Masonic Relief: An Eyewitness Account

Last year’s Junior Warden of my Lodge made less than half of the regular communications during his term in office due to his poor health. He was diagnosed with cancer and it was and is doing its best to destroy his body. This former Junior Warden truly loves the Craft and his Lodge. He was also very active in several other bodies such as the York and the Scottish Rites.

We all knew about his declining health but what we didn’t know about – he being a proud man – were his financial troubles that were byproducts of his health issues. It was actually by accident that we discovered the depth of the financial problems when I made a phone call to him one evening a few months ago to check on him. During the course of the conversation I learned that his electricity was close to being turned off. Other than for his home, almost everything had been repossessed from this hardworking man – truck, boat, etc.

Following that conversation and after taking a few moments to say a prayer in my backyard, I put the phone to good use and spread the word to the “movers and shakers” of my Lodge. The District Deputy Grand Master was also alerted and we fired up the Lodge’s Masonic Relief Committee. The paperwork involved with requesting relief funds from the Grand Lodge Masonic Relief Committee was expedited and the Grand Lodge issued emergency funds even before the paperwork was completed. Within a few weeks, not less than one thousand dollars rolled in from “passing the hat” efforts in my Lodge and in our sister Lodges in the District. The local York Rite Bodies joined in the effort and collected more donations. Our past Junior Warden’s lights are still on and they will not be darkened.

He is not out of the woods and his health is steadily deteriorating, but we will make sure that his basic necessities are taken care of. If and when he succumbs to the cancer, I am confident that his widow will be looked after in the same manner.

This is the way we do it here. We do not engage in institutionalized charity for the masses or throw money at things like the child ID programs. We concentrate our efforts on our Brethren, their widows, and their orphans.

Tolerance and Freemasonry

tol·er·ance (tŏl'ər-əns) n. The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others.[1]

Tolerance is a word that is thrown about frequently in our modern day society and its use has taken on a connotation that goes beyond its basic definition. To be referred to as being intolerant of others is akin to being labeled a racist and is like a scarlet letter upon the forehead of anyone accused of not practicing tolerance when it comes to the beliefs and practices of others.

This modern view of tolerance as a supreme virtue has began to seep into the thoughts of many Freemasons as they mimic general society and its trends. But is the practice of tolerance really a teaching of Freemasonry? It may possibly be so, but is full tolerance a goal of Freemasonry? I submit that it is not and should not be.

For one to achieve the full definition of being tolerant he must not only recognize the beliefs and practices of others but he must also respect those beliefs and practices. To fully achieve a tolerant society, therefore, all beliefs and practices would have to be deserving of respect and some are – undoubtedly – not deserving of such.

Most reasonable men would agree that those that sacrifice babies in the name of a religion are not deserving of respect. The same can safely be said about fascists, communists, or sweatshop owners. Can anyone reasonably claim that the beliefs and practices of the members of the Ku Klux Klan are deserving of respect? Anyone that says “no” is intolerant of others and should go ahead and proudly put that scarlet letter upon their own forehead. In these cases, intolerance should be considered as an honorable virtue.

There are those that, of course, would say that the previous examples are ridiculous since they pertain to groups that do not represent the common good of society. The sticky point, however, is contained within the possible answers to the following questions. Who gets to choose what should be tolerated or not? Who gets to choose which beliefs and practices are deserving of respect? Here is my answer to both of those questions. Each individual gets to make that choice.

Freemasons should already know that and they should not be following the whims of general society. Remember – general society should be copying Freemasonry and not the other way around. Freemasons should also know that there is a happy medium between tolerance and intolerance, and they should not be ashamed to take either path as the situation calls for it. It is often a noble thing to be intolerant and one should not be ashamed to wear the scarlet letter.

[1] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

The Lodges Solomon

Solomon’s Lodge No. 1, F. & A. M. of Georgia, recently celebrated the 275th anniversary of its founding in the city of Savannah. This lodge provides two possible dates of organization – 21 February 1733 or 21 February 1734 – and claims the title of the Oldest Continuously Operating English Constituted Lodge in the Western Hemisphere.

Whenever the topic of this old lodge in Savannah enters a conversation on the northern side of the Savannah River in South Carolina, Palmetto State Freemasons cannot but help to think of another old lodge in another historic Southeastern city. Located just a couple of driving hours north of Savannah, one can find Solomon’s Lodge No. 1, A.F.M. of South Carolina, located in Charleston. This lodge was warranted in 1735 by the Grand Lodge of England. Albert G. Mackey, in the course of his research published in 1861, had this to say.

In a roll of Lodges under the jurisdiction of England, appended to Hutchinson’s “Spirit of Freemasonry,” with the following title: “List of Lodges, (with their numbers,) as altered by the Grand Lodge, April 18, 1792,” I find the number 45 is marked as having been warranted in 1735, under the name of Solomon’s Lodge, Charleston, South Carolina, which is followed by number 46, in the same year, designated as Solomon’s Lodge, No. 1, Savannah, Georgia.[i]

The reader that paid attention to the previous quote will undoubtedly raise an eyebrow or two and ask the obvious question. How can Solomon’s Lodge in Savannah claim to be “oldest” when there is documentation of a slightly older Solomon’s Lodge in Charleston, which also continues to operate? The arrival to the answer of that question requires some interesting further investigation.

Before proceeding further, it should be pointed out that there are other old lodges worthy of mentioning. At least two of the following lodges claim an “oldest” designation.[ii]

* Saint John’s Lodge No. 1 in Boston, Massachusetts, was organized on 30 July 1733.
* Norfolk Lodge No. 1 in Norfolk, Virginia, was constituted on 22 December 1733.
* St. John’s Lodge No. 1 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was organized on 24 June 1736.

In the case of the Lodges Solomon in Charleston and Savannah, the friendly debate between Masons on both sides of the Savannah River revolve around two terms – organized and warranted – and which of the terms establishes a lodge’s true birth date. It has been established that Solomon’s No. 1 in Charleston was warranted prior to Solomon’s No. 1 in Savannah – though it may have been only by mere moments and by the accident of which warrant was chosen to be issued first. If one uses the warrants to establish birthdays, then the Charleston lodge is the eldest of the two.

The dates of organization provide different dates of birth, however. Solomon’s Lodge No. 1 in Charleston did not officially meet for the first time – on 29 October 1736 – until, presumably, after its warrant had arrived from England.[iii] Solomon’s No 1 in Savannah, however, was meeting as a Time Immemorial lodge prior to the issuance of a warrant.[iv] Though some questions remain as to whether or not Time Immemorial lodges were still considered as proper in the 1730s, the Grand Lodge of London may have been unaware of the activities of the lodge in Savannah or “looked the other way” when it issued a warrant in 1735. Regardless, if one uses the dates of organization then Solomon’s No. 1 in Savannah predates its counterpart in Charleston by approximately two years and eight months.

The friendly debate continues.

[i] Mackey, Albert G., M.D., The History of Freemasonry in South Carolina. Columbia, S.C.: South Carolina Steam Power Press, 1861, p. 3.
[ii] Porter, Robert S. II. Historian’s Apse, http://www.solomonslodge.com/historiansapse.html (Accessed March 7, 2009).
[iii] Mackey, pp. 2 and 4.
[iv] Porter (accessed March 7, 2009).

Stupid Atheists and Irreligious Libertines

A Mason is obliged, by his tenure, to obey the moral law, and if he rightly understands the art, he will never be a stupid atheist nor an irreligious libertine.[i]

The above statement from the first of the Old Charges is, undoubtedly, rather tough and to the point – especially to those not of the Craft of Freemasonry. Bearing in mind that it was written over two hundred and eighty seven years ago, it was probably a rather tame comment for the time. But what does this statement really mean? Let us examine it piece by piece.

A Mason is obliged…:

This one is easy to understand. The phrase could be slightly reworded to read, “A Mason is ‘obligated’” and it would still mean basically the same thing.

…by his tenure…:

This refers to while the Mason is just that – a Mason.

…to obey the moral law…:

Moral law should not be confused with civil law. Moral law resides within a man’s heart and is not mandated by the laws of the nation in which he resides. This moral law that resides in the heart does not exist within a vacuum, however. What is in a man’s heart is influenced by outside forces. For most men, the primary outside force is the moral teachings of their respective religious faiths. Moral law is that which makes men choose between right and wrong. It is what determines if a man is honorable or not. A man reacts according to his moral law because it is what he feels to be the right thing to do and he does it because he wants to not because he has to. Civil law exists only because there are men who do not have a valid moral law. Those types of men must be forced to do the right thing under the threat of some sort of material punishment.

…rightly understands the art…:

The Society of Freemasons, as any studious Freemason knows, contains an art. The Mason that understands this art will also understand this charge in its entirety.

…a stupid atheist…:

The addition of the word “stupid” in front of “atheist” is important. This phrase implies that an atheist is stupid due his lack of belief in a Supreme Being. Digging in between the lines, it tells us that an atheist is incapable of understanding faith. An atheist can only understand what he can touch, see, hear, taste, and smell. An atheist is incapable of using a sixth sense and, therefore, he is stupid – he is handicapped.

…an irreligious libertine.

This may be the most confusing of the phases due to the fact that the use and intent of the word “libertine” has changed very much over the years. Using the intent of the words in the 1720s; an irreligious libertine is a person who does not believe that he is responsible for his own moral – or immoral – behavior. He is morally irresponsible.

So let us now put this sentence from the first Old Charge into more modern words.

A Mason is obligated, while he remains a Mason, to be a man of good morals, and if he truly comprehends the teachings of Freemasonry, he will not be handicapped by subscribing to atheism and he will not be morally irresponsible.

[i] Charges of a Freemason, Grand Lodge of England, 1722.

A Trip Worth Taking

After spending approximately seventeen hours behind the wheel during the roundtrip, I am back home from Alexandria, Virginia – site of the 2009 AMD Masonic Week. I am glad that I sacrificed those seventeen hours as the payoff was well worth it.

As has already been reported on Freemasons for Dummies, the First Circle banquet and meeting of The Masonic Society was a great success. Yasha Beresiner, the First Circle guest speaker, displayed a wonderful demeanor and wealth of knowledge and it was a pleasure to make his acquaintance. I also enjoyed listening to Arturo de Hoyos – another researcher of great Masonic knowledge – during the Scottish Rite Research Society luncheon.

In addition to the fine food and guest speakers at the scheduled events, I enjoyed the unanticipated and informal fellowship that took place behind the scenes. I met men that hailed from all points of the compass. It was truly wonderful to be able to shake hands and hold conversations with men that I had previously only corresponded with via the Internet or telephone.

The collective Masonic knowledge and experience contained within The Masonic Society’s hospitality room was vast and diverse and some of the conversations lasted into the wee hours of the morning. But these were not just old boring conversations about Freemasonry. We were having fun as we talked.

As I had hoped, I also got to visit the George Washington Masonic Memorial. The photograph contained in this post was taken by me from the observation deck of the Memorial.

I am looking forward to being able to make the next trip. It will be worth taking.

PS: Make sure you check out the newly reformated web site for the GWMM. A "Cajun" that I met at Masonic Week did that quality work.

Festival of St. John the Evangelist – Beginning a New Masonic Year

The Festival of St. John the Evangelist on 27 December marks the beginning of a new Masonic Year in many Grand Jurisdictions. It is the date that the Craft resets itself, looks again to the future, and – in many cases – gears itself up to its highest level of energy of the year.

Even though the elections of Lodge officers may take place weeks or maybe even a month in advance of 27 December, those officers do not officially assume their duties until the Festival of St. John the Evangelist. Some Lodges do not officially install the new officers until that date – sometimes in the form of public installation ceremonies. That practice, however, is not as popular as it once was due to increasingly mobile and scattered families which necessitate a fair amount of traveling during the week or two surrounding the Christmas holiday.

The days between the election/appointment date and the date that an officer officially assumes his duties are often an exciting and nervous time – especially for a new Master-elect. I went through it and I see my new Master-elect going through it right now – which may account for the rash of emails and long phone conversations that I am exchanging with him. New Masters-elect tend to use this brief calm before the storm to plan or refine their upcoming terms in the East. Very often, they also begin to second guess themselves and wonder about what they have gotten themselves into.

Most of them are coming from the Senior Warden’s chair and are already aware of the behind the scenes workings of their Lodge – such as its financial situation and its collective vision for the future. A hard realization, however, hits them when it sinks in that they are soon to be at the helm and they will be ultimately responsible for the financial situation and staying on the vision’s course – or getting the Lodge back on course.

Either way, it is an exciting time of the year for most Lodges. In my experience, attendance picks up for at least a month or two as the Craft comes out to get a feeling on how the new Master and his officers are going to do and to soak in the excitement generated by the new leadership.

Tomorrow, we reset and begin again.

A Birthday

Four days ago, my company of citizen-soldiers sang Happy Birthday to ourselves. As of 13 December 2008, my military organization was three hundred and seventy-two years old - the oldest in the United States and one of the oldest military bodies that are still active in the world.