The Builder Magazine
July 1921 - Volume VII - Number 7
Memorials to Great Men Who Were Masons
GENERAL DAVID WOOSTER
BY BRO. GEO. W. BAIRD,P.G.M., District of Columbia
GENERAL WOOSTER was born in Stratford, Conn., March 2, 1710, and died in Danbury, May 2, 1777, where the beautiful marble column, surmounted by the American eagle has been erected to his memory.
David Wooster was graduated at Yale College in 1732. When war broke out in 1739 between England and Spain he entered the provincial army as a lieutenant, and was soon afterward promoted to the captaincy of a vessel built and armed by the colony as a guarda costa, or coast-guard. At that time piracy was not uncommon, and pirates and freebooters were taking advantage of war conditions. In 1740 he married Miss Clapp, daughter of the President of Yale College.
In 1745 we observe his first movements in military life as a captain in Colonel Burr's Connecticut Regiment and he distinguished himself in the expedition against Louisburg. From Cape Breton he went to Europe in command of a cartel-ship but was not allowed to land in France, so he sailed for England where he was received with great honors. He was presented to the king, became a great favorite at court, and was made a captain in the regular service under Sir William Pepperell. When the French and Indian war began he was commissioned a Colonel of the Third Connecticut Regiment and was later promoted to Brigadier General. He served to the end of the War in 1763, and then became Collector of Customs in New Haven.
Wooster was 65 years of age when the Revolutionary War broke out and though still holding rank and pension in the British Service, he resigned them and entered the American Army. He was one of the originators of the attack on Ticonderoga which was captured and destroyed in 1775. When the Continental army was organized a few weeks later he received the appointment of Brigadier-General, third in rank. He was in command in Canada in the spring of 1776. In the same year he had a command in the unfortunate campaign of Montgomery, shared in the defeat, and was subjected to a court of inquiry but was acquitted. Shortly after he was appointed a Major‑General in the Connecticut Militia. During the winter of 1776-77 he was employed in protecting his State against the enemy and was in command at Danbury when Governor Tryon made his attack. Near Ridgefield he led a body, of militia in pursuit of the invader and in an engagement on Sunday, April 27, 1777, was fatally wounded by musket-ball.
David Wooster was the first Master of a Mason lodge in Connecticut, becoming Master of Hiram Lodge in 1750. He took a keen interest in the Craft, and was regular in attendance to the end of his life. He was the idol of the brethren of the good old nutmeg State.
ROMAN CATHOLICISM AND FREEMASONRY
BY BRO. DUDLEY WRIGHT, ENGLAND
PART III
IN THE YEAR following the release of Coustos - 1744 - the Madrid Inquisition tribunal sentenced to abjuration de levi and banishment from Spain, Don Francisco Aurion de Roscobel, Canon of Quintanar, for membership of the Freemasons.
A Papal Bull to be operative in any country must be published in that country, and this not having been done in Switzerland, the papal bulls had no locus standi or authority there, but, in 1745, an astonishing edict was promulgated by the Council of Berne. It was worded as follows:
"We, the Advoyer, the little and great council of the city and republic of Berne, make known to all men by these presents: Having learnt that a certain societys named Freemasons, spreads itself every day more and more into all the cities and towns under our government, and that the persons who have joined the said society are received under various solemn engagements, and even by oath: Wherefore, having seriously reflected upon the consequences thereof and considered that such meetings and associations are directly contrary to the fundamental laws and constitutions of our country, and, in particular, to the protection required on our part to discountenance any assemblies under our government, without our knowledge and express permission: Moreover, it has appeared to us, that if an effectual remedy was not immediately taken, the consequence of that neglect might be dangerous to the State; For these reasons, and through our paternal affection as much for the public good and private advantage of all our citizens and subjects, we have found it absolutely necessary to dissolve and totally abolish the said society, which we do by these presents; and henceforth, for ever, we forbid, annul, and abolish in all our territories and districts, to all persons that now are or shall hereafter come under our dominions; and we do, in the first place ordain and decree, that all those, our citizens and subjects, who are actually known to be Freemasons, shall be obliged immediately to adjure by oath the engagements they have taken in the said society, before the bailiff or officer of the district where they live, without delay. And as to our citizens and subjects who actually are Freemasons, and not publicly known to be such, and who, nevertheless, at present reside in our dominions, or may hereafter came under our obedience, our sovereign will and pleasure is, that those who shall be found in our dominions, shall be bound to renounce their obligation in the space of one month from the date hereof: and those who are absent must submit to the same terms, to be reckoned from the date of their return, not only to accuse themselves, but to adjure and renounce their engagements, those who present themselves in our capital city, to the reigning Advoyer and in other cities, and in the country, to the bailiff of the place; and from them they shall receive assurance of safety to their persons, if they abjure and renounce their obligations without delay, in the same form as all other Masons are obliged to do.
"Upon failure in any part hereof, they shall all undergo the punishment hereafter declared. But to the end that no person shall dare, for the time to come, to entice, tempt, solicit, or be so enticed, tempted, or solicited, to engage him or themselves, into this same society of Freemasons, we have thought fit to ordain and decree as follows:
"That all those Masons who shall hold their assemblies in our dominions, or entice, tempt, or solicit others into their associations, as well as all our citizens and subjects in our dominions, and elsewhere, as also those who have been set at liberty, shall for the future frequent such assemblies, they shall all and every one of them be subjected to the fine of one hundred crowns, without remission; and likewise be deprived of whatever place, trust, benefit, or employment he shall now hold; and if they have no present employment or office, shall be rendered incapable of holding such for the time to come.
"And touching the place or lodge where these kind of assemblies are held for the future, the person or persons who shall let or furnish them with the house, room, or place, for the holding of such lodge, shall be subjected to the same fine of one hundred crowns; one- third of which to the informer, one-third to the bailiff of the place, and one-third to the hospitals, or fund of the poor, where such assemblage shall be held. Let it be well understood that all offenders who shall leave our dominions, in order to avoid the payment of the said fine, shall be banished from our dominions for ever, or till they shall have paid it, upon pain of death. We moreover reserve at pleasure, to punish with more or less vigour, according to the case of the person so rendering himself up to our sovereign pleasure, or those who, notwithstanding their abjuration, shall have again entered into the society, or frequent any of their assemblies.
"We do finally ordain and command, that all our bailiffs and ministers of justice do cause these presents to be published in all churches, and to be affixed up in the accustomed places, and see that these our commands are strictly and faithfully executed.
"Given in our Great Council the 3rd of March, 1745."
In the same year the Town Council of Geneva renewed an edict against the Craft which it had issued in the previous year, but of which no one had taken any notice. The second edict appears also to have had little effect, for lodges were continually being formed in Geneva though they do not seem to have been permanent until 1768, when the Lodge of Hearts, the first in Geneva to keep a Minute Book, was founded. Although there was in France, in 1748, a discussion among the Roman Catholic clergy as to whether a parishioner who was a Freemason should be permitted to receive the Sacraments, when six doctors of the Sorbonne passed some resolutions which declared Freemasonry to be pernicious and bad, the Parlement of Paris refused to register the Bull of Clement XII, and when, in 1750, the Jubilee attracted crowds of pilgrims to Rome, so many had to seek that relief on 18th May, 1751, Benedict XIV was led to revive the Masonic prohibition in his Bull Provides.
The wording of that Bull was as follows:
"Wherein some Societies or Conventicles of Liberi Muratori, or Freemasons, or however else named, are again condemned and prohibited.
"Benedict, Bishop, Servant of the Servants of God. For the permanent record of the matter.
"The prudent laws of our predecessors, the Roman Pontiffs, the vigour of which we fear may either by lapse of time or neglect of man be weakened or destroyed and that they may have fresh force and full strength, and we think there is just and weighty cause for their need of strengthening and confirming by the fresh fortification of our authority.
"It is true that our predecessor of happy memory, Pope Clement XII, by his Apostolic Letter, dated 28th April, 1738, in the eighth year of his Pontificate, inscribed to all the faithful in Christ, commencing with the words In Eminenti, condemned in perpetuity and prohibited all such societies, meetings, gatherings, clubs, conventicles, or clubs known as Liberi Muratori, or Freemasons, then widely distributed in various parts, and growing in strength daily, instructing the faithful in Christ, all and singly, under pain of excommunication, from which no one could be absolved by any other than the Roman Pontiff for the time being, except at the hour of death, and that none should dare or presume to enter societies of this kind, or to propagate, foster, admit, or conceal them, or be enroled in them, or take part in their proceedings, and much more to the same effect as may be seen from the Letter which was as follows."
Then followed in extenso the Bull of Clement XII, as given on Roman Catholicism and Freemasonry part 2. After this recapitulation, Pope Benedict XIV proceeded:
"Since, however, as we have heard, there have been some who have not hesitated to assert and openly contend that the aforesaid penalty of excommunication imposed by our predecessor, as set forth above, is no longer effective because the preceding Constitution has not been confirmed by us, as though the express confirmation of a pontifical successor is required for the subsistence of Apostolic Constitutions issued by predecessors
"And since also it has been suggested to us some pious and God-fearing men that with the object of doing away with all quibbling and subterfuge of quibblers, that we should declare the agreement of our mind and will with that of our predecessor, and they regard it as highly expedient to add the support of our confirmation to the Constitution of our predecessor:
"We, although up to the present, whilst we have conceded absolution to many faithful in Christ who were truly penitent and contrite at having violated the terms of the same Constitution, and who sincerely promised that they would wholly withdraw from the condemned Societies or Conventicles, and never afterwards return to them, both before and especially in Jubilee year which has just elapsed, and whilst we have granted faculties to Penitentiaries deputed by us, enabling them in our name and authority to grant the like absolution to penitents of the same class who applied to them; whilst also with anxious zeal and vigilance we have not failed to urge that proceedings should be taken in accordance with the measure their offence against the violators of the same Constitution, by competent judges and tribunals - a service, in fact, often rendered - although we have thus given plain and unquestioned proofs of our sentiments, of our firm and deliberate will as regards the force subsistence of the censure imposed by our said predecessor, Pope Clement XII, from which our opinion ought quite plainly to have been inferred: and if a contrary opinion of us were circulated we might regard with indifference and contempt and leave our judgment in the hands of Almighty God, making use of the words which, as is well known, were recited formerly during sacred actions: 'Grant, Lord, we pray Thee, that we may not regard the abuse of reprobate liars, but, trampling underfoot the same wickedness, we implore Thee to suffer us not to be terrified by their abuse, neither entangled by their treacherous flatteries.' Thus stands in our ancient Missal, which is ascribed to St. Gelasius, our predecessor, and which was published that Venerable Servant of God, Joseph Maria Cardinal Thomas, in the Mass entitled: 'Against them who speak against us.' "Howsoever, lest anything unwittingly omitted us might seem to have weight, and with the object of doing away with such false calumny and stopping the same, after hearing the counsel of some Venerable brethren of the Holy Roman Church, we have decided on the confirmation by the present document of the same Constitution as our predecessor, as above, inserting word for word, in the specific form held to be the amplest and most effective. Accordingly, from certain knowledge, and in the plentitude of our Apostolic authority, by the tenor of these presents, in everything and throughout, exactly as if it had first been published in our own motion and authority and name, we confirm, corroborate, and renew it and will it to have perpetual force and efficacy, and do so decree.
"Furthermore, among the gravest causes of the before mentioned prohibition and condemnation set forth in the Constitution inserted above, one is that men of every religion and sect are associated together in the societies and conventicles of this character; from which circumstance it is obvious how great an injury may be inflicted on the purity of the (Roman) Catholic Religion; a second is the close and impenetrable bond of secrecy whereby the proceedings of such Conventicles are kept hidden, to which may deservedly be applied the sentiment expressed by Caecilius Natalis in Minucius Felix, in a very different cause: 'Things honourable always delight in publicity: crimes are secret.' A third is the oath whereby the members bind themselves to keep a secret of the kind inviolably; as though it where lawful for anyone under pretext of any promise or oath, to protect himself from being bound to confess, when questioned by legitimate authority, all that is demanded for the purpose of ascertaining whether anything is done in Conventicles of this character contrary to the existence of religion, the state, and the laws. A fourth is that Societies of this description are known to be in opposition to civil no less than canonical sanctions, for it is well known that by Civil Law all Colleges and Sodalities are prohibited if formed irrespective of public authority, as may be seen in the 47th Book of the Pandects, Tit. 22: 'On Unlawful Colleges and Corporations,' and in the well-known epistle of Caius Plinius Secundus, Book X, 87, in which he says that, by his edict, in accordance with the mandate of the Emperor, the formation of Heteriae was forbidden, that is to say, the formation and holding of Societies and Conventicles without the authority of the Prince. A fifth is that already in many quarters the said Societies and Meetings have been banished and proscribed by the laws made by secular princes. Lastly, because these same Societies were of ill repute among wise and virtuous men, and, in their judgment, all who joined them incurred the brand of depravity and perversion.
"Our same predecessor, in concluding the above inserted Constitution, calls on the Bishops, higher Prelates, and other local Ordinaries not to omit, for its due execution, if need be the invocation of the secular arm.
"These injunctions, all and singly, are not only approved and confirmed by us and commended and enjoined on the same Ecclesiastical Superiors, but we ourselves also in accordance with our duty of Apostolic solicitude, by our present letters, invoke the aid of all secular powers and their assistance in carrying into effect the measures above set forth, and we most urgently demand it, since the Sovereign Princes and Powers have been chosen by God to be Defenders of the Faith and Protectors of the Church; and since it is their duty by all reasonable means to show the obedience due to the Apostolic Constitutions, and the fullest observance of them; whereof they have been reminded by the Fathers of the Council of Trent, Session xxv, cap. 20, long before in the excellent declaration of the Emperor Charlemagne in Tit. 1, C. 2, of his Capitularies, where, after demanding from all his subjects observance of Ecclesiastical Sanctions, he adds: 'For we can in no way recognize how men can be faithful to us who have shewn themselves disobedient to their own priests, and unfaithful to God.' Wherefore, enjoining on all ministers and agents of government absolutely to enforce due obedience to the laws of the Church, he announced the severest penalty against those who neglected to grant it adding, amongst other things: 'But, whoever amongst them (which God forbid) shall neglect and be disobedient to these laws, let them know that they neither continue to hold office in our Empire, even though they should be our own children, nor have place in the Palace, nor keep company nor any communication with us and ours, but rather shall they undergo punishment in solitude and wretchedness.'
"Further, we will that the same credit be given to copies of these presents, under the subscription of some Public Notary and guaranteed by the Seal of a Person of Ecclestical Dignity, exactly as would have been given to the original letter if produced and exhibited.
"Let no man, therefore, regard it as lawful to infringe or with rash daring contravene this document of our confirmation, renewal, approval, charge, appeal, requisition, decree, and will. And if anyone presume to attempt this, let him know that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God, of Saints Peter and Paul, and of the Apostles.
"Dated from Rome, St. Mary the Greater, A. D. 1751, 18th May, in the 11th year of our Pontificate." (Signed)
"Registered in the Secretariat of the Briefs, A. D., 18th May, in the 11th year of the Pontificate of the Most Holy in Christ, our Father and Lord Benedict XIV, by Divine Providence Pope. Accordingly, the above mentioned Constitution was affixed and published on the doors of the Lateran Basilica, and of the Chief of the Apostles, and in other customary and usual places by me, Francis Bartolotti, Apostolic Pursuivant."
The Bull was published in various dioceses, though not throughout the Catholic world, and, therefore, was only partially operative, and did not call for universal obedience among Roman Catholics, for, as already stated, a Bull only becomes operative in its Provisions and demands and obligations when and where published.
When the Bull was published in a diocese it was always accompanied with a letter from the Archbishop or Bishop. The following copy of the Ordinance issued by the Archbishop of Avignon may be taken as a sample of these communications:
"Ordinance for the publication of the Bull of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XIV, which condemns and forbids anew the Societies of so-called Freemasons, invoking the arm and aid of Princes and secular Powers.
"JOSEPH DE GUYON DE CROCHANS, by the grace of God and of the Apostolic See, Archbishop of Avignon.
"TO THE CLERGY, Secular and Regular, and to all the Faithful of our diocese, Greeting and Benediction in our Lord Jesus Christ.
"We have long lamented, my very dear brethren, in the privacy of our heart, the surprising blindness of some amongst you who allowing themselves to be seduced by the artifices of the Devil, and giving way to the deceptive zest for unhappy novelty, rashly engage in the Societies of so-called Freemasons, and persist obstinately in so doing, in spite of the prohibition which has been issued by the Apostolic See under the most terrible of ecclesiastical penalties, Major Excommunication reserved for the Supreme Pontiff.
"The sacred Jubilee, which appears to have revived the faith and religion nearly extinct in many among you, causing a cessation of secret assemblies of these suspected associations, had raised the hope in us that we had happily seen the end of them among our flock. The Constitution which our Holy Father Pope Benedict XIV, happily reigning, has just published against these same Societies will, as we hope, destroy them entirely and crown our righteous desires.
"We hasten, my very dear brethren, to acquaint you with this Bull, so worthy of its author: you will see in it fresh marks of the zeal and wisdom of this great Pontiff whom the Christian universe does not cease to admire, you will see in it the solemn confirmation of the Bull which his predecessor, Pope Clement XII, of happy memory, had promulgated in the year 1738 against the Societies of so-called Freemasons, and those among you who may still be of that number, cannot avoid being seriously alarmed at having merited the thunders of the Church.
"For this it is necessary to give you a precis of the contents of the Bulls of these great Popes. They concur unanimously in overwhelming you with the weight of their authority if you have the misfortune to continue still in Societies solemnly condemned by the Vicar of Jesus Christ.
"It is, then, in virtue of holy obedience, that the successor of the Apostle Peter lays strict commands on all and each of the Faithful, of whatever age, rank, condition, order, dignity, and preeminence, be they laics, be they clerics, be they seculars, be they regulars, though they might claim to have express and individual mention made of them, that none of them under any colour or pretext whatever, venture or presume to introduce, adhere to, and maintain the Societies of so-called Freemasons, or by whatever name they are called; or to receive and shelter them in their houses or elsewhere; or to engage in them, associate in them, be present at them; or to give permission or facility for assembling there; or to provide them with anything, or to give them advice, help, or favour in any matter whatever, of oneself or through another, directly or indirectly in public or in private; or to exhort, induce, and encourage others to enrol themselves in these Societies, or to persuade them to join them, be present at them, or to help and support them in any manner; but that they shall be bound to keep wholly aloof from these Societies, Aggregations, Companies, and Conventicies under pain of Excommunication, incurred by the mere fact, without there being need of formal notice; from which there can be no absolution, except on the point of death, unless by the Supreme Pontiff.
"The reasons for a prohibition and condemnation so express, which His Holiness is graciously pleased to state in his Bull are worthy of his wisdom, and well fitted to induce you to renounce altogether practices the improprieties and dangers of which they so earnestly set forth.
"The first of these reasons is that from men of every kind of religion and sect uniting together, and binding one another in these Societies and Assemblies, the purity of the (Roman) Catholic religion, the sole verity, cannot but suffer, sooner or later, great injury.
"The second is the strict law of impenetrable secrecy under which all that goes on in such assemblies is carefully concealed.
"The third is the oath by which one engages to keep the secret inviolably, as though it were permitted under any pretext of promise or oath whatever to shield oneself from making complete avowal when interrogated by lawful authority in order to ascertain whether anything is done in their assemblies that may be contrary to Religion or State.
"The fourth is that Societies of this kind are not less opposed to Civil Laws than to the Canonical and Ecclesiastical Ordinances, the Civil Law prohibiting Societies which are formed without public authority.
"The fifth is that these Societies and these Conventicles have already been proscribed and banished from several states by the authority of Secular Princes.
"Finally, the last of these reasons is that these same Associations and Assemblies are thought ill of by the wise and virtuous, and that in their judgment whoever connects himself with them, gives occasion to suspect him of irregularity and disorder.
"Pope Clement XII, in his Constitution of 1738, had ordered Bishops, Higher Prelates, and other local Ordinaries, as well as the Inquisitors of the Faith, to seek out diligently violators of the Constitution, to proceed against them, of whatever age, rank, condition, order, dignity, and preeminence they were, and to punish them with suitable penalties, as being strongly suspected of heresy, giving with that object free power to invoke, if necessary, the aid of the secular arm. His Holiness renews to us today the command of his predecessor and as a result of his Apostolic solicitude, he urgently invokes the aid and support of Catholic Princes, for the execution of his Bull in their dominions; he tells them they are set by God to be defenders of the Faith, and Protectors of the Church, and to animate their zeal to fulfil these glorious functions. His Holiness reminds them of these beautiful words of the pious Emperor Charlemagne in the first Tit. of his Capitularies, Ch. 2: 'We cannot possibly recognize as faithful to us those who show themselves unfaithful to God and to their priests.'
"Such, my very dear brethren, is the ardent zeal which our Holy Father the Pope exhibited for the destruction of the societies and Assemblies of Freemasons.
"For these reasons, in pursuance of the intentions and orders of His Holiness, and in execution of his Bull, we order that it be published at the altar of each parish of this city, and that all, those who are engaged in the Societies or Assemblies of these so- called Freemasons, or called by whatever name, withdraw from them altogether, and for ever renounce them with true repentance for having ever taken part in them, that for this purpose they address themselves to Us or to the Reverend Father Inquisitor, or to one of our Vicars General, that they furnish absolutely unequivocal marks of their perfect obedience to the voice of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and that they put themselves in a state to profit by the grace of the Jubilee just expiring, to receive absolution from the Excommunication reserved for the Holy See, which they have unhappily incurred.
"And since we cannot be ignorant that there is in this city a book in manuscript containing the rules of these Societies of so-called Freemasons, as well as the signatures of those who have joined them, we strictly command, under penalty of Excommunication, that it be given unreservedly into our hands, or those of the Reverend Father Inquisitor; and we likewise command under the same penalty those who know where the book is, without delay, to inform us or the Reverend Father Inquisitor, or one of our Vicars-General.
"If anyone, which God forbid, is so blind and hardened as to continue still in these Societies of so-called Freemasons, or called by another name, let him know that we will proceed against him with the utmost rigor of the Law.
"And this our present Command shall be read and published at the altars of the Parishes, and in all the Communities of men, Secular and Regular, and affixed to the doors of the Metropolitan Church, and of the Parish Churches.
"Given at Avignon in our Archiepiscopal Palace, July 22nd, 1751.
(Signed) Joseph, Archbishop of Avignon, "per Monseigneur Philip, Secretary."
It may be explained that the term "Regular" is applied to a cleric member of any of the Religious Orders or Congregations, and the term "Secular" to one who is in holy orders, but not a member of any Religious Order or Congregation.
It has been stated by some writers that the Pope was instigated to issue this Bull by the solicitations of the King of Naples and others because, being himself a Freemason, having been initiated into the Order some years previously, he might, by such means, stifle suspicion and calm the minds of the bigoted, ignorant, and weak.
Bower says that Benedict XIV was a man of untainted character, of extraordinary parts, and in every respect worthy of and equal to so high a station. He undertook in the very beginning the Herculean labour of cleansing the Church as well as the court, and extirpating the many crying abuses that had taken deep root in both. But his diminishing the number of festivals, his abolishing some vain and senseless ceremonies, his dislike of the grosser superstitions that prevailed in the Church, and his undisguised disapprobation of the many pious, or rather, impious, frauds, countenanced or connived at by his predecessors, gave great offence to sone bigoted Cardinals and procured for him the odious denomination of the Protestant Pope from the deluded multitude. He was a generous and munificent encourager of learning and himself a most learned writer."
One immediate result of the publication of this Bull was that the Order was reanimated in Naples and the members of the Fraternity became more numerous and zealous than ever before. At first, however, Charles III of Naples, influenced by the Bull, prohibited Freemasonry throughout his dominions, but so soon changed his views that in the following year - 1752 - he entrusted his son's education to a Freemason and priest, whom he also appointed to be his own confessor.
The Bull of Benedict XIV gave fresh courage to the clergy surrounding the Austrian throne, and renewed efforts to suppress Freemasonry were made. The Empress, however, although she is said to have been bitterly opposed to the Craft, held her hand and it is stated, with some show of authority, that she visited a lodge in company with one of her ladies, both disguised as men, in order to assure herself that none of the fair sex were admitted to the Order. Having satisfied herself on this point she retired.
In Spain, Fernando VI, immediately on the publication of the Bull, issued a pragmatica in which he forbade the formation of lodges under pain of the royal indignation and punishment: all judges were required to report delinquents and all commanders of armies and fleets to dismiss with dishorror any culprits discovered in the service. One Tournon, a Frenchman, resident in Spain, was convicted of practising the rites of Freemasonry and after a tedious confinement in the dungeons of the Inquisition, was finally banished from the kingdom. On the 2nd of July, 1751, Father Joseph Torrubia, a member of the Inquisition, obtained from Ferdinand - VI a decree condemning Freemasons to death without the benefits of a trial of any kind. It is stated that he traitorously caused himself to be initiated into the Order so that he might be in a position to betray the members of the Inquisition. There is a report of his still extant which mentions that there were at that time no fewer than ninety-seven lodges in Spain.
(To be continued)
----o----
When the Sun Runs Low
By Bro. L.B. Mitchell, Michigan
Every season shows its best and 'tis left for us to see,
What in special things they mean to the soul's mentality.
E'en the winter brings its gleam to the frosty, sparkling snow,
That is nature's brightest seen, when the sun runs low.
And 'tis then that 'neath the porch as the sun creeps to the sky,
That a vision comes to me that the summer days deny;
For it through my window gleams in its kaleidoscopic glow
In its glory round the room, when the sun runs low.
And it really seems to me that when nature's heart so kind
Trusts all to us to be in our consciousness refined,
'Tis for us when the outdoors, changed from color to the snow
To respond to that which comes when the sun runs low.
And 'twould also seem that this, nature's compensating plan,
Holds the beautiful in trust for its consciouas creature, man.
For when comes his afternoon with its sunset's golden glow
It should bring the thought of rest when the sun rus low.
THE FIRST RECORDED INITIATION IN ENGLAND
BY BRO. DUDLEY WRIGHT, ENGLAND
"At Neucastell the 20 day off May, 1641. The quilk day ane serten nomber off Mester and others being lafule conveined, doeth admit Mr the Right Honerabell Mr Robert Moray, General quarter Mr to the Armie of Scotlan, and the same bing aproven be the hell Mester off the Mesone of the Log off Edenroth, quherto they heaue set to ther handes or markes. A. Hamilton, R. Moray, Johne Mylln. James Hamilton."
THUS RUNS the entry of the first ascertained recorded Masonic initiation on English soil into Speculative Freemasonry. It is the record of the initiation of one of the most remarkable men of his time. His name, by writers other than himself - for he always signed his name in bold characters as "R. Moray" - is spelt variously as Moray, Murray, and Murrey, and a singular mistake occurs in the standard edition of Evelyn's Diary, where the entries occur as "Murray," while in the Correspondence, the only letter that appears from Moray is, of course, signed in the correct manner, with the result that both forms appear in the General Index. In Chester's Registers of Westminster he is described as a son of Sir Robert Moray of Craigie, by a daughter of George Halket, of Pitferran, but Burke's History of the Landed Gentry and other authoritative works of reference state that he was a son of Sir Mungo Murray, and this undoubtedly is correct.
Sir Robert Moray was a descendant of an ancient and noble Highland family. He was educated partly at the University of St. Andrew's and partly in France, in which country he secured military employment under Louis XIII. He gained very high favour with Cardinal Richelieu, to such a degree that French historians have remarked that few foreigners were so highly esteemed by that great minister as was he. It was possibly through the influence of the all-powerful Cardinal-statesman that Moray was raised to the rank of Colonel in the French army. When, however, the difficulties of Charles I increased, Moray returned to Scotland and was appointed General of Ordnance when the Presbyterians first set up and maintained their government. He was in charge of the Scottish army at Newcastle at the time of his initiation, which took place two months before that city was evacuated by the soldiers. Moray was knighted at Oxford on 10th of January, 1643, by Charles I.
Moray was also on good terms with Mazarin and fought with his regiment in Germany, and, in 1645, he was made a prisoner of war in Bavaria. About the same time he was appointed Colonel of the Scotch regiment in succession to James Campbell, Earl of Irvine, and he was nominated by the Scots as a secret envoy to negotiate a treaty between France and Scotland, by which it was proposed to attempt the restoration of Charles I. His release in Bavaria was therefore obtained and he returned to England. In December, 1646, when Charles was with the Scottish army in Newcastle, Moray prepared a scheme for the escape of the king. One, William Moray, afterwards Earl of Dysert, provided a vessel at Tynemouth, onto which Sir Robert Moray was to conduct the king, who was to assume a disguise. The king put on the disguise and even went down the back stairs with Sir Robert, but fearing that it would scarcely be possible successfully to pass all the guards without being discovered "and judging it highly indecent," says Burnet, "to be taken in such a condition, he changed his resolution and went back"
After the accession of Charles II to the throne of Scotland, Moray, in May, 1651, was appointed Justice-clerk, an office which had been vacant since the deprivation of Sir John Hamilton, in 1649. A few days afterwards, he was sworn as a privy councillor, and, in the following month, was nominated a lord of session, though he never officiated as a judge. His various appointments were, however, merely nominal, in order to secure his support to the government, particularly if it be true, as Wood asserts, that "he was presbyterianly affected." His uncle, the Rev. John Moray, was a great opponent of the bishops and suffered imprisonment for his opinions. However, at the Restoration, Sir Robert Moray was re-appointed justice-clerk and a lord of session, in addition to being made one of the lords auditors of the exchequer.
The Royal Society may be said to have been founded by Moray: it was certainly the outcome of suggestions made by him, and Bishop Burnet says that "while he lived he was the life and soul of the Royal Society."
A quibble has frequently been raised over the statement made by writers that Moray was the first president of the Royal Society, since the name of Viscount Brouncker appears in that capacity on the Charter. Moray was the sole president of the Society from its first formal meeting on 28th November, 1660, until its incorporation on 15th July, 1662, with the exception of one month from 14th May to 11th June, 1662, during which short period Dr. Wilkins occupied that honourable position, though in a Latin letter addressed to M. de Montmor, president of the Academy at Paris, dated 22 July, 1661, he styled himself "Societatis ad Tempe Praeses." Nor is too much to say that it was through his influence the charter of incorporation was obtained. He was the bearer of the message from Charles II to the effect that his Majesty Approved the objects of the Society and was willing to encourage it and, generally he was the organ of communication between the king and the Society. Moray was also the prime mover in the framing of the statutes and regulations.
Wood, the well-known Oxford historian, states that he was "a single man and an abhorrer of woman," but here he is in error, for he married the Hon. Sophia Lindsay, elder daughter of the first Earl of Balcarres, who died, without issue, at Edinburgh, and was buried at Balcarres on 11th January, 1653. If the daughter inherited the tastes and pursuits of her father, the marriage must, indeed, have been a felicitous one, since it is recorded that Sir David Lindsay, the first Earl of Balcarres, "chose a private life without ambition, was learned, and had the best collection of books in his time and was a laborious chymist. There is in the library of Balcarres ten volumes written by his own hand upon the then fashionable subject of the philosopher's stone." He was raised to the peerage when Charles I visited Scotland in June, 1633.
After the death of his wife, which apparently affected him greatly, Moray lived, apart from his philosophical meetings, a hermit-like existence. In a letter dated 23rd February, 1658, he wrote to a friend who had accused him of being in love:
"If you think no more of a mistress not take more pains to look after one than I do, I know not why one may not think that you may lead apes among your fellow virgins when you dy. You never maet with such a cold wooer as I: since ever I came to this place I never visited male nor female but two or three cousins, and they never three times. The truth is I never go out of doors but to the church except I have some glasses to make, and then I go to the glass house. Nor do I receive visits from anybody once in two months, except it be the commander, so that I am here a very hermit."
In his correspondence with Kincardin during that year (1658), he describes how he was making chemical experiments on a large scale. At one period, when he was at Maestricht, he had two rooms with a kitchen and cellar. One of the first he converted into a laboratory and there he spent his days in perfect content. "You never saw such a shop as my laboratory," he wrote, "so there's a braw name for you, though means matters." He constantly speaks of his chemical labours in the language of an enthusiast. "It is somewhat considerable that I afford you such volumes in the amount of my chemicall operations. I have had seven stills going these two days with one fire, most upon juniper berries, some with water, some with sack, and some dry."
Moray was naturally of a retiring disposition. During a portion of his life he was called upon to take up a prominent position, but he never cared to be "in the limelight" in politics and he did his best to keep out of the political arena altogether. His books, his chemical furnaces and retorts, his music, his medical and mechanical investigations, and his philosophical friends were more to him than "such stuff," as he once impatiently caged politics. He was happier, far more satisfied to be President of the Royal Society than Deputy Secretary for Scotland, Lord of Commission, or Privy Councillor. There are few characters in history, particularly among those who have undertaken peculiarly difficult, and even dangerous, diplomatic tasks, so generally revered as was Sir Robert Moray. Birch, one of the historians of the Royal Society,describes him as being "universally loved and esteemed and eminent for his piety, spending many hours a day in devotion in the midst of armies and courts. He had an equality of temper in him that nothing could alter, and was in practice a stoic, with a tincture of one of the principles of that sect, the persuasion of absolute decrees. He had a most diffused love to mankind and delighted in every occasion of doing good, which he managed with great zeal and discretion. His comprehension was superior to that of most men. He was considerably skilled in mathematics and remarkably so in the history of nature."
Nor is Birch a solitary appreciator of his character. Bishop Burnet, a historian of higher rank, styled him the "wisest and worthiest man of his age"; and, on another occasion, he wrote: "I have every joy that next to my father I owe more to him than to any other man." To Evelyn he was a "deare and excellent friend"; Sheldon, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was absolutely won by his charm of manner; Pepys speaks of him as "a most excellent man of reason and learning, and understands the doctrine of music and everything else I could discourse of very finely"; while his sovereign and personal friend, King Charles II, tersely gave expression to his independence of character by the statement that he (Moray) was "head of his own church." A writer in the Scottish Review for January, 1885, said: "To the beautiful and remarkable character of Robert Moray justice has yet to be done. Few men of so strong and decided a personality have left behind them so little trace upon the public documents of their time: except in a few Privy council letters his signature does not appear at all." A writer in the Biographica Britannica says that "his general character was excellent in the highest degree. He was beloved and esteemed by men of every party and station."
But these expressions of opinion found some exception. Was ever man placed in a position of responsibility and influence who did not encounter enemies? From 1660 to 1670 the infifience of Moray affected the whole course of the Scottish government, and he guided, controlled, and supported Lauderdale against the cabals that were formed to oust him. Thus it was that Sharp, Alexander Burnet, and other apostles of repression came to look upon him as an enemy to be dreaded, and one, Lord Glencairn, made an attempt to break and ruin him. A letter was pretended to be found at Antwerp, as written by him to one William Murray, formerly whipping-boy to Charles I. This letter gave an account of a bargain alleged to have been made by Moray with another man for murdering the king, the plan to be put into execution by William Murray. Sir Robert was questioned and put under arrest, and the rumour got abroad that he had intended to kill the king, but, says Burnet, the historian, "upon this occasion Sir Robert practised in a very eminent manner his true Christian philosophy without showing so much as a cloud in his whole behaviour."
It was in the society of such men as Andrew Marvell, John Evelyn, and Robert Moray that Charles II loved to linger; his delight was not, as some have asserted, in consorting with less noble types of humanity. Wood is of opinion that the degree of intimacy existing between Charles II and Sir Robert Moray was probably more upon a philosophical than a political basis "for he was employed by Charles II in his chemical processes and was indeed the conductor of his laboratory." Birch says that it was Moray who first interested the sovereign in philosophical pursuits. Charles II was a frequent visitor to the laboratory in Whitehall, which, though nominally Moray's workshop, is said to have been conducted by him for and on behalf of the king, and there may be truth in the opinion more than once expressed that Charles II was also a royal initiate of the ancient and honourable order known as Freemasons. In any case, assuming, which is very unlikely and improbable, that Sir Robert Moray was the first non- operative to be initiated into the mysteries of the Craft in England, Freemasonry has no reason to be ashamed when it looks to the rock whence it was hewn.
Moray was the friend and benefactor of the well-known mystic, Thomas Vaughan, who, says Wood, settled in "London under the protection and patronage of that noted chymist, Sir Robert Murray, or Moray, Knight, Secretary of State for the kingdom of Scotland." At the time of the plague, Vaughan accompanied Moray to Oxford and the latter was with Vaughan when he died there. Vaughan was buried in the church of Aldbury, or Oldbury, about eight miles from the university city, "by care and charge of the said Sir Robert Moray." This was in 1673, shortly before Moray's own death and but a few hours after he had informed Wood of the passing of Vaughan.
Moray's life came to an end in a very sudden manner. It occurred on 4th July, 1673, and Burnet, recording the event, wrote: "How much I lost in so critical a conjuncture, being bereft of the truest and faithfullest friend I had ever known: and so I say I was in danger of committing great errors for want of so kind a monitor."
Under date of 6th July, 1673, Evelyn wrote in his Diary: "This evening I went to the funeral of my dear and excellent friend, that good man and accomplished gentleman, Sir Robert Murray, Secretary of Scotland. He was buried by order of his Majesty in Westminster Abbey," and then he added in a footnote: "He delighted in every occasion of doing good. He had a superiority of genius and comprehension." Moray was not only buried in the Abbey by the King's express command, but also at the King's personal expense. His grave is by the Vestry, door, close to the grave of Sir William Davenant, sometime laureate to Charles II; the name appearing in the register as "Sir Robert Murray."
His memory remained green with John Evelyn, for six years afterwards - on 11th July, 1679 - writing to Dr. Beale, he said, referring to the Royal Society: "You know what pillars we have lost, Palmer [Dudley Palmer, d. 1666, one of the first council, with Moray, of the Royal Society], Moray, Chester [Dr. John Wilkins, Bishop of Chester], Oldenburg, etc."
Evelyn made frequent mention of Moray in his Diary, as will be seen from the following excerpts:
"9th March, 1661. I went with that excellent person and philosopher, Sir Robert Murray, to visit Mr. Boyle at Chelsea, and saw divers effects of the coliple for weighing air."
"9th May, 1661. At Sir Robert Murray's, where I met Dr. Wallis, Professor of Geometry at Oxford, where was discourse of several mathematical subjects."
"22nd August, 1662 (the day after Evelyn was sworn one of the Council of the Royal Society), I dined with my Lord Brouncker and Sir Robert Murray."
"25th January, 1665. This night being at Whitehall his Majesty came to me standing in the withdrawing room, and gave me thanks for publishing The Mystery of Jesuitism, which he said he had carried two days in his pocket, read it, and encouraged me; at which I did not a little wonder; I suppose Sir Robert Murray had given it to him."
"19th July, 1670. I accompanied my worthy friend, that excellent man, Sir Robert Murray, with Mr. Slingsby, Master of the Mint, to see the latter's seat and estate at Barrow-Green in Cambridgeshire."
Wood, recording the demise of Moray, wrote: "He had the king's ear as much as any other person and was indefatigable in his undertakings. . . . He was most renowned chymist, a great patron of the Rosi-Crucians, and an excellent mathematician. His several relations and matters of experiment, which are in the Philosophical Transactions (of the Royal Society, many of which referred to the phenomena of the tides) show him to be a man well vers'd in experimental philosophy."
After his initiation into the Craft there is only one other record of his attendance at a meeting of the Lodge of Edinburgh, which was on 27th July, 1647, on the occasion of the admission of "William Maxwell, doctor off Fisick ordinate to his Maj'stie hines," when he signed the minute of the meeting. ln his correspondence, however, he frequently made use of his Masonic mark (a five-pointed star), particularly in his correspondence with Lauderdale, and this has been reproduced in the Lauderdale Papers without comment, beyond the mere statement that Moray frequently made use of his Mason mark when he referred to himself or had anything of importance to communicate. If this had been an unusual occurrence in correspondence at that day one would think that more notice would have been taken of such an incident.
An interesting story might be woven around "Moray and his Circle," for the men who composed that circle bore names which are familiar to every student of the history of the Craft. Such men as Wren, Ashmole, Brouncker, and others, all of whom are accredited with having been initiated into Freemasonry. Moray's name, together with that of Christopher Wren, is to be met with on almost every page of the early volumes of the Journal of the Society.
It is also of interest - may it not even be said, of significance - to compare the constitutions of the Royal Society with those of the Masonic Order. Sprat, the earliest historian of the Royal Society, says that they freely admitted men of different religions, countries, and professions. "This they were obliged to do, or else they would come far short of the largeness of their own declarations. For they openly profess not to lay the foundation of an English, Scotch, Irish, Popish, or Protestant Philosophy, but a Philosophy of Mankind." Members were elected by ballot, being proposed at one meeting and balloted for at another. The duties of the President were to call and dissolve the meetings, to propose the subjects for discussion or experiment, to regulate the proceedings, to change the enquiry from one thing to another, to admit the members elected. The President, on his installation, took an oath as follows: "I . . . do promise to deal faithfully and honestly in all things belonging to the Trust committed to me, as President of the Royal Society of London for improving Natural Knowledge. So help me God." Whatever, however, may be the deductions on this ground, it will unhesitatingly be admitted that none could more have sought the study of the liberal arts and sciences that came within the compass of his attainment than did Brother Sir Robert Moray, the first known initiate into the Craft of Freemasonry on English soil.
MASONRY IN GREECE
BY BRO. B.T. CANACARI ROUFO, GREECE
IT WILL be difficult for our American brethren, citizens of such a progressive nation as the U.S.A., to understand the feeling of antipathy and hate - caused by ignorance and superstition - with which Freemasonry is viewed by all classes in Greece. Unfortunately the Turkish rule, extending over a period of more than five hundred years, made education amongst the Hellenes almost impossible. What little education was given, was through the devotion of the priests who taught their pupils at night, in lonely caves or cellars, so as to escape the vigilant eye of the Turkish soldiery, ever ready to massacre and destroy the "unbelieving Giaour." The priests themselves were often fairly illiterate, but were fired with such patriotic enthusiasm as to keep the feelings of this enslaved people in a state of constant revulsion against the barbarous Turkish yoke.
We all know that ignorance is the mother of superstition and, unfortunately, Freemasonry in Greece has much to fight against in that line. As an example I will mention the idea an old servant of ours has concerning Freemasons; she came to me one day very shocked, almost terrified, to ask me if it were true that I was a Mason, as she had been told that the Masons commit sacrilege by putting the church ikons in a row and then kicking them with their right leg! Why precisely the right leg, I could not find out, but that remained her unshakable belief, despite all my attempts to prove the contrary.
Some years ago there was a flourishing lodge in the town of Patras which worked secretly owing to the feeling against Masonry. However, one evening whilst the lodge was sitting, the alarm was given just in time for the members to escape, some of them being obliged to jump frown the windows, owing to their place of meeting having been discovered and the house set on fire and burned down.
Freemasonry was first introduced into Greece by Brother Dimitrius Rhodcanaki, who had lived many years in London and who was a personal friend of the then Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VII. He was initiated there and was promoted later to the highest degrees. Later on, before returning to settle in his native country, he obtained the permission to found a Supreme Council of 33d of A.'. and A.'. Scottish Rite in Athens, which Supreme Council he did indeed found in 1872, after having first founded the Grand Orient of Greece in 1868, and which was recognized by the principal Masonic powers of the world. Unfortunately petty quarrels and misunderstandings later on brought dissension into the fraternity and for many years Freemasonry labored not only under external warfare, but also under internal misunderstandings, which discord, despite repeated attempts at reconciliation, finally brought about the closing down of all the lodges and the complete ceasing of all Masonic work in 1906.
However, the true Masonic spirit was too strong in a great number of the brethren to allow for the total eclipse of Masonry in Greece, and within the same year (1906) a committee of the Worshipful Masters of the former lodges was convoked to insist upon the reorganization of the Grand Orient and Supreme Council, and of the reopening of the lodges. The committee consisted of the following:
Brother Th. Zacharopoulos, W.M., Lodge Marathon.
Brother G. Cephalas, W.M., Lodge Panhellenic.
Brother S. Nagos, W.M., Lodge Promethus.
Brother Ar. Schortzanitis, W.M., Lodge Rigas Ferraios.
Brother Const. Angelopoulos, W.M., Lodge Skenderbeys.
The Grand Orient of Greece, which is dogmatically under the Confederate Supreme Hellenic Council, 33d, was greeted and recognized by the Masonic world. It opened its works in a new house, properly and suitably furnished (always allowing for great lack of means) on September 15, 1907.
Since that time Freemasonry has made great strides in the promulgation of the Masonic idea. Especially since the World War was at its height, the demand for initiation has been so great as to make it almost impossible to keep up with the rush. There are five lodges working in Athens, besides the Lodges of Perfection and the Chapters "Heredom," two of which "The Phoenix," with Brother Dr. Y. Margaritis, Grand Secretary, a most learned and industrious Mason, as W.'. M.'., who, despite the strenuous calling of a physician, manages by working late into the night to give interesting and instructive addresses very often in his lodge, and also in the Lodge Skenderbeys, under Brother N. Noe, who is also an indefatigable W.'. M.'., is working at high pressure. The Lodge Miaoutis is also making excellent progress at Piraeus, where there is a Chapter as well.
In Salonica the Masonic movement is exceptionally good, owing to the amount of European commerce which passes through the port. Also the Municipal Council has voted the gift of a central and exceptionally well-placed plot of ground as a site for a Masonic Hall.
In Athens we are unfortunately laboring under the great difficulties of the housing problem, as our means do not yet allow us to buy a house in a sufficiently central portion, or to build a Masonic Hall of our own. However, we are able to help our brethren in urgent cases of want, etc., and are always only too glad to welcome any brother who may come to us from over the seas or from any foreign land.
Our former Excellent Supreme Commander, Brother Y. Cephalas, a learned and honored member of our Order, who unfortunately was obliged by family reasons to resign his post, was so fortunate, through his great devotion to Masonry and his remarkable knowledge of Masonic law and history, to be able during his command to make our Hellenic Supreme Council the founder and godfather, as it were, of the Servian Supreme Council by the consent and approval of the international confederation of Supreme Councils.
We are now working under Brother C. Angelopoulos, M.'.W.'. Grand Master, and Brother P. Calogeropoulos, Excellent Supreme Commander of the Supreme Council, both Masons of long standing, much beloved in the Craft for their truly Masonic characters, moulded in the furnace of discord and war into true, honorable, sweet‑tempered and withal dignified men, they being among the first initiated into the Craft in Greece, and despite all the tribulations of the Order have ever kept to their posts and encouraged the younger brethren with their great knowledge and patience.
The Grand Orient has lately adopted the practice of giving receptions to the women relatives of our members as a means to make Masonry better understood.
Two or three brethren, a few months after their religious marriage, have consented to the Masonic recognition of their marriage; also we frequently have fetes for the adoption of Masons' sons, which can only take place when the boys have reached the age of eleven or twelve years. By these means we have been able to do excellent work and have gained many renowned lawyers and men of high standing and integrity. I believe Freemasonry in other nations does not have the recognition of marriage as we do, so that perhaps it might interest readers of THE BUILDER to have a description of the ceremony and a translation of the ritual, which is most impressive. (We have asked Brother Raufo to give us an article on this subject. - Editor.)
Recently the Grand Orient of Greece has been able to open lodges in Constantinople, Alexandria, Smyrna Cyprus, and in many of the towns of the Near East. As in ancient times the light of learning came out of the East and spread over the face of the earth, so let us hope that the day has come when the true light of freedom and knowledge will once more shine forth in all its splendor in the Near East, where there are at millions of shackled souls waiting for the refreshing and warming rays of the Eternal Truth.
I should like my closing words to express the gratitude which Greek brethren feel toward the United States of America which has always stood up for Freedom - not only as an ideal, but as a reality - and which has helped so much to the end that justice should at last be done to our long-suffering people after three and a half years of physical as well as moral tyranny. Greece always looks to America as a truly unbiased judge who is willing in a just cause to lend a helping hand to the weak.
----o----
WHATE'ER MY TASK
BY BRO. GEORGE U. FREE, IOWA
It may not be my task to build
The taper spire, of giddy height;
It may not be my part to gild
The dome which throws back Heaven's light;
Another hand, more skilled than mine,
Must shape the keystone's perfect wedge,
Some other trace the fair design,
The copestone set on topmost ledge:-
But I am given strength and skill
To do the work assigned to me;
Whate'er my task, it is God's will
That I perform it worthily,
A living stone make fit to grace
The Temple's walls, and help them rise-
Although it fill but humble place-
A little nearer to the skies
I may not be inspired to draw
On trestleboard a noble plan,
Nor hew the column void of flaw,
Nor raise the arch of graceful span;
I may not grave the cherubim,
Nor mold the candlestick, or sea;
To shape the wing of seraphim
May be a task too great for me:-
But if my hands, by patient care,
Some simple stone may fashion true,
So it shall pass The Builder's square,
Though in the wall deep hid from view
'Twill be enough. Be this my prize;
No recompense beside I'll ask,
If I may help the Temple rise
To grander heights, whate'er my task.
----o----
There are three words that sweetly blend,
That on the heart are graven,
A precious, soothing balm they lend,
They're Mother, Home and Heaven.
- Mary J. Mackle.
TRAVELING IN FOREIGN PARTS
IN ONE of the Masonic degrees the desire to "travel in foreign parts" is accompanied with the confession that a Master's wages could be obtained only through the possession of a certain secret.
The Master Mason's "secret" is essential to the full enjoyment of a Mason's travels in foreign parts. Undoubtedly many of the Fraternity spent months overseas and returned to America unaware of the abundance of Masonic evidences that had surrounded them on every hand. Many of these brethren were denied the opportunities of Masonic research through military restrictions on liberty of movement. This does not explain the full count, however. Occasionally in my embarkation work I met homeward-bound Masons who had had great latitude of action. Soldiers who had been stationed in Paris for months scarcely knew of the existence of the excellent Masonic Clubs there.
Hundreds of Masons visited Paris yet never thought of making a pilgrimage to the grave of Lafayette. They cannot tell you the name or location of the Cathedral in that city over whose large doors are carved the Square and Compasses. So, they have returned from foreign countries and did not receive Master's wages.
The leaders who were active in forming Masonic Clubs in the A.E.F. may be grouped into three general classes: those who sought the benefits of social intercourse only, those who desired to continue intellectual fellowship on Masonic themes, and those who combined the social and intellectual into a well-balanced Club.
The former were purely dancing and banqueting organizations. They did much good in attracting the brethren like-minded into associations where the American atmosphere was dominant. The second class served a great purpose because the papers on Masonic themes, and the addresses by skilled brothers, developed a zeal in younger and more unskilled Masons to take up a study of the Fraternity. Their activities also in creating funds for benevolent purposes brought good results in their train.
The ideal clubs combined the two ideas above stated. Amid scenes and customs so different from American life the significance of the clean, American social life made its irresistible appeal. Also, the messages that every building, hillside, and landscape were telling, awakened an appreciation of the labors of Craftsmen long since departed.
In the early Fall of 1918 I had the privilege of visiting the dungeons beneath the Castle in Brest. These excavations dated back to Roman days. Our party was led by an ancient French peasant who delivered in singsong voice and with an execrable patois, a lecture on the marvels of this Castle and its dungeons. He pointed dramatically to the cave, or cistern, down which condemned wretches were hurled upon upturned spears. At the very climax of his blood-curdling periods, one of our party exclaimed in low voice, "Oo la! la!" The rage of the guide is beyond my powers of description. But it demonstrated the first shock of young America rubbing elbows with old Europe.
To develop weekly programs that would hold and please the Craft taxed the powers of the club leaders. One of the best ways to create enthusiasm was employed by many of our clubs. We called it "The roll by States." Native sons were expected to respond with some information as to Masonic activity within the bounds of their jurisdiction. In this way the divergences in ritual and otherwise came to the surface and young Masons began to ask questions as to the whys and wherefores. Incidents of interest were recounted, and the general effect was a broadening of the Masonic horizon of the brethren present.
In our Port Masonic Clubs we constantly invited homeward-bound Masons to recount their experiences in Europe from a Masonic standpoint. Thus we secured many interesting stories. The Major of a certain Battalion that saw service in Italy told us one evening of his presence in Rome, at a Convocation of the Italian Scottish Rite. The King and many of his ministers and military leaders were present, as well as a representative body of Americans. One of the Italian courtiers gave a concise and significant explanation of the sudden and uncalled for collapse of the Italian line in northern Italy, in the Spring of 1918. This break is what caused American and other allied re-enforcements to be hurriedly sent to Italy. Treachery on the part of certain elements of Italian life had entered into secret understanding with Austria to overthrow the Italian government and set up a new form of government in Rome. Emissaries from Rome disseminated propaganda among the Italian troops that destroyed their morale. This nefarious conspiracy was detected by the government, counter-action started, the Austrians checked and the fond dreams for a new-old Empire shattered.
Master Masons have a genius for practical works of "brotherly love, relief and truth." Consequently war orphans were adopted; money sent to war orphan funds; worthy distressed Masons were relieved of their embarassments; sympathetic messages were sent to bereaved homes in America. One form of relief was, in my judgment, unique in the annals of the war. The casualties of officers in combat organizations were so great that the government began to examine and commission many non-commissioned officers as second lieutenants. These soldiers were gathered in St. Aignan Camp, a concentration center which was properly dubbed "Saint Agony." As soldiers, these men had had everything provided for them by the army. As officers, they must buy everything and also pay their own mess bill. Being unprepared for this emergency, it produced great embarrassment and actual distress with no governmental relief. To outfit himself even modestly meant for each lieutenant an outlay of at least 300 to 500 francs. In this predicament, Bro. Sergeant Starkey secured permission to visit Masonic Headquarters in Paris where he laid before our Overseas Mission the distresses of his fellow officers and prayed relief. The Mission gave assurances of help and immediately sent one of their number to St. Aignan. He interviewed the Commanding Officer who confirmed the fact. As a result, our Masonic Mission deposited 25,000 francs with Col. O.S. Perry, Maj. McCatharan, and Sgt. Sharkey to be loaned to deserving Masons on their personal notes. In this way 74 candidates for commissions, and already commissioned second lieutenants, received 300 francs each, and were able to assume their new rank in a manner befitting them. The effect of this Masonic service was deep and lasting on those of our forces who learned the story.
Our clubs were keenly alive to observe our stated American special days. Throughout the A.E.F. Easter Sunday received special attention by the Craft. I give a characteristic program which reflects the general observance of the dav wherever we had clubs.
BREST MASONIC CLUB
EASTER PROGRAM
IN THE FEDERES THEATRE
APRIL 20, 1919
Band from Camp Pontanezen
Onward Christian Soldiers Audience
Invocation E. C. Perrington
Vocal Solo Miss R. Beatty
"Calvary," Vaughan
Band from Camp Pontanezen
Duet Lawry and Beatty
"Confidence," Nevin
Introductory W.R. Holland
Sermon C.F. Irwin
Easter Lilies"
Vocal Solo J. D. Lawry
"Resurrection," Shelley
Band from Camp Pontanezen
Benediction
On Memorial Day the Clubs were zealous to visit the cemeteries and place wreaths on Masonic graves. In Base No. 1 the united clubs sent a large delegation to the Base Cemetery where flowers were deposited and an oration delivered by one of the brethren. Square and Compasses Club at Pruniers decorated Masonic graves and held memorial services. Trowel Club at Gievres gathered 100 Masons who marched to the American Cemetery, decorated six Masonic graves and took photographs which were sent home. Square and Compass Club at Romorantin banqueted with 175 Masons present. Trowel Club held a Masonic Memorial Service that evening in the main "Y" auditorium with 800 men present, with Red Cross and Y.W.C.A. women as special guests.
The clubs exhibited much originality in preparing special banquets. Their favors were artistic and showed good taste. One club secured miniature lambskin aprons of correct design and distributed them to their guests. Another club had a bronze pocket‑piece struck. Several had silver pocket-pieces. The St. Nazaire Clubs had brass match‑box holders for Masons and napkin-rings for our lady guests, each with Masonic emblems. One club had silk tri-color flags about ten by eight inches, with clasped hands and the names of the local French Lodge and the American Club stamped in gold.
At its last elaborate banquet held on June 4, 1919 the Montoir Masonic Club prepared a menu that is interesting. It was a "Homeward Bound" Banquet.
"HOMEWARD BOUND" BANQUET
OF THE MONTOIR MASONIC CLUB
Camps Montoir and Guthrie - Base Section 1, A.E.F.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4th. 1919
Brethren called from Labor to Refreshment at 8:00 P.M.
MENU
Cream of Tomato a la Hiram
Roast Pork a la King Solomon with Acacia Sauce
New Tyre Potatoes
Le Trait d'Union Asparagus
J'B'L'M Salad
Temple Pie
Gavel Cake and Ice Cream on the Square
Joppa Coffee Seafaring Punch
Nuts Raisins Cigars Cigarettes
The Montoir Masonic Club was organized on March 20th, 1919, with 150 charter members. Officers: Hon. Pres., Col. O.R. Cole, C.O. Camp Guthrie; President, Chaplain C.F. Irwin, Camp Guthrie; Vice Pres., Sec'y C.W. Harris, Y.M.C.A., Montoir; Secretary, Private C.J. Novac, Montoir; Treasurer, Lt. W.W. Weyler, Guthrie. The Montoir Masonic Club did its bit for Masonry in the S.O.S.
On the occasion of giving a banquet at its headquarters in Paris, June 20th, 1919, the Masonic Overseas Mission sent a formal invitation to General John Pershing. General Pershing replied, courteously regretting his inability to be present due to military duties. In his letter he takes occasion to speak thus, "I wish to express my extreme regret as nothing would have given me greater pleasure. I have heard nothing but the highest praise of the results of your generous efforts in the American Expeditionary Forces, and desire to express to you personally my hearty thanks for the constantly helpful attitude you have assumed."
----o----
THE PRICELESS
BY BRO. L. B. MITCHELL, MICHIGAN
Do what we may, do we find as life unfolds its parts
That those things that are priceless here are locked in human hearts?
Though we may seek to prizes win, though we may strive for gold,
Yet, in our nature's there is that which hearts alone can hold,
And that the priceless, after all, made so by nature's art
Are things which in this world of ours repose within the hear
And he who would the priceless find in super‑nature ways
Or worldly things, or both, but stays the measure of his days.
GOD IN PRISON
BY BRO. JOSEPH FORT NEWTON, IOWA
From time immemorial sermons, even the best of them, have been dry reading: but there is an exception to every rule, the which in this case is illustrated by the sermon published below. Dr. Newton's sermons, a few of them, are now published each month in a little pamphlet called "The Ambassador," and printed by The Murray Press, 359 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts, and sells for fifty cents a year. To those who have read the many volumes of his sermons published hitherto this will be welcome news, especially to Masons, for it is not often that Bro. Newton speaks except on the themes beloved of the Fraternity.
"He delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the hands of the enemy." Psalm 78:61.
THESE WORDS form a stanza in a patriotic Psalm in which the singer reviews the history of his nation and how God dealt with it in days of old. The text brings us to the time of the old priest Eli and his two wicked sons, Hophni and Phineas, under whom the national faith suffered decline. There was war - always it was war in that antique world - and the army of Israel was in sore straits, having been driven back by the enemy. So it was decided to go to Shiloh and fetch into camp the Ark of the Covenant - an oblong box made by Moses to be a symbol of the presence of God, who dwelt between the sculptured cherubim upon the lid - in the hope of reviving the courage of the people by enlisting the honour of God on the side of their victory. The Ark was brought, and the battle took place, but the result was utter disaster in which the Ark was captured by the enemy. Hophni and Phineas were slain, and when the news was brought to Eli the old man fell back dead. Hence the words of the text, in which, as so often in the Bible, the writer struck a flash of insight which revealed far more than he himself discerned.
Let this scene from a battle long gone be a parable, if nothing more, of the process by which men are groping their way toward an interpretation of God in the experience of our time; a process brought to a crisis by the war, but not created by it. Only those who have kept pace with the deeper movements of the modern mind can realize how radical and profound has been the revolution wrought in its conception of God. For more than a decade our ideas of God have been in confusion, and when the fountain springs of faith are muddy the stream of life is troubled and uncertain. For our thought of God is fundamental. It is the fact by which we interpret all other facts. It decides our standard of ethics; it determines our view of man; it discloses the meaning of history. When for any reason our thought of God suffers defeat or eclipse we are left to fight a dim battle in a doubtful land, having nothing to supply an ultimate
