The Builder Magazine

March 1916 - Volume II - Number 3

 

THE PATRIARCHS

BY JOSEPH FORT NEWTON

MR. TOASTMASTER: Surely the idea of such an evening as this was most happy. There is a day set apart in honor of our mothers --God bless them !--and no one would detract one iota from its sanctity and beauty. But it has remained for this lodge to dedicate a day to our fathers, and especially to the fathers of Masonry into whose labors we have entered, and of whose prophetic sowing we are reaping the harvest. Of truth, we honor ourselves when we meet and pay tribute to men who did so much to make Masonry what it is.

 

Some do not well know that there was a time, and not so long ago, when it was a courageous thing for a man to be a Mason. Prejudice against the order was intense, often fanatical, and our gentle craft was held by many to be a dangerous fraternity, as if its innocent secrets harbored dark designs. How different it is now. Today our order is everywhere honored, and our gates are thronged with young men eager to enter its ancient fellowship. What has brought about this change of feeling and attitude toward Masonry ? More than all else it is due to the quiet dignity of the men of the order, and the noble way in which they have shown what Masonry is in their lives. Nearly every man here, if asked directly, would admit that he was drawn to Masonry by the quality of its men. After all, the greatest influence of Masonry in the world, is the silent, eloquent influence of character.

 

"A FEW OLD BRETHREN"

 

It may be interesting to some to know that such an evening as this recalls one of the oldest traditions of the order. If you will look into the "Old Charges"-- the title deeds of Masonry, and a part of its earliest ritual--you will see that among the duties required of a young man entering the order, was that he respect the aged. When, after a period of decline, the Grand Lodge of England was organized in 1717, who presided over the assembly? In the scanty records of that scene it is set down as significant that the Grand Lodge came to order with "the oldest Master Mason in the chair." Indeed, it seems clear that the impulse by which the scattered Masons of the time were drawn together into closer union, came, as Anderson suggests, from "a few old brethren"; and during the critical period of transition, it was the old men who guided the craft. For the first Grand Lodge, so far from being an innovation, was in fact a revival of the old quarterly Assembly, and was intended to preserve the ancient usages of the order. So that, our meeting this night in honor of the veterans of the craft, has the sanction, not only of our own finer feeling for the fitness of things, but of the long tradition and custom of the order.

 

When is a man old? Age is said to be a matter of feeling, not of years, but old age seemed to come upon men earlier in former times than it does now. At the age of 49 Shakespeare sold his holdings in the London theatres, retired from active life, and went back to Stratford. Dr. Johnson felt himself old at 40, and Lincoln at the age of 48 spoke of himself as old and withered. The Roman senate was an assembly of old men, but there was a law that no senator over 60 should be called to his duties, lest his failing mind bring harm to the republic. But it is different with us today. With us a man is intellectually in his prime at 60, and many do their best work much later. Gladstone, at 70, was just entering the second volume of his biography.

 

YOUNG OLD MEN

 

When is a man a patriarch ? Let me tell you. Old age is that period when one sees the limit of life, whether it be at 20, 50, or 80; when he sees clearly, what once was covered by mists, a grave full of songs unsung, hopes unrealized, and ambitions unachieved. There are men, not yet 30, who are asking that ultimate question: "What is the use?" These are the old men--old of heart, world-weary, smitten with palsy of soul, and gray with a sense of futility; these are the unburied dead. Think of a man asking such a question in a world where sunsets are like sacraments, and the hush and solemnity of the dawn is like the smile of God! Think of finding life flat, stale and unprofitable in a world where the incredible is an everyday fact, and the impossible is always coming true--a world where there is truth to seek, love to consecrate, and hope forever building its great Arch of Promise! Such a man has come too early to the sear and yellow leaf.

 

Also, there are men far along in years--walking down the western slope where the shadows lengthen towards evening--who are eager and alert of spirit, happy and forward-looking, their faith undimmed, their zest of life unabated. These are not old men. There is in them a foregleam of the immortal life. Years have piled up betimes, but they have kept their faith firm, their feelings buoyant, their sympathies active, and their interest in life fresh and vivid. How fine it is to see a man grow old reverently and beautifully, his heart aglow with the soft light of eventide and the glory of the star-crowned night ! It is not strange that such men enjoy the authority of influence and counsel, wisdom and prophecy, which Cicero held to be the trophies of age.

 

THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN

 

Each of the seven ages of men, as Shakespeare marked them, has its uses, its joys, its disadvantages, and its compensations. He is a wise man who takes life as it is, each degree as God confers it, each experience in its season--youth with its flaming visions, age with its serenity. For age is opportunity not less than youth, albeit in another form. Old age, to be sure, has its disadvantages and perils. Failing strength, stiff joints, "the lean and slippered pantaloons, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste"--these are familiar enough. Often it weakens the tenacity of memory, but if we can manage to forget what is not worth remembering, that might be enviable. With few exceptions--like Sophocles and Tennyson--age clips the wings of imagination; but it also cools our passion which befogs and perverts reason. Age is clarifying and may attain, as Milton said, to "something of prophetic strain."

 

At least, it belongs to age, in a life well spent, to look upon the world with calm and wise vision. As Plato said in his Republic, old age "certainly has a great sense of freedom and serenity"; but he added, "the cause is to be sought, not in the ages of men, but in their tempers and characters." That is to say, it is quality and not the quantity of life that counts for most. The fact that a man has lived on this earth three score years and ten does not mean, necessarily, that he is either good or wise. Some men are as foolish in age as they were in youth. Doubly foolish is he who, living to grow old, has not learned the priceless value of virtue, and the wisdom of love. Time alone brings neither honor nor wisdom.

 

THE SADDEST THING ON EARTH

 

An eastern king offered a reward to the one who would tell him the saddest thing on earth. There were three competitors in the contest. One said it is unrequited love; another that it is the death of the young; and the third, who won the prize, that it is old age and poverty. I do not believe it, unless by poverty you mean that pitiful penury of soul which makes the gloaming of life so desolate. No; the saddest thing on this earth is old age and sin--an old man crass, crafty, hard, cynical, and impure! Great God! rather than come to such an end, let me die tonight, in the morning of life, my work hardly begun !

 

When we are young we draw checks on the Bank of the Future. Some men go on doing this, unable, it seems, to live year in and year out upon their current income. Not many of those checks are cashed at full value. There is nearly always a heavy discount, and more often they come back to us for lack of funds. When we are old we draw our checks on the Bank of the Past. Whether they are cashed or not depends on how thrifty we have been in laying up that treasure which neither moth nor rust can corrupt, nor thieves break through and steal. More precious than rubies is a wise faith purified by trial, a conscience void of offense, and the memory of years spent in purity, honor and service. When a man comes to the end the only things he does not regret, and would not recall if he could, are the kind words spoken and the deeds done in love of God and his fellow men. At that hour an empty alabaster box, with which he has anointed some friend in need, counts for more than all the gold in all the hills !

 

YOUTH AND AGE

 

Other things being equal, the advantages of age, though less obvious, far outweigh its handicaps. For one thing, age sees life in a long perspective and in a clearer, if drier, light. It has a vision of the beauty and grace--and folly--of youth, which youth does not have. It is the young who despise youth and try to get away from it--the urchin longing to be a school boy, the freshman to be a senior. No man, when a boy, ever had half the joy running across the meadow that he gets from seeing his boy--not to say his grandson--on that very spot. It is the old who see the loveliness of youth, and love it. Youth is the drama, in which the actors are absorbed in their parts; age is the audience. By virtue of its detachment, age has a truer insight into life, and if it knows little of ecstasy it knows less of despair.

 

With the mellowing of life there comes also a deeper sense of the kinship of things. Youth loves cliques, the more exclusive the better; it rarely gives love unless it is returned. Not so age, whose affections, if less turbulent, are less touched by selfish motives. Age makes little of human differences, and sets much store by the great common fellowship of humanity, seeing many ties of union where youth sees only discord. Work, too, takes on a new aspect with lengthening years. Old men do not feel, as young men often do, that the universe rests upon their shoulders. Nor do they imagine, as Hamlet did, that they were born to set the world right. They see that each must be content to do his little human part, and trust the fate of the world to a Power greater than man. If age limits a man, it the better sets his bounds within which he can work quietly, and get something done before he dies.

 

HAMLET AND PROSPERO

 

Youth seeks very high for what age finds nearby. It is when we grow older that the simple things of life begin to unfold their wonder, and open long vistas of meditation. Nogi fought great battles on the plains of Manchuria, but towards the end he was wont to muse over an iris, finding in its beauty a mystery beyond his fathoming. Youth knows more than old age, because it knows so many things that are not so. After 50 our bottle of knowledge is so shaken that it is all of one color. When we are young we love Hamlet, with his obscure, haunting melancholy, but when age comes on we like best the wisdom of Prospero who, by the aid of Ariel, won victory over Caliban. Age may not be more religious than youth, but it is religious in a different and deeper way. It thinks of God, not as a flaming fire, but as an abiding presence, made real by the revealings of the years--serene, infinitely patient, unutterably great and kind. Youth is for faith; old age for trust.

 

Why did Shakespeare all at once drop his task and go back to Stratford? No doubt many things blended in the making of the decision, one of which was that he was wise enough to know when to quit. Another fact may have been the elemental love of man for the earth, his great mother, in whose bosom he sleeps at last. But perhaps the chief motive was a desire for quiet amid the scenes of his boyhood, and time to gather the threads of his thought and weave them into a fabric of faith. There is a deep instinct which leads a man back to his native place, as many of you have made long journeys to Ohio, New York, or Maine just to see the sun come up over the hill or sea. One finds something homelike in his native landscape, and in the old haunts a man can fuse his latest thought with his earliest memory as he can hardly do anywhere else. Some such feeling must have led Shakespeare to leave London and go back to the winding Avon. And it was there that he wrote the gentlest of all his plays, the Tempest--a miracle of art, an allegory of the victory of man over fate and fortune by self-surrender to the highest laws of life.

 

THE HOUSE OF FAITH

 

Similarly, Albert Pike used to urge upon old men the study of Masonry, not only because it brings to us from afar the high and simple wisdom of humanity, but it offers to every man a great hope and consolation. At its altar a man may gather up his deepest thoughts which, in the busy mid-years of life, are too often left scattered in the disarray of a temple yet unbuilt, and fashion them into a House of Faith--a Home of the Soul. How to live is the one matter; and the oldest man in his ripe age has never found a wiser way than to build, year by year, on a foundation of faith in God and love of man, using the Square to test the rightness of our lives, the Plumbline to mark the rectitude of our acts, the Compasses to keep our passions within bounds, and the Rule to divide our days into labor, rest and service. Love is ever the Builder, and whoso obeys its sweet law and builds after its pattern will not be left shelterless and alone.

 

After old age, what? Ever the evening shadows fall; ever there comes a time, to whomsoever is a man, when even the wisest knows not where he is; ever and ever the twilight--and after that the dark, when all the lights of philosophy go out, and only faith and hope and love remain. There is nothing for it but to walk calmly down the western slope, the sun shining in our faces, into the evening shadows--trusting the great God over all.

 

"Grow old along with me! 

The best is yet to be,

The last of life

For which the first was made; 

Our times are in his hands

Who sayeth, 'A whole I planned,

Youth shows but half; trust God; 

See all, nor be afraid.' "

 

Bede the Venerable, in giving an account of the deliberations of the King of Northumberland and his counsellors, as to whether they should allow the Christian missionaries to teach a new faith to the people, recites this eloquent incident. After much debate, a grey-haired chief stood up and spoke, recalling the feeling that came over him on seeing a little bird pass through, on fluttering wing, the warm bright hall of feasting, while the winter winds raged without. The moment of its flight was full of sweetness and light for the bird, but it was brief. Out of the darkness it flew, looked upon the gay scene, and vanished into the darkness, none knowing whence it came nor whither it went.

 

"Like this," said the veteran chief, "is human life. We come, our wisest men know not whence. We go, they cannot tell whither. Our flight is brief. Therefore, if there be anyone that can teach us more about it --in God's name let us hear him!"

 

THE GREAT TRAGEDY

 

What has Masonry to teach us about immortality ? Instead of making an argument, it presents a picture--the oldest, if not the greatest drama in the world--the better to make men feel what no words can ever tell. It shows us the tragedy of life in its most dismal hour; the forces of evil, so cunning yet so stupid, tempting the soul to treachery--even to the ultimate degradation of saving life by giving up all that makes it worth our time to live. It shows us a noble and true man smitten, as Lincoln was, in the moment of his loftiest service to man. It is a picture so true to the bitter, old, and haggard reality of this dark world that it makes the soul stand still in dismay. Then, out of the shadow there rises, like a beautiful white star, that in man which is most akin to God--his love of truth, his loyalty to the ideal, his willingness to go down into the night of death, if only virtue may live and shine like a pulse of fire in the evening sky.

 

Here is the ultimate and final witness of the divinity and immortality of the soul--the heroic, death defying moral valor of the human spirit! No being capable of such a sublime sacrifice need fear death or the grave.

 

"What has the soul to lose

By worlds on worlds destroyed ?"

 

It is the old, eternal paradox--he who gives his all for the sake of the truth shall find it all anew. And there Masonry rests the case, assured that since there is that in man which makes him hold to the moral ideal against the brute forces of the world; that which prompts him to pay the last full measure of devotion for the sanctity of his soul; the God who made him in His own image will not let him sleep in the dust! Higher vision it is not given us to see in the dim country of this world; deeper truth we do not need to know.

 

"There are more lives yet, there are more worlds waiting,

For the way climbs up to the eldest sun.

Where the white ones go to their mystic mating,

And the holy will is done.

I shall find them there where our low life heightens--

Where the door of the Wonder again unbars,

Where the old love rules and the old fire whitens,

In the Stars behind the stars."

 

THE EARLY DAYS: HISTORY VS. TRADITION

 

BY BRO. WM. G. MAZYCK, SOUTH CAROLINA

 

 In a series of articles under the title "The Establishment and Early Days of Freemasonry in America," published in the May, October and November numbers of The Builder, M. W. Brother Melvin M. Johnson, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, has presented some deeply interesting matters, partly history and largely tradition. With commendable enthusiasm and pardonable partisanship he defends the apocryphal claim that Boston is the birthplace of Freemasonry in America, with some skill and much plausibility, but since we have elsewhere made the statement that Solomon's Lodge No. 1, A. F. M., of Charleston, S. C., is the oldest Masonic body in the United States, the Record of whose establishment is absolutely unimpeachable, a statement which we here repeat without modification, we take friendly issue with Bro. Johnson in some of his statements and conclusions.

 

In the Century Dictionary we find the following definitions:-- HISTORY; the recorded events of the past. LEGEND:--unauthentic narrative handed down from early times; a tradition. TRADITION:-- Knowledge or belief transmitted without the aid of written memorials. Now while legend or tradition may be deeply interesting, highly probable and in the absence of written record often valuable, we protest that the written record, especially when contemporaneous with the event described, and more especially when of independent and unprejudiced origin, is and it alone is to be considered History, and, therefore, in this discussion we eliminate the ifs, buts, possiblys and every other form of expression which implies doubt, and confine ourselves to the recorded fact, and will present no evidence but that which can be to-day produced in the original Record, no copy, no substitute, nor any writing based upon any man's recollection, nor will we admit on either side the employment of any statement whose authenticity is susceptible of any reasonable doubt.

 

Brother Johnson lays great stress upon the authority and the actions of Henry Price, and threshes the old straw with great energy. In evidence he produces what we may style Exhibit A, Price's "original gravestone now in Masonic Temple, Boston," (just why or when it was removed from the Cemetery does not appear), and he instantly destroys its suggested value, by himself questioning one of its most important statements! We think we may, therefore, fairly rule out Exhibit A.

 

Brother Johnson further produces Price's "deputation"--Exhibit B. W.Bro. Charles E. Meyer, P. M. Melita Lodge No. 295, Pennsylvania, in History of F. & A. Masons and Concordant Orders, p. 225, says: "Nowhere can it be found on the English records that a deputation was granted Henry Price by Lord Petre or any other Grand Master," and "it will require authentic documents to satisfy an impartial reader." Again p. 239, "To trace the early history of Freemasonry in Massachusetts is like a person walking in the dark." P 240, "There is no record in the archives of the Grand Lodge of England at London of the deputation," and he further states that "if the fac-simile printed in the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, 1871, is authentic, then the date of Price's deputation is not correct." Bro. P.F. Gould in his History of Freemasonry recognizes "The very precarious foundation of authority on which the early Masonic history of Massachusetts reposes. The actual records of the Provincial Grand Lodge--by which I mean a contempolaneous account of its proceedings--date from 1751. There are also what appear to be transcripts of brief memoranda describing the important incidents in the history of that body between 1733-1750; or they may have been made up from the recollection of brethren who had been active among the Craft during these seventeen years!" Again "The more we rely upon the early Boston records as independent authorities, the greater becomes the necessity of critically appraising the weight and thereby the value of their testimony."

 

P.G.M. Sereno D. Nickerson, Recording Grand Secretary of Massachusetts, in his "First Glimpses of Freemasonry in North America," says "The earliest records of the First Provincial Grand Lodge in New England are in the handwriting of Peter Pelham, and his son Charles." "Peter Pelham was made a Mason Nov. 8th, 1738, and on the 26th of December, 1739, he was elected Secretary. He served in that office until September 26th, 1744, when he was succeeded by his son Charles." "Charles Pelham was made a Mason in due form in the First Lodge in Boston, on Sept. 12, 1744," and two weeks later, on Sept. 26, it was "voted, That Bro. Charles Pelham be Secretary, in the Room of Our Late Sect, who has laid it down." He served as Grand Secretary from June 24th, 1751, to January 20th, 1752, and Nickerson admits that "the first eleven pages of the record of the First Provincial Grand Lodge in America, now in the archives of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, consist of copies of Deputations and what appear to be transcripts of brief memoranda describing important incidents in the history of the body between 1733 and 1750, or they may have been made up from recollections of brethren who had been active among the Craft during those seventeen years"! ! !

 

Please note that we base our claim unreservedly upon an existing original record. The earliest record in New England Grand Lodge archives was made by Peter Pelham, certainly not earlier than 1739, he was not Raised until 1738, and therefore could have only hearsay evidence for his guide.

 

Surely in view of these statements we can fairly ask that Exhibit B be also ruled out.

 

In support of our South Carolina claim we will produce absolutely unimpeachable evidence, but we admit nevertheless with the utmost frankness and freedom that we cannot produce the original deputation, warrant or charter, and we decline to ask the acceptance of any copy thereof or any substitute therefor.

 

This devoted City of Disaster has suffered more from fire and flood, plague and pestilence, war, siege, storm and earthquake than any other City on the Continent. The great conflagration of January 18th, 1778, is described in remarkable detail in the South Carolina and American General Gazette of January 29th, 1778, and in the Supplement, or as it is quaintly styled "Addition to the General Gazette, No. 1002, Apl. 2nd, 1778," p. 2, col. 2, the following advertisement appears:

 

"Lost during the late fire in Charlestown, the Alphabets of the Ledger and Register of Solomon's Lodge. Whoever has found them and will deliver them to the subscriber, jeweller, next door to Mr. Ancrum, in Church street shall receive Five Pounds for each or either of them with thanks: - Thomas Harper."

 

On the night of April 27, 1838, nearly one-third of the City was destroyed by fire, when the Craft not only lost its new Hall then in course of erection, but sustained a far greater calamity in the destruction of Seyle's Hall, in which the Grand and Subordinate Lodges met, with nearly all of the property of the various Masonic bodies and the entire records of the Grand Lodge, with the exception of one minute book commencing with the year 1836. Yet though Deputation, Warrant, Charter and Minutes are all gone, there has been preserved a Record whose truth is incontestable, far removed from any possibility of doubt and utterly beyond any contradiction.

 

Amongst the other vastly important treasures of the Charleston Library upon its shelves there are today files of our colonial newspapers and in "The South Carolina Gazette, Numb. 144, From Saturday, October 23, to Saturday, October 30, 1736," page 2, Column 2, we find this supremely important paragraph:

 

"Last night a Lodge of the Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons was held fol the first Time at Mr. Charles Shepheard's in Broad street, when John Hammerton Esqr., Secretary and Receiver General for this Province, was unanimously chosen Master, who was pleased to appoint Mr. Thomas Denne Senior Warden, Mr. Theo. Harbin junior Warden, and Mr. James Gordon Secretary."

 

Upon this Record, we rest our claim, and unhesitatingly repeat that Solomon's Lodge No. 1, of Charleston, S. C., is the oldest Masonic body in the Western Hemisphere, the Record of whose establishment is absolutely unassailable.

 

Further on in his interesting paper Bro. Johnson says: "On St. John the Baptist's day in 1737, occurred the first public procession of the Fraternity in America," but this paragraph from the "South Carolina Gazette No. 174, From Saturday, May 21st, to Saturday, May 28th, 1737," page 3, Col. 1, completely refutes this statement, for which, by the way, no authority whatever is cited:

 

 "CHARLESTOWN, MAY 28, On Thursday Night last the Recruiting Officer was acted for the Entertainment of the ancient and honourable Society of Free and Accepted MASONS, who came to the Play House about 7 o'clock, in the usual Manner, and made a very decent and solemn Appearance; there was a fuller House on this Occasion than ever had been known in this Place before. A proper Prologue and Epilogue were spoke, and the entered Apprentices and Masters Songs sung upon the Stage, which were joined in Chorus by the Masons in the Pit, to the Satisfaction and Entertainment of the whole Audience. After the Play, the Masons return'd to the Lodge at Mr. Shepheard's, in the same order observed in coming to the Play House."

 

Note please that this was a month earlier than Bro. Johnson's date, and besides, the Brethren "came to the Play-House in the usual Manner," and "return'd in the same order observed in coming." We have ruled out all ifs and buts, nevertheless we suggest that "the usual Manner" indicates that even this was not the first occasion of a public procession of the Craft in Charleston and though the date, May 26, 1737, is sufficient proof of the inaccuracy of Bro. Johnson's statement the Craft had "probably" been long accustomed to such processions.

 

Possibly at a later date I may give some account of the magnificence with which the Great Feast of St. John the Evangelist was celebrated in the early days in Charleston.

 

----o----

 

LEAVE THEM OUTSIDE

 

Don't bring them into the lodge room,

Anger and spite and pride;

Drop at the gate of the temple

The strife of the world outside.

Forget all your cares and trials,

Forget every selfish sorrow,

And remember the cause you met for,

And haste ye the glad-to-morrow.

Drop at the gate of the temple

Envy and spite and gloom;

Don't bring personal quarrels

And discord into the room.

Forget the slights of a sister,

Forget the wrong of a brother,

And remember the new commandment

That ye love one another.

Bring your heart into the lodge room,

But leave yourself outside--

That is, your personal feeling,

Ambition, vanity, pride.

Center every thought and power

On the cause for which you assemble,

Fetter the demon selfishness,

And make ye the Old Harry tremble.

 

--Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

 

----o----

 

THE CHANCE OF LIFE

 

"Our life, with all it yields of joy and woe,

And hope and fear--believe the aged friend--

Is just our chance o' the prize of learning love."

--Browning.

 

----o----

 

GLAD EASTER DAY

 

Glad Easter Day, when Christ arose

A mighty victor o'er His foes;

He conquered death with all its gloom,

And rose triumphant from the tomb.

Ye saints and angels loud proclaim

The glories of His wondrous name.

He lives again, no more to die.

Exalt your King in earth and sky.

Glad Easter Day, bright Sabbath-morn,

When comfort came to hearts forlorn

Who sought His grave with spices sweet,

Their work of love to there complete.

They saw the place where Jesus lay,

For angels rolled the stone away,

And then this message to them gave--

That Christ had risen from the grave.

Glad Easter Day, our pledge of life

Beyond this vale of sin and strife:

For trusting souls at last shall rise

To share His glories in the skies

Till then press on His will to do.

And for your Lord be brave and true;

Keep close to Him who is the way--

The Christ who rose on Easter Day.

--N. A. McAulay.

 

----o----

 

SLAVERY

 

I never mean to possess another slave by purchase, it being among

my first wishes to see some plan adopted by which slavery in this

country may be abolished by law.

 

--Washington, 1786.

 

MASONIC RESEARCH: WHAT IT HAS DONE AND CAN STILL DO

 

BY BRO. JOHN T. THORP, ENGLAND

 

Up to within the last thirty years, the ceremonial of the three degrees through which he had passed, and which he saw repeated from time to time, was virtually all the ordinary Master Mason knew about the Fraternity of which he had become a member. He had listened to a ritual which appeared to him strangely archaic and out of date, curious words had been used the meaning of which he could only surmise, and soon he came to the conclusion that the whole thing was too old-fashioned, and antiquated, to justify further wasting time in this restless and go-ahead world. Even if he troubled to make inquiries, he could learn little or nothing of the past history of the Craft, of its origin, growth and gradual development. What wonder then that after a few years of more or less active participation, his interest waned, he became a nonaffiliate, a Mason in name only, ignorant of the glorious history of the Brotherhood, and unconscious of the grand legacy which he and his Brethren had inherited from the past?

 

PIONEER STUDENTS

 

But by slow degrees, through the last quarter of a century, this unsatisfactory condition of affairs has been improving. The movement towards a fuller knowledge and a more just appreciation of what, Masonry has been and has done in the world, commenced by a handful of enthusiastic Masonic students, has spread and developed beyond their utmost expectations and their fondest hopes. No longer must we be content to grope in the darkness of our previous ignorance; the veil has been lifted from before our eyes. We see our ancient and beloved Craft now occupying a position in the esteem and affection of the Fraternity, which in the days gone by we never imagined possible. Our lineage has been traced back through many centuries. We rejoice to know that it is to our forefathers in the Craft that we are indebted for those magnificent temples, palaces, cathedrals and abbeys which are spread over the world, which charm us with their beauty and fill us with wonder and admiration. Realizing our direct descent from the cathedral builders of the Middle Ages, whose genius adorned many lands with beauty, we begin at length to recognize a value in Freemasonry which hitherto had escaped our notice. A visit to Milan, Cologne, Westminster or York, or even the study in books of the magnificent temples of worship there, has given us a new estimate of the Society which we had before held so cheaply, and taught us more justly to prize our connection with a Fraternity, which has left behind such splendid examples of skill and industry, of noble work and pious worship.

 

MASONIC ANCESTORS

 

There has thus been established, growing in conjunction with the increasing knowledge, a legitimate pride. We are proud to belong to a society of men, that in days gone by worked so nobly for the world. No longer is there the same inclination to drift away from our allegiance to the Craft, for what we are proud of, that we rejoice in, that we cherish, that we strive to serve in our own day and generation, not indeed as our forbears did, but in ways more suitable and necessary to these modern times. Thus our increased knowledge of the past has added a charm to the present by widening the horizon, and has rendered the future radiant with a glorious promise.

 

RESEARCH LODGES

 

It is but fair to acknowledge, that much of this changed condition of affairs in the Masonic Fraternity, is the result of the unceasing labor and undying zeal of the Research Lodges and Societies, which have been established among us during the last twenty-five years. They have lighted up the past, that we can see, admire, and claim our inheritance in the glorious work of the grand old Craft; they are ceaselessly active in stimulating us to further research, in order that our knowledge and affection, advancing hand in hand, may inspire us to noble work for the present, and they bid us look forward to a gradual extension of the Masonic principles, as the basis of all human intercourse, and as foundation stones of a grand and glorious temple to be built in the days to come.

 

NEW FIELDS OF LABOR

 

The work is still very far from complete. Much, very much, remains to be done. There is a boundless field for the enthusiasm and devotion of every individual member of the National Masonic Research Society. I devoutly wish it were possible for me to speak a word that would not merely encourage you, but would impel you to the fascinating work--for even after more than forty years of Masonic Research it still fascinates me. I wish that I could so inspire and deepen your affection for the Brotherhood and its glorious past, that your best efforts might be devoted to its elevation, purification and regeneration, so that a solid foundation might be laid for its permanent welfare.

 

THE LIVING TEMPLE

 

Labor on, then, my Brothers, ours is a noble work, a glorious task- -one worthy of our best endeavors. Seek to make Freemasonry a shining light, dispersing the darkness, and illuminating all mankind with a new spirit. Strive to make it a living force, permeating our social and national life with the grand Masonic principles of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. Thus it will become a real power for good in the world, for although we should no longer be building stately temples of stone, as our ancient Brethren did, we should be contributing, in body, soul and spirit, to the erection of a sumptuous palace, an edifice of a regenerated, ennobled and glorified humanity, a temple of living souls. So mote it be.

 

----o----

 

WHEN IS A MAN A MASON?.

 

When is a man a Mason? When he can look out over the rivers, the hills, and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have faith, hope, and courage. When he knows that down in his heart every man is as noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellow man. When he knows how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, yea, even in their sins--knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many odds. When he has learned how to make friends and to keep them, and above all how to keep friends with himself. When he loves flowers, can hunt the birds without a gun, and feels the thrill of an old forgotten joy when he hears the laugh of a little child. When he can be happy and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life. When star-crowned trees, and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, subdue him like the thought of one much loved and long dead. When no voice of distress reaches his ears in vain, and no hand seeks his aid without response. When he finds good in every faith that helps any man to lay hold of higher things, and to see majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be. When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something besides mud, and into the face of the most forlorn mortal and see something beyond sin. When he knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope. When he has kept faith with himself, with his fellow man, with his God; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song-- glad to live, but not afraid to die ! In such a man, whether he be rich or poor, scholarly or unlearned, famous or obscure, Masonry has wrought her sweet ministry!

 

--Joseph Fort Newton. The Builders.

 

----o----

 

THREE KINDS OF MASONS(?)

 

There are three kinds of Masons. The Mason who has taken the degrees out of curiosity and after being accepted as a member never finds his way again to the lodge room and forgets what he has heard but not understood. The Mason who attends when an election is to take place, or when he can exhibit himself in a public procession, always pays his dues and demands to be buried with pomp and show, and the Mason who at his first inception begins to see the beauties of the Craft, and to understand its teachings, and who studies to know and serve his lodge with faithfulness. He pays every obligation, sustains his lodge, accepts every assignment of duty, and may be depended upon always for his work. The first class never produces a real Mason. The ceremonies meant nothing and can mean nothing. One wears the gilt button, but is unable to tell its meaning. The second class is a drag upon society. The recognition and benefits are demanded, and the burdens refused. The third class makes possible that progress without which the Order would long ago have fallen into decay and been buried unknown in the great pyramids of the past.

 

--Selected.

 

----o----

 

THE LOT OF US

"There is so much good in the worst of us,

And so much bad in the best of us,

That it best becomes the best of us

To praise the best in the worst of us,

And ill becomes the worst of us

To mock at the faults in the best of us.

Then let the best and the worst of us

Extol the good in the both of us

And hide the fault in the lot of us."

--Joaquin Miller.

 

MASONIC HOMES - PART 1

 

BY BRO. SILAS H. SHEPHERD. WISCONSIN

 

"The end of Masonry is not festivity. It has far higher and nobler aims. Its legitimate object is to benefit and bless mankind." (Geo. Oliver.)

 

THE oldest written records of the Craft contain positive evidence that relief of the distressed brother was one of the oldest of Masonic usages. The Mother Grand Lodge of England had barely started her career of usefulness when the Charity Fund was started in 1723 by a proposal of the Duke of Buccleigh seconded by Bro. Desagulier. This benevolent fund has been so long continued that a complete description would require volumes. Although this form of relief by the Grand Lodge is near two centuries old, the more general method of affording relief until quite recent times has been by the individual brother or by the particular lodge. This method will probably always do the greater part of the work and can not be too highly commended. It is especially effective in affording relief which is temporary in its nature.

 

The changed conditions of life have, however, modified many of our methods and made it necessary to do many things in our collective capacity which were formerly done individually.

 

The past half century has witnessed a development of our Masonic Homes. They are an established fact in 29 of our Jurisdictions and to a brief description of them we will invite your attention.

 

Alabama has a home which has been in operation about three years. It is located just out of Montgomery on an estate of 236 acres. It has assets of $133,408.83. There is a main building, hospital, cottages and a servants' house and an up-to-date barn and out buildings. It is the home of 38 adults and 85 children. The cost per capita for maintenance in 1914 was $190.13. It is supported by a per cap. tax of 50 cents. It is under the supervision of a board of control, the chairman of which is Bro. Ben M. Jacobs, a life long student of Masonic benevolence. The O. E. S. has ever been an able assistant of the brethren in promoting this good work in Alabama and built and furnished the hospital the past year.

 

Arkansas has a Masonic Orphans' Home at Batesville which was established in 1909 and consists of an estate of 100 acres with three substantial, modern, brick buildings on an elevation of about 200 feet above the surrounding country. It represents an investment of $125,000 and cares for 102 children. The cost per capita for maintenance is $198.08. It is supported by a per capita tax of 50 cents. An endowment fund is being urged as a provision for the future. The Masons of Arkansas have an institution of which they can be justly proud.

 

California has two Homes with total resources of $449,506.48,The DeSoto home was established in 1889 on an estate of 267 acres. The buildings are many, commodious and modern. The main building has a lodge room, reading room, music room, reception room, an up-to-date club for men and a sun parlor for women. There is a family of 79 men and 42 women. The cost per capita for maintenance in 1914 was $275.77. The San Gabriel home was established in 1909 and has a family of 34 boys and 27 girls. The children attend the public schools and in addition have home training along industrial lines. The cost per capita for maintenance in 1914 was $278.11. These homes are supported by a per capita tax of $1. California Masons are very enthusiastic in the support of these noble institutions and are endeavoring to raise a sufficient endowment fund to support both homes.

 

Connecticut has a home at Wallingford which was established in 1889 on an estate of 100 acres. There are at present buildings valued at about $50,000 which will be eventually replaced by modern ones at an estimated cost of $175,000. The farm is in a very prosperous condition; the gross products in 1914 being ove $11,000 worth, of which most was used for home supply. The home has total recourses of $158,015.95. The family at present numbers 136, nearly all adults. The cost per capita for maintenance is $182. It is supported by a per capita tax of 90 cents.

 

Delaware has a home at Wilmington which was established in 1912. As the size of the home is much smaller than other jurisdictions the home is more like a private residence than any we know of. It is sur rounded by beautiful grounds. The total assets are $30,141.04. There is a family of 9, all adults. The cost per capita for maintenance is $180.72. It is supported by a per capita tax of $1.

 

The District of Columbia has a home at Takoma Park which was established in 1913 and which has property to the value of about $80,000 and an endowment fund of $4080.02. The present number of residents is 25. The estimated cost per capita for maintenance is $320. It is supported by contributions of 25 cents per capita from 30 lodges and 18 O.E.S. chapters, and contributions from other bodies.

 

Florida has no home but has a "Masonic Home and Orphanage fund" of $27,866.69 and will establish a home when the fund becomes adequate. At the 1916 communication of the Grand Lodge a motion was made and carried to levy a per capita tax of 50 cents for this fund.

 

Georgia has a home at Macon which was established in 1905 on a 100 acre estate. The main building is a modern three story brick with all modern conveniences costing about $40,000. In 1914 there were 65 residents, 12 adults and 53 children. The cost per capita for maintenance was $157.88. It is supported by Grand Lodge appropriations.

 

Illinois has two homes. The LaGrange orphans' home was erected in 1910 at a cost of $100,000, and now has property valued at about $165,000. It superseded a former home in Chicago. It is the home of 101 children who receive every attention possible for their physical, mental and moral welfare. The cost per capita for maintenance is $235. The Sullivan home is for aged Masons, their wives and widows, and has been in operation, since 1904. It is located on an estate of 474 acres, 200 of which was originally donated and the balance of which has since been donated. The Grand Lodge has built substantial, commodious buildings on a 64 acre plot and this year (1915) the Royal Arch Masons erected a $70,000 hospital, making a total value of buildings $350,000. There is a family of 120. The cost per capita for maintenance is about $240. These two homes are supported by a 35 cent per capita tax.

 

Indiana is now building a Masonic Home at Franklin, on an estate of 223 acres valued at $45,000. Six buildings will be constructed at a cost of $201,000. The entire home will be free from debt. The per capita tax for the support of the home is 50 cents. The O. E. S. has contributed $32,000 of the total of $246,000 raised. The Indiana brethren will have an additional claim to Masonic progress in this great and glorious undertaking.

 

Kansas has a home at Wichita which has been in operation since 1896. The property of the home is valued at $250,000 and there is an endowment fund of $25,000. The education of the children is one of the first cares of those to whom is entrusted the management of this splendid home. Thel e is at present a family of 55 adults and 45 children. The cost per capita for maintenance is $186.51. A per capita tax of 50 cents is levied for the support of this home. The O. E. S. also contributes 50 cents per capita and in many ways assists the brethren in making it a real home.

 

Kentucky was a pioneer in Masonic home work. The Masonic Widows' and Orphans' Home, which was established in 1871, is located at Louisville and has assets of $694,016.03 of which $327,859.24 is an endowment fund. There is a family of 182 boys, 134 girls, and 24 women who find comfort and protection under its sheltering roof. The education of the children is given thorough attention. There is a printing office, a wood working department, a shoe shop and a sewing loom where many of the clothes of the family are made. The cost per capita for maintenance is $128.85. It is supported by a per capita tax of 75 cents on each Master Mason. The Old Masons' Home at Shelbyville was established in 1901, and in 1914 had property valued at 360,000. The family consists of 31 aged brethren. The cost per capita for maintenance is $226. Kentucky Masons consider the maintaining of these homes one of their most important duties.

 

Massachusetts has a home at Charlton which was opened in 1911. It is located on a beautiful estate of 397 acres. The home is valued at $104,668.06 and there is a home fund of $128,355.18 which with other funds make total assets of $244,165.94. From the opening in 1911 to November, 1914, 81 were cared for. The average number of residents in 1914 was 44, all adults. The cost per capita for maintenance was $393.27. It is supported by voluntary contributions.

 

Michigan had a home at Grand Rapids for 20 years which was burned in 1910. Mr. Ami Wright, not a member of our fraternity but having the spirit of it, gave the Grand Lodge of Michigan the present home in 1911. It was formerly a sanitarium and was remodelled to fulfill its new requirements and is now a real home of which the brethren of Michigan are justly proud. A new $25,000 hospital has been recently erected. The total value of the property is $200,000. There is a family of 95 adults. The cost per capita for maintenance is $234. It is supported by a per capita tax of 40 cents and each lodge which has a member as a resident contributes $1 per week as a stipend. Bequests of over $25,000 have been made to the home in the past three years.

 

Minnesota hopes to have a home in the near future. The funds being raised for this purpose were increased from $35,000 in 1914 to $56,000 in 1915, and the $100,000 which is the required starting point, seems only a short time away. The O. E. S. has been an able and generous assistant.

 

Mississippi has an Orphans' Home at Meridian which has been in operation five years. It cost $60,000 and in 1914 had property valued at $83,000, and an endowment fund of $112,460. In 1914 there were 112 children. The cost per capita for maintenance was $156.12. It is supported by a per capita tax of 75 cents, 50 cents of which goes into the endowment fund.

 

Missouri has a home at St. Louis which was established in 1889. It has assets as follows:

 

Endowment fund $130,948.59

Real Estate $100,000.00

Improvements $257,500.00

Furnishings $50,000.00

Total $538,448.59

 

There was erected last year a hospital costing $100,000 which is said to be a model. The family consists of 83 men, 77 women, 42 boys and 50 girls. The cost per capita for maintenance is $163.02. The education of the children is given particular attention and those who seem adapted to it are sent to business college. (To be continued)

 

----o----

 

A WORD OF GOD

 

"So then believe that every bird that sings,

And every flower that stars the elastic sod,

And every thought the happy summer brings -

To the pure spirit is a word of God."

 

 

FREEMASONS AS BUILDERS

 

SCOTTISH RITE TEMPLE AT FT. WAYNE, IND.

 

(In Volume I of THE BUILDER we presented under this title several Temples devoted to Blue Lodges and to the York Rite in its various phases. Each Temple presented possessed unique features, suited to its cost and practicability for the work intended and the costs ranged from $600,000.00 down to about $40,000.00 for the buildings exclusive of equipment. In resuming the series, we make use first of the Scottish Rite Temple in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The construction of this edifice has attracted wide attention among the Craft of all Rites, because of the ingenious manner in which the idea of a stadium has been thought out and worked out. In practical use it has shown marked advantages of convenience and efficiency where it is desired to use the floor in connection with the portrayal of degrees. That these desirable features will ultimately appear in many Temples of other than the Scottish Rite we firmly believe, and for this reason it is presented here.)

 

ALBERT PIKE'S imprint upon the Scottish Rite has so long been acknowledged as indelible that none would attempt to gainsay it. "He found it in a log cabin and left it in a Temple." The genius of his imagery and the masterpieces of portrayal, have in themselves demanded a construction more elaborate than in Blue Lodge Rooms, if the full effect is to be brought home to the candidate in the very short time ordinarily alloted to a Reunion.

 

This has been recognized in Temple planning in many different ways, during the recent rapid growth of this branch of Masonry. To some of the Brethren the construction of the modem theatre, with very slight modifications, has proven satisfactory. Others have merely added balconies to large Lodge Rooms, or have constructed stages large enough to accommodate the entire setting of any of the twenty-nine Degrees of the Rite.

 

The Brethren at Fort Wayne, however, if our information is correct, were the first to take advantage of the historical efficiency of the Stadium, avoiding, as many believe, the inconveniences of the Lodge Room type of auditorium for Scottish Rite presentation, as well as the lack of adaptability which the theatre type offers.

 

While the extelior appearance is satisfactory to the last degree, and the general formation of the building conforms to the Patriarchal Cross so significant in both the York and the Scottish Sites, yet the interior arrangement of the working room itself will, as we believe, be of greatest value to the Members of our Society, and to this we shall devote the larger part of our attention

 

The Cathedral is entered by a short stairway, between two cruciform columns - the stairway leading to a central vestibule, beyond which is a large entrance hall, flanked on one side by an elevator hall and on the other by stairways leading both up and down to othel floors. The first floor contains a banquet hall 75x82 feet, with a commodious kitchen, dish pantry, store room and every possible convenience, in the rear.

 

In the basement (not illustrated) is a corridor and elevator hall, a billiard room, a bowling alley room, also a cloak room and boiler room.

 

Ascending to the second floor, we find a library, social room, music room, Secretary's office and rest rooms. Further back is a card room, a Lodge of Perfection business room, and in the rear, under the stage, is the robing room with ample wardrobes for paraphernalia, private dressing room and private stairway up to the stage wings.

 

In the "Gallery Plan," shown elsewhere, is the work-room proper of the Consistory. The seats form three sides of the "stadium," the stage being the fourth. Under the seats are to be found a large class room, assembly room, passage way and Guard Room. The Assembly Room connects with the work room through the wide passage in the West, under the organ. The Class Room occupies the entire space under the stadium gallery on the left. (See interior illustration). The boxes for Visiting Brethren and Dignitaries of the Rite help, rather than mar, the general effect. We only wish that it were possible to present to our Members the carefully and appropriately designed art glass windows and decorative effects which have been introduced to make this $175,000.00 Temple attractive.

 

It is not difficult for Members of the Society who belong to the Scottish Rite to appreciate the compactness, accessibility and completeness of this amphitheatre. The comfort of the class is attained no less than that of the workers. The Stage is ample. Every one of the 550 spectators can witness the entire rendition of each decree. The acoustics ought to be perfect. The ventilating system has been carefully planned. Illumination is well-nigh ideal. A study of the plans of this Cathedral not only arouse the admiration of a Scottish Rite worker, - it tempts him to echo the enthusiastic sentiments of those who have been privileged to participate in the ceremonies under such auspicious conditions.

 

While the number of Blue Lodges which are planned to seat as many Brethren as this auditorium affords accommodation for, are few, yet a marked tendency is evident in modern Lodge Rooms to utilize the stadium arrangement, in a modified form. And we feel certain that this brief presentation will convince our membership that the use of the brains of a good Architect, in the planning and construction of a Masonic Temple of any kind, is in no senese a luxury, but a necessity.

 

THE AESTHETICS OF MASONRY

 

BY BRO. CHARLES H. MERZ, OHIO

 

AESTHETICS is the term used to denote the "scientific classification of the faculties through which we are enabled to appreciate the beautiful and sublime and which gives us the experience of the resulting emotions."

 

Aesthetics endeavors to translate our ideal conceptions into forms which can be understood by the common mind.

 

The term aesthetics is often improperly employed as being synonymous with affectation--the attempt to assume or exhibit what is not real or natural and the association of an aesthetic culture with Masonry is apt to be regarded with an indisposition to admit of any possible connection between them.

 

The term aesthetics, broadly interpreted, applies to everything that produces shapes and cultivates sentiment. To be aesthetic implies a faculty of being able to perceive, comprehend and enjoy the beautiful wherever it may be found.

 

As logic is the science of pure and formal thought-- aiming ultimately at truth, and ethics is a system of rules and principles concerning moral duty, so aesthetics appertains to the science of the beautiful, that quality which appeals primarily to those complex determinations of the mind which result from the cooperation of our entire rational powers and moral feelings.

 

If one follows with a sympathetic insight, the progress of our ritual and its comprehensive symbolism, which we believe to be the direct expression of a great religious experience--the utterances of men who sought to embody in terms not subject to times' law, the broad fundamental truths of man's relation to the great unknown-- then we must admit that there is an aesthetic side to Masonry.

 

UTILITY AND BEAUTY

 

The human family has been submitted to various classifications by philosophers. One has divided it into the utilizers and the beautifiers of life and the world. The former class labors strenuously for the accumulation of wealth and material comforts. It fails entirely to appreciate a Dual Principle such as is intimately incorporated into our Masonic system of teaching. It evinces no interest in endeavoring to appreciate the duality which characterizes the whole universe--riches and poverty, light and darkness, good and evil, bitter and sweet and it ignores the fact that it is the ultimate unity, so to speak, into which all the "pairs of opposites" is resolved--the complementary aspect of duality merged into perfect synthesis--that stimulates man to strive constantly for perfection.

 

This class fails to realize that no man is at liberty to neglect his own mental development and culture -- that no man in this busy world of ours has a right to so involve himself in the pursuits and cares of active life that it will be impossible for him to give both time and attention to the improvement of his own mind.

 

The utilizers make the culture of mind subordinate to success in the various employments of life and something to be pursued merely as a means to an end.

 

In order to enjoy the arts and sciences, the mind must be tranquil and at rest. The struggle for wealth or political supremacy is apt to become a passion that enslaves and robs a man of that very calmness necessary to enjoy even life itself. No reasonable man will argue against the possession of property or the acquisition of wealth through ordinary business pursuits but every thinking man will admit that it is directly injurious to become a slave to business or to engage in the pursuit of it at the expense of nervous and mental force.

 

OUR GREAT MASONIC TRIAD

 

Men who neglect to cultivate an appreciation of the beautiful--one of our great Masonic triad--who bury their talents in a one-sided life devoted to material gain, find it difficult to regain in after years what they have neglected and lost. They cannot but exclaim with the prophet, "I have no pleasure in them."

 

Observe the efforts that such men often make to derive pleasure from the very source they have neglected. Books, paintings and other art treasures are collected at countless cost but there is no genuine pleasure derived from them.

 

A love for the beautiful or at least a desire for it is inborn in man. The full embodiment of the beautiful is found only in the Great Architect of the Universe, and, as no man will ever reach moral perfection nor comprehend his might and power, so no man will ever conceive the beautiful in all its perfection, unless it be revealed to him in the great hereafter. That the Great Architect intended to develop within us a love for the beautiful is evidenced by the fact that he has created this world in which we live on so grand and wonderful a scale. He has given us the capacity for enjoying the beautiful and he has surrounded us on every side with works of surpassing and marvellous perfection and he intended that aesthetic pleasures and influences should be one of the means of advancing the human race.

 

Sensibility enables us to enjoy the beautiful and so distinguishes us from the animal. The life of the affections is essential to the full development and harmonious working of the intellect. Our sensibilities and affections are our highest faculties. They give us the nearest view of and strongest hold upon the truth. There exists a very essential connection of cause and effect between the life of the heart and that of the mind and the heights of intellectual greatness have never been reached without a keen and lofty vision and the great fundamental ideas and principles which a love for the beautiful alone inspires.

 

THE INFLUENCE OF MASONRY

 

While religion and science have done much to bring about the degree of culture which we enjoy, the influence of Masonry in this respect must not be overlooked. "Our ancient friend and brother, the great Pythagoras, taught that as God in himself is the all good--the harmony and liberty of necessity--so are all his works characterized by the imprint of harmony--that which we today teach is the strength and support of all institutions. Nature has her contrasts but these are blended into harmony. This unity in multiplicity, this harmony in contrasts, he defined as the beautiful. All his teachings were based upon the idea that in God we find the beautiful in all its perfection. It is a, remarkable fact that pagan philosophers should have built up a system which Christianity with its revelation has been unable to either add to or destroy. The Greek philosophy of the beautiful was recognized and reiterated by the church fathers and when they endow man with imagination and ideals of beauty, they accomplish nothing by way of improvement.

 

We are taught that nature and man are sin cursed. The original beauty in both is destroyed, and, as man endeavors to restore within himself the proper moral equilibrium, he must draw upon the Divine source and this, both religion and Masonry teach him to do.

 

The mind of man has ever employed itself with the lofty subject of Beauty--which together with Wisdom and Strength, Masonry teaches us are the attributes of God, whom to love and obey is the duty of all mankind.

 

Study, the cultivation of a taste for the beautiful, which in itself constitutes the highest form of self culture, enables us the better to "discover the power, the wisdom and the goodness of the great Creator as the vast proportions of the universe are revealed to us."

 

BEAUTY AND LAW

 

Pure intellect and the reasoning powers alone can never lead to an appreciation of the beautiful. Heart power and a love for study are necessary inspirations. Inspiration is the power that leads man onward, and great though it is, being of Divine origin, it must, like all else, conform to law--the rules of the beautiful. There must ever be a discernible principle of order and this discernment is what gives us aesthetic, artistic pleasure.

 

Thousands of Masons hear the beautiful truths concealed in the symbolism of our ritual but in the language of the Bible, "they have eyes and they see not: they have ears and they hear not."

 

No full and true enjoyment of the beautiful in nature can be had except by those who see the hand and hear the voice of the Eternal in his works. The beauty of but one autumn day is more than has ever entered the mind of man to conceive and such beauty makes us feel that the combined intellect and skill of humanity for ages and ages could fill but a single leaf of the immeasurable volume which bears the great Creator's imprint. After all, every creation of man is but a copy of the thoughts of God. Truth to nature is the sole test of beauty and that which departs from the great plan of the Supreme Architect has no place of honor in man's ideal world.

 

Oliver Wendell Holmes said:--"One story intellects; two story intellects; three story intellects. All fact collectors who have no aim beyond their facts, are one story men. Two story men compare, reason and generalize, using the labors of other fact collectors as well as their own. Three story men idealize, imagine, predict: their best illumination comes from above through the skylight."

 

THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

 

The true Mason appreciates the appeal that his Science and Art makes to his intellect and looks upon it as a powerful universal language, capable of awakening the noblest emotions.

 

Truth alone is worth seeking and to find the truth, no matter in what direction the human mind may travel, must be the one great effort of every intelligent Mason.

 

The true Mason should believe that the ideal of the beautiful here on earth is in man himself, who is the temple of God. The true thinker not only admires works of beauty and art, but still more the human mind that creates them and the Great Architect who has given the power to create them.

 

To read God's laws from the beauties of his creation is as heaven born a commission as to read them from his book of Revelation. If revealed religion be true, it has nothing to fear from Masonry for there can be no contradiction between the two. Just as God in ages past, sent his prophets to interpret the book of nature for man and bring him back to the paths of rectitude and truth, so he raises up men today to unfold before us the beauties of nature and her wonderful proportions and through their works of true art and interpretation, kindle and strengthen in us a love of the true and the good. Art ever glorifies the Deity in rhetoric, logic, geometry, music, astronomy and architecture and these liberal arts and sciences have for centuries been embraced in our ritualistic teachings.

 

Religion represents love and moral perfection, science represents truth and art represents beauty, while Masonry represents them all. Science is for the few, art for the many and Masonry for all.

 

SPIRITUAL BEAUTY

 

The appreciation of the beautiful rescues man from the exclusive domain of sensual and physical enjoyment. We are unconsciously yet irresistably drawn by a fellow feeling toward one who has studied the same subjects as ourselves or one who has adapted and put into vivid prominence that which we have perhaps felt but never expressed. Such coincidences of mind with mind and heart with heart are productive of the stimulating effect of mutual sympathy and the pleasure so derived is called aesthetic.

 

The truest theory of the enjoyment of the beautiful is that it raises man from the grosser cares of the world and gives him glimpses of the higher life--all of which demonstrates that religion, Masonry and Art are closely related in their origin and effect and that the aesthetic appreciation of the beautiful embodied in each, is intended to make every Mason a better and purer man.

 

When we turn to the sciences, we find that Geometry does not concern itself with the essence of natural bodies. It fixes upon the notion of extension, a notion independent of the senses and with this perfectly ideal and abstract datum, it develops the vast series of its structures and theorems. It is an idea--not any being in itself and hence is eternal and unchangeable. The angle comprehended in the square, though the material square may decay and crumble to dust, is indestructible and returns to God who gave it. How beautifully this applies to the Masons' work with the use of these simple implements and figures. They enclose and embrace a great number of things under a comprehensive design and the study of them has a tendency to make an easily comprehended whole out of a numerous host of particulars.

 

THE LODGE JEWELS

 

As the sculptor and painter exercise the vocation of producing portraits that shall hand down to future ages the precise lineaments of men and women of their generation, so the conscientious Masonic student who has cultivated a love for the beautiful as embodied in his Lodge Jewels, in his last hour, cannot feel that his work is done but deems it just begun as he emerges from the routine of earthly duty into a larger and loftier sphere of activity offered him in that "all perfect, glorious and celestial Lodge above where the Great Architect of the Universe presides."

 

There is danger that we look down, as from a superior point of view, upon times when the symbolism of our ritual consisted of "geometrical and mathematical verities that were the jealously guarded secrets of a powerful priesthood"--when the very ability to conceal the truths of nature was a measure of greatness--there is danger that we fail to look up.

 

Beauty and truth are in sacred and holy harmony and the mind that is influenced by the spirit of the beautiful is enabled to comprehend more readily all the proportions, evidences and relations of truth. It is at this point that man's soul, in which the beauty of creation meets with an unhesitating response, enters more easily and sympathetically into a close communion with the Divine mind, which is the perfection of character.

 

While we of today have found many things better than men used to seek and strive for, we may yet fall into the error of not recognizing and fully appreciating the supremely good and beautiful that everywhere surrounds us.

 

----o----

 

WORTH-WHILE LOVE

 

The nations all admire the man

Who loves his native land,

And quickly to its calls responds

With willing heart and hand:

Whose all is on the altar laid

His country to protect;

We always feel that such a man

Has won the world's respect.

We therefore love this land of ours,

Its people, hills and plains;

We strive to keep it pure and free

From every vice that stains.

Our starry banner waves to shield

The cause of truth and right:

Its land-marks are our joy and pride,

Its triumphs our delight.

But ought our love for any land

Be so supremely great

That we must treat a brother man

With bitter scorn and hate ?

Because his earthly lot is cast

Upon another soil,

Have we a right to blight his home

And claim his all as spoil ?

No, we must firmly hold this truth,

And boldly for it stand,

That love to man can never yield

To love for native land.

For did not God decree it thus

When first the world began--

That nothing else could take the place

Of love of man for man.

 

--Neal A. McAulay, Lyons, Iowa.

 

A MODERN MASONIC PHILOSOPHER

 

BY BRO. FRANCIS W. SHEPARDSON, ILLINOIS

 

PHILOSOPHICAL in title and deeply philosophical in their interpretation of the study and thought of the wise men of Freemasonry, Dr. Roscoe Pound's "Lectures on the Philosophy of Freemasonry" reflect in admirable fashion the ideal and the earnest purpose of the National Masonic Research Society, which has just re-published them in attractive and convenient form. The lectures were prepared primarily for members of the Acacia Fraternity, the college secret society which is composed of Master Masons. They were delivered also either in part or in their entirety before the Grand Lodges of Nebraska and of Massachusetts. They made the most striking series published in the first volume of "The Builder," and many who read them first in the periodical will be happy now to have them in compact book form for the library shelf.

 

Professor Pound's discontent with the ordinary aimless speeches made in Masonic lodges by visiting brethren first led him to determine to try to give out something of real value when, as often was the case, he himself was called upon to respond "for the good of the order." A thorough student, ever seeking foundation principles upon which to build, and so paving in his own field of legal inquiry a sure road that led him eventually to the coveted chair of Carter professor of jurisprudence in Harvard University, he found in the marvelous mechanism of Masonry just the sort of inspiration to investigation that appealed strongly both to his nature and to his philosophical training. Of the five departments of Masonic study, Ritual, History, Philosophy, Symbolism and Law, he chose the one dealing with Masonic fundamentals, and then proceeded, with wide reading and rare insight, in the preparation of the "Lectures," which are certain to be counted of high value by those who, without his patience, application, or constructive energy, will not pursue individual researches but will turn to his carefully-phrased pages for their own enlightenment.

 

In the titles alone there is an appealing subtlety which attracts attention right at the start and is certain to prove stimulating to the thoughtful mind. The wealth of materials is revealed; the breadth and depth of the inquiry is reflected; the unfolding development of the institution is made clear; the comprehensive character of Masonry is magnified. In Preston, Krause, Oliver and Pike are found, in order, the exponents of Masonry in its relation to education, to morals and law, to religion, to metaphysics and the problem of reality. And then, climacteric in position and of deep significance to the Mason of today and tomorrow, is the study-of the relation of Masonry to civilization, an attempt to answer the three questions, ever present and ever pressing, What is the purpose of Masonry, What is its place in a rational scheme of human activity ? How does Masonry achieve its end?

 

Philosophy in itself is not an easy subject. Its problems are large. The nature of reality, the conduct of life, the relation of the human being to the universe, are topics which carry the mind to the border land of infinity. The terminology of the study is difficult for the uninitiated and untrained. But there are few who pass the outer gates into the Kingdom of Masonry who do not at times ponder these themes and feel the longing of the mind for light upon them. To interpret the thought of Masonic philosophers and phrase it in terms intelligible to any one who will read carefully and consecutively is no slight undertaking; to succeed in it is a distinct triumph. This Professor Pound has done.

 

He gives the reader the key to the mysteries. The student of the Masonic philosophers needs "chiefly to connect the Masonic thinking of these masters of the philosophy of the Craft with the general thought of the time and place in which they wrought and to perceive the problems raised by the civilization of those times and places in their relation to the ethical and social problems of today."

 

No better plan for the accomplishment of this ideal could have been followed than that of this volume. For, in the case of the four philosophers studied, the story of each is fitted into a sort of mold. Who was the man? What were the prevailing characteristics of the period in which he lived and thought? What was his conception of the meaning of Masonry? The review of the biographical and environmental details involved in answering the first two queries is so stimulating and suggestive as to make the careful reading of the "Lectures" well worth while to any Mason, even if he be neither disposed nor equipped to follow the close thought connected with the answer to the last question.

 

The fifth lecture is a natural outcome of the other four. No one can learn what Preston, Krause, Oliver and Pike thought, each in his own day and generation, without applying their views of the philosophy of the Craft to present conditions. Times change and we change with them. So of this institution of ours. If it is to have a vital part in twentieth-century affairs, it must relate itself to twentieth-century thought. But it is far easier to look back upon a-completed story than to interpret clearly what is passing through the minds of contemporary-men. It is not at all improbable, therefore, that the Masonic student of tomorrow, reading with pleased satisfaction the Pound "Lectures," will find their greatest value in the discussion of the Masonic philosophy of today by a writer of such keen intellect, logical force, and clarity of expression as the author is. Masonry today achieves its end "by its insistence on the solidarity of humanity, by its insistence on universality, and by the preservation and transmission of an immemorial tradition of human solidarity and of universality."

 

The three centuries tell of knowledge, of the individual moral life, of the universal human life. It is a story of steady advance. It is the cumulative, constructive, forward-looking development of life toward "that divine, far-off event, toward which the whole creation moves." So we give this volume of Masonic "Lectures" high rank in the literature of philosophy, convinced that it will find increased appreciation as the days and years roll by.

 

And since it was written avowedly for students, its concluding pages contain a carefully selected and classified bibliography for the encouragement of those earnest souls who may wish, for themselves, to make excursions, now and then, into fields of investigation which are certain to yield rich returns to the inquirer.

 

One who reads this book appreciates how Professor Pound has heeded that obligation taken by the little group which with Benjamin Franklin as its inspiring genius formed the "Junto," each member of which promised, with his hand on his heart, "to love the truth for the sake of the truth, to seek diligently for it, and when found, to make it known to others."

 

----o----

 

THE TEMPLE

 

By Brother Lawrence N. Greenleaf.

 

The Temple made of wood and stone may crumble and decay,

But there's a viewless fabric which shall never fade away,

Age after age each Mason strives to carry out his plan,

But still the work's unfinished which those ancient Three began.

None but immortal eyes may view complete in all its parts,

The Temple formed of Living Stones - the structure made of hearts.

 

* * * * * *

 

'Neath every form of government, in every age and clime,

Amid the world's convulsions and the ghastly wrecks of time,

While empires rise in splendor and are conquered and o'erthrown,

And cities crumble in the dust, their very sites unknown.

Beneath the sunny smile of peace, the threatening frown of strife,

Lo ! Masonry has stood unmoved - with age renewed her life.

She claims her votaries in all climes, for none are under ban,

Who place implicit trust in God, and love their fellow man.

The heart that shares another's woe, beats just as warm and true

Within the breast of Christian, or Mohammedan, or Jew.

She levels all distinctions from the highest to the least,

The Kings must yield obedience to the peasant in the East.

 

* * * * * *

 

What honored names on history's page, o'er whose brave deeds we pore,

Have knelt before our sacred shrine, and trod the checkered floor !

Kings, princes, statesrnen, heroes, bards, who squared their actions true,

Between the Pillars of the Porch, they pass in long review.

O brothers! what a glorious thought for us to dwell upon;

The mystic tie which binds our hearts, bound that of WASHINGTON.

Although our past achievements we with conscious pride review,

As long as there's lough Ashlal s there is work for us to do.

We still must shape the Living Storie with instrument of love,

For that eternal Mansion in the Paradise above.

Toil as we've toiled in ages past, to carry out the plan -

'Tis this: The Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of Man.

 

----o----

 

EPITAPH

 

When the dust of the workshop it still,

The dust of the workman at rest,

May some generous heart find a will

To seek and to treasure his best.

From the splendor of hopes that deceived;

From the wonders he planned to do;

From the glories so nearly achieved;

From dreams that so nearly came true;

From his struggle to rise above earth

On the pinions that could not fly;

From his sorrows; oh, seek for some worth

To remember the workman by.

If in vain; if Time sweeps all away,

And no laurel from that dust springs;

'Tis enough that a loyal heart say,

"He tried to make beautiful things."

--Eden Phillpotts.

 

LEGENDS OF KING SOLOMON

 

BY BRO. GEO. W. WARVELLE, ILLINOIS

 

THROUGH all the degrees of the American system of Freemasonry there runs a coherent and connected series of legends concerning King Solomon. Indeed, it may properly be said that, he is the central and commanding figure of the system: the pivot around which all of its incidents revolve. In this paper, however, I shall confine myself to a discussion of some of the legends as they are found in the Capitular degrees.

 

For all of our knowledge concerning King Solomon we are dependent on the books of Kings and Chronicles. There are no contemporary records, nor does he receive any mention in the earlier books written after his time. The book of Kings, which is arbitrarily divided in our English Bible into two books, was written about four hundred years after Solomon's death and the work of the Chronicler was not performed until more than six hundred years after that event. The account in Kings is regarded by the biblical scholars as embodying a genuine Solomon legend, but the later story as told in Chronicles is not considered as historical, except as to matters borrowed directly from the earlier version.

 

Among other Masonic traditions there is one which says, that after Solomon had reigned many years over Israel he became very feeble and was obliged to receive assistance in a peculiar manner. Without in any way denying the veracity of the tradition I am yet inclined to inquire: By what authority is it supported? Certainly not by scripture, for about all that is written with respect to his latter days is: "And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father." I Kings xi-43; and see, II Chron. ix-35. When, where or how he died; whether from accident, infirmity or old age, we do not know. Still, as he reigned for forty years it is not unlikely, in view of his extensive domestic establishment, that he may have become a trifle infirm with advancing years.

 

In II Chron. ix-29 it is written: "Now the l est of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the Prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat."

 

But alas ! The book of Nathan we have never seen and of the prophecy of Ahijah, the Shilonite, we are equally ignorant. Of course, it is just possible that the framers of the P. M. degree may have had access to these lost books, or, peradventure, they may have obtained their information from the Inspectors General of the Rite of Perfection, to whom all of the knowledge of the world was as an open book.

 

* * *

 

But, if the Scriptures furnish us with little information relative to Solomon's latter days there is yet a wealth of tradition upon which we may draw. From the Chronicle of Abou-djafar Mohammed Tabari, it seems that Solomon attained only to the age of fifty-five years and that the larger portion of his life was spent in the building of the temple. In this work he was greatly assisted by the Jinns (Genii) whom he pressed into his service. And, so the story runs, towards the end of his life he often visited the temple, remaining there for a month or more wholly absorbed in prayer, and while he was thus standing, with bowed head, in an humble attitude before God, no one ventured to approach him.

 

Solomon knew that the temple was not completed, and that if he died, and the Jinns knew of it, they would at once desist from their work. Wherefore, being conscious of his approaching end, he prayed Yahwe that in the event of his death the fact might be hidden from the Jinns until the temple should be finished. And Yahwe heard the prayer. So Solomon died in the temple, leaning upon his staff, with his head bowed in adoration. And his soul was taken so gently from him by the Angel of Death, that the body remained standing; and so it remained for a whole year, and those who saw him thought he was but deeply engaged in prayer, and they ventured not to approach him. Meanwhile the Jinns worked day and night until the temple was finished. Then the body fell and they knew that Solomon was dead.

 

* * *

 

The M. E. M. degree presents King Solomon in one of the most pleasing phases of his many sided character. The main incidents of the degree are but expansions of the Masonic legend, and, notwithstanding the introduction of the biblical prayer of dedication, are wholly unsupported by Scripture. Yet, as the prayer, and its resultant, occupies a prominent place in the ceremony we may profitably pause a moment and consider it.

 

The earlier scriptural account of the dedication, as found in I Kings viii, is regarded by the biblical scholars as a late composition. This, they say, is evident from the fact that the entire narrative is saturated with the Deuteronomic spirit while the prayer put in the mouth of the king, in style and ideas, is centuries later than the building of the temple. Neither does it comport with the character of Solomon as shown in the earlier traditions. From these latter it would appear that the real Solomon was not a particularly devout person; that his worship of Yahwe, as the tribal God, was perfunctory only; that he was tolerant of the religious beliefs of those around him, and was easily influenced by them to regard with favor the more sensuous worship of Moab and Ammon. Particularly is this true when we view his relations with the "strange women," who seem to have found him an easy mark.