Grand Lodge. From here, the absorption of loose and floating degrees and orders continued until the present exalted and extended authority of the Mark Grand Lodge in England was reached.

Bibliography Brookhouse, J.C. “The Good Samaritan or Ark Masons in Politics.” Ars Quatuor Coronatorum 24 (1911). Cryer, The Rev. N.B. The Arch and the Rainbow. Surrey: Lewis Masonic, 1996. Handfield-Jones, R.M. A New History of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons. London: General Board, 1968. Handfield-Jones, R.M. The Royal Ark Mariner Degree: Its Origin and History. London: privately printed, 1981. Williams, Peter Glyn. “The Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Royal Ark Mariners,” The Middlesex Mark Master, 1996-97.

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EDUCATION

Beyond the Tracing Board: Masonic Education Outside of Lodge by Randy Williams

bout two years ago, I founded an Edmonton, Alberta-based relative newcomers with shiny new aprons to past masters with 50-year Masonic study group known as “Beyond the Tracing Board” pins. It is this fluid mixture of perspectives that provides the magic (BtTB ) that seeks to provide effective Masonic education in of the study sessions. Although BtTB has discussed articles, research a casual setting. The original impetus for the group was my papers, DVDs and even Masonic blog posts, our primary focus has own desire to exchange ideas and dig a little more deeply into Masonic thus far been on important books from the Masonic canon. The group ritual, symbolism, and history. I am a voracious reader and was already has completed two major studies — one of Joseph Fort Newton’s The conducting a great deal of independent study into the Craft, as well Builders, and the other of Oliver Day Street’s Symbolism of the Three as looking into related subjects including Rosicrucianism, Kabbalah, Degrees. Each book was divided into three parts (a number both philosophy, and Gnosticism. One problem with self-study, however, practical for scheduling purposes and suitably “Masonic” for those is that many resources give contradictory information; another is that of us who see symbolism in everything), and we discussed them over mind-blowing ideas, once encountered, are much more useful if one three consecutive months. Although these books were written in the can discuss and debate them with others. early 20th century, the group found each to still be highly relevant and I first proposed the idea of a Masonic study group to the Worshipful thought provoking. Master and officers of my mother lodge, Dominion No. 117, as an The study group’s only real struggle has been competition addition to the lodge’s education and mentorship efforts. I had been from the members’ busy schedules; work and family commitments assigned as a Masonic mentor to several new brethren, and I noticed sometimes keep members away, and it can be challenging to catch up that the words of the ritual often to the group if one has missed a big seemed to leave these newcomers to chunk of discussion about a book. the Craft feeling equal parts intrigued It was this difficulty with longer and baffled (“Fellowcrafts were paid pieces that led to some changes in in what?”). My proposal was warmly 2009 sessions. Rather than schedule received. three meetings for one long book, The study group was known only I organized self-contained study to members of Dominion Lodge for its sessions for the spring months. first few months, during which time a The March session focused on the small group read and debated Chris first degree, and used as its primary Hodapp’s Freemasons for Dummies in resource an excellent short book by anticipation of his appearance at the Stephen Dafoe, Everything I Learned 2008 Masonic Spring Workshop, a About Freemasonry (I Learned As major conference held every April in An Apprentice). We were fortunate the Canadian Rockies at Kananaskis enough to have Brother Dafoe join Village. It was in Kananaskis, while us for that meeting to discuss his discussing Masonic books with a work. He must have liked what he diverse group of fellow attendees, that saw, because he has now become a I was first asked whether the study “regular” at our study sessions. The A meeting of the “Beyond the Tracing Board” Study Group group was open to members of other in Spring 2010. Masonic Society Founding Fellow Stephen Dafoe April session focused on the second lodges. I had to admit that the notion is shown seated at front row left; the author is shown third from degree and examined The Ceremony left in the back row. of casting a wider net for members of Passing, a classic essay by W.L. hadn’t even occurred to me, but I was Wilmshurst. A session for May, happy to welcome the Worshipful Brother who posed the question to focusing on the third degree, used Joseph Fort Newton’s Brothers and join us; he has since become a die-hard member and has never missed Builders as a launching pad for discussion. All of these works, with the a meeting from that moment to the present. exception of Brother Dafoe’s, are in the public domain and therefore The study sessions themselves are typically held once a month at eligible to be legally duplicated without paying royalties or incurring my home in Edmonton, usually on Sunday afternoons. The meetings great expense. are informal, and the attending brethren take turns bringing a light We received some positive feedback on this format from several festive board to share during a break. Reading “assignments” are area lodges that recommended these sessions to their degree candidates, given at least a month ahead of time so that participants can arrive as well as from more “seasoned” Masons who want to participate prepared for lively discussion. There are very few “rules,” apart from but can’t commit to three-month blocks of sessions to study longer the expectation that no one member will dominate discussions or resources. The hope is that this change will allow brethren to attend become overbearing with his opinions. Each member’s contribution is and participate as often as they can, without feeling left behind if a important, and we strive to create a pressure-free environment that is session is missed. stimulating for experienced Masonic scholars but not intimidating for My most ambitious plan for BtTB, which I hope will come new brethren or members who aren’t looking for the rigors of a formal to fruition either this fall or in spring 2010, is to conduct a threeresearch lodge. part, direct study of the Craft degrees — studying the words of the Although attendance varies, we now have a core group ranging in ritual directly from the blue books themselves, with each participant age from their late 20s to early 80s, and who range in experience from bringing original thoughts and/or closely related secondary sources AUTUMN 2009 • 19

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that he wishes to share. I further hope that the group will become more self-sustaining as it evolves. I have been happy to do all of the planning and hosting thus far, but I don’t want BtTB to be seen as “my project.” Ideally, the group should become more organic, with members taking turns doing the necessary organizational work.

he question I am most often asked about the study group is, Why does it happen outside of lodge? Often there is a slightly suspicious tone that accompanies this question – as if the group somehow leeches energy away from lodge education, or is a covert attempt to test the waters for an entirely new lodge. Neither scenario could be further from the truth. Because I am the guy who books a lot of the guest speakers for my lodge, I know that many of my brethren become visibly restless if the education portion of a regular meeting lasts for more than 20 minutes; meetings of BtTB, on he other hand, generally last two to three hours – and often feel as if they have zipped past in an instant to those of us who attend. Meeting outside the formal structure of a lodge meeting enables newer Masons to ask questions that they might not feel confident enough to raise in open lodge for fear of feeling foolish, and it also allows the experienced members a chance to share their accumulated knowledge of the Craft in a positive, non-disruptive manner. Just as a well-run Board of General Purposes meeting can accomplish much of the tricky or potentially contentious business of a lodge organization without disrupting the harmony of its regular meetings, a study group such as ours can augment the regular, ongoing educational program of a lodge without making meetings feel too long or unwieldy for those members who are more interested in the equally important fellowship of the Festive Board that follows. And, it should be noted, we members of BtTB are proud to call ourselves regular Masons; there is nothing

clandestine about meeting outside of lodge, nor do we have any secret agenda to “work around” the authority of our lodges or our grand jurisdiction. In fact, the Grand Lodge of Alberta has been warmly supportive of our little group, understanding that our studies do not diminish the commitment of our members to the lodge experience; to the contrary, the study group members take new understanding, confidence, wisdom and enthusiasm back to lodge with them. The goal is to strengthen and support our lodges, not to compete with them. Holding Masonic study sessions outside of lodge may sound a bit unorthodox, but it has been a success in the Edmonton area. Perhaps a similar group would work well for your lodge, or as a means of creating stronger ties among Freemasons from several lodges in your region. It really doesn’t take a great deal of work to prepare for these informal sessions – basically you will need to do some photocopying of resources (or, in the case of many public-domain resources, they can be sent as PDF attachments to e-mail), contacting of study group members, and thinking about some good questions to get the ball rolling. The rewards for such small labours – discovery, enlightenment, fun and fellowship – are beyond measure. Remember, Brethren, that we are charged to pursue daily advancement in Masonic knowledge. I wish you all the best on that journey, whatever path you take toward the light. Randy Williams is a writer, editor, and educator who resides with his wife and two daughters in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He was initiated, passed, and raised in Dominion Lodge No. 117, A.F. & A.M., G.R.A., where he will soon be installed as Lodge Secretary. He is also the Sessions Chairman for the 2010 Masonic Spring Workshop in Kananakis, Alberta.

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20 • AUTUMN 2009

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SPECIAL REPORT

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE LOST SYMBOL? by Rex R. Hutchens

an Brown’s latest novel, The Lost Symbol, has finally arrived. While the book has not proved to be the major cause for alarm that some of us had been expecting, it is loaded with erroneous and misleading information about Freemasonry. The notion that Brown would get Masonry “right” was doomed from the beginning. Such worthy scholars as Margaret Jacob and Stephen Bullock have stumbled in their attempts to figure out who and what we are. How can we expect more from a mere novelist, whose goal, after all, is not to teach but to sell books? In his zeal to create an aura of mystery and intrigue, Brown has found in Freemasonry a useful foil to embellish his plot. His technique is to exploit the silliness that has wandered into print over the years about our fraternity, and he cares little enough about accuracy – after all, it’s only a novel. Criticizing a novel for its inaccuracy is a difficult proposition. The writer is free to create his own world and people it with interesting characters. These are often drawn larger than life: the evil characters can be the most heinous villains imaginable and the good ones can be saintly, all to further the goal of moving the plot forward. Even factual details can be subsumed to the writer’s goal. In such a make-believe environment, how can we criticize Dan Brown for writing whatever he wants about Freemasonry, particularly given the long history of hysterical accusations – including Satanism, occult mysteries, and schemes for world domination – that have been levelled against the Craft? Personally, I could scarcely care less what he writes about us. I care even less what perception of Freemasonry forms in the minds of his gullible readers, whose tendency to take a novel seriously is its own form of intelligence test. Brown’s examination of Freemasonry is superficial, hence trivial and inaccurate. If I have a concern, it is that unquestioning Masons may read this book and buy into its fallacies. For that reason, I have set out to clear up some of the misinformation in its pages. It is difficult to know to organize comments about The Lost Symbol. To simplify matters, I have gone through the book sequentially and commented on particular passages. Page numbers given below refer to the North American hardcover edition published in September 2009 by Doubleday. Page 3: “As was tradition, he had begun this journey adorned in the ritualistic garb of a medieval heretic being led to the gallows, his loose-fitting shirt gaping open to reveal his pale chest, his left pant leg rolled up to the knee, and his right sleeve rolled up to the elbow. Around his neck hung a heavy rope noose—a ‘cable-tow’ as the brethren called it.” This description of the candidate about to receive the Entered Apprentice Degree has enough about it to sound accurate, though Brown’s assertion that the candidate is dressed to imitate a heretic is utter nonsense. As well, his comment about the right sleeve being rolled up to the elbow comes from no ritual of any Masonic degree I have ever seen, and the use of the word “noose” implies a physical threat that is neither stated nor implied in the degree itself. From the novel’s very first pages, one can discern the naiveté of an author who is unfamiliar with our rituals and has spent too much time with his nose in musty old Masonic “exposures.” The assertion that the 33rd Degree is conferred on anyone in the 22 • AUTUMN 2009

Temple Room of the House of the Temple is its own nonsense, as is the drinking of wine from a skull as part of the conferral of said degree. Mr. Brown calls the House of the Temple “a replica of a preChristian temple.” While it is true that one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World inspired its architect, John Russell Pope, the ancient wonder was no temple but merely an elaborate sarcophagus. It would seem Mr. Brown’s grasp of history is as slippery as his knowledge of Masonry. Page 4: The white-robed figure who is evidently conferring the degree is called “The Supreme Worshipful Master.” There is no such title in Masonry. I have only heard this term used by anti-Masons, who tend to know as much about Masonry as Mr. Brown does. The question addressed to the supposed candidate for the 33rd Degree is similar in verbiage to one addressed to candidates for the Entered Apprentice Degree by the Marshal of the Lodge in most U.S. jurisdictions (and by the Inner Guard in many Canadian, European, and English lodges) before his initial admission. Then follows some nonsense about “instant death” that may well be Dan Brown’s own reverie. Page 5: Here we find more blather lifted from exposures, which ends with a character “admitted … into this brotherhood’s most secretive ranks.” One hardly knows where to begin refuting such a shameless attempt to create an aura of mystery and secrecy where there is none. As the 11,000-odd 33rd Degree Masons in the U.S. well know, there is nothing taught in the ritual of this largely honorary degree that has not already been taught in other degrees. I know men who have received the 33rd degree in recognition of no greater service to the fraternity than pouring coffee for twenty years and who know absolutely nothing of Masonry’s history, philosophy, or symbolism – much less are they made to feel a part of “this brotherhood’s most secretive ranks.” Page 11: “Three weeks ago, in a dark ritual witnessed by America’s most influential men, Mal’akh had ascended to the thirty-third degree, the echelon of the world’s oldest surviving brotherhood.” Let’s be blunt: America’s most influential men aren’t even Masons, let alone 33rd Degree Masons. We might also wonder about the use of the word “echelon.” If the writer merely intends to convey that the 33rd Degree is the pinnacle of the Scottish Rite system of degrees, well that’s fine and good. But there are honorary 33rds and Active 33rds, and the distinction is a fundamental one. The Active 33rds comprise the Supreme Council, which is the governing body of the Rite. All others are honorary, and for them the degree confers no authority whatsoever. Usually Actives have jurisdiction over the Scottish Rite in a state, though there are at-large members of the Supreme Council. In any case, because the 33rd degree is limited to the Scottish Rite, which was created in 1801, it is hardly a part of “the world’s oldest surviving brotherhood.” Page 26: “It was no secret that D.C. had a rich Masonic history…” etc. The claim that D.C. is adorned with Masonic symbols is common enough and has even been the subject of several books. Another question entirely is whether any of these claimants even know what a

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Masonic symbol is. For an example, see James Wasserman’s The Secrets of Masonic Washington, where astrology, tarot and all sorts of symbolic systems are passed off as being somehow “Masonic.” Otherwise, the book would be too small to print.

the tyranny of English colonialism. The KKK was thick with Masons. And this is not all ancient history: Masonic charges were filed in 2009 against the Master of a Lodge in Georgia for initiating a black man. Freemasonry in the United States is still largely segregated.

Page 26: “Many conspiracy theorists claimed the Masonic forefathers had concealed powerful secrets throughout Washington…” Brown forgot to add novelists to his list of conspirators, as this is exactly what he claims for the remainder of the book.

[CONCERN: This paragraph is potentially inflammatory, and none of its “facts” are sourced or attributed. We might consider cutting this paragraph and the quote that precedes it – which could be accomplished by moving “It is laughable…” (below) up so that it is next to the Page 31 marker.]

Page 29: Langdon suggests that his students should join “the Masons or Eastern Star” to learn why astrology was important to the Founding Fathers, as if they would learn anything about that subject in either organization. He probably added the Eastern Star to include his female students. Page 30: In his college lecture at Harvard, Langdon defines religion as ABC: Assure, Believe, Convert. All Dan Brown proves by including this little vignette is that he doesn’t know much about religions in general and has no idea what goes on in a Harvard classroom in particular. The assurance of salvation is not a core criteria of a religion. While religions do have core beliefs, there is a far wider range of theology than Langdon (or Brown) seems to realize. Neither is converting non-believers a core criteria for religion – the Jews certainly don’t do it, and neither do the Buddhists. In short, the topic is addressed in a lazy, trivial manner for a supposed Harvard lecture. Elsewhere in the same lecture, Langdon misses the mark again when he blithely states that Freemasonry “has no specific theology.” Just one example should suffice. In the Second Degree Lecture used in many jurisdictions, we find the following: “The setting splendors of a virtuous and well-spent life gild his departing moments with gentle tints of hope as he sinks to rest in peace, harmony and brotherly love.” If read carefully, it is clear that this is a statement of works salvation; for what can a man in his old age hope for if not a future life and that is based on a virtuous existence in this world. With the exception of lodges connected to the Grand Orient de France, most Masonic jurisdictions require not only a belief in God (Brown taints this belief with the phrase “higher power,” as if we are all alcoholics) but also in the immortality of the soul. A belief in Free Will is universal in Freemasonry as far as I have been able to discover. So, to summarize: Freemasons profess a belief in God, the immortality of the soul, and Free Will. This is a long way from Brown’s assertion that “they have no specific theology.” Elsewhere on this page, Brown notes that “within Masonic Lodges, discussions of religion are prohibited.” This is all well and good to say and hearkens back to the union of the modern and ancient Grand Lodges of England in 1813, when Irish Republicans merged with Protestant Royalists and the issues of politics and religion were in fact life-threatening topics. Today, many Lodges have education programs that discuss various aspects of world religions, including dogma, history, and practices. In any case, a Mason ignorant of the historical relationship between Roman Catholicism and Freemasonry, or even Mormonism and Freemasonry, is truly benighted. We are given no hint that Langdon (as Brown’s alter ego) has any knowledge of any of these matters. Pages 30-31: Brown’s explanation of Masons referring to God as GAOTU is overly simplistic. Every Masonic obligation contains the phrase “so help me God,” and the word regularly occurs elsewhere in the ritual and lectures. Brown seems not to know or notice this. Page 31: “Masonry is open to men of all races, colors, and creeds, and provides a spiritual fraternity that does not discriminate in any way.” The history of discrimination within Freemasonry is an ongoing embarrassment to the Craft. American and European Lodges have a notable history of discriminating against Jews and Catholics. Hindus and Muslims in India suffered discrimination in the Lodges there under

It is laughable that Langdon is so uninformed about the history of Masonry’s appendant bodies, particularly the Eastern Star, which he suggests was formed in 1703. It actually was founded in the 19th century by Rob Morris, who seems to have created this mixed-gender organization to placate women; he then made it overtly Christian to placate churches. Neither goal is any mission of Freemasonry. Page 32: I wonder if Mr. Brown is intentionally offending Catholics when he has his protagonist proclaim the host and wine as “symbols” of blood and flesh. Referring to them as symbols is an explicit rejection of the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. He repeats the potential offense on page 438, where he refers to “the eating of the figurative body and blood of Christ” (italics added). Page 124: “[W]ithin the Masons as with all things, money was power. Mal’akh, after achieving the thirty-second degree in his own lodge, had waited only a month before making a multimillion-dollar donation to a charity in the name of the Masonic Grand Lodge. The unsolicited act of selflessness, as Mal’akh anticipated was enough to earn him a quick invitation into the elite thirty-third degree.” This section insults the fraternity, ignores the statutory time limits for the receipt of the 33rd degree, and refers to a nonexistent Masonic Grand Lodge. Does he mean the Grand Lodge of Virginia? The District of Columbia? Maryland? Brown doubtless has no idea how Masonry even works. As well, this pseudonymous Mal’akh could simply not have received the 32nd degree “in his own lodge” (italics added). Page 149: I really liked the idea of a Chamber of Reflection in the sub-basement of the Capital Building. Those who work there ought to use it; they need some reflection. Page 155: “[T]he humidity in the air was activating the sulphur in the bowl.” Humidity does not cause sulphur to activate (whatever that means). Perhaps chemistry isn’t Brown’s strong point, but then neither is physics. He seems to be in love with the phrase “quantum leap” (see pages 56, 128, 488, 500) and invariably uses it to describe something large. Quanta, however, are subatomic, and their displacement is one of the smallest measurements in the universe. This may seem like nitpicking, but it illustrates how Dan Brown treats everything: superficially. Page 157: VITRIOL is described as a Masonic meditative mantra. While it is true that this acronym is commonly found in Chambers of Reflection – which are themselves rare in Masonry – its origin is alchemical, not Masonic (which seems rather obvious when the acronym is deciphered; it stands for Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem, which translates as “Visit the Interior Parts of the Earth; by Rectification Thou Shalt Find the Hidden Stone”). Page 160 and elsewhere: Let’s get one thing straight; there is no such thing as a Masonic pyramid. In fact, the pyramid, as such, is not even a symbol of any Masonic degree. All of Brown’s comments about a legend of a Masonic Pyramid are his own invention, or that of some unknown source who knows little or nothing about Masonry. AUTUMN 2009 • 23

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Page 169: The regular references to a supposed “double-headed phoenix” as “the ultimate mystical icon of Masonic wisdom” seem to be Brown’s attempt to take the mundane and make it profound. He never explains why the Scottish Rite’s double-headed eagle is insufficient, and that great mythological bird, the phoenix, is otherwise unmentioned. He also misstates the 33rd degree motto as ORDO AB CHAO (page 128), which is the motto of the Scottish Rite as a whole. The proper motto of the 33rd degree is Deus Mumque Jus, or “God and my right.” Brown’s regular references to the 33rd degree as “the highest degree” is aggravating and likely insulting to Masons who belong to concordant bodies other than the Scottish Rite. Both Masons and outsiders may be convinced by the author’s relentless repetition that there is some profound secret transmitted through the ritual of this degree, but it is not so. Page 216: Brown’s misstatements about what Masonry represents are sometimes serious. Take this conversation between Robert Langdon and Bellamy, the Architect of the Capital (a Mason):

mentioned. Pages 332-333: In his recitation on the number 33 (some of it accurate, some not), Brown has Langdon claim that the name of God appears 33 times in Genesis. This assertion would get him fired at Harvard. There is no way to make it a true statement. If he means the first chapter of Genesis, the proper number is 32. As for occult numbers, 36 is referenced far more often in occult literature – because it is half of 72, which is the ultimate occult number. Again and again, superficiality and error reign in this book. Page 366: Calling the Shrine a “mystical” order simply because a variant of that word occurs in the name of the organization is preposterous. Apparently Brown knows nothing of this “playground of Masonry.” He could have made more of the Mystic Order of the Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm of the Grotto. Page 373: I actually enjoyed Brown’s use of Wingdings on this page and his subsequent decoding of them. As well, his use of Franklin’s Magic Square was clever. This part of the book actually borders on being educational. Page 418: Brown’s misunderstanding of The Lost Word is total. This is no doubt why he says the Word is not a word on page 424. Nonetheless, I give him credit for being creative in the absence of knowledge.

“I can’t believe you’re saying this!” Langdon exclaimed, temper flaring. “Even if this pyramid is everything you say it is, Peter is your Masonic brother. You’re sworn to protect him above all else, even your country!”

Page 420: Talk about inventing something out of whole cloth to advance the plot! 33rd degree Masons are not given the code to get into the House of the Temple after hours. As well, there are no hallways to the elevator, which is right in front of you the instant you pass through the door. The foyer in front of the elevator can barely contain five skinny Masons.

“No, Robert. A Mason must protect a fellow Mason above all things…except one—the great secret our brotherhood protects for all mankind.”

Page 423: It is interesting to note that Brown has claimed Peter Solomon as the head of the Scottish Rite; hence his title should be Sovereign Grand Commander, not Worshipful Master.

Masons need only remember the cautions against committing treason in the obligation, and non-Masons need only know that the supposed oath described above is no teaching of Freemasonry – never mind that Masons protect no great secret for all mankind.

Page 426: No elevator opens in full view of the Temple Room. You can’t even see the Tyler in front of the doors!

Page 264: On this page, we find one of Brown’s regular references to supposed Egyptian Mystery Schools. While these so-called “mysteries” are regularly referenced in 19th century literature, there is no such thing. The Egyptians only had funeral rites. The introduction of a mystery religion into Egypt came with the Greeks, who created synchronistic mystery rites beginning with the cult of Serapis. Page 269: The references on this page to Jachin and Boaz as “the ancient pillars of wisdom” has no foundation in either Masonic or biblical literature. This is not to say that someone somewhere didn’t write such a notion down, but, if so, it was from their own mind. Page 278: The reference to the common Star of David as “an important symbol to the Masons” is an exaggeration; most Masons would associate it strictly with Judaism. It is only a Masonic symbol in the capitular degrees of the York Rite (these degrees are worked in separate Mark Master Mason Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters in England, Europe and Australasia) and others that have borrowed from them. Page 299: This page is riddled with nonsense. No Mason of my acquaintance believes that Freemasonry guards a “very, very dangerous secret.” Certainly none of them would think that such a secret would have anything to do with the Ancient Mysteries. Brown’s comment about the Eastern Star, that it embraces “a similar mystical philosophy of benevolence, secret wisdom, and spiritual open-mindedness,” is ridiculous. Nothing in their ritual or teachings is of such a nature. Page 320: “The Rose Cross…is a common symbol in Freemasonry.” The use of the word “common” is highly debatable. Most Masons do not go beyond the three Craft degrees, where the Rose Cross is never 24 • AUTUMN 2009

Page 429: On this page we find one of the funniest passages in the book. The bad guy is looking for the Lost Word, yet here it says that he has “endured all the initiations” on his search. I guess that when they gave it to him in the 13th Degree, he forgot and – instead of consulting the ritual – decided to kidnap somebody as a means of obtaining the word. Page 434: Okay, maybe the previous note was an exaggeration and the funniest part is here. Langdon is made to think, “Masonic initiation rites had been shrouded in secrecy for centuries.” Then Brown remembers that it isn’t true and appends, “The only descriptions that had ever been leaked were written by a handful of estranged brothers.” As if that wasn’t enough to tear off the shroud of secrecy forever!

onclusion: From page 483 to the end of the book, there are actually some substantive ideas that are well worth reading and pondering. However, the suggestion that this material is the transmission of some sort of Masonic dogma is entirely off the mark. Here, the characters discuss notions of the presence of God in man and, even more extreme, that man is God. Both are perfectly fine philosophical issues, but they are neither specifically nor uniquely Masonic. Unfortunately, the author is setting us all up for criticism by anti-Masons who will all too readily believe that he knows what he is talking about. Brown proves time and again in the pages of The Lost Symbol that this just isn’t true.

Dr. Rex Hutchens is a Past Grand Master in Arizona. He is the author of numerous works, including A Bridge To Light. He is the 2nd Vice president of The Masonic Society.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Lectures of Pleasure

Story & Photos by Jay Hochberg Three Prestonian Lecturers walk into a bar…. The event was nearly as simple as that set-up, despite marking the very first time that three Prestonian Lecturers shared a podium. A plan was hatched this past spring, when Trevor Stewart, Deputy Master of Lodge Sir Robert Moray No. 1641, one of Scotland’s lodges of Masonic research, pitched the idea to Thurman Pace as a fundraiser to benefit the local 32° Masonic Learning Center for Children in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Pace, an Active Emeritus member of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, was all ears. The Prestonian Lecture is a tradition in English Freemasonry that was established in 1818 and funded by a bequest from William Preston. Every year, the United Grand Lodge of England selects one outstanding scholar to travel throughout the jurisdiction and deliver his Prestonian Lecture; sometimes the lecturer will travel abroad. William Preston, of course, was the famous Mason credited with having compiled the Craft Lodge rituals used in much of the English-speaking Masonic world to this day. More editor than author, Preston assembled ritual elements used in his time and published a landmark book, Illustrations of Masonry, which went into multiple printings to meet the demand of 18th century English Masons who desired both an aid to memory and a serious work of scholarship to guide them in their labors. While there is no standard or official ritual in England, Preston’s work is still influential there. His impact is even more pronounced in the United States, where there is practically a general format for Craft ritual; often referred to as PrestonWebb, the work was named for both Preston and Thomas Smith Webb, the American ritualist of the 19th century who fashioned the ceremonies that nearly all jurisdictions in the United States work today with minor variations. Our speakers on September 12 were Stewart himself, Prestonian Lecturer in 2004; Gordon Davie, who succeeded him in 2005; and John Wade, the Prestonian Lecturer for 2009. Wade’s trip across the Atlantic soon expanded into a busy speaking tour that took him up and down the east and west coasts, and into Canada, in less than two weeks. Stewart’s presentation was a work in progress titled “Ripples in a Pool,” an exercise in research techniques intended to answer progressively probing questions. “It’s a key image,” he explained. “Think back to when you were a kid, throwing rocks into water, and seeing the ripples expanding out.” “There are three different orders of questions,” he added, beginning with the A-B-C narrative form that seeks to answer The Who, The What, The Where, and The When. “It’s a quite respectable way of proceeding. However if you want to make it more interesting, you need to go to No. 2: a panoramic, 360 degree view for context of The What. To go further – to ask general philosophical questions – we ask The Why.” “I want to take you back to 1914,” he continued, relating the story of Gustav Petrie, a coal industry executive who co-founded

From left: Gordon Davie, Prestonian Lecturer for 2005; John Wade, Prestonian Lecturer for 2009; and Trevor Stewart, Prestonian Lecturer for 2004.

a lodge in 1907 and was “greatly loved by his brethren.” Petrie was a native of Austria who was living and working in England when the Great War commenced. The Provincial Grand Master, Lord Ravensworth, ordered that all those hailing from the Axis nations “should take their First Degree obligation seriously, and return to their native lands. Being the man he was, [Petrie] resigned from the lodge. His resignation was received with regret.” These events were closely followed by a June 1914 Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge with “a lot of Masonic blood being spilled.” The questions raised included: Could the widows and orphans of brethren from enemy nations benefit from Masonic charity? Could a Mason from an enemy nation resume his place in the officer line of an English lodge upon the cessation of hostilities? And more philosophically, yet more directly, Are there occasions in matters of state that are incompatible with Freemasonry? “Are there conflicts between one’s civic duties in carrying out lawful commands of properly instituted authority and one’s obligations as a Freemason?” Stewart asked. “The case of Gustav Petrie seems to me to raise these fundamental questions.” Petrie returned to Austria and served his country’s war effort. In 1920, after the war had ended, he returned to England for a visit. On the Continent, Petrie was a Swedish Rite Mason, meaning his lodge was German. In visiting his former English lodge, therefore, he was a German Mason entering a lodge where Masons had lost loved ones in the war, including one who lost his only son. “Gustav Petrie, a little man, came in and gave greetings to the Worshipful Master from his Blue Lodge and his St. Andrew’s Lodge… and he was greeted like a long-lost friend.” “It is tremendously reassuring on a number of levels,” said Trevor Stewart in conclusion, “that when we talk about ‘Masonry universal,’ it’s not that everyone can be a Mason, but that when good men are Masons, good will and brotherhood will flourish, as we are all engaged in this one great enterprise. Gustav Petrie is of no great importance in the grand sweep of things, but certainly he has a lot to teach us.” On the lighter side, Gordon Davie rose to speak on “The Grand Stewards and Their Lodge,” a very colorful history of a singular and historic lodge that will celebrate its 275th anniversary in 2010. To set the scene, he spoke of the Freemasonry in 1720s London. Prior to the Grand Lodge era, one would never attend a lodge where he wasn’t a member, but the advent of the Grand Lodge introduced the new concept of visiting other lodges. There AUTUMN 2009 • 25

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were feasts at the Goose and Gridiron Ale House, a tradition of Masonic processions through the centuries: the march in borrowed from the Scots. “English Masonry was a ‘boozy do,’” Scotland on St. John the Evangelist Day (as told by Dr. James Davie said, prompting raucous laughter from the brethren Anderson, whose accuracy is usually doubted); the election of assembled. “If they were here today, they’d be mortified!” the Duke of Montagu as Grand Master in London in 1724, and In 1724-25, there were 77 lodges in the city, with a total many years of similar processions; and the darkly humorous membership of 1,480. By the following year, no one wanted to mockeries of Masonry, which had the effect of temporarily become Grand Warden because there was too much work to do ending genuine Masonic parades by brethren in the “Moderns” in organizing the feast. This was an expensive enterprise, and at Grand Lodge (the “Ancients” continued marching in public). one point it was decided to cut costs by eliminating one course Sharing a fascinating turn of modern scholarship, Wade from the meal. Wary of the expense, the Grand Lodge placed explained how the infamous “Scald Miserable Masons” the entire financial responsibility on the Stewards, who had to processions of the early 1740s were actually intended to belittle pay the deficit themselves if the event went over budget. “That and undermine the Whig government of Sir Robert Walpole, really concentrates the mind brethren!” said Davie to a new fit of the vastly powerful prime minister. “These satirical attacks laughter. “That really concentrates the mind!” on Grand Lodge,” Wade said, citing the work of Dr. Andrew But with great responsibility comes great reward. By 1735, Pink of University College in London, “were in fact political it was decided to allow the Grand Stewards to select their own stunts by the Patriot Opposition who were disaffected members successors. “A powerful thing, brethren, isn’t it?” (The path to of the Whig Party.” The funeral of James Anderson in 1739 grand rank began with one’s appointment as a Grand Steward.) was cause for a march; so was the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Special regalia – aprons, collars and jewels festooned with the Victoria in 1897; the foundation-stone laying at Central color red, perhaps recalling the color of the London Polytechnic in 1928; various wines served – was approved for the Grand provincial grand lodges’ ceremonies into Stewards, along with reserved seating at the 1930s; and most recently, the Beamish the feasts – a luxury, but a fair benefit for foundation-stone ceremony in 2000, those who paid the bill. Also in 1735, a which drew 300 Masons to participate in a lodge of Master Masons (remember most very rare modern practice of the tradition. Masons of this era were Apprentices) called The three types of processions Wade Stewards’ Lodge was entered on the roll of outlined are: Display Processions, in lodges; later in the 18th century, it would which the brethren show themselves and be placed at the head of that list without MW William H. Berman, Grand Master of New their regalia; Ceremonial Processions, a lodge number, an honor still continued Jersey, presents the proclamations announcing where Masons celebrate religious or John Wade, Trevor Stewart, and Gordon Davie are civil occasions in public; and Building today. Honorary Grand Lecturers in the jurisdiction Processions, Other highlights in the careers of the now at which Freemasons of New Jersey. (Note Trevor Stewart’s reaction.) Grand Stewards include a feast in 1806, demonstrate the operative origins of where 384 Masons sat down to dinner… and consumed 680 the Craft by inaugurating buildings. The effect is a profound dozen bottles of wine! Later, a letter of complaint from the Prince lesson that annuls any notion that parades and processions are of Wales objecting to the rowdiness of the meetings would result superfluous theatrics not connected to the lodge, but pointing in removing walnuts from the menu… to deny certain brethren instead to a public-private duality somewhat reminiscent of the projectiles they had thrown at the prince! the checkered floor itself. “To describe Masonry exclusively as In 2010 it is expected that the Pro Grand Master will serve private and secretive is to ignore an important element, not only as Worshipful Master of Grand Stewards’ Lodge, ushering in a in the way it understands itself, but in the way it has consistently 275th year of, as Davie put it, “undiscovered sin.” adopted a public role,” Wade explained. “Freemasonry is both The main event of the evening was the current Prestonian private and public, and we elevate one over the other at our peril. Lecturer, John Wade, speaking on English Masonic processions The integrity of Freemasonry lies in its reconciliation of what is from the 18th to the 20th centuries, in a paper titled “Go and private and what is public.” Do Thou Likewise.” The title is borrowed from the King James “Processions are where we are most obviously in the public Version of Luke 10:37, when Christ relates the parable of the sphere,” Wade said in conclusion. “I suggest that we should Good Samaritan as demonstrating right thinking and right explore the possibility of a return to these activities. I am action rewarded with eternal life. concerned that, with regard to our public image, we have lost The religious imagery is not overdone in the context Wade that civic association that we have had for hundreds of years. presents. The honorific titles of Masonry, he explained, parallel As we move further into the 21st century, we surely need to be proactive about our civic identity. For the man in the street, we those of church: Most Worshipful-Most Reverend, Right should be demonstrating that we have a civic association with Worshipful-Right Reverend, Very Worshipful-Very Reverend, the community, and that we are not a secret society or private Worshipful-Reverend. But then Worshipful also has its civic members’ club. Certainly we have our private space – and that is connotation, as in “the Worshipful Mayor of London,” all of what distinguishes us from other charitable organizations – but which neatly fits Wade’s seven purposes of Masonic processions: we also have a rich heritage of moral integrity with allegorical the Annual Feast, foundation stone-laying ceremonies, formal ceremonies and symbolism that has continued in unbroken dedications of new buildings, visits to the theater, church tradition for close on 300 years. With such a sense of display, we services, funerals, and public celebrations. can restore confidence in the genuine meaningfulness of what it Illustrating his lecture with PowerPoint images, videos is that makes us Masons.” of newsreel footage, and more, Wade recounted the history 26 • AUTUMN 2009

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FICTION This tale by science fiction author H. G. Wells (1866-1946) appeared in The Strand Magazine in March 1902.

he scene amidst which Clayton told his last story comes back very vividly to my mind. There he sat, for the greater part of the time, in the corner of the authentic settle by the spacious open fire, and Sanderson sat beside him smoking the Broseley clay that bore his name. There was Evans, and that marvel among actors, Wish, who is also a modest man. We had all come down to the Mermaid Club that Saturday morning, except Clayton, who had slept there overnight--which indeed gave him the opening of his story. We had golfed until golfing was invisible; we had dined, and we were in that mood of tranquil kindliness when men will suffer a story. When Clayton began to tell one, we naturally supposed he was lying. It may be that indeed he was lying--of that the reader will speedily be able to judge as well as I. He began, it is true, with an air of matterof-fact anecdote, but that we thought was only the incurable artifice of the man. “I say!” he remarked, after a long consideration of the upward rain of sparks from the log that Sanderson had thumped, “you know I was alone here last night?” “Except for the domestics,” said Wish. “Who sleep in the other wing,” said Clayton. “Yes. Well--” He pulled at his cigar for some little time as though he still hesitated about his confidence. Then he said, quite quietly, “I caught a ghost!” “Caught a ghost, did you?” said Sanderson. “Where is it?” And Evans, who admires Clayton immensely and has been four weeks in America, shouted, “Caught a ghost, did you, Clayton? I’m glad of it! Tell us all about it right now.” Clayton said he would in a minute, and asked him to shut the door. He looked apologetically at me. “There’s no eavesdropping of course, but we don’t want to upset our very excellent service with any rumours of ghosts in the place. There’s too much shadow and oak panelling to trifle with that. And this, you know, wasn’t a regular ghost. I don’t think it will come again--ever.” “You mean to say you didn’t keep it?” said Sanderson. “I hadn’t the heart to,” said Clayton. And Sanderson said he was surprised. We laughed, and Clayton looked aggrieved. “I know,” he said, with the flicker of a smile, “but the fact is it really was a ghost, and I’m as sure of it as I am that I am talking to you now. I’m not joking. I mean what I say.” Sanderson drew deeply at his pipe, with one reddish eye on Clayton, and then emitted a thin jet of smoke more eloquent than many words. Clayton ignored the comment. “It is the strangest thing that has ever happened in my life. You know, I never believed in ghosts or anything of the sort, before, ever; and then, you know, I bag one in a 28 • AUTUMN 2009

corner; and the whole business is in my hands.” He meditated still more profoundly, and produced and began to pierce a second cigar with a curious little stabber he affected. “You talked to it?” asked Wish. “For the space, probably, of an hour.” “Chatty?” I said, joining the party of the sceptics. “The poor devil was in trouble,” said Clayton, bowed over his cigar-end and with the very faintest note of reproof. “Sobbing?” some one asked. Clayton heaved a realistic sigh at the memory. “Good Lord!” he said; “yes.” And then, “Poor fellow! yes.” “Where did you strike it?” asked Evans, in his best American accent. “I never realised,” said Clayton, ignoring him, “the poor sort of thing a ghost might be,” and he hung us up again for a time, while he sought for matches in his pocket and lit and warmed to his cigar. “I took an advantage,” he reflected at last. We were none of us in a hurry. “A character,” he said, “remains just the same character for all that it’s been disembodied. That’s a thing we too often forget. People with a certain strength or fixity of purpose may have ghosts of a certain strength and fixity of purpose--most haunting ghosts, you know, must be as one-idea’d as monomaniacs and as obstinate as mules to come back again and again. This poor creature wasn’t.” He suddenly looked up rather queerly, and his eye went round the room. “I say it,” he said, “in all kindliness, but that is the plain truth of the case. Even at the first glance he struck me as weak.” He punctuated with the help of his cigar. “I came upon him, you know, in the long passage. His back was towards me and I saw him first. Right off I knew him for a ghost. He was transparent and whitish; clean through his chest I could see the glimmer of the little window at the end. And not only his physique but his attitude struck me as being weak. He looked, you know, as though he didn’t know in the slightest whatever he meant to do. One hand was on the panelling and the other fluttered to his mouth. Like--SO!” “What sort of physique?” said Sanderson. “Lean. You know that sort of young man’s neck that has two great flutings down the back, here and here--so! And a little, meanish head with scrubby hair--And rather bad ears. Shoulders bad, narrower than the hips; turn-down collar, ready-made short jacket, trousers baggy and a little frayed at the heels. That’s how he took me. I came very quietly up the staircase. I did not carry a light, you know--the candles are on the landing table and there is that lamp-- and I was in my list slippers, and I saw him as I came up. I stopped dead at that--taking him in. I wasn’t a bit afraid. I think that in most of these affairs one is never nearly so afraid or excited as one imagines one would be. I was surprised and interested. I thought, ‘Good Lord! Here’s a ghost at last! And I haven’t believed for a moment in ghosts during the last five-andtwenty years.’” “Um,” said Wish. “I suppose I wasn’t on the landing a moment before he found out I was there. He turned on me sharply, and I saw the face of an immature young man, a weak nose, a scrubby little moustache, a feeble chin. So for an instant we stood--he looking over his shoulder at me and regarded one another. Then he seemed to remember his high calling. He turned round, drew himself up, projected his face, raised his arms, spread his hands in approved ghost fashion--came towards me. As he did so his little jaw dropped, and he emitted a faint, drawnout ‘Boo.’ No, it wasn’t--not a bit dreadful. I’d dined. I’d had a bottle

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of champagne, and being all alone, perhaps two or three--perhaps even four or five--whiskies, so I was as solid as rocks and no more frightened than if I’d been assailed by a frog. ‘Boo!’ I said. ‘Nonsense. You don’t belong to this place. What are you doing here?’ “I could see him wince. ‘Boo-oo,’ he said. “’Boo--be hanged! Are you a member?’ I said; and just to show I didn’t care a pin for him I stepped through a corner of him and made to light my candle. ‘Are you a member?’ I repeated, looking at him sideways. “He moved a little so as to stand clear of me, and his bearing became crestfallen. ‘No,’ he said, in answer to the persistent interrogation of my eye; ‘I’m not a member--I’m a ghost.’ “’Well, that doesn’t give you the run of the Mermaid Club. Is there any one you want to see, or anything of that sort?’ and doing it as steadily as possible for fear that he should mistake the carelessness of whisky for the distraction of fear, I got my candle alight. I turned on him, holding it. ‘What are you doing here?’ I said. “He had dropped his hands and stopped his booing, and there he stood, abashed and awkward, the ghost of a weak, silly, aimless young man. ‘I’m haunting,’ he said. “’You haven’t any business to,’ I said in a quiet voice. “’I’m a ghost,’ he said, as if in defence. “’That may be, but you haven’t any business to haunt here. This is a respectable private club; people often stop here with nursemaids and children, and, going about in the careless way you do, some poor little mite could easily come upon you and be scared out of her wits. I suppose you didn’t think of that?’ “’No, sir,’ he said, ‘I didn’t.’ “’You should have done. You haven’t any claim on the place, have you? Weren’t murdered here, or anything of that sort?’ “’None, sir; but I thought as it was old and oak-panelled--’ “’That’s no excuse.’ I regarded him firmly. ‘Your coming here is a mistake,’ I said, in a tone of friendly superiority. I feigned to see if I had my matches, and then looked up at him frankly. ‘If I were you I wouldn’t wait for cock-crow--I’d vanish right away.’ “He looked embarrassed. ‘The fact is, sir--’ he began. “’I’d vanish,’ I said, driving it home. “’The fact is, sir, that--somehow--I can’t.’ “’You can’t?’ “’No, sir. There’s something I’ve forgotten. I’ve been hanging about here since midnight last night, hiding in the cupboards of the empty bedrooms and things like that. I’m flurried. I’ve never come haunting before, and it seems to put me out.’ “’Put you out?’ “’Yes, sir. I’ve tried to do it several times, and it doesn’t come off. There’s some little thing has slipped me, and I can’t get back.’ “That, you know, rather bowled me over. He looked at me in such an abject way that for the life of me I couldn’t keep up quite the high, hectoring vein I had adopted. ‘That’s queer,’ I said, and as I spoke I fancied I heard some one moving about down below. ‘Come into my room and tell me more about it,’ I said. ‘I didn’t, of course, understand this,’ and I tried to take him by the arm. But, of course, you might as well have tried to take hold of a puff of smoke! I had forgotten my number, I think; anyhow, I remember going into several bedrooms--it was lucky I was the only soul in that wing--until I saw my traps. ‘Here we are,’ I said, and sat down in the arm-chair; ‘sit down and tell me

all about it. It seems to me you have got yourself into a jolly awkward position, old chap.’ “Well, he said he wouldn’t sit down! He’d prefer to flit up and down the room if it was all the same to me. And so he did, and in a little while we were deep in a long and serious talk. And presently, you know, something of those whiskies and sodas evaporated out of me, and I began to realise just a little what a thundering rum and weird business it was that I was in. There he was, semi-transparent-- the proper conventional phantom, and noiseless except for his ghost of a voice--flitting to and fro in that nice, clean, chintz-hung old bedroom. You could see the gleam of the copper candlesticks through him, and the lights on the brass fender, and the corners of the framed engravings on the wall,--and there he was telling me all about this wretched little life of his that had recently ended on earth. He hadn’t a particularly honest face, you know, but being transparent, of course, he couldn’t avoid telling the truth.” “Eh?” said Wish, suddenly sitting up in his chair. “What?” said Clayton. “Being transparent--couldn’t avoid telling the truth--I don’t see it,” said Wish. “I don’t see it,” said Clayton, with inimitable assurance. “But it is so, I can assure you nevertheless. I don’t believe he got once a nail’s breadth off the Bible truth. He told me how he had been killed--he went down into a London basement with a candle to look for a leakage of gas--and described himself as a senior English master in a London private school when that release occurred.” “Poor wretch!” said I. “That’s what I thought, and the more he talked the more I thought it. There he was, purposeless in life and purposeless out of it. He talked of his father and mother and his schoolmaster, and all who had ever been anything to him in the world, meanly. He had been too sensitive, too nervous; none of them had ever valued him properly or understood him, he said. He had never had a real friend in the world, I think; he had never had a success. He had shirked games and failed examinations. ‘It’s like that with some people,’ he said; ‘whenever I got into the examinationroom or anywhere everything seemed to go.’ Engaged to be married of course--to another over-sensitive person, I suppose--when the indiscretion with the gas escape ended his affairs. ‘And where are you now?’ I asked. ‘Not in--?’ “He wasn’t clear on that point at all. The impression he gave me was of a sort of vague, intermediate state, a special reserve for souls too nonexistent for anything so positive as either sin or virtue. I don’t know. He was much too egotistical and unobservant to give me any clear idea of the kind of place, kind of country, there is on the Other Side of Things. Wherever he was, he seems to have fallen in with a set of kindred spirits: ghosts of weak Cockney young men, who were on a footing of Christian names, and among these there was certainly a lot of talk about ‘going haunting’ and things like that. Yes--going haunting! They seemed to think ‘haunting’ a tremendous adventure, and most of them funked it all the time. And so primed, you know, he had come.” “But really!” said Wish to the fire. “These are the impressions he gave me, anyhow,” said Clayton, modestly. “I may, of course, have been in a rather uncritical state, but that was the sort of background he gave to himself. He kept flitting up and down, with his thin voice going talking, talking about his wretched self, and never a word of clear, firm statement from first to last. He was AUTUMN 2009 • 29

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thinner and sillier and more pointless than if he had been real and alive. Only then, you know, he would not have been in my bedroom here--if he had been alive. I should have kicked him out.” “Of course,” said Evans, “there are poor mortals like that.” “And there’s just as much chance of their having ghosts as the rest of us,” I admitted. “What gave a sort of point to him, you know, was the fact that he did seem within limits to have found himself out. The mess he had made of haunting had depressed him terribly. He had been told it would be a ‘lark’; he had come expecting it to be a ‘lark,’ and here it was, nothing but another failure added to his record! He proclaimed himself an utter out-and-out failure. He said, and I can quite believe it, that he had never tried to do anything all his life that he hadn’t made a perfect mess of--and through all the wastes of eternity he never would. If he had had sympathy, perhaps--. He paused at that, and stood regarding me. He remarked that, strange as it might seem to me, nobody, not any one, ever, had given him the amount of sympathy I was doing now. I could see what he wanted straight away, and I determined to head him off at once. I may be a brute, you know, but being the Only Real Friend, the recipient of the confidences of one of these egotistical weaklings, ghost or body, is beyond my physical endurance. I got up briskly. ‘Don’t you brood on these things too much,’ I said. ‘The thing you’ve got to do is to get out of this get out of this--sharp. You pull yourself together and try.’ ‘I can’t,’ he said. ‘You try,’ I said, and try he did.” “Try!” said Sanderson. “How?” “Passes,” said Clayton. “Passes?” “Complicated series of gestures and passes with the hands. That’s how he had come in and that’s how he had to get out again. Lord! what a business I had!” “But how could any series of passes--?” I began. “My dear man,” said Clayton, turning on me and putting a great emphasis on certain words, “you want everything clear. I don’t know how. All I know is that you do--that he did, anyhow, at least. After a fearful time, you know, he got his passes right and suddenly disappeared.” “Did you,” said Sanderson, slowly, “observe the passes?” “Yes,” said Clayton, and seemed to think. “It was tremendously queer,” he said. “There we were, I and this thin vague ghost, in that silent room, in this silent, empty inn, in this silent little Friday-night town. Not a sound except our voices and a faint panting he made when he swung. There was the bedroom candle, and one candle on the dressingtable alight, that was all--sometimes one or other would flare up into a tall, lean, astonished flame for a space. And queer things happened. ‘I can’t,’ he said; ‘I shall never--!’ And suddenly he sat down on a little chair at the foot of the bed and began to sob and sob. Lord! what a harrowing, whimpering thing he seemed! “’You pull yourself together,’ I said, and tried to pat him on the back, and . . . my confounded hand went through him! By that time, you know, I wasn’t nearly so--massive as I had been on the landing. I got the queerness of it full. I remember snatching back my hand out of him, as it were, with a little thrill, and walking over to the dressingtable. ‘You pull yourself together,’ I said to him, ‘and try.’ And in order to encourage and help him I began to try as well.” “What!” said Sanderson, “the passes?” “Yes, the passes.” “But--” I said, moved by an idea that eluded me for a space. “This is interesting,” said Sanderson, with his finger in his pipebowl. “You mean to say this ghost of yours gave away--” “Did his level best to give away the whole confounded barrier? Yes.” “He didn’t,” said Wish; “he couldn’t. Or you’d have gone there

too.” “That’s precisely it,” I said, finding my elusive idea put into words for me. “That is precisely it,” said Clayton, with thoughtful eyes upon the fire. For just a little while there was silence. “And at last he did it?” said Sanderson. “At last he did it. I had to keep him up to it hard, but he did it at last--rather suddenly. He despaired, we had a scene, and then he got up abruptly and asked me to go through the whole performance, slowly, so that he might see. ‘I believe,’ he said, ‘if I could see I should spot what was wrong at once.’ And he did. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘What do you know?’ said I. ‘I know,’ he repeated. Then he said, peevishly, ‘I can’t do it if you look at me--I really can’t; it’s been that, partly, all along. I’m such a nervous fellow that you put me out.’ Well, we had a bit of an argument. Naturally I wanted to see; but he was as obstinate as a mule, and suddenly I had come over as tired as a dog--he tired me out. ‘All right,’ I said, ‘I won’t look at you,’ and turned towards the mirror, on the wardrobe, by the bed. He started off very fast. I tried to follow him by looking in the looking-glass, to see just what it was had hung. Round went his arms and his hands, so, and so, and so, and then with a rush came to the last gesture of all--you stand erect and open out your arms--and so, don’t you know, he stood. And then he didn’t! He didn’t! He wasn’t! I wheeled round from the looking-glass to him. There was nothing! I was alone, with the flaring candles and a staggering mind. What had happened? Had anything happened? Had I been dreaming? . . . And then, with an absurd note of finality about it, the clock upon the landing discovered the moment was ripe for striking one. So!-Ping! And I was as grave and sober as a judge, with all my champagne and whisky gone into the vast serene. Feeling queer, you know-confoundedly queer! Queer! Good Lord!” He regarded his cigar-ash for a moment. “That’s all that happened,” he said. “And then you went to bed?” asked Evans. “What else was there to do?” I looked Wish in the eye. We wanted to scoff, and there was something, something perhaps in Clayton’s voice and manner, that hampered our desire. “And about these passes?” said Sanderson. “I believe I could do them now.” “Oh!” said Sanderson, and produced a penknife and set himself to grub the dottel out of the bowl of his clay. “Why don’t you do them now?” said Sanderson, shutting his penknife with a click. “That’s what I’m going to do,” said Clayton. “They won’t work,” said Evans. “If they do--” I suggested. “You know, I’d rather you didn’t,” said Wish, stretching out his legs. “Why?” asked Evans. “I’d rather he didn’t,” said Wish. “But he hasn’t got ‘em right,” said Sanderson, plugging too much tobacco in his pipe. “All the same, I’d rather he didn’t,” said Wish. We argued with Wish. He said that for Clayton to go through those gestures was like mocking a serious matter. “But you don’t believe--?” I said. Wish glanced at Clayton, who was staring into the fire, weighing something in his mind. “I do--more than half, anyhow, I do,” said Wish.

He reflected. “These happen to be a series of gestures–connected with a certain branch of esoteric Masonry.”

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“Clayton,” said I, “you’re too good a liar for us. Most of it was all right. But that disappearance . . . happened to be convincing. Tell us, it’s a tale of cock and bull.” He stood up without heeding me, took the middle of the hearthrug, and faced me. For a moment he regarded his feet thoughtfully, and then for all the rest of the time his eyes were on the opposite wall, with an intent expression. He raised his two hands slowly to the level of his eyes and so began. . . . Now, Sanderson is a Freemason, a member of the lodge of the Four Kings, which devotes itself so ably to the study and elucidation of all the mysteries of Masonry past and present, and among the students of this lodge Sanderson is by no means the least. He followed Clayton’s motions with a singular interest in his reddish eye. “That’s not bad,” he said, when it was done. “You really do, you know, put things together, Clayton, in a most amazing fashion. But there’s one little detail out.” “I know,” said Clayton. “I believe I could tell you which.” “Well?” “This,” said Clayton, and did a queer little twist and writhing and thrust of the hands. “Yes.” “That, you know, was what he couldn’t get right,” said Clayton. “But how do you--?” “Most of this business, and particularly how you invented it, I don’t understand at all,” said Sanderson, “but just that phase--I do.” He reflected. “These happen to be a series of gestures--connected with a certain branch of esoteric Masonry. Probably you know. Or else--how?” He reflected still further. “I do not see I can do any harm in telling you just the proper twist. After all, if you know, you know; if you don’t, you don’t.” “I know nothing,” said Clayton, “except what the poor devil let out last night.” “Well, anyhow,” said Sanderson, and placed his churchwarden very carefully upon the shelf over the fireplace. Then very rapidly he gesticulated with his hands. “So?” said Clayton, repeating. “So,” said Sanderson, and took his pipe in hand again. “Ah, now,” said Clayton, “I can do the whole thing--right.” He stood up before the waning fire and smiled at us all. But I think there was just a little hesitation in his smile. “If I begin--” he said. “I wouldn’t begin,” said Wish. “It’s all right!” said Evans. “Matter is indestructible. You don’t think any jiggery-pokery of this sort is going to snatch Clayton into the world of shades. Not it! You may try, Clayton, so far as I’m concerned, until your arms drop off at the wrists.” “I don’t believe that,” said Wish, and stood up and put his arm on Clayton’s shoulder. “You’ve made me half believe in that story somehow, and I don’t want to see the thing done!” “Goodness!” said I, “here’s Wish frightened!” “I am,” said Wish, with real or admirably feigned intensity. “I believe that if he goes through these motions right he’ll go.” “He’ll not do anything of the sort,” I cried. “There’s only one way out of this world for men, and Clayton is thirty years from that. Besides . . . And such a ghost! Do you think--?” Wish interrupted me by moving. He walked out from among our chairs and stopped beside the tole and stood there. “Clayton,” he said, “you’re a fool.” Clayton, with a humorous light in his eyes, smiled back at him. “Wish,” he said, “is right and all you others are wrong. I shall go. I shall get to the end of these passes, and as the last swish whistles through the air, Presto!--this hearthrug will be vacant, the room will be blank amazement, and a respectably dressed gentleman of fifteen stone will plump into the world of shades. I’m certain. So will you be. I decline to argue further. Let the thing be tried.” “No,” said Wish, and made a step and ceased, and Clayton raised his hands once more to repeat the spirit’s passing.

By that time, you know, we were all in a state of tension--largely because of the behaviour of Wish. We sat all of us with our eyes on Clayton--I, at least, with a sort of tight, stiff feeling about me as though from the back of my skull to the middle of my thighs my body had been changed to steel. And there, with a gravity that was imperturbably serene, Clayton bowed and swayed and waved his hands and arms before us. As he drew towards the end one piled up, one tingled in one’s teeth. The last gesture, I have said, was to swing the arms out wide open, with the face held up. And when at last he swung out to this closing gesture I ceased even to breathe. It was ridiculous, of course, but you know that ghost-story feeling. It was after dinner, in a queer, old shadowy house. Would he, after all--?

There he stood for one stupendous moment, with his arms open and his upturned face, assured and bright, in the glare of the hanging lamp. We hung through that moment as if it were an age, and then came from all of us something that was half a sigh of infinite relief and half a reassuring “No!” For visibly--he wasn’t going. It was all nonsense. He had told an idle story, and carried it almost to conviction, that was all! . . . And then in that moment the face of Clayton, changed. It changed. It changed as a lit house changes when its lights are suddenly extinguished. His eyes were suddenly eyes that were fixed, his smile was frozen on his lips, and he stood there still. He stood there, very gently swaying. That moment, too, was an age. And then, you know, chairs were scraping, things were falling, and we were all moving. His knees seemed to give, and he fell forward, and Evans rose and caught him in his arms. . . . It stunned us all. For a minute I suppose no one said a coherent thing. We believed it, yet could not believe it. . . . I came out of a muddled stupefaction to find myself kneeling beside him, and his vest and shirt were torn open, and Sanderson’s hand lay on his heart. . . . Well--the simple fact before us could very well wait our convenience; there was no hurry for us to comprehend. It lay there for an hour; it lies athwart my memory, black and amazing still, to this day. Clayton had, indeed, passed into the world that lies so near to and so far from our own, and he had gone thither by the only road that mortal man may take. But whether he did indeed pass there by that poor ghost’s incantation, or whether he was stricken suddenly by apoplexy in the midst of an idle tale--as the coroner’s jury would have us believe-is no matter for my judging; it is just one of those inexplicable riddles that must remain unsolved until the final solution of all things shall come. All I certainly know is that, in the very moment, in the very instant, of concluding those passes, he changed, and staggered, and fell down before us--dead! THE END. AUTUMN 2009 • 31

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Letters To The Journal The Morgan Affair To the Editor:

Journal No. 5 was excellent! I especially enjoyed the article on the Morgan Affair. I think it is important to understand how Masonry in the United States was affected by that series of events, perhaps most notably the throwing open of the West Gate to placate an unduly worried public. Fortunately we are now seeing a change in some jurisdictions where the quality of candidates is preferable to the quantity. Articles such as this remind us of whence we came. Understanding our past is most important when deciding how best to forge ahead. We must educate our brethren on the importance of a Mason’s labors and responsibilities. Masons are secretive only as regards the personal terms of the social contract we mutually uphold. Ignorance of that is what allowed the Morgan Affair to become the scandal that nearly destroyed us. The importance of properly inculcating Masonry’s teachings, laws, and traditions to its newest brethren cannot be over emphasized, and principles taught are only words if not practiced by every brother in his daily conduct. Thanks to the editorial board for your continued diligence and service to the Craft. I look forward to many more timely and informative articles. Dan Ellnor Utica Lodge No. 337 Clarksville, Indiana am pleased to present you with a great new benefit of belonging to The Masonic Society! Since 1818, Brooks Brothers has set the standard for modern American style. Throughout the years, Brooks Brothers has become a national icon revered for the quality and classic elegance of its services and merchandise for men, women and

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FROM THE EDITOR

All Great Truths begin As Blasphemies by Christopher L. Hodapp

message written in Masonic cipher code on the back cover of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol reads, “All great truths begin as blasphemies.” When I discovered that its source was George Bernard Shaw’s play, Annajanska, the Bolshevik Empress, written in 1919, I looked up the context of the line. The Grand Duchess in Russia knows that the Russian Revolution means the end of her family’s reign, and she is talking with a general about their impending fate: THE GRAND DUCHESS. Do not deceive yourself, General: never again will a Panjandrum reign in Beotia. . . . We are so decayed, so out of date, so feeble, so wicked in our own despite, that we have come at last to will our own destruction. GEN. STRAMMFEST. You are uttering blasphemy. THE GRAND DUCHESS. All great truths begin as blasphemies. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men cannot set up my father’s throne again. If they could, you would have done it, would you not?

Given that the quote is presented on Brown’s cover in Masonic code, it is possible that he is sending a message to us, that maybe Freemasonry as it is practiced today is so out of date, so feeble, so lost, that it has come to will its own destruction. Or perhaps it is a caution to the fraternity not to let such a thing happen. The lifelong symbolic quest of the Freemason is the search for selfknowledge, the quest for truth—the Lost Word. It is a mission that can never come to a successful conclusion, at least until the dirt is thrown over our heads. Robert Langdon’s nemesis in The Lost Symbol, Mal’akh, doesn’t understand this simple lesson, believing the Lost Word is a real, tangible word or symbol that, once tattooed on the top of his head in blood with a crow’s feather, will give him the secret knowledge of all time and raise him to a new stage of invincibility. He discovers, too late, that he has been chasing a chimera. Mal’akh follows the Aleister Crowley path: “Make yourself sacred.” He chases the abracadabra side of “magickal” thought, looking for a secret word that will change him. He believes the Lost Word of Freemasonry really is a word, a talisman, an incantation. In ancient and medieval times, the ouroboros, a snake wrapped in a circle eating its own tail, was a symbol of life, death, and rebirth, or as Dan Brown expresses it, “at-one-ment.” However, the snake eating itself may ultimately be the perfect allegory of the obsessive esoteric alchemist, who ceaselessly chased his own tail in search of some secret, occult knowledge that didn’t really exist. The Freemasons who formed the fraternity in the early 1700s in Scotland and England were Enlightenment-era thinkers. They believed in science and reason, not magic, or the old methods of alchemical dabblings. They fought against superstition. In continental Europe, Rosicrucians and lovers of mysticism introduced occult, hermetic, and Kabbalistic references into what became the “higher” degrees of the Scottish Rite in the early nineteenth century. That didn’t make them bad or wrong or misguided, or even inauthentic Masons. But it marked a strong philosophical divergence in Freemasonry that exists even today. In an interview on NBC’s Dateline, Dan Brown had an exchange with reporter Matt Lauer (both non-Masons) in which the discussion turned to the notion that modern Freemasonry has lost its way, and that, with the exception of a few pockets of enthusiastic Masons seeking greater philosophical truths in alchemical and obscure Kabbalist texts,

the rest of the fraternity has become little more than fish fries and bake sales promoting their charities. That, in my experience, leaves out a growing group of lodges that are balancing those two extremes of a very broad spectrum, with growing success. Rex Hutchens, in his 2006 introduction to Albert Pike’s Lecture on Masonic Symbolism, wrote, The scholars of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, alive with a newfound intellectual freedom, sought everything everywhere, and often found it—or thought they did. Rank speculation stood beside precise scholarship and demanded equal station. Too often, Pike complied. This lack of a critical faculty is clearly seen in Morals & Dogma and his subsequent lectures. Mixed with the erudition of Francis Bacon and the lyrical beauty of the King James Bible was the carping inanity of Eliphas Levi, the witless speculations and reveries of Godfrey Higgins and Thomas Maurice. Interestingly, back in 1921, the noted Masonic author H. L. Haywood wrote in his essay, A Bird’s Eye View of Masonic History: Freemasons, for some reason or other, always have been, and even now remain, peculiarly susceptible to the appeal of the occult; we have had some experience in this country during recent years that prove this. No doubt a learned dustman can find particles of gold buried away in the debris of occultism and the true gold, even in small quantities, is not to be despised; but the dangers attendant upon trifling with the magical are a heavy price to pay for what little we can gain. Those who have, with worn fingers, untangled the snarl of occult symbolism, tell us that these secret cults have been teaching the doctrine of the one God, of the brotherhood of man, and of the future life of the soul; all this is good but one doesn’t need to wade through jungles of weird speculations in order to come upon the teachings that one may find in any Sunday School. It behooves the wise student to walk warily; perhaps the wisest things is to leave occultism altogether alone. Life is too short to tramp around its endless labyrinths. Moreover, there is on the surface of Freemasonry enough truth to equip any of us for all time to come. In reality, Freemasonry has always adapted to suit the needs of the society in which it resides, balancing esoteric thought on one side, and the needs of men to be sociable on the other. Sometimes the scales tip one way and sometimes the other. The Freemasonry of London in 1717 was very different from Freemasonry in Paris in 1796, Boston in 1843, Des Moines in 1952, and Los Angeles today. Anyone who claims there has been one magical, mystical Golden Age of forgotten wisdom that Masonry has strayed from today is talking out of his hat. My view is very different from Rex Hutchens’ article elsewhere in this issue. I care very much about Brown’s novel and its effects on readers. Through his book, Freemasonry has been introduced by Dan Brown to millions of people who had either never heard of us or had forgotten about us. He has reached more people than any grand lodge program ever could, almost overnight. Sure, he has made us out to be spookier or more high-minded than the local lodge on the corner may be, but Freemasonry isn’t out of date, or feeble, or lost, and it is not headed for the tar pits of history. The truth is that Freemasonry is in the midst of adapting and remaking itself again, to serve a new generation of men in need of its lessons, its knowledge, its tolerance, and its brotherhood that seeks to cross all boundaries. AUTUMN 2009 • 35

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Masonic Treasures

n The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown describes a ficticious stone cube that opens into a cruciform shape to reveal hidden symbols. Brown based the description on this piece of jewelry from England—a watch fob called “The Perfect Ashlar.” Viewed in the open position, with the “East” at the top, it displays the positions of the Master and Wardens, their jewels of office, the Bible in the center on its altar, the pillars, and other symbols of the lodge and the degrees. Closed, it represents the man who is educated about the craft and keeps the symbols and secrets sacred within himself. CLH