The
Newsletter
of the Committee
on
Masonic Education
The
Grand Lodge of Canada
In the
Province of Ontario
Vol.
19 No.2
The Newsletter
of the Committee
on Masonic Education
Vol. 19 No. 2
Publisher
R. W. Bro. Doug
Franklin
Editor
W. Bro. Michael
Jenkyns
Editor Emeritus
M.W. Bro. David
C. Bradley
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Table of Contents
To all Contributors and Subscription
Notice
From the Editor
Articles
1.
M.W. Bro. William Henry Weller, Grand Master 1877-78; 1878-79 ..……………………….………..7
2.
A Brief History of St. John’s
Lodge, No. 17 GRC, Cobourg ………………………….………………...9
3.
Serendipity – the Cobourg
City Hall ………… 18
4.
Pioneers of Freemasonry in Ontario
...……..…20
5. A visit to Portugal
…………………......…...…28
6.
Come alive! Revitalize!
……….…………...….35
7.
Third Degree Tracing Board………………......40
8.
Improper Solicitation ……………….…………44
9.
The Well Dressed Mason ……...……………...50
10. Elections for Lodge Officers
………………….54
11. Found in the Summons……………………….58
Questions of the Fraternity
Custodian’s Corner
Book Nook
Opportunities for Further Light
To All
Contributors
Contributors
are responsible for the factual accuracy of an article. Author’s opinions do
not necessarily reflect those of the Grand Lodge
A.F. & A. M. of Canada
in the Province
of Ontario, nor the
Committee on Masonic Education.
Articles should
reflect The Newsletter size and readability. Pages run 300-325 words, so a
maximum of about 1200-1300 words is the limit. Longer articles of special merit might be printed in sections over several
issues.
Please give credits for information and research sources. Because of the
nature of the Newsletter and its sources (volunteer contributors), there has
never been an effort to seek permission to reprint. Credit is always given for
a source when known and particularly for the contributor’s name and Lodge. Use of information from The Newsletter
is encouraged: if Newsletter material is reprinted, we ask that acknowledged
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From the
Editor
Once again I hope our subscribers enjoy this
issue of The Newsletter.
It is surprising that we have been able to
locate such little information on Grand Master William Henry Weller, but there
is little which has been written about him. From this I have learned that if a
Lodge member becomes an important personage one would hope that someone in the Lodge would prepare and update a biography,
beginning while the member is still
alive.
I was extremely
interested in R. W. Bro. Norman Ryder’s article on visiting a foreign
jurisdiction. It can make us wonder how others see us when they visit Ontario.
Once again, “thank you” to those who sent in
these interesting articles. Perhaps our subscribers could take The
Newsletter to their next Lodge meeting
and read one of the articles for “Masonic education.” The article on improper
solicitation should give members
pause to reflect on the subject.
Brethren, I am at the completion of my
three-year term as Editor. It has been a challenge and a pleasure to serve the
craft in this manner. Please keep the articles coming and assist the new Editor
in his work.
Michael Jenkyns
M. W. Bro. William H. Weller
(1824-1881)
GM 1877-1878;
1878-1879
[By: R. W. Bro. John Beedham, PDDGM and member of St.
John’s Lodge, No. 17 GRC, Cobourg.]
William
Henry Weller was born in 1824 in Coburg.
He trained as a lawyer in Toronto but returned
to practice in Coburg.
He was married but is listed in the 1861 Census as a widower ( he was 37 years
old). At the time of his death in Coburg on March 28, 1881,
he was Master of Chancery.
William
Henry Weller’s father, William, was an early resident of Coburg
and was the owner of the Weller Stagecoach Line that ran between Toronto and Kingston.
He was the first mayor of Cobourg. William Weller was also a member of St.
John’s Lodge.
Masonic Career
Mr. William Henry Weller was initiated into
St. Andrew’s Lodge, No. 16 PRCW (now No. 16 GRC), Toronto, on January 20, 1846. After his move
to Coburg he affiliated with St. John’s Lodge, No. 5 PRCW and No. 497 ER
(now No. 17 GRC), Cobourg, and served as WM in 1856, 1858 and 1864. He was
elected as DDGM of Ontario District for 1859, 1861 and 1866. In 1849 he donated
a Lewis to the Lodge, the stone of which resides beside the Secretary’s Desk.
He held various offices in the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West: Grand Steward (June-Nov.
1850), Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies (Nov. 1850-June 1851), Grand
Pursuivant (June 1851-June 1852) and Grand Director of Ceremonies (Oct.
1855-Oct. 1856). He is not listed in further Communications until the last
Communication of that Provincial Grand Lodge,
September 7, 1857, where he is listed as Grand Pursuivant and representative of
St. John’s
Lodge. At this meeting the Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada was pronounced duly formed.
He attended the special meeting on July 14, 1858, held in the hall of King
Solomon’s Lodge in Toronto
where the Grand Lodge of Canada and
the Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada
were united and was appointed Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies. He
appears to have served in various capacities in the Grand
Lodge of Canada and was elected as Grand Master for the
1877-78 and 1878-79 term.
York Rite
Bro.
Weller was a member and First
Principal of St. John’s Chapter, No. 42, Coburg.
He served Grand Chapter in various capacities and was elected as Grand Second
Principal in 1875. He was Grand Representative of the Grand Chapter of
Wisconsin.
[Sources: (1) A History of the Grand Lodge
A. F. & A. M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario 1855-1955, by Walter
S. Herrington and Roy S. Foley, Published by the authority of Grand Lodge, McCallum Press Ltd., Toronto, 1955. (2)
The History of St. John’s Lodge, No. 17
A.F.&A.M. GRC, Cobourg, Ontario, compiled by R. W. Bro. Derek Ward,
published by the Lodge, 2001. (3) Biographical data compiled by V. W. Bro.
Lawrence Runnals, copy retained by R. W. Bro. Wallace McLeod, Grand Historian.]
A brief history of St. John’s Lodge, No. 17 GRC,
Coburg
[By: R. W. Bro. John Beedham, PDDGM and member of St.
John’s Lodge, No. 17 GRC, Cobourg.]
During the early years of the nineteenth century, Northumberland County
provided a home to a number of
Lodges, including: United Lodge of Murray Township (established 1817/18), Mount
Moriah in Hope Township (Warranted March 27, 1811), North Star Lodge in
Hamilton Township (Warranted June 18, 1819), all of which had closed after
short existence, and also for St. John’s Lodge in Haldimand Township (Warranted
October 4, 1801). Styles Hotel in Amherst,
the headquarters for the Judges and Magistrates holding court in the area,
provided a meeting place for North
Star Lodge. The Hotel sported a sign adorned with Masonic symbols.
According to the Lodge History,
St. John’s Lodge was warranted on October 4,
1801, by William Jarvis, Provincial Grand Master of Upper Canada (Antients) as
No. 19 (local), Haldimand Township, Northumberland
County and “No. 764 on the register of the Grand Lodge of England” (p. 1). However, the entry
in John Lane’s
Masonic Records 1717-1894, p. 256,
reads: “St. John’s
Lodge. Athol 19 Provincial. Stile’s (sic) Hotel, close to the Old Court House, Amherst [adjoining Cobourg] (Haldimand, Northumberland), Upper Canada, Ontario,
1796. Prov. Warrant 1796. (G.L.) Warrant 23 Sept. 1822 No. 764; No. 497 (1932).
Erased in 1857. Now No. 17 on Reg. of
G.L. of Canada in Ontario.”
Given
the known and recorded track record of the Provincial Grand Master of the time, R. W. Bro. William Jarvis, it is likely that the
Lodge was not registered with Grand Lodge in London
prior to the arrival of R. W. Bro. Simon McGillivray. This situation affected a
number of other Lodges and was no doubt part of the reason that London did not respond to correspondence from the Grand
Masonic Convention convened at Kingston
on August 27, 1817. Such a situation casts no shadow on St. John’s.
The
first officers of the new Lodge were: W. Bro. Aaron Greely, WM; Bro. John
Grover, SW; and Bro. Manchester Eddy, JW. The Lodge History notes that about 1806/07 the Lodge appears to have gone
into darkness (although the list of WM’s does not cease with names until the year 1809) as a John Peters Petitioned
the Provincial Grand Master, R. W. Bro. William Jarvis for a Warrant to erect a
Lodge in Haldimand Township. The date of the letter is October 2, 1807 and it
is possible that the foregoing letter may also have been written in respect of
a Grand Lodge Warrant which does not
appear to have been applied for by the Provincial Grand
Lodge or issued, although the Lodge History says “The Warrant was issued in the latter part of 1807”
(p. 4).
The
Lodge attended the (First) Grand Masonic Convention held at Kingston beginning on August 27, 1817. A
certificate appears in the minutes indicating that Bro. Derek Markham was to
represent the Lodge at the Convention and in July 1820, the Lodge paid £3-5-0
to the Convention. St. John’s
was thus a founding Lodge of the Provincial Grand
Lodge of Upper Canada, under R. W. Bro. Simon McGillivray,
and was issued with a new warrant on September 23, 1822 as No. 11 (local). It was at this time
that the Lodge was registered with London and
Warrant No. 764 was issued by the United Grand Lodge
of England.
In
spite of R. W. Bro. McGillivray’s intentions to rectify deficiencies in the
workings of the Provincial Grand Lodge
his early departure from Upper Canada
permitted matters to slip back into the “old ways.” Some
Lodges, however were not content to see this happen and Brockville Lodge, No. 3
PRUC, solicited the support of St. John’s in creating the office of Grand
Visitor to “visit, lecture and enquire into the state of every Lodge
respectively, throughout the Province, and otherwise to promote views and
interests of the Craft.” Alas, there is nothing in the minutes of St. John’s Lodge to
indicate whether the request was supported.
Events
would appear to overtake any action on Brockville Lodge’s initiative. The
disappearance of Bro. William Morgan of New York State
in September 1826, he having threatened to divulge Masonic secrets, resulted in
a torrent of anti-Masonic feeling across the north-west. Many Lodges closed
forever, while others went underground. Of the twenty-six Lodges on the
Register of the Provincial Grand Lodge
of Upper Canada in 1826, eighteen had become
dormant or ceased to exist by 1836. While it is unclear whether there were any
communications between the Provincial Grand Lodge
and United Grand Lodge before the
formation of the Provincial Grand Lodge
of Canada West in 1846, a general renumbering of all Lodges on the Roll of Grand Lodge (an ongoing effort which resulted from
the Union of 1813 and saw renumbering in 1832 and 1863) resulted in St. John’s
becoming “No. 497" in 1832 on the Roll of the United Grand Lodge.
The
Lodge took upon itself to maintain some
contact with London as evidenced by a letter
dated December 23, 1844 from the Grand Secretary, R. W. Bro. William White, in
which he acknowledges payment of £2-0-0
“for Register Fees” and records the removal “from Haldimand to the Town of Cobourg”. One other
interesting item in the letter—proving that communication was few and far
between—is contained in the following: “A general alteration of the numbers of
Lodges took place in 1832 by closing up the vacancies occasioned by removing
from the list those Lodges which had become
extinct—by this your Lodge became
No. 497 and you find it so placed on the annual calendar. You had therefore
better mark the number under the present number in the margin of your Warrant
thus 764/497.” It is interesting that this advice came
12 years after the event!
St.
John’s was a founding Lodge of the Provincial Grand
Lodge of Canada West (R. W. Bro. Allan Napier MacNab, PGM) in
1845 and was renumbered as “No. 5" in 1846. The Lodge did not join the new
Grand Lodge of Canada in 1855 and
elected, instead, to become a
founding Lodge in the Ancient Grand Lodge
of Canada in 1857. The strong feelings and differences between the two Grand Lodges surfaced in Cobourg in 1856 in respect
of the laying of the cornerstone of Victoria Hall. The Mayor, D’Arcy E.
Boulton, a member of St. John’s No.
5, erroneously applied to M. W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson, Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of Canada, to lay the
cornerstone. The ceremony was attended with much pomp and circumstance and the
cornerstone was laid by R. W. Bro. Allan Napier MacNab, Provincial Grand Master
of the Provincial Grand Lodge of
Canada West. When these two Grand Lodges
were united in 1858, St. John’s affiliated with
the Grand Lodge of Canada and during
the general renumbering of 1859 it was became
St. John’s Lodge, No. 17 GRC, Coburg.
While
little is written about early social events of the Lodge, by 1848 the
celebration of St. John the Evangelist was held in late December of each year
and included a dinner and ball. St.
John the Baptist’s day was celebrated in late June
with a procession to a local church (usually St. Peter’s until 1926) where a
sermon would be given and after a parade back to the Lodge, would be followed
by a dinner for Lodge members and
visitors. In 1926 the Lodge took to holding the Divine Service in different
churches.
Charity
was an important part of Lodge life, particularly in an age without any social
“safety-net”. And assistance was not just limited to Lodge members and their families. The Lodge History first records support for a
widow and her family, whose husband had been a member
of Goderich Union Lodge, No. 720 EC—and although there were no available funds,
the Lodge collected subscriptions from members.
In 1853 a subscription raised £10.00 for the Masonic Board of Relief in New Orleans.
There
is little mention of difficulties
between members of the Lodge. One
“dispute” occurring in 1853, was reviewed by a Committee which could reach no
conclusion and the Lodge resolved (May 8, 1854) “that until said brethren
themselves arrange their private differences, they shall remain suspended from
the Lodge....” Other noted cases resulted in satisfactory resolution of
differences and the Brethren rejoined the Lodge.
The
oldest surviving amendments to the Lodge By-Laws, dated 1811, note that
the Lodge would meet “at our Lodge
room, in the Township of Haldimand, on the Thursday be the full of the Moon, of
each month, and if the Moon should fall on Thursday, that shall be the Regular
day.”
At this
time the Lodge elected to meet “at the house of John Grover, Inn Keeper,
Haldimand.” Grover’s Inn was located in
Grafton, now the site of the Grafton Village Inn. During the Morgan
“anti-Masonic” craze of the years immediately
following 1826, St. John’s literally went underground and met secretly at various locations including “Widow
Brown’s house” (about two miles east of Grafton), Caleb Mallory’s house in Hamilton
Township (three miles away from Amherst) and in the upper floor of W. Bro. John
Kelly’s house (just east of Mallory’s house). The Lodge did not meet in Grafton until 1844 and then “adjourn(ed) to
Cobourg”. In Cobourg, the Lodge met
in the Globe Hotel from 1845 to at least 1873. In preparation for their 1845
occupancy in Cobourg, the Lodge purchased three sofas “for use of the side
benchers” (which are still in the Lodge and still in use) and the jewels for
Lodge officers. The old original furniture was donated to the newly formed Ontario Lodge, No. 20 PRCW (now No. 26 GRC),
Port Hope. On February 1, 1873, St.
John’s removed to the top floor of the west wing of
Cobourg’s new town hall, Victoria Hall, where it would remain for almost a
century. Interim facilities were found in the Port Hope Masonic Hall from 1971
to 1977 while renovations and upgrading for the town hall were undertaken and
while a new Lodge
Temple building was
acquired and renovated in Cobourg. The new Temple was dedicated on October 3, 1977.
Renovations and a peaked roof were undertaken during 1993.
The
ninth Grand Master of the Grand Lodge
of Canada (1877-1878), M. W. Bro. William Henry Weller, was a member of this Lodge. In addition, many members have served the Grand
Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Canada
and the Grand Lodge A. F. & A.
M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario in various capacities. Seven members have served as DDGM, one as Grand Senior
Warden, one as Grand Junior Warden and
seven as Grand Steward.
The
Lodge celebrated its centennial on October 18, 1901 and Grand
Lodge held its Annual Communication there to help celebrate
the event. The meeting was AN event
in more ways than that, though, as the Grand Master could not be in attendance
and no one had informed the Deputy
Grand Master who could not immediately
be found—but all was put aright and the Communication took place, hearing for
the first time an electronic speech
by the Grand Master. However gold trimming of aprons and gold plating of jewels
was not adopted by the Lodge until 1937 when authority for such was approved
and placed in the Constitution of Grand Lodge.
The bicentennial of the Lodge was celebrated on October 6, 2001 with the Grand
Master, M. W. Bro. Terence Shand, and his wife, in attendance.
The
Lodge is still operating as St. John’s Lodge, No. 17 GRC, Coburg, and meets on the second Tuesday of each month from
September to May inclusive*, at the Masonic Hall, 20 James
Street East, Coburg. (* From 1801 until 1935, St. John’s Lodge met
every month. In 1934 Grand Lodge
approved that each Lodge could decide whether to close during the summer months and the Lodge resolved to do so.)
[Sources: (1) The History of Freemasonry in Canada from its introduction in
1749. Embracing a general History of the Craft and its origin, but more
particularly a History of the Craft in the Province of Upper Canada, now
Ontario, in the Dominion of Canada, by J. Ross Robertson, published by The
Hunter, Rose Co., Limited, Toronto, 1899, in two volumes.
(2) Freemasonry in Old Canada and the
War of 1812-1815, by W. Bro. John E. Taylor, May 13, 1958, C.M.R.A. Paper
44, Volume 2, published 1986 by The
Heritage Lodge, No. 730 GRC. (3) William
Jarvis (1756-1817) First Provincial Grand Master of Upper Canada, by V. W. Bro. J. Lawrence
Runnals, February 17, 1961, C.M.R.A. Paper 57, Volume
3, published 1986 by The Heritage Lodge, No. 730 GRC, 1986. (4) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd
Edition, London,
1896. (5) The History of St. John’s Lodge
#17, A.F. & A.M. G.R.C., Cobourg, Ontario, October 1801 to October 2001,
Compiled by R. W. Bro. Derek J. Ward, printed locally by the Lodge, 2001.]
Serendipity - the Coburg
City Hall
[By:
W. Bro. Michael Jenkyns, FCF, PM Acacia Lodge, No. 561, Ottawa.]
The
following information emerged when the
article on St. John’s Lodge, No. 17 GRC, Coburg, was being
prepared. As it concerns an important Masonic personage about whom little is
known, I thought it would be useful to include it.
The
architect for the new Cobourg town hall (to be called Victoria Hall) was Kivas
Tully (1820-1905).
Kivas
was the son of Captain John B. Tully, RN (stationed for some years at Cork, Co.
Cork, Ireland) and was born in Queen’s County,
Ireland, in
1820. It is not known where he received his schooling or his training as a
civil engineer and architect. In 1843 he was initiated into Ancient Union
Lodge, No. 13 IC, Limerick, Co. Limerick, Ireland (Warrant issued November 22, 1732
and the Lodge was still current in 2002). During that year he worked as
Inspector of Buildings for the Poor Laws Commission in Ireland.
Kivas
Tully came to Toronto, with his wife, Elizabeth Drew, in
1844, and worked in his chosen field. Elizabeth
died in 1846 and Kivas married Maria Strickland and they had two daughters.
In
spite of these personal challenges, Kivas Tully continued his successful
architectural work, which included: the first Customs House in Toronto, the
first Bank of Montreal at Front and Yonge Streets, sections of Osgoode Hall,
the St. Catharines Town Hall and the town hall (Victoria Hall) at Cobourg. At
the laying of the cornerstone in St.
Catharines, he attended as both the architect and as
the Masonic Provincial Grand Superintendent of Works, an office he held from
1846-49.
He was
quite a successful engineer as well an architect and businessman. He carried
out studies on the Toronto Harbour and waterfront and a proposed Toronto-Georgian Bay canal. He became
Harbour Master for Toronto.
He also studied the Toronto
sewage system.
In 1852
he became a Councillor of St. Andrews Ward and Alderman of the same Ward in 1859.
He was
also active in social and recreational activities in the city, particularly
cricket, and was President of the Toronto Cricket Club in 1855. He was also one
of the founders of The Canadian Institute.
He
affiliated with St. Andrew’s No. 16 PRCW (No. 754/487 EC), now No. 16 GRC, on
December 10, 1844, and Ionic Lodge, No. 18 PRCW (No. 798 EC), now No. 25 GRC,
both in Toronto.
He became WM of Ionic on December
27, 1848. He later withdrew from both St. Andrew’s and Ionic because of his
strong belief in an independent Grand Lodge
and the strong feelings of loyalty to England by those two Lodges. He
affiliated with King Solomons No. 222 IC (now No. 22 GRC) on May 29, 1850. He
was elected WM on June 13, 1850. His signature as WM appears on a letter to Dublin dated October 18,
1850, bringing to the notice of that Grand Lodge
the failure of the Grand Secretary to communicate with the Lodge. He was named Grand Senior Warden of the Provincial Grand Lodge on November 14, 1850. He signed as PM of
King Solomon’s No. 222 IC when recommending
issue of a Warrant for Vaughan Lodge (No. 236 IC and now No. 54 GRC) on a
Petition dated March 22, 1854.
He
worked hard and supported the efforts which resulted in the formation of the Grand Lodge of Canada on October 10, 1855, in Hamilton. He was a
founder member of Wilson Lodge, No.
48 GRC (now closed) and was installed as the first WM on December 28, 1857. In
1857 he was elected as DDGM of Toronto District.
As a
result of his efforts for Freemasonry in Ontario,
he was made an Honorary Past Grand Master of the Grand
Lodge of Canada and an Honorary Past Grand First Principal of
the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Canada (1891).
[Sources: (1) The History of St. John’s Lodge #17,
A.F. & A.M. G.R.C., Cobourg, Ontario,
October 1801 to October 2001, Compiled by R. W. Bro. Derek J. Ward, printed
locally by the Lodge, 2001. (2) Whence Come
We? Freemasonry in Ontario 1764-1980, Edited by The Special Committee on the
History, Wallace McLeod, Chairman, published by the Grand
Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario.]
The Pioneers of Masonry in Ontario
(prior to the first Provincial Grand Lodge of 1791)
[By: W. Bro. David Cook,
Ashlar Lodge, No. 701 GRC, Tillsonburg Lodge.]
Masonry originally came
to this jurisdiction, in the late 1700’s. This was over two hundred years ago,
long before electricity and the incandescent light, before automobiles and
trains and before Canada
was a Dominion. But, did you ever wonder how difficult it must have been to for
our ancestors to establish a lodge in those early days? Let us, for a moment, allow our minds to drift backward into time.
“When
the colony of New France became
British, by the Treaty of Paris on Feb. 10, 1763, Ontario was very sparsely populated. There
were a few French traders, three more or less ruined forts at the sites of Kingston, Toronto, and one
on the American side of the Niagara
River, and a small settlement along
the Detroit River. Otherwise the whole vast region
was trackless forest and wilderness, tenanted only by Indians.” (Whence Come
We.)
As an
example of how sparsely populated we were, it wasn’t until 1805 that a Mr. John
Stlts was recorded as the first white settler in Brantsford (later known as Brantford). In 1818 the European
population of Brantford
was 12 people and by 1823 there were nearly 100 people. This is hard for us
imagine given as Brantford
is now a city with a population of over 86,000. Or, look at Ancaster: first
settled in 1791 and it was fifteen years before the town had a grist mill (the mainstay of a pioneer settlement), a sawmill, an Inn and a blacksmith shop,
but even at that point there were still only a handful of settlers.
John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant-Governor
of Upper Canada, desirous of building a nation from a wilderness frontier began
to offer land grants to lure immigrants from the U.S. in the 1790’s.
The USA, as you are aware, was settled long
before our nation: however there was much political unrest in America, whose settlers were still recovering from
the American Revolutionary War
(1775-1781). Many of these families from south of the border were quite large
and only one child could inherit the home-place.
The rest were forced to move to developing cities or set out to a new frontier.
The free land of Upper Canada offered to them in the north came at a perfect time
and many of them were elated to have an opportunity to clear a piece of land
and build their own homestead. Many
traveled light and moved to the new frontier with only an axe and musket. Some came
more prepared and brought seed corn and orchard shoots, cattle, hogs, and
poultry.
Many of those immigrants felt compelled to
leave America because they still
remained loyal to the King of England, who at that time
was King George III (1738-1820?). King
George was not a Mason, but six of his
sons were very dedicated Masons. When George III became
mentally incapable of ruling as
king, his first son, the Prince of Wales, was crowned Prince Regent in 1811 and
several years later became King
George IV. He was the first English
Sovereign who was a Freemason and he was the Grand Master of the “Moderns” from
1790 until 1813. He was also Grand Master Mason of Scotland from 1805 to 1820).
What was it like for those early pioneers,
to pack up and move to this vast wilderness? “The forest was the settler’s
enemy and had to be destroyed to create his fields. At the same time,
it was his friend and gave him logs for his cabin, fuel for his fires, rails
for his fences, wheels for his wagon, and a frame
for his plow.” (New Book of Knowledge)
Meals were cooked in a large pot hanging
over a fireplace. There were no iceboxes or refrigerators; therefore to prevent
leftovers and supplies from going bad, a pot of stew was often left hanging in
the fireplace, often for up to a month. Water was added from time to time,
as well as new meat and vegetables when available, to freshen it up. Logs
smoldered in the fireplace day and night, because it was the only source of
heat and often the only light in the old log house.
Game provided food and leather for clothing. Almost
all the clothes and blankets were made out of wool, which had to be sheared
from the sheep, washed, drawn and hand spun on a spinning wheel, rolled into a
ball of yarn and finally knitted into a garment.
Winter was an extremely
hard season on the frontier and snow could often be seen blowing in through the
cracks in the chinking between the logs. In bitter weather the entire family,
would often be forced to huddle around the fire. When there was a shortage of
leather some of them had to go
barefoot and suffered frostbite. When her fire went out, a woman took the trail
to the nearest cabin (often a mile or
two) to borrow a pan of glowing coals
(of course there were no matches in those days).
For months they had no fresh vegetables or
fruit and when spring broke the women
looked forward to finding wild mustard, dandelion plants, and fiddleheads,
which could be boiled into a dish of greens. They also longed for wild
strawberries, wild grapes, crab apples and rhubarb, which came to life in the early spring.
Only a
few people brought bees with them and therefore had fresh honey as well as
candles made from the bees wax. Others who didn’t have bees made candles out of
tallow (animal fat melted
down for the making candles and soap). Only rich city folk had lanterns,
which in the late 1700’s would have burned whale oil. It wasn’t until 1859,
that scientists learned that kerosene could be separated from petroleum, which
gave rise to the popularity of the kerosene lantern.
The
first window coverings were made of a heavy paper greased with tallow, which
turned away the wind and water and at the same
time admitted a dim light.
All
births were done at home. Ladies
often only washed their hair once/week and most likely used egg whites as a
shampoo.
The
main social event of the week was to travel an hour, often on the hard wooden
seats of an ox cart or wagon, to sit on a hard wooden bench, in a poorly
heated, dimly lit, church and listen to the circuit preacher’s sermon (Minister’s often looked after several
churches and made a scheduled circuit).
These were extremely
difficult times where hunger,
disease and early death were commonplace. The life expectancy of a man in
Canada in the year 2000 was 72.7 years, however back in 1900, a man was only
expected to live to the age of 48.7 years, and you can only imagine how much
lower it was over 100 years prior to that.
Some
of those early settlers were Masons prior to immigrating, and after a few years
of hard work getting their family set up on the Homestead,
they were desirous to establish a lodge in their settlement.
“The story of our pioneer lodges is hard to
trace, because the records are fragmentary,
and seldom have the actual minute books survived ” (Whence Come We).
“The first Masonic lodge west of the Ottawa
River was located in Detroit, Canada. Now, of course, this is a city is in the
United States, but it remained British long after the American
Revolution and didn’t join America
until 1796.” There were a total of three lodges established in Detroit at that
time and of these three, only one
still exists today, which is Zion Lodge No. 10, warranted in 1764.
In 1791 the Constitutional Act of the
British Parliament was passed to
divide the colony of Quebec, into two provinces - Upper and Lower Canada. Prior
to 1791 a total of six non-military lodges had applied to work in what became Upper Canada but by 1791 only four were active:
two at Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake), one at Elizabethtown (now Brockville)
and one at Cornwall.
Only one of these lodges is still operating
today. Originally known as St. John’s Lodge of Friendship, No. 2, when it was
established in 1782, it is now the senior lodge on the roll of our Grand Lodge and is known as Niagara Lodge #2. These
Masons constructed the first Masonic Temple in Ontario at Niagara-on-the-Lake
which was completed by the end of 1792. The Lieutenant-Governor, Lt.-Col. John
Graves Simcoe (who was also a Freemason) established the provincial capital at
Newark. After visiting the new Masonic Temple he decided to hold the first
legislature meetings there. The
building was burnt down during the War in 1812 but was rebuilt 4 years later.
It is estimated that in 1791, even counting
unaffiliated Masons, there were no more than 300 members
of the Craft, probably fewer, living in what is now Ontario.
At this time,
too (1791) no Grand Lodge had sole
jurisdiction in this region: of three lodges in Detroit, two received their
warrants from the Provincial Grand Lodge
of New York (Moderns) and one from the Provincial Grand
Lodge of Quebec (Moderns). Of the six pioneer lodges
established in our present jurisdiction one held a warrant directly from the Grand Lodge of England (Moderns), three with the
Provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec
(Moderns), and one or possibly two from the Provincial Grand
Lodge of New York (Ancients). With all these lodges
originating from different Grand Lodges,
they probably didn’t feel very connected to one another, and perhaps most of
them didn’t even realize the others existed. When we factor in the great
distance between these lodges, it is quite unlikely they did much visitation,
which certainly would have helped them to learn better ways to keep their lodge
alive.
Membership and attendance was a major hurdle
in keeping a lodge alive, in those early years. It was not at all unusual for a
lodge to open with six members and
make the number perfect by initiating a candidate. It was often necessary to
force attendance in some of the
smaller lodges, so many passed a by-law “If any member
be absent one hour after appointed time
of meeting, he shall be fined
sixpence, if absent the whole night, or time
of business, he shall be fined one shilling and sixpence, except such absentee
be sick, lame in confinement, or upwards of three miles from the meeting place” (Whence
Come We).
As we have discovered, it was not a simple task to establish a lodge in
that type of environment, and to
make it worse the rural roads were muddy, bumpy wagon trails with few bridges
over streams and rivers. A letter sent to England asking for dispensation to
establish a new lodge could take six months to get there and a year or more to
get a reply back − assuming that it wasn’t destroyed in clashes between
Loyalists and Patriots, or between British and Americans
and Indians, or lost at sea. It was not until 1800 that a mail route was
established between Montreal (Lower Canada) and Detroit (which was then a part
of Upper Canada). Soon after this another mail route branched off going from
Ancaster to Queenston and by 1810 this became
a fortnightly service. However rural communities still had to find a way to get
their mail to one of the main centres. It would have taken about a month for a
letter to get from a rural settlement
to a main center such as New York or Montreal, and at least another month or
two waiting for correspondence back.
In conclusion, let us reflect upon the fact
that the majority of those early lodges were forced to fold during those extremely difficult years. If it wasn’t for the ongoing
dedication and commitment to the
Craft contributed by a small group of very hard working individual Brethren, I
doubt that Masonry would have survived all the hardships and obstacles they
were confronted with. We owe a great debt of gratitude to those pioneers of
Masonry, for they kept Masonry growing and alive in Ontario, during very rough
times.
Hopefully this paper has, “taken us back to a period in the nation’s
history when the greater part of the country was wilderness, when settlements were few and far between; when people were
occupied either in conquering their enemies or in struggling to clear their
land and build their homes. The American colonies and states had gone through the same stages of existence fifty to a hundred years
before and were settled down to peaceful pursuits when Masonry was introduced
about 1730.” However in Ontario the taming of the land and the establishment of Masonry happened in parallel, and to say the
least, this must have been an almost insurmountable task. “That the Craft in
Canada, in the face of such difficulties, ever survived and succeeded in
establishing itself, and developing into the well organized Grand Lodge of today, is most remarkable and
significant. The Craft in Canada may well feel proud of the splendid traditions
of the past two hundred years” (Freemasonry
in Canada)
A Visit to Portugal – would
you meet the criteria to become a Mason in Portugal?
[By:
R. W. Bro. Norman Ryder, PDDGM Wilson South District (2000-01) and PM of St.
John’s Lodge, No. 104 GRC, Norwich.]
Last
year I had an opportunity to attend a Portuguese lodge while on vacation at
Albufara in the Algarve. As with any Ontario Mason visiting a foreign
jurisdiction I had made contact here at home
to determine whether there were any special considerations about visiting and
to contact other brethren who had visited Portugal. There were none and I
planned on attending Lodge.
I was
struck by similarities to my part of Ontario: Albufara is a fishing village
much like Port Dover and with my interest in fishing it was natural that I meet local fishermen.
I asked my tour guide about the location of any Masonic lodge. She gave me
general directions and said that it was not marked in any fashion except that
it was located on a certain corner and had a row of mailboxes on it. I looked
but couldn’t find it. Even at a nearby bar (whose owner was an English
Freemason) no one knew where the lodge was. Later on when I was taken to the
Lodge I found that I had been in the correct area and driven by it several times, but the
lodge had no sign or marking of any kind on the outside. Members do not
wear any Masonic symbols, nor do they publicize the fact that they are Masons,
as it has been illegal to attend lodge since 1996. I was told that if an
employer found out an employee was a Mason he would never be promoted.
On the
beach I soon met Jose, a marlin
fisherman who represented Portugal in the world’s marlin fishing competition.
He is a quiet and unpretentious Freemason
but when he finds out you are a member
of the Craft he quickly provides his cell phone number and asks to be called,
day or night, if his visiting Brother has any problems. Jose agreed to take me to the local lodge.
On our
arrival we entered the building, went down several flights of stairs to an
anteroom of white stucco walls and white tiled floors. This area also serves as
a dining room. Artwork on the white walls were all original oils signed by the
artists. They all had Masonic themes.
We were
met by several Portuguese Masons and
I was invited to share some wine
until the rest of the brethren arrived. During this interval they began to talk
to me. They did not want to see my
dues card nor did they want anyone to vouch for me.
They wanted to talk to me and decide
from our conversation whether they would let me
be invited into the lodge or not. Apparently they were pleased as they offered me an apron to wear.
The
Lodge I attended was “No. 24” and its daughter-Lodge is “No.72”, indicating at
least 72 lodges in Portugal. There are also several Lodges holding their
authority from the United Grand Lodge
of England and administered by the District Grand Lodge
of Gibraltar. The Grand Lodge of
Portugal will not allow any new English lodges to be formed
but it permits existing ones to function. When the Portuguese government banned Freemasonry most lodges disbanded. A few
continued to meet secretly and to
maintain the ritual and the number has slowly increased. The Grand Lodge of Portugal has an accommodation with
“regular” French Masons (recalling that, even today, there are “regular” and
“irregular” Grand Lodges there) and
also feels close ties with England going back to 1773.
Even in
the twenty-first century there are challenges facing Freemasonry in Portugal.
The Lodge I attended had divided over the question of ritual − whether
they would remain a three-degree lodge or change to a 32-degree Scottish-rite
system. They stayed with three degrees.
When I
entered the Lodge room I noticed that it was laid out differently to ours. In
the centre was the altar with three candles and with three pictures in frames on the floor with the various degrees on each
one. They turned up the appropriate picture for the degree they were in. A
large rope (about 5/8 inch) was on the wall around the lodge with knots in it
every so far. They also wear ties with a rope and knot configuration but I do
not know the story behind the knots other than the significance of the cable
tow in the first degree. The Wardens and the Master have candles instead of
columns. There are two large pillars as you enter the lodge room by the
Wardens. The Secretary sat at a desk on the north side of the lodge room.
Officers
read the ritual in their jurisdiction to maintain the pace and flow of the meeting. I was told that they prefer to do this and
avoid halting lectures and mispronounced words, such as they have witnessed
“abroad.” The Master usually holds the office for 6 or 7 years for
continuity and to provide proper leadership for the lodge.
The
Lodge meets twice, every month, on
the second Wednesday and the fourth Saturday.
Entered
Apprentices wear white aprons with the point facing up. Everyone wears a light
black cloth robe over their casual street clothes with collar medallions and white gloves. They call the roll for
all members at each meeting. EA’s cannot speak at any meeting unless a senior officer addresses them, and
they sit in the back row.
Candidates must present a “Manifesto” style speech expressing their
feelings on what the degree meant to
them to prove they understood the information provided to them in each degree. This is done after each
degree. A member gave his Manifesto
the evening of our visit.
The room. During the evening I was asked if I wanted to see “the room.” I agreed
and was taken to a very small locked room (about 6 x 8 feet). It was located
away from the other rooms in the lodge. This room has a special significance for
the new candidate.
First,
a Lodge member must propose the
candidate. Then he must pass two votes in the Lodge. They must also answer
three verbal questions: (1) does he believe in God; (2) does his wife support
his lodge aspirations and (3) can he financially afford to be a member. (The fee to join is 340 Euros (C$550) and
this includes a black robe, medallion
and apron. Dues are about $60 per month. We paid almost C$25.00 for our meal after the meeting).
Candidate’s test. After the candidate has been voted on in open lodge (the
first of two votes), he meets his
sponsor at a hotel on the night of the meeting
and is taken to the lodge. There, the candidate is led to “the room” lit only
with a flickering candle in a stand on the table. A large mirror is placed on a
table angled so that he can see himself every time
he looks up. On the table are located several labeled items. A large human
skull is on the left side. Three saltshaker sized glass containers containing:
salt, mercury and silver are arranged
around the candidate’s paper on the table. The Portuguese symbol − a
coloured rooster − is also on the table. A paper and pen was directly in
front of the mirror. The candidate must write down the answer to three
questions: (1) why does he want to be a member
(2) what does he have to offer to the lodge and (3) how can he live a better
life. He is left alone for about 1½ hours to consider these questions and write
out his answers. The members,
meanwhile, open the Lodge and do
their standard business. A hooded member
later enters the room (and the candidate has no idea who he is) and takes his
paper, leaving him alone in his candle lit room. The questions are read and the
answers are discussed by the Lodge. At this point a second vote takes place.
Voting is done in the same manner as
we do with the black and white ballots. One black ballot is discounted. Two means a re-ballot and three means
the candidate is rejected. If he is accepted the first degree is started – the
candidate wearing the cable tow and hoodwink which we use. The Lodge makes a
big deal out of leading the candidate around the outside rooms before they
enter the lodge. If the candidate has been rejected he is returned to the hotel
by his sponsor and the process stops. Thus means
a rejected applicant goes home and
has no idea of any other members’
identity other than the member who
proposed him.
Banquet
room. Members and visitors are told where to sit. The Entered
Apprentice sits to the right of the Master and the Master of Ceremonies sits on
his right. We had to place a napkin over our left shoulder if we were Past
Masters while the EA had to place his napkin over his arm (waiter style). The
MC leads the prearranged toasts − these are written on a sheet that is
passed to the next person who will give the next toast and so on. They have at
least eight toasts and all end with the equivalent of “prosit” but in
Portuguese. The last toast is a one-two-three movement
of the glass accompanied by a rapid flow of words, ending with a salute,
drinking as quickly as possible and slamming the glass on the table. Most members changed from wine to liqueur for this toast.
Wine was on the tables, with one bottle to two members
but others were opened when any empties appeared. They always wanted you to
have some wine in your glass in
preparation for the next toast. The toast to visitors is always made and the
one visitor proposes a toast to the hosts.
In a
general discussion after the banquet I was advised that many members felt that after the degrees there should be
more time spent on the philosophy of
the degree, rather than doting on the formality of ritual per se. They
also felt that it was very important to change expectations towards members. The desire for young members
who work and also support young families means
a reasonable balancing act with regard to onerous memory
work. For this reason candidates can
read certain things and move on. I suggested that the Lodge consider
having a mentor for each candidate
to continue positive Professional Development
as well as assisting new members
because the sponsors may have insufficient background knowledge to nurture the
EA through his Masonic career.
I will
never forget the hospitality I was granted and I challenge readers to visit
other countries “with an open mind and an open heart.” It is heartwarming to
experience the brotherhood even in a language one cannot understand. The ritual
is understood even when the language acts as a temporary barrier.
Come Alive! Revitalize!
[By:
W. Bro. Frank Dennis, PM, St. Andrew’s Lodge, No. 16 GRC, Toronto.]
“Whence Go We” by R.W. Bro. R. R. Beckett in
the March 2002 issue of The Newsletter should have struck a chord with all
Masons. It addresses the problems that Masonry faces in coming to grips with
today’s world. “Three Joined Into One” by W. Bro. G. Holmes
was more to the point, it showed that Ontario Masonry needs to adapt to the
changes in our societies.
Our classic, basic Masonic ideas balance
outward looking views with inward looking views. They also balance
forward-looking views with backward looking views. Classic Masonry appeals to
nearly all religions and classes and it suits today’s plural societies very
nicely. Hence, our basic Masonic ideas don’t need changing. Our lodges should
be packed to the doors.
Today’s problems, if any, relate merely to changing the present local styles so that
they fit our basic ideas and our present social standards. Change does not come easy and often it causes conflicts between the
old and the new. The history of Masonry gives plenty of examples of these kinds
of struggles and battles. Our imposing, and specious, Grand
Lodge title resulted partly from another Canadian dispute.
The “net” reveals some of the
current spats and tiffs in the USA. It seems that Masonry changes and grows
only in bumpy fits and starts. Maybe now is the time
for a fit, or a start. Some good
signs, such as the Revitalising campaign, say that it may not have to be too
bumpy.
When we tackle change, factual data helps to
guide us. Without the numbers we just grope in the dark. This is a big topic,
but some data exist and we can
collect them fairly readily. Not all of us will agree on what the data mean, but at least we can agree on whether they are
true. Possible topics include forward and outward looking views, religious
diversity, presentations, communications, activities and modern skills. We can
add more as needed.
“Forward looking” and “outward looking” data
come from analysing Masonic
Summons’s, magazines and newsletters. How many of the items deal with the
future? How many deal with the past? Do we look mainly forwards or mainly
backwards? How well do we balance the two views? How many items deal with the
outside world? How many relate strictly to Masonry? Do we look inward or outward?
How well do we balance the two views? Do we have the classic Masonic balances?
The tone of our Services and Memorials gives
data about “Religious Diversity.” Do we favour a single faith? Do we have our
classic religious diversity?
Turning to “presentations” and
“communications”, TV and computers set our social standards for writing,
presentations, meetings, viewing and
listening. The standards are fairly clear.
Writing standards have changed radically in
the last few years, partly due to computers. These days, word processors check
grammar and calculate Readability. What are the reading levels of our
communications, magazines etc? How well do we write? People who know little
about Readability or who don’t use computer word processors rate as dinosaurs.
Do we have dinosaurs among us?
Modern presentations use audio-visuals, PA
systems and handouts. They have a fast pace. Three minutes is a long time for a thoughtful speech that sticks to the point
and doesn’t wander. How many Masonic presentations meet
modern standards?
Today’s meetings
feature fast pace, high interest and participation. Working committee members do their homework
so that committees get through their pre-set agenda fairly quickly. How up to
date are the meeting styles of Masonic
Lodges, Committees, Districts and Grand Lodge?
Activity can be measured
by the number and type of meetings,
both strictly Masonic meetings and
varied social events. Do Masons stay active if their wives and families are
kept out? How active are our districts and lodges and in which ways? How well
do we plan, design and put on meetings
and events? Do we publish good plans and budgets?
Graphic styles on the Net, TV and videos are
well known to everyone. Talking heads are out. How do our Web Pages and Videos
rate?
Listening is the crux of good communications. In Masonry, who
listens to whom? How? When? How well do we listen to our members?
What do they say? Do they listen to us? What do they hear?
“Improving the skills of Masons” is a tricky
topic. It is also very vague. What skills do we teach, to whom, and how do we
teach them? Do we have any data that support our claims? What skills do we need
to tackle our problems? Are these skills displayed clearly by Masters, DDGMs
and Grand Lodge Officers? Do our
high-ranking Masons make good models?
If a lodge wanted to tackle these topics,
how would they do it, you ask? Well, Mythical Lodge #2002 had a fine time going through the process.
The lodge had few immediate
problems. Finances were sound. Enough candidates joined to keep degree teams
working, although most work was done by Past Masters and Officers. Ladies’
Night was still being held albeit with reduced numbers.
The future didn’t look so good. Membership
was dropping because old Masons died and some
new ones took demits. Attendance was low and getting lower. Most Members were
old and getting older. It was getting harder to fill the chairs.
The inner circle of the lodge decided to
join the Revitalising program before they had real problems. They went through
the list of criteria given above and rated themselves. As Old R.W. Charlie put
it, “Stagnant. The lodge of the living dead.”
Having faced reality, it was easy to plan
changes. In this case, they started with Communications. They talked to all members about revitalising the lodge and asked for
ideas and help. To their surprise, they got many ideas and offers of help.
Members included computer geeks, managers, planners, marketers, and other
professionals; all of them ready to help. They talked to other lodges, who
offered even more help.
In short, the lodge had a wealth of skills
available. All that they had to do was use them. So they did.
Mythical Lodge is now doing very nicely.
They rate high on all criteria. Masons with demits are coming back, attendance
is up and there is plenty of snap in meetings.
Degrees go quickly and smoothly with plenty of new helpers. The social side is
blooming as new friendship circles are created. The inner circle has become a large, loose, outer circle.
Charlie
summed it up, “We’ve come alive! And all that we had to do was ask for
help.”
Third Degree Tracing Board
[By: R. W. Bro. Doug Franklin, PDDGM, Ottawa
District 1 (2002-03) and PM of St. Andrew’s Lodge, No. 560 GRC, Ottawa.]
After I
was raised to the Third Degree, I asked several Brethren why there was no
lecture on the tracing board in that degree. No one seemed
to be able to give a clear answer. Over the years, as I visited numerous lodges in other jurisdictions, I witnessed
and heard a lecture on the Third Degree, both with and without a tracing board.
Those who have seen the degree using Ancient Work will know what I mean. Finally, I obtained a copy of the Manual for Masonic Instructors and Students
published by our own Grand Lodge in
1948, and reprinted in 1955. In it, there is a splendid chapter entitled “The
Chart” by M.W. Bro. N.C. Hart, P.G.M., adapted from earlier writers. What
follows is an edited version of this chapter, with minor revisions. Brethren should also study the excellent
“Master Mason Degree” chapter in Beyond
the Pillars.
The
Master Mason’s Chart or tracing board used in our lodges is one of a series
designed for the three degrees by Bro. John Harris and adopted by the United Grand Lodge of England, and later by the Grand Lodge of Canada. There is no lecture on the
tracing board in the Third Degree, and the reason usually given is that the
traditional history explains the symbolism of the degree. Still, there are
interesting aspects of this tracing board not elaborated upon in the degree.
The
overall form of the T.B. is an oblong surrounded by a black border. The letters
W, N, E and S represent the four cardinal directions and therefore the correct
orientation of the board and its dominant central symbol. This stark depiction
of our final repository reminds us both of the uncertainty of life, but also
that the end of life is itself a transition. The massive walls of the palace of
a ruler and the modest cottage of a pauper are equally pregnable by death. The
white background expresses purity and innocence, recalling the colour of the
lambskin, that found most pleasing by the Deity.
From time immemorial
it has been customary among certain peoples to decorate the graves of loved
ones with some sacred tree or flower
that would bloom perennially over them. Thus, the acacia has several meanings. The thorny tamarisk grows in the driest of
climates and was said to be the famous “crown of thorns” in the New Testament. Noted for its tenacity, the wood of this
plant, when made into doorposts, has been known to take root again. Hence, the
acacia marks the actual spot of the first interment
of the G.M., as well as being a symbol of the conquest of death.
The
emblems of mortality are plain and also symbolic of this transitory life. They
specifically symbolize the untimely
death of our G.M. The word “AB” signifies father or master. The P.R., L., and
H.S.M. are, of course the tools described in the degree. They represent the
evil manifestation of human nature; tools used not for building, but for
destructive purposes.
The
figures 5.5.5 allude to the fifteen conspirators who determined to obtain the
Master’s word. These numbers symbolize those who strive to obtain by unjust means those benefits which result only from faithful
service and attention to duties. But the numbers also refer to the fifteen FC
who formed themselves into three
Lodges to search for the G.M. and the conspirators.
The
three steps are emblematic of Youth, Manhood and Old Age. In youth as an EA, we
occupy our minds in the attainment
of knowledge of moral truth and virtue; in Manhood as a FC we should apply our
knowledge to the discharge of our respective duties to God, our neighbour and
ourselves, so that in Old Age as a MM we may enjoy the happy reflections of a
life well spent, and die in the assurance of a spirit that lives on.
The
entrance to the porch is surmounted by an arch, and beyond the veil is the S.S.
of the Temple where the Ark of the Covenant resides. The Hebrew characters on
the arch are “Kadosh L’Adonai” or “Holiness to the Lord.” King Solomon placed
the Ark beneath the blazing star in the S.S. at a special ceremony. The Ark is
an emblem of the alliance the Most High made with His people, and the circle
which encloses the triangle in the star is an emblem of the alliance or bond
among Brother Masons.
The
pavement is for the H.P. to walk on.
His duties included burning incense in the Temple to the honour and glory of
the Most High, and to pray fervently for the continuation of peace and
prosperity throughout the year. When H.AB. offered his own prayers at high
twelve the S.S. was not completed, nor the Temple dedicated.
The
position of the S. and Cs., with both points exposed, remind us that we are at
liberty to work with them to render the circle of our Masonic duties complete.
The Cs. symbolize the beginning of life and the circle we run until the moment we arrive at the end—our eternal
destination—thus indicating the completion of our earthly pilgrimage and
suggesting the continuity of existence.
A MM’s
[ ] is said to be opened on the C., because the Brethren present, being all
MMs, are equally near and equally distant from that imaginary central point
that among MMs constitutes Perfection. Neither of the preliminary degrees can
assert the same conditions, because
a [ ] of EAs or FCs may contain Brethren of the three degrees, so not all of
them share the same knowledge and
teachings.
So the T.B. of the M.M. points to a life
beyond this one and the reward of honour that accompanies dedicated service and
fidelity. Its silent symbols remind us to pass faithfully through this life,
and diligently to perform our allotted tasks while it is yet day.
Improper Solicitation
[By: R. W. Bro. James
Kirk-White, D.D.G.M. of Muskoka-Parry Sound District. Presented on his Official
Visit to Algonquin Lodge No. 434, Parts of a paper printed in The Tracing
Board, GRS, 1969, were adapted in his message.
The entire speech can be seen here: http://kirk-white.com/m-p-masons/DDGMJan04.htm,
provided by R. W. Bro. Alain St. Jacques, DDGM Wilson South District.]
Improper Solicitation is a Masonic subject with much diversity from
Lodge to Lodge, District to District, and Jurisdiction to Jurisdiction. There
is no Grand Lodge written policy on
the subject—only tradition—and we all know how varied tradition can be in
Masonry. The Custodian of the Works, M. W. Bro. C. Edwin Drew notes in part “In
response to your question, I must first commend
your initiative in tackling this misunderstood subject. I see no problem with
your approach. Just in case you are not aware, Grand
Lodge has addressed this subject many times, and one result was the pamphlet, published in
1988: ‘The Question of Solicitation’....”
The
decision to join Masonry must come
from the candidate himself and it should be based on a favourable opinion
preconceived of the institution, a general desire for knowledge, and a sincere
wish to render himself more extensively serviceable to his fellow creatures.
Without
any information on what Masonry really is, the candidate who answers these
questions in the affirmative when they are put to him, is simply agreeing with
the principle of the questions, rather than seriously declaring upon his honour
that his motives are preconceived based on the knowledge of facts.
It is
possible, of course, to have a favourable opinion of Masonry before joining,
but not much more than that. A candidate cannot know much more unless the
information is supplied to him prior to his initiation ceremony.
Brethren have been heard to say, “No one is ever asked to join the
Masons.” As much as it may shock some
of you, this statement simply is not
true. Many of us were asked if we would like to join; the brethren who asked us
to join were also asked to join; and we have heard from many others who have
been approached to join the order.
Our Grand Lodge publicly states . . . "To be one,
ask one." This statement is
prominently displayed on the opening page of the Internet website for the whole
world to see. But, can this statement
be considered a slogan to solicit membership?
Just like ‘We try harder’ (Avis), ‘Good to the last drop’ (Maxwell House),
‘Breakfast of Champions’ (Wheaties) and ‘To be one, ask one’ (Freemasonry).
Similarly, instigating a conversation with a friend or family member, who is not a Mason, by stating, "By the
way Joe, if you are ever curious about Masonry, just ask. It’s very interesting
and it sure provides me with a lot
of pleasure,”—would that too be considered soliciting?
I think
we all can agree that slogans and similar conversations with friends are
definitely forms of solicitation. But what kind of solicitation is it, and is
it really permissible? And if it is permissible—then by whom? By our Grand Lodge of course and they lead by setting an
obvious example. Especially obvious to those of us who visit their website
which has been responsible for many new members.
So—wherein lies the confusion?
“Masonry, being free, requires a perfect freedom of inclination on the
part of every candidate for its mysteries.” Thus the candidate agrees that he
is joining the order, unbiased by the improper solicitation of friends, and
uninfluenced by mercenary or other
unworthy motives. The word "improper" is used advisedly and
deliberately. It is referring to the “kind” of solicitation. It may be
argued that its use implies that any kind of solicitation is improper, but if
that is the case, how much stronger the sentence would be if the word
“improper” was left out altogether, and read “unbiased by the solicitation of
friends.”
Thus it
is valid judgment that there is
indeed a proper solicitation and an improper solicitation.
The
dictionary states: Solicitation: -to
ask; -importune; -invite; -beg; -implore; -crave; and oddly enough, in that
precise order. The definition of the word itself is quite varied in its
expressiveness. And don't neglect the word “unbiased” which is referring to the
candidate’s own behavior towards an improper solicitation. For without that
behavioral concept, a candidate, receiving an improper solicitation by an
over-enthusiastic Mason, would be automatically disqualified by actions other
then his own. But with its inclusion, it is the candidate who will determine
the factors which effected his decision to join the order.
Improper solicitation may include such things as: offering special
inducements to join; the offer of
speedy advancement in office; the
suggestion of material gain; not ensuring that the man is honourable; that
there is no effort expected from the candidate; that maintaining his job
depends on joining; that his wife cannot join Eastern Star unless he joins; and
so on.
If you
have a friend or family member and
you believe he is “good material” for Masonry, and you think he would enjoy
being a member, why not tell him some of the things that may properly be told about
Masonry. In fact, the truth is, Masonry is too good to keep to your self, it
should be shared with someone you
love and respect. Many of the greatest things about Freemasonry, and of being a
Mason, are not Masonic secrets and should be shared, and without the necessity
of waiting to be asked first.
Our
Grand Master has said many times,
“Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works.” Taking that one step further your pride in
being a Mason should also shine and with every opportunity.
There are some
things that should definitively be shared with all prospective members: a belief in a Supreme
Being who has revealed His divine will and rewards virtue and punishes vice is
necessary; we are founded on the purest principles of piety and virtue; possess
great and invaluable privileges for worthy men;
that it is philosophy of life, which if practiced by men
the world over, would bring about peace and happiness; a beautiful system of
moral instruction; and a friendly atmosphere in which all men may find brotherly love. You would be surprised
how attractive that information sounds when you express those sentiments, using your own words and experiences, to a
friend or family member.
And tell your friend that memory work will be expected of him and why. Memory
work is a valuable tool used in our rituals to constantly improve the intellect
of all our members, and a
scientifically proven aid in the preservation of our mental
faculties as we age. It is a tool which, once accepted for what it can and will
do, will be embraced by him and very much appreciated by others. Thus making a
good man better.
Suggest to him that he might find real
pleasure in being a member of our
Order. But then leave it to him, “of his own free will and accord,” to come to a decision.
Remember
that many men are quick studies and
an application form should always be handy. In fact, a carefully prepared
information letter, covering some of
the topics above and attached to the application form is a good idea.
How much better it is, when an applicant for
Masonry knows definitely what kind of institution he is joining, rather than
joining in ignorance, paying his fee, and finding after taking his first
degree, that he did not get what he expected, so we see him no more.
In conclusion, let us discuss the reward
that is waiting for you because you shared Freemasonry. You will
receive profound pleasure when you sponsor, and mentor,
a candidate. It takes place as you observe this man over the years, as he, and
his family, mature and develop within his Masonic journey. The reward is the
feeling of pride in knowing that you were an important component in making his
journey of a lifetime possible. I
realize it sounds selfish when one seeks rewards within Masonry, but in this
singular case, I believe -selfish is good.
The Well Dressed Mason
[By: R. W. Bro. Raymond Daniels, FCF, Chairman
of the Committee on Masonic Education, PGJW (2000-01) and PM of New Hope (now
Mystic Tie) Lodge, No. 279 GRC, Orillia.]
The
Final Charge delivered to the Fellow Craft makes it clear: “The internal and
not external qualification of a man are what Masonry regards.” In other
words, clothes do not make the man. Yet, the Lodge is one of the last bastions
where formal dress is the normal standard. Where did this dress code originate,
and what is the rationale for maintaining it?
Historians of costume agree
that George Bryan (Beau) Brummell,
1778-1840, set the standard convention for men’s
clothing fashion which, with minor modifications and simplifications, still
pertains to this day–long trousers and tailed coat, replacing knee breeches and
hose, dark colours for coat and vest. The well-known paintings of Masonic meetings depict the members
in the formal dress of the day. (The painting by an anonymous artist of a
Viennese Lodge depicting the composer Mozart, and the work by Stewart Watson ‘The
Inauguration of Robert Burns as Poet Laureate’ are examples from the 18th
century.) From the beginning of Speculative Freemasonry, we have observed
formality of dress.
The
chapters on Protocol and Etiquette in both Meeting the Challenge (1976)
and The Masonic Manual (1989) define the standard and specify the usage
in our Grand Jurisdiction. The custom followed in Lodges varies–white tie and
tails, tuxedo, business suit, even highland dress in some
with Scottish roots. I have attended lodges where even the Candidate on the
night of his Initiation is instructed to wear a tuxedo because that is the
standard dress for all members of
the lodge! In most Ontario Lodges, dark business suit, white dress shirt, and
conservative tie is normally worn by members.
Costume throughout western civilization has been worn as
a means of identification. The
candidate for office in Rome wore a
white toga. Ecclesiastical vestments
are worn in church and judicial robes are worn in court. Black leather can
indicate membership in the
motorcycle club and logos on jackets or shirts may signify the team loyalty of
hockey fans. The flat cap in Britain was a proud badge of the working class.
In the
business world at present a casual approach to attire is the norm, and
‘dress-down Fridays’ are common. ‘Smart casual’ is often specified for evenings
out at the theatre and restaurants disregard the ‘jacket and tie’ rule more
often than not. However, a current television commercial
advertisement (Moore’s–The Suit
People) suggests that tuxedos are now being worn on many occasions, not just at
weddings.
Indeed,
the tuxedo itself, now regarded as ‘semi-formal’ for gentlemen, was first introduced as a casual alternative to
full dress ‘tails’ in the late 1800’s when the tail-less dinner jacket made its
debut at the Tuxedo Club, renowned for social and sports functions in the
exclusive colony developed by Pierre Lorillard at Tuxedo Park, New York.
Many of
our traditions in Canadian Freemasonry were inherited from England together
with the ancient rites and ceremonies we follow. Our history informs us that
Military lodges were a major formative influence in the early days. In matters
of dress, the standards observed in the gentleman’s club and the officer’s mess have had significant influence. Just as the
lodge is tyled from the outside world, the ‘working clothes’ of a Freemason set
us apart as different. In the proper sense of the word, we are an élite–by
definition, a group apart!
It may
be considered ‘old fashioned’ by some,
but dressing up gives a sense of occasion, and is an outward gesture of the
respect we hold for the Craft in general and more especially for our fellows in
the lodge. Uniformity in dress is a symbol of teamwork–unified purpose and concerted
action–an indication that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In sports, the military, the police, in the
performing arts (orchestras and choirs), the individual wears a uniform to
signify that he is part of a larger unit with a common purpose.
Will a
relaxation in formal dress attract new members
to our lodges or encourage present members
to attend more regularly? I doubt it very much. The lowering of standards in
Freemasonry, whether moral or social, will ultimately destroy us by eliminating
the reason for our existence. Actions always speak louder than words. No, a meeting of the lodge opened in the Name of the Great Architect is not merely an unbuttoned get-together. No, dressing
formally does not make us, like the Pharisee of old, better than other men, but it is an indication that we press toward
the mark of our high calling.
It was
Bro. Sir W. S. Gilbert, the librettist of the great operas composed by Bro. Sir
Arthur Sullivan, who wrote in The Gondoliers, “When everyone’s a somebody, then no one’s anybody!” A friend of mine
who became a Mason some thirty years ago, always said, “If you’re a
Mason, you’re a somebody.” If you
think about it, he was right. A Freemason is indeed a “somebody!”
Perhaps our formal dress code is a small signal that not just “anybody” can
become one.
All of which is my personal opinion. I have not been able to find any
substantial historical basis for what would appear to be “established usage and
custom” in our lodges.
Elections For Lodge Officers
[By:
Bro. Marshall Kern, Victoria Lodge, No 56 GRC, Sarnia: celebrating 150 years of
light in 2004.]
It is
proper to consider the importance of elections in Freemasonry. Our Order has
demonstrated democratic principles from the earliest times.
We learn in our Ritual that operative Masons would choose those more skilled members of their lodge to lead them. The formation
of the first Grand Lodge records
that the Grand Master and officers were determined by election.
It must
be noted that no Brother has special authority at the voting box; there is no
veto, nor weighted voting. Every Brother has but one vote. Each vote is equal.
Every Brother present must cast a vote in an election. Each vote is a statement of support for a Brother.
It is
significant to elect by secret vote the executive officers of the Lodge. There
is a written vote, free of influence. The scrutineers proclaim the decision of
the Lodge. A mandate is granted to the officer-elect; it is his to accept or
decline. The vote is a statement of
support, encouragement, trust and
respect in the officer-elect.
The
voting by hand of the non-executive officers of the Lodge gives them a clear
signal of the expectations of the Lodge. They have the ensuing year to earn the
trust and respect of the Lodge as they learn their office.
It is
through the election that we decide who shall govern us. Whether an officer is
being elected to his first chair, or being granted the continuation of a
mandate for an office he has held for many years, it is during the election
that a Brother learns of the confidence the Lodge grants to him. We should
therefore conduct our elections well.
It is
also proper to consider the preparation for an election. The election process
begins several months before the actual election night. The WM and SW meet to plan the officer progression, and prepare
the protocol of election night. The WM and SW should work closely before
election night so they both know who will be sitting in what chair the
following year.
The
officer progression is normally to be from the junior offices of Stewards,
Inner Guard, and Deacons, through the two Wardens’ chairs, to the East.
Officers such as Secretary, Treasurer, Chaplain, Tyler, Organist, and Auditors
may carry a mandate through repeated terms. The intention of each current
officer should be determined. Those intending to remain in a position should be
acknowledged. Those needing to remove themselves from an officer’s role should
be noted and a new candidate for office found.
Every Brother proposed for an office should be
aware of the expectations of the SW for the Lodge in the ensuing year, and the
specific role he is expected to fulfill. This is where the long-range plan for
the Lodge proves its worth and value.
In the event
that several Brethren seek an office in a Lodge, it is incumbent on the WM and
SW to discuss the situation with those Brethren so the harmony of the Lodge can
be preserved while the contributions of the willing Brethren can be enjoyed.
The
Book of Constitution of the Grand Lodge
of Canada in the Province of Ontario offers direction for the conduct of
elections in a Lodge. The Bylaws of a Lodge also offer direction. Finally, the
history and common practice of a Lodge should guide election protocol.
The
Book of Constitution (2002; Sections 217-229, 291-293) tells us which offices
are elective and which are appointed. There is a reminder that officers must be
members in good standing who are
Master Masons and have proven their proficiency in the Master Mason Degree.
Officers are expected to live in the jurisdiction of the Lodge and exceptional
circumstances require permission of the Grand Master. A Brother may only hold
one office in one Lodge at a time
and any exceptions to hold multiple offices, or offices in several Lodges,
requires permission of the Grand Master.
Further, the Constitution tells us that nominations are restricted to
those offices where the election is by open vote of the Lodge, not a written
vote. The Tyler is always elected after nominations are made, and the decision
is by open vote in the Lodge.
Our
Constitution not only gives every member
the franchise to vote, but Section 292 declares forcefully “Voting is not
optional.” Democracy cannot be sustained if the members
abstain from voting. They must make a decision, and make it known.
With
150 years of practice now, Victoria Lodge No 56 still depends on our Bylaws to
tell us when in the year we are to hold elections, the order of the offices for
which we are to conduct our elections and which offices in our Lodge are
elected or appointed.
Common
sense should remind us of a few practical tasks to prepare for an election.
Ballot papers and writing instruments
should be available. The ballot papers may be blank pages, or some convenient form where the Brethren can write the
name of the Brother for whom they
are voting. Scrutineers may be recruited from another Lodge in the District to
provide both impartiality and enjoin the visitors in the life of the Lodge.
Each Brother expecting to be elected should be contacted and his attendance
confirmed. If a nominated or elected
Brother is not present, the WM-elect may speak for him. Prior to the election,
the SW should arrange with a Brother to make the nominations for those offices
where a nomination is required.
From
the time of preparation for
elections, through the administration of a fair and enthusiastic election meeting, to the time
of Installation, the importance of the task at hand must be remembered. Our task is to find those Brethren amongst
us who demonstrate skill in the Craft, and whose merit
should be rewarded with the challenge of leadership. We are choosing those men who will live and exemplify the final charge of
the Installation ceremony. We can give them the respect they deserve by
respecting the process and protocols of our elections.
The author is grateful for the guidance
and encouragement of the more
experienced officers of Victoria Lodge No 56.
[References: (1) The Book of Constitution of the
Grand Lodge of Canada in the
Province of Ontario, 2002 edition. (2) Bylaws of Victoria
Lodge No 56. (3) Meeting the
Challenge. (4) Whence Come We? (5) Towards the Square.]
Found in the Summons
David Cook, a member of our
Editorial Board and WM of Ashlar Lodge, No. 701 GRC, Tillsonburg, has noticed
that occasionally a Lodge Summons will contain an interesting item that we
might all benefit from reading. He has taken the following item from a recent
Summons of his own Lodge.
“When
hard cash was scarce, in Upper Canada, back when Masonry was in its infancy,
occasionally payment of dues became a hardship. Barton Lodge in Hamilton, is recorded
as accepting wheat delivered to a brother’s Mill, from any brother of the lodge
as payment for his dues. The mill
would then forward the money to the lodge.
Of
course we don’t accept wheat, but in these modern times
we do accept currency.
Please check your dues card, and pay us a
visit and pay us some money.”
W. Bro.
Cook also found the following in a recent Summons of St. John’s Lodge, No. 104
GRC, Norwich.
“Once in a while you see a movie that grabs you.
I recently saw “Pay it Forward” and wanted to reflect on the message that grabbed me.
Simply stated, you are assisted by someone
at some time
and it ends up being a turning point in your life. Instead of paying them back,
you take on the obligation to assist three others, some
time in the future. When you think
you can make a difference in a meaningful
way. In other words you accept assistance and you pay it forward to three
others as a part of your obligation.
It’s
unique that three members of your
lodge did an investigation on you before you became
a member. Three or more worked
diligently to provide a meaningful
degree, which no doubt made a difference in your life.
Have
you, ‘Paid it Forward yet?’”
Questions
of the Fraternity
We hope
that readers continue to enjoy the challenge. Here are three more questions:
1) If the Master is a past Grand Lodge Officer, which collar should he wear
when he presides in his lodge?
2) Can a brother wear his Masonic jewels at a
Masonic memorial service?
3) Which brethren are entitled to The Grand
Honours, and how many each?
You are free to answer any or all of these
questions. Please quote sources.
Please send answers in writing to:
Iain Mackenzie
2366 Cavendish Drive,
BURLINGTON, ONTARIO.
L7P 3B4
Fax: 905-315-7329
Email: iain.mackenzie@sympatico.ca
Here
are the answers to the three questions that were posed in the March 2004 Issue
(Vol. 19-1). Brother Bob Broom of Equity Lodge, No. 659 GRC, Orillia has again
sent in excellent answers that we are sharing with all subscribers.
1) What is the origin of the Warden’s columns
and what is their significance?
Bro.
Broom notes that by 1760 the Wardens of a lodge had acquired miniature columns
that represented Boaz & Jachin and were used to indicate whether or not the
lodge was "at labour" or "at refreshment."
And so, when the Junior Warden’s column is standing the lodge is NOT in
session, as it were. When the Senior Warden’s column is standing, the lodge is
in session or at labour. When the Senior Warden’s column is standing, the
Junior Warden’s column must be lying down and visa versa. The position of the columns
tells the entering brethren the status of the lodge.
[By the way, I might add to Bro. Broom’s reply
that the Warden’s columns are relatively recent additions to the ritual. The
two earliest pillars (or columns) in the ritual, referred to in “the old
charges” which run from 1400 onwards, were those built by the children of Lamech to preserve a record of the known sciences in
case the world was destroyed by fire or flood. KST played a very minor role in
these records, and his pillars were not mentioned
at all! It was not until 1700 that we find Solomon’s pillars mentioned, at first y biblical reference only, then
by initials. It should be mentioned
that throughout the first half of the eighteenth century, the Wardens were
floor officers doing the same job as
the Deacons today. They had no seats during the ceremonies and no pedestals or
pillars. It was not until 1760 that we have evidence of the Wardens carrying in
their hands one of the two pillars representing the B and J of KST. The
Warden’s columns are therefore small replicas of B and J and are portable
emblems of their respective offices. Iain.]
2) Why do we use the letter “G” to signify the
GGOTU rather than the delta, which is the more universal symbol of the deity?
Bro. Broom says he takes his answer from David
Bradley's Penetrating The Veil (page
61). M. W. Bro. Bradley writes that the ritual mentions
the letter G as representing God, the Grand Geometrician
of the Universe, but it also represents Geometry
which, according to ancient philosophers, was the motive force upon which the
world was based.
[Regarding the use of the letter “G” to
represent God, instead of the Delta, Bro. Broom makes a good point. However the
word for the deity begins with “G” only in English and German, but not in
Hebrew, French, or many other languages. It cannot therefore be considered
representative of the deity in those other languages. I speculate that it was
first used in England for linguistic reasons and that in a truly universal
brotherhood, the Delta would be more appropriate. Iain.]
3)
Why is the candidate deprived of all metal
when he enters the lodge?
Bro.
Broom writes that bringing metal,
coins, watches, medallions, etc into
lodge can bring unpleasant or disruptive influences. These disturb the
"harmony" of the lodge by changing the focus of the brethren from the
GGOTU and lodge work to worldly and material interests. Also, by not bringing
money or metal into the lodge, the
candidate is neither richer nor poorer than any other brother. He is simply
himself as he is, one among equals.
Custodian’s
Corner
Lodge Furniture
[By: R. W. Bro. Jack MacKenzie, member of Blackwood Lodge, No. 311 GRC, Woodbridge;
PDDGM Toronto 7 District and member
of the Lodge of Instruction.]
In The
Newsletter (Vol. 18 ‑2), an article by R. W. Bro. Raymond Daniels
appeared which dealt with the evolution, life cycle if you will, of Masonic
Lodges. The article stated that they were born, lived and died as is the nature
of all living things. Therefore we shouldn't be surprised when this happens and
a lodge surrenders its charter and goes "into darkness".
My own
lodge, Blackwood Lodge No. 311 has gone through an evolution of sorts which has
forced my consideration of such subjects with regard to lodge buildings
themselves.
During
the summer of 2000 while lodge was
recessed, mould took a firm hold in the attic and walls of our lodge room and
at the same time
the flat roof of our building developed significant leaks. When we went in to
prepare for our September meeting
substantial damage had occurred. Cleanup was not a "do it yourself"
task. With mould present, specific methods
of cleanup and removal had to be employed. Estimates to cure the mould problem
and repair the roof were obtained and it became
evident that this repair was financially beyond our capacity. So after 100
years in our present location and 125 years in Woodbridge, the building and
property were sold, our furniture was placed in storage and we became tenants in the new lodge building in Maple,
Ontario. I won't dwell on the emotional trauma this decision caused, needless
to say it was a stressful period.
An end
of an era.
Now
move forward to 2003.
Plans
were being formulated to erect a new lodge room on the premises of the Shriners
building on Keele Street in north‑west Toronto. As these plans progressed
and it became more evident that the
room would be built, overtures were made and discussions were held and the end
result was that Blackwood Lodge would donate their Masonic furniture for use in
the new Masonic Center.
Now for
the purpose of this article.
Throughout Ontario, there must be several Lodges, which for one reason
or another have sold their building. It would seem to me
there must be a veritable treasure trove of Masonic furniture in storage
overall. On the other hand, we have all heard of lodges suffering fires,
vandalism, or other such misfortunes where regalia or furniture has been lost.
They try to pick up the pieces as best they can. How much easier could we
assist their return to normalcy by making available to them this unused
furniture stored away somewhere.
I am
strongly suggesting that a central information location be established
containing a list of furniture available for re‑use by lodges suffering
loss. Members whose Lodge building close could inform this center of furniture
or regalia which is available. Lodges which suffer a loss, would, through this
service, know that appropriate Masonic items would be made available to them,
thereby relieving themselves of this worry during a very stressful period. An
opportunity to offer assistance within the Masonic family would have been
presented and resolved. The satisfaction that your furniture is again being
used for its intended purpose is personally satisfying and goes a long way to
relieve the disappointment of losing
the building.
And who
knows, like us, you may get to visit it every once in a while.
Book
Nook
[By: R. W. Bro. Wallace
McLeod, Grand Historian]
The Quest
for Light: Masonic Essays of Wallace McLeod. 2nd Revised Edition. Lancaster, VA: Anchor Communications. 2004.
(ISBN 0-935633-34-0.) Pp. xi, 287. Price, $24.95 US, plus shipping and
handling. Order from Anchor Communications, 5266 Mary Ball Road, Lancaster, VA
22503, USA; email, order@goanchor.com
It may
seem a bit strange, or even improper, for your humble reviewer to talk about a
publication that he actually wrote. But I can assure you that he gets no
royalties, or any share of the profits. It was a fair bit of fun to write the
book, and maybe you'll be amused to hear about it.
First,
a bit of background. Every few years the Australian and New Zealand Masonic
Research Council (ANZMRC) invites a Masonic student from abroad to come and speak to the Research Lodges in the region. I
was the fourth person to be so honoured, and in 1997 I spent the better part of
two months Down Under, enjoying the hospitality of many Brethren, and visiting
quite a few Lodges as guest speaker. The Research Council published a
collection of nineteen of the talks. Eventually the Council Secretary sent some surplus copies to America;
they seemed to generate a bit of
interest, and so it seemed
appropriate to issue an American
edition. In an effort to broaden the horizons a bit, five more chapters were
added, that had a specifically American
(i.e. Canadian) perspective, all taken from the successive reports delivered by
the Grand Historian at the Annual Communication of the Grand
Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario.
I
shan't provide a full list of all twenty-four papers. (Did I hear you say
"Thank you"?) But some of
them will be familiar to the patient people who have had to listen to me over the years; such as Masonic references in
literature, the use and abuse of Masonic symbols, the evolution of our ritual,
and the way in which we might respond to criticism by non-Masons. Other
chapters talk about various early documents,
such as the old manuscript constitutions (or old charges), the Leland-Locke
Manuscript (which purports to describe the nature of Freemasonry in 1440), and
a mildly obscene anti-Masonic poem of 1723. There is also an outline of the
life and significance of the Scottish poet Robbie Burns (1759-1796).
Some of the other papers are specifically connected
with the Craft in our country: such as a report on Canadian Freemasonry in
1837; a summary of the various Masonic Rituals used from sea to sea; a
discussion of whether our fees and dues are high enough to sustain us; and an
outline of what is called Prince Hall Freemasonry. Then there are brief biographies
of a few early Masons with Canadian connections: Josiah Henson (1789-1883), an
African-American who settled in
Dresden, Ontario, and was involved in the "Underground Railway,"
transporting escaped slaves to freedom in Canada; Simon McGillivray (1785-1840),
our Provincial Grand Master, who climbed Mount Popocatepetl in Mexico in 1830;
Elijah Crocker Woodman (1797-1847), who lived in London, Ontario, but was
exiled to Tasmania after the Rebellion of 1837; and John Auldjo (1805-1886),
who was born in Montreal, and who climbed Mont Blanc in 1827.
That's
probably enough self-promotion. It is, as I have hinted, embarrassing to talk
about my own book. But those who have read it don't seem to think it's too bad.
So try to forgive me.
Opportunities for Further Light
The College Of
Freemasonry
The
Committee on Masonic Education offers its challenging Correspondence Course of
Masonic Education throughout this Jurisdiction. The College of Freemasonry is a
four-part program - taken separately or together as the student desires and in
any order.
Upon
completion of each of the four programs a certificate is awarded. To become a member
of the College of Freemasonry, you must complete all four programs. The cost of
each program is $20.00, payable in advance to:
Masonic
Education Course
C/O V. W. Bro.
S. R. Lowe,
1071 Guildwood
Blvd.,
London, ON N6H
4G4
Brethren, this is a real opportunity – don’t
miss it – broaden your Masonic knowledge – Education is the key to your enjoyment of your Masonic future!
(Note: This course requires access to reference
material readily available in this jurisdiction and parts of the course pertain
specifically to this Grand Jurisdiction).
Application forms are available on the Grand Lodge Web site or from your District Chairman
of Masonic Education.
DDGM
Correspondence Course
The Committee on Masonic Education also offers a challenging
Correspondence Course for those Past Masters who are considering offering their
skills and abilities as a District Deputy Grand Master.
The Course is divided into three programs:
DI
Duties and Leadership
DII
Administration, Finance and Communication
DIII
Protocol, Etiquette and Ritual
Applications
can be obtained from:
Masonic Education Course (DDGM)
C/O V. W. Bro. S. R. Lowe,
1071 Guildwood Blvd.,
London, ON N6H 4G4.
Upon successful completion of all three sections of the program, a
Certificate will be awarded.
Heritage
Lodge, No. 730 GRC
Heritage Lodge, No. 730 GRC, was formed
to provide an intellectual environment
for the pursuit of Masonic knowledge, and also to provide a means for receiving and recording historical
artifacts to ensure the preservation of our Masonic Heritage without
encroaching on the normal functions of Constituent Lodges.
Heritage Lodge accepts by affiliation in the usual manner, all Masons of
like mind, desirous of working together to fulfill the aims and objectives
established by the membership.
Talk to a fellow Mason about membership.
The fee for Affiliation is $25.00; Annual Dues are $35.00. For further
information contact:
Newsletter Editorial Board
Publisher R. W. Bro. Doug
Franklin,
Editor W.
Bro. Michael Jenkyns
Member R.
W. Bro. M. Woolley
W.
Bro. Iain Mackenzie
W.
Bro. John Reynolds
W.
Bro. David Cook
Bro.
Michael Schwantes
Subscriptions/ R. W. Bro. G. Dowling
Printing