The Builder Magazine 

January 1930 - Volume XVI - Number 1 


A History of American Life 

A Review 

BY BRO. ERICK MCKINLEY ERIKSSON, California 


PROBABLY most people, with the exception of the professional historians 
themselves, fail to realize the tremendous changes that have taken place in the field 
of history in the last fifty or sixty years. During that time there has evolved what is 
known as "The New History" in which a place is found for economic, social, and 
cultural developments, as well as for the affairs of polities and religion. 


The old style history was concerned chiefly with the activities of governments or 
with the questions of religion. Great men received all the attention; no 
consideration was given to the doings of the common people. American history, 
for instance, started with the chronicle of colonial political developments, treated 
the fight for supremacy in America almost entirely as a political question, and 
followed with the political treatment of the causes of the revolution and of the 
revolution itself. After the adoption of the Constitution, history became the story of 
successive presidential administrations. 


But this treatment has been altered beyond recognition. Any history that pretends 
to give the treatment of the development of the United States includes more or less 
material of an economic, social, and cultural character. If it did not, it would not 
have a chance in the market. 



While the content of history has been changing the method of the historian has also 
been revolutionized. Scientific method has been applied with the result that we 
have more accurate history than previously. The inductive method of reasoning is 
employed, a critical attitude toward the sources is displayed and, when possible, 
foot-notes and bibliographical notes are used to indicate the sources of 
information. 


Another outstanding feature in the new history is that it is co- operative and 
monographic. By this is meant that one person seldom attempts to cover single- 
handed a large period, or phase, of history, but on the contrary, several co-operate 
to produce a work covering the whole field of interest. The product of the pen of 
each is a monographic study complete in itself and yet fitting in with the other 
volumes in the set. This co-ordination is made possible through the supervision of 
the editors or editor-in-chief. Two of the best known co-operative monographic 
works are The American Nation: A History and The Chronicles of America. 


The latest example of a work produced by the modern method is A History of 
American Life, now being produced by the Macmillan Company under the joint 
editorship of Arthur M. Sehlesinger and Dixon Ryan Fox. Both are well qualified 
for their work, the former being Professor of American History in Harvard 
University; the latter, a Professor of History in Columbia University. Each has 
made for himself an enviable reputation in the field of American history. 


It is intended to have twelve volumes in the set, tracing, according to the 
publishers, "the evolution of civilization in the United States." So far five volumes 
have appeared from the press, and it is with these that the present article is 
concerned. 


THE FIRST AMERICANS. 



Four of these volumes were published in 1927. Of these the first to be considered 
is Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker's The First Americans. This covers the period 
from the Jamestown settlement in 1607 until 1690. Professor Wertenbaker does not 
concern himself with the traditional viewpoints. He is not interested in colonial 
charters and constitutional developments. Such chapter tities as "Land And Labor 
In The Tobacco Colonies," "A Transplanted Church," "The Invisible World," "The 
Practice Of Physic," "The Beginnings Of An Intellectual Life," "Planter And 
Puritan At Play," indicate the content of this book. 


Probably the most interesting chapters are those dealing with colonial religion. If 
anyone still believes that the first New England settlers came to establish religious 
freedom, they will be disillusioned by reading this volume. Speaking of these 
settlers, Professor Wertenbaker says [pp. 87, 90] that "their minds were fired 
chiefly with the hope of establishing a Bible commonwealth, sealed against error 
from without and protected from schism from within.... Obviously toleration had 
no part in such a plan. It is a singular perversion of history which attributes ideals 
to the prime movers in this great migration that they themselves would have been 
the first to repudiate." 


We read how attempts were made to purge Massachusetts of heretics through 
exiling Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams. Even the mild Quakers suffered 
harsh penalties in Massachusetts for daring to propagate their doctrines there. 
Several Quakers were actually put to death. By their extreme measures the clergy 
alienated support so that by the close of the seventeenth century, as Professor 
Wertenbaker points out [p. 113]: "The experiment of a Bible commonwealth had 
definitely failed." 


In Virginia the author vividly presents the difficulties confronting the clergy The 
scattered settlements, the lack of roads and other physical difficulties made 
inevitable the neglect of religious activities. The support of the clergy was 
inadequate and their tenure was often insecure. These conditions made it difficult 
to secure the best kind of ministers. It was common to find among the clergy such 
vices [p. 129] as "cursing, swearing, drunkenness or fight ing," yet there were 
many good and earnest ministers in the colony. 



The author goes into considerable detail concerning the beliefs of the colonists in 
magic and witchcraft. The chapter on "The Invisible World" gives an excellent 
account of the witchcraft craze which resulted in numerous executions culminating 
in the Salem episode near the end of the seventeenth century which was not 
brought to a close until twenty people had been executed, eight more had been 
sentenced to death, fifty additional had confessed themselves to be witches, one 
hundred and fifty more were in prison, and two hundred others were under 
accusation. If such events seem to reflect on the intelligence of our colonial 
ancestors, it should be pointed out, as is done in this chapter, that conditions in 
Europe at the same time were far worse than in America. In the chapter "The 
Practice Of Physic" we find a very fascinating account of the practice of medicine 
during the period under consideration. "The chief cause of error," according to 
Prof. Wertenbaker [pp. 164, 165], "was the belief, widely accepted for many 
centuries, that disease is caused by diabolic influence." The few doctors were sadly 
lacking as a rule in such medical knowledge as it might have been possible to 
secure. Bleeding was a favorite treatment. There was a gross ignorance of 
sanitation and hygiene which made it very difficult to control the various 
epidemics. What was evidently a favorite prescription of the time for the cure of 
small-pox, poison, and other maladies is quoted by Professor Wertenbaker as 
follows [p. 167]: 


"In the month of March take toads as many as you will alive, putt them in an 
earthen pott, so that it may be half full; cover it with a broad tyle or iron plate; then 
overwhelme the pott so that the bottom may be uppermost; putt charcoals round 
about it.... Sett it on fire and lett it burn and extinguish of itself; when it is cold take 
out the toades, and in an Iron mortar pound them very well.... Moderate the dose 
according to the strength of the partie." 


These extracts indicate the general character of this very fascinating volume. 
Professor Wertenbaker has performed his task exceedingly well, and the reader 
will find it difficult to put this book aside until it has been completed. A feature of 
this book, as well as all volumes in the set, is the illustrations which have been 
provided by the editors. Twelve plates have been provided, some of which contain 



six separate illustrations. Instead of merely having a list of these illustrations, 
elaborate descriptive notes have been included. 


SOCIETY IN THE COLONIES. 


Another volume dealing with the colonial period is James Truslow Adams' 
Provincial Society, which ostensibly takes up the story where Prof. Wertenbaker 
leaves off, and carries it on to 1763. The first chapter, entitled, " The Structure Of 
Society," deals with the various racial elements which came to America in the 
colonial period. The influence of each of these elements is weighed and conditions 
of land owning are discussed, as are such matters as law, relations of church and 
state, and the political structure of the colonies. 


The author next deals with " The Economic Basis" which he says was 
fundamentally agricultural. An excellent description of colonial agriculture is 
given, including an account of the implements used and the products secured. 
Trade also receives attention, especially the fur trade. The few ventures in 
manufacturing are dealt with, as is the ship-building industry.- Fishing is noted as 
an important industry, while merchandising also comes in for consideration. 


ARISTOCRACY IN AMERICA 


Americans have always prided themselves in the lack in this country of social 
classes like those that prevail in Europe. Yet Mr. Adams points out [p. 56] that 
"From the very beginning of settlement there had been marked social distinctions 
between the colonists. " Mr. Adams gives considerable space to such things as the 
mansions, clothing, food and beverages, and amusements of the aristocrats. 



In contrast with the aristocrats was "the common man," which class included [p. 
85] "the smaller merchants, shopkeepers, farmers, planters, artisans, mechanics, 
pioneers, fishermen, free day- laborers, indented servants and slaves." A long 
chapter is devoted to these various groups. 


Intellectual life is dealt with at length. That there was some literary activity in 
America is made clear, but because of the scattered population it was very difficult 
for an author "to find a public." Attempts to promote education are dealt with, but 
it is clear that educational facilities were very meager. 


To religion this book also devotes many pages. The growth of denominations is 
pointed out. By 1700 there were nine Baptist churches in New England, which was 
certainly evidence that the control of the old theocracy there had broken down. 
From Mr. Adams' account, it would appear that the moral standards of our colonial 
ancestors were not the highest. Perhaps it would be safe to say that the people of 
these "good old times" were no better than the people of the twentieth century who 
are alleged to be afflicted with great moral laxity. 


Immigration is dealt with under the title of " New Blood." Other chapters are "The 
Changing South," and " The Commercialization Of The North. " There is an 
excellent chapter on "The Growth Of The (:olonial Culture." An interesting feature 
described by Mr. Adams was the formation of the numerous social clubs modeled 
after those prevalent in Europe. In this connection Mr. Adams has a paragraph on 
the introduction of Freemasonry into America. Says the author [pp. 262, 263], "By 
the middle of the [eighteenth] century, a Mason traveling through America instead 
of being a lonely stranger would have found himself among an organized band of 
his brothers in the principal town of every one of the colonies with the exception of 
North Carolina." 


The improvements in transportation, together with the increasing population made 
possible, during the second quarter of the eighteenth century, a considerable 
development of the periodical press. One of the most important of the new journals 
was Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette, started in 1729. 



There was manifested a considerable interest in science, all of which is well told by 
Mr. Adams. There was some progress in painting but, says Mr. Adams [p. 275], 
"Music and the drama showed a more noteworthy advance than did painting. " 
Music seems to have flourished in the middle and southern colonies more than in 
New England. 


A feature of the period was a great revival of religious enthusiasm which took form 
in which was known as "The Great Awakening. " The prime promoter of this great 
religious movement was George Whitefield who made several preaching tours 
through the colonies, beginning in 1739. Mr. Adams credited Whitefield with 
being largely responsible for the beginning of the humanitarian group in the 
colonies, for he established an orphanage in 1740 in which there were soon several 
hundred children. 


Mr. Adams closes his volume with a chapter entitled "The Mid- Century," in which 
he sums up the results of the wars with the French, and then deals with the 
conditions existing on the eve of the American Revolution. The increased interest 
in reading, establishment of new periodicals, scientific experiment, the activity in 
music, the theatre and painting, the establishment of new colleges, including the 
present Princeton, Dartmouth, and Columbia, are some of the matters dealt with in 
this interesting chapter. 


This volume contains fifteen plates supplied by the editors, illustrating such 
diversified things as "Life on the Soil," "Southern Mansions," "The Great 
Awakening," and " Typical Public Buildings, 1690-1763." It is a worthy 
companion to that by Professor Wertenbaker and the two together will give the 
reader many new viewpoints on the colonial period. 


THE BEGINNING OF DEMOCRACY 



One of the most interesting periods of American history is covered by Carl Russell 
Fish's The Rise of the Common Man. 


Under the heading, "New Winds" Professor Fish tells of the new influences which 
came to dominate American life with the accession of Andrew Jackson to the 
Presidency, and which continued to be the dominating influences for a score of 
years. As he points out [p. 2], it was a "period of most assertive patriotism." An 
interesting observation is the statement [p. 3] "that it was at this time that 
Americans became hustlers. The 'quick lunch' was introduced, and everywhere 
people ate in a hurry." Optimism was another characteristic of the period. To the 
Americans of the time [p. 6] "the keynote of the Constitution was opportunity for 
the individual." It was a period in which the "passion for equality" was probably 
stronger than in any other period in our history. 


This was a period in which political organizations were definitely formed, and 
closely connected with this development of political organization were [p. 39] "the 
attacks upon the aristocracy of office-holding." In this connection the author cites 
the development of the anti-Masonic movement. Says Mr. Fish [p. 40]: 


The larger significance of the movement was that it correctly expressed the fear 
and dislike of this generation for secret organization, and that however its adroit 
managers may have taken advantage of their supporters, they did secure for them 
their main object. 


This statement may be well questioned. Certainly the main object of the movement 
was to do away with secret societies, and especially the Masonic Fraternity. In this 
respect the movement was a dismal failure. It might be further observed that Mr. 
Fish might have made some comments on Anti-Masonry as a religious movement. 
He treats it, however, merely from the political viewpoint. 



It is interesting to note that in dealing with the civil service under Jackson, Mr. 

Fish did not find it necessary to cite any other authority than himself. He might 
have cleared up the false impression that Jackson created havoc among the Federal 
office- holders, but he chooses to "stand pat" on the old doctrine that Jackson 
introduced the spoils system into national politics. As a matter of fact, not over 
one-eleventh of the office-holders were removed in the first year and a half of 
Jackson's presidency, and certainly not more than one-fifth during his eight years 
in office. Why not say that Jefferson introduced the spoils system into national 
politics? His proportion of removals was at least as great as Jackson's. 


In dealing with the newspaper organs in Washington, Mr. Fish is very vague and 
hazy. He seems to have no better conception of the significance of these party 
organs than he had a quarter of a century ago when he produced his Civil Service 
and the Patronage. 


One may well ask Mr. Fish where he got his information [p. 46] that "Van Buren 
was nominated as vice-president contrary to the wish of a majority of the 
Democrats in 1832." There are other points in this book which might be criticized, 
but continued criticism would tend to create the impression that Mr. Fish's work 
was unreliable and of little value. This is not the impression which this reviewer 
wishes to convey. 


In spite of defects, The Rise of the Common Man is a fascinating account of the 
score of years which it covers. We read of life on the farm and on the plantation; 
we see with the author the development of the transportation system through the 
building of roads and canals, and then railroads. We see the gradual improvements 
in the railroads, such as better engines and cars and the introduction of the chair ear 
and the sleeping ear. It was a period of experimentation in which the underlying 
problems of railroads were mastered, making possible the great developments of 
the future. Industry, invention and trade receive attention, as does the subjeet of 
immigration. Many interesting observations are made by the author in the chapter 
"Manners And Morals." The development of newspapers, especially cheap penny 
papers, are dealt with, and the appearance of the newsboys on the city streets 
receives comment. The spread of the theatre and the rise of the circus are 
mentioned. 



The politicians receive a chapter, while another chapter is devoted to "The 
Religious Scene," in which the growth of various sects is treated. Not only did the 
orthodox religions spread rapidly, but such liberal denominations as the Unitarians 
enjoyed a new prosperity. Mormonism and other -isms flourished. 


This was the period in which the fight for free public tax supported education was 
fought and won. Mr. Fish treats this fight under the title "Education For The 
People." "Art, Science, And Literature" heads a long chapter, which is fitting in 
view of the fact that this was the golden age in American literature. It was the 
period in which such writers flourished as Edgar Allan Poe, William Cullen 
Bryant, Nathanial Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Russell Powell, 
James Greenleaf Whittier, and a host of others. The last four chapters are entitled 
"Reform And Slavery," "Manifest Destiny," "The End Of An Era," and "The 
Balance Sheet." 


In this volume the editors have inserted eighteen plates, including numerous 
illustrations. 


MODERN AMERICANISM 


Professor Allan Nevins has produced in The Emergence of Modem America one 
of the most outstanding volumes in this set. In it, the author has covered the same 
period as two other recent writers. D. C. Seitz brought out for popular consumption 
recently a volume entitled The Mauve Decade, while a few months ago there 
appeared from the facile pen of Claude Bowers a book entitled The Tragic Era. Mr. 
Bowers writes, as he has heretofore done, in a strong partisan vein. His purpose is 
to point out all the degradation of the Republicans and to show how the Democrats 
were misused during the period. In other words, his viewpoint is primarily 
political. 



It should also be observed that E.P. Oberholtzer has covered the period 
exhaustively in the first three volumes of his History of the United States Since the 
Civil War. 


A remarkable feature of Prof. Nevins' book is his demonstrated ability to treat his 
period without becoming enmeshed in the political squabbles attending 
reconstruction. In fact, he has been able to write his book without mentioning 
Thaddeus Stevens or Charles Sumner, the chief Radical Republican leaders. 


The book opens with a chapter entitled "The Darkest Days In The South." The 
economic destruction wrought by the war, the activities of bandits, and the 
presence of Federal troops imposed great handicaps on the Southerners. Heavy 
taxes, plundering officials, and bad crops made the situation in the South desperate 
for a time following the War. 


Considerable attention is given to the negro and development of educational 
enterprises among them, such as Howard University in Washington, Fisk Institute 
at Nashville, and Hampton Institute. 


With the passage of time progress was made in working out a "sound economic 
basis for labor." It was a real revolution for the South to change from a slave 
system to a wage system. By 1869, to quote the author [p. 23]: "the dark skies 
above the South showed a roseate gleam of dawn." The evils of carpet-bag 
government are also dealt with in this chapter. 


The author then has a long chapter on "The Industrial Boom In The North." This 
chapter merely deals with the beginnings of the great economic revolution which 
began during the Civil War and extended to about the decade of the nineties and 
which was destined to affect every phase of American life. Here we read of a great 
revolution in manufacturing, typified by the development of the steel industry, the 
meat packing business, the oil industry and the ready-made clothing industry. The 



improvement in processes are described, and the westward movement of 
manufacturing is made apparent. 


"Financial institutions," says Prof. Nevins [p. 47], "responded to the buoyant 
expansion of the time like vegetation to a tropical sun. " The building of railroads 
is dramatically described, the Union Pacific being used as a classical example. The 
consolidation of then existing lines into through lines is described [p. 63] as "Not 
less important than the new railway construction. " It was this period that saw the 
emergence of some of the great presentday railroad systems, such as the New York 
Central, the Pennsylvania, the Baltimore and Ohio, the Chicago and Northwestern, 
the Rock Island, and the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy. The decline of water 
commerce as the result of railroad competition is mentioned. 


The great industrial boom was accompanied by a rise of organized labor, the 
laborers attempting, through organization, to deal with the great problems which 
confronted them. Under the title of "Urban Life And Routes of Travel" Mr. Nevins 
tells of the remarkable improvements in the cities. He emphasizes the lack of fire- 
proof construction, illustrating his point by description of the Chicago and Boston 
fires. "The shock produced throughout the country by these conflagrations, " to 
quote Mr. Nevins [p. 85], "caused a powerful movement in favor of fire-resistant 
materials, and laws were passed which forced the question of safety upon the 
attention of architects and builders." The influence of the telegraph, the free mail 
carrying system, the typewriter and the telephone are stressed. A description of 
society in the cities is not neglected. 


Under the title of "The Taming Of The West" the author describes the conquest of 
the Western Indians and the pushing in of population to take up the free land 
offered by the government under the Homestead Act, or to buy up the land offered 
by railroads at a cheap price. Agriculture and stock-raising of the West, with the 
ranches and cowboys, are interestingly described. Mining is not neglected. The 
discontent of the farmer is treated under the title, "The Revolt Of The Farmer." The 
corruption of the period, featured by the Tweed Ring, is excellently described in 
the chapter entitled "The Moral Collapse In Government And Business." 



Space will not permit a more detailed resume of this very interesting book. It must 
suffice to say that every phase of American life is dealt with, sports as well as 
culture are given due consideration. "Humanitarian Striving," receives a long 
chapter. The book closes with an account of the "Recovery In South And West" 
and with a chapter entitled " Embattled Industry " which stresses the labor disputes 
of the decade of the seventies. Fifteen plates are included in this volume, 
illustrating various things described in the book. 


THE EARLIEST IMMIGRANTS 


The most recently published volume in this set is Herbert Ingram Priestley's The 
Coming of the White Man. 


In this volume Professor Priestley deals with the Spanish, French, and Dutch 
elements in American life, beginning with the discoveries by Columbus, and 
carrying through to the time when the United States acquired the Mexican cession 
in 1848. The volume begins with a chapter entitled "The Western Impulse " in 
which various expeditions of the Spaniards are described. As Professor Priestley 
points out [p. 29], " These first Christians brought with them the cross and the 
sword, it is true, but they also brought all they had in practical civilization." In 
other words, while the Spaniards were exploiters in the new world, they did confer 
some benefits on the people they conquered. 


"The Spanish Advance" is then described, showing how the Spaniards spread out 
as they conquered additional territory. The importance of missionaries in 
stimulating this advance is stressed. Attention is given to the methods of governing 
the Spanish colonies. Next comes the description of the "Pioneers of New Mexico 
and Florida," in which we read of the exploitation of the Indians in New Mexico by 
the corrupt governor, Mendizabal, who was finally brought to task and died in a 
dungeon. In the portion of the chapter dealing with Florida, there is an excellent 
description of San Augustin (Saint Augustine). 



In the chapter entitled "Economic life In New Spain" we read of the ruthless 
exploitation of the plebeian class. The mining industry is interestingly described. 
Agriculture was very important in New Spain and it is also well described in this 
chapter. There was considerable cattle raising and some manufacturing. 


We read in the chapter, "The Wards of The Spaniards," how the Spanish bestowed 
as their "most unselfish gift" their religion on the Indians, and we further read [p. 
108] that 


. . . second among his [the Spaniard's] settled ideals was his officially Sanctioned 
program of encouraging the fusion of Spanish and Indian blood. To create in the 
Indies an entirely new society by amalgamating the races under a unified faith was 
the spiritual vision of the Catholic Monarchs. 


Further Professor Priestley says [p. 109], "A corollary of these two ideas was that 
of the physical preservation of the red man for the double purpose of evangelizing 
and exploiting him." The Spanish mission is praised by Professor Priestley [p. 123] 
as "the most effective and widespread of the social agencies." 


"Spanish Colonial Life And Letters" is next taken up. Here we note the efforts of 
the Spanish rulers to preserve orthodoxy by censuring "books of false doctrines, " 
in good Catholic fashion. Yet there was considerable reading on the part of the 
Spanish colonists as is shown by the statement [p. 146] that "Some fifty persons 
were engaged in the business of book-selling during the first century in Mexico 
City alone." There was some scientific study carried on, while a few made 
reputations as producers of literature. Schools were established and the University 
of Mexico was started in 1551, but, as the author observes [p; 159], most of the 
schools "were conducted for Spanish boys." It is certainly apparent that the 
Spaniards were never much concerned with the education of the people whom they 
had conquered. 



"In summing up the merits and demerits of Spanish occupation in America," says 
Professor Priestley [p. 208] "it may be said, given the defects of the society and the 
handicaps of the field of operation, the result was better than might have been 
expected." 


Three chapters are devoted to the French, one entitles "The Builders of The French 
Empire," another "French Homes In The Wilderness," and the third "The Men Of 
The Middle Border." Professor Priestley attributes [pp. 214, 215] the French 
acquisition of the American empires largely "to the religious impulse of the 
adventuresome Jesuits and to the race-amalgamation ideal exemplified i the 
quickly risen class of coureurs de bois, men who sough the untrammeled and 
exhilarating life of the forest fur trade." 


The book closes with two chapters entitled "Life Among the Dutch and Swedes" 
and "Our Dutch Heritage." There are eighteen plates in this volume, including 
some very interesting illustrations. 


The authors of these five volumes have done their work well. They have succeeded 
in presenting an interesting account of American life during the periods to which 
the; have been assigned. If the remaining seven volumes in the set are as good as 
those already published, it requires no prophet to predict that this History of 
American Life will become one of the most widely read sets of history yet 
produced. The books are suitable alike to the scholar and to the person who reads 
for recreation and pleasure. No better suggestion could be made for spending a few 
of the winter's evenings than to secure and read these volume that have been here 
reviewed. 


— o 


Some New Facts About the Baal's Bridge Square 



BY BRO J. HUGO TATSCH, Associate Editor 


THE interesting story communicated by Bro. Crossle, of Dublin, Ireland, in the 
December, 1929, issue of THE BUILDER is one holding much fascination for the 
antiquarians of the Craft. It appealed especially to me because I have in my 
possession some interesting material relating thereto, this having come into my 
possession during the winter of 1923-24 when I purchased an old Masonic volume 
which had been advertised in England as a scrapbook containing letters from 
prominent Masons of the last century, among them several from William James 
Hughan, the eminent English Masonic historian. The book turned out to be the By- 
Laws of the Provincial Grand Lodge of the North & East Ridtngs of Yorkshire, 
printed at Kingstonupon-Hull, 1868, and formerly the property of Bro. John 
Pearson Bell, M. D., Deputy Provincial Grand Master. In fact, it was his working 
copy, for it also contains numerous annotations in his handwriting, and addenda to 
his Short History of the Provincial Grand Lodge which forms part of the work. I 
shall not dwell upon the other valuable letters I found in the volume; let it suffice 
to say that Bro. Bell was interested in the Old Brass Square of Limerick, and had in 
the book not only a photograph of Bro. James Pain, the discoverer of the Square in 
1830, but also several letters from him, as well as a number from Bro. Fred W. 
Flumell. A reproduction of the photographs accompany this article; and extracts 
from the letters as they illustrate the story. 




Rt. Wot. Bro. Dr. John 
for North «nd 


P. Belt, D. P. G. M. 
East York*. 


Bro. James P»in, the 
for the rebuilding of 


architect and contractor 
Baal’s Bridge in 1830. 


The first item in the series of notes is a cutting from the Limerick Southern 
Chronicle, Clare and Tipperary Advertiser, issue of Saturday, September 25, 1869. 
On the margin is a memorandum in Bro. Bell's handwriting, "Sent a sketch of this 
Square and letter to Editor a few days before this article [appeared], J.P.B." 


MASONIC RELIC 


We have received from a worthy Brother, a fac-simile sketch, of a very antique 
brass square, discovered under the foundation stone of the Old Baal's Bridge, in 
this city, with the words inscribed thereon: 




"I will strive to live with love and care, 
"Upon the level, by the square." 


Brother James Pain, architect and engineer, of this city, contracted in the year 
1830, to re-build Baal's Bridge on taking down the old one, the period of erection 
of which is unknown though noticed in the records in 1558 at the proclamation of 
Queen Elizabeth. Bro Pain discovered under the foundation stone at the 
Englishtown side, this old brass plate much eaten away. The shape, size, and 
formation of the engraving on both sides were easily traced. There are two holes in 
each square for the purpose of suspension to the collar, and a representation of a 
heart in both angles. The year 1317 is engraved on one of the squares, the most 
illegible character is the figure 3, which might be 5, but history proves it must have 
been before 1558. 


[The worthy Brother who has favoured us with the above interesting sketch, has 
had it in his possession for the last 20 years.] 


Further clues to the Square are given in other notes added to the cutting, thus: 


Memo. Dec. 3rd, 1870. Up to this time no information of the above Square has 
been obtained. Wrote this day & enclosed sketch of Square to the W. Master, 
Limerick Lodge of Freemasons, Limerick. 


Bro. Bell's letter to Limerick brought a reply dated December 10, 1870, from 
George W. Bassett, P. M., Worshipful Master of Lodge 73, Limerick, and P. K., 
Royal Arch Chapter, in which he conveys the information that Bro. James Pain 
was alive and "comparatively well, for he is an old & worthy Brother, now nearly 
80 yrs of age." A letter of Bro. Pain's was enclosed, and the information was given 



that "I made it my business to see Mr. Fumell alluded to in Mr. Pain's letter and he 
promises to look through his late uncle's relics to find the Brass Square, but said he 
never saw it and I expect it will be difficult to search it up." 


The letter from Bro. Pain forwarded by Bro. Bassett reads: 


34 George Street, 
Limerick, Dec. 6, 1870. 


Dear Sir and Bro. Bassett: 


In reply to your favor of yesterday's date with the sketch of the Old Brass Square 
enclosed, I beg to say I have a perfect recollection of the Square being found and 
given to me by the workmen - and I think I gave the Square to the late Brother 
Michael Furnell who I recollect thought much of it. It may possibly be found 
among his effects. I think it would be well if you inquired of the late Bro. Michael 
Fumell's nephew if the Square has been since met with. I regret the matter has 
never until now, been brought to my recollection and am sorry I cannot speak more 
about it. 


Yours, Dr. Sir and Bro., 
G. W. Bassett. Esq 
JAMES PAIN. 


This was the beginning of a correspondence which lasted for several years. Bro. 
Bell wrote to Bro. Pain at once, and received this reply: 



35 George Street, 
Limerick, Dec. 17, 1870. 


Dear Sir and Brot'r: 


I beg to return you thanks for your kind letter of the 13th inst and its accomponents 
for which I am obliged. With respect to the brass square, it was found as observed 
on my removing old Baal's Bridge at Limerick previous to my erecting the present 
Bridge. I have no perfect recollection of the distich on it, but perfectly recollect 
talking with the late Br. M. Furnell (who was the Provincial Master for North 
Munster) on the difficulty of making out the date, he * * * much value for it, and 
2nd, it was he thought the oldest document of the Craft he had ever seen. Mr. 
Bassett has not received any additional information from M. Furnell's nephew. 
When I next meet him I will have some talk with him on the subject and will let 
you know if I hear anything of it - since I gave it to his uncle. I am thank God in 
perfect health at 88, but a little weak in the frame from an illness I suffered three 
years ago when from weakness I lost my speech and could not even write my 
name. Please let this be an excuse for the improper formation of my note. 


I beg to subscribe myself, Dear Sir and Brother, 


Yours fraternally, 


J. P. Bell, Esq. 


A letter dated January 4, 1871, written by Bro. Pain speaks interestingly of his 
membership in Lodge No. 13, "to whom the late Bro. Fumell and myself were and 



are old companions. I have not seen his nephew since * * * but will do so and 
endeavor to get some additional intelligence of the Brass Square. We have 
belonging to 13 an Old Chest crammed with Papers and other stuff, I have * * * to 
be carefully searched to see if I can find aught related to it; as the late Brother 
Michael Furnell was for many years Grand Master of the Province of Munster." 


The next letter brings good news. It was written January 15 or 18, 1871, and states 
that Bro. Pain had visited lodge the day before, and there met Bro. Michael 
Furnell, apparently a son of the late Provincial Grand Master to whom the Square 
had been given by Bro. Pain in 1830. While he remembered the article perfectly, 
he did not know what had become of it, but referred Bro. Pain to his cousin, 
Frederick Furnell, of Castle Connell in the County of Limerick. The letter goes on 
to say: 


But on yesterday evening, the two cousins, together, called on me. Mr. Frederick 
Furnell said he has the Square and he had it from his uncle, the late Michael 
Furnell. He also said that he would, in a day or so, write to you fully about it. 


Some of the correspondence is apparently missing; but in a letter of February 8, 
1871, Bro. Fred W. Furnell acknowledges one of January 19th from Bro. Bell, and 
says in part: 


I enclose a rough uncorrected sketch of Ball's Bridge, compiled from Lenihan's 
History of Limerick. The date of the Square is undoubtedly 1517. How it got 
imbedded in the masonry of this old bridge no one can tell. I can only account for 
it by supposing that at some period after 1517 or about that time that that portion of 
the Bridge was being repaired or rebuilt and some worthy Mason put it in the place 
where it was found. I shall send you a copy of a sketch of Ball's Bridge taken just 
before Messrs. Paine commenced taking it down as soon as I can. 



The same letter and subsequent correspondence indicate that Bro. Bell supplied 
Bro. Furnell with information about Freemasonry in earlier centuries. Reference is 
made to some tracing boards of Knight Templar interest, and also to a search for 
Mason's marks on the stones of a nearby cathedral founded in 1 194; but none had 
been found up to that time. Apparently the copies of the tracing boards were made 
for Bro. William James Hughan, as they were sent for his acceptance. 


The correspondence with Bro. Furnell ceased; at any rate, there are no more letters 
from him about the Square. However, there are some more from Bro. Pain, which 
become increasingly difficult to read, because of the good old brother's advancing 
years - ninety-one, far beyond the allotted three score and ten. One such letter 
gives us a hint why there are no more letters from the Furnells - there is a reference 
in 1873 to "the unfortunate death of Bro Doctor Furnell." Through it the Square 
came into possession of Captain Michael Furnell, also a member of Lodge No. 13. 
He brought it to the Lodge, "by whom it has been glazed and placed in the Lodge 
as an ancient memento of the Order, for which we have certainly to thank you," 
concluded Bro. Pain. 


The last letter from Bro. Pain is dated August 1, 1875. Bro. Bell was still persistent 
in his search for information, having written again to Bro. George W. Bassett. He 
sent his son to see Bro. Pain, who apparently had the subject of the Old Square 
close to his heart. He gives further details: 


I now write to you to account in the best way I can how the Furnells became 
acquainted with the Old Square. I was standing on the foundations of the Old 
Bridge, overseeing some labourers I had on the work. One of the labourers came to 
me: "See, Sir, what we have found among the stones of the Bridge we are taking 
up." I took it from him and kept it for some days I then showed it to the late M. 
Furnell. He was then P. Gr. Master of the Freemasons of North Munster. He was 
much pleased with it, and spoke of it as a very extraordinary thing He asked me for 
it and I gave it to him. At his death it was left to his nephew, Doctor Furnell, with 
whom you have a correspondence respecting it. The Doctor was shortly after 
unfortunately drowned. The Square then fell into the hands of his cousin, Capt. 
Furnell, a member of the Lodge. * * * His wife presented the Old Square to Lodge 
13, of which the Rev. Anderson Ware was Wor. Master. I have this morning in 



company with the Lodge Tyler seen the Old Square, neatly framed and glazed with 
a compliment of Mr. Furnell. * * * The date of it is J5J7 or 5557. The third figure 
of it is so disfigured that we cannot tell what it is. 


Readers of the article published last month will recall that there is question as to 
the date, being either 1507 or 1517. The newspaper cutting quoted has 1317, 
attributing the greatest illegibility to the figure " 3, " rather than to the third figure 
as has been done by others. No doubt the date is 1517, for both the first and third 
figures look alike, that is to say, like the letter "J." having a loop at the bottom. 
None of the brethren mentioned in this correspondence ever wrote of the third 
figure as "0" - all were agreed that it is a figure "1." 


Bro. William James Hughan took more than a passing interest in the Old Square, 
as is witnessed by his action in sending a brief item about it to the "Freemason" of 
London, in which it appeared January 3, 1874. There is a memorandum to that 
effect in Bro. Bell's scrapbook, with the additional statement that "Not long before 
that date I had shown the sketch and correspondence to Bro. Hughan, when I saw 
him in London." 


Reference is made in Bro. Crossle's article to the sketch of the Bridge. He is right 
in his surmise that it was made by some member of the Pain family, as Bro. James 
Pain, in his last letter, says: "This engraving [referring to the one in Limerick 
Lodge, accompanying the Square] is from a sketch of my Brother's, the late G. R. 
Pain, made by him a few days before I removed them [the stones] to build the 
present Bridge of a single arch. " 


There is a confliet in the two statements by Brother Pain as to who presented the 
Square to the Lodge, but this is a detail of no great importance. The main thing is 
that the Square has been preserved. His statement in 1875 that he gave the Square 
to Bro. Michael Furnell at the time it was found is at variance with the latter's own 
letter to the "Freemason's Quarterly Magazine" in 1842, where he submits a sketch 
of "a very antique brass square presented to me this day by Brother Pain, 
Provincial Grand Architect." 



A word about Brothers Furnell and Pain. The former is well known to collectors of 
Masonic bookplates because he had four variants of an attractive design, altered as 
the years went on through his advancement in Freemasonry. The whole story is 
told in Masonic Bookplates, page 130, a work produced by the collaboration of 
Bro. Winward Prescott and the present writer in 1928. Briefly, Bro. Furnell was 
born in 1794, and served as Deputy Lieutenant High Sheriff and Magistrate of the 
County of Clare. He was Provincial Grand Master of North Munster, 1842, and 
Sovereign Grand Inspector General, 33d, A. A. S. R. 


Bro. Pain's history is told by Bro. Henry F. Berry in Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, 
1905, page 19: 


James Pain, a distinguished architect, was born at Isleworth in 1779. He and his 
brother, George R. Pain, entered into partnership, subsequently settling in Ireland, 
where James resided in Limerick and George in Cork. They designed and built a 
number of churches and glebe houses. Mitehelstown Castle, the magnificent seat of 
the Earls of Kingston, was the largest and best of their designs. They were also 
architects of Cork Courthouse and the County Gaol, both very striking erections, 
and of Dromoland Castle, the seat of Lord Inehiquin. James Pain died in Limerick 
13th December, 1877, in his 98th year, and was buried in the cathedral church of 
St. Mary in that city. 


To this can be added that Bro. Pain was evidently made a Mason September 7, 
1813, according to a notation on the back of the photograph in my possession, 
which was sent to Bro. Bell during the exchange of correspondence quoted herein. 


— o — 


George W. Baird: Sailor, Man and Mason 



By BRO. PAUL. B. ELCAN, Washington, D. C. 


We reprint this article by permission of the New Age and the author, Bro. Elcan; 
and we asked this for a special reason. The subject of the article is a brother who 
for many years was a regular contributor to THE BUILDER; one whose articles 
were a valuable contribution to one aspect of the history of Masonry in America. It 
must not be supposed that such a faithful helper has gone entirely without 
acknowledgment, for Bro. H. L. Haywood, as long ago as 1922, wrote a 
biographical sketch and tribute to Bro Baird. But eight years is quite a while, and 
there is a new generation of BUILDER readers, hence this new article will not be 
out of place. 


SAILOR, Man and Mason, these three titles are used in their fullest meaning when 
applied to George W. Baird, who has ever borne the attributes expected of one so 
called. 


Washington, the capital of the United States, was little more than a village on April 
22, 1 843, when he was born, and education was a luxury that was not to be had by 
everyone. Young Baird soon exhausted the possibilities of the public and private 
institutions and at the age of thirteen was apprenticed to a printer. The life of a 
printer's "devil" was not appealing, and shortly afterward he turned from the 
pursuit of the art of Gutenberg to become a disciple of Fulton, and apprenticed 
himself to a machinist. Here the real ability and desires of the boy found full sway. 
He was soon an excellent draughtsman and a freehand sketcher of unusual skill. 

His fame was more than local, and his extraordinary faculty as a detailer of 
intricate designs made his work much sought after. 


CIVIL WAR SERVICE 



While still in his 'teens the call of the Civil War was heard, and he was appointed a 
third assistant engineer in the volunteer navy then being assembled to blockade the 
Southern Coasts. This was on September 19, 1862, and acting in this capacity he 
served on the Mississippi, the Calhoun, and Pensacola in the West Gulf 
Blockading Squadron and saw action on twenty-three occasions. As soon as age 
permitted, he entered the regular navy, where his knowledge of mechanics brought 
him promotions so rapidly that, in 1866, he was second assistant engineer of the 
U.S.S. Shamrock. The duties of this vessel took her to Europe, and it is worthy of 
note that this young man was on a vessel of typical Irish name and in a country 
where Masonry is almost outlawed when the degrees of the Craft were conferred 
upon him. This was in Tolerancia Lodge, No. 4, of Lisbon, Portugal. Brother Baird 
was initiated July 23, 1867; passed July 30, and raised July 30. 


Half the distance round the world found him at Mare Island, Calif., in 1869, and he 
affiliated with Naval Lodge, No. 87, of Vallejo, Calif., in 1870. Naval service does 
not permit active participation in fraternal orders, and Brother Baird secured his 
Masonry at odd times, but the lessons inculcated in Portugal were not forgotten 
and the actions of this brother have exemplified the best traditions of the Order. 


UNQUESTIONED CAPABILITY 


Pew of us living today realize what a great change came over the entire Navy 
during the last half of the nineteenth century, when the wooden sailing war vessels 
were changed into floating fortresses of steel that now protect our interests. Brother 
Baird took a very prominent part in this transition, one of his feats being the 
installation of incandescent lighting in the U.S.S. Albatross, the first vessel in the 
world to be so equipped. The Albatross was built under the supervision of Brother 
Baird and was intended solely for use in deep-sea exploring, and many were the 
devices that he perfected to expedite and simplify these researches. With the 
advent of the breech-loading cannon it was necessary to revise the methods of 
manufacture in the Naval Gun factory in Washington and, as a member of the 
board, Brother Baird assisted in making this the model of modern shops in every 
manner. 



As an authority on scientific subjects he has attained first rank. The following are a 
few of his writings: Absorption of Gases by Water and the Organic Matter 
Contained Therein; An Improved Distilling Apparatus for Steamships; Pneumatic 
Steering Gear; The Flagship Trenton; Ventilation of Ships, and Flight of the Flying 
Fish, of which latter the French Academy, said: "It remained for an American 
naval officer to prove by mathematics the weight of this fish." Brother Baird is also 
a recognized authority on some of the earlier heroes of the American Navy and his 
book, The Father of the Arrlerican Navy, is especially enlightening and interesting. 


Duty brought Brother Baird to Washington, and he transferred his Masonic 
affiliations to Hope Lodge No. 20, in 1875, where his attention and diligence in 
Masonic work were recognized and he was soon placed in line, being elected 
Worshipful Master in 1883. Washington Royal Arch Chapter, No. 2, received him 
as a Companion in 1882, and he once more showed ability and served as High 
Priest in 1890. A staunch Christian, the precepts of Templarism appealed to him 
and, in 1891, he was made a Knight Templar in Washington Commandery No. 1. 


His unusually thorough knowledge of mechanical equipment caused him to be 
appointed superintendent of the State, War, and Navy Building, one of the largest 
structures in the country at that time. It was while holding this assignment that he 
was honored by a post which he graced in such a manner as to be an example to his 
successors, being elected Grand Master of the District of Columbia Grand Lodge 
in 1896. 


He was promoted to the rank of Chief Engineer in 1892 and was transferred into 
the line of the Navy with the rank of Commander in 1899, where he served as 
Commander and later as Captain. In 1 905 he was retired with the rank of Rear 
Admiral. In January of 1922 he was appointed a member of Perry's Victory 
Memorial Commission as a further mark of distinction. 


Brother Baird's Masonic journey in the Scottish Rite started in Portugal in 1867, 
where he received the first fourteen degrees, and was continued via the Rose Croix 
in Evangelist Chapter; he became a Knight of Kadosh in Robert de Bruce Council, 



a member of Albert Pike Consistory, and reached his highest elevation in 1906, 
when the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction of the United 
States, gave him the Thirty-third Degree. 


As his rise in Masonry was the well-deserved reward of a faithful worker, so it was 
in the service of his country when, after more than forty years, the government said 
to him, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," and retired him with the rank 
of Rear Admiral, although he continued on active duty until January, 1906. Not 
content to remain inactive when he still had the vigor of a sailor, he turned his 
efforts to civil betterment and was president of the Board of Education of the 
District of Columbia for several years. 


Brother Baird is what may be called a "born Mason," as it was traditional in his 
family that the males be entitled to wear the lambskin. His father, grandfather, and 
three uncles on the paternal side and every man for eleven generations back on the 
maternal side were members of the Craft. Age has not caused him to relinquish any 
of the duties of Masonry, and his position as Chairman (since 1900) of the 
Committee on Correspondence of the Grand Lodge is held with pleasure to himself 
and genuine honor to the Fraternity. There is none to gainsay that he has earned a 
place in the first rank and his comments in Grand Lodge proceedings merit and 
receive general approval. 


— o — 


Historical Notes on Masonry in the Civil War 


BY BRO. FRANK P. STRICKLAND, Kansas 



This account of the differences of opinion among the Grand Lodges of the United 
States in regard to Army Lodges and military Masonry in general at the time of the 
Civil War will be very interesting as showing that very much the same problems 
appeared then and were met in much the same haphazard way as Bro. Irwin has 
depicted as occurring in the last war. 


MASONRY is an Institution which, although it thrives in times of peace, yet has 
always held an appeal for military men; and many of those who have served it best 
have been warriors. Along with their battle-flags, soldiers have carried the Square 
and Compass into many distant lands and diffused the teachings of the Institution 
to the uttermost parts of the earth. 


Many soldiers were members of the lodges which united to form the Grand Lodge 
of England at the organization of Speculative Masonry in 1717; and the names of 
soldiers have graced the rosters of countless lodges since that time. Shortly after 
this organization purely military lodges came into existence. The first of these, of 
which there is any definite record, was organized at Gibraltar in 1728, by the Duke 
of Wharton - the first foreign lodge chartered by the Grand Lodge of England. The 
formation of many other such lodges soon followed. 


During the period of the later American colonial wars many of the regiments sent 
over from Great Britain contained these military lodges. Known variously as 
"military," "army," "movable, " or " traveling, " lodges, they were destined to play 
an important part in the development of American Masonry. 


The Royal Art had been introduced into the American colonies sometime after the 
organization in 1717, but its growth had not been rapid. The population of the 
colonies was scanty and widely scattered, means of communication were difficult, 
and the distances to be overcome were great; as a result the Institution could do 
barely more than exist. Consequently, there was little intercourse among the 
brethren and their ideas of cohesion were vague. But in the campaigns in which the 
colonists were associated with the British regulars, the colonial brethren had an 
opportunity of improving their Masonic education through contact with the 



regimental lodges freshly arrived from the cradle land of Masonry. The knowledge 
which they thus received they passed on to their brethren and so generated a new 
spirit in them. Furthermore, there were many colonists who received their first 
lessons in the Craft, and learned to practice its mystic rites in these army lodges; 
and they also became torch bearers of Masonry. Thus the colonial Masons, quickly 
appreciating the value of the teachings of brotherhood and unity as exemplified by 
soldier Masons far from home, became connecting links in a chain of education 
and encouragement stretching from these army lodges to the outlying brethren, and 
even to places where the light of Masonry did not, as yet, shine. Through their 
activities their brethren were inspired to seek contacts with their neighbors, to 
draw together toward a common end. 


These early Masonic apostles not only taught their brethren and fellows the 
necessity of pulling together, which was so signally exemplified later at Bunker 
Hill and Yorktown, but they also originated and organized that spirit of cohesion, 
that unity of purpose, which is so strong a characteristic of American Masonry 
today. The story of the extraordinary services rendered the American Institution 
by the military lodges of the Revolutionary War is too well known to be inserted 
here. Masonry in America owes a great debt to the obscure colonial Craftsmen, 
who, upon their knowledge gained in army lodges, laid well the foundation stones 
not only of the Republic, but of the Order as well. 


As America advanced and expanded in the period of nationality, Masonry kept 
pace with it; at the beginning of the Civil War the Institution had become a mighty 
organization, with set forms of procedure and long established customs. One of its 
outstanding and long held beliefs was the doctrine that but one Grand Lodge could 
hold supreme authority in a state or territory; that it could not assume jurisdiction 
of lodges in another political unit. This doctrine, virtually unknown in Europe, had 
assumed almost the status of an American landmark, and was jealously guarded. 
Consequently, when Grand Bodies, upon the outbreak of the Civil War, became 
swamped with petitions for authority to form army lodges at the front, many 
Grand Lodges, fearing an infringement of the doctrine of Grand Lodge 
sovereignty, unhesitatingly refused such authority; others, influenced, no doubt, 
by patriotism and memories of the services rendered in the past by army lodges, as 
unhesitatingly issued authority for such bodies. 



There was a similar conflict of ideas in the matter of removing the time limits 
between degrees in the ease of soldier applicants. As a result, there developed a 
division of policy which caused considerable confusion in the American Masonic 
Institution. The line of division between the two ideas was not always a fixed one, 
as may be seen from a study of conditions year by year, for, in several cases, 
Grand Lodges changed their belief and went over to the other side. 


THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR 


The first year of the war found the Grand Bodies struggling with the problem 
which was suddenly thrust at them, and attempting to discover means of solving it. 
It was a time of confusion, uncertainty and tangling of cross currents of opinion; 
but among the first Grand Bodies to come to a decision was that of Indiana, 
which, at its Annual Communication, May 27, 1861, authorized the formation of 
army lodges in the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Twelfth Regiments of Indiana 
Volunteers. 


The year 1862 began with the blunt announcement of Deputy Grand Master 
Francis Darrow, at the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Michigan, 
January 8, that he had refused to grant dispensations for military lodges " for 
jurisdictional, constitutional and other reasons (1)." Similar refusals came from 
Texas and New Jersey. Speaking upon the subject of petitioners who desired to 
take the degrees out of time, Grand Master Alvin B. Alden, of Wisconsin, said 
(2): 


The fact that such applicants had neglected to make their application until they 
were about to be placed in positions of unusual danger did not furnish conclusive 
evidence to my mind that they were wholly uninfluenced by unworthy motives in 
offering themselves as candidates for masonry. The applicants, having neglected 
to take the proper steps to become Masons prior to their enlistment, are alone 
chargeable with such neglect, and have no right to complain because the necessary 



safeguards which we have deemed proper to throw around our Institution were not 
set aside for their benefit. 


His further argument against these dispensations touched upon the fact that when a 
man applies for admission into Masonry he justly expects, if admitted, to receive 
all the rights, benefits and instruction appertaining thereto, and the lodge, in 
consideration of the fee, is bound to confer these privileges; but if there is not time 
enough granted, the lodge cannot properly confer such privileges and the 
candidate, though granted the degrees, cannot prove himself a Mason, and, 
consequently, cannot secure that which he sought. 


During the year Grand Master Jacob Saqui, of Kansas, had refused to authorize 
army lodges or to grant dispensations for conferring the degrees out of time upon 
soldiers, as he did not believe a sufficient emergency existed. The Grand Lodge of 
Arkansas likewise refused authority for such lodges, although, during the recess 
following the Annual Communication, five military lodges were authorized. 


Although Grand Master James R. Bagley, of Oregon, had granted several 
dispensations for conferring degrees out of time, he regretted his action, as he 
found that, in most eases, these favors were either for men who, after being 
initiated, had neglected to learn the work and desired such dispensations to save 
time and trouble, or were for men who had lived a long time in the jurisdiction of 
a lodge without caring enough about Masonry to apply for the degrees until they 
were about to be placed in positions of danger and thought that Masonry might 
help them. 


As the conflict continued during its second year, Indiana added twenty more army 
lodges to its roster. Its example was followed by other Grand Bodies. The Grand 
Master of Virginia even went out of his lawful jurisdiction to authorize an army 
lodge in the Fifth Louisiana Volunteers, an act which aroused the ire of Grand 
Master J.Q.A. Fellows, at the Annual Communication of Louisiana, February 10, 
1862 (3). 



Grand Master Charles F. Stansbury, of the Grand Lodge of the District of 
Columbia, also, apparently, invaded another jurisdiction, for he reported, at a 
semi-annual Communication, May 6,1862, that he had authorized a military lodge 
in the Fifty-ninth New York Regiment. He had also granted authority to confer 
certain degrees out of time, a practice to which he we; opposed (4). 


Some of the objections to army lodges may be summed up in the words of the 
Committee on Correspondence of the Grand Lodge of Kansas. Commenting upon 
the action of the Grand Lodge of New York in authorizing military lodges in three 
regiments from that state, the Committee stated: 


We would regard the organization of the Masons of a regiment into a lodge for 
social or Masonic improvement as proper enough; this would be a pleasing relief 
from the tiresome duties of camp life; but we are opposed to granting them full 
powers to confer the degrees of Masonry. 


Military lodges may have been very proper at the time of the Revolution. But in 
our humble opinion Masonry is too popular now; too many are seeking and 
obtaining admission through unworthy motives. If permanent lodges, who have ail 
the facilities for obtaining a correct knowledge of the applicant, fail many times in 
their endeavors to select none but the really good and worthy, what could we 
expect of a lodge in the midst of a community where each is a stranger to the 
other, except for the few weeks they may have been together as a regiment? We 
do not mean to infer that there are not plenty of persons in the various regiments 
now in the field who would make the very best of Masons, but we cannot see the 
propriety of sending lodges to hunt them out (5). 


The closing hours of 1862 saw the senior Grand Lodge of America throwing the 
weight of its prestige into the scales on the side of the soldier Mason. In the 
Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts for the year ending December 
30, 1862, Grand Master William D. Coolidge reported: 



For this state of war there is no precedent, nor is there precedent for such an influx 
into the Institution from the army; of those, who from the circumstances of the 
case, must be made at sight, the prerogative alone of the Grand Master - as I am 
taught by a strict examination of the ancient landmarks, and the best counsel of the 
wise and prudent whom we all revere. I have met this pressure readily and 
earnestly, for it has been made by those whose patriotic impulses have led them 
forth to battle for their country; to stand for you and me and bare their breasts to 
the bullet aimed at the nation's heart, and I could not find it in my own, to refuse 
any aid, comfort or protection which I might be instrumental in throwing around 
them (6). 


He had, accordingly, authorized a subordinate lodge to waive the time limit 
between degrees to the extent that, in five consecutive hours, the petitions of one 
hundred and thirteen soldier candidates were received, balloted upon, and all the 
degrees conferred. This wholesale dealing in the Mysteries aroused a storm of 
disapproval, not only in Massachusetts, but also in other Grand Jurisdictions. 
Grand Secretary O'Sullivan, of Missouri, expressed his objection in strong 
language: 


And so, without more ado, the Grand Master issues his dispensation, setting aside 
all the requirements of the Constitution of his Grand Lodge, which he covenanted 
to support, by which one hundred and thirteen men were proposed, balloted for, 
initiated, passed and raised - "all within five consecutive hours", we deny, utterly 
deny, the existence of any landmark authorizing this wholesale manufacture of 
Masons. It does not exist. Not the most complaisant Grand Master England has 
produced, even when royalty was to be made, ever exercised such authority. It has 
remained for the oldest Grand Lodge in America, occupying a front rank for her 
Masonic talent and respectability, to set an example which others will not be slow 
to imitate; setting aside the Constitution, requirements, usage - everything which 
appeared like a barrier is swept away, and the mandate goes forth that one hundred 
and thirteen men may be entered, passed and raised within five consecutive hours, 
in spite of law, covenants, usage or common sense. We imagine the Grand Master 
quoting the words of the great cardinal, "The pen is mightier than the sword." But 



we are told with the utmost complacency that they were nearly all officers. We 
care not if they were all brigadiers. It does not alter the case a whit (7). 


A curious illustration of the confusion into which Masonry was thrown by the 
eruption of the Civil War occurred on February 12, 1862, when the Grand Lodge 
of the District of Columbia authorized the formation of a lodge in the city of 
Alexandria, in the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. It was set forth that 
there were no lodges working in that city at that time, that no charters or other 
property of lodges formerly working there could be found, that the Masons there 
had been cut off from all Masonic privileges, and that, finally, the Grand Lodge of 
Virginia had forbidden those working in its jurisdiction to recognize, or hold 
Masonic intercourse with Masons who adhered to the Union. The Masons of the 
District of Columbia felt that Virginia, in withdrawing recognition of loyal 
brethren, had waived its rights to them; that they were to be considered as living in 
Masonically vacant territory, the property of the first jurisdiction securing them. 
The District of Columbia therefore felt no compunction in taking them. To show 
that no attempt was being made to encroach upon the jurisdiction of Virginia, it 
was ruled that 


. . . should these unhappy National differences be composed, and Virginia assume 
her former place in this great and glorious union, her Grand Lodge will be restored 
to her authority over all lodges within her geographical limits. The temporary 
warrant will be resigned to her, and her right of jurisdiction acknowledged by the 
fraternity here and everywhere (8). 


Incidentally, there was some abuse of this dispensation, for Grand Master Ijovell 
Moore, of Michigan, complained, January 11, 1865, that this lodge was conferring 
degrees upon men from all parts of the country (9). Upon the return of Virginia to 
the Union, this lodge was returned to her Grand Lodge. 


The year of Vicksburg and Gettysburg found many Grand Bodies still standing 
firmly opposed to the idea of military Masonry. Among the Grand Lodges which 
believed that there was no place in the Order for the army lodge, and that, in war, 



as in peace, petitions should take their regular course, were those of Vermont, 
Maine, California, Kentucky, Minnesota and Washington Territory. At the Annual 
Communication of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, October 20, 1863, there was some 
opposition, among the members, to the practice of the Grand Master in authorizing 
the conferring of the degrees out of time; doubt was even expressed as to his right 
to do so. Chairman Thrall, of the Committee on Correspondence, set forth the 
belief that 


Laws and landmarks operate with equal force, as well upon the Grand Master 
himself, clothed in all the plentitude of authority, as upon the youngest Entered 
Apprentice of the lodge. It is the business of the Grand Master to look to the 
enforcement of the laws, and not to dispense with their observance, or grant 
indulgences for their infraction (10) 


The report of Grand Master Jacob Saqui, at the Annual Communication, October 
21, 1863, summed up the sentiments of Kansas: 


I have had a number of applications from subordinate lodges for authority to elect 
a candidate and confer the degrees at the same meeting, and I have invariably 
refused to grant any dispensations for such a purpose, because I do not believe that 
the established usages of the fraternity ought to be set aside except on very 
particular occasions and I hold that a Grand Master is never justified in granting 
such a dispensation unless on satisfactory proof that the Order will be benefitted 
thereby, and not merely an applicant accommodated. The laws of Masonry should 
be suspended for the convenience of no human being. There are lodges in every 
town and village of every State in the Union, and no man can say that he had not 
an opportunity to seek admission into the Order. Whoever, then, neglected to avail 
himself of the privilege until he discovered that Masonry would be useful should 
not be guided to the sanctum sanctorum by a dispensation; besides, work 
performed in such a hurried manner as the application for a dispensation 
necessarily implies, is a discredit to the lodge and an injustice to the initiate (11). 



On the other hand, Indiana and New York continued to increase their collections 
of army lodges; Illinois authorized the formation of six, and New Hampshire of 
three such lodges. In Iowa a large number of dispensations to confer degrees out 
of time upon soldiers had been granted, as was also the ease in Rhode Island; but 
Grand Master Ariel Ballou, of the latter Grand Lodge, did not approve of the 
matter as he thought that the motives of the applicants were mercenary. 


The Grand Lodge of Michigan, which, in the previous year, had been flatly 
opposed to military Masonry, now executed an "about face," and authorized the 
removal of the time limit between degrees in the ease of soldier applicants about 
to leave for the front - an act which drew the fire of the Committee on 
Correspondence of Kansas: 


Now this may seem all right and proper to some, but we must confess we can't see 
the propriety under the circumstances, now, more than at any previous time. We 
are quite willing at all times to confer all possible favors upon those who are 
fighting our country's battles; but to hurriedly confer the degrees of Masonry upon 
a person, because he is about to leave for "the seat of war," we consider an injury 
to the person as well as to the Institution. Many of the persons, too, receiving the 
degrees in this manner are persons who have lived for years within the sound of 
the gavel, and have never once thought of joining a lodge, until suddenly, as they 
are about to leave for the seat of war, they remember that they have long 
entertained a favorable opinion of the ancient and honorable Order, and almost 
demand an immediate admission. Ostensibly, they are actuated by a sincere desire 
to be serviceable to their fellow man, but we fear personal benefit is too often their 
real incentive to action; and fortunate will it be for us, if there are not many now 
receiving the degrees, whom we shall soon wish had not been admitted (12). 


By the end of the year Massachusetts had eleven army lodges under charter, and 
was being flooded with petitions for admission. Grand Master William Parkman 
had continued the practice, established by his predecessors, of dispensing with the 
time limit between degrees, in the ease of soldiers, but he did so with misgiving, 
and thought the practice ought to be stopped. 



So we can see that, even in those Grand Bodies which freely favored the military 
applicant, a doubt was beginning to develop as to the wisdom of the proceeding. 


GRAND LODGES CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDE 


As the war progressed and its fourth year opened and the evils of military 
Masonry began to appear, those Grand Lodges which had held aloof from the 
soldier Mason saw their course justified. Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota and other 
Grand Bodies, which had not been swayed by the importunities of the army 
applicants, pursued the even tenor of their way, unruffled as yet by the 
complications which were shortly to follow. On the other hand, however, among 
those Grand Bodies which had conferred favors upon the military Mason, that 
element of doubt concerning the wisdom of their course, which, in 1863, had crept 
into their deliberations, now assumed, in 1864, large proportions and influenced 
many of them to take steps to curtail the flow of favors. 


Masonry in New York completely abandoned its place in the ranks of the 
"liberals," so to speak, and took its place in the column of the "conservatives." At 
its Annual Communication, in 1864, Grand Master Clinton F. Paige announced 
that he did not regard army lodges with favor, and, considering the manner in 
which those already authorized had functioned, he had decided that the objections 
far exceeded the advantages; as a result of which he had refused authority for any 
more such lodges, and had also declined to grant any dispensations for conferring 
degrees out of time. He believed, with regard to army lodges, that 


Aside from the question of expediency, there is an unsurmountable objection in 
my mind, in the fact, that when the military organization to which such lodge is 
attached removes beyond the limits of our own State, an infringement of the 
jurisdictional rights of other Grand Lodges is inevitable and unavoidable (13). 



Grand Master Alvin P. Hyde, of Connecticut, refused to grant any dispensations 
unless the act received the unanimous consent of the local lodge requesting the 
dispensation, and even then he thought it bad practice. The Grand Lodge of Maine 
sought to curtail the flow of privileges by setting a price of three dollars for each 
dispensation to hurry candidates through the degrees. Even in Kansas, where the 
privilege of the dispensation had never been abused, Grand Master Saqui thought 
a fee of twenty- five dollars ought to be charged for such authority; the Grand 
Lodge, however, feeling that the privilege had never been overworked, tabled the 
suggestion. 


Grand Master Alvin B. Alden, attributing the rapid increase of the Order in 
Wisconsin to carelessness upon the part of the subordinate lodges, suggested, as a 
remedy for the "rushing through act," an increase in fees, and an edict prohibiting 
the conferring of degrees in less than the statutory time. He was opposed to army 
lodges, and still further opposed to their making Masons of men from jurisdictions 
other than the one granting them authority. He called attention to complaints of 
subordinate lodges regarding citizens of Wisconsin who had returned from the 
army claiming to have received the degrees in military lodges, some of these 
complaints referring to persons who had previously petitioned and been rejected 
before leaving home, and others to those whose moral and social standing were 
such that it would have been useless to have applied at home. His Grand Lodge 
ruled that a candidate could not be advanced within twenty days after receiving a 
preceding degree, and then only upon passing a creditable examination. It also 
demanded that Grand Lodges authorizing military lodges should limit the 
authority of the latter to persons outside the jurisdiction of Wisconsin. 


Grand Master Parkman, of Massachusetts, still viewing with alarm the continued 
influx of new material, made an effort to slow up the flow of candidates by 
insisting that each petition be received at a stated communication of a lodge; but 
even with this restriction, he had granted one hundred and fifty-six dispensations 
during the year. He did not think the material thus gathered into the fold was of 
any considerable value, as few such persons became contributing members, while 
most of them took what little Masonry they had thus acquired into the army, 
where it was quickly forgotten. 



Grand Master Leverett B. Englesby, of Vermont, thought that the practice of 
subordinate lodges in encouraging the speedy advancement of candidates ought to 
be stopped. 


Grand Master Thomas Sparrow, of Ohio, now rose to inquire: 


Has this rapid increase of members strengthened the tie of brotherhood, which is 
the foundation and cap stone, cement and glory of this ancient fraternity? Has it 
made us more industrious in furnishing the corn of nourishment to the hungry, the 
wine of refreshment to the sick, or the oil of joy to the afflicted? Has it sharpened 
the glorious strife of excelling each other in all the qualifications which should 
characterize our profession as Masons? Has this vast enlargement of the edifice 
added to its strength or symmetry? Has its interior been made to correspond in 
harmony and beauty with the magnitude and splendor of its external appearance? 


It has been well said: "They mistake the nature of the Masonic Institution, who 
estimate its strength by its numbers, or measure its prosperity by the length of the 
roll of its initiates. These are not the standards by which either the one or the other 
is to be determined. Its strength is in its principle, and its prosperity in the 
character of its members (14). 


He also went on to say: 


It should be understood by the officers and members of subordinate lodges - once 
and for all - that lodges are created for the benefit of Masons, and not for the 
accommodation of candidates; that there are no eases of emergency in this 
jurisdiction, and that no lodge has the power to make them, that every petition 
must take its regular course (15). 



He was strenuously opposed to military lodges because of their total disregard for 
the regulations prescribed for their government. His Grand Lodge supported him 
to the extent of repealing the regulations, adopted in 1861, authorizing military 
lodges among Ohio troops, and instructing subordinate lodges to repeal any 
sections of their by-laws authorizing eases of emergency. 


Michigan continued to shower its favors upon army candidates, Grand Master J. 
Eastman Johnson having granted authority to waive the time limit in one hundred 
and thirty-three cases. At the Annual Communication, January 13, 1864, his 
Grand Lodge, however, was considerably wrought up by the action of Grand 
Master Thomas Saddler, of Kentucky, who had authorized the conferring of 
degrees out of time upon a number of soldiers of the Eleventh Michigan Regiment 
- properly the material of the Grand Lodge of Michigan. Brother Saddler, it 
appeared, had granted this authority upon the recommendation of Colonel S. B. 
Brown, regimental commander, who was also Deputy Grand Master of Michigan; 
in addition, the Master, both Wardens and eleven members of Evergreen Lodge, 
No. 9, of St. Clair, Michigan, had recommended the petition. 


And so, as the evils of military Masonry became plainly manifest and evident, 
Grand Bodies began to look with dismay and chagrin upon the havoc that had 
been, and was being wrought, and to cast about for means of checking it and of 
repairing the damage that was resulting. The future looked black and foreboding. 
In the words of Grand Master Thomas Hayward, of Florida, to his subordinates: 


When this war is ended, and the blessings of peace are again our happy lot, you 
will have much to do in your different lodges to correct the vices and 
improprieties which generally follow a year or more in camp (16). 


THE AFTERMATH OF THE WAR 



As the fires of the great Civil War burned out, the confusion of Masonry 
continued, but sentiment among Grand Bodies definitely turned against the army 
Mason. Instead of the warm brotherly greeting formerly extended him in many 
Grand Lodges he now met coldness, mistrust and suspicion. In Michigan, 
stronghold of army Masonry since 1862, there now developed outspoken 
opposition to the institution, and Grand Master Lovell Moore refused a large 
number of dispensations requested for soldiers. He even went so far as to regard as 
clandestine Masons a number of Michigan soldiers, home on furlough, who 
claimed to have been made in an army lodge in Mississippi working under the 
jurisdiction of Indiana, for the reason that Indiana could not authorize a lodge to 
work in the jurisdiction of another Grand Lodge, nor to make Masons of persons 
belonging to the jurisdiction of Michigan. 


Even Indiana, a strong supporter of military Masonry from the beginning of the 
war, now began to doubt the expediency of the army lodge, especially as other 
Grand Bodies were making complaints similar to that of Michigan in regard to the 
activities of Indiana's military offspring; while in Maine, requests for 
dispensations favoring the soldier ceased, the subordinate lodges having no desire 
to pay the fee of three dollars, fixed the previous year, for such favors. Grand 
Master William S. Whitehead, of New Jersey, insisted that all petitions take their 
regular course, without favors to anyone. But although the pendulum was now 
swinging away from the army-made Masons, yet that fact did not dispose of them. 
They existed, and in large numbers. Something, apparently, had to be done with 
them. But what? Were they to be recognized as regular Masons and taken into the 
fold ? Or were they to be permanently classed as clandestines ? 


NOTES 

1 Review, Proc. Mich., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1862, p. 319. 

2 Review, Proc. Wis., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1863, p. 406. 

3 Review, Proc. La., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1862, p. 317. 

4 Review, Proc. D. of C., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1863, p. 388. 

5 Review, Proc. N. Y., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1862, pp. 322-3. 



6 Review, Proc. Mass., 1862, in Proc Kans., 1863, p. 398. 

7 Review, Proc. Mass., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1863, p. 399. 

8 Review, Proc. D. of C., 1862, in Proc. Kans, 1863, p. 388. 

9 Review, Proc. Mich., 1865, in Proc. Kans., 1865, p. 549. 

10 Review, Proc. Ohio, 1863, in Proc. Kans., 1864, p. 477. 

11 Address, G. M. Jacob Saqui, in Proc. Kans., 1863, p. 333 

12 Review, Proc. Mich., 1863, in Proc. Kans., 1863, p. 400. 

13 Review, Proc. N. Y., 1864, in Proc. Kans., 1864, p. 475. 

14 Review, Proc. Ohio, 1864, in Proc. Kans., 1865, p. 555. 

15 Ibid. 

16 Review, Proc. Fla., 1864, in Proc. Kans., 1866, p. 87. 


— o — 


Sir Christopher Wren: Architect and Mason 


By BRO. G. C. KIRBY 


This paper was read before the Toronto Society for Masonic Study and Research, 
and is now presented to the wider circle of members of the National Masonic 
Research Society through the good offices of Bro. N. W. J. Haydon, Associate 
Editor of THE BUILDER and also Secretary of the Toronto body. 



In 1924 Bro. William B. Bragdon contributed a short article on the same subject, 
which will be found in the November number of THE BUILDER for that year. 

Bro. Bragdon, though inclined to believe that Wren was very probably connected 
with the Fraternity did not discuss the late R. F. Gould's arguments against this. 
These will be found in the twelfth chapter of his history. Gould's authority 
naturally carries very great weight, but while we may agree that he has quite 
demolished the supposition that Wren was a Grand Master of the Craft, he is not so 
convincing in denying that Wren could have been a speculative or honorary 
member. At least the possibility remains to intrigue us. 


A STUDY of the lives of prominent men in the 17th century may afford clues to 
the unknown history of Freemasonry in a very interesting period. The subject of 
the present article is Sir Christopher Wren, the great English architect. 


He was born at East Knoyle, near Tisbury in Wiltshire, on October 20, 1632. His 
father was also named Christopher. He was a clergyman of the Established Church, 
and at the time of his son's birth was the Incumbent of the parish of East Knoyle. A 
brother, Matthew Wren, was at the time Dean of Windsor. Later, when he was 
preferred to the see of Ely, Christopher Wren, senior, was made Dean of Windsor 
in his stead, and was also appointed as Chaplain to Charles I. His wife was Mary 
Cox of Fonthill Abbey. She died when her son was only two years old. The elder 
Christopher lived until his son was twenty-six years old. Both he and his brother, 
the Bishop of Ely, suffered much under the Parliamentary regime on account of 
their loyalty to the king. 


When Wren was eleven years old he was instructed in mathematics by the famous 
mathematician, William Holder, who had married his father's sister, Susan Wren. 
At the age of nine he was sent to Westminster School, where he remained until he 
was fourteen. Here he was under the tuition of the famous Dr. Busby. Between 
leaving school and going to college he became assistant to Dr. Scarborough, and 
studied anatomy. 



In 1649 he went to Oxford, entering Wadham College as a Gentleman- Commoner. 
Here he was under John Wilkins, afterwards Bishop of Chester, graduating as B.A. 
on March 18, 1650, and as M.A. on December 11, 1653. He was elected a Fellow 
of All Souls College and stayed there until 1657, when he was appointed to the 
Chair of Astronomy at Gresham College, London. On February 5, 1660, he was 
elected Professor of Astronomy at Oxford, and in 1661 he graduated D.C.L. at 
Oxford, and L.L.D. at Cambridge. From this it will be seen that he was an 
extremely clever young man. He seemed capable of everything; at one time he 
prepared drawings of insects, microscopically enlarged, for Charles II. He also 
invented a horse- drawn seeding machine to plant seeds after ploughing and 
harrowing. Another of his efforts was an illustration showing the graphical 
construction of solar and lunar eclipses, and most remarkable of all, he 
experimented with the transfusion of blood from one animal to another. 


Wren took a prominent part in the formation of the Royal Society, and after the 
King gave his approval on December 5, 1660, the drafting of the preamble of the 
Charter was entrusted to him. He was a constant attendant at the Royal Society 
meetings for more than twenty years, and it was only the pressure of his 
architectural business that prevented him attending in later years. 


In 1666 he invented an exceedingly simple form of Level, "for taking the horizon 
every way in a circle, " the main principle of which was a bowl having the lip 
accurately turned and provided with a ball and socket joint, so that when a drop of 
quicksilver was adjusted to the center, the lip should lie level in every direction. He 
had found the necessity of some such instrument in his surveying and building 
work. A report on the labors of the Royal Society in 1667 by Bishop Spratt 
specially commends Wren 's labors. It speaks of his work on the "doctrines of 
motion," caused by globous bodies meeting each other, such as billiard balls, etc. 
This report mentions also his having devised a clock to be annexed to a weather 
cock, so that the observer, by the traces of a pencil on paper might certainly 
conclude what winds had blown in his absence. Dr. Spratt further adds: "Wren has 
invented many ways to make astronomical observations more accurate and easy." 


Although as a natural philosopher Wren was overshadowed by the genius of 
Newton, as an English architect he stands above his competitors. In some 



particulars, Inigo Jones may have surpassed him, but if a comprehensive view is 
taken, the first place must be adjudged to Wren. The relative merits of Sir 
Christopher Wren and Inigo Jones might well be the subject of further discussion 
our Research Society. The first definite information receive of his applying himself 
professionally to architecture is his accepting in his twenty-ninth year, the 
invitation from Charles II to act practically as Surveyor-General to His Majesty's 
works, though nominally as Assistant Sir John Denham. The two earliest original 
works we hear of are the chapel of Pembroke College, Cambridge, built at the 
expense of his uncle, Matthew Wren, and the Sheldonian Theatre at Oxford. The 
interior of Pembroke Chapel was very simple, but of good general proportions. It 
exhibits a lack of familiarity with architectural detail, not surprising for a young 
man's first attempt. When in 1665, ordinary business in London and other parts of 
England were interrupted by the Great Plague, Wren went to Paris for six months, 
and studied Sieur de Cambray's "Parallel, " and other French works of an 
architectural nature. Up to the time of the fire of London, his architectural work 
had not taken his entire time, and he was able to attend to his philosophical 
pursuits to a considerable extent. 


The great fire of London raged from September 2nd to September 8th, 1666, and 
the best account of this fire can be found in Pepys' Diary. This account is given in 
an appendix at the end of this paper. 


Before the embers of the great fire had cooled, Wren as virtual Surveyor-General, 
felt that it was his duty to prepare a scheme for the rebuilding of the City. On 
September 12th, he laid before the King a sketch plan of his design for the 
restoration of London. A copy of this plan, after he made some additions, can be 
seen today at All Souls College, Oxford. Unfortunately, the plan was too 
magnificent for the money available, and was never carried out. Doing the next 
best thing, he found employment enough in rebuilding a Cathedral, more than fifty 
Parish Churches, thirty-six of the Companies' Halls, the Customs House, and 
several private houses and provincial works. For his architectural work on St. 

Paul's Cathedral, and the Parish Churches, the stipend he asked for was 300 pounds 
per year. After Denham's death in November, 1669, he was appointed Surveyor- 
General of the Royal Works. 



Regarding St. Paul's Cathedral, the old building damaged by the fire was in a very 
insecure condition, and Wren had previously made several reports on the same. 
After the fire, in July, 1668, some partial repair work on the Cathedral collapsed 
when Wren was at Oxford, and it was then decided to build a new Cathedral. In 
1670, Parliament assigned a portion of the coal tax, namely, 4 l/2d. per chaldron 
annually for the rebuilding of the famous edifice. 


Being satisfied that money would be forthcoming, Wren devoted himself to 
forming a design worthy of the occasion. In 1672 he was knighted, and in 1673 he 
submitted his first design to the King, who greatly approved it. However, it was not 
easy sailing and much clerical opposition was brought to bear against the plan, on 
account of its being different from the usual Cathedral shape. The Duke of York 
sided with the clergy, and insisted on many side chapels. The idea being to make 
the building specially suited for Roman Catholic services. Finally both parties were 
satisfied and a number of chapels were included, most of which are now in use. 


Twenty-two years after the commencement of the work, it was so far advanced that 
the choir area could be opened for services. Nineteen years later Wren was 
dismissed from its superintendence, and the Cathedral was reported as finished, as 
no doubt it was in the main essentials. Meanwhile, about 1680, he had been much 
engaged in the restoration in and around Temple Bar which had also been damaged 
by the fire. Another of Wren's best works, the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, was 
completed in 1683, and in 1684 he was appointed Comptroller of Works at 
Windsor Castle. He then went into polities and was returned as Member for 
Plympton on April 20, 1685, in James II's first Parliament. He was also chosen as 
Member for Windsor in March, 1689, in William and Mary's first Parliament, but 
the return was declared void and he never took his seat in the House. 


Of the fifty-two churches in and around London that he designed, two of the best 
still remain, as far as I am aware, namely, Saint Mary- at-Hill and Saint Clement 
Danes. His church work showed very great skill in adapting buildings to irregular 
sites. In 1698 he was appointed Surveyor to Westminster Abbey and carried out 
very important repairs to that great fabric. He held this appointment until his death 



Having been appointed by the Stuarts to the office of Surveyor- General, Wren 
retained the Royal Favor unclouded through the reigns of William and Mary, and 
Queen Anne, but after the accession of the Hanoverian family in 1714, the 
jealousies which his high position had created were able to prevail against him. He 
was superseded as Surveyor-General in 1718, by William Benson. He possibly felt 
the blow coming, as he had gone into almost complete retirement since 1708, a 
date which I would like you to please remember. He had married twice, first in 
December, 1669, Faith, the daughter of Sir John Coghill, and secondly, Jane, the 
daughter of Lord FitzWilliam, in 1676. 


In February, 1723, he contracted a severe chill, and he died on February 25, 1723, 
in his ninety- first year. He was buried on March 5th, in St. Paul's Cathedral, under 
the South Aisle of the Choir, near the East end. 


Having thus dealt with the life of this illustrious man from a biographical 
standpoint, we will now consider whether or not he belonged to the ancient and 
honorable Fraternity of Freemasons. 


The Book of Constitutions, published in 1738, says that Wren was a freemason and 
a Grand Master of the Fraternity. As the title of "Grand Master" is popularly 
supposed to have started with the Grand Lodge of 1717, and as we know that Wren 
was in almost complete retirement in 1717, grave doubts have been cast as to 
whether Wren was ever a freemason, much less a Grand Master. 


The late R. F. Gould, in his history of Freemasonry, disputes the statement made in 
the Book of Constitutions of 1738, that Wren was a Freemason and a Grand 
Master. Nobody doubted the facts until 1887, when Gould devoted many pages to 
the subject. 


It may seem bold to take issue with such an eminent authority as our late brother 
Gould, but great writers have been known to make mistakes before, and we hope to 



show that he was mistaken in this matter. The term "We" in the foregoing 
paragraph is somewhat extravagant, and like that famous Trans- Atlantic flier, 
Lindbergh and his aeroplane, by "We" I refer to myself and the authorities from 
whom I quote. 


As Anderson was responsible for the Book of Constitutions of 1738, which 
credited Sir Christopher Wren as being a Freemason and a Grand Master, we 
should remember the following seven facts: 


1. Anderson was the official writer for the Grand Lodge of 1717. 


2. Whilst there are some obvious errors in Anderson's works, his eminent position 
entitles him to some respect. 


3. Anderson was in close touch with the prominent brethren who brought the 
Grand Lodge into being. 


4. He had before him, when he prepared his Book of Constitutions, nearly all the 
papers available dealing with Masonic history. 


5. He had the assistance of Geo. Payne, Dr. Desaguliers, and other famous men 
familiar with history of the previous thirty years. 


6. Notwithstanding the fact that some documents used by Anderson in compiling 
his history, have become lost, there remains auxiliary evidence for the main point 
at issue. 



7. The editions of the Books of Constitutions of 1723 and 1738, were approved of 
and adopted by the Grand Lodge. 


Gould's main argument against Sir Christopher Wren being a Freemason, is that 
the assertion only appears in the second Book of Constitutions, dated 1738, while 
the first edition of 1723 makes no mention of it. one answer to this is that the 
omission of facts which it is being assumed that everyone knows, is a common 
occurrence in histories of all kinds. But another, and weightier one, is that in the 
earlier work Anderson seems to be chiefly concerned with the progress of 
architecture, while nothing that he says of Wren is inconsistent with his having 
known that he was a Mason. 


Perhaps the reason why Wren was not definitely said to be a Mason in the first 
Book of Constitutions of 1723, was that for many years prior to that he had 
suffered the criticism of many young and even middle-aged fellow architects, who 
were jealous of his long monopoly of the principal architectural commissions. As 
previously mentioned, at the age of eighty-six years he was dismissed from the 
Surveyor-General's position, not for inability, but simply because he was an 
appointee of the Stuarts and the Hanoverians were in power. One can readily 
imagine the stories that would circulate among the Operative Masons and the 
artisans who had labored with him so long in and about Old St. Paul's Churchyard, 
when it became known that he had lost the royal favor. 


The rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral was completed in 1710, and a slump in the 
building trade followed, which gradually became worse and worse. Wren could do 
nothing to help his old workmen, as no money was forthcoming for building work. 
Even the money taken out of the tax on coal had ceased. The slackness in the 
building trade probably had a good deal to do with the demand for a supreme body, 
afterwards known as a Grand Lodge; for in my opinion, the thought lying back in 
the minds of the agitators for a supreme body, was work and food, rather than mere 
speculative Masonry. We know that what we are pleased to call Speculative 
Masonry, did exist at this time, as I shall hereafter prove, but it was not the main 
thing in the minds of the members of the lodges at the time. Thus arose the 
movement whereby four out of the then lodges existing took it upon themselves to 
organize the supreme body afterwards known as Grand Lodge. The first Book of 



Constitutions was already printed on January 17, 1723, and it was on sale when Sir 
Christopher Wren died thirty-eight days later. 


Anderson described the organization of a Grand Lodge as a "revival of the 
drooping lodges of London," and elsewhere states that King Charles II was a 
"great-encourager of the craftsmen because he founded the present St. Paul's 
Cathedral conducted by that ingenious Architect, Sir Christopher Wren." There is a 
strong inference here that Wren was one of the Craft. 


Regarding the statement that Wren was a Grand Master, we find that Anderson 
mentioned it in 1738. On February 24, 1738, the Grand Lodge chose a Committee 
to revise the Book of Constitutions of 1723, and on March 31st, 1738, Anderson 
was requested to "print the names of all the Grand Masters that could be collected." 


Being somewhat of a diplomat, Anderson did not elaborate on the events which led 
up to the revolt of the four lodges and the formation of Grand Lodge, but he has 
this brief statement in his Book of Constitutions of 1738: "Sir Christopher Wren, 
continued as Grand Master until 1708, when his neglect of the office caused the 
Lodges to be more and more disused." Please remember that this statement 
appeared in the list of Grand Masters, and was approved of by Grand Lodge before 
being printed. 


We will now give Anderson a rest, and examine evidence from other sources 
showing that Sir Christopher Wren was a freemason. 


An old London newspaper, the Postboy, in its second issue after Wren's death, 
announced that he was to be interred on March 5th, and described him as "that 
worthy Freemason. " The Postboy was evidently a newspaper largely read by 
Freemasons because at that time it carried an advertisement that the newly 
published Book of Constitions was on sale. It is very improbable that a newspaper 



read in Masonic circles would make a mistake by calling Wren a freemason, if he 
were not one. 


The next evidence of Wren being a Freemason is found in a note made by a well 
known author and antiquary, John Aubrey, in 1690, in his work on the Natural 
History of Wiltshire. The original MS. is now in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, 
and there is another copy, made by Aubrey himself, at Burlington House. This 
copy was made at the request of the Royal Society. The statement referred to is as 
follows: 


1691 


Mdm, this day [May the 1 8th being Monday] [after Rogation Sunday] is a great 
convention at St. Paul's Church of the Fraternity of the Free [Accepted] Masons: 
Where Sir Christopher Wren is to be adopted a Brother: and Sir Henry Goodrie of 
ye Tower, and divers others. There have been Kings, that were of this sodalitie. 


Sr. William Dugdale told me many years since, that about Henry the third's time, 
the 


Pope gave a Bull or diploma [Patents] to a Company of Italian Architects 
[Freemasons] to travels up and downe all over Europe to build Churches. From 
those are derived the Fraternity of Free- Masons [Adopted-Masons], 


They are known to one another by certayn Signes & [Marks] and Watch-words, it 
continues to this day. They have severall Lodges in severall Counties for their 
reception: and when any of them fall into decay, the brotherhood is to relieve him 


&c. 



The manner of their Adoption is very formall, and with an Oath of Secrecy. 


In the earlier MS. this is an interpolated note on the backs of two of the sheets; in 
the later copy it has been incorporated into the text. In its earlier form the note had 
itself been revised. Mdm., is an abbreviation for Meridiem, "at mid-day." The 
words in italics placed between square brackets have been written in above those 
which preceded them. The word "Free" was crossed out, "Accepted" taking its 
place. The word Marks was also crossed out. The other emendations stand 
apparently as alternatives. All this correcting was done unmistakably in Aubrey's 
own hand. 


Nothing is known of how Aubrey came to be told of the coming "Convention," but 
the Sir William Dugdale whom he mentions had a daughter who was the wife of 
Elias Ashmole, of whom we know for a certainty that he was a member of the 
Craft, from the well-known entries in his diary. Now if Wren was known to have 
taken part in the Masonic gathering of 1690, the notion of his being a Freemason 
could not have been imagined by the editor or reporters of the Postboy in 1723, nor 
by Anderson in 1738. The worth of Aubrey's memoranda surely lies in the fact that 
it was written without ulterior motives. 


From 1690 to 1844, this information lay undisturbed in a forgotten manuscript 
describing the County of Wiltshire - we may recall that Wren had been born in 
Wiltshire - and it was by an accident that the late Mr. Halliwell made its discovery. 
It is evident that the Royal Society members were not enthused about the History 
of Wiltshire or the information would not have lain neglected so long. 


The next source of information showing that Wren was a Freemason comes from 
Preston's Illustrations of Masonry. The chief objection brought against Preston was 
that in each edition of his History he generally gave some additional details. Whilst 
this, of course, looks like romancing, it was really due to his keenness to show in 
his history every scrap of information that he picked up as time went on. 



In Preston's 1775 edition of the Illustrations of Masonry, he says: "Wren presided 
over the old lodge of St. Paul's during the building of the Cathedral." In his 1792 
edition he says that the mallet used in laying the foundation stone of St. Paul 's was 
a gift of Sir Christopher Wren himself, and that "during his presidency he 
presented to the lodge three mahogany candlesticks." 


The oldest of the lodges which joined together in organizing the Grand Lodge of 
1717 was Lodge No. 1, the lodge of Antiquity, formerly called Old St. Paul's. The 
mallet preserved there was an interesting relic and very highly prized. The 
candlesticks given by Sir Christopher Wren were of great value as proving that 
there certainly was some speculative Masonry prior to 1717. Preston also says that 
"according to the records of the lodge of Antiquity" in 1663 and after, Wren 
"attended the meetings of the lodge," and also that Wren patronized the said lodge 
"for eighteen years," by which he may have meant that he was Worshipful Master, 
or some equivalent officer. 


Let us consider for a moment what Aubrey meant when he said in 1690 that Wren 
was to be "Adopted a Brother." Preston and Anderson said, Wren was a principal 
officer of the Fraternity since 1663. These two authorities unite in making Wren 
Grand Master in 1685 when he was fifty-three years old. Therefore what could 
Aubrey have meant when he said Wren was to be "adopted" in 1690? This word 
"Adopted" could not have meant "Initiated." As Aubrey was not a Mason, he 
would scarcely know the difference between "initiating" and "installing." It is clear 
that some Masonic function took place in 1690 and Wren took a conspicuous part 
in it. 


Gould himself points out that in 1690 the old St. Paul's Lodge became a Stated 
lodge instead of an Occasional lodge, and in my opinion the event mentioned by 
Aubrey was the big day when the change took effect. 



Samuel Prichard, one of the Fraternity's greatest enemies, in his book Masonry 
Dissected, published in 1730, makes this remark: "No constituted Lodges or 
Quarterly Communications were heard of till 1 690, when lords, dukes, lawyers and 
shopkeepers and other inferior tradesmen, porters not excepted, were admitted into 
this mystery or no mystery." 


I have to apologize for quoting Samuel Prichard, but the date he mentions is 
confirmatory evidence that Aubrey's mention of the convention in 1 690 is correct. 
It would seem, therefore, that the "adoption" of Wren at that convention was 
nothing more or less than his re-election as grand Master, whilst "Sir Henry 
Goodric of ye Tower, and divers others," were probably the officers appointed and 
invested on that occasion. 


A precedent for the reselection of a Grand Master can be found in the ease of Inigo 
Jones, Worshipful Master, so to speak, of the Old St. Paul's Lodge, which met at 
the Goose and Gridiron Tavern in St. Paul 's Churchyard. According to the 
Nicholas Stone MS., Inigo Jones had once combined the two offices of Surveyor- 
General and President of the Masonic Fraternity, ceasing to hold the latter title in 
1618, but subsequently being "re-elected." 


In 1764, there was published The Compleat Freemason, or Multa Paucis for Lovers 
of Secrets. The following is an extract from that work: 


In 1710, in the eighth year of the reign of Queen Anne, our Worthy Grand Master 
Wren, who had drawn the design of St. Paul's, had the honour to see it finished in a 
magnificent taste, and to celebrate, with the Fraternity, the Capestone of so noble 
and large a Temple. 


Wren's son, Christopher Wren, in his book Parentalta, wrote as follows: 



The highest or last stone on the top of the lantern, was laid by the hand of the 
Surveyor's son, Christopher Wren, deputed by his Father, in the presence of that 
excellent artificer, Mr. Strong, his Son, and other Free and Accepted Masons, 
chiefly employed in the execution of the work. 


As Sir Christopher was then seventy-eight years of age, he was unable to ascend to 
the dizzy heights at the top of the lantern above the cupola of St. Paul's. 


The Rev. F. deP. Castells, to whom I am indebted for much information, informs 
us that in 1917 or thereabouts he had seen, among the records of the Lodge of 
Antiquity, minutes of a meeting held on June 3, 1723, which read as follows: 


The set of mahogany candlesticks presented to this Lodge by its Worthy Old 
Master, Sir Christopher Wren, ordered to be carefully deposited in a wooden case 
lin'd with cloth to be Immediately purchased for the purpose. 


The reason for this particular minute was that Wren had died about three months 
previously, and they were anxious to carefully keep these symbolic gifts from so 
eminent a man. 


This last piece of evidence is the crowning proof that Wren was a Freemason, and I 
understand that the Lodge Minutes which I have just read can be examined by 
anyone today. We are further assured that these Minutes were never examined by 
the late Brother Gould, and had he examined them his famous statement, made in 
1887, that Sir Christopher Wren was not a Freemason, would probably have never 
been issued. 


APPENDIX (Account of the Fire of London from Pepys' Diary) 



Some of our maids sitting up last night, to get things ready against our feast today, 
Jane caned us up about three in the morning to tell us of a great fire that was in the 
city. So I rose and slipped on my night gown and went to her window and thought 
it to be on the back side of Market Lane, but being unused to such fires as 
followed, I thought it far enough, and so went to bed again and to sleep. About 
seven rose again to dress myself and there looked out at the window, and saw the 
fire not so much as it was, and further off. So to my closet to set things to rights, 
after yesterday's cleaning. By and by Jane comes and tells me that she hears that 
about 300 houses have been burned down tonight by the fire we saw, and that it is 
now burning down all Fish Street, by London Bridge. 


So I made myself ready presently, and walked to the Tower; and there got up upon 
one of the high places, Sir J. Robinson's little son going up to me; and there 1 did 
see the houses at that end of the bridge all on fire, and an infinite great fire on this 
and the other side the end of the bridge; which, among other people, did trouble me 
for poor little Mitchell and our Sarah on the bridge. So down, with my heart full of 
trouble, to the Lieutenant of the Tower, who tells me that it begun this morning in 
the king's baker's house in Pudding-Lane, and that it hath burned down St. 
Magnus's Church and most part of Fish Street already. 


So I went down to the water side and there got a boat, and through the bridge, and 
there saw a lamentable fire. Poor Mitchell's house, as far as the Old Swan, already 
burned that way, and the fire running further, that in a very little time, it got as far 
as the Steele-yard, while I was there. Everybody endeavoring to remove their 
goods, and flinging into the river, or bringing them into lighters that lay off, poor 
people staying in their houses as long as till the very fire touched them, and then 
running into boats, or clambering from one pair of stairs, by the waterside, to 
another. And then among other things, the poor pigeons, I perceive, were loth to 
leave their houses, but hovered about the windows and balconys, till they burnt 
their wings and fell down. 


Having staid, and in an hour's time seen the fire rage every way; and nobody, to 
my sight, endeavoring to quench it, but to remove their goods, and leave all to the 



fire, and having seen it get as far as the Steele-yard, and the wind, mighty high, and 
driving it into the city; and everything, after so long a drought, proving 
combustible, even the very stones of the churches; and among other things, the 

poor steeple by which pretty Mrs. lives, and whereof my old schoolfellow 

Elborough is parson, takes fire in the very top, and there burned till it fell down; I 
to Whitehall, with a gentleman with me, who desired to go off from the Tower, to 
see the fire, in my boat; and there up to the King's closet in the Chapel, where 
people came about me, and I did give them an account dismayed them all, and 
word was carried into the King. 


So I was called for, and did ten the King and Duke of York what I saw; and that 
unless his Majesty did command houses to be pulled down, nothing could stop the 
fire. They seemed much troubled and the King commanded me to go to my Lord 
Mayor from him, and command him to spare no houses, but to pull down before 
the fire in every way. 


The Duke of York bid me tell him, that if he would have any more soldiers, he 
shall; and so did my Lord Arlington afterwards, as a great Secret. Here meeting 
with Captain Cocke, I in his coach, which he lent me, and Creed with me to Paul's; 
and there walked along Watling Street, as well as I could, every creature coming 
away loaded with goods to save, and, here and there, Sick people carried away in 
beds. 


Extraordinary good goods carried in carts and on backs. At last met my Lord 
Mayor in Canning Street, like a man spent, with a handkerchief about his neck. To 
the King's message, he cried, like a fainting woman, "Lord, What can I do? I am 
spent; people will not obey me. I have been pulling down houses; but the fire 
overtakes us faster than we can do it." That he needed no more soldiers; and that, 
for himself, he must go and refresh himself, having been up all night. 


So he left me, and I him, and walked home; seeing people all almost distracted and 
no manner of means used to quench the fire. 



In the year 1851, the Most Excellent Grand High Priest, George Giddings, in his 
address to the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Connecticut, made the following 
pronouncement, which, if it were apposite eighty years ago, seems equally so now: 


"But, Companions, in our prosperity, in our rejoicings, it may be well for us to 
remember that the hour of prosperity is frequently the hour of danger. The fairest 
flower frequently produces the deadliest poison. Elated by success, we too often 
become careless and neglectful of the means by which success was acquired, and 
by which alone its continuance can be secured. To this Source may be mainly 
attributed most of the adverse circumstances to which our institution has from time 
to time been subjected. The doors of our Lodges and Chapters have sometimes 
swung too easily upon their hinges. The Tyler has been too often found sleeping at 
his post. We are apt to forget, Companions, that the strength of every society, more 
especially this of ours, lies in the character and intelligence, not in the number of 
its members. Let this truth be inscribed in indelible characters over the High 
Priest's Sanctuary in every Chapter in our land, and all will be well. 


— o — 


EDITORIAL 


R.J. MEEKREN, Editor in Charge 


BOARD OF ASSOCIATE EDITORS 


LOUIS BLOCK. Iowa 


ROBERT I. CLEGG, Illinois 



GILBERT W. DAYNES, England 
RAY V. DENSLOW, Missouri 

GEORGE H. DERN, Utah 
N.W.J. HAYDON, Canada 
R.V. HARRIS, Canada 
C.C HUNT, Iowa 

CHARLES F. IRWIN, Pennsylvania 
A.L. KRESS, Pennsylvania 
F.H. LITTLEFIELD, Missouri 
JOSEPH E. MORCOMBE, California 

ARTHUR C. PARKER, New York 
J. HUGO TATSCH, Iowa 
JESSE M. WHTED, California 
E. E. THIEMEYER, Missouri 
DAVID E.W. WILLIAMSON, Nevada 


THE NEW YEAR. 



WITH this number we begin a new Masonic year and a new volume. It is not easy 
to forecast the course of either. We wish our members all good fortune and 
happiness in the months to come, and we hope to be able to keep THE BUILDER 
up to its standard. It is, as may be said once again, the chief link between the 
members of the Society, as well as taking the place of the Proceedings published 
by other Masonic Research bodies. It has been a constant source of regret to the 
'editor ever since he first had charge of the work, that some way of establishing 
more intimate relations between our members, or some of them, could not be 
found. The possibility of forming local branches has been suggested in a number of 
cases where it seemed that it might be practicable to do this. One or two tentative 
attempts have been made to organize such branches, but so far without definite 
results. We believe, however, that such a plan would establish our work in a way 
otherwise impossible. There is no doubt that the personal contact is of enormous 
value; indeed, without it that elusive but essential thing, esprit de corps, is 
practically unattainable. So far as we can see there is no reason why in every large 
centre of population there should not be a local branch of the Society. If any 
member feels stirred to try and form one we are prepared to help him with draft 
plans, constitutions, and so on, for the project has been so far worked out. Perhaps 
the realization of this hope may be one of the events of the coming year. 


For THE Builder itself we can promise some interesting and useful articles. Bro 
Irwin will finish his work on Masonry in the War by a new series on the various 
Masonic Clubs; thus putting on record, before it is too late, a practically exhaustive 
account of all Masonic activities in the American Expeditionary Forces both at 
home and abroad. 


Bro. R. V. Harris has promised another article on Masonic Heraldry, an interesting 
subject which has never been very fully treated hitherto. Bro. D. E. W. Williamson 
expects to have an article on the name or title Hiram Abiff, and the possible or 
probable channel by which it came into the legend of the third degree. There are 
few scholars better fitted than Bro. Williamson to elucidate this particular sub- 
problem, to which he has devoted much time and labor. 


There has been under consideration for a number of years the republication of the 
Autobiography of Rob Morris, but it was one of those things that might be done at 



any time and so has always been crowded out. Perhaps this year it will be done as 
it will fit in with a new series of articles by Pros. Kress and Meekren on the 
History of the Masonic Ritual in America. Rob Morris wrote an apologia for the 
Conservators under the guise of an autobiography, and the Conservator movement 
is one of the least known yet most momentous influences on the American type of 
ritual as it exists today. 


Among other articles that may be expected, though we hardly care to promise that 
they will appear, is one on the underground existence of Masonry in Russia after 
its abolition by the Government more than a hundred years ago. 


There will also be some articles on the Scottish Rite. First there will be a historical 
sketch of the Albany Sovereign Consistory, Sublime Princess' of the Royal Secret, 
which contains much little known information about some of the outstanding 
Scottish Rite Masons of New York State a hundred years ago. This is the work of 
Bro Isaac H. Vrooman. In addition Bro. Kenderdine is preparing a series of articles 
on the early history of the Rite in this country, which will not be approached from 
any orthodox point of view. Bro. Kenderdine proposes to treat the subject 
objectively, and as impartially as may be possible to a trained and judicial mind. 


We have other articles under consideration, but as yet insufficiently developed to 
make it worth while to say anything about them. 


* * * 


THE MASONIC EDUCATION MOVEMENT. 


I we look back over the course of events in the American Masonic world for the 
last fifteen years, or even the last ten years, one of the most outstanding features 



will appear to be the emergence of Masonic Education as an object of official 
concern and policy. Scarcely a volume of Grand Lodge Proceedings now comes 
out but has something to report on the subject. The individual Mason as a rule does 
not know much of what is being done outside his own jurisdiction, if indeed he 
knows anything very much of what is being done within it. On the other hand those 
who are actively interested, whether officially or otherwise, are apt to miss the 
forest because they are so intent upon the trees in their own vicinity. 


There has been a great variety in the methods adopted, and still greater differences 
in regard to estimate of results. It has been remarked, by several different 
observers, that there is a curious relation between the character of the reports and 
the nature of the machinery adopted. Where there are paid officials charged with 
educational work in the various lodges, there one is apt to find most glowing 
reports of the efficacy of the work and the value of the results. Where it is 
undertaken by unpaid voluntary workers the reports are often pessimistic in the 
extreme. 


This is really not curious at all, it is most natural and human, aside from the fact 
that there may be objective reasons for the difference. The paid worker is able to 
travel, and to come in contact with the brethren he is working for. And because it is 
his avocation his methods receive some kind of standardization and the key is 
pitched fairly low. Besides, he sees the lodges at their best, as a rule - there is 
generally an extra large crowd to receive the official visitor - he is listened to with 
attention, sees only the enthusiasm he may have aroused, and goes on to repeat the 
process elsewhere. 


The voluntary worker is in quite a different position and so sees things differently. 
As a rule, even if he has Grand Lodge recognition and official standing, he is 
unable to travel and has to do most of his work by correspondence. He has the far 
harder task of trying to get people to help themselves. The efforts generally flicker 
fitfully for awhile and then die suddenly like a burnt out candle. Then too, the 
voluntary worker is usually something of a student himself, and he must be an 
enthusiast or he would never undertake the task, and as a result he is inclined to 
forget how much elementary, kindergarten work has to be done before any 
advanced study can be initiated. 



Taking everything into consideration there is a tendency now observable, here and 
there, to stop and take stock, to ask what it is really all about, and why and how? In 
short, the official Masonic Education Programmes have run up against human 
nature - or rather just plain nature. They have put in some kind of water supply, 
they have caught the horse and haltered him and have led him to the trough - and 
he won't drink. The danger is that in reaction the whole effort may be abandoned. 
After all, if your horse won't drink today you can fairly safely count on his 
drinking tomorrow, so that there is no sense in destroying the watering trough. 


This is why an attempt to survey the whole subject and get it in some kind of 
perspective is necessary. The causes for the recent interest in "Education" are by no 
means clear. That Masonry was instructive has always been taken for granted, but 
it was also taken for granted that all that was necessary was embodied in the 
rituals, and that attendance at the regular work of the lodge was sufficient for a 
complete Masonic education. American Grand Lodges have, since 1850 or 
thereabouts, taken great interest in ritual minutiae, much of it of trifling 
importance, and have expended more ingenuity and effort in aiming at a rigid and 
somewhat monotonous uniformity than has been devoted to maintaining its spirit, 
and in seeing that it was either understandable or understood. And there are still 
many jurisdictions where "Education" merely means teaching the ritual so 
efficiently that the pupils may recite it with the faultless accuracy of a 
gramophone. 


Now we do not wish to be understood as saying this care is misplaced, though 
those who know anything of the evolution of the ritual know that it has been 
materially changed in every jurisdiction from what it was seventy- five years ago, 
and that the rituals of two hundred years ago would be hardly recognizable to the 
average American Mason. And for every one who knows this there are a dozen 
who know that the rituals of different jurisdictions, and still more of different 
countries, vary almost as widely at the present day. And to all who are aware of 
these facts the pains taken to preserve the ipsissima verba of one particular 
recension must appear in a different light to that in which the matter is seen 
generally by Grand Lecturers and Ritual Committees. Nevertheless at the worst, 
this preoccupation with the preservation of the exact formula is only an 



exaggeration of a necessary requirement, a one-sided development, in which the 
letter has become everything and the spirit left in the background. For the word is 
nothing without its meaning, and though the ritual is the text, the starting point of 
true Masonic education, it is its significance that is the essential thing - the form is 
not an end in itself, a magical incantation working ex opere operato, but ultimately 
only a means to an end that is other than itself. 


A friend who served in the old Russian army as a surgeon (and being a Pole he was 
keenly critical of everything Russian) once told the present writer how after the 
Russo-Japanese war the army authorities decided, among other things, that the 
Russian soldier needed education. Doubtless he did, but the method adopted was 
rather crude. Apparently something like this happened: Orders were sent to 
Commanding Officers to establish regimental schools. The (commanding Officers 
"passed the buck" to their company officers. These again told their non- 
commissioned officers to get the men together and teach them. The writer's 
informant attended one of the classes out of curiosity. The instructor had been 
assigned as his subject, "The Telegraph." The gist of his lecture was this. "I am to 
teach you all about the telegraph. Do you know what the telegraph is ? No ? Well I 
will tell you, the telegraph is the telegraph. This is what you have to learn." And he 
made them recite in unison, "The telegraph is - the telegraph." And that was that. It 
may sound incredible, but it is probably perfectly true, for the Russian soldier was 
armed and equipped and munitioned in very much the same way. 


Now far be it from us to suggest that anything like this has ever occurred in official 
attempts to educate the American Mason, and yet, one has a sneaking idea that 
there has been a remote resemblance in the methods adopted, to this extent at least, 
that the idea that education was needed outran knowledge of what to teach and 
how to teach it. In other words, the thing went off at half cock, and no definite aim 
having been taken, nothing in particular was hit. Needless to say there are some 
shining exceptions, still the indictment holds good, we fear, in too many cases. 


The primary necessity in an educational movement is the selection and training of 
teachers. In theory the Master is the instructor of his lodge; in practice he is, as a 
rule, utterly untrained in everything but the bare letter of the ritual; nor has he any 
chance to improve himself by experience, because by the time he has begun to 



learn something (if he has it in him) his term ends, and another untrained man is 
put in his place. After all, this is not so very different from the Russian method! 


Now the lodge is the traditional organ by which Masonry functions, and Masons 
should be educated in the lodge. We have the machinery, but it has so long been 
disused, and is so rusty, that instead of putting it in operation again we have been 
trying all kinds of makeshift substitutes, which if they work would probably lead to 
embarrassing conflicts and overlappings of function and authority. Where to start 
is a most complex and difficult problem, far more so than has generally been 
realized. 


As a contribution to its solution we will make a few suggestions. The first question 
is to decide quite definitely what is the proper scope of Masonic education, 
instruction, teaching. The second how to ensure trained teachers. That done, it is 
probable that the only difficulties left will prove to be really matters of detail only. 


The first step is to distinguish clearly between teaching and research. This has not 
always been done, obvious as it may appear. Every Grand Lodge ought to foster 
research as much as possible, but it should not undertake it. Committees on 
Education should not be Research Committees, even if composed of Masonic 
students. The research worker is often a very poor teacher. His function is to 
provide the teacher with such information as he needs. Every Grand Lodge should 
have an adequate working library, with a trained librarian in charge. There are few 
Grand Lodges which could not afford this. There is no need for the librarian to be a 
man and a Mason. A trained woman could do the work quite competently; for the 
purpose of such a library is to make it possible for such brethren who are interested 
to get access to the books they need. But we doubt if the establishment of a library 
is the first step. There are much more elementary things to be done first. 


Having set research aside as a thing by itself, a matter for the individual mainly, 
but in which the individual may be profitably assisted; let us turn to our first 
problem. What is it that should be taught, not to some, but to every Mason? What 
is it that corresponds to a common school training, that is elementary, well 



established, and that should be universally known. The ritual here gives us a plain 
answer. It is light, illumination. But perhaps this is only another case of "the 
telegraph is the telegraph," somewhat disguised. Yet there is a recognized 
metaphorical meaning assigned to light and illumination, even a common everyday 
one, quite aside from any special Masonic symbolism. And while it is true that 
many have looked for (and some have found) a mystical illumination in the 
initiation, yet it is obvious that this is only for a select few There is a plain 
meaning, within the reach of every initiate. It is simple and obvious and necessary, 
and like so many simple and obvious things is frequently overlooked, and like 
many necessary ones is often forgotten or not realized. 


What happens is this: The candidate is introduced into a new circle, a fraternity, as 
an integral part of it, and to him is shown in form and symbol his social 
relationships and obligations in the light (it is difficult to avoid the term) of this 
fact. The elements of the new situation are not new, but the situation as a whole is 
new. His duties are merely new applications of moral precepts already known, but 
they are new applications to him. He may have imagined what they would be, but 
now he is to realize, to actualize them. To put it more generally, the first thing is to 
make him think - to think out his new relationships, and that is the fundamental 
purpose of the Masonic symbols presented and explained to him, trite and obvious 
as all this may seem. Whatever else they may mean they mean this first. 


And the second thing is to put all this into practice - which is a matter of living and 
is outside the lodge. This is, or should be, Masonic work, spiritual building. In 
short, the Masonic primary education which should be universal is summed up in 
the familiar phrase, "good and wholesome instruction for their labor." But all this 
is in the ritual - Of course it is; only it is too often not extracted from the ritual. 
Suppose a teacher recited the alphabet to a child on its first day in school, and then 
said, "Now go and read what you like," it would seem somewhat more insane than 
even the education of the Russian soldier; yet this is the modem lodge practice in 
effect. The teachers have learned to say the alphabet and little more. Not being able 
to read themselves they cannot well teach others. 


How then are the teachers to be taught? Inlet us keep close to the actual situation. 
Ideally many excellent plans would be possible, but any general movement 



towards improvement must be commenced, in the average lodge, with the average 
officers. There is the dead weight of insufficient knowledge, and there are a host of 
totally erroneous conceptions to be overcome. The difficulties are so great that any 
suggestion must be only tentative, but we are going to offer one that may seem 
rather radical, although it is quite in line with modem developments. The lodges 
have been in recent years more and more shorn of their original rights, liberties and 
responsibilities, by Grand Lodges, so that a new interference, one which might turn 
the American Craft back in the direction of the old ways, could not be objected to 
in principle. While there is already in many jurisdictions analogous legislation 
respecting the newly raised Master Masons. The suggestion is, that to qualify for 
office, a Mason should be obliged to pass an elementary examination in certain 
fundamental things. 


To present the suggestion in more detail and to make it more tangible, let us 
suppose that no one could be appointed a Deacon in the lodge who did not have 
certificates from some competent authority. This would practically ensure that 
every Master would have this minimum qualification. And these are the subjects 
we would suggest. First, a written paper on a number of questions that would 
require knowledge of the Constitution and Code of the jurisdiction and, perhaps, 
the more recent decisions of Grand Masters. It is to be elementary, it is not to train 
Masonic lawyers. It is to make the potential Masters of lodges realize where to 
look for this information, and how to find it and apply it. 


The second examination would be on the ritual. Not repeating it, the present 
machinery will serve for that, but understanding it. Again it must be elementary. 
Questions as to the meaning of unusual or obsolete words, of obscure phrases, with 
the suggestion that a good dictionary would clear up most of the difficulties. This 
is not memory work, but elementary research if one likes. The questions to be 
answered with the aid of any reference books needed, but honestly by the 
individual himself 


The third examination would be more advanced, and would necessitate some real 
practical thinking. The questions could be taken from almost any series of reports 
on grievances, or appeals. Present a number of hypothetical cases, of offenses 



against Masonic law, quarrels and disputes, and ask what the parties ought to have 
done had they acted as Masons should. 


There seems nothing to prevent such requirements being made of those who have 
ambitions to "go through the chairs." It would be no hardship on the potential 
officers. It is in their power to instruct themselves, it needs no new machinery to do 
this. A man who cannot extract the information he needs from a code or a 
dictionary, or think out the practical application of Masonic obligations to daily 
life, is not fit to be Master of a lodge. All that would be needed is the establishment 
of the examining and certifying authority. The examining could all be done by 
correspondence, from the central board, or it might be a feature of district 
meetings. But this is hardly worth while to try and work out now. The main thing 
is to grasp the strategic points of the situation. 


It is clear that were all Masters of lodges made to realize that there was much more 
to their office than merely repeating the formulas of the ritual, some advance 
would almost automatically follow. The questions asked by newly admitted 
brethren would be answered instead of being evaded; questioning indeed would be 
encouraged. It would not be "highbrow stuff," it would be as well within the 
powers of the farmer and mechanic as of the lawyer and clergyman. True, many of 
our members might be bored by it, and think much of it sermonizing. But probably 
they either need it themselves, or else they should not be in the lodge at all. If it led 
to the latter element getting out, the Craft would be benefitted thereby. 


Here then, as we see it, is the proper scope of Masonic education. In this, Grand 
Lodges have a plain right and duty to act. It is nothing new, it is only trying to 
recover what we have to great extent lost. Beyond this it is probable that a Grand 
Lodge should not go, at least, not as now constituted. "Higher education," as we 
may call it, is for the individual and for unofficial organizations of individuals, 
quite free from special and local orthodoxies. The search for truth, for new facts, 
must be free if it is to be successful. Among such agencies stands the Research 
Society. But as we have said, Grand Lodges should help the individual worker by 
means of libraries, and wherever dual membership is permitted, Research Lodges 
might well be encouraged. All this, however, is relatively non-essential; it is the 
primary education, implied by Masonic ritual and symbolism, that should be made 



a reality; and once the problem is seen in its true bearings Masonic authorities will 
doubtless seek some way to recover the effectiveness of the lodge in its teaching 
and instructional functions. 


* * * 


A LOVING CUP ON PILGRIMAGE 


WE have had "Traveling Bibles" and "Traveling Triangles," which aroused interest 
in the day of their wanderings, but the brethren of Evans Lodge, No. 624 of 
Evanston, Illinois, have initiated a project, that is perhaps more significant 
symbolically as it is more ambitious in conception. It was given by a Past Master 
of Evans Lodge, who modestly uses the lodge as a veil to screen his identity, upon 
the occasion of the raising of his son as a Master Mason. The cup is to be carried 
by traveling Masons from one lodge to another, toward the East. Thus it is 
expected to be carried around the world, and it is suggested (perhaps the 
symbolism is father to the estimate) that it will take seven years to complete its 
journey before it returns, from the West, to Evanston. 


An attractively bound booklet was privately printed and distributed to the members 
of the lodge as a souvenir on the "Fathers and Sons" night, held on September 7, 
1929. This too, is anonymous, and we suspect that it may have been compiled by 
the brother who gave the cup. It is entitled "The Glorious Mystery" and contains an 
account of the Legend of the Holy Grail, which aside from everything else is a 
very interesting resume of the subject. 


After which comes the following description of the cup itself: 



The "Cup of Brotherly Love" presented to Evans Lodge No. 524, Evanston, 
Illinois, on September 7th, 1929, A, L. 5929, is a marvelous example of artistic 
handiwork. 


Fashioned of sterling silver, it is heavily over-laid with yellow gold. Interested 
members of the Craft carefully designed and executed the engravings, which are 
extremely elaborate and intricate, and which include many interesting features. 


At the base of the goblet are found the lily- work, net-work and pomegranates so 
familiar to all Freemasons. 


Around the outer lip are inscribed the twelve zodiacal signs, each within its own 
triple circle, and which together make up the great Celestial Circle. 


An added circle of All-seeing Eyes above, and a ring of emblems, including the 
Square and Compass, below, complete a Grand Circle of three. 


Underneath this Grand Ring are a trinity of rings, or circles, forming an upper 
border for the space above the lily-work, in which may be found many familiar 
Masonic symbols together with other figures of ancient use and meaning, handed 
down to us from time immemorial. 


Within the lip of the cup and completely encircling it, is engraved in old Anglo- 
Saxon script, the command, "Drink you from this cup of brotherly love." With this 
inscription included as a "ring," the piece becomes a "7-ringed cup" such as those 
of the Legends were encircled. 



Conceived in deepest appreciation of the spiritual values in Freemasonry, made of 
precious metals in which have been wrought the most beautiful designs by highly 
skilled craftsmen, presented to the brethren as an earthly symbol of lofty ideals 
impossible of expression in mere words, dedicated to the mothers of all men, and 
consecrated to the continuance forever of brotherly love and affection between all 
men, but more especially our brethren in Freemasonry, may this cup ever remind 
us of our duties to God, our country, our families, our neighbors and ourselves. 


With the cup will be carried a book in which a record will be made in each lodge 
which receives it, the date and details of its coming, and of its being sent on, with 
any remarks or reflections that the members of the Lodge may wish to make. There 
is also a letter, addressed to the Craft, which has been translated into French, 
Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Dutch and Italian. The letter is as follows: 


TO THE GLORY OF THE GRAND ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE: 


To All and Every our Most Worshipful, Right Worshipful, Worshipful and Loving 
Brethren of the Most Ancient and Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons 
throughout the World to whom this message may come 


GREETINGS: 


Know you that upon the Raising of his son to The Sublime Degree, a Brother has 
given to the Lodge this marvelously wrought token of Gold and Silver; 


Receive from us this Cup, befittingly Dedicated to the Mothers of all Men and 
Consecrated forever to Brotherly Love and Affection between all Mankind, but 
more especially our Brethren in Freemasonry; 



Drink you, all our Brethren, from this Cup in acceptance of the Fraternal Wishes 
for your Health, Prosperity and Continuance, of all whose lips have touched its 
brim; 


Inscribe upon its golden surface as you choose, your Name, Time and Place in the 
endless Circle of Travel, and write upon a Page in the Book such Message as you 
consider appropriate, Posting to us by mail directly, news of your actions; 


Hand on to our Brethren toward the East, Where and Whom as you may Desire, 
this Symbol of the Glorious and Mystic Tie, giving it Safe Conduct by the Hand of 
a true and trusted Brother, that it may Completely Encircle the Whole World and 
Return to us within Seven years, bearing Witness to the Universality of our 
Beloved Fraternity; 


Blessed be all you who shall Welcome this Cup of Brotherly Love and Expedite its 
Travels in Foreign Countries, and may your Names he forever Honored among 
Masons. 


With our Brotherly Love and Affection, 
The Brethren of Evans Lodge No. 524, 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, 
Evanston, Illinois, U. S. A. 


IN THE YEAR OF LIGHT FIVE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND 
TWENTY NINE. 



O 


Chronicle 

A Review of Masonry the World Over 


The Peace Movement in the Shrine 


Whatever we may otherwise think of the "playground" of, Masonry, it has won 
credit and respect for American Masonry by its hospitals for crippled children - 
one of the most truly Masonic charities, in the proper sense of that abused word, 
that has ever been undertaken. Now it is giving Masonry in North America a new 
lead. The meeting of the Imperial Council to be held in Toronto in June of this year 
is to undertake a "drive for World Peace." The Shrine has its own methods, which 
evidently suit its votaries, and we sincerely hope they "put it over," and get the 
peace problem in the minds of the rank and file of American Masonry. 


The State of Masonry 


In the larger and wealthier jurisdictions everything appears prosperous, though 
even there post-war reaction is beginning to tell. In other places the situation is 
already serious, if we may judge from various indications. For example, R. W. Bro. 
John J. Phoenix of North Carolina does not mince matters at all. He describes 
lodges that have not met for twelve months, lodge rooms in disorder, books 
scattered or lost and dues unpaid. He lays this in part to negligence on the part of 
Grand Officers, but doubtless this is not the whole cause; and this negligence may 
itself be part of the disease. 



In other quarters we hear of suggestions for mergers of lodges Which again 
indicates that all is not well. The advocates of consolidation say, that a country 
member can drive thirty or forty miles to a neighboring city more easily and 
quickly than his grandfather could five miles to the village. Which is true But is the 
standardizing of the large lodge the right line to take? It is undoubtedly along the 
line of least resistance, and wholly in conformity with the tendencies of modern 
American Masonry; yet most thinking brethren are inclined to believe that the 
large lodge, materially successful as it may be, is a curse and a blight spiritually. 
What is a lodge for? If it is only a degree mill, plus a club, then the large lodge is 
obviously the answer. If it is, or should be, something else, then such mergers may 
merely make it still more difficult to return to a better way, 


Curiously enough, a brother writing in the Master Mason under the pseudonym of 
"Zabud" very forcibly presents the evils of the average large city lodge, and 
concludes with a half serious description of a lodge he would like to found with a 
few like minded brethren. One that would reduce its expenses to a minimum, that 
would not work more than one degree at a time, nor permit its membership to 
increase above a certain limit. Lodges of less than a hundred members could 
flourish if the brethren only knew more of what Masonry really is. 


Learning the Third Degree Lecture 


The Masonic authorities of Oregon have also had before them that vexed question 
of how to get the average Master Mason to qualify himself "to travel and work as 
such." That this should be a problem is most likely a symptom only and not itself 
the disease. It is probable that if an instructor was appointed and everyone took it 
for granted that the newly raised brother was going to learn what he should know, 
that in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred he would. However in Oregon, as 
elsewhere, legislation has been proposed. The Committee on Jurisprudence had 
before it a proposed amendment to the Code, which required that the brother 
receiving the degree of Master Mason must pass an "examination on the lecture 
thereon" in open lodge within six months, and that on failure to do so “the brother 
shall become automatically suspended until such time as he shall have proved his 
proficiency.” 



The Committee (in our opinion very wisely) refused to recommend this proposal, 
the principal objection lying in the automatic suspension. No one should be denied 
Masonic rights except by the regular and deliberate act of the lodge, on cause 
shown. 


It is very probable that this general remissness in regard to instruction in the third 
degree has been due to the fact that there is no definite occasion (except where 
artificially created by law) for the Master Mason to prove his knowledge. The 
Entered Apprentice and the Fellowcraft are examined as preliminary to 
advancement. There is no such natural and obvious occasion for examination in the 
third degree. It is true that in theory a Master Mason must be examined when 
entering the Royal Arch Chapter, or the Scottish Rite, but in these bodies this has 
long since been the merest matter of form, and besides such examination is 
irrelevant to the lodge We make a suggestion for what it is worth. It would be a 
return in part to ancient usage, in conjunction with an American innovation. The 
latter is the rule that only a Master Mason can be a member of a chartered lodge, 
the former is the old rule that conferring the degrees did not ipso facto confer 
membership in the lodge. Let the newly raised Master remain an unattached Mason 
till he has passed his examination, and make that the occasion of his formal 
reception as a member of the lodge. But the best remedy, we expect, is more direct 
personal interest in the newly admitted brethren on the part of the officers and 
members of the lodge. 


The Annual Meeting of the Masonic Service Association 


In The Master Mason for December is a report of the annual meeting of the 
Association held in Chicago on November 19 and 20, 1929. Upon this the Masonic 
Chronicler makes the following comment: 



"The Masonic Service Association has never sought publicity, and in fact it has 
been exceedingly difficult to get information from its officials as to what was being 
done. The account in the Master Mason is tantalizingly incomplete. 


"Mississippi and Rhode Island answered the roll call a year ago, but apparently had 
no representatives present this year. To balance the number, Delaware and New 
Mexico, not mentioned in 1928, are listed this year. This indicates representation 
from thirteen Grand Lodges in each year, which may be the total membership of 
the Association, and may not. Nothing is said about resignations or the acquisition 
of new members. 


"Reference is made to a resume of the year's activities, submitted by the executive 
commission, but this was apparently not deemed of sufficient importance to be 
included in the Master Mason's account. The fiscal or financial report is entirely 
missing. The committee on audit and finance found no fault with the reports which 
were examined, but not a word is mentioned auto the amount of money received or 
disbursed during the year, the source from which it was received or for what 
purpose it was expended. 


"A reduction was made in the membership fees required of member Grand Lodges. 
They will hereafter all pay a flat assessment of $250 a year, plus two cents per 
capita, with the proviso that in no case shall a Grand Lodge be called upon to pay 
more than three cents per member. 


"Andrew Foulds, Jr., Past Grand Master of New Jersey, who had served as 
chairman of the executive commission for the last five years, was unable to act 
longer and was succeeded by George R. Sturges, Grand Master of Connecticut. No 
successor to Andrew L. Randell, executive secretary during almost the entire life 
of the Association, was announced. 



“We had understood last year that Bro. Frank L. Simpson was to have taken the 
position as Executive Secretary of the Association, but for some reason this does 
not seem to have become effective. Bro. Andrew L. Randell tendered his 
resignation at the meeting in 1928, which was accepted. All that the present report 
tells us that the matter "was discussed." 


Oregon Considers Dual Membership 


At the seventy-ninth Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Oregon held 
last June, the Grand Master, M. W. Bro. R. W. Davis, devoted a part of his address 
to this subject. Having observed that the Oregon code specifically forbade dual 
membership, he suggested that though the wisdom of this prohibition was a matter 
of opinion, yet it was his belief that it militated against the good of the Craft. It is 
estimated that there are living in Oregon five thousand Masons holding 
membership elsewhere who do not wish to sever their relationship with their 
mother lodge, and that to permit dual membership would enable them to actively 
participate in Masonic work. He added that "the matter of registration is a minor 
point and can be worked out." This is refreshing, for from what has been said about 
this one might think that it was an essentially insoluble problem to avoid confusion 
of records. 


A special committee was appointed to consider this part of the address and 
considered it very fully. Bro. L W. Matthews, the Chairman, advancing an 
ingenious theory to account for the rise of this peculiarly American restriction on 
the freedom of The individual Mason. The committee reported itself as against 
plural membership but in favor of dual membership, and amendments to the Code 
were proposed to effect this. These do not make any specific distinction between 
dual membership in and out of the state, but presumably imply that an Oregon 
Mason can belong to two Oregon lodges. While if a Mason whose original 
membership is in another state, the Grand Secretary has to be informed, and pass 
on the question whether the. other state permits dual membership. 



We are very glad to see Oregon joining the more liberal minded of American 
jurisdictions in the doing away with needless restrictions on Masonic liberty. 


Fascist League in the U. S. Disbanded 


From the daily press we learn that the Fascist League, which has sought to bind 
Italians in this country to the Fascist regime in Italy, regardless of their American 
citizenship, or even of their American birth, has been disbanded. Count Ignazio di 
Revel, in a statement prepared for the public, claims that the League existed only 
to enlighten the American public regarding the ideals of Fascism, which task 
having been accomplished the machinery was of no further use and could be 
scrapped. This is a little difficult to swallow, even by those who have no other 
information than has been afforded by the newspapers. The League undertook 
propaganda naturally, but its main object was to maintain a hold on Italians in this 
country in the interests of the Fascist Government. And it is most probable that it is 
rather the growing uneasiness at the existence of such an organization that has been 
manifested lately that is the real reason for abandoning the organization, which 
undoubtedly has been subsidized and directed from Italy. We may fully expect, 
though, that other and less obtrusive means will be sought to prosecute the end in 
view. 


A Threat of Terrorism 


Our readers will undoubtedly have seen the recent newspaper reports of the 
anonymous threats directed against Mr. Putnam of the well known publishing 
house. Putnams is producing the book Bro. Nitti has written, describing life "in 
exile" as a political prisoner under the Fascist regime. Of course these threats, 
whether seriously intended or not, can only be the work of ignorant and half baked 
adherents of the Fascist cause, but even so, they may perhaps be taken as 
illustrating its tendencies as affecting ignorant and violent men. All the same we 
hardly thi nk the Fascist government would fell any regret if by any means the book 
were suppressed. 



Royal Arch Masonry in Dora Scotia 


From the proceedings of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Nova Scotia 
we learn that at the Sixtieth Annual Grand Convocation, held at Sydney, N. S., last 
June, M. E. Comp. R. V. Harris, who is Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of 
Nova Scotia and an associate editor of THE BUILDER offered the following 
notable motion: 


(a) In addition to the fees payable to Grand Chapter under Section 1 hereof each 
Subordinate Chapter shall pay to Grand Chapter the sum Or fifty cents per annum 
for every Companion registered as a member of said Chapter on the 3 1 st day of 
March in each year, such sum to be applied annually by the Board of General 
Purposes for the purpose of assisting in the education of blind children, under such 
regulations as the Board may approve. 


(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) hereof any Chapter may apply 
a sum from the amount assessed on such Chapter under the provisions of 
subsection (a) and not exceeding twenty-five cents per annum, for community or 
social, welfare, service or benefit, educational scholarships or bursaries, or other 
purpose as may be approved by the Board of General Purposes. 


The motion, we judge, was sympathetically received, but naturally there would be 
fears and hesitations among some of the Companions, if not opposition, at the 
presentation of such a proposal. An amendment was moved as follows: 


That any action in regard to motion be postponed for twelve months, and in 
meantime the Grand High Priest and Grand Superintendents be requested, during 
their visitations, to present matter fully to different Chapters. 



The amendment carried, with the effect, we presume, that the motion will reappear 
on the agenda of the next Grand Convocation in 1930. 


We sincerely hope that this noble and truly Masonic project will be endorsed by 
the Royal Arch Masons of Nova Scotia, and that the motion will be carried next 
year, and Nova Scotia may set an example to the whole continent. But in any case, 
whether passed or not, the proposal and its reception, is a cutting comment on the 
recently evolved theory that is rapidly spreading in the United States, that Masonic 
Funds are to be spent only for "Masonic Purposes," understood in the most limited 
sense, and that lodges must be restrained from aiding or assisting with 
contributions any charitable undertaking or social cause outside the narrow 
definition of what is Masonic. 


Lodges Without Charters. 


A brief article on Mother Kilwinning is going the rounds of the American Masonic 
press, the heading to which will undoubtedly give the impression to many readers 
that this ancient lodge is unique in the fact that it has no charter or warrant. 


Neither in this respect, nor in that of having held the position of a "mother- lodge," 
nor in her immemorial antiquity, is she unique, though this epithet is due her as 
having all three of these distinctions in conjunction with being also the traditional 
originating center of various orders and "high grades" - an impeachment, by the 
way, that she has always most vigorously repudiated. 


There are two existing lodges on the roll of the United Grand Lodge Or England, 
survivors of the four which formed the first Grand Lodge in London in 1717, or 
1716, which have no warrants, but work by virtue of time immemorial 



constitution. These are Antiquity No. 2, and Royal Somerset House and Inverness 
No. 4. 


There were more than a hundred lodges in Scotland when the Grand Lodge of that 
country was organized in 1736, the great majority of which were either of "time 
immemorial" constitution, self constituted by "inherent right," or chartered by 
some "mother lodge" - most of such charters being granted by Kilwinning. Of all 
these thirty-three were represented at the assembly or convention at which the 
Grand Lodge was instituted, and William St. Clair (or Sinclair) of Rosslyn elected 
Grand Master. 


Without definite information, but by inference from the works of Murray Lyon and 
Gould, one gathers that the lodges that were in existence before the Grand Lodge 
was formed were given "charters of confirmation," documents acknowledging their 
ancient rights and statutes. Whether Mary’s Chapel and Kilwinning did or did not 
receive, or accept such charters there is nothing in the standard works to show. It 
would be a fraternal act if some informed brother in Scotland would enlighten us 
upon the real state of affairs in regard to this. 


"Recruitment" of Lodges In England. 


As another example of the case with which misunderstandings can arise, we may 
cite a curious misapprehension that several of our European contemporaries have 
fallen into. Some time ago it was officially stated in England that an application for 
membership could not be acted upon at the communication at which it was 
received. Of course it was merely a restatement of the regulations regarding this 
matter, but our brethren on the continent seem to have understood it as a new rule, 
and have (under this impression) very naturally expressed themselves as surprised 
at the laxity of investigation, or lack of it, in English Masonry. We can assure our 
European readers that applicants are thoroughly investigated in England, and the 
official pronouncement from which the misunderstanding arose was undoubtedly 
in reality a reprimand and a warning which in the guise of a general admonition 



was directed to the action of some lodge which was showing a disposition towards 
laxity in regard to the law in this matter. 


However, in practice, the severity and thoroughness with which the character of 
candidates in every respect is investigated in European countries makes American 
practice seem rather lax in comparison, even though our machinery and intentions 
are good. 


— o — 


THE LIBRARY 


The books reviewed in these pages can be procured through the Book Department 
of the N.M.R.S. at the prices given, which include postage, except when otherwise 
stated. These prices are subject (as a matter of precaution) to change without 
notice; though occasion for this will very seldom arise. It may happen, where 
books are privately printed, that there is no supply available, but some indication of 
this will be given in the review. The Book Department is equipped to procure any 
books in print on any subject, and will make inquiries for second-hand works and 
books out of print. 


HISTORY OF AMERICAN LIFE. Edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger and Dixon 
Ryan Fox. Published by the Macmillan Co.; Vol. I, THE COMING OF THE 
WHITE MAN: 1492-1848, By Herbert Ingram Priestly, xx and 411 pages, Vol. II, 
THE FIRST AMERICANS: 1607-1690; By Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker; xx 
and 358 pages, Vol. Ill, PROVINCIAL SOCIETY: 1690-1763; By James Truslow 
Adams, Evil and 374 pages, Vol. VI, THE RISE OF THE COMMON MAN: 1830- 
1850; By Carl Russel Fish; xix and 391 pages; Vol. VIII, THE EMERGENCE OF 
MODERN AMERICA: 1865-1878; By Allan Nevins, xvi and 446 pages Cloth, 
price each volume, $4.00 net. 



THESE are the parts so far issued of this ambitious joint attempt to cover the 
history of America. Each volume is the work of a specialist in the particular aspect 
of American History treated. Being done by scientific historians, the work may 
well be expected to supersede all previous American Histories, and is undoubtedly 
one that no American library worthy of the name, whether public or private, can 
afford to be without. A detailed review of the volumes that have thus appeared will 
be found on an earlier page. 


* * * 


FREEMASONRY IN THE THIRTEEN COLONIES. By J. Hugo Tatsch. 
Published by the Macoy Publishing Company. Red cloth. Introduction, illustrated 
index. 245 pages Price $3.15. 


THE brethren who have been following the writings of Bro. Tatsch in the many 
Masonic journals to which he contributes, will greet this book, which has been 
published after much delay, with open arms. I consider it his best volume, because 
he has done much original research, as is indicated by the announcement of five 
new discoveries in the Introduction. Though he modestly disclaims any pioneer 
effort, those familiar with the scarcity of literature treating of American Masonic 
origins will gladly give him credit for what he designates a compilation only. He 
has been generous in the acknowledgment of assistance in getting facts; the roll of 
names listed in the Introduction is a formidable array of giants in the Masonic 
field. Not content with calling upon American writers, European authorities have 
been consulted too to bring out facts, which further testifies to his thoroughness. 
Prior to Bro. Tatsch's departure for army duty last March, I visited him at the Iowa 
Masonic Library in Cedar Rapids, and saw the voluminous files of correspondence, 
notes and material which he had gathered over a three-year period for the 
preparation of his book. 



Among the valuable contributions is the record of a German lodge which worked 
in the British Army. Not only has he obtained the list of names of the Hessian 
officers who were lodge officers and members, but also a copy of the actual ritual 
used. Obviously, the ritual is not given in the book; but it has been located and a 
copy made available to those interested. Tantalizing rumors of a German lodge in 
America prompted Bro. Tatsch to institute inquiries in Germany, with the happy 
results as given in his work. 


The book opens with a review of the unauthenticated accounts of Freemasonry in 
America which so confuse the novice. These improbabilities are grouped or 
classified by years so that easy reference can be made to the individual cases. He 
treats the Le Plongeon claims for Maya origins with more courtesy and 
consideration than they deserve. Though, in mentioning the books in which such 
claims can be found, he also cites scientific publications which are far more 
convincing leaving it to the student to form his own conclusions by consulting the 
original works. Still it is evident from his own treatment of the subject that he has 
little faith in the preposterous claims that have been made by the self-styled 
"archaeologists" of Freemasonry. 


With the apocryphal accounts dismissed, the story of the Craft is set against a 
chapter in which the social and economic life of the Colonies is sketched. It 
prepares the reader for the strictly historical accounts which follow under the 
headings for each of the Thirteen Colonies - in which Vermont is given a place in 
the chapter on Massachusetts. 


Bro. Tatsch objects to the thoughtless orators who would read Freemasonry into 
everything that was said and done in the Revolutionary period. It is such passages 
which lift his book above the commonplace treatment, for he does not hesitate to 
inject some original thought into his work: 


Judging by what we used to read, it would seem that our colonial forefathers were 
conscious of the great future before the American nation, and never did anything 
which would cause us to think that they were anything less than supermen. This 



thought has been carried to a ridiculous extreme by Masonic orators, who would 
have one believe that every act was prefaced by the question, Is this in accordance 
with Masonic principles and precepts? They profess to see Masonry, as such, 
written into all state documents; they maintain that practically all of our colonial 
and revolutionary leaders were members of the Craft. Such of our patriots who 
were Masons may have been influenced unconsciously by Craft ideals; but to 
intimate that they were deliberately moved by the actual thought is to accuse them 
of an uncalled for provincialism. It is such intimations that have kept capable 
historians from considering the Masonic Fraternity at all when studying the 
movements which were a part and parcel of colonial life. 


Yet the author does not deny that Freemasonry exerted a moral force, for he says: 


The excellent reputation which Freemasons of all ages have enjoyed is proof of the 
worth of the institution, for the prestige of the Craft is only the sum total of that 
possessed by its individual members. Friendship, morality and brotherly love have 
always been fostered where Freemasons foregathered. The story of the Craft in 
America furnishes no exceptions. 


Judgment is passed on books of history by those engaged in similar works. A 
reading of the chapters is at once convincing that the material has been ably 
selected. Though necessarily much condensed, in order to hold the volume down to 
a reasonable size, the essential facts are presented, so that anyone wishing to 
pursue the subject in minute detail can get the story from the books cited in the 
copious bibliographies at the end of each chapter. These notes are of particular 
value because they bring together, under one heading, the worthwhile books from 
which the larger story can be made. They form in themselves a bibliography of 
Colonial Masonic history. 


To review each chapter in detail is impractical. The Pennsylvania and New Jersey 
chapters contain much information about Daniel Cone that has not hitherto 
appeared in book form, although published in magazine articles, fully credited in 
the bibliographies. Massachusetts had two Grand Lodges for a time; the story is 



carried down to the period when the two united and contributed to the literature of 
Freemasonry by the publication of the 1792 and 1798 CONSTITUTIONS, about 
the printing of which Bro. Tatsch had a separate article in the Iowa Grand Lodge 
Bulletin [March, 1929] under "Isaiah Thomas: Printer, Patriot and Freemason." 


The story of Freemasonry in Vermont is especially interesting because of Canadian 
influences which prevailed at one time. Bro. Tatsch cites the History of 
Freemasonry in Quebec in which many of the details are found. Under New York 
is reported a hitherto unknown French Lodge, the charter of which Ossian Lang, 
Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of New York, located in Nova Scotia. 
Freemasonry in the Carolinas involves points which fascinate the student and 
indicate that there is yet much to be ascertained about the early lodges. Roman 
Catholic persecution of Masons in Florida, working under English warrants, is also 
related. 


Virginia has so much to present that the author gives two chapters to that 
Jurisdiction, one of which concerns itself entirely with the history of Norfolk 
Lodge No. 1. It is evident from the treatment given, and the supplemental matter 
included, that one Virginia brother, at least, did not agree with the conclusions of 
Bro. Tatsch; but the latter has left the door open for the inclusion of anything new 
which may be adduced, and which may serve to upset the concepts as based upon 
the facts so far ascertained. This critical but fair treatment is typical of Bro. 
Tatsch's work as a whole, as he takes nothing for granted and sifts the evidence 
carefully. If anything, he leans rather heavily to the writers of the Gould and 
Hughan school, and does not give too serious consideration to fables and fancies, 
but clearly labels them as such. 


One is not surprised to find a long chapter devoted to military lodges of the 
Revolution. This chapter, as well as the others, indicates that restraint was 
necessary in order to keep them from becoming books in themselves. Considerable 
space is given to American Union Lodge, whose records, fortunately, are extant. 



Some interesting separate facts are brought out in the book. For instance, General 
John Sullivan was elected Grand Master of New Hampshire without having served 
as Master of a Lodge; but he was not installed until he had in the meantime been 
elected and installed as Master of St. John's Lodge. It is shown that the Grand 
Lodge of New Jersey was formed by a group of individuals, and not by a group of 
lodges. The reviewer, as a New Jersey Mason, can attest the excellent presentation 
of the facts concerning his own Grand Jurisdiction, with which he is naturally very 
familiar. The Grand Lodge of Tennessee is mentioned as having come into 
existence by a warrant or charter from the Grand Lodge of North Carolina - a 
situation unique in the annals of American Freemasonry. The book presents 
accounts of Masters Lodges, which met in early days for the purpose of conferring 
the Master Mason degree only, for it was not until about the middle of the 
eighteenth century that the three degrees were universally worked. 


Bro. Tatsch, in spite of the excellent work he has produced, is apparently not 
entirely satisfied with the volume, for in an Epilogue he speaks of his "meagre" 
treatment of the story as a whole. No matter what he thinks, it is evident that he has 
prepared a readable and instructive volume, and has succeeded in reaching the 
"average Mason," in spite of his reference in Chapter IV to Bro. Robert Freke 
Gould as "the Thucydides of Masonic history" which we feel sure is just a bit 
"beyond the pale" for the "average Mason," seeing Thucydides ceased to exist 401 
B. C.! Bro. Tatsch thus describes his work: 


"What I have brought together is prepared for the 'Average Mason,' whose number 
is legion, and whose support of the Craft, combined with that of three million and 
more of his brethren in the United States, enables the Craft to function as 
effectively as it does. He is not concerned with the technical details of origins, 
jurisprudence and practices which delight the specialist; what he seeks is a 
presentation which will give him a graphic picture of the Fraternity as a whole. 
This is what I have attempted to do with colonial Masonry in this volume, and it is 
with sincere regret that phases were omitted which really belong to the full 
treatment of the American Craft in colonial times." 


And this is precisely what he has done. 



H.V.B.V. 


* * * 


I BELIEVE IN MAN. By Judge Leon McCord. Published by Harper Brothers. 
Cloth, 137 pp. Price, $1.50 net. 


NEW YORK CITY is a crossroads for good folk of all kinds - through its gates 
pass men and women from every corner of our country, and also from the lands 
across the seas. The fratres calami - brothers of the pen - are especially to be 
found, for sooner or later they come to this city of literary agents and publishers, 
and the better writers have no difficulty in making their way to the exclusive 
editorial sanctums. Some, in fact, are invited; among such is the author of I Believe 
in Man - Brother Leon McCord of Alabama. Through a happy courtesy on the part 
of Harper's, I was not only told of Brother McCord's visit but was also privileged 
to enjoy an hour's visit with him in my own office. Hence my brief comment on his 
book is not only based upon a perusal of it, but also upon a knowledge of his work 
as told in many an incident, tragic and comic, that he related during his never-to- 
be-forgotten visit. 


Brother McCord is a judge of the Circuit Court at Montgomery, Alabama. For 
many years have passed before him in review the offenders against the laws of his 
state. Not content to merely pass judgment and to sentence, reprieve or dismiss 
those appearing at the bar of justice, he has delved into the lives of criminals in an 
effort to find underlying causes for crime. What he has learned is reflected in his 
book; the chapters are short but striking. They make one think. Each one is a jewel 
that needs no setting other than the sympathetic spirit which the reader inevitably 
brings to the book after reading but a single page. 



Let it be said that the book is not a recital of morbid stories or tales of criminals. 
Rather, it holds the reflections which come upon a thoughtful man as he ponders 
upon the experiences of the long line of offenders who have passed in review 
through the years of public service. Brother McCord has transmuted the sordid 
details into gems of practical wisdom; he has presented them in the form of short 
talks which carry conviction, and inspire his listeners and readers to better effort. 


Brother McCord believes not only in man, but also in the youth of our country. It is 
refreshing, after reading so much of a condemnatory nature in current publications, 
to have a man in a position of authority write thus: 


The young generation of America is a challenge to you. They are yet sweet and 
clean, and have aspirations and hopes that soar as high as the morning star. They 
possess little road information; hot blood calls for speed, and they are soon on the 
road. 


You know the road. The sharp curves, the pitfalls, and the unbridged streams are 
printed on your road map in red. You can make of that road a better and safer way 
for these children. If you hold in your heart the love of mankind; if the world sees 
in you an example of the Golden Rule; if the children have come to love and trust 
you; if they have come face to face with the Master because of you, then you are 
building bridges across the chasms of avarice, greed, and hate, and the children of 
the nation will find the roadway open to a nobler and better life. 


It is this Masonic spirit of restoration and new construction that permeates the 
pages of I Believe in Man. I know of no better book of present times which one 
can read with enjoyment and profit; brethren who wish to find suggestions and 
inspiration for short talks before luncheon clubs, church gatherings and lodges, will 
do well to purchase this volume. 


J.H.T. 



THE DECLINE OF THE WEST. By Oswald Spengler. Authorized translation, 
with notes by C. F. Atkinson. Cloth, prefaces, table of contents xviii and 440 
pages, price $4.50 net. 


“SOME books are to be tasted," says Bacon, "others to be swallowed, and some 
few to be chewed and digested. 


That is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not 
curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention." It is 
in the last category, as a book to be chewed and digested, that the great Lord 
Chancellor would without a doubt, have placed Oswald Spengler's Decline of the 
West. And to a competent mathematician- archaeologist-classicist-historian- 
aesthete-philosopher, endowed with a good knowledge of the German language to 
boot, for Spengler's ideas are formulated in German speech, and even in translation 
are redolent of the original tongue, the thorough mastication of the Decline of the 
West will be a most fascinating and profitable occupation. Few, however, are so 
encyclopaedically equipped, and for most the book will be one to be tasted; to be 
skimmed where the technical aspect of the argument requires a specialized 
knowledge, and read with attention when the general ideas are being enunciated or 
the particular technique is at the individual command. Such a skimming or tasting 
is, perhaps, the best line of as revealing most clearly the general ideas which the 
separate arguments are intended to establish, and which are well worth attention. 


The time has come, according to Spengler, when the old historical philosophies 
and the old methods of historical study should be abandoned, and replaced by new. 
Our histories are written from a West-European point of view, and regard the past 
as something leading up to our present condition, thus falsifying the real character 
of Egyptian or Babylonian history by regarding it as a mere prelude to classical, 
omitting such histories as those of India and China which are not related to western 



development, and falling into the ancient, mediaeval, and modern division, which 
Spengler finds meaningless and barren: 


In opposition to all these arbitrary and narrow schemes, derived from tradition or 
personal choice, into which history is forced, I put forward the natural, the 
"Copemican," form of the historical process which lies deep in the essence of that 
process and reveals itself only to an eye perfectly free from Repossessions. - In 
other aspects mankind is habitually, and rightly, reckoned as One of the organisms 
of the earth's surface - Only bring analogy to bear on this (the historical) aspect as 
on the rest, letting the world of human cultures intimately and unreservedly work 
upon the imagination instead of forcing it into-a ready-made scheme. Let the words 
youth, growth, maturity, decay - be taken at last as objective descriptions of 
organic states. Set forth the classical culture as a self-contained phenomenon 
embodying and expressing the classical soul, put it beside the Egyptian, the Indian, 
the Babylonian, the Chinese, and the Western, and determine for each of these 
higher individuals what is typical in their surgings and what is necessary in the riot 
of incidents. And then at last will unfold itself the picture of world-history that is 
natural to us, men of the West, and to us alone. 


That picture Spengler proceeds to describe: 


A boundless mass of human Being, flowing in a stream without banks, up-stream a 
dark past wherein our time-sense loses all powers of definition - ; down-stream, a 
future even so dark and timeless - such is the ground-work of the Faustian 
[Western] picture of human history. Over the expanse of the water passes the 
endless uniform wave-train of the generations, - But over this surface, too, the 
great Cultures accomplish their majestic wave-cycles. They appear suddenly, swell 
in splendid lines, flatten again and vanish, and the face of the waters is once more a 
sleeping waste. 


The true historical method for the Western or Faustian soul is, therefore, to regard 
and examine the various cultures as separate organisms, to study them, as Goethe 
studied Nature physiognomically. Such a physiognomic view will reveal the fact 



that each culture is the product of a definite and special soul, of a special way of 
looking at life and the world. Classical culture, for example, was the product of the 
"Apollinian"' an a-historic, soul, living in the present, whose prime-symbol was the 
sensuously-present individual body, and whose vision was bounded by the visible 
horizon; Western culture the outward manifestation of the "Faustian" soul, whose 
prime-symbol is cure and limitless space. Every aspect of a culture, its mathematic, 
its architecture, its plastic and musical art, will be determined by the character of 
this underlying soul - or "possible." The spatially limited Apollinian will produce 
Euclidean geometry, the classic temple, and sculpture in the round; the unbounded 
Western will give birth to the modem form of mathematic, the Gothic cathedral 
with its striving upward to the infinite, and a particular type of oil-painting and 
music. The cultural manifestation of each underlying soul will, accordingly, have a 
limit. When the possible expression of that particular soul in science and art has 
been accomplished, the culture must inevitably harden, decline, and die. 


Thus the idea of Destiny replaces that of Casuality as the great historical principle. 
By some deep inward compulsion the culture must rise along pre-determined 
general lines. Although particular events and movements [incidents] might have 
happened otherwise than actually occurred, the main course of development and 
the necessity of final decline are irrevocably decided. More, it appears from a 
comparative investigation that all cultures pass through similar phases, that the 
stages of their development are parallel and four in number. Spring, the period of 
"rural-initiative." Great creations of the newly-awakened dream-heavy soul. Super- 
personal unity and fullness. Summer, the time of "ripening consciousness. Earliest 
urban and critical stirrings." Autumn, the age of "Intelligence of the city. Zenith of 
strict intellectual creativeness." And Winter, the final phase, marked by the "Dawn 
of megalopolitan civilization. Extinction of spiritual creative force Life itself 
becomes problematical. Ethical-practical tendencies of an irreligious and 
unmetaphysical cosmopolitanism." These four phases would appear to be of 
approximately equal time-duration in the various cultures. We may therefore 
discard the old form of chronology which regarded a great figure or movement of 
classical culture as "earlier" than a corresponding personality or development of 
Western, and adopt a cultural scheme which would regard them as cultural 
contemporaries. 



If these views are accepted, history need no longer restrict itself to the role of 
narrator and interpreter of the past, but may confidently assume that of prophet. 
Since it is the destiny Or each culture that rises from the world- waters of humanity 
to pass through these various phases of identical character, and of approximately 
equal duration, we may ascertain from the conditions of the day the place of our 
own age in the life-story of Western culture, and shall then be able to anticipate the 
course it has still to run before it reverts again into the proto-soul from which it 
sprang. It is Spengler's belief that the Faustian culture has entered the final phase in 
the cultural life-history, the winter-season of megalopolitan civilization; the period 
of the extinction of the spiritual creative force and of a hard, practical, efficient, 
material existence. Some two centuries of slackening energy remain to be spent 
before the decline of the West is finally accomplished and the culture of the 
Faustian soul joins those of the Egyptian, Apollinian, and Magian, as something 
that has been. 


Such, to the layman, would appear to be the main ideas which Spengler develops 
philosophically and elucidates by exceedingly interesting analyses of Apollinian, 
Magian [Arabian] and Western mathematics, philosophy, and art. The view of 
world-history which he presents is that of a mass of humanity, a proto-soul, out of 
which form themselves a succession of cultural souls, each of a definite character, 
expressing itself ["actualizing its possible"] in an individual political, scientific, 
and artistic development; with the certainty that when the cultural soul has 
achieved the total expression of its innate possibilities, the culture must harden into 
"mere civilization" and die away. 


To comment in any fair and adequate fashion on Spengler's ideas would require a 
treatise, or series of treatises - to which end a Spengler library seems in process of 
creation. A mere review must limit itself to one or two considerations. And first, as 
any student of the past would expect, in spite of the constant stressing of the 
novelty of his views, much of Spengler's philosophy is reminiscent of earlier 
thought, of the views of his cultural contemporaries. The remark of Bury in the 
"Idea of Progress" that the general view of the Greek philosophers was that they 
were living in an age Of inevitable degeneration and decay - inevitable because it 
was prescribed by the nature of the universe," has a familiar ring for one fresh from 
the perusal of the Decline of the West Jean Bodin's division of human history into 
three great periods, not ancient, mediaeval and modern, but those of the South- 



Eastern, the Mediterranean, and the Northern races, the note of the first being that 
of religion, of the second practical sagacity, of the third warfare and inventive skill, 
and each having a duration of approximately two thousand years, would seem to 
foreshadow in the 1 6th century, at least dimly, much of Spengler's 20th century 
conception Or world-history as the study of a series of specific cultures. And the 
lists might be indefinitely extended. 


Perhaps the chief weakness of Spengler's method is that it is too rigid and absolute. 
While rightly condemning the attempts of former writers to crush history into a 
ready-made framework, he is himself liable to fall into the same error. As an 
example of this tendency his view of the Greek historians may be cited. Having 
determined that the prime-symbol of the Apollinian soul is the visibly-present, 
spatially-limited body, he decides that the Greek soul must have been a-historic, 
able to grasp the present and depict contemporary events in a masterly fashion, but 
falling into hopeless error in the attempt to deal with even the near past As a 
generalization this is true enough; but when Spengler makes his statement 
absolute, and reduces Thucydides from the rank of a great historian to that of a 
brilliant annalist of his own age; it is permissible to doubt, more especially when it 
is discovered that he has misrepresented his author to prove the point. On page 10, 
Spengler states that: 


As for Thucydides, his lack of historical feeling - in our sense of the phrase - is 
conclusively demonstrated on the very first page of his book by the astounding 
statement that before his time (about 400 B. C.) no events of importance had 
occurred in the world. 


What Thucydides actually says is: 


The character of the events which preceded [the Peloponnesian War], whether 
immediately or in more remote antiquity, owing to the lapse of time cannot be 
made out with certainty. But judging from the evidence which I am able to trust 
after most careful enquiry, I should imagine that former ages were not greater 
either in their wars or in anything else. 



He then proceeds to discuss earlier times in a manner which shows that he was 
very far from restricted in vision to his own day, and anything but "a-historic." 


Behind every book, as Taine pointed out, there is something more than a single 
personality; there is the whole view of life land state of society from which it 
Proceeded. It may therefore not be amiss, in conclusion, to relate Spengler's ideas 
to conditions in Germany during the 19th and 20th centuries. In a lecture delivered 
at Cambridge some twenty-five years ago a prominent German historian pointed 
out that there were two Germanies, the dreamy, artistic, philosophical Germany of 
the South, and the hard, efficient, practical Germany represented, by the Prussian 
state. The union of the country was accomplished by the triumph of the latter, 
which then proceeded to effect a transformation of the German world after its own 
pattern, to restrict such former centres of culture as Weimar to the role of 
provincial towns, and develop the megalopolitan life of Berlin. It is impossible to 
read Spengler without feeling the close relation of this development with his 
thought. It is to Goethe that he looks for inspiration and illustration, as a glance at 
the number of references under that name in the index will show. The Decline of 
the West is a lament for the overshadowing of the philosophical, musical, literary, 
and artistic life by the practical, efficient, megalopolitan civilization, and may not 
inadequately be described as an "Elegy on Weimar." 


E. E. B. 


* * * 


TASCHENBUCH DES VEREINS DEUTSCHER FREIMAURER MIT 
KALENDAR. Published by the Vereins Deutscher Freimaurer. Leather, 272 pages. 
Price, 2 marks. 



THIS is the sixth edition of this pocket-book diary and calendar. It is on the same 
lines as the previous editions. A diary calendar, followed by complete information 
regarding German Grand Lodges and lodges, names and addresses of officers and 
so on; information about the V. D. F. itself and a list of lodges working in the 
German language throughout the world, and a list of Masonic periodicals 
published in German. 


Each edition has in addition an interesting essay on some prominent German 
Mason, which is given the place of honor in the book. Last year the subject was 
Christoph Martin Wieland, in the present volume it is "Herder, as a Freemason," 
which subject is dealt with by Dr. Rudolph Mense of Bonn. 

* * * 


TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE CARNEGIE HERO FUND. By W. J. Holland, 
President of the Commission. Paper, 15 pages. 


A GENERATION has passed since Andrew Carnegie founded this fund. It was 
important news at the time, the papers everywhere were full of it, and all the men- 
in-the-street knew about it. Today it Is comparatively an ancient institution, and 
though most people have a vague feeling of familiarity with the name, few really 
know what it is. 


Its genesis was the idea that those who performed actions of conspicuous bravery 
in the accidents of everyday life were fully as deserving of public honor as those 
who distinguish themselves on the field of battle. Mr. Holland relates the 
circumstances in which the idea took form, and gives a compressed account of 
what has been done since. 


— o — 



THE QUESTION BOX 
and CORRESPONDENCE 


THE ELIMINATION OF THE CHAPTER. 


Referring to your "Chronicle and Comment" in the November, 1929, issue of your 
publication, page 343, "The Elimination of the Chapter," certainly deserves a few 
words of appreciation from all seriously minded Royal Arch Masons wherever 
dispersed. 


One is really led to wonder what degree of "Masonic" intelligence is possessed by 
the reviewer of the proceedings of the Grand Commandery, K T. of Illinois. 
However, the biggest surprise is that he could find an entire "committee" to sign 
such a report. The reviewer's reference to the "Royal Arch Chapter being a mill 
stone about the neck of the Order of Knights Templar" and "if the Royal Arch 
Chapter cannot stand upon its own merits, then the sooner it goes out of business 
the better" are ample evidence of his ignorance of basic Masonic Law and 
Landmarks, particularly Landmark Second. Whatever may have been the good 
intentions of those who deemed it essential to inject the "bond" of denominational 
belief into the structure of "Free" Masonry, the fallacy of such idea is proven 
beyond doubt by the undisguised attitude of Illinois Templarism at the present 


As to your own comment on this matter, I can find but one fault, and that is your 
suggestion that it might be better to make the "fuss and feather" degrees open to 
Entered Apprentices. Maybe playgrounds and parades are more suitable for the 
novices and Masonic "youths" before they ever enter the door of a symbolic lodge. 
But once a profane declares his desire to become "free," it is really an insult to his 
intelligence to expect him to return to the "bonds" of denominational organizations, 
from which he has just "escaped." 



Just the same, I want to repeat that your comment upon, and frank exposure of the 
designs on the trestleboard of Knight Templarism deserves the thanks of organized 
Royal Arch Masonry. They are words of caution whispered into the ears of Royal 
Arch Masons exposed to grave danger. The wide circulation of THE BUII.DEB 
will do the rest. 


WALTER H. BRAUN, Wisconsin. 


* * * 


I have been a subscriber of your magazine for some time, and enjoy it very much. 


In your November issue, page 343, the article entitled "The Elimination of the 
Chapter," in reply would quote C. C. Hunt, a P.G.H.P. 


Two thoughts inevitably suggest themselves. One is the germinating and self- 
developing power of Masonry. While its three Great Lights, its Ancient Landmarks 
remain the same from age to age, while it is not in the power of any man or any 
body of men to make innovations in the body of Masonry, yet in the application of 
its principle and diffusion of its light what a wonderful instance of organic 
development it presents Here indeed is genuine evolution. Not like the spurious 
development of the faith held by some religious teachers, which consists in the 
denial of truths which have been believed and revered from the first, but a 
development by actual growth and increment. Knowledge from previous 
knowledge, truth from truth, light from light, this is the law of Masonic evolution, 
and how impressive and striking an illustration of this is the whole system of Royal 
Arch Masonry. If, as has been asserted, there was a mutilation of the Third Degree 
when the Royal Arch was formed, who, looking at the wealth and beauty of 
teaching which has therefrom accrued to the Masonic Body as a whole can regret 



it? It is indeed a striking illustration of the law of sacrifice that the greatest good to 
the greatest number may be obtained; and the law of sacrifice is the law, not of 
death but of greater and fuller life, the supreme instance of which in all the world, 
and in all ages, is the sacrifice of Him who said: "I came that they might have life 
and have it more abundantly.” In an infinitely humbler but very real sense, this is 
true of the sacrifice by the Third Degree of its greatest treasure, and thereby, the 
Royal Arch might be formed. For we look on our time-honored Institution today, 
we see no stunted or unequal growth, no bare and blasted trunk on which the 
tempests and the lightning have wrought their will, but we behold, as it were, a 
magnificent and beautifully proportioned tree, full of vigorous life coursing from 
its downmost fibre to its topmost bud, whose branches reach the remotest confines 
of the civilized world, in whose grateful shade we may find rest from the burden 
and heat of the day, whose blossoms delight the eye, whose fruit gives food and 
sustenance to our moral and intellectual nature. And of the several branches which 
go to make up this imperial growth, none surely is fairer or more fruitful than the 
Royal Arch with its four collateral boughs. Oh, who could wish this branch lopped 
from the parent tree of Masonry, its history unwritten, its ultimate secret relegated 
back to the Third Degree. Surely not one of the Royal Craft, not one who has ever 
partaken of its fruit, who has ever beheld its beautiful ceremonies and absorbed its 
sublime lessons. The contribution of Royal Arch Masonry to the entire Masonic 
system is beyond all laudation, and of course beyond denial. 


A.E. CANTELON, Minnesota. 


Perhaps some of our readers may have misapprehended what was proposed by the 
Fraternal Correspondent of the Grand Commandery of Illinois. He did not propose 
the abolition of the Chapter (which indeed would be ultra vires, not to say absurd) 
but the elimination, not the best word perhaps, of the requirement that a Mason 
must have received the Royal Arch before entering the Templar Order, and this is 
presumably a private matter for the Knight Templars to decide for themselves. 
While we may hazard a guess that such action would probably reduce the number 
of applicants for exaltation, we are sure it would very greatly raise the average 
level of their quality, for the Chapter would at once cease to be regarded as a mere 
stepping stone to the Commandery and Shrine, which is all it is in the minds of 
hundreds of Companions - in name. 



PLURAL MEMBERSHIP AND RESEARCH LODGES. 


You have stated your opinion more than once that "dual" or "plural" membership 
would permit the formation of real "Research Lodges." But these lodges would not 
be concerned with initiating men into Masonry, their work not touching anyone 
who is not a Master Mason. N. W. J. H., Canada. 


There have been several instances within the last ten years in which an attempt was 
made to found a Research Lodge in America. Those cases known to us have been 
in widely separated states, but the outcome in each was the same. There was 
apparently no adequate provision for financial obligations and there was no by law 
or general understanding among the members to prohibit, or even limit, initiations 
into the lodge. The result of these two causes in conjunction was that the lodge 
accepted applications in the usual way in order to obtain the initiation fees, which 
it needed to meet its expenses. This had two obvious consequences. Owing to the 
pressure of ritualistic work there was no time left for reading and discussing 
papers; and owing to the difficulty of divining beforehand whether a profane is 
going to be interested in Masonic research or not and the strong probability is that 
he will not be interested), the original founders of the lodge were soon swamped by 
"average" Masons, "good fellows," but bored stiff by anything "highbrow." 


In order to meet this necessity for a carefully selected membership of those who 
have proved their interest in the intellectual side of Masonry, all successful 
Research Lodges (wherever they exist) either have by-laws against receiving 
applications for initiation, or a general understanding, rigidly lived up to, that none 
will be received. But this implies that unless a Mason can belong to more than one 
lodge, he must sacrifice the ordinary lodge life and interests, which very few 
zealous Masons are willing to do. Thus dual or plural membership does open up 
the possibility of founding a Research lodge in any jurisdiction permitting it. And 



we may say once more, to remove a persistent misapprehension, that there is no 
need for any special charter to start one; and in reality, no need for any special by- 
laws to maintain one. The warrant of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, for example, is in 
precisely the same form as that of any other English lodge. It is empowered to 
initiate, pass and raise candidates like any other lodge, even though it never does. 
Naturally those proposing to start such a lodge would explain their object to the 
Masonic authorities, and would have to receive their passive approbation at least. 
But considering the general interest in Masonic education now aroused in the 
United States, this should not be difficult. We rather wonder which of the Grand 
Lodges that have adopted the principle of plural membership, or are thinking of 
doing so, will have the honor of being the pioneer in such a development. 


* * * 


A VALEDICTORY 


We have received the following communication from Dr. Joseph Fort Newton, 
which he has sent out generally to the Masonic Press. Bro. Newton is one of the 
most widely known, perhaps the most widely known Mason living today, and his 
decision to retire from his Masonic labors will be received with regret not only in 
this country but the world over. Bro. Newton was the first editor of THE Builder, 
although he only held the post for two years and a half, as he necessarily felt 
obliged to resign after he had gone to England However, length of time is not 
always a measure of service. It is quite possible that THE BUILDER might never 
have existed had Bro. Newton not been on hand to direct it in its earliest days. 


For twenty years, or thereabouts - to be exact, since 1912-1 have had three great 
interests outside my home: the Church, the University, and the Lodge. To these 
fields of labor my energies have been given, in about equal measure; and in all 
three I have been trying to do one thing - that is, to interpret the spiritual worth and 
meaning of life. 



In Masonry my aim has been twofold: to induce Masons to know more about 
Masonry, and to inspire them to do more with Masonry. In my little book The 
Builders - now to be read in many tongues, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish, Syrian - as 
editor of THE BUILDER, the journal of the National Masonic Research Society - 
and, later, of The Master Mason, the journal of the Masonic Service Association; 
in many books, and on a thousand Lodge platforms, I have tried to do somewhat in 
behalf of the gentle Craft of Freemasonry. 


Others may have done better work, but no one ever worked harder, trying to do 
good work, true work, square work, in the effort to expound the principle and to 
promote the practice of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth; by which I mean the 
Truth that makes all other truth true. My work speaks for itself and is worth what it 
is worth; it is not for me to estimate its value, if it has any, still less to appraise its 
significance for the Craft. All a man can do is to do his work, as best he can, or 
well or ill, and pass on; leaving the results with the Master of all Good Work to 
forgive or approve. 


Anyway, I have reached a time of life when I cannot go on doing so many things, 
and must conserve and concentrate my energies to do some things of which I have 
long dreamed, before the night falls and no one can work. To that end I am 
withdrawing as editor of The Master Mason - with which I have had only a 
nominal association since the first of last March - and from all active labors in 
Freemasonry; and I shall not again attempt such work as I have been trying to do in 
the years gone by. My decision has not been reached without reluctance and 
profound regret, and I shall be lonely for a time; but it must be so, and one must 
face facts. 


If the Grand Master will grant me grace, I hope sometime to write a little book on 
the Symbolism of Masonry, and a Manual for Young Masons and Masters of 
Lodges, as well as the Masonic History of Texas, my native State; but these things 
are only dreams, and may not come true - if only because our fleeting life is of 
such stuff as dreams are made on, rounded with a Sleep. Yet, if all dreams came 
true, life would lose its lustre, and there would be nothing to look forward to 
Beyond - out yonder in the City on the hill. 



To all my Brethren, all over America, in England, in Africa, Australia and the far 
ends of the earth, good men and true, brothers and builders, the very thought of 
whom has been an inspiration in the midst of the years, whose fellowship has 
added a whole dimension to my life - men to know whom is a kind of religion, and 
whose love on earth has made a God of Love real and radiant in the heavens - 1 
send greetings, blessings, thanksgiving, and goodwill. To each one I would fain 
whisper a tiny word trust God, hope much, fear not at all, and love with all your 
heart. 


JOSEPH FORT NEWTON 


* * * 


SOME APPRECIATIONS. 


I read your articles with much pleasure and especially agree with the sentiments 
expressed in your question, What is the Matter with Masonry? They fit in precisely 
with the judgment of a good many Masons here in the West. Only not too much 
stress has been placed on the almighty dollar which very often opens the doors of 
our temples for men who don't care for obligations, misusing the name of Mason 
for gain only. Hope to see some more of this style. 


B. J. BOUBIGIUS, Oregon. 


Allow me to congratulate you on the excellence of the magazine both in contents 
and appearance. 



I am chairman of our Library and Reading Room Committee and place it on file 
there when I have read it. 


It may interest you to know that I have complete files of it from first number to 
present time. 


Wishing you all manner of good things for the future. 


T. R. STONER, South Dakota. 


* * * 


SYLVANUS COBB'S MASONIC NOVELS. 


In THE BUILDER'S list of books, I notice the Caliph of Bagdad, by Sylvanus 
Cobb, Jr This novel pertains to the Council Degrees. The author wrote two other 
Masonic novels. One entitled Alaric or the Tyrant's Vault, which was based upon 
the Blue Lodge Degrees. The other was entitled The Keystone, and of course was 
founded upon the Royal Arch Degree. These three novels were first printed in the 
"New York Ledger," (Robert Bonner's famous story paper ), many years ago. A 
laric was printed about seventy years ago; (caliph about sixty years ago, and The 
Keystone later The first two mentioned were afterwards reprinted in book form, 
but naturally those editions are out of print. I don't know that The Keystone was 
ever printed in book form. If desired for reprinting, I presume copies of the first 
and third stories mentioned might be obtained. 


Bro. Cobb lived and died at Hyde Park, Massachusetts, and was a member of the 
Blue Lodge at that place. He was also a Knight Templar, and was a thirty-second 



degree member of the Scottish Rite. Bro. Cobb was an extensive and versatile 
writer and his many novels and stories over different names were printed in a 
number of story papers and were very popular. 


A.O. ROBINSON, Florida. 


* * * 


THE DEGREES OF MASONRY 


We are engaged in revising the series of articles published in THE BUILDER in 
1928 and 1929 with a view to republishing them. Our request for comment, 
corrections and criticism in the final article was quite serious. The articles were, 
many of them, written under circumstances not conducive to the complete 
accuracy that such a work demands, to be of any real value. We have discovered 
some errors, and in a few places the argument will have to be modified, but it is 
often very difficult to see mistakes from the inside. If such of our readers who are 
interested in the subject and have taken time to read the articles, would give us the 
benefit of any observations they have to make, we should be really very grateful. 


A. J. Kress. 

R. J. Meekren. 


* * * 


GENERAL GEORGE G. MEADE 



Has any reader of THE Builder any information in regard to whether General 
George G. Meade was a Freemason or no? Or can suggest any place where the 
information might be found? 


E.P.S., Maryland