This file is copyright (c) 1999 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

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Philalethes Magazine October 1999

Contents

99 President's Corner

by Robert G. Davis, FPS

100 From the Editor's Desk

by Nelson King, FPS

Letters to the Editor

101 Reflections From Here

by Skip Boyer, MPS

102 Brother Henry Agard Wallace

Prophet of Agrafianism

by Robert L. Uzzel, MPS

106 The Canadians - John C. Abbott

by Bany W Dixon

107 Brother George, Where Have All

Our Heroes Gone?

by Thomas W Jackson, FPS

110 John Hunt Morgan

Three Years To Greenville - Part 11

by Joseph E. Sennett, FPS

115 Of Freemasons, Odd Fellows

and Passenger Pidgeons

by Ted H. Hendon

117 The New Men's Movements -

Dust, Flesh, Cinders - Part 2

by Paul Rich, MPS/Gufflermo De Los Reyes

119 In Memoriam -

Lewis C. "Wes" Cook, FPS

120 Through Masonic Windows

by Kenneth D. Roberts, FPS

ON THE COVER

The Holy Saints John adorn our cover this issue. The mural was discovered in Ashlar Lodge's storeroom in Billings, Montana. The water stain at the bottom of the mural could not be fixed without damaging the design. In the lower portion it reads: "J. Hale Powers & Co. Fraternity Publishers, Cin., OH. Entered according to act of Congress in the 1871, by Strobridge & Co. in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.

Our thanks to Brother Harold Davidson, FPS, Society Librarian, for sending in this slide.

The

President's Corner

by Robert G. Davii, FPS

Is Freemasonry relevant in the world today) Are its lessons and teachings still significant? Or is it largely a curious relic of the past; an ideal without action? In thinking about this question of Masonic relevancy, one is led to ask a few other questions.

Is Love of Country relevant? Does patriotism hinder or aid the overall progress of society) Are we not more than just countrymen? After all, in todays world, global relations are increasingly important. We are not only North Americans, or Europeans, or Asians, or Africans, although we may each owe a fundamental allegiance to our own countrys best ideals. Freemasonry gives us the framework for a more universal kind of'citizenship, reminding us that we should not only be countrymen, but also be able to identify the honor of our country with our own. Patriotism is a principle guided by virtue; not law. A country whose rules of law are centered around virtue provide the best model for a free people. Masonry teaches that freedom is guaranteed only when the right models exist for all of us to live ethically and peaceably in the world.

Is Faith relevant? Does it guide men to think, or rule men to follow? We are not only Christians, or Jews, or Moslems, or Hindus, or Pagans, although we may each feel a strong reverence to the faith of our choice and proclaim it before the world. Freemasonry admonishes us to seek the Truth which underlies the doctrines of our faith. It reminds us that no institution has the right to proclaim that it knows the Truth, and that all others are wrong. No creed should dictate that it is right and all others are wrong; therefore everyone must change to conform to its belief system. Freemasonry teaches us to always guard against the arrogance of belief, but hold fast to the moral path which underlies our own belief system. Masonry clearly teaches that we are our institutions; and, even in organizations of faith, those institutions should exist to better serve our understanding of the spiritual nature within us. Masonry's charge that we have freedom of choice in our belief systems is an essential to freedom in the world.

Is Social Contract relevant? Does our party aid the ideals of our country, or hinder them? We are not only Democrats, or Republicans, or Federalists, or Progressives, or Libertarians, or Reformists, although we may each think the platforms of our political party are the best for our society. Freemasonry reminds us of a more important tenet of democracy. We are the law. We may live in different societies, but a universal tenet of Masonry is that its people should decide, by their actions, how kind or cruel, sensitive or indifferent, compassionate or harsh, upright or corrupt that society is. Masonry suggests that freedom can be sustained only in a society which operates in a truly democratic sense, wherein the people decide how they will be ruled.

Is Equality relevant? Does treating everyone as equals protect individual rights, or lead to lower standards of progress? As citizens in the world, we are not only wealthy, or influential, or powerful, although we may think that these qualities bring us a certain loyal following of friends, or make us respected individuals in our community, state, or nation. Freemasonry cautions us to preserve in human relations a more fundamental precept. Freedom is assured only when the lowest, most humble, most insignificant member of society has the same human rights and is equal to all others in matters of law, and can oppose, through the courts of his country, those who are stronger and more powerful, when that strength would oppress him. Masonry admonishes us to be modest and charitable toward the condition of-every human being. Masonry would ask that we respect every individual, not for what he can do for us, but for being a brother to mankind. Freedom exists only when all men are equal and treated with tolerance in human feelings and relations.

My brethren, if love of country is important, if faith is important, if the rule of law is important, if equality if important; then yes, Freemasonry is relevant in today's world. And these ideals are lived out in people's lives when enough of us understand them to be essential to happiness and prosperity; when the lessons of moral and ethical improvement which are cultivated in all the degree systems of Masonry are indeed practiced in the world. But relevancy is not guaranteed by precepts alone.

My brethren, to the degree that our forefathers, as Masons of their era, participated in the dialogue and the actions necessary to enable the above kinds of freedom to exist in our world; and to the extent that we understand this to be our legacy, and are now capable of preserving these fundamental principals of Masonry in our world; then, yes-we are as relevant as ever!

If, however, we can no longer stand up for what Freemasonry stands for in areas of such profound significance, if we are not strong enough to organize our friends and our communities to do things which are right for the preservation of these true ideals of freedom-in our governments, our schools, our places of worship, our human relations-then we may as well lock the doors to our lodges and turn out the lights.

Our problem is not the lack of knowing; it is the lack of doing. Nothing in the world is cheaper than a good idea with no action.

In the words of a fortune cookie I recently read, "It is easier to make the real, ideal than to make the ideal, real." My Brethren, the job of Masonry is to do both.

From the Editor's Desk

By the time you get this copy of your Magazine, I will have returned from Costa Rica, where I attended the 100th Anniversary of Gran Logia de Costa Rica, and the Conferacion Masonica Centroamericana [COMACA] and our Semiannual Meeting in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Full reports of both events will appear in our December Issue.

000

WELL DONE - The Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys in England became active in 1986. It resulted from a merger with the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls and the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys.

The former Institutions were respectively concerned with the care and education of the daughters and sons of distressed freemasons and for more than 200 years the Institutions were also involved in the ownership and management of their own schools. Nowadays, the Trust assists with the education and welfare of over 2,000 children of the family of a Freemason each year. In addition the Trust helps many non-Masonic charities operating in the same field of relief

The Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys has joined with The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, the one-hundredth Livery Company of the City of London to launch "lifelites". "lifelites", the main focus of the Trusts Millennium Project, has been established to provide the latest Information Technology services (including multimedia services) to children in hospices in England and Wales. The system is designed to offer therapeutic, educational and recreational access to Internet facilities during their hospice stays to children and their families. These facilities include managed Information Technology access, video conferencing, office-style applications for educational purposes, a selection of games, plus a managed video service.

For more information on "lifelites" contact The Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, c/o Mr. Les Hutchinson at 31 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5AG or on the Internet at http-//www.lifelites.org

000

Unholy Worship? -- The Myth Of 7he Baphomet Templar, Freemason Connection by my fellow Canadian Stephen Dafoe, - ISBM 0-9683567-0-2 - is now available through Templar Books, 83 Purdy Street, Belleville, Ontario, Canada, K8P 1Z2 or http://templar-books.com - the soft cover book was written in response to those who had read his previous book "Tbe Warriors and 7he Bankers" which was written with Alan Butler.

". . . so many people seemed to be interested in the Knights Templar." The response to this was the aforementioned book. At only $7.95 US plus shipping it is a bargain.

000

As we go to press it has just been announced by The Pope that The Roman Catholic Church will seek forgiveness for past human rights abuses by the Church. Speculation is this will include, The Inquisition, and the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. The times they are a changing.

Letters to the Editor

Dear Mr. King:

I am writing to tell you how much I enjoyed the April, 1999 issue of The Philalethes. I always enjoy the magazine and am very grateful that Allen Roberts ensured that I would continue to receive it after John died. However, this issue is specially memorable for me, particularly the material on page 28.

While they did not have the opportunity to develop a close relationship, John always spoke of Jerry Marsengill with respect, and admiration for Jerry's intellectual integrity and unswerving dedication to Freemasonry.

On the other hand, John had many opportunities to get to know, appreciate and respect Allen Roberts's uniquely outstanding qualities. On the vital subject of moving the fraternity forward with the times, Allen and John were not only 'on the same page,' they were 'on the same paragraph'! Allen was quick to appreciate the objective viewpoint that John, as a non-Mason, could bring to the subject of re-vitalizing the fraternity as it approaches the millennium.

So I was touched, and very glad to read your sentence, 'How fortunate we as a Society were to have Jerry and Allen as our leaders.' How fortunate indeed.

Still on the same page, I was delighted to read that S. Brent Morris has received the 1998 Award of Literature. Not long after John passed away, I spent a most enjoyable evening here in Cincinnati with Brent, while he was in town on Masonic business. He wanted to go over the galley of his new book, co-authored by Art de Hoyas and titled "Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry" He was gracious enough to want to ensure that I was happy with the concept and contents of the new work, since it was destined to be the first ( I'm not quite sure whether in fact it really was the first) book published by the newly formed Masonic Information Center. The MIC, of course, was John's 'brain child' and legacy to Free masonry in the U.S. Needless to say, felt the book was an excellent opus, an( very much the sort of work that th,

Masonic Information Centre should be publishing.

The last article to draw my attention on page 28 was also the first, because of the reproduction on the magazine cover of the strange and unforgettable painting by Hieronymus Bosch called 'The Wayfarer.' I am so pleased that you excerpted John's words on the striking historical significance of the Masonic symbolism within the painting.

Thank you for producing such an excellent magazine. My prayer is what John's would be: That Freemasons and their families will develop an increasing understanding of, and appreciation for this marvelous fraternity through their understanding and appreciation of Masonic history. Presented in a modem and lively way, the history of Freemasonry is not only an exciting study in itself What emerges is that that it is grafted into the very root structure of the free world ... something to be profoundly grateful for, and immensely proud of (I'm glad we're now "allowed" to end sentences with prepositions!)

Cordially,

Bernice J. Robinson

Reflections From Here

"I have fallen in love with

American names..."

by Skip Boyer, FPS

Writing from his temporary home in France during the 1920s, poet Stephen Vincent Benet was homesick. Running through his greatest works, written during the years he spent in France, is a wistful longing for "the pure elixir, the American thing."

I have fallen in love with American names,

The sharp names that never get fat

The snakeskin-titles of mining-claim;

The plumed war-bonnet of Medicine Hat

Tucson and Deadwood and Lost Mule Flat..

I shall not rest quiet in Montparnasse

I shall not lie easy at Winchelsea

You may bury my body in Sussex grass,

You may bury my tongue at Champmedy.

I shall not he there. I shall rife and pass.

Bury my heart at Wounded Knee.

Benet found that "American thing" distilled in the names of the hamlets and villages, towns and cities, rivers and lakes, high plains and mountains from the northern edge of Canada to the Rio Grande and the Gulf of Mexico. A poet, he found the poetry and brassy ring in Winnemucca, Nevada; Walla Walla, Washington; and Okeechobee, Florida. He was fascinated by Chugwater, Wyoming; Wagon Mound, New Mexico; Long Prairie, Minnesota; Ship Bottom, New Jersey, and the Nebraska twins, Ong and Ord. I, too, have fallen under the spell of the road map. Here, in the names we selected, we have honored individuals, events and even our Craft. Place names truly are a glittering kaleidoscope, a shining melting pot of other people, other cultures, other countries and old ideas. Woven through that tapestry of names is the shining strand of Masonry. In some cases, it stands out clearly, in others, its tie to the Craft has been nearly forgotten.

In northwest Wyoming is the prosperous town of Cody, named for and by Brother Buffalo Bill Cody. In Texas is the great metropolis of Houston, named in honor of Brother Sam Houston.

Recently, Philalethes Society Brother Ken Gibala wrote [on the PSOC E-Mail List Server] to remind us that, although the tie is not often recognized, it remains in the names of Dallas and Austin, Texas; Towson, Maryland; Greensburg, Pennsylvania; LaFayette, Indiana; and Steubansville, Ohio; not to mention a host of counties and other landmarks. Mount Wilson in California recalls the good work of Brother Benjamin Wilson. And as for Pike's Peak, well, you pick your Pike and we'll pick ours.

Of course, we haven't even begun to count the streets, avenues, counties, cities, towns, and landmarks honoring Brothers George Washington and Ben Franklin.

Masonic Light is reflected in other names, as well. Thirty years ago or so, the Royal Arch Mason magazine published a delightful look at place names. Keystone, South Dakota, it reported, was named by an early prospector for his Royal Arch watch charm. The magazine pointed out, with tongue gently in cheek, that there are 10 communities actually named Mason. They also found two communities named Blue and several called Lodge. Four were named Boaz and in Alabama there was Jachin. There were Marshalls, Wardens and Masters, not to mention a Tyler in Texas. There were two Cables and even a Tow (also in Texas). There were three communities named Cowan. Working from the U.S. postal lists, they also found a Center Point, a Circle, a Compass, a Square, Chalk, Clay, Hiram, King, Tyre and Solomon.

All of which helped fuel poet Benet's fascination with the names of North America, most of which were actually borrowed from someplace else.

From England came New England, from Holland came New Amsterdam, from France came St. Louis and Quebec.

From the native Americans came Caloosahatchy and Weohyakepka in Florida, Pawhuska in Oklahoma Hiawatha and Medicine Lodge in Kansas and Wisconsin's Tomahawk.

Like sparks from clashing steel, thousands of shining names flew from the increasing martial contacts between those native Americans and the generations of European settlers that began arriving in the 1600s. That clash of cultures spawned names such as Broken Bow, Nebraska; Battle Mountain, Nevada; Custer, South Dakota, in memory of the commander of the ill fated 7th Calvary: and the twin cities of Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa. Brothers Kit Carson and Davy Crockett are also remembered by the communities that carry their names.

Omaha and Council Bluffs are divided by the sometimes wayward and capricious Missouri River. Omaha, on the west bank, comes from an Indian word meaning "above all others on the river." Council Bluffs, on the east bank, takes its name from two of the most famous explorers in American history Brothers Lewis and Clark. Legend says that the explorers met with local Indian tribes on this spot. The name Council Bluff stuck. Later, someone made it plural. Today, local wags refer to it as the city built on a bluff and run on one.

The rough-cut miners, cattlemen, gamblers and gunslingers of the late 1800s brought names that sang of treasure and treachery-Telluride and Ouray, Colorado; the Comstock of Nevada; Tombstone, Arizona, the town too tough to die (and where Brother Wyatt Earp was the law); and Show Low, the Arizona town that earned its name in.a card game.

Some young communities decided to try names that had already proven themselves. In Missouri are the communities of Nevada, Cuba and Mexico. There are very few states that don't boast a Columbus or a Lincoln. Others took the names of their respective founders or promoters. Greeley, Colorado, proudly carries the name of Uncle Horace Greeley, once editor of the New York Tribune and a strong promoter of western expansion in the middle 1800s.

The classics also provided a popular source for names-Athens, Georgia, and Thermopolis, Wyoming, are examples. Some American names, no matter what their origin, deserve a place in Benees litany. They are classics. The next time you plan a vacation trip, consider a visit to Wahoo, Nebraska; Opp or Jones Chapel, Alabama; Yeehaw Junction, Florida; Intercourse, Pennsylvania; Painted Post, New York; Moose jaw, Saskatchewan; New Harmony, Indiana; or Chilhowie, Virginia.

What's in a name?

The whole rowdy, rollicking, deadly, free-wheeling story of a nation and the people who built it. Benet realized that, wondering if there might not be more poetry in a road map than in all the world's libraries. "I have fallen in love with American names..."

Brother HenryAgard Wallace:

Prophet of Agrarianism

by Robert L Uzzel MPS

Henry Agard Wallace was an outstanding Freemason and prophet of agrarianism who served as Secretary of Agriculture, Vice-President, and Secretary of Commerce under his highly esteemed Masonic brother President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. A study of Wallace's life reveals an architect and administrator of vast farm programs who was a zealous advocate of economic reforms and who rose to a position where, second only to Roosevelt himself, he symbolized the political objectives of the New Deal. Such a study indicates not only the idealistic aspirations of an agrarian prophet but also the nature of the difficulties encountered by the American farmer.

This son of Henry Cantwell Wallace and grandson of "Uncle Henry "Wallace (the patriarch of the Iowa branch of the Wallace family) was born near Orient in Adair County, Iowa, on 7 October 1888. During his father's years on the faculty of Iowa State College in Ames (1893 -95), he developed what became a life-long friendship with one of his father's students, the brilliant African American scientist George Washington Carver. At the age of sixteen, he conducted his first experiments with seed corn. In 1923, such experiments culminated with the production of the first successful hybrid seed corn for commercial use. In 1926, he founded the Hi-Bred Seed Company (later renamed the Pioneer Hi-Bred Seed Company), of which he served as president until 1933. He remained a stockholder in this company throughout his life and, at the time of his death in 1965, he and his wife were earning over $ 100,000.00 per year in dividend'

In 1910, Wallace graduated from Iowa State College in Ames, with a major in agriculture. From 1910 to 1924, he served as associate editor, and from the time of his father's death in 1924 to his appointment as Secretary of Agriculture in 1933, as senior editor of Wallace's Farmer and Iowa Homestead, a newspaper founded by his grandfather.

Wallace had much interest in agricultural economics. Influenced by the noted economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen, he probed the economics of farm production and falling farm income during the hard times of the 1920s. His call for crop storage, collective action, planned production, and government assistance was a bold challenge to the laissez faire thinking of his day. Between 1924 to 1928, his strong support for the McNary-Haugen Bill, which was designed to boost farm prices by authorizing the government to buy up surpluses and sell them abroad, established him as a seasoned veteran of farm politics and a respected agrarian leader of national importance.

There can be no doubt that Wallace's views were thoroughly agrarian throughout his life. Having grown up in America's agricultural heartland, he regarded those who tilled the soil as God's chosen people. Even his political enemies acknowledged his expertise on agrict4ltural matters. One of his major concerns throughout his career was preventing the farmer from becoming another cog in the industrial-corporate machine. He never wavered in his conviction that the family farm was an institution worth saving.

The four complementary pillars on which Wallace's agrarian philosophy was based were economics, science, religion, and politics. He saw economics as providing the social machinery for transforming archaic institutions into something useful for the needs of the day, science as providing the necessary technology for universal abundance, religion as providing the motivation for cooperation, and politics as providing a necessary vehicle for implementation of reform. He wrote a number of books on agriculture and politics, including Whose Constitution," Paths to Plenty, The American Choice, Sixty Million Jobs, The Century of the Common Man, Corn and the Midwestern Farmer, Corn and Corn Growing and Statesmanship and Religion.

There can be no doubt that religious values played a major role in everything Wallace did. He was a lifelong student of the Bible and other holy books and was greatly influenced by the writings of Walter Rauschenbusch, the noted Baptist pastor, professor, and theologian of the Social Gospel. In many of his editorials, he sounded much like an Old Testament prophet. Raised as a Presbyterian, he early rejected orthodox Calvinism, insisting that the religio-economic relationship of the Puritan ethic tended to obliterate the superior precepts of love, charity, and cooperation. He joined the Episcopal Church while maintaining a fascination with Theosophy and Oriental religions. It is quite true that he experimented with religion, just as he experimented with corn, seeking the most satisfying yield. During the 1920s, he was involved for a time with the Liberal Catholic Church, which combined the liturgy of high Anglicanisin with a highly flexible doctrine, while affirming the reality. of revealed truth through the mystical experience. He saw the Church as "a synthesizing centripetal force ... on behalf of the sacredness of the individual and the unity of humanity." When an obscure farmer wrote to him about the need for a new religion, he answered him in print, stating: "Perhaps he has a doctrine which will furnish us the equivalent in terms of Christianity of what Gandhi has given to India." Greatly impressed by the American Indian's reverence for the earth, he said: "I see nothing in the Bible to stand against our looking on Mother Nature in a deeply religious way. He developed a religio-economic philosophy which embraced both the spiritual and the material by supporting the application of scientific knowledge in both agriculture and industry to improve living conditions in underdeveloped areas. He studied Confucianism to gain ideas regarding an ever-normal granary and recognized China's deep roots in the soil.

Until the age of forty, Wallace was a Republican. His father had served as Secretary of Agriculture under both Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. To the younger Wallace, the latter President was a great disappointment due to his failure to support farm legislation. He observed that rural midwesterners had too long been willing captives of the Republican Party, delivering their votes to Coolidge in 1924 and receiving two vetoes in return. He endorsed Progressive candidate Robert M. LaFollette in 1924 and Democratic candidate Al Smith in 1928. During the next four years, following Smith's defeat by Republican Herbert Hoover. Wallace's editorials were highly critical of the latter's administration. The rural poverty and suffering that marked the Great Depression profoundly affected him and moved him to speak out forcefully against an economic order that allowed hard-working farmers to go broke amid the plenty they had produced.

In 1932, Democratic Presidential nominee Franklin Delano Roosevelt, seeking to initiate contacts with important farm leaders, arranged a meeting with Wallace and was impressed with his views on the need for basic social and economic reforms. Wallace was equally impressed with Roosevelt and soon joined his campaign, contributing ideas and advice on farm policy. Editorials in Wallace's Farmer helped put Iowa - a largely Republican state - into the Democratic column. On the eve of the 1932 Presidential election, it appeared that Wallace's date with destiny was about to arrive.

After his election, President Roosevelt appointed Wallace as Secretary of Agriculture. Wallace immediately confronted the immense responsibility of implementing a program of relief for American farmers. His implementation of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1933 was not without controversy. At the time the law was passed, the 1933 crops were already in the field and the country faced the impending disaster of another bumper harvest. Wallace quickly ordered the destruction of ten million acres of growing cotton and the slaughter of six million baby pigs and 200,00 sows. Despite the storm of protests which followed, he was successful in raising farm income by paying farmers to take marginal lands out of production and not to raise pigs they could not sell.

In early January 1936, the U. S. Supreme Court declared the processing tax and production control provisions of the AAA unconstitutional. Within two months, Wallace won congressional approval of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act. This act, which enabled the federal government to maintain control over production while satisfying the requirements of the high court, authorized benefit payments to farmers who planted soil-conserving crops like soybeans and refrained from planting soil-depleting crops like corn, cotton, tobacco, and wheat. Roosevelt signed this act into law on 29 February 1936. Two years later, Wallace was successful in obtaining passage of a second Agricultural Adjustment Act. At the heart of this act was the idea of the "ever-normal granary," by which surpluses were stored up in times of abundance in order to achieve stability of farm prices and to guarantee plentiful supplies of food in times of scarcity. He regarded this legislation as his greatest achievement as Secretary of Agriculture.

His ideas on this subject have been compared to that of Joseph during his service as prime minister and chief grain merchant in ancient Egypt.

In 1940, Roosevelt selected Wallace as his Vice-Presidential running mate. Following Roosevelt's election to an unprecedented third term, Wallace played an important role in making foreign policy and served as chairman of the Supply Priorities and Allocations Board and the Board of Economic Warfare. In 1944, he received a major disappointment when the Democratic National Convention, due to pressure from southern conservatives and big-city political bosses, dropped him from the ticket and nominated Harry S. Truman for Vice-President. Members of this conservative coalition found Wallace's "ideas radical, his religion puzzling, and his manner remote." Roosevelt was elected to a fourth and final term and gave Wallace the position of Secretary of Commerce as a consolation price. Truman became President upon the death of Roosevelt in 1945. It seems that he and Wallace got along well for awhile. However, major differences soon came to the surface. In September 1946, Truman demanded Wallace's resignation because of public criticisms of his "Get Tough" policy toward the Soviet Union.

After leaving Washington, Wallace settled near South Salem, New York at Farvue Farm, which he and his sister had purchased in 1945. He spent his remaining year on his farm, resuming his genetic experiments with corn, poultry, gladioli, and strawberries.

After a brief tenure as editor of The New Republic (1946-47), Wallace announced his candidacy for President on the Progressive Party ticket in Chicago on 29 December 1947. As sociologist C. Wright Mills and President Dwight D. Eisenhower would later do, Wallace, in launching this campaign, expressed concern about the influence of the growing military-industrial complex. He saw the Progressives as the true heirs of the New Deal, a legacy betrayed by Truman. He described the President as a "poor little man" who was the unwitting captive of the "war mongers." Prominent supporters of the 1948 Progressive ticket included Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copeland, J. Frank Dobie, W. E. B. DuBois, Shirley Graham, Melville J. Herskovits, Linus Pauling, Thomas Mann, Norman Mailer, Arthur Miller, Herbert Aptheker, Paul Robeson, Langston Hughes, Pete Seeger, and George McGovern. Wallace received only 1,157,326 votes compared to 24,105,182 for Truman; 21,970,065 for Republican Thomas E. Dewey, and 1,169,063 for Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond."

Before, during, and after the 1948 campaign Wallace's liberalism consistently had a religious foundation. In 1953, he told the Harvard Law School Forum: "To me a liberal is one who believes in using in a nonviolent, tolerant, and democratic way the forces of education, publicity, politics, economics, business, law, and religion to direct the ever changing and increasing power of science into channels which will bring peace and the maximum of well-being both spiritual and economic to the greatest number of human beings." He warned that "the great peril of liberalism is its tendency to become materialistic." He recognized that many liberals believed neither in God nor in a future life and well understood why such were "looked on with suspicion by so many small town and farm people." To him, science, economics, politics, and foreign policy were inseparably linked and all were undergirded by religion.

Wallace was initiated as an Entered Apprentice on 20 September 1927, passed to the degree of Fellowcraft on 27 September 1927, and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on 4 October 1927 in Capital Lodge No. 110 in Des Moines, Iowa. He received the 32nd degree in the Des Moines Scottish Rite Bodies on 23 November 1928. After moving to Washington, D. C., he affiliated with the District of Columbia Scottish Rite Bodies on 15 January 1935 . He continued his Masonic involvement throughout his years as Secretary of Agriculture, Vice-President, and Secretary of Commerce.

On 7 October 1932, while still editor of Wallace's Farmer, Wallace received a letter from S. R. Linn of Story County State Bank in Roland, Iowa, inquiring as to the religious denomination and Masonic affiliations of Louis Murphy, the Democratic candidate for U. S. Senator. In his reply, he stated that he did not have the answer to this question and said: "My suggestion is that in politics you forget all about Masonic and church affiliations and concentrate on the problems of economic justice."

In 1934, while serving as Secretary of Agriculture, Wallace, for the first time, saw a picture of the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States and took it to the President. He reported:

Roosevelt, as he looked at the colored reproduction of the Seal, was first struck with the representation of the all-seeing eye-a Masonic representation of the Great Architect of the Universe. Next, he was impressed with the idea that the foundation for the new order of the ages had been laid in 1776 but that it would be completed only under the eye of the Great Architect. Roosevelt, like myself, was a 32nd degree Mason. He suggested that the Seal be put on the dollar bill.

On 19 February 1942, while serving as Vice-President, Wallace wrote a letter to Major Charles S. Coulter, Director of Welfare for the Masonic Service Association, in which he stated:

I know that the Masons are motivated by the highest sense of patriotism, as they have always been from the very moment of the founding of the Republic. I know your sole concern is that which will best serve our beloved country. I am glad to know of the mechanism you have for service and the spirit in which you propose to serve.

The very heart of the nation is respect for the individual human soul. The present struggle, therefore, is one which should arouse to the utmost that which is deepest and best in Masonry.

Wallace appears to have temporarily dropped out of Masonry shortly before launching his 1948 Presidential campaign. He dernitted from the District of Columbia Scottish Rite Bodies on 2 December 1947 and from Capital Lodge No. 110 on 13 January 1948.

In response to the charge of a "sinister aspect of the Wallace Movement" in 1948 and the claim that he "was apparently unaware of the purposes to which the Communists were putting his progressive movement," Wallace wrote a letter to former President Harry S. Truman on 10 December 1955 Wallace, responding that Communists had infiltrated a number of Presidential administrations, including that of Truman, and the extent of Communist involvement in the Progressive Party had been greatly exaggerated. Wallace wrote to Truman:

It deeply disturbs me to refute statements from time to time which indicate differences between you and me - we who have served the same government and the same party and, for a time, in the same capacity.

We have both taken the same Masonic vows. We both strive to serve the same God and at this joyous Holiday season we can both pray that the Message of the Prince of Peace will finally carry weight on earth even as it triumphs in Heaven.

The subsequent article which appeared in The New York Times described Wallace and Truman as "fellow Masons."

On 11 February 1964, after sixteen years with no active involvement in Masonry, Wallace affiliated with Kisco Lodge No. 708 in Mount Kisco, New York. On 29 May 1964, Wallace wrote to Lloyd K Perry, Secretary of the Des Moines Scottish Rite Bodies, stating that he had affiliated with Kisco Lodge No. 708 and had decided to become an active, dues-paying member of a New York Scottish Rite Temple. On 1 June 1964, Perry wrote back, expressing pleasure in Wallace's plans and sadness at the news of the death of a Brother Koch, a mutual friend who had encouraged Wallace to reinstate. Perry stated: "Having known of Brother Koch's interest in you, I know that he would have been very happy to learn that you are in the process of restoring your membership." On 10 September 1964, Wallace was elected to membership in the Long Island Scottish Rite bodies. In his letter of acceptance, Secretary Henry R. Home wrote: "We are very glad to have you with us and we hope that you will spend many pleasant years of association with our Valley." Sadly, Wallace did not have "many pleasant years" left. In early 1965, he was diagnosed as having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the rare and fatal disease of the nervous system that had claimed the life of New York Yankee star Lou Gehrig. This condition grew progressively worse. On 18 November 1965, Wallace died in Danbury Hospital in Danbury, Connecticut. He was seventy-seven years old. The official autopsy gave the cause of death in clinical terms but did not record "the undaunted courage of a man waiting patiently until released from life by his maker."

Wallace's funeral was held on Saturday 20 November at Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church in Ridgefield, Connecticut, a community across the state line not far from South Salem. Wallace had attended Saint Stephen's for a number of years. The service was conducted by Revs. Aaron Manderbach and Robert T. Hall, who followed the Order for the Burial of the Dead of The Book of Common Prayer. Among the three hundred mourners in attendance were a number of surviving New Dealers and Progressive Party activists. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare John W. Gardner represented President Lyndon Baines Johnson. The service was followed by cremation at the Mountain Grove Crematorium in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

On Monday 22 November, a memorial service was held at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Des Moines, Iowa. Friends and former associates nearly filled the 500-seat sanctuary. Iowa mourners included Governor and Mrs. Harold Hughes and both President William R. Parks and President Emeritus James H. Hilton of Iowa State University. Rev. William L. Jacobs, rector of Saint Paul's, read a number of passages of Scripture. Rt. Rev. Gordon V. Smith, Episcopal bishop of Iowa, delivered a brief eulogy, noting the many tributes received from throughout the nation which reflected the highest admiration and respect for Wallace's distinguished agricultural and political career, and saying "Any words I could add would be as 'sounding brass and tinkling cynibals.' " On the following day, the cremains of Henry Wallace were interred in the Wallace family plot at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines. In January 1966, Scottish Rite Masons in New York were informed of the death of a new yet beloved brother Henry A. Wallace, 32nd Degree

It is with a feeling of regret that we note the passing of this distinguished bother of our own Valley. He spent many years of his life in the service of his country and for humanity...

On September 10, 1964, he affiliated with the Valley of Rockville Centre. It is to be regretted that between his late affiliation with our Bodies and his early passing from our midst so few of us had the opportunity to know better this great public servant and Mason.

When the Long Island Chapter of Rose Croix celebrated the Feast of the Paschal Lamb at the Freeport High School Auditorium in Freeport, New York on Maundy Thursday, 7 April 1966, Wallace was among a number of Scottish Rite Masons remembered during the "Eulogy to the Dead."

Henry Agard Wallace, who was always an outspoken advocate for "the common man" was, during his last years, largely a forgotten man. He was, to a great extent, written out of the New Deal by many who had served in the Roosevelt administration. Because of the controversies surrounding his 1948 Progressive candidacy, many New Dealers dissociated themselves from him. His "political apostasy' caused many Democrats to regard him as a political outcast. His running for President on what many regarded as a "radical, third-party ticket" tended to obscure his many brilliant years as a farm editor and his outstanding work as Secretary of Agriculture. The major achievements of his life were well summarized by his biographers:

Henry Wallace was many things: a scientist, economist, philosopher, politician, journalist, preacher, and humanitarian. He wanted to be known most of all as a prophet of peace and plenty... If he failed at times, it was because his efforts were dedicated to the attainment of enormously difficult objectives. Never did this man waver when the call of duty beckoned. Service to God and man was to him the very meaning of life itself His life's priorities are best expressed by the words of Micah 4:3-5 (one of his favorite Scriptures):

And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.

The Canadians

JOHN J. C. ABBOTT

by Barry W Dixon

John J. C. Abbott was born in St. Andrews, Lower Canada (now Quebec) on March 12, 1821. Abbott graduated from McGill University, Montreal. He was called to the Bar in 1847. He married Mary Bethune, daughter of the Very Reverend J. Bethune, Anglican Dean of Montreal.

John Abbott began the practice of law in Montreal in 1847. Abbott specialized in commercial law. He was named Dean of Law at McGill University, 1855-1880. From 1880 to 1887 he was legal counsel for the Canadian Pacific Railway. In his capacity as legal advisor to CPR he was involved in the "Pacific Scandal" which brought about the resignation of Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald. In 1871, British Columbia had joined confederation on the condition that a railway be constructed to connect B.C. to Central Canada. Sir Hugh Allan, a Montreal businessman, hoping to get the contract to construct the rail line had donated $179 thousand to various Conservative politicians to ensure their reelection. Upon the re-election of Sir John A. MacDonald, Allan was awarded the contract for the rail line. His company, The Canadian Pacific Railway Company, was to receive substantial government subsidies, including $30 million and fifty millions acres of land. When the first session of Parliament opened in April of 1871, Liberal M.P. Lucius Hungengton accused Allan of receiving favors. During the 1871 campaign, Sir John A. MacDonald had sent a telegram to Conservative Member of Parliament, and CPR`s legal advisor, John Abbott stating; "I must have another ten thousand; will be the last time of calling; do not fail me; answer today. Abbott responded; "Draw on me for ten thousand dollars." The telegrams were intercepted by a confidential clerk who had turned them over to the liberals. When these facts were brought before the Commons a raucous scandal -the Pacific Scandal - raged. It ended on March 5, 1873 with Sir John A. MacDonald's resignation as Prime Minister of Canada.

John Abbott was elected as Conservative M.P. for Argenteuil in 1857. He was defeated in 1874 and re-elected in 1880. In 1887, John Abbott was summoned to the Senate of Canada. He was named government leader of the Senate. With his vast experience in commercial law, he managed to establish the Trade and Commerce Department. Although Abbott was involved in the political process for over thirty years, he hated politics.

On June 13, 1891 John Abbott was chosen to become, from the Senate, caretaker Prime Minister following the death of Sir John A. MacDonald. Abbott remarked in an address that he had been chosen: "because I am not particularly obnoxious to anybody. . ." John Abbott received a knighthood in 1892. He lived only a few months after retiring as Prime Minister, he died in Montreal on October 30, 1893 and is buried in Mount Royal Cemetery.

Sir John J. C. Abbott was initiated into Freemasonry in St. Paul's Lodge No. 374, E. R., Montreal in 1847. There is no record of him having served as Master of his Lodge.

References:

Parliamentary Library, Ottawa, 1rime Ministers of Canada, 1867-1980, R. de L Furtado; Some Masonic Statesmen ofCanada, Wallace E. McLeod, FPS

Brother George.

Where Have All Our Heroes Gone!

by Thomas W. Jackson FPS

For the purpose of this paper let us first qualify that heroes must meet the basic criteria of being great and that hero status for them exists in the minds of those whom they influence. There are no ungreat heroes. Secondly Let us establish that we are referring only to a positive hero status and, thirdly, that status is of a level that it impacted the world.

In the 34 years of my Masonic membership, probably the most impressive characteristic of the Craft to me over the period of its existence is the number of great men who were Freemasons. Men from such diverse backgrounds, that to find any force to bring them together, let alone hold them together, was unique in itself Other organizations attracted members with similar backgrounds, interests or social status, but Freemasonry has transcended class distinction, occupational restriction and educational categorization.

Obviously, not all Members were great, but it is improbable that any organization has had a larger percentage of great men comprising it than has Freemasonry. Now - did Freemasonry attract great men or did Freemasonry make men great? Or perhaps both.)

For the greater portion of my life, I have been looking at the changes occurring in society almost as a detached observer. I analyzed it thinking it to be a temporary phenomenon, a reversible transition into a world which I did not want to accept. It has only been in recent years that reality has sunk in, and I have finally acknowledged that we are traveling on a one-way track which leads into a world in which I must live whether I want to accept it or not. It will not - it cannot go back to what it once was.

Yet I find myself longing for the days when our children's heroes were committed to setting a desirable example for them to follow and when it was important to do right just for the moral and ethical principle of it being right.

I continue to search for remnants of those days of respect for our countrys flag and all of the principles it represents, when one stood and saluted when it was passing by, for that display of patriotism which was expressed, in "right or wrong my country", for that commitment to service and to helping others which permeated what I remember. Those are the same qualities which were emphasized to me in the teachings of Freemasonry. This is probably one of the reasons Freemasonry is so attractive to me and why it may be less attractive to current generations. One cannot miss what one has never known. If we fail to teach the young what was important in our lives, we cannot expect them to share in our values.

I don't mean to imply that these qualities are non-existent today, but they have surely diminished. Nor would I seek a blind commitment to the past ignoring what may not have been right with no inclination to correct it, but I do look back with a feeling that something has been lost.

Where have all our heroes gone?

We may debate the issue that we are not producing heroes today by pointing to those like Generals Norman Schwartzkopf and Colin Powell and the service they performed, and I in no way wish to detract from the significance of their contributions. They are both great examples to our youth of what can be, but their rise to hero status was almost a spontaneous reaction to a short-lived phenomenon. I am seeking the hero of long-term commitment, those whose very life was of a heroic stature - men like Brother George Washington and so many other Masonic Brothers whose very lives and deeds in such a diversity of fields set examples for the world to follow.

Heroes are a necessary building block in an operational society. No great civilization became great without its heroes. But they must create a positive influence or they become worse than none at all. History is rife with the tyrant "heroes". A humaneness in the profile of the individual is a requirement if the hero is to be a positive influence to the world. It was the humaneness of Washington which helped set him apart from the average.

It is a tragedy of monumental proportions that our society of today seems to be not only not developing that stature of man but also appears to be committed to destroying the image of those that were. It seems of importance to search for flaws in the character of those who we learned were of significance in the development of our nation and of all civil society. It is incomprehensible that anything tangible can be gained by any society which seeks to destroy the image of its positive heroes. I am not aware of any historically in the past which found a need to seek out the negatives of the great as we have become so inclined to do.

Isn't it sad that we must search for the few who remain positive role models to the youth among the prevalent negatives in society today. Thank God for the Cal Ripkins, Julius Ervings and Arnold Palmers scattered throughout the overpaid, ego-bloated, self-centered athletes of this day, and for the Ernie Boignines, Bob Hopes and Roy Rogers whose own images helped to bolster the image of the entertainment industry. Regretfully, they are the exception to the norm. When I asked the employees of the Grand Lodge to name some positive examples from the present-day entertainment industry that I could use for illustration, I received none.

It is perhaps in this context that Freemasonry made its greatest contribution to the world. It did bring together great men, and it did influence the development of these men while making most men better than they were. Toleration is a premise of the Craft, and, therefore, those heroes it helped to develop had to be positive heroes. At the same time it is probably that characteristic of toleration that sets the intent of dictators and tyrants to destroy Freemasonry where they rule. For where there is tyranny and despotism, there is no toleration, and where there is no toleration there is no Freemasonry.

You will rarely find history texts discussing the impact of the Masonic Fraternity in seeking human freedom or in the evolution of civil society, but those men who were impacted by Masonic ideology cannot be ignored.

Simon Bolivar in South America, Lajos Kossuth in Hungary, Benito Juarez in Mexico, Guiseppi Garibaldi in Italy, Theodore Kokolotronis in Greece, to name a few, were all Freemasons who led in their country's struggle for freedom, liberty and equality, and, of course, George Washington who is still regarded as one of the greatest of leaders who has ever lived. Washington is the one name I find almost universally revered Masonically worldwide. My Brothers, these men changed the world. They were responsible for laying the foundations of freedom in much of the world where freedom exists today. The world is because they were, and many were because of Freemasonry. Its teachings were carried in the hearts of the men whom it inspired.

Even amongst the greatest, however, Brother Washington stands tall. His name will rank in history with the great military leaders of all time - leaders such as Alexander the Great and Ghengis Khan, even though he lacked the dictatorial power of Alexander and the demonic nature of Khan.

His presence will be noted with all the great patriots of the world whose contributions to their country caused their name to be etched upon its very foundation. As a statesman, his influence on the creation of this nation cannot be overstated. And yet, it was his humanity, his commitment to his men and to his God which causes him to be a great man among great men - a quality impressed by Freemasonry upon all who enter its ranks.

The noted historian Edward Everett described Washington as the greatest of good men and the best of great men. Lafayette once exclaimed, "Never did I behold such a superb man," and Gladstone said of him, "Washington was the purest figure in history." There have been few great leaders in any field who could be so described.

Our Brother stands alone also in respect granted by other nations which is reflected by the comparing of their great heroes with him. Simon Bolivar is referred to as the George Washington of South America and Lajos Kossuth as Hungary's George Washington, to name just two.

Isn't it ironic that we as a nation are losing this contact with him when so many other countries are using him and his contributions as an ideal to emulate. But, then those who struggle to gain have a greater appreciation of the gain, and it has been a long time since the average American has had to truly struggle.

Prosperity has a way of dulling appreciation for those whose sacrifices and commitments gave us that prosperity. That is a tragic commentary, for when we fail to remember the great persons of the past, we fail to remember why they were great, and this paves the way for failure to produce greatness for the future. Maybe this is where our heroes have gone. It would be well for us to impress upon the young the meaning of the struggle and an appreciation of the hero.

In a world population so many times larger than it was three to five hundred years ago, where are the Michelangelos, the Beethovens, the Rembrandts, the da Vincis, the Mozarts of today? With so much greater population base, you would expect more greats in each field, not less. And where are the notable patriots whose lives were synonymous with service?

One of our society's glaring yet ongoing errors is in its constant giving while requiring so little in return. How can we expect to develop responsibility when we require none? We live in an environment today which seems to thrive on self-centeredness and the promotion of mediocrity. With a concentration on one's self,-there can be little time for an interest in others. Why should one try to reach a stature of greatness when mediocrity is so well rewarded? And without greatness, there will be no heroes.

My last 14 years in the field of education were spent in a highly respected private college for young women. When enrollment began to decline, I watched that high-quality institution lower the requirements for admission and demand lesser performance of the student body. These requirements ranged from academic standards to dress codes. The school is no longer in existence, and it died a little-respected academic institution. The requirements became less, and less is what was received. The result was predictable. Keep this in mind with the Craft.

A major contribution Freemasonry made to this world is the result of its admonishment of its Members to assume responsibility. Greatness can occur only through the assumption of responsibility, and could there exist a hero who has assumed no responsibility? To this day, Freemasonry's molding of men to accept responsible positions of leadership is an invaluable contribution to society. This is one reason why we must place more importance on the loss of potentially successful men than on a general concern in reduction of numbers. They are the future, not just of the Craft, but of the world.

It has been said that leaders are born, not made. This may be true as far as it goes, and it May also be true of heroes. The greats in any field must have the genetic potential to become great. I well know that no matter how much I may try, I could never be a da Vinci, a van Gogh, a Michelangelo or a Mozart, or for that matter an Arnold Palmer or a Cal Ripkin because the potential is not there. There is a requirement, however, for any potential to be achieved. The environment becomes a mitigating factor.

What if da Vinci, van Gogh or Michelangelo had never been exposed to art? What if Mozart or Beethoven had never been stimulated to music or Palmer or Ripkin to sports? Would we know them now? The environment to which they were exposed was required to develop the potential. The potential is born within but the result is made from without. That potential must still be present in the world's population today. So where are they now? If the genetic potential is here, the environmental stimulus must be lacking. This makes organizations like Freemasonry so much more important in a world that is slipping in its production of positive heroes.

It is inconceivable that the Masonic Fraternity would not have had a considerable influence upon those great patriots who led in their country's struggles, in their thoughts and in their ideals. It must have had measurable influence in the development of these heroes. It can hardly be happenstance that they all led in the struggle for the same end. Their character quite possibly was forged in the conclaves of Masonic ideology. The potential was always there, so perhaps Freemasonry was the catalytic agent that brought together the ideals of these great men.

But, this should never surprise us. Isn't this the purpose of Freemasonry to make good men better? Is it not logical, therefore, to assume that men like those cited would be attracted to the philosophy of our Craft and take a leadership role in their country's struggles for freedom and liberty; to become positive heroes in the society in which they lived?

Freemasonry, therefore, provided an environment wherein the genetic potential might be stimulated to reach fruition, not only in military heroes but in the heroes of so many fields, causing them to become more than they were. It, therefore, must have helped create the heroes ofthe past, and it must survive as a viable force today to help create the heroes of the future.

Freemasonry has never existed in a vacuum. It has, through its individual Members and their influence, become woven into the fabric of society wherever it existed. Its leaders became the world's leaders, and the world's heroes then its heroes.

Today we point with such great pride to the great names recorded in Masonic history. Freemasonry probably had a hand in their development, and their greatness helped make the Craft great.

I fear, however, that one of our major weaknesses today is our inclination to point out to others Members who have been known for their greatness and not nearly enough to the greatness of the, organization itself. We have become. blinded by the individuals who comprised it. We are the classic example of the clich6 that the forest cannot be seen for the trees. There is nothing wrong in being proud of our past, unless in so 4oing we ignore the present upon which depends our future.

Freemasonry could very well serve as a template to the world of what can be accomplished by bringing great or potentially great men together. Could anyone with a goal to do so design an organization to accomplish more than has Freemasonry Could anyone design from scratch a superior concept for world peace through the promotion of the Brotherhood of Man? Indeed, could anyone improve upon the philosophy of the Craft? And, Brother George could serve well as a template of what a positive hero should be. He remains as the epitome of heroic sfature to the world needing heroes and a world seeking peace. lfwe recognize the importance of Freemasonry, and few do, in the development of civil society, we must also recognize its influence in the development of heroes. The caliber of the future hero may well depend upon what we do with the Craft today.

Freemasonry has been too significant in the world not to be needed. As long as the Craft lives, the contributions of our past Brethren will never die. It is their epitaph etched upon the headstones of eternity - these heroes of the past.

Those who cannot be great try to lessen the meaning of greatness. Those who cannot build tear down. It must remain a commitment for those who care to cause others not to forget these heroei of the past or we shall surely lose the heroes of the future. This is a primary reason why Freemasonry must survive as a viable force in the world of the future.

Freemasonry, my Brothers, had a magnificent influence upon this world. We have influenced heroes. We must accept the mantle of responsibility to continue repaying our Brothers of the past by influencing the heroes of the

future. We must continue to develop those of the caliber of Brotber George.

FUN at Lodge

Let's consider the present for the moment. Our Lodges and Grand Lodges have abdicated much they should be doing over to appendant bodies. This wasn't always the case-and this is where knowing something about the past can come in mighty handy. What am I referring to? FUN! Before many of the appendant bodies came on the scene, our lodges provided fun for their members. I'm not talking about Tomfoolery. I'm talking about feasts, Table Lodges family and community affairs.

Allen E. Roberts, FPS

John Hunt Morgan

Three Years To Greeneville

by Joseph F. Bennett, FPS - Part II - Continued from the August issue

By mid-April, Rosecrans was ready with plans to raid Morgan's headquarters at McMinnville, determined to kill or capture the elusive raider. He committed 6,000 men to the venture. At 1:00 P.M. April 19, 1863, General Reynold? Union cavalry stormed into McMinnville eight abreast. Taken completely by surprise, Morgan and his command scattered in a demoralized rout. The Union invaders applied the torch, to the railroad depot, all railroad rolling stock, 30,000 pounds of bacon; and before retiring, everything else of a military nature. General William J. Hardee wrote to General Joseph E. Johnson, the new commander of the Department of Tennessee, recommending that he meet and counsel General Morgan about his problems. It was a bad time for the great partisan commander. Morgan's command was in sorry condition and deteriorating daily. His reputation had sustained a great deal of damage, and he was desperate to redeem himself

After collecting his scattered command at Liberty, Tennessee, he sought permission to organize a raid into Kentucky with the, 2,800 men he had assembled. He was denied permission to cross the Ohio River, which he had requested, but received grudging approval to make a limited raid into Kentucky. Morgan was ordered to make Louisville his first target. General Morgan was authorized to take 2,000 men on the raid. They rode out with 2,500.

Morgan had been less than candid with his superiors. He fully intended to strike for the Ohio River and cross into Indiana, and an attack on Louisville was not in his plan. He had concocted what is considered by historians to be a wild-eyed impossible scheme, but Morgan had built his reputation on achieving impossible goals. In this instance, even his own officers thought the plan incredible.

Mattie was pregnant now, and John was grieved to leave her side, but in mid-June, he rode out of Alexandria, heading north. Early summer rains had reduced the roads to a quagmire, and progress was slow. Morgan was not across the Cumberland River until June 20th. Progress was impeded by heavy resistance from Union detachments. On July 4th, 1863, they were at Lebanon, Kentucky, where they were facing the 20th Kentucky Infantry defending the town. Frontal assault failed, and Morgan ordered the town put to the torch. The stubborn Union troops resisted six hours before surrendering. Victory came at great personal cost for Morgan. His brother, Tom, was killed in the final assault. In a monumental rage, Morgan ordered 20 public and private buildings burned to the ground.

The Union army was totally mystified about General Morgan's destination. It was a distinct advantage for the raiders. At 7:00 A.M. on July 8,1863, Morgan's command marched into Brandenburg, Kentucky at the Ohio River. They crossed between mid-morning and midnight the same day, ferrying troops and horses over on two captured river steamboats, the "John T. McCombs" and the "Alice Dean".

Between July 9th and 18th, they followed the north bank of the Ohio River eastward toward the Ohio border, burning everything of military value in their path in the way of bridges, railway depots, and supplies. The guerrillas looted civilian business establishments, robbing every dollar they could locate. They extracted high ransoms from some business owners in exchange for not burning their properties. The citizens of Indiana were terrified, and every local militia was called to arms. Governor Morton of Indiana managed to have 65,000 citizens under arms within 48 hours. A potential bushwacker seemed to lurk in every thicket; and Morgan was surprised by the hostility of the citizens. No doubt he was unaware that the newspapers had created an image of a plundering, murdering marauder. Although easily scattered, the Indiana militias harassed constantly.

The entry into Ohio was a historic 32-hour march of 95 miles, by-passing Cincinnati by circling to the north and riding southeast until the city was safely behind. Historians regard it as one of the most amazing movements in the Civil War. Morgan, was convinced he was well in advance of any pursuit from the Union regulars, but local resistance was stiffening all along the line of march.

When he stopped in Jackson, Ohio, some of his raiders broke into the Masonic temple and emerged wearing degree regalia. Furious, Morgan ordered the property returned without damage to the premises. On the afternoon of July 18, 1863, General Morgan arrived at Portland, 20 miles from the ford in the Ohio River at Buffington Island. To that point, the raid had been amazingly successful, albeit without substantial military value. Certainly the great Morgan had the rapt attention of all America. The newspaper chronicled every move he made, and the country eagerly scanned each word.

Overconfidence made Morgan careless, and he failed to deploy pickets on the night of the 18th. Across the Ohio River lay West Virginia and safety. Actually General Edward H. Hobson was closing in rapidly. In addition, recent rains had raised the river to near flood stage, and two river gunboats were able to anchor off Buffington Island during the night and train their guns on Morgan's exhausted troops. The Union cavalry surrounded the Morgan camp, and attacked at dawn. Under murderous fire from the attackers and artillery fire from the gunboats, Morgan's command was in dire straits. Morgan and 1,400 of his command stormed out of the trap, while Colonel Basil Duke and Colonel D. Howard Smith continued to battle the Union attackers with their units. They surrendered at 4:00 P.M. , with a total of 800 men laying down arms. Upsteam 14 miles, Morgan and his men attempted a river crossing. Morgan turned back when he realized the majority were not going to make it. Only 300 continued to the West Virginia shore and safety.

Morgan and the remnants of his command galloped northward toward Nelsonville and Cambridge, Ohio. The chase lasted for a week before General Morgan finally surrendered his exhausted raider force to General James M. Shackleford on Sunday, July 26, 1863, about six miles southeast of Lisbon, Ohio. Over half his command, reduced to 384, were sick or wounded. They were utterly exhausted. The ride had taken them within 90 miles of Lake Erie, the most northerly rebel penetration of the Civil War.

The foolhardy venture and the historic pursuit, ending in Morgan's capture, erased all negative sentiment surrounding his image. He was heralded as "A Southern Palladin", a super-hero who had performed the greatest feats of derring-do in the war. It mattered little that Morgan ended up in Ohio's State Penitentiary in Columbus, treated like a common criminal. He and his filthy, ragged raiders were bathed in a common tub, had their heads shaved, and were locked in iron cells seven feet long and three and a half feet wide.

During the day, the cells were open and the prisoners, 68 of them, were permitted the freedom of the cell-block corridor. The military prisoners were separated from the rest of the prison population, but guarded by the penitentiary staff. After a time, Morgan realized that there was no hope that he would be exchanged for any Union officer being held in a Confederate prison. He made up his mind to escape, prepared to risk everything to be reunited with Mattie. Morgan's first step was to persuade the army to take over security of the military prisoners. He was successful, and Union soldiers were sent to the penitentiary to serve as provost guards. The events that followed reveal incredible laxity in prison security, with the possibility that individuals other than prisoners assisted in escape preparations.

Morgan learned that an air vent, four feet square, ran directly under his row of cells on the ground floor. An 18-inch concrete floor covered the vent. Morgan enlisted six men occupying adjoining cells in the plan. Captain Thomas H. Hines planned the escape, and was elected to begin chipping the first hole through the concrete floor in his cell. The work began on November 4th. With kitchen utensils spirited from the mess hall, the conspirators worked in shifts, depositing concrete dust in the cell block stove ash bin, and carrying the balance out in their pockets. That was disposed of when they were outside the cell block for meals. Hines pulled his bed over the hole when they were not working. Inasmuch as normal housekeeping duties had ceased in the military cell block, the prisoners were told to clean their own cells. Unbelievable as it sounds, nobody, noticed the work nor detected the hole in the floor of Hines' cell, which was 14 inches in diameter. After breaking through into the air vent, they began to chip a similar hole from the under side of the floor in each of the other six cells. They left a thin layer of concrete intact in the cell floor, to be broken through when the escape was made. Finally, they dug through the outer wall from the air vent, and up to ground level.

Planning to leave blankets on their beds stuffed to resemble men sleeping, Morgan and his six conspirators awaited a stormy night when the yard guard dogs would be kept indoors. The rain came on the night of November 24, 1863, and the escape began. Dropping into the air vent, the seven men changed into civilian clothes smuggled into the prison, along with enough money to sustain them after they were outside. Throwing a hook and rope over the outer prison wall, they climbed to freedom and scattered into the night. Morgan and Captain Hines remained together and headed for the railroad station, where they boarded a train bound for Cincinnati at 1:30 A.M., November 25th. During the flight, Mattie's baby was born on November 27th and died immediately thereafter, but Morgan did not learn that until much later.

A subsequent investigation of the escape failed to shed any light on the event or any evidence of bribery or corruption on the part of prison officials or guards. Even today, there is conjecture over the circumstances of the daring escape. Thanks to assistance from southern sympathizers along the escape route, Morgan and Hines were able to reach Confederate lines, but became separated before the end of the journey. General John Hunt Morgan reached Franklin, North Carolina on December 23 1863.

The entire south was electrified with joy by news of the escape.

On January 7, 1864, John and Mattie arrived in Richmond to be lavishly honored by the great names of the Confederacy. They were quartered in a luxurious suite at the Ballard House (hotel). Among the dozens of distinguished visitors was General J.E.B. Stuart, the great cavalry commander. Not everyone was overjoyed at Morgan's return. General Braxton Bragg was in favor of court-martialing him for dereliction of duty, but was overruled by Adjutant-General Samuel Cooper.

Morgan was determined to assemble his old command and resume raiding activity. On January 25th, permission was granted by Secretary of War Steddon, with orders to assemble his raiders at Abington, Virginia. General Simon B. Buckner, then in command of the Department of Tennessee, assisted in gathering those of Morgan's old brigade who could be located. Morgan was given two additional battalions from Decatur, Georgia, one mounted, the other dismounted. Many were green troops, totally unfamiliar with guerrilla warfare tactics. There were also many who were dregs of the army, thieves, bummers, and stragglers. All of the troops were poorly disciplined producing a weak caricature of the partisan command of Morgan's glory days.

In April, 1864, Mattie became pregnant again. During the month more troops were assigned to Morgan, swelling his total strength to 2,500. He struggled to whip his command into shape in anticipation of the Union offensive which would begin at any time. Morgan was soon ordered to proceed to Wytheville, Virginia to protect the lead and salt mines there. He arrived on May 1 Ith, to combine his force with that of General William E. "Grumble" Jones, to intercept Union General William W. Averell at Crockett's Cove. With a combined strength of 4,500 men, Jones made a frontal assault, while Morgan flanked Averell's force, driving the Federal troops off in full retreat. Morgan detached his force immediately and began a march toward Kentucky. The raiders destroyed any target of opportunity as they moved northward through Pound Gap, but were seriously impeded by the dismounted troops. Upon their arrival at Hazel Green, Morgan left his dismounted men, and moved on to Mt. Sterling, arriving on June 8, 1864. He easily captured the Union garrison and 380 prisoners. The raiders looted clothing and inventory from the retail businesses, and robbed the Farmers Bank of $72,000. The raiders also extracted considerable blackmail money from the residents, extorted to keep their homes from being burned. The infractions at Mt. Sterling were immediately added to the long list of pending charges against Morgan. While at Mt. Sterling, he shrugged off a report that a Union column was threatening the lead and salt mines at Wytheville. He was intent on reaching Lexington.

Morgan arrived in Lexington at dawn on June 10th. Resistance was light, and the raiders immediately confiscated hundreds of Union cavalry horses with ease, before burning the stables. Others of Morgan's command were busy looting residential homes and the Bank of Kentucky of $10,000. They remained in the city only a short time, before pressing on. This visit home was very different than the one he had made in September, 1862. Riding hard, Morgan and his raiders were in Georgetown, Kentucky by noon, and took time to do some more looting. They were gone by nightfall, marching toward Cynthiana. They arrived at daybreak on June 11th. The small Union garrison took refuge in houses and store buildings and refused to surrender. The general ordered the town burned, and they capitulated. Union General Edward Hobson and 600 militia rode into Cynthiana at 2:00 P.M. to rescue the besieged local garrison, but they too were surrounded and captured.

General Hobson knew that General Stephen G. Burbridge was riding in pursuit of Morgan, and contrived to keep the raider chief involved in negotiations for a prisoner exchange of Confederate troops held in Ohio (Morgan's). Fortunately, General Morgan knew of Burbridge's pursuit, but he exercised exceedingly rash judgement in preparing for their arrival.

When informed that one of his brigades had only two rounds of ammunition per man, Morgan replied, "It is my order that you hold your position at all hazards. We can whip them with empty guns." At 2:00 P.M., Sunday, June 12, 1864, Burbridge hit Morgan's line. Giltner's brigade in the center broke and fled immediatly, out of ammunition. Smith's brigade followed suit. It was every man for himself, with Morgan leading the chaotic retreat, fleeing alone toward Falmouth, Kentucky. On August 3rd, Morgan was back in Abington with Mattie, with his reputation in tatters by the irresponsible looting of his motley raiders, and the disastrous retreat from Cynthiana. The newspapers, however, sang Morgan's praises for a "brilliantly successful" incursion.

Morgan's superiors were far from enthusiastic over the results of the raid. Bragg and Secretary of War Seddon had predicted he would straggle back into Abington with a handful of survivors unfit for service, and that is precisely what occurred. Morgan had engaged on an unauthorized adventure, and abandoned Grumble Jones without permission. Jones was killed defending Staunton, Virginia on June 5th, and the entire valley campaign was put in jeopardy as a result.

The Confederate situation was desperate in the summer of 1864. Morgan was a reluctant choice to succeed General Buckner as the commander of the Department of West Virginia and East Tennessee. It was intended to be only temporary in Morgan's case. Another 700 men straggled back to Abington, but many refused to return to duty, terming themselves "Independent scouts." Morgan was under General R.E. Lee's jurisdiction in his new assignment. As inadequately equipped as Morgan was, Lee was compelled to remind him that he held the responsibility for the protection of the salt and lead mines at Wytheville. Lee was gentle and diplomatic, but he had no false illusions; knowing that the raider chief was a poor team player.

Morgan countered Lee's admonishment with a request to make a raid into Charleston, West Virginia. In Knoxville, Tennessee, fate was moving the chessmen to set the stage for the final chapter of John Hunt Morgan's career. The military governor of Tennessee, Andrew Johnson, held a long festering grudge against Morgan because of the many humiliating depredations in his state. He wanted the Lexington raider dead or alive. Johnson had no troops subject to his own orders except the "Governor's Guard," a cavalry brigade commanded by the Adjutant-General, Alvan C. Gillem, a West Point graduate. Now was the time Governor Johnson chose to strike Morgan's , headquarters at Abington, Virginia. General Gillem was at Bull's Gap on August 30, 1864, before he halted to wait for supplies to catch up.

General Morgan was apprised of Gillem's advance and took the field to meet him before he arrived at Abington. On September 2nd, Morgan passed through Jonesboro, Tennessee, pushing on to Greeneville without delay. Ahead of his main body, Morgan entered Greeneville with his videttes at 2:00 P.M. on September 3rd. He was unaware of the orders which arrived at Abington after his departure. On August 31st, Secretary of War Seddon had issued orders removing Morgan from command, pending the outcome of a board of inquiry which had been called to ponder a laundry list of charges against the famed raider chief. Of first priority was a charge of dereliction of duty and disobedience in making his raid into Indiana and Ohio a year earlier. In addition, the $72,000 bank robbery at Mt. Sterling, plus the blackmailing of its citizens, was a high-priority problem which implicated Morgan because he had not investigated immediately after the crimes were committed.

The main body of Morgan's command arrived in Greeneville at 4:00 P.M. on September 3rd. He was aware that General Gillem was only 18 miles away at Bull's Gap, but Morgan was unconcerned. His staff bad arranged to make his headquarters at the mansion of the widow, Mrs. Catherine Williams, on Main Street. It had been used frequently during the war as headquarters for both Confederate and Union officers. Mrs. Williams claimed to be an enthusiastic southern sympathizer. She had two sons, one on Morgan's staff, and the other, Joseph Williams, a Union officer. His wife. Lucy lived with Mrs. Williams. In addition, a Captain R.N. Keenan, also a Union officer, was recuperating from wounds at the Williams home when Morgan and his staff arrived. Lucy had been apprehended a short time before Morgan arrived with a note she was trying to smuggle from Captain Keenan to General Gillem at Bull's Gap.

Lucy was missing when General Morgan arrived. When he inquired, he was told Lucy was buying watermelons at the College farm. No one investigated further. Morgan was likewise unaware that a 12-year-old Negro boy, James Leahy, was riding to inform General Gillem that Morgan and his troops were in the town. Those oversights, and other incredible lapses on Morgan's part, set the stage for the events which followed.

General Morgan ordered guards on every road leading into Greeneville except the Newport Road. Morgan was assigned the front bedroom on the second floor of the Williams mansion. His staff were given rooms on the third floor. Before retiring, Morgan left orders to post a strong force on the road leading into Greeneville from Bull's Gap. He disregarded the suggestion of his staff to bivouac with his men. Awakened after midnight by a violent rain storm, Morgan canceled his order to strengthen the Bull's gap approach. He went back to bed, convinced nothing would happen in such a storm. In spite of the storm, Gillem was moving toward Greeneville. Seven miles from the city, the Union troops stopped a Greeneville citizen fleeing the town in fear of being conscripted into Confederate service. He gave Gillem precise information about Morgan and his staff at the Williams home. Captain C.C. Wilcox, with a combat patrol of 200 men, moved toward Greenville soon afterward over the unguarded Newport Road. At dawn, Wilcox galloped into Greenville's Main Street four abreast, and his troopers immediately surrounded the Williams home. Union solders were everywhere in the streets.

Roused from his sleep, Morgan pulled on breeches and boots, snatched up two pistols and bolted for the front door with his staff They met heavy rifle fire exiting the front of the house. Morgan, with two of his staff, ran into the basement under St. James Episcopal Church next door. Morgan had refused his staff s suggestion they surrender. Handing a revolver to Captain James T. Rogers, he asked that he help him escape. Fearing he would be trapped under the church, Morgan bolted for the Williams garden nearby. Captain Rogers and a clerk, LT. Johnson, ran with him. From the window on the second floor of an old hotel across Main Street, a resident, Mrs. David Fry, a rural mail carrier, spied Morgan's white undershirt. She shouted directions to the Union searchers nearby, guiding them to Morgan.

Morgan was standing defenseless with an empty revolver when a mounted trooper rode up and leveled his rifle at the general. He was Private Andrew J. Campbell, a former soldier of Morgan's command who had deserted several months before. Campbell had enlisted in Company G of the 13th Tennessee Cavalry (Union). Morgan shouted, "Don't shoot, I surrender." Campbell responded, "Surrender and be damned. I know you. With that, he fired, the bullet striking Morgan in the heart. The general threw up his hands and moaned, "Oh, God!", and fell face down in the shubbery. He died almost instantly.

Campbell threw Morgan's body over his saddle and paraded it around town until he grew tired of the sport. He dumped the body into a ditch, remarking, "There he is, like a hog." It was told that Campbell wanted revenge for the treatment Captain Keenan received at Catherine Williams' home when he was caught trying to spirit a message out. Morgan was supposed to have had him thrown into the back of a wagon with the remark, "Haul him off like a hog."

Later, Captain Charles Withers of Morgan's staff testified that when he was led out of town as a prisoner, he was forced to dismount and view General Morgan's body lying in the ditch; nude, except for his drawers, with blood and mud covering his face. Withers added that when he protested the desecration of Morgan's body, General Alvan Gillem responded, "Ay, Sir, and it shall lie there and rot like a dog." Withers statement was denied by Union Colonel Scully, who was reported present at the scene. Scully claimed Gillem severely rebuked Private Campbell for his disgusting treatment of an officer's remains. He added that Gillem ordered Morgan's body be placed on an artillery caisson and carried to the Williams house. Eventually the remains arrived at the residence. The body of John Hunt Morgan was embalmed by a Greeneville undertaker, clothed in a dress uniform and ceremonial sword, and placed in a walnut coffin. Later, the remains were returned to Abington.

The controversy over the true facts surrounding Morgan's final hour of life began before his coffin arrived in Abington. The version related here was the one the South universally accepted as the truth. Many inflammatory editorials were printed all over the South, declaring it to be a true account. Naturally, those sympathetic to the Union had a far less barbaric version of Morgan's death. Mrs. Lucy Williams was universally accused of betraying Morgan, a charge she denied to her dying day. The stigma followed her to the grave, nevertheless. Private Campbell was promoted to first sergeant of Company G in a few days, and cited for "gallantry". A month later, he was promoted to first lieutenant. Mrs. David Fry, wife of a notorious bushwhacker, was found to have been restricted to town by Captain Giltner of Morgan's command. She held a simmering grudge against all rebels, it was concluded.

John Hunt Morgan's first funeral service was conducted at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Abington, Virginia. The body was then conveyed to Richmond to lie in state at the Confederate House of Representatives for several hours. Plans were to hold Morgan's coffin in an above-ground vault at Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery until the war was over, when it could be returned to Lexington for interment. Mattie, two months pregnant, was not physically fit to accompany the general's remains to Richmond.

Mattie's baby was born full-term, a healthy girl she christened Johnnie, in honor of her famous father. Mattie returned to Murfreesboro to her family after the war ended. On March 21, 1868, Tom Morgan's body was brought home to Lexington to be held in a vault awaiting burial with John in the Hunt Morgan plot. General Morgan's remains arrived from Richmond on April 11, 1868, where they were transferred to a new coffin. The body was reported to be in a well-preserved, natural condition. En route from Richmond, it had been transported by water to Washington, D.C., and by train to Cincinnati. It was met there by dignitaries on April 16th. The closed casket was displayed overnight in the home of Captain Charles Albert Withers, Morgan's last adjutant. The train departed Cincinnati on the final leg to Lexington on April 17th, pausing several times in route for Confederate veterans and admirers to pay their respects and view the bier.

The final funeral service was conducted by Rector Jacob Shipman at Christ Church in Lexington. The brethren of Daviess & Nelson Lodge No. 22 conducted Masonic memorial services immediately afterward. The membership of the lodge were part of the procession which bore General Morgan's remains to the cemetery. As the procession entered the cemetery grounds, the coffin of Tom Morgan was carried into line, and followed to graveside. A brief committal service was read by Rector Shipman, followed with a final service by Daviess & Nelson Lodge. A huge throng of family, friends, and admirers inundated the church and assembled at the cemetery. The earthly remains of John Hunt Morgan were finally at rest, free of all earthly controversy and strife.

Basil W. Duke, Morgan's famous second-in-command, historian, and beloved brother-in-law, became, ironically, the chief legal counsel and lobbyist for the L & N Railroad; the target of so much destruction at the hands of Morgan's raiders. Mattie eventually married Judge James Williamson of Lebanon, Tennessee. She raised Johnnie, and gave birth to four additional children during her second marriage. She died in the fall of 1887, following a lengthy illness. Johnnie married the Reverend Joseph W. Caldwell, a Presbyterian minister from Selma, Alabama on May 1, 1888. She died shortly thereafter of typhoid fever, on July 1, 1888. She was 23 years old.

An equestrian statue of the general was erected on the courthouse lawn in Lexington and dedicated on October 18, 1911. The cost of $ 15,000 was borne jointly by the Kentucky Daughters of the Confederacy and the Kentucky Legislature, who assumed $7,000 of the expense.

The great John Hunt Morgan was one of the Confederacies most beloved sons and distinguished heroes. Over four turbulent years Morgan and his Confederate raiders immobilized a vast Union military force in Kentucky and eastern Tennessee. He frustrated and terrorized his foes and enthralled his admirers, thousands of them starry eyed young ladies of the South. His gallant and friendly demeanor endeared him to his troops; but his penchant for independent action exasperated his superiors. Like many of his distinguished family, Morgan was an avid Mason to the end of his life. He suffered more than anybody else the penalty for his own frailties. They finally demanded his life. Never able to play the game of war according to conventional rules, he made his own; and suffered the consequences. If John Hunt Morgan were here today, he would probably tell you that he would do it the same way all over again.

Reference and Source Material

BOWMAN, JOHN S.: The Civil War Almanac; publisher World Almanac Publications, New York, N.Y., 1983

CATTON, BRUCE: The Civil War, publisher. American Heritage Publishing Company, New York, N.Y., 1960

DENSLOW, WILLIAM R.: 10,000 Famous Freemasons, Vol. III; publisher The Missouri Lodge of Research, 1957

DONALD, DAVID: Divided We Fought publisher: Macmillan Company, New York, N.Y., 1952

METZLER, WILLIAM E.: Morgan and His Dixie Cavaliers, published by author, Columbus, Ohio, 1976

NOEL, LOIS PURCELL: John Hunt Morgan; published by author, Paducah, Kentucky,1933

RAMAGE, JAMES A.: Rebel Raider, publisher University of Kentucky Press, Lexington, Kentucky, 1986

RICHARDSON, JAMES D.: Messages and Papers of the Presidents; pub: Bureau of National Literature, New York, N.Y., 1897

RODENBROUGH, THEO F.: The Calvary; publisher Fairfax Press, New York, N.Y., 1983

SINGLETARY, OTIS A.: The Mexican War, publisher University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1960

Miscellaneous.

Archives of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, Masonic Home, Kentucky.

Lexington Public Library, Lexington, Kentucky.

Of Freemasons, Odd Fellows

and Passenger Pigeons

by Ted H. Hendon

Around the middle of the nineteenth century the Passenger Pigeon population was estimated to have been as many as nine billion in the United States alone. This prolific bird had multiplied to the point that even the most ardent bird lover would have to admit that it had become a problem. During their migrations they are said to have blackened the sky not unlike an eclipse of the sun. The noted ornithologist, John James Audubon, once observed a single flock which he estimated to contain more than a billion birds. Other ornithologists agree his estimate was probably accurate.

Yet, due to an over-zealous effort to reduce their numbers, the last known Passenger Pigeon died at the Cincinnati zoo on September 1, 1914. Although their value to the world is unknown and open to speculation, to me it's sad to think of a species which inhabited the earth for cons perhaps since before the Great Flood - being totally annihilated, never to pass this way again.

So what, you ask, does this have to do with Freemasonry? Or Odd Fellowship? Maybe nothing, directly. But it does illustrate that large numbers not only do not guarantee survival, in some instances they may actually have the opposite effect.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows, like Freemasonry, was introduced into the United States from England. The first American Odd Fellows Lodge was formed in Baltimore, Maryland on April 26, 1819, by five Odd Fellows who had received their degrees in England. From that meager and, by Masonic standards, late beginning, their numbers increased rapidly such that within less than a hundred years, they outnumbered Masons in the United States. In Georgia, during the first two decades of this century, their numbers approximated that of the Masonic Fraternity. Yet, from their peak around World War I their membership has decreased in Georgia by nearly ninety eight percent! Why? And, like the story of the Passenger Pigeons, what does that have to do with Freemasonry)

Although I can only speculate as to the cause of their decline, there are some valuable lessons in it for us if we will but take heed.

Let's review some important similarities as well as differences between the Odd Fellows and Freemasonry. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows, as they are more properly known, is a benevolent and charitable fraternity of men who believe in the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man. They believe it is their fundamental duty, as Odd Fellows, "to visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, and educate the orphan." Certainly these are laudable ideals and sound a lot like what, we, as Masons, might proclaim as our ideals. Further, the Odd Fellows require that their candidates profess a belief in a Supreme Being and that the Holy Bible be open upon the altar when the Lodge is at labor. Candidates for the degrees must petition, be investigated, receive a favorable ballot, and pass through several degrees. The ritual is based upon Biblical teachings. In former times the candidates were required to learn and stand examination on a catechism after each degree. They even have appendant bodies, including a ladie's organization, a youth organization for boys and one for girls. I could cite many more parallels with Masonry but the foregoing should give the reader some idea as to the type of organization the Independent Order of Odd Fellows is (or was). In my opinion, it rivals Masonry as to its high ideals and moral teachings. It was a great Fraternity and it had a beneficial effect upon the membership and upon the world in general. Due to its serious decline in membership however, much of its effectiveness has been lost. Yet ' it's high ideals remain. So, where did things go wrong? And is Freemasonry destined for the same fate? Brethren, the answer to the last question is, it's up to us!

As I stated earlier, the cause of the rapid decline in Odd Fellow membership is open to speculation. It is not my purpose to fully explore the possible cause or causes for the decline, but I will speculate to the extent that it may have been for the same or similar reasons that Freemasonry is in a decline at the present time, a significant element of which could be attributed to the too rapid growth in membership some thirty to forty years ago. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows experienced phenomenal growth during the nineteenth century. A more important lesson for us, I believe, can be learned from their experience by taking note of what did not prevent their decline. Let's enumerate a few differences between the Odd Fellows and Masonry which, at first glance, might appear to give the Odd Fellows the advantage.

First, the Odd Fellows may solicit members. You can be sure they exercised this privilege during their period of decline. This has been advocated by many Masonic "leaders" as a possible solution to the decline in Masonic membership. Some Grand jurisdictions have adopted such a policy. The subject has generated much discussion in numerous other Grand jurisdictions, including Georgia. To my knowledge, no Grand jurisdiction has experienced a turnaround in their declining membership by adopting a policy of solicitation! It certainly did not save the Odd Fellows, nor has it proven to be a cure for Masonry's "illness." Still, there are those who think there are millions out there just waiting to be asked.

The Odd fellows have kept the cost of fees and dues very low. On this point I feel sure their thinking coincided exactly with that of many of today's Masons. I know one Odd Fellows Lodge which charges ten dollars for the first degree and five dollars each for the others. That Lodge has less than twenty members. It seems only natural that raising the cost of membership would reduce the number of candidates, doesn't it? Brethren, it didn't save the Odd Fellows and it won't save us. In actual practice, the opposite may be true.

We've all heard the argument that the younger men of today are unwilling to devote the time needed to learn the catechism. Some Grand Lodges have eliminated the requirement of learning and standing examination on the catechism. This opens up the possibility of degree festivals whereby these "busy young men" can get all three degrees in a few hours and never have to come back. They need never devote any more time to Masonry and we get their dues, maybe. The Odd Fellows have a catechism and their Grand Lodge encourages its use but it is not enforced and is seldom used. Many of their Lodges are unable to confer the degrees so they often have degree festivals (whenever they have a candidate). While I have heard this suggested as a solution to Masonry's membership "problem," it has not produced the desired result in those Grand jurisdictions which have eliminated the requirement nor did it save the Odd Fellows. Another idea which may sound good until you think it through.

Another "remedy" for our losses which has been implemented in several Grand jurisdictions and has been strongly advocated in others, including Georgia, is the elimination of the requirement for a unanimous ballot for election to membership. While there have no doubt been abuses of the ballot box, those abuses were seldom committed by men worthy of the title of Mason. To lower our standards, and that's what is being advocated, would only lead to more un-Masonic acts. Anyway, no Grand jurisdiction has yet reversed the downward trend in membership by eliminating the requirement of a unanimous ballot Nor, did it save the Odd Fellows.

For several years the Odd Fellows have entered a float in the Rose Bowl Parade on New Years Day. Next January 1st, the Grand Lodge of California plans to enter a Masonic float in that parade. A few years ago I watched that parade and heard a commentator describe the Odd Fellows float as the "Old" Fellows float. Either there was a typing error in his script or he thought there was. Obviously, the desired publicity was not realized. It doesn't appear to have helped the Odd Fellows, and is not likely to help Freemasonry.

Brethren, while no offense to those who have advocated the changes enumerated here is intended, I feel that for the sake of the Craft the failure of these changes must be publicized. It is understandable that many are searching for a solution to our declining membership "problem" and that the above ideas would emerge. Undoubtedly the brethren of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows went through the same reasoning and came up with the same 11solutions" as many of our Masonic leaders are doing today. Unfortunately, we are looking only at the surface; trying to eliminate the symptoms rather than curing the problem. While many feel that the situation is desperate, we must still reject those ideas which have proven to be ineffective at best and damaging to the Fraternity at worst. Brethren, if we travel the same path the Independent Order of Odd Fellows traveled, it will lead us to the same destination.

In spite of these negative remarks, the situation is not hopeless, even for the Odd Fellows. With perhaps 500-600 Odd Fellows in Georgia, their membership is less than just one. Of several of our larger Lodges. But, their Georgia membership alone is more than a hundred times that of Maryland on April 26, 1819. If they remember what they did right at that time and start doing it again they can avoid the fate of the Passenger Pigeon. Freemasonry too, can avoid that fate or, even better, it can avoid reaching the depth to which Odd Fellowship has descended. We must recall the principles which we embraced many years ago and follow them. We have entirely too many members who do not have Masonry in their hearts; too many who lied when they answered the first question asked them upon their first entrance into an Entered Apprentice Lodge; too many who were not properly prepared to be a Mason, and still aren't; in short, too many. Can we rid ourselves of this blight? Or must we continue to feed it more of the same and then try to counter our mistakes with more mistakes? Are we willing to pay the price for survival? Or, are we going to continue down the same path that has led the Odd Fellows to near extinction? My brothers, the choice is ours.

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Something Other Than Ritual

During World War II Freemasonry throughout the world grew tremendously, in the free world, that is. In countries controlled by Germany, Russia, and other dictatorial governments, Masonry was abolished, or almost so. In the United States the growth was stupendous. Throughout the history of the Craft we find growth whenever there's a war. We aren't always as careful as we should be about who we take in the West Gate.

In peace time we pay the price. Many men don't find what they are looking for in Masonry. They don't because in the rush to keep the degree mills grinding we take no time to explain anything about the Craft. Members begin to quit in large numbers. Or they let themselves be suspended for non-payment of dues. Lodges find themselves in trouble, financially and numerically. The organization begins to break up.

During recent years we've heard much lamenting about the decline in membership. Yet, much of it is the fault of the leadership. Many of those who leave would gladly remain IF they could find something in our Lodges other than ritual.

Allen E. Roberts, FPS

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The New Men's Movements -

Dust Flesh, Cinders - Part 2

by Paul Ricb, MPS / Guillermo De Los Reyes

Renewed interest in male ceremonies - illustrated by Robert Blys book Iron John, and by the stadium rallies of the Promise Keepers, - can be seen partly as a reaction to women's demands for equality. Women protesters have intruded into Promise Keepers' meetings with signs proclaiming REAL MEN DON'T DOMINATE WOMEN and hired airplanes to tow banners reading PROMISE BREAKERS NOT PROMISE MAKERS. Dressing as a man, one infiltrated a