PHL-AU98.HTM

 This file is copyright (c) 1998 The Philalethes Society and all rights including any redistribution rights are reserved by the copyright holder. Permission to quote from, redistribute or to otherwise use these materials must be obtained from the copyright holder directly by contacting The Philalethes, Nelson King, FPS, Editor, 2 Knockbolt Crescent, Agincourt Ontario Canada, M1S 2P6. Tel: 416-293-8071 Fax: 416-293-8634 or nking@freemasonry.org or nking@onramp.ca

Contents

75 The Presidents Corner

by Robert G. Davis, FPS

The Hiram key - Euclid's 47th Problem - More Coincidence? by John M Boersma, FPS

78 Letters to the Editor Bonus Book

79 Book Reviews by Nelson King, FPS

80 The Lady With The Lamp by William E. Parker, MPS

85 The Weight of Guilt by Bobby J. Demot, MPS

86 Masonic Stones by Richard Rowney Connell. PSA Scot

92 Experiences In Caribbean Masonry The Jamaican Perspective by Aleef A. Lazarus

96 Through Masonic Windows by Kenneth D. Roberts. FF5

ON THE COVER Brother John Boersma, FPS has provided us with a photo of The Tracing Board of Occident Lodge #346 G.R.C. which was used to produce the cover for this issue. This Tracing Board is made of almost fifty kinds of inlaid wood to partially reflect the various creeds, colors and races which make up our fraternity. In addition he wrote an excellent article "The Hiram Key - Euclid's 47th Problem More coincidence?" which begins on page 76.

The President's Corner by Robert G. Davis, FPS

There's a well-known story on most college campus about a professor who always started his lecture by making a gesture of drawing two commas in the air with his right hand. And he always drew two commas in the air with his left hand after he finished. Students being what they were then, it took half a semester before one of them worked up the courage to ask him what he was doing. "They're quotation marks, " he said. "One way or another, someone else has said everything I have to tell you. I'm only quoting." It's well for those of us who are en- gaged in Masonic education to remember that. In the past three centuries, many very brilliant minds have written a great deal about Masonry. I can't remember who wrote even half of everything I have read. And my guess is that many men who subscribe to The Philalethes have also spent a good many hours pursuing their own private passion to be enlightened. In every generation, there are a few Masons in the world who take literally the quest for "more Masonic light." In fact, I strongly suspect that this quest for what Joseph Campbell so eloquently called "the song of the soul's high adventure" is inherent in the male psyche. Yet my deep concern is that most men who become Masons never figure out that this is indeed the central mission of being a Mason. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, we often get too hung up on the words. We are taught to be so anxious over what we say, that we forget the broader purpose of learning the mean- ing. And while we are told that everything we say in Masonry is allegorical, we never get around to illustrating to our young candidates the good examples of the "great mystery which lies behind our words." Second, we are taught that Masonry is fellowship. Indeed, if we do anything consistently in addition to practicing our rituals, it is in sitting (or standing) around and enjoying the company of brothers, usually close to a table of food and drink. Now, while both the ritual and the fellowship largely define the Masonic experience today, the fact is that, too often in the enjoyment of both, we lose sight of the more important feast of enlightenment. The sad result is that we are creating generations of Masons who know far too little about Masonry. My brethren, I believe with all my heart that those of us who have a better than average understanding of the history, symbolism, allegory, and mission of Masonry must now get involved on a much larger scale than we have in the past; not only in our own lodges, but in our Grand Lodges. We need to gather our forces and begin to teach what we know to those both within and without the fraternity. I'm convinced that a very high percentage of Masons want to learn a lot more about Masonry. I'm convinced that people who are not Masons have a general fascination for it. I am assured that those who are given much more than the words from the beginning of their Masonic journey, become active members of their lodge, and find much value in their fraternal experience. And I'm persuaded to think that our role as Masonic educators has been much too narrowly focused, or even nonexistent for far too many years.

Perhaps it's time we became the relevant influence in Masonry again!.

Maybe we should get back to the original nature of Masonry-where we have ceremonies of initiation, balanced with education, that provide an experience where men might become trans- formed; where duties and obligations are conferred in a personal and effective way; and where education in the history, tenets, symbolism and allegories of Masonry; along with issues, policies, laws and traditions, are delivered to every Mason, using the vehicles of his culture and our times. Brethren, our role is to make Masonry work in the man, and the experience of fraternity work in our culture. I appeal to each of you to see the importance of your influence, and then help bring Masonry back to our world again by teaching what others who have gone before have taught you. Otherwise our personal investment in knowledge and learning over the years will end with us, and will not pay dividends for the future of Masonry. From a Masonic perspective, that seems a bit narrow and selfish. Keep the torch of enlightenment burning, my brothers. The benefit of mankind is in the balance here!

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

The Hiram Key - Euclid's 47th Problem More Coincidence by John M Boersma, FFS

In 1979, I was Senior Warden of my Lodge and an eager student of Free Masonry. Brought up as a Catholic I was not well versed in what Freemasonry terms the "Volume of the Sacred Law", since Catholics basically tend to accept 'Faith" without question.' My curiosity peaked when the ritual taught me that - Geometry and Freemasonry were, originally, synonymous terms. In my early Masonic years I thus paused at Ezekiel, Kings, Chronicles and then one day in 1978 I was brows- ing through the Revelations of St John. There was a familiar ring to Chapter IV 1-11 ,which starts: "After this I looked and BEHOLD a Throne was set in Heaven and One sat on the Throne." As I kept reading, it hit me; here was Euclid's 47th problem as proven and etched in stone, by a humble Hindu Mathematician. Underneath it he had chiseled; Behold! Thus was born a Tracing Board - made of almost fifty kinds of inlaid wood- to partially reflect the various creeds, colors and races which makeup our fraternity. It was my privilege, as W. Master, to present it to my Lodge on behalf of family and friends. This Tracing Board was duly marked: A.M.D.G in deference to my Jesuit Teachers who taught us that all we accomplished would be for naught, un- less it was wrought: Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam A.M.D.G. translated To the Greater Glory of God You and a multitude of Masons have already read two books by Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas entitled: The Hiram Key and The Second Messiah, together with a number of negative reviews - on the former - by distinguished Masonic scholars. On my recent visit to London I learned from one of the Regalia stores near the Temple at Great Queen Street, that word was out from "someone" at the "Temple" - NOT - to have "The Hiram Key" for sale, I did not enquire about "The Second Messiah". It is tempting to make comments pro and con, both as to the written product as well as to the comments of respect- able Masonic Scholars. In this context, I recall recently asking a Worthy Brother who is rather involved in research, for HIS opinion of these two books. In a few well chosen words he left no doubt that he was satisfied that we were dealing with a bunch of liars, just out to make money. I asked him if he-himself had read these books. His answer was a daunting: "Me, reading it? Hey I have no time. . . I rely on the Book Reviews by respectable Masons If THEY say its NO history, If THEY point out LIES, that's good enough for me The statement I make to You, is that -having read these two books - I now know that my interpretation of St John's Revelations Chapter IV 1 - 11 appears far from coincidence. The 47th problem of Euclid was obviously both veiled and venerated by St John, the Seer of Patmos. The text below is taken from the Apocalypse or Revelations of St John, Chapter 4, vs. 1-11. "After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow 'round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 4. And 'round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. 5. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thundering and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne; and 'round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 7. and the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 8. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9. And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever. 10. The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created". So much for the tracing board. I have always been deeply intrigued with the "why' of the seeming importance of this 47th problem of Euclid. It is visible on the frontispiece of Anderson's Constitution of 5723 - 1723: between two Grand Master; the Duke of Wharton and the Duke of Montagu. It is just underneath a scroll on which is written "constitution" and below the 47th problem is written in Greek - Eureka - I have found it. We note that in many jurisdictions today it also figures in the Past Master's Jewel, moreover in many jurisdictions the three "initial" steps to the altar are marked by nine, twelve and fifteen steps - just divide it by three and figure!

My Question:

Why, Freemasonry's emphasis on the 47th problem, why MARK it on the frontispiece of the 1723 Constitution with "Eureka". What is it that we have found or should we perhaps ask: What is it that we ought to find? The quest for the Holy Grail - or perhaps?) The Truth- is obviously still ongoing and what Man thinks he can find, Man will eventually find! Books such as mentioned in this article accentuate the urgent need for a deeper study of both the Chapter and the Scottish Rite, particularly the latter. I have little doubt that St John's "Revelations" happen to be a part of both the problem and the solution thereof By the way, is it yet another coincidence that this St John - The Divine - is an ancient Patron Saint of Free Masons? I have just returned from a visit to Rosslyn Chapel, where - by coincidence and courtesy of the Supreme Council, 33ø Washington D.C. - "The Friends of Rosslyn" did market colored photo- cards of John Melius's famous painting "the laying of the cornerstone of the Capitol" on September 18 1793. As noted on the back of these 7 x 4.75 postcards, the proceeds of L1.00 each, were to accrue to the Rosslyn Chapel Restoration Fund which has a target of L1.5 million. Alas, these cards were not on display, but at my request were dug up from a box behind a curtain and three were given to me, for free. It appears that some tension exists between the "Friends of Rosslyn" and the Owner of Rosslyn Chapel, the Earl of Rosslyn. This visit enabled me to attest to the veracity of the many discernible features alluded to in the Hiram Key. Another publication just. crossed my desk: "Holy Grail across the Atlantic" -The secret history of Canadian Discovery and Exploration. It is written by Michael Bradley and published by Hounslow Press, 2181 Queen Street East Suite 301, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4E 1ES. On the back cover is the following statement by: Dr Edward W Hagerman, Associate Professor of History, Atkinson College, York University: "Michael Bradly brings to the study of Canadian History that most valued contribution: a new, and provocative interpreta- tion of facts that cannot easily be dismissed by the academic establishment". A similar statement - (substitute "Ma- sonic" for "Canadian" & "Academic") - could be directed towards the labors of our Brothers Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas and I take this opportunity to heartily congratulate both of them for bringing Masonic researchers the formidable challenge, not of rebut- ting some small pans, but of either accepting or rejecting the main canvas, which appears truly and well fash- ioned. Moreover, in true Masonic style they did not fail to bring "their discovery" to the attention of the World's Council. In the process they shed additional Light on our Order, by engaging in that most distinctive Masonic pre- occupation, "seeking for that which, is lost". You too my brother, we trust, will feel sad for a fellow pilgrim who would rather rely on learned reviews than on reading books for himself I still vividly recall how my old geometry teacher used to admonish me as I struggled with mathematical problems: "Read Boersma" - Read!" Happy research to you my brother - Read -! John M Boersma, FPS

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Letters to the Editor

The "Report of the Executive Board Meeting of the Philalethes Society, 1998 (The Philalethes, April, 1998, p. 27), in describing the "new program outline" of Robert Davis, uses a term, paradigm shift, which I think needs to be pinned down to a more specific definition particularly since many of our members may not be aware of what the use of that term implies. "Paradigm shift," as a facile description change, has been appropriated into explaining any number of individual and organizational behaviors in the last thirty years. However, it does have a distinct origin; understanding how the term arose would enable one to be more aware of where the announced "program" is meant to go.

A PARADIGM

"Thomas Kuhn, in his book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, has provided the human discourse community with one of the handiest academic inventions of this century, the 'paradigm.' Functioning primarily as an historian of science when he developed this notion, Kuhn has affected the entire spectrum of ideas. His concept has spilled over into the whole array of academic disciplines. What Kuhn does is begin to notice 'accumulations' of rational behavior functioning under the rubric of 'scientific method.' He then proposes a boundary around a high concentration of this function, which he labels as a paradigm - a specified piece of scientific reality. Outside of this is 'non-paradigm' reality (all the rest). However, this paradigm boundary is porous with traces of 'science' seeping out and traces of 'contaminants,' from the non-paradigm, seeping in. When enough similar traces, internal or external to the paradigm, coagulate creating large enough clumps, we have a shifting of paradigm. Out of the solidification of these floating methodological function traces, we are able to delineate new and/or revised paradigms of science ('hard' and/or 'human' [social science?]). These methodological groupings reveal their existence by exerting an irresistible bid for recognition and we 'move over' (shift) to accommodate them with 'revised' discourse." Much like many Freudian terms that spill over into everyday descriptions, Thomas Kuhn's "paradigm shift" was quickly appropriated into less than "scientific discourse." If we can assume that Kuhn's original meaning was that of Brother Davis, then we must, when using it in Masonic discourse, exercise great care lest it become just one more "buzz phrase." In whatever manner speculative Masonry came into being, the first major "organizational" paradigm shift was completed when the term "Masonic lodge" was recognized as the identity of a group, the majority of whom, were no doubt men of vocations other than operative masonry. In the United States, we have had any number of "organizational shifts," however, the speculative Masonry paradigm has not shifted. Although we now seem to be writhing about in desperation over the apparent lack of interest expressed by the population pool of potential Entered Apprentices, I think that I can identify one paradigm, which when fully shifted, might end up revitalizing this torpid confederation we call Masonry, i.e., "regular" Masonry's present racial exclusivity. When my sons were active in the DeMolay, the unwritten rule excluding African American boys rankled heavily on their consciences and continually arose to the surface in their efforts to recruit new DeMolays. "I am not interested in becoming a member of a racist organization. was the common rebuff encountered when approaching potential DeMolay candidates. A major "cause celebre" was experienced when the word got around that a black youth had been initiated into the DeMolay in San Antonio. The implication was that, "here was a future Mason!" Both of my sons became Ma- sons, no doubt to please me. I paid for endowed (life) memberships for both knowing that sometime in the future they might justify letting their dues lapse on the principal that "It's a racist organization anyway." I sincerely hope that they both will become active in their lodges and, in their own ways, work toward contributing to a much needed paradigm shift. I personally have always been quite vocal, in my lodge, about this racial exclusion-to such an extent that I have been asked why I stayed on as a member. My reply to that was that "I have lien rights on this organization (A great part of my childhood was spent at the Masonic Home & School in Fort Worth.)" and that the person asking that question should feel free to terminate his own membership--I am staying. There is an axiom, "People don't change their minds; old people just die." I sincerely hope that will not be the case with Masonry in the United States; I am 65 years old and somewhat of a youngster among my Masonic brethren. Fraternally Naren L. Jackson, MPS

Footnotes I - Excerpted from the PhD dissertation in Public and Urban Administration by Naren Jackson, Hermeneutic as a Research Tool in Identifying Patrimonialism in small cities, Arlington, TX. University of Texas in Arlington. 1998

2.Thomas Kuhn, ma Structure of scientific Revolution, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.

Book Reviews by Nelson King FPS

The Quest For Light Selected Masonic Addresses. By Wallace McLeod. Edited by Tony Pope, with a foreword by Kent Henderson. Mel bourne: Australian and New Zealand Masonic Research Council. 1997. Pp. 245 (soft cover). Copies may be ordered from ANZMRC, P0 Box 332, Williamstown, Victoria 301, Australia.

Every two years the Australian and New Zealand Masonic Research Society invites some "world renowned Ma- sonic scholar" to carry out a lecture tour of the research lodges in that part of the world. In 1997 our Executive Secretary, Wallace McLeod, BPS, was the first North American to be so honored - or so burdened, as the case may be. He visited the Antipodes and spoke to sixteen such audiences. (Can you imagine having that many research groups?) The papers that he offered on those occasions have now been collected into a single volume. It hardly seemed proper for him to review his own book - though this is sometimes done elsewhere - and so I consented to put a few remarks together. There are eighteen talks in all, and quite a few of them are things that we've seen or heard before. Nearly all are derived from addresses that Wallace has delivered at various times between 1972 and 1996. They deal with various topics: history (of the ritual, of religious and racial tolerance, of our relationship with government, and of innovations in Freemasonry); biography (of two Canadian mountaineers of 1827/1830, and of a Canadian rebel who was exiled to Tasmania in 1840); early Masonic documents (the so called Gothic Constitutions that go back to 1390, the Leland-Locke Manuscript allegedly of 1440, and the Hudibrastic Poem of 1723); problems in under- standing the ritual (incredible details, and bizarre interpretation of symbols); responding to criticism (a topic which is quite popular these days); and even a few observations on the degrees of the Mark and the Royal Arch. Most of them have been published in one form or another - four in The Philalethes magazine, and three in McLeod's earlier collection of essays, The Grand Design (1991), though these latter are somewhat revised. For example, we learn that six more versions of the Old Charges have turned up in the last ten years - three of them complete, all dating from close to 1700, and all fairly important for historical reasons. In fact, only five of the talks have apparently never been published b& fore. In "The Meaning of the Masonic Secrets," he discusses the various exposures of the Masonic ritual over the years, and challenges us to ponder how we should react to such things. In "The Name Adoniram Yet Again," he deals with an individual who is mentioned in the Installation ceremony and in some of the degrees of the Royal Arch and the Scottish Rite, and attempts to assess his significance. The paper entitled "Masonic References in Literature is just that - twenty or so allusions to the gentle Craft that we may encounter in the course of our reading. He gives a brief biography of "Robert Burns" and tries to measure his importance as a poet and a Mason - which is a bit difficult when he doesn't speak the language. And in "Two Masonic 'Literary Societies,"' he provides a very brief history of the Philalethes (mostly condensed from Seekers of Truth, by Allen Roberts), and of the Blue Friars. In general, they are fairly readable. And Wallace does have this fixation on trying to get his facts right; there are a few more footnotes than we probably need, but at least we can check the details if we need to. Some of the papers are even a little bit entertaining. 79

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

The Lady With The Lamp by William E. Parker, MPS

For more than 200 years, the winds of freedom and liberty have blown across the Atlantic between America and France. If Washington's victory at Yorktown signaled the turning point of the American Revolution, history will also recall the names of Lafayette, de Grasse, and Rochambeau, all Masons, and the French fleets and armies which aided in that victory. With at least 29,000 French soldiers and sailors, the French forces outnumbered their 11,000 American allies by well over two to one Since then, twice in the 20th Century, Americans have crossed the Atlantic to aid France in other victories. As a symbol both of that Franco- American friendship and of liberty itself, a tall lady stands majestically at the entrance to New York Harbor, a gift from the people of France to the people of America, an enduring reminder of the bond of mutual trust between the two nations. If the Statue has, through the years, become closely identified with immigration, we cannot forget its original intent was the theme of inseparable French-American friendship. While that friendship has, at times, been contentious and subjected to "stormy seas," such misunderstandings have been superficial and the waters have eventually calmed, leaving an underlying bedrock of solid amity between the two nations. The Statue is more than just a symbol of the ideals of Franco-American amity, however. it is also a universal symbol of liberty, of hope for the future, and of sacrifices made to ensure that future. President Grover Cleveland, in his address at the Statue's dedication October 28th, 1886, alluded to this hope: "We will not forget that liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected Willing votaries will constantly keep alive its fires, and these shall gleam upon the shores of our sister Republic in the East. Reflected thence, and joined with answering rays a stream of light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and man's oppression, until liberty enlightens the world." The question of piercing that "darkness of ignorance and man's oppression" has been a subject confronting nations for centuries. Striking the proper balance between these concepts, together with that of justice, has proven a difficult problem. While a perfect solution has perhaps yet to be found, America has come closer to a realization of these ideals than elsewhere. Tom Paine proclaimed the New World "an asylum for the lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe." With active concerns for these freedoms, the "Sons of Liberty" led challenges to what were considered unfair tax aspects of the English King's rule. Others, such as Franklin and Jefferson, likewise lent their voices to the march toward American independence, freedom of choice, and "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity," words perhaps not then yet coined in fact, but which existed in spirit nonetheless. It was to those ideals that the "Lady" came into existence. But why a statue? By the mid 187Os, Napoleon III was gone from power and the new Republican Government in France was at- tempting to survive, a feat some felt impossible. Yet the Republic not only survived but gained strength and propelled the nation into a period of prosperity. The United States, incidentally, was the first power to recognize the new Republic. Along with that prosperity, a French sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, began to lay plans for an ambitious and visible symbol of Franco-American amity. Born August 2nd, 1834, in Colmar, a small city in Alsace, Northeastern France, Bartholdi's family was well to do, from German ancestry; and had been Lutheran Protestants for several generations, with one branch eventually settling in Alsace. Although the family's financial situation was comfortable, when Bartholdi was two his father died, and his mother moved the family to Paris to oversee property there. Colmar remained deep in the family's roots, however, and was often the site of visits or vacations. A some what lackadaisical student, Bartholdi "discovered" art, took his first formal lessons in Colmar, and then worked with such well-known painters and sculptors as Ary Sheffer, Jean-Frangois Soitoux and Eugene Emmanuel Violletle-Duc. In brief, he had the best training available of the era. Situated on France's northern border next to Germany, the province of Alsace occupies a somewhat unique niche in European history, being "lost" to the new German empire in the Franco- Prussian War and then later returned to France. While French and intensely patriotic, they speak both French and a local dialect with Germanic traces. In the 1850s, the city fathers decided to honor local heroes and to use local artists in so doing. Business was difficult for a young newcomer but when Colmar decided to honor General Jean Rapp, opportunity came knocking at the door. Being from Colmar and through influential friends, Bartholdi was given the com- mission, his reputation soared, and subsequent orders followed. While "Liberty" may be his most monumental achievement, his legacy also includes many other impressive works, models of which may be seen in his Colmar home, which has been made into a museum. In 1856, on a trip through Egypt, he had admired the country's colossal sculptures and ancient architecture, their beauty and forceful lines, and he began to dream of a monument of his own. At first, he visualized a lighthouse to be erected at Suez, perhaps along similar lines to the legendary Colossus of Rhodes, or a Roman goddess. While little came of that particular dream, it can be seen that some of his early Suez sketches are suggestive of "Liberty's" form. In 1871, his disillusionment with the outcome of the Franco-Prussian War, the confusion in Paris brought about by the Commune, the prospect of finding commissions for his sculptures, and a desire both to see America and find support for his monument to liberty all caused him to leave France. Arriving in New York Harbor June 21st, 1871, he traveled extensively throughout the nation. Visiting cities such as Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, and elsewhere, he was both impressed by the vastness of the American continent and the American spirit and national character. Returning to Paris in the fall of 1871, he had already visualized Bedloe's Is- land in New York Harbor as the perfect setting for his project. He saw, however, not just another modest sculpture but rather a striking monument, one built to endure. Influenced by his friend Professor Edouard Rene lefebre de Laboulaye, a distinguished legal scholar and partisan of America's freedom, Bartholdi's imagination had simply moved his "lighthouse" from Suez to the United States. A visionary and man of great ideas, Bartholdi was also imbued with the pragmatism and ability to make his visions a reality, an effective combination. While he may be considered the "creator" of the Statue, de Laborious may be considered the "father." At an 1865 dinner in de Laboulaye's suburban Paris home, his idea of a monument to commemorate America's 100th anniversary of independence had captured Bartholdi's imagination. But if the dream was there in 1865, political events would dictate several years' delay waiting for a more propitious moment for its realization. Through a lifetime of speaking, teaching, writing and other actions, de Laboulaye's efforts aided in creating a favorable intellectual and political climate which made the idea of a statue receptive to French society. Among his many progressive ideas, for example, were the 1858 proposition for the separation of Church and State, praising the Reformation for freeing men's consciences, and support of civil, social, and religious liberties. After pondering several ideas for his project's form, modifying his Suez concept, it is believed Baitholdi selected the countenance of his mother for the Statue together with the general form shown in a famous French painting by Delacroix, "Liberty Leading the People," a woman holding aloft a French flag during the civil uprising of 1830. Instead of a flag, however, he put a torch with the light of liberty shining forth, his model, according to legend, reportedly one Jeann & Emilie Baheux du Pusicux, later to be his wife. It was important, however, that the monument not be seen as a symbol of revolutionary victory, but rather a symbol of freedom, hence the torch of liberty and beacon of light The book in Liberty's left arm, the Tablets of law, bearing the inscription July 4, 1776, referring to the Declaration of Independence, is likely the result of de Laboulaye's influence, he being a strong partisan of liberty. In 19th Century France, Freemasonry was closely associated with liberal political thought and a number of the symbols selected for the Statue can be traced to the Masonic movement; i.e., the torch, the book, and the seven- pointed star on Liberty's head. While historical records cannot positively identify all the Craft Members involved, many known to be in the Government, it is clear Masonic influence predominates both in the Statue's "birth" and the symbolism it represents. Thomas Jefferson, a "Mason Without an Apron," championed the cause of liberty throughout his lifetime. Shortly before his passing, he wrote: "All eyes are open or opening to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to rid them legitimately by the grace of God." His words were prophetic and if their full realization has not proven an easy task, time has shown their worth. Following the 1789 French Revolution, and the French uprisings in 1830, 1848, and 1870, the idea of a symbol to express the concept of liberty, that liberty of which Jefferson spoke, was well received in France. In brief, it was an idea whose time had come.

Commemorative monuments then having great appeal, in 1890 Bartholdi wrote to an American friend: "My idea has always been that it would be in the future a kind of Pantheon for the glories of American independence. That you would build around the monument of 'Liberty' the statues of your great men and collect there all the noble memories." If there are no statues surrounding "Liberty", we can see Bartholdi's concept in several monuments to America's great men in Washington, D.C. , such as Washington, Lincoln, Grant and Jefferson. In 1875, a Franco-American Union Committee was formed with the intent of raising funds for the Statue, and on November 6th of that year at a large dinner at the Hotel du Louvre, much interest was shown in the idea. Bartholdi, his cousin Dietz Monnic, Jcan Mace, and V. Vorie, all Masons, were Committee Members and naturally most supportive. Others involved in the project were Oscar de Lafayette, the Count de Tocqueville and another well-known Mason, Henri Martin. Meanwhile, having selected the form, Bartholdi had begun to transform it into reality. His first plaster model was slightly over four feet high, then enlarged to one sixteenth scale, then to one quarter scale and ultimately through the genius of engineering and sculpture to the finished size. Using plumb lines, rulers, and compasses for accuracy, each of the models had required thousands of precise measurements, eventually over 100,000 being taken. Bartholdi's cousin was then Minister to the United States, and the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, while a year away, seemed an appropriate occasion to make the presentation. No one, however, had considered unforeseen delays and particularly the financing difficulties. Diverse fund-raising efforts were undertaken and several French cities, businesses, and the Free- masons all made substantial contributions, but collections were still far short of the amount required. Among other fund-raising schemes, the 30-foot head of the Statue was displayed at the 1878 Paris Universal Exposition and advertising fights to manufacturers were granted. Finally, in 1879, a lottery was setup, this last effort resulting in a total of $400,000 finally being raised by July 7th, 1881. If Bartholdi is generally given credit for Liberty, an unsung but vital collaborator was the French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, already noted for outstanding bridge construction, to whom the sculptor turned for advice. It was Eiffel who designed the ingenious and innovative interior load-bearing iron framework, the Statue benefit- ting from the era's state of the art technology. While he showed a streak of engineering genius in his contribution, it was rather his 1889 masterpiece, the Tower, which gained Eiffel immortal fame. Later architects owe much to the genius of Eiffel's daring design, particularly his contribution to high-rise structures which Americans would later favor. Another essential requirement for the 225 ton statue was an "assembly/disassembly" process to permit transportation to America. The exterior sheeting needed firm but removable interior supports and Eiffel's contribution proved crucial to the project's success. Undoubtedly the most ambitious monument of its type ever conceived, the Statue is a testament to Bartholdi's genius. Mounted upon the Statue's interior metal framework are 300 copper sheets, each only 3/32 of an inch thick and about 4 feet across. Construction was a tedious process, the Statue being formed in sections, each copper sheet being hammered individually over wooden forms into its desired shape eventually riveted together, and then affixed to the interior iron supports. The manufacturing and construction process is so perfect the Statue appears to be a single seamless entity rather than hundreds of separate pieces. Early in 1884, after 10 years in construction and still sheathed in scaffolding, the Statue rose high above Parisian rooftops, remained in place about two years, and became an important tourist attraction. Among the thousands of visitors were French President Jules Grevy, former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant and the French novelist Victor Hugo. Initiated into French Freemasonry on October 14, 1875, in the Paris Lodge Alsace-Lorraine, Bartholdi was Raised a Master Mason on December 9th, 1880. On June 19th, 1884, the Lodge Members went as a group to preview the sculptor's creation, and on July 4th the Statue was officially presented to the United States, Levi Parsons Morton, U.S. Minister to France, making the acceptance on behalf of president Chester A. Arthur and the people of America. Underlying masonic interest in knowledge, on November 13th, Bartholdi presented a lecture to his Lodge on the history and various methods used in the Statue's creation, and its use of light and illumination, symbols reminiscent of his Masonic affiliation. The French Government was by then behind the project and in December dismantling work began, a process which took several months. Each segment was carefully numbered, the pieces packed into mammoth wooden cases, and the interior iron work like- wise packed into crates with a combined total of 214 separate packing cases. Special trucks then hauled the 500,000 pounds of wood and metal to the Gare St. Lazare train station and a train of 7O cars hauled the ensemble to the inland port city of Rouen for trans- port to America on the warship Isere. If today we know the Statue as "The Lady With The Lamp," it might well have become the story of The Lady That Wasn't!" The project having first survived serious financial difficulties in France, then serious financial difficulties in America, there was yet an- other potential disaster in the offing. Sailing May 21st, 1885, the Statue might never have reached America, the lsere being severely bantered by a midocean storm with its cargo of cases shifting dangerously. Destiny prevailed and for- tune seemingly smiled1 however, and June 18th saw Liberty's safe arrival. During his second American visit, in 1876, Bartholdi's statue of Lafayette had been presented to the City of New York, a gift of both the French nation and French Community of New York, the statue now standing in the city's Union Square. Further underscoring Franco-American amity, Bartholdi designed a monument to Lafayette and Washington which is now located in Paris's Place des Etats-Unis. That same year, 1876, the Statue's full- size arm and torch had gone on display in Philadelphia and New York and U.S. funding efforts to build the pedestal were begun. Echoing initial French efforts, however, funds were not easily nor quickly forthcoming, public opinion was somewhat apathetic, and even Congress failed to initially provide necessary funding. If, in the end, an additional $100,000 was raised, it was only thanks to the unceasing efforts of Joseph Pulitzer and his 'World" news- paper. A Hungarian immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1864, he had made a fortune in journalism. Having recently purchased the 'World", he was unhappy with the poor American response to the fund collection and looked for a solution. A perceptive man, he saw the Statue as a means to garner public acceptance for his paper through soliciting sup- port for the pedestal. Launching his campaign March 16th, 1885, he brought sensationalism and "pizzazz" to the fund campaign and appealed to the nation's honor. Contributions poured in, many from modest contributors, and by August 11th victory was in hand and pedestal planning could proceed. The 'World's" circulation, incidentally, increased dramatically. The American architect and Mason, Richard Morris Hunt was selected December 6th, 1881, to design the pedestal. A student of French architecture, he was also the only American to play a part in the design of the great French museum, the Louvre. After many proposals, a final selection was made from designs submitted July 31st, 1884, a sign unquestionably well suited to Bartholdi's allegory. The foundation was begun October 9th, 1884, completed May 17th, 1885, and work then began on the pedestal. Although the ceremonies were accompanied by heavy rain, led by New York's Grand Master William A Brodie, a delegation of over 100 Masons watched as he posed the pedestal cornerstone August 5th, 1884, together with a copper time capsule containing objects of Masonic significance. The Deputy Grand Master and Grand Wardens then conducted appropriate Ma- sonic consecration ceremonies. The Grand Master made brief r& marks and the Deputy Grand Master, R. W. Prank W Lawrence, gave stirring remarks extolling the concept of liberty. When asked why the Masonic Fraternity should be called upon to lay the cornerstone of such a structure, Grand Master Brodie replied: "No institution has done more to promote liberty and to free men from the trammels and chains of ignorance and tyranny that has Freemasonry." Brigadier General Charles Pomeroy Stone was the guiding genius behind both the foundation's and pedestal's construction and the Statue's installation. He also devised the structural supports needed to anchor the ensemble against what would be tremendous wind currents. Beset with numerous difficulties, chronic fund shortages and newspaper criticism, he nonetheless persevered, accomplished his task in an outstanding manner and was proud of the fact that not a single life was lost during the massive construction effort, a vivid contrast to the lives lost during construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Upon seeing the completed project, Bartholdi said: 'The dream of my life is accomplished. In this, I see the symbol of unity and friendship between two nations - two great. Republics." Bartholdi said: "Colossal statuary does not consist simply in making an enormous statue. It ought to produce an emotion in the breath of the spectator, not because of its volume but because its size is in keeping with the idea that it interprets." It seemed, however, that there was a glitch yet in store. If 1875 sketches were accompanied by a text stating; "...by night a halo of light will shine from her forehead far out across the boundless sea," no final provision had been made for the actual lighting system to be employed. There being no funds avail- able, a $7,000 gift from Edward Goff, President, American Electric Manufacturing Co., provided the electrical plant and system. When the Statue was finally up, the last of the 300,000 rivets had been hammered into place, and Frederic Law Olmsted's landscaping finished, October 28th, 1886, was set for the dedication. While marred by.. rain and fog, the pageantry included a two hour parade,. including many Masonic lodges, a flotilla in New York Harbor, and a crowd estimated at over a million strong. New York was aglitter with French and American flags and a public holiday was declared, although scheduled fire works were delayed by the inclement weather. In front of Pulitzer's 'World a triumphal arch of ever- greens was erected with canvas panels reading "La Belle France", 'The United States", and "Vive l'entente Fraternelle des Deux Republiques." The ceremonies were opened with an Invocation by New York's Episcopal Bishop Brother Henry C. Potter, Brother Bartholdi pulled a cord releasing a Tricolor veil from the Statue's head, and President Cleveland formally received the Statue and Pedestal in the name of the United States. Senator, and Brother, Chauncy M. Depew gave the principal speech and Bishop Potter closed the ceremonies with a Benediction. In 1936, at the celebration of the Statue's 50th Anniversary, President, and Brother, Franklin D. Roosevelt said: "It was the hope of those who gave us this statue and the hope of the American people in receiving it that the Goddess of Liberty and the Goddess of Peace were the same." Standing 151 feet high, the Statue rests on a 89-foot pedestal which, in turn, rests on a 65-foot base, a paved promenade that once formed the gun platform of old star shaped Fort Wood. Two 168-step winding stairways wind around a central column inside the Statue, one for ascending and one for descending, from the base of the Statue to the Observation Room in the Crown. At present, only maintenance workers are usually permitted access to the Torch. The Statue's fortunes have fluctuated through the years with diverse funding and maintenance considerations arising periodically to plague her. As she approached her 100th birthday, it be came apparent that major repairs were necessary, the ravages of time and weather having created multiple problems. In May 1952, therefore, a 21-member Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Centennial Committee was formed. Major fund raising from private sources provided a $70-million face lift for the Statue and over $100 million for renovating Ellis Island facilities, the gateway to America's great immigration era. Commensurate with the renovation work, a $5-million American Museum of Immigration on Bedloe's Island, re- named Liberty Island in 1956, was dedicated by President Nixon September 26th, 1972. In 1976, for the nation's bicentennial, thanks to a gift from an electrical contractor, a completely new lighting system was made operational. Leading up to the July 4th, 1986 celebrations, several years were spent doing the necessary repairs. While little actual external change may be immediately discernible, the ambitious project gave the entire statue a major top to bottom inside and out "face lift." Among numerous improvements, for example, were new rivets, repositioning and strengthening the arm, extensive interior work and replacing over 1,700 interior metal support bars, the massive effort perhaps as complex as the original construction itself Following Bartholdi's original plans, a new torch, balcony, and flame were also constructed, the originals beyond salvage. To do this delicate work, a team of French craftsmen expert in the metal embossing technique known as repousse, similar to the original manufacturing process, were brought to America. Covered with gold leaf applied by a French specialist, and illuminated by outside spoilights, the new torch shines like a magnificent beacon. With President Ronald Reagan lighting the torch, the July 4th weekend saw a myriad of festivities with a million or more visitors. There were festivals of symphonic and popular music, ballet, library exhibitions, other activities and a fireworks display of unprecedented proportions. The festivities were celebrated not only that weekend but were extended into a ten day period linking our American Fourth with the French equivalent, the July Fourteenth Bastille Day. There have been smaller copies of the Lady in various locations both in Prance and around the world, but per- haps the most famous is a thirty-six foot bronze replica which stands on the Ile des Cygnes (Isle of the Swans) at the Grenelle Bridge on the Seine River in Paris, looking towards her American sister 3,000 miles away, a gift from the Paris American Colony in 1889. At its dedication on July 4th of that year, President Carnot headed the large contingent of French officialdom. Carved on the pedestal are the words: "France and America are as one in the cause of a government of free men." Suffering internal water damage from cracks caused by a shell blast during the 1944 liberation of Paris, this statue was also given a facelift to correct such damage. Liberty has been glorified and satirized, used as an advertising symbol, and "invaded" by radical political groups. Alfred Hitchcock set the climax of a Hollywood film at the Statue, the magician David Copperfield made it "disappear", and it's been copied into souvenir models, puzzles, and hundreds of other designs. Yet through it all, a watching mankind sees the Lady as retaining an unmatched aura of dignity. As Eiffel's Tower has come to symbolize France, so has Liberty come to symbolize America. Public interest in Liberty has grown to the point that from the mid-1960s onward, well over a million visitors come annually, the number constantly increasing. The Statue has become more than simply a metal artifice and tourist attraction. It has become a symbol of liberty and freedom and America is seen as a visible symbol of those ideas, a nation where man can cast off the chains of tyranny and embrace liberty, where man is not bound by the constraint of custom and/or birth but is free to seek and create his own destiny. While few know the gigantic statue's official name, "Liberty Enlightening the World", many can recite lines from Emma Lazarus' famous poem, "The New Colossus." Daughter of a wealthy New York Jewish businessman, she was asked to write a poem which appeared originally in 1883, accompanying an art collection designed as a fund raiser for the pedestal. The poem attracted little attention initially, and it was only the swell of millions of immigrants that eventually drew widespread recognition to her work. In 1903, a bronze plaque with her poem was affixed to the Statue's base, the following lines the best known: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door" Millions of immigrants have flocked to America's shores, as a place of refuge from religious persecution, from oppressive governments, or simply to escape from depressed lands and seek opportunities in the "New World'; their first sight after crossing the ocean, the "Lady With The Lamp." Bartholdi passed to the Grand Lodge Above October 3rd, 1902, but his legacy will live for ages to come. April - 1998

Bibliography 1. Liberty - The French-American Statue in Art and History - Harper & Row - 1986.

2. Statue Of Liberty - 0. Handlin - Newsweek Books - 1971. 1984 - Doubleday & Co.

4. Statue Of Liberty the First 100 Years - Blanchet & Dard - 1985 - English Version B.A. Weisberger - American Heritage, N.Y.

5. Liberty-the Statue And The American Dream - L. Allen 1-1985 - Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. in Cooperation with National Geographic Society.

6. France Magazine - Vol. I, No.3 - Winter 1985-6 - Maison Fran§aise3 Wash., D.C.

7. GLNF Actualites - Nos. 17 & 19 - Paris, France - 1986.

8. France And The United States - J.R Droselle - 1976 - University of Chicago Press. 71*i4W:t%

9. MSA. Bulletin -Vol.62, # 8 - August 1984.

10. Encyclopedia Britannica

11. Alpha Endopedta - Paris - French Edition.

12. Endopedie Quillet - PARIS.

13. How They Built The Statue Of liberty~ M. J. Shapiro - 1985 - Random House.

14. The Statue Of Liberty - P.B.S. Documentary - 1985.

15. The Making Of Liberty - P.B.S. Documentary - 1986.

16. Miscellaneous Magazine & newspa- per References.

17. Statue Of Liberty - C. Mercer - 1985 - G. Putman's Sons, NY.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

The Weight Of Guilt by Bobby J. Demott, MPS

Johnny was brooding. His mind was full of anxiety for taking the water- melon from the grower's patch. He thought he could get away with it, but the owner told Johnny's parents that some boys had been in his patch. "But"' Johnny reasoned, "Tommy and Jason were in on it too; only I was the one who carried the item from the patch. I am more guilty than they." When the family conversation got close to discussing the deed, his anxiety became elevated. When the conversation drifted off, he felt relieved, but the thought was still in his mind, knowing the topic would return again. Each time the subject of water- melons came up his anxiety level increased, lest he would be accused of procuring the fruit from the neighbor's field. He wished people would just forget it and not say any more about it, yet that would not give him peace, for the knowledge of the deed would still be present. Some days he just wished to be caught and have the whole affair settled. Until this happened he would live in a state of anxiety; his conscience would haunt him. The three boys decided to return to the watermelon patch and remove the rinds to destroy evidence. Then they discussed their next move. Tommy wanted to merely say nothing and hopefully the matter would be forgot- ten. Jason wanted to confess the crime and beg forgiveness for surely no punishment could be worse than the terrible mental anguish they were current experiencing. Probably all of us has at some point in the past committed a deed which we hoped would not "catch up" with us. Such feelings are not confined to children who think it great sport to relieve a grower the trouble of harvesting his own crop. But when an adult commits murder the dimensions of the crime takes on much larger proportions. A sane person will have a sense of guilt after he has wronged another. If the sinner tries to conceal his crime or flees, such is indicative of the fact that he knows he has sinned and is guilty. This is when the power of guilt and self conscience works on his mind. He will never find peace as long as he escapes answering for his sins. Thomas B. Davis has written a one-act play entitled Defense of the Ruffians, in which the conscience of a murderer is examined. John Bunyan, (Pilgrim's Progress) three centuries ago, described the many perils and the distressed mind of a man who knew he had sinned. Over a hundred years ago Feodor Dostoevsky wrote Crime and Punishment, a novel of a man whose crime haunted him night and day. He could not find peace as long as he escaped answering for his sins. Subconsciously he desired to be captured and brought to justice which led him to leave clues as to his whereabouts. In loose conversation, he even described to a friend how the crime may have been committed. One of Abraham LiNcoln's anecdotes was of the old man in church who said "When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad; and that's my religion. The thought processes of the criminal might be materially different than before the crime was committed. (Dostoevsky) He may reject friends who try to help him through his obvious distress, strangeness and inner turmoil. His nerves may be frazzled; he may be tired; his grief saddens him and he implores his friends to leave him alone. His friends may have a burden on them also in trying to cope with the sinner and may finally conclude that they must leave him alone to work out his problems by himself His sins preying on his mind, he may return to the scene of the crime from a state of curiosity and may try, in his mind, to justify his crime. He may have nightmares, suffer torment, misery, melancholy and have suicidal tendencies. He thinks of himself as loathsome, a mad man, a condemned man, full of fear and terror. His inner turmoil and remorse leads to the torture of his mind and to a delirious state. He is morose, morbid, excited, distressful, angry and ill. He cries for a means of escape from his anguish and, once he is accused of the crime, finds solace of mind. To obtain relief from his distress he will hope for heartfelt repentance. He may try to justify his crime; he may expect honor and grace for his act of crime, as did the assassinator of Abraham Lincoln. The criminal might fear his imprisonment less than his being rejected and ostracized by his friends and fellow townsmen. Subconsciously the sinner might ac- tually desire to be captured and brought to justice. Once he flees he may leave clues as to his whereabouts, which may take many forms, even to the placing of a sprig of acacia at the site of a grave.

References: Abrahamsen, David. Crime and The Human Mind. Columbia University Press, New York. 1944. Abrahamsen, David. The Psychology of Crime. Columbia University Press, New York. 1960. Bunyan, John. The Pilgrims Progress. J.M. Dent & Sons, Ltd., London. 1956. Davis, Thomas B. Defense Of The Ruffians, A Dialogue with Conscience. Mimeographed. Dostoevsky, Feodor. Crime and Punishment. Translated by Jessie Coulson. W. W. Norton & Co., Inc. New York. 1964 McKenzie, John C. Guilt; Its Meaning and Significance. Abingdon Press, Nashville. 1962.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Masonic Stones by Richard Rowney Connell, FSA Scotland

Freemasonry is fulled with symbolism and the esoteric. It allows us the essential feeling of possessing some things that are beyond or hidden from the profane, the common man and sets Freemasons apart as a select group. That is often the appeal that keeps men joining and in attendance. However, there is much beyond the understanding and knowledge of today's Mason. More than some are to acknowledge or know.

In the beginning whenever that was, we had the basics, whatever they were. It is virtually impossible to determine because of the evolutionary process that caused the development if the Craft into what it became, as we know it today. Even in the early days before the 17th century when Lodges operated independently. practices varied in Scotland where Freemasonry started In the late 1500's and early 1600's, the Scots introduced an early standardization of tenets into the Brotherhood and these were etched into stone, the foundation stones of Freemasonry, the Brute Stone and the Cubical Stone if the Craft.

From thence, our understanding of the symbolism and the esoteric went downhill as the extraneous crept in, in the guise of ceremony superficial degrees, endless verbiage and the claptrap of the 18th and 19th centuries. Nothing meaningful has been gained since the 17th century but a lot of knowledge and understanding has been lost. We, for the most part, rely upon the outdated book printed by Mackey in 1873, An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry which is often in error where Masonic history is sought It is the rare lodge that has a library and the rarer one that has a Masonic student

If a Lodge has book; they are almost always, without exception, late 19th and early very early 20th century works that deal with the contrived understanding of the Craft, ritual, superfluous degrees, and often ignored or at least unpracticed moral standards and philosophy of the Brotherhood. To discover or uncover that which has been lost, takes more than the stunted knowledge of Masonry of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, which are the Dark Ages of Masonic enlightenment. We need to know the disciplines of the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Indeed, things that are now considered irrelevant, outdated, curious and often heretical. Therein lies the tale of the dog. A Blood hound!

To unravel the lost bit of Masonic knowledge can he unpopular with the stoic, the myopic, the Parrot Mason and a boon to the serious Mason who as a student, is a Brother who actively lives up to the tenet and seeks more light in Freemasonry.

The revelation of the true translation of the Mason Word, Lost Word, Scotch Word as it has been referred to, took a knowledge of Celtic studies, the pre-Christian Elder, Faith and lastly, Masonic history. The revelation should make Masonic history but will it? It is difficult to rewrite a Masonic history, even when history has gone wrong. Not all Masons wish to see the light.

Much More Than A Word (A Way of Life)

Just as the moon's reflected light dodges in and out of the earth's shadows, so has the silver thread of the moon goddess woven her way through man's mind. Her light, although some times shaded, can be found in most of man's religions. The moon is the Mother Goddess and the Mother of All Human Beings. She is the earth's spirit, Mother Earth and the Queen of the Heaven. To the Celts, she is the Mother-of-Heroes and therein lies our interest.

We are told, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."1 What was the Word? More interestingly, whose was the Word? Who's "beginning" should we refer to?

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; Male and female, created he them."2 This is a matter of interpretation and will be the subject of debate for another 2,000 years. What gender was God? Did God have gender? Cultures have been borrowing from one another since the recorded beginning of time. There is little, fundamentally new to any religion or moral concept. Take the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. They are the Pentateuch, a composite work by different writers from different periods of time. Within them, are two different designations of the deity and two separate accounts of creation.3 We have preserved on Egyptian papyrus in the British Museum, the Wisdom of Amenemopet. Amenemopet concluded each proverb by appending his name; "Amen!" It is difficult today to find a person who does not think that "amen" is not somehow Christian or church Latin. The Wisdom of Amenemopet was translated into Hebrew and circulated in ancient Palestine where they became the source for a whole section of the Old Testament Book of Proverbs. 5 Obviously, if we are to find the fundamental structure of religion, we will have to begin at the beginning of recorded tradition which is well before the Bible. We have to remove ourselves to the dawn of conscience.

The recording of tradition did not begin with an invented alphabet. It began with oral tradition and then art forms, which are another way of expressive writing. Early man has left us some written records carved on bone and stone, molded in clay and painted on cave walls. These first figures are his written legacy and began about 30,000 B.C. in the Paleolithic Period of the last Ice Age. This was a transitional period between the advanced Neanderthal who first appeared about 75,000 B.C. and CroMagnon who came into prominence about 35,000 B.C.

The first evidence to come down to us of abstract thought, the working of flint, of burial and an existence beyond death, comes from Neanderthal man. All this is the expression of a culture which was truly his and which survived him, being passed down to the men of Cro-Magnon.6 This is where we find our beginning.

Advanced Paleolithic peoples had a new psychological need and with this need came a new member of society: God.7 Man began to form images with his hands by molding, scratching, carv- ing and painting. As with all early peoples, it was in his natural surroundings that man saw God. The earth spirit was in stones, springs, trees and on hilltops. Nature made the earliest impression and the invisible. The unexplained became his religious forces. Now in 30,000 B.C., he was fabricating body ornaments by a standardized method with wide spread consistency. These sexless amulets suggest a structured approach to worship. looking more like thick wishbones than gender figures, they emphasize the pelvic area and illustrate the preoccupation with fertility. By 25,000 B.C. these took fe- male form, within many cases, obvious pregnancy. These 'Venus figures" as they have come to be called, have a prominent place in the Paleolithic culture, which gave rise to the worship of the Mother-Goddess. Of the 500 known human figures of the Paleolithic Period, most are female but there occurs a significant number of gender- less figures and others with a vulva and without breasts, thereby mixing the two genders in one.8 This, in the Stone Age, was the incubation period of religion; the Dawn Religion and the Mother-Goddess.

The Mother-Goddess was prominent in every early culture: Isis in Egypt, Cybele of the Phrygians, Astarte of the Judians, the Christian's Virgin Mary, Demeter of Greece, Diana of Rome, the Navaho Estsanatlehi, and the most un- usual, Artemis of Ephesus, a city in Asia Minor whose temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Artemis is the polymammary Mother of All Men, as her more than a dozen breasts helps to signify. Her unusual statue dates from the first century A.D. and she has an honored place in Free- masonry.

The Mother-Goddess, after thousands of years since before written history began, was eventually challenged in Mediterranean culture by Indo-European sky-gods. However, she continued to be worshiped in the religious under- ground. The religious convictions of these persistent adherents to the Elder faith is genuinely reflected in the fol- lowing, a second century book, The Golden Ass, by Lucius Apulcius. This is a first person narrative by Lucius who mistakenly drank a potion turning him into an ass. He wandered about Greece being abused and ill-treated by his fellow man for years. In this passage he pleads with the Mother Goddess who is his only hope for restoration and salvation. The story and premise remained popular for more than a thou- sand years and influenced the writers: Boccaccio 1313-1375; Rabelais 1494- 1553; Cervantes 1547-1616 when Free masonry was young. It would not surprise me if some learned men during the bloody Reformation years dominated by Christian ethos and pathos, would look elsewhere for relief. Per- haps Freemasonry?

Translation by Robert Graves: "A dazzling full moon was rising from the sea. It is at this secret hour that the Moon- Goddess, sole sovereign of mankind, is possessed of her greatest power and majesty. She is the shining deity by whose divine influence not only all beasts, both wild and tame, but all inanimate things as well, are invigorated; whose ebbs and flows control the rhythm of all bodies whatsoever, whether in the air, or on the earth, or below the sea. Of this I was well aware, and therefore resolved to address the visible image of the goddess, imploring her help ... Seven times I dipped my head under the waves ....and with joyful eagerness, though tears were run- ning down my hairy face, I offered this soundless prayer to the supreme Goddess: "Blessed Queen of Heaven, whether you are pleased to be known as Ceres, the original harvest mother who in joy at the finding of your lost daughter Persephone abolished the rude acorn diet of our forefathers and gave them bread raised from fertile soil of Eleusis; or whether as celestial Venus, now adored at sea-girt Paphos, who at the time of the first Creation coupled the sexes in mutual love and so contrived that man should continue to propagate his kind forever; or whether, as Artemis, the physician sis- ter of Phoebus Apollo, reliever of the birth pangs of women, and now adored in the ancient shrine at Ephesus; or whether a dread Proserpine to whom the owl cries at night, whose triple face is potent against the malice of ghosts, keeping them imprisoned below earth; you who wander through many sacred groves and are propitiated with many different rites - you, whose womanly light illuminates the walls of every city, whose misty radiance nurses the happy seeds under the soil, you who control the wandering course of the sun and the very power of its rays - I beseech you, by whatever name, in whatever aspect, have mercy on me in my extreme distress ..." All the perfumes of Arabia floated to my nostrils as the Goddess deigned to address me: 'You see me here, Lucius, in answer to your prayer. I am Nature, the universal Mother, mistress of all the elements, a primordial child of time, sovereign of all things spiritual, queen of the dead, queen also of the immortals, the single manifestation of all gods and goddesses that are. "9

The Mother Goddess was both male and female, "the single manifestation of all gods and goddesses." She control- led the sun and was Nature and the Universal Mother. She was anything and everything. She was God in the beginning and she was the Word. During the age of Ephesus, the Celtic (Kelltick) race was spread over much of Europe and Britain. Their Mother - Goddess even reached the continent of North America and Irish Celts left inscriptions on rocks that identify her as the Mother -of-Heroes and Queen of Heaven.10 The Irish wrote in what is know as ogham script, an alphabet without vowels and fewer consonants than English. They sometimes insert known letters as phonetic substitutes for those missing in their written language. Our knowledge of ogham has been supplied by the 14th Century Irish Manuscript in the library of the Irish Academy in Dublin.11 It acted as a comparable Rosetta Stone, allowing for accurate translation of ogham. The characters are formed by vertical long and short strokes with an occasional deviation. Thusly, their Mother-Goddess MAHA MABONA was ,,,,,,, ,,,, or MHMBN with only the consonants written and translated as Mother - of - Heroes." She enjoyed a secondary title, derived Beanu, the European Celtic word for woman. Since vowels are lacking in ogham, we cannot use e, a and U but an ea together; has the sound of a y and that can be substituted. Consequently, BEANU is ',,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The Welch however, used a different form of the Gaelic language. These Celts had "Brenhines-y-nef," who was both the "Goddess - of - Heaven" and 'Mother of All Human Beings."13 If one were to only use the first letters of her Welch name, it would be B -Y - N. No small point, because now we have two examples of an unusual "BYN." n.b.: Maha Mabona-BYN Mother Earth-Mother Heaven. It also equals Mother of Heroes-Mother of All Men. God was addressed as Maha Mabona Byn by the common ancestors of Ire- land, Scotland and Wales, the birth- place of Antient Free and Accepted Masonry.

To appreciate this, we have to consider the intellectual climate of the 16th and 17th centuries. Renaissance men were looking for some form of universal religion which would heal the splits in the church and result in a Brotherhood of Man. Many believed they had found the basis for this in the writings of the Egyptian philosopher Heremes Trismegistus, who was thought to have lived in the time of Moses and to have anticipated Christianity in many ways. Greek manuscripts containing these writings were rediscovered and translated in the 15th century and became something of a cult, along with other esoteric writings of the mystic philosophers and Rosicru- cians. Although it was shown early in the 17th century that the supposed writings of Hermes were in fact post - Christian and not Egyptian at all, many adherents of the cult refused to accept this and continued to advocate them for much longer.14 It was widely believed that the Masonic lodges were the guardians of much of this esoteric knowledge and in the 17th century many intellectuals seem to have joined the Masons in the hope of enlightenment. The early history of Freemasonry is still controversial, especially over the question of these 'monoperative' members: were they really 'speculative' Ma- sons in the modern sense of being interested mainly in the ritual and secret society aspects or were they merely honorary members elected because of their influence or interest in building? Nevertheless there is agreement that the records of the Scottish lodges go back further than anything in England, in fact to the 16th century, and that many nonoperatives joined them in the century following, for whatever reason."15 "From the most ancient times known to us, it was perhaps one of the main purposes of ceremonial pageantry to inculcate religious concepts or ethical principle within the growing community. But after the reformation (which in Scotland occurred in 1560) an extreme reaction against elaborate ritual- ism drove almost all beauty and color out of Highland church life for a long time. It's sad, for instance, to realize that the lost pre-Reformation Scottish sacred music was famous throughout Europe. The lovingly carved statues of holy men (which is all that 'saint' actually means) were smashed, though now once again we have a statue of a holy man, John Knox, outside St. Giles' Cathedral. The popular emotional need for colorful ceremony found out- lets in other ways, often secret. It was in the time of the learned theologian King James VI (b. 1566 - d. 1625, who himself was made a Mason in what is now Lodge Scone and Perth) that Free masons began the process that let to the formation of purely speculative as posed to operative Masonic lodges: for Freemasonry inculcates the highest brotherly love and indeed divine ethical principles through the beautiful symbolism of its ritual."16

Many hundreds of years ago, geometry was considered a sacred science and the Church was attempting to prove the creation of the universe and every- thing in it, with or by geometry. Also, geometry in 14th century Europe, as a contemplative practice, is personified by an elegant refined woman, for geometry functions as an intuitive, synthesizing, creative yet exact activity of the mind, associated with the feminine principle. But when these geometric laws come to be applied in the technology of daily life they are represented by the rational, masculine principle: contemplative geometry is transformed into practical geometry.26 This can be interpreted as operative Masonry is governed by a male principle, and speculative or Freemasonry is presided over by a female, or since geometry is a sacred science, a goddess. Minerva was the goddess of the arts and science. To the Romans, she represented the principle of wisdom. Since all of this was common knowledge and acceptable at the time of the forming of the Masonic Lodges and the establishment of a credo or philosophy, it is reasonable to accept the influence of a Mother-Goddess as a primary subject and motivating force. Masonic ritual, at least in the Third Degree, has its roots in the Eleusinian Mysteries. The concept of Craft ceremony is similar to that of ancient Eleusis as aptly described in the Encyclopedia of Freemasonry by Mackey, under "Eleusinian Mysteries."17 The focus of this fraternity was directed to- ward Demeter, the Mother-Goddess and dates to 2,000 B.C.'~ We read in Cicero that Athens has given nothing to the world more excellent or divine than the Eleusinian Mysteries. For 2,000 years, civilized humanity was sustained and ennobled by these rites. When Christianity conquered the Mediterranean world, the rite of Demeter, having perhaps fulfilled their mis- sion to humanity, came to an end. If you were intellectually inclined and sensitive to the secular homicides and persecutions of 16th century Scotland, where would you look for relief and brotherly love? Christianity no longer seemed to be fulfilling its mission. Scholars looked elsewhere! "The most renowned 'mystery religion' of the prehistoric sort which lived on into late pagan times was celebrated, as has been said, at Eleusis. There acording to the poet Pindar, Dionysus 'the god of the flowing locks' was enthroned beside Demeter the corn goddess and her daughter Bersephone, queen of the dead. The rites themselves were not to be revealed to the uninitiated, on pain of death. Strangely enough that prohibition held good. We still don't know what happened there; which is a loss for us. For, Pindar exulted: 'Happy is he who having seen these rites goes below the hollow earth; for he knows the end of life and he knows its god-sent beginning.' What- ever the central 'mystery' may have been it did not entail human sacrifice except in a symbolic sense. Each initiate apparently suffered a sort of death and rebirth in the course of the rite, and came away filled with courage, feeling himself to be at one with nature and, at the same time, somehow im- mortal."19 Central to the theme was Demeter the Mother - Goddess.

The late W. Bro. Harry Carr, J.P.G.D.(E.C.) wrote a paper which should be required reading for all Free- masons, especially those who care to begin separating fact from fiction and would like to penetrate the myths of the ritual-mongers and get down to historical basics. His paper provides us with documented information on "the Word," which is often spoken of as "the Scottish Word."

The Masons' Word as we know it, has been credited to the Hebrew by most Masonic reference material. Some have written of that origin as fact and others without any other way to turn, have alluded to probable Hebrew origin. W. Bro. Harry Carr offered that nobody knows what the Word is or where it came from. If we are to eliminate guesses, educated or otherwise, we have to discount a Hebrew origin. Assumptions carry no weight in this matter.

Question: If a word is known as the "Scottish Word," why look to the Hebrew for a translation?

W. Bro. Carr offers that a document which should be dated 1530, reads, "There is several words and signs of a free mason."20 That may be the first written indication of a Mason's 'Word."

Later we have in 1696, a document which is titled, "The forme of Giving the Mason Word."21 A footnote indicates that it was not one word but two. This for an Entered Apprentice was the name of two pillars. Masonic pillars uphold "earth" and "heaven."

The Sloan Manuscript of c.1700, gives the word as 'Maha-Byn."22 If you were testing someone and offered "Maha," you would expect a response of "Byn."

if you are looking for the meaning of a "Scotch Word," you have to look to the Gaelic language of the Celts.

Maha represents the "Earthly Mother" and Byn represents the "Celestial Mother." The sign was 'Maha" and the counter sign was "BYN." That was the "Word" as detailed in our very early Masonic manuscripts.

A document23 from among the papers of the famous Irish doctor and scientist, Sir Thomas Molyneux, dated 1711, has the word written as "Matchpin," a word horribly debased according to W. Bro. Carr. What was "Maha - Byn" is now "Matchpin." The inference remains the same.

An exposure of 1723 in the London newspaper, The Flying Post, gives the Word as "Maughbin." Close, but no cigar! What we have to allow for here is regional pronunciation and OYC differences in dialect. Imagine a London Englishman and his broad pronunciation of the Scottish word Maha Byn and you could easily have Maugh Byn (bin).

In 1730, we have the earliest printed exposure;24 wherein, as W. Bro. Carr has it written in his Six Hundred Years if Craft Ritual, "a new word is given which is "M...... the form now in common use, ending......ah." Interestingly enough, when the original Scotch Word was published in a newspaper as an exposure, i.e., Maugh- bin (Maha - Byn), the Craft changed the Word for future use, calling it the Substitute Word but didn't change it after a printed exposure.

A facsimile reprint of Duncan's Ritual of Freemasonry has always been available from a mailorder book seller in America, called Publishers Central Bureau in New Jersey for under $10.00. The original was not published as an exposure (sometime after 1858) but offers valuable information to anyone that is interested in what is behind the Tyler's sword and beyond the ears of a Cowan. All seven degrees are detailed and diagramed. In it, he writes: "The missing word was found after four hundred and seventy years, and was then, and still is' used in the Royal Arch Degree." This can be questioned in the light of W. Bro. Carr's paper which gives us the Mason's Word from the intact early period and also the word that was substituted after the London press exposure. The Word was not removed to the Royal Arch Degree. It was amended slightly to change the countersign to a new but associated meaning. What was affected for the Royal Arch Degree is a word newly introduced and due to the period of time that it was introduced (Post Reformation) one might give credibility to a Hebrew origin, but I have reason to doubt this.

Never lose sight of the fact that Freemasons have not been privy to the whole truth and nothing but the truth during our checkered history.

Bare in mind the Masonic facility for halving and using partial words to achieve an end. There are also mispronunciations and errors in spelling and interpretation to consider.

What is important to a researcher is the retention of the Celtic/Gaelic vocabulary with the words and names that have been expressed, e.g.: Maha (Mother); Byanu, beanu, Brenhines - y -nef (Goddess, woman, Byn); Mabo, Mabone, Mabon, Mabona (Hero, Heroes). Of no less importance is the historic debasing of Maha - Byn to Maughbin and Matchpin. Other catechisms gave "Magboe and Boe," "Machbenah," "marrow in this bone" as the correct Word to use in the different periods of time and the justifications have been quite astounding. Both the Word (actually two and the translations have always been hidden in plain sight of only one who knew where to look for them.

The true mystery of the 'Word"is that it ever was a mystery.

In the 1700's, a cryptic engraving was published in London by a Master of Lodge No. 53 who signed himself as "P. Lambert of Lintot, R.A., Rouen, Sublime Inventor and Sculptor." Lambert's work was republished in 1813 to celebrate the union of Antients and Moderns. The plate is a marvel of Masonic cryptography that includes a number of sub-panels; one of which is a cubical stone.

For example we have in the cubical stone, a square, balance scale, compass, triangle, Artemis the polymammary Mother Goddess, a plumb line, I Am, The Mother of All Masons, Nequid Nimis Minerva (Nothing without the wisdom of Minerva); O Diana, O Rudder, (Diana/Artemis is the rudder or guides the Craft and Minerva is the Roman Goddess of Arts and Science). Geometry was a sacred science and the Masonic "G" stood for geometry be fore members popularized "G" for God. There are also words "Physical, Moral, Natural, Philosophers Stone." In addition, there is a celestial chart and cryptic words in the alphabet of the Royal Arch Degree, which translates, "Death is Life." The meanings may have been forgotten with time but the symbols remained.

What you have read up to now is purely available fact if you will accept it as such. What l am offering in conculsion is my factually reasoned opinion.

If a word is known for centuries as the "Scotch Word," why look to the Hebrew and not the Scottish for a translation? If renaissance man was looking for a universal religion or brotherhood, a natural path would lead to the Mother-Goddess.

"Put it this way: The discovery of the Mother Goddess through modern archaeology is really a rediscovery of something never altogether forgotten, something which has to do with the very nature of the human soul."25 I can see why, when four to five hundred years ago, when Christians were senselessly killing one another over nonsense, they would turn to their Mother for help and guidance. "O Diana, O Rudder, Mother of All Masons," the great "I Am," blessed Queen of Heaven, are we not all Brothers? There are Masonic Lodges to this day, that meet according to the Moon phase. It is all there in the Cubical Stone.

It all began with the Mother - Goddess and with Maha - Byn. "So mote it be!" Mote means "might" in Broad Scots dialect as in "So might it be!" Another example of a "Scotch Word," further indicating a Scottish language influence on the Craft.

Greater insight has recently been provided by David Stevenson in The Origins of Freemasonry, pages 148-149, with a reference to two pillars which support heaven and earth: "Three fold interrelated symbolism may seem confusing, but it would have been immensely satisfying in an age that believed that the more complex a symbol was the more powerful it became. There may indeed have been additional connotations derived from biblical references which talked of the earth and the heaven being supported by pillars. However, the evidence for such elaborate pillar symbolism in this early period is almost entirely circumstantial: it may well have there since the most secret words of the Scottish Masons were the names of the pillars." Here he gives us an heretofore Masonically unaccounted for set of pillars, but they were always there.

Consider the Old Charges' reference to the Pillars of Knowledge from Genesis, on which Jabel the founder of geometry inscribed his science and the pillars of the Temple of Solomon which lent their names as the Word in two degrees, e.g. Boaz for Entered Apprentice and Jachin for Fellow Craft. This gives us two sets of known Masonic pillars.

With the addition of a third degree for Master, we are given a third word, i.e. Mahabyn, which in this cryptic form, represents the Great goddess in both her earthly "Maha" and heavenly "Byn" forms. Here we can apply the third set of pillars in a Masonic context. Maha can represent the pillar supporting the earth and Byn the pillar supporting heaven.

"Three fold symbolism" is further satisfied with three degrees, three Words, and three sets of pillars. The Lambert engraving has in addition to the cubical stone used in this paper, a brute stone which illustrates the primary symbols of the three degrees including three pillars representing: J=Jachin, B=Boaz and M-H= Mah-Hah.

Time may have corrupted spelling, pronunciation, and certain details of our symbolism, but over the centuries the elimination of the MH pillar from the Craft, brought about the placing of Mah-hah (the earth) over Boaz and Byn (the heavens) over Jachin in the way of spheres. Our Mother is still with us. After all is said and done, we still belong, attached to our mother lodge, not our father lodge.

References 1. Bible: John 1:1 2. Bible: Genesis 1:27 3. Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. Pentateuda 4. Casson, Lionel. Ancient ~pt, pg. 144 5. Breasted, James. The Dawn of Consoine, pg. Mv 6. Ranzi, Carlo. Seventy Million Years of Man, pg. 7. Clark, Graham. The Stone Age Hunters, pg. 8 8. Hadingitam, Evan. Secret of the Ice Age, pg. 223 9. Thorndike,Joseph. Discovery of Lost Words, pg 45

10. Fell, Barry. America BC, pg 125

11. Book of Ballymote 12. Fell, Barry. America BC, pg 235

13. Evan-Wentz. The Fairy Faith of Celtic Countries, pg 390

14. Yates, Proceedings of the Soc. Of Antiquaries of Scot. 1964:1972

15. Somerville, Andrew, Proceedings of the Soc. Of Antiquaries of Scot., 1987

16. Monajeffe, Sir lain, The Highland Clans, pg. 20

17. Mackey, Albert. An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

18. Mylonas, George. Eleusis and the Eleusinian Mysteries

19. Eliot, Alexander. Discovery of lost Worlds, Chap. 2, pg. 42

20. Harlem Manuscript, No.2054

21. Edinburgh Register Rouse Manuscript

22. British Museum

23. Trinity College Dublin Manuscript

24. Pritchard, Samuel. Masonry Dissected

25. Eliot, Alexander. The Realm of the Mother Goddess, pg. 51 26. Lawlor, Robert. Sacred Geometry, pg. 7

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Experiences In Caribbean Masonry The Jamaican Perspective by Afeef A. Lazarus

Introduction

Notwithstanding the conflicting theories as to the origins of our beloved Craft, two things seem certain: when the British captured Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655, Freemasonry was, from all accounts, well established in the British Isles; and

Freemasonry, as we have come to know and love it, originated there, though England, Scotland and Ireland have each claimed to be the seat of its origins.

Whatever the truth of Freemasonry's origins, it is not difficult to imagine that in the company of Admiral William Penn and General Robert Venables, there were Freemasons, and that Freemasons were among the first Englishmen to walk on Jamaican soil. All this, of course, is speculation, but as Jamaica grew in its importance as England's most valuable sugar producer, and as the famous seaport of Port Royal developed into a distribution center for the slave trade as well as a strategic commercial hub for business in general, it would be sheer folly to say with any certainty that, with the vast amount of traffic crossing the Atlantic in this direction, Lodges, especially of the traveling kind, were unknown in the West Indies, and more so in Jamaica, prior to the formation of the Premier Grand Lodge in 1717. With its formation, eventually came the keeping of a central set of records and the formal warranting of 'regular' Lodges by a central administrative body such as we know it today.

The Earliest Records

In his celebrated work entitled 'The History of Freemasonry', Robert Gould tells us that, in 1737, a mere twenty years after the formation of the Premier Grand Lodge, one William Douglas, Commander of 'H. M. S. Falmouth', was appointed Provincial Grand Master for 'the Coast Africa and the Islands of America'. This vague description has been the subject of much speculation, but it is generally felt by most students of Masonic history, that the term 'the Islands of America', applied to none other than the islands of the West Indies. It has been said that Freemasonry was 'introduced' into Jamaica in 1738 with the establishment of the Mother lodge No.182 (so named in 1776) which was warranted in that year, but, as can be gleaned from the above, this is highly speculative, and it may be far more accurate to describe that Lodge as being the first Lodge war- ranted to work on Jamaican soil.

A Province is Formed

The warranting of a second Lodge in 1742, Port Royal Lodge No. 193, brought along with it the formation of The Province of Jamaica, and the appointment of the first Provincial Grand Master in the person of Ballard Beckford, a somewhat notorious figure in Jamaican politics of the time, having figured quite prominently in a much publicized divorce case, which resulted in the passing of Jamaica's first Divorce Bill, and his expulsion from the House of Assembly, three years earlier. The passage of time and the destruction of records by hurricane, earthquake and fire have rendered much of this period somewhat hazy, but it seems as if our brethren of a bygone era were not immune to growing pains, as, between 1742 and 1744, no less than three Provincial Grand Masters were appointed.

A Competing Force

Notwithstanding all this apparent turmoil, by 1775, twelve more Lodges were warranted by the Premier Grand Lodge in various parts of the island, not only in the established commercial centers, but also in the sugar growing regions of Saint Mary's, Hanover and Westmoreland. With the formation of the rival 'Antient' Grand Lodge in England in 1751, the formation of Lodges under its jurisdiction took place naturally wherever its members were dispersed over the face of the earth. Some came to Jamaica, and by 1763 the Antients warranted their first Lodge at Old Harbour, with a second being war- ranted at Green Island, in the parish of Hanover, in 1772.

At first, either by design, or out of an unspoken respect for each other, they basically kept out of each other's way by respecting each other's 'territory'.... until 1775! In that year, the Premier Grand Lodge, by what appeared to be an act of open hostility, warranted their own Lodge at Green Island where there already existed an Antient Lodge. In 1786, the Antients retaliated by striking at the heart of the Premier Grand Lodge (or 'Modems' as they had be- come known) by establishing an Antient Lodge in Kingston, the seat of a number of Modern Lodges and the natural seat of power. By 1809, eight more Antient Lodges were established in Port Royal and Kingston, and, to add insult to injury, an Antient Provincial Grand Lodge was established in Kingston in 1796. The assault must have been too overwhelming for the Moderns, as history informs us that after their intrusion into Green Island in 1775, the Modems did not warrant any new Lodges until 1812 when a warrant was granted to a group of French refugees from Haiti, but this Lodge was short lived and soon vanished. Indeed, there is evidence that some of the Modern Lodges were moved to petition the Antients for new warrants!

The skirmishing obviously took its toll on both camps, as by the Union of the Antients and Moderns in 1813, many of the Lodges had ceased to function and so were erased from the register of the newly formed United Grand Lodge. Some survived, however, and two of the Lodges warranted by the Antients are still in good health today, having worked uninterrupted since their inception. These are the Royal Lodge No.207, warranted in 1794, and the Friendly Lodge No.239, consecrated in 1797

Irish Eyes

We have concentrated thus far on the two English Grand Lodges and their continuing rivalry, and, without more, the unsuspecting might be led to think that there was no room for anyone else. This, however, was not the case, as the Irish seem to have been looking on from the wings. The officer corps of the military presence in Jamaica was, as would be expected, manned by the Brit- ish, and some of these men arrived with traveling warrants in tow, issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland. History does not inform us as to what part they played in the Masonic politics of the day, but as the Antient Grand Lodge had its roots in Irish Freemasonry, it would not be too far fetched to assume that they had some fraternal relationship with the Antient Lodges in Jamaica and, conversely, were probably not too welcome at the assemblies of the Moderns. Of interest is the fact that the Royal Lodge No.207 previously mentioned, started life as an Irish Lodge, numbered 699, in 1789, and subsequently applied for English 'citizenship' under the banner of the Antients in 1794 after just five years of existence. The reasons for the change in allegiance are unclear, but the writer has put forward a theory which was set out at length in a paper appearing in AQC, Volume 101 [1988] entitled 'What Inducement Have You to Leave?. The Lodge still uses the Irish Trowel as the Jewel of the IPM and the Arm and Trowel, a symbol of Irish Freemasonry, adorn its Banner. It is of interest to note that Masonic and other publications, such as contemporary Almanacs, have listed at least eight other Irish Lodges as having worked in Jamaica between 1767 and the end of the 18th Century. Some of these have been authenticated by the records of the Grand Lodge of Ireland but, others, though warranted, were stillborn, while the existence of yet others, are doubt- ful.

As far as we are aware, apart from the appearance of Independent Lodge No. 35 which was warranted in 1814 and discontinued in 1836, the next appearance of an Irish lodge was in 1905 when the South Carolina Lodge No.390 was warranted. It faltered and the warrant surrendered. The same warrant was re- issued in 1927 to a new Lodge bearing the same name. The second Lodge is still in existence and is in good health. In fact, it recently spawned a number of new Lodges which formed the basis for the creation of an Irish Province in 1995. The Province operates in harmony with its English and Scottish counterparts.

Whither the Scots?

While the Modern/Antient/Irish game of 'Musical Lodges' was playing itself out, the Scots had quietly constituted a Lodge in the relative obscurity of Morant Bay, in the southeast of the Island. "The Scotch Lodge Saint Andrews No. 102" was constituted in 1760. By 1770, the Lodge had no less than 65 members, a large membership even by today's standards. By 1816 it was erased, but, as with so many Lodges of the day, the reasons for the decline has been obscured in the mists of time. No Scottish Lodge was again formed in Jamaica until 1844. The Glenlyon Lodge, formerly No.417, but now No. 346, was warranted in 1845 and is still in existence, but its beginnings were somewhat rocky as it was dormant from 1861 to 1868.

After the Union

At the beginning of the 19th Century, communications across the Atlantic were, understandably difficult and it took months, and even years in some instances, for messages to be received and understood. In 1813, The Antient and Modern Grand Lodges set aside their rivalry and amalgamated as The United Grand Lodge of England. It took some time for the word to reach the warring Provinces, and even when it did, some were still unaware or un- sure as to who were the panics to the union! In the resulting confusion some believed that the Moderns had united with the Scots and set about holding their meetings on that basis. Eventually, however, the misconceptions were resolved and the true meaning of the union began to be understood and barriers began to be broken down. The newly formed United Grand Lodge took advantage of the opportunity to to clean house'. All Lodges which ceased to work were erased and a universal renumbering took place.

Who Were the Masons

It is convenient to treat the Union of the Moderns and the Antients as a watershed, and to assess the influence of the Craft on society in general and to identify who constituted the membership of the Craft in Jamaica at that time. In doing so, one must be cognizant of the times of which we speak, which is worlds away from the social structures in which we find ourselves today. It has already been established that Jamaica was becoming a most valuable British colony, and by 1813 it was at the height of its dominance. It was a vital commercial hub for North, Central and South America. It was the sugar capital of the world. Its commercial importance had spawned a wealthy and influential business class, and out- side of the center of commercial activity the plantocracy, many with direct family and business ties to England, held sway. Slavery, it must be remembered, was not yet abolished, but, in Jamaica, Jews were provided with freedoms not yet enjoyed by them in Europe and so were attracted to the colony. Indeed, many of the most influential Jewish families of modem Jamaica are able to trace the arrival of their forefathers to this period in History, and the history books record that their contribution to the Craft and its leadership in their adopted home has been most significant. The Masonic membership, then, was made up of the business class, including the Jews (Ashkenazi as well as Sephardic) who had fled persecution in Portugal and other pans of Europe (such as Myers, Lelgado, de Cordova (of the "GLEANER" fame), Belisario, Jacobs, heim) the plantocracy, the professionals and, to a lesser extent, the mulattos.

The Freemasonry of the day was, undoubtedly, a predominantly white, upper-middle class fraternity in the halls of which resided a great deal of power. It is. therefore, not surprising that many of the names which emerge from the surviving Masonic records of the time, are synonymous with names found in the leading business, professional, political and social records of the era.

The influence of Jamaican Freemasonry

The predominance of Jamaica as a commercial center, quite naturally) overflowed into the field of Freemasonry. Contrary to what obtains today, there existed a healthy and significant trading relationship with South and Central America) and, in particular with what is now known as the Republic of Colombia. This was the time of the revolutionary wars and of high anti-Freemasonry sentiment disseminated by the Roman Catholic Church and, as a result, Freemasonry was viewed with some amount of suspicion by the authorities for political as well as religious reasons. Many governments of the day saw Freemasonic Lodges as meeting places for free thinkers and dissenters, and, therefore, as centers of revolt. For fear of political persecution, some Lodges had to meet under the guise of educational organization offering lessons in Spanish and English. There being no Grand Lodge existing in Colombia at the time, some sought warrants from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Jamaica (which was permissible at that time), and history records that warrants were duly granted by Jamaica to no less than four such Lodges and that those warrants existed until the formation of a Grand Lodge in Colombia in 1824 when the Lodges concerned came under the jurisdiction of that body.

Any serious paper touching and concerning the influence of Jamaican Free- masonry cannot be complete without mentioning the Ancient and Accepted (or "Scottish" in North America) Rite or Rose Croix," which is reputed to be the fastest growing Masonic system in the United States and which is enjoying increased popularity in English Free masonry. To our detractors, it is, perhaps, the most misunderstood of the so called 'higher degrees," as its 33 degrees are often quoted as proof positive that the knowledge of a mere three degrees by a Master Mason does not really communicate to him the true diabolical and subversive nature of Freemasonry which is reserved for the few select brethren who achieve this commanding height!

Much has been written about the Rose Croix, especially in recent years where scholarly research has unearthed facts not previously known. What is evident is that the facts surrounding the early formation of this Order are extremely complex, but that the last half of the 18th Century and the first quarter of the 19th Century saw the Rite as promulgated by Morin and Francken flourish and become established in Jamaica from whence arose "the Grand Council of Princes Mason at Kingston in Jamaica" which, mainly, through the vehicle of traveling military regiments, spread its influence firmly into North America. Morin died in Jamaica and is buried in the churchyard of the Kingston Parish Church where his grave can be seen today.

The Progress of the English Craft

We left off at that part of our history which mentions the union of the rival Grand lodges. A union so important as that between two great competing forces could not fail of being generally and severely felt! After the general confusion died down and the brethren eventually got used to the idea that the Antient and Moderns were no longer rivals, things settled down considerably and private Lodges continued to thrive. Indeed, during the Provincial Grand Mastership of Sir Michael Benjamin Clare (1814 to 1832), nine new Lodges were warranted in the ten-year period be tween 1816 and 1826. Then came the drought! Clare left for England in 1831; a new Provincial Grand Lodge under the Grand lodge of Scotland (the previous attempt by the sole Scottish lodge having fizzled out in 1795) was established in 1843 when William P.G. Burton was named Provincial Grand Master; the United Grand lodge of England failed/refused to appoint a successor to Clare thus leaving the Province without any real leadership; the Scots began to take up the slack by warranting new Lodges; and the English brethren, not being totally enamored with the situation, were in virtual revolt. Many letters were written beseeching England to act, but to no avail.

Now, some of the brethren, having been pushed by frustration into becoming a clamorous and turbulent people, then broke out into open revolt and threats of a defection en bloc to the Scottish camp were heard. At long last, their prayers, both to the Almighty as well as to Grand Lodge, were heard and Dr. Robert Hamilton was appointed as Provincial Grand Master in 1858. Presumably, this should have solved the problem. This, however, was not immediately to be so. The lodges in the north and west of the island were not in support of Dr. Hamilton's appointment, so they remained directly under the rule of Grand Lodge and Dr. Hamilton was formally appointed Provincial Grand Master of the Province of "East Jamaica" as is evidenced by the jewels of office worn by many of the District Grand lodge Officers to this day. Fortunately, this impasse did not last. All overseas English Provinces were redesignated as "Districts" in 1865 and by 1880, the District Grand Lodge of East Jamaica had assumed jurisdiction over all the Lodges in the island thus becoming the District Grand Lodge of Jamaica until 1992 when it became the District Grand Lodge of Jamaica and the Cayman Is lands.

In addition to the curiosity of the words "East Jamaica" still represented on some of the District's jewels, space had to be found in the District's numbering system for the Friendly Lodge 383 in Montego Bay, being one of those Lodges which objected to Dr. Hamilton. That Lodge now bears District Number 3a, as number 4 had already been given away to another Lodge.

Under the guiding hands of a long line of distinguished District Grand Masters, (the incumbent has yet to be judged), the District Grand lodge, once again, settled into a harmonious relationship with its Grand Lodge, with the Lodges under its jurisdiction and with the Scottish District and Irish Province as they work together in harmony for the good of the Craft in Jamaica. Of passing interest during this period is the appointment of Bro. John Pringle (later Sir John Pringle) as District Grand Master in 1909 while still a Master Mason and Senior Warden of Friendly lodge 239. He was not in- stalled as a Master until the following year which I think is some sort of a record. I have not heard of a similar appointment, but I shall stand corrected if any other brother has.

Jamaican Freemasonry Today

Jamaican Freemasonry today is truly a tapestry of great value woven from men of all colors, creeds, political persuasions and social backgrounds. As it is in any grouping of persons, there are bound to be differences of opinion on any given subject, and this is true of Freemasonry in general and, perhaps, of Jamaican Freemasonry in particular. Throughout the District in general, and in my own mother Lodge in particular, I have the privilege of associating and sitting in harmony with Arab and Jew, Moslem and Hindu, Roman Catholic and Protestant, black and white, members of all three local political parties and those who do not necessarily fall squarely into anyone or other of those categories. And so it should be. I am proud to call each of them "brother" and I find comfort in their presence. l am sure that this is true of anywhere that Freemasons meet in pursuit of the principles of brotherly love, relief and truth.

I clearly remember, with pride, sitting in Lodge and witnessing a double initiation where the two candidates were the Minister of Information and the shadow Minister from the Opposition each taking their obligation, side by side, on the same VAL. I am proud to say that, as members of the same lodge, they are both active and work with that harmony which should at all times characterize Freemasons, notwithstanding their differences on the political front.

In the Craft itself the three constitutions, English, Irish and Scottish, are so intertwined, that many brethren be- long to all three constitutions, and, indeed, there are brethren who hold Grand Rank in all three! The Jamaica Masonic Benevolence Association which is one hundred and seventeen years old is administered by representatives of all three constitutions and the District Grand Masters (EC and SC) and the Provincial Grand Master (IC) take turns at presiding over that body, each sitting as President for a two-year period. So closely do the constitutions work together, that it is quite the practice for all three to be represented at all installation ceremonies. That might be seen as par for the course in the Caribbean, but when one realizes that the English District boasts 23 lodges (2 of which are situated in the Cayman Islands), the Scottish 16 and the Irish Province 6, making a total of 45 lodges in all, this makes for a fair sized "District" indeed - and we have not yet considered the Royal Arch (of which I have responsibility for 12 Chapters, one of which is situated in the Cayman Islands), the Mark and all the other Orders of which most of us are very active members! Yes, Freemasonry under all three constitutions is alive and well in Jamaica, and continues to grow. As a result the English District has found the need to establish a secretariat in Kingston which is presently manned on a full time basis by the Assistant District Grand Secretary who has the help of a typist.

It has been said that one could find a Masonic meeting to go to for six nights of the week and, at each of which, one would be sure to have his fill of food and drink at the after proceedings. I have not tried it, but I have no doubt there is much validity in this statement. That is not to say that we do not have our troubles and difficulties - of those there are aplenty - but we try to approach them with the support of the four cardinal virtues so amply illustrated to us in our ritual, namely: pru- dence, temperance, fortitude and justice.

Editor's Note: W Bro. Afeef A. Lazarus is PastMaster if Friendly lodge 239 (BC), District Grand Master of Jamaica & the Cayman Islands (BC), and Grand Superintendent over Jamaica & the Cayman Islands (B C).

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Through Masonic Windows by Kenneth D. Roberts, FPS

"The timing is right" . . stated R.W. Robert West Clarke in his annual address at the Feast of St. John. "...my message to you is that Freemasonry needs a long Range Strategic Plan, a plan that by its very existence will remove the fears that Freemasonry will change into something different... believe me it won't - - a plan to begin the new millennium, a plan to perhaps begin a new phase of Masonry, let's call it our Modern Period.' Not a plan for Massachusetts, but a strategic design for Freemasonry in all of North America... We, of all people. profess to be the builders. We learn from our an- cient craft masons that we are obliged to build to a plan - - - By its very nature, Freemasonry insists upon, and is irrevo- cably committed to progress. I believe that together we can convince our Grand Masters throughout North America to adopt a strategic plan at this time... Freemasonry . . . is experimenting with new ideas, one day classes, image build- ing, networking, etc. Freemasonry is thinking about how Freemasonry thinks about itself...There is strategic move- ment and concern in Canada The tim- ing is right. The above are excerpts taken from 'The Present," an article in the Trowel summer '98 issue.

The Masonic Renewal Committee of North America has developed an excel- lent and timely brochure intended to be given to prospective Masons. Have You Ever Considered Becoming a Mason?" asks questions of the recipient's basic beliefs and explains Masonry's tenets as they relate to the questions- Copies can be obtained by calling the Masonic Re- newal Committee at 1-888-891-8235

A first . . . The officers of Wamsutta Lodge of New Bedford, Mass were in- stalled by M.W. Chester Robert Isles, P.G.M., and R.W Domingo Rodrigues, Assistant Grand lecturer, Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Jurisdiction of Massachu- setts. This was a first for Wamsutta Lodge, a first for the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and a first for Prince Hall Grand lodge. As the installation was carried out with dignity and perfection, Brotherly Love and Fellowship perme- ated the lodge room.-Reported in the Trowel, summer '98.

MWGM Jamcs V. Voyles, MPS, an- nounced in "The Idaho Freemason" that a resolution to adopt a new way of edu- cating degree candidates would be pro- posed at Grand Lodge in September "The Alternative Proficiency that is go- ing to he proposed gives each Lodge the ability to choose between the classical proficiency as we have always done it, and the new proficiency, which involves less memorization, but more informa- tive learning. A candidate who passes the new proficiency will be far better enabled to understand Freemasonry and to com- municate with friends and family about our craft Further, Freemasonry should benefit from our membership being bet- ter informed."

Brother Charles Tillery of Colgate Lodge #221, informed "The Oklahoma Mason" that he had been appointed Pub- lic Relations Officer of his Lodge. Hmmm - . . local public relations - Cool'

Douglas 0. Fegenbush, MPS, Indiana, relates: We tried a new format this year in which the Grand Lodge Officers asked questions and [listened] (my brackets) to the responses of the brethren present. The Grand Master then took questions from the audience, again seeking the conditions and situations that con- cerned the brethren... HANG ONTO YOUR HATS, because we are going to embark upon a program of returning decision making to the Lodges and re- pealing old, out of date regulations None of the 'Landmarks' will be endan- gered, but we will be strengthened."- The Indiana Freemason, Spring '98.

Are you able to defend Freemasonry? In a talk delivered by Wallace McLeod, FPS, to Virginia Research Lodge, Brother Mcleod demonstrated many of the criti- cisms and lies espoused by the enemies of the Craft and expressed his belief that "Every Mason should be ready to defend the Craft." To arm yourself he recom- mends the publication Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry, written by Art de Hoyos and S. Brent Morris, FFS. The book was produced by, and is avail- able from The Center For Masonic Infor- mation, 8120 Fenton St., Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA. This book goes into great detail as to the ways of the anti-Ma- sons and answers our critics' point by point. Brother Mcleod believes the time to turn the other cheek has passed, how- ever, to defend Freemasonry we must be educated in the tactics and strategies of our enemies.

"I was very proud to be a Freemason an event I will never forget." exclaimed Grant F. Stuffi, MPS, reporting on the Civil War Lodge of Research meeting held at the George Washington National Masonic Memorial on July 11th The membership of Quatuor Coronati were guests and both research Lodges pre- sented research papers. By all accounts the fellowship was tremendous. What an experience!!" continues Brother Stuffi, "Freemasonry owes Brothers Paul Bessel (MPS), Bill Copenhaver (MPS), Brent Morris (MPS), the staff at the GW Memorial and a cast of many a HUGE THANKS... Too often ... we can lose the big picture of Freemasonry and the ability that is has to bring men of differ- ent backgrounds and nationalities to-. gether." "Keep on pluggin"

Send mail to Webmaster@kena.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 1997 Kena Temple

Web Server Hosting By:

DcMetroNet is a trademark of William J. Baumbach II. All other products mentioned are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. Questions or problems regarding this website should be directed to: 1-800-280-2820 Webmaster@DcMetroNet.com
Copyright ? 1997 All rights reserved.