Vol. XI. 


OCTOBER, 1697. 


No. 10. 






S &fcs ^ ^ " 


Published^ by The Trestle^ Board Association, C. Moody Plummer, Manager. 


408 California St., 


SAN FRA XCTSCO, CA L. 


$1.00 per year in advance. 


Single copies 10 cents, 


A Brotherly Hand. . . 435 

Masonic and Other Oaths and Affirmations 430 

So Little 43 s 

The Coming Revival . . 43 s 

Don’i Look for Flaws 442 

Masonic Charity in an Old-Time Way 442 

My Experience 445 

Adoptive Masonry 445 

“As Ye Would” 447 

Trusting in Providence 447 

An Unwarranted Bargain 449 

To the Craftsmen of Mississippi 452 

For the Little Ones 452 

The Manufacture of Gold 452 

What Was His Creed? 455 

Whittaker’s Almanac 455 

An Alaska Masonic Funeral 4‘6 

Remedy tor Non-Affiliation 457 

What is Pyschometry ? 45S 

Mercenar Masonry 459 

The Payment of Dues 459 

The Mason’s Church 461 

1 he Ante- Room 40 1 

The Old Inoian’s Rebuke 462 

The Order of Knights of Pythias. . . . ... 462 

The Dog in the Chapter 463 

The W»ong Idea . 463 

Liquor Drinking and the Bicycle 464 

Editorials, Etc. 

Our Duty to Visitors . .... 464 

The Salvation Army 465 

Negro Masonry 46- 

Editorial Chips 46' 

Alaska Correspondence 471 

Minnesota Correspondence 472 

Chips from Other Quarries 4 7 3 

Premiums for 1898 ' 4^2 | 

Literary Notes 4 Q 2 

Deaths 4 S 2 





THE TRESTLE BOARD. 





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THE 



A MONTHLY MASONIC AND FAMILY MAGAZINE. 


Vol. XL OCTOBER, 1897. No. 10. 


A Brotherly Hand. 


’Twas only a grasp in the hurry— 

The bustle and business of life, 

The strong, friendly grip of a Brother, 

As the crowd jostled on in its strife; 

But that grasp left a lingering feeling 
Of friendship, encouragement, cheer, 

And you felt all refreshed and light-hearted 
Like the world wasn’t all dark and drear; 
Twas only a hearty, warm hand-shake, 

A grasp with its greeting so bland, 

Yet somehow all day seemed the brighter, 

For that grasp of a brotherly hand. 

’Twas only a touch in the darkness, 

When trials and danger were rife, 

A warning, a guide, a protection, 

An omen of good ’mid the strife; 

’Twas only a hand stretching outward, 

To beckon, or caution, or cheer, 

A monitor, piloting upward, 

A counselor, faithful and near; 

’Twas only a touch in the darkness — 

That touch had a meaning demand— 

No signal is true and unfailing, 

Like the touch of a brotherly hand. 

o 

Masonic and Other Oaths and Af- 
firmations. 


The time when oaths and affirmations 
for the purpose of compelling human be- 
ings to perform certain things required of 
them, or to abstain therefrom, or to tell 
the truth, as the case might be, is veiled 
in mystery. Their necessity, however, 
has been fully established, and no effort, 
so far as is known, has ever been made to 
abolish or modify them. The world is 
held together by oaths and affirmations 
administered by proper authority, to all 
rulers and officials of high and low degree 
in State and municipalities, and in every 
phase of human society. Without official 


oaths the country would undoubtedly lapse 
into a state of disorder, confusion and 
finally anarchy. 

The object of an oath or affirmation is 
to influence or compel by fear of penalty- 
inflicting punishments, either here or here- 
after, the one who makes it or takes it. 
To make them binding the laws and* cus- 
toms of all civilized countries on the globe 
provide that certain officers and designated 
persons shall be authorized to administer 
oaths, so that in case of false- swearing the 
perjurer may be convicted and punished 
according to the law or usage in such cases 
made and provided. If all people would 
always tell the truth, there would be no 
necessity of administering and assuming 
an oath with the penalties attached. But 
they do not all do that, and it is a lament- 
able fact that many who make oath that 
they will tell the truth do not always 
do so. 

In all ages, and in every country on the 
globe, oaths have been considered the bond 
that keeps the State and country together. 
No President of the United States, or 
Governor of the State, or any other na- 
tional or State official, even after having 
been regularly elected, can assume the 
duties of the office without taking the oath 
prescribed. 

In every church organization, and in 
every society of whatsoever kind in exist- 
ence, members are admitted only upon 
taking an oath, or making a promise, 
either expressed or implied, to comply 
with the requirements, whatever they may 
be, under penalty of suspension or expul- 
sion, according to the gravity of the of- 
fense. 


436 


THE TRESTLE BOARD , . 


In different countries and societies ex- 
traordinary penalties are in many cases at- 
tached to oaths, hoping thereby, doubt- 
less, to compel honesty and constancy on 
the part of the swearer. Among some of 
these penalties are having the eyes torn 
out from their sockets; the hands and feet 
chopped off; the body cut into four quar- 
ters; the head chopped off and thrown in- 
to the sea; the skull smote off and the 
brains taken out and burned to ashes; the 
breast cut open, the heart taken out and 
given to wild beasts as a prey, and many 
other horrid and ridiculous penalties of 
like import, the object being to make a 
deep and lasting impression on the mind of 
the candidate, and not with any expecta- 
tion of literal fulfillment. 

In every phase of business and society 
relationship, there are oaths and pledges 
of secrecy administered and exacted before 
anything is divulged or any steps taken. 
In our courts, the grand jury is sworn not to 
divulge anything that they may hear or learn 
in the jury room, and this oath is attested 
by the imprecation, “so help me God,” 
which means that the oath of secrecy will 
be faithfully kept, God giving him strength 
to do so. Every witness, before testifying 
before the court, must take an oath to tes- 
tify to the truth, the whole truth, and 
nothing but the truth, before he can be 
allowed to tell what he knows. In taking 
this oath he is required to hold up his 
right hand, and, in token of his determi- 
nation to faithfully carry it out, he adds, 
“so help me God.” Every officer, from 
the President of the United States down to 
road supervisor, must take a solemn oath 
that he will faithfully discharge his duties 
before he can assume the office, and before 
he can know what those duties are. Even 
your neighbor, who has something to com- 
municate to you, exacts a promise that you 
will not tell it to anybody else. This 
promise is usually made upon the honor of 
a man. If he should divulge it, the pen- 
alty attached to the violation of his pledge 
would be that of being known in the com- 
munity as a liar, and one whose word 
could not be depended upon. The wit- 
ness who testifies to that which is not true, 
in violation of his oath, is subject to the 
pains and penalties of perjury as fixed by 
law. These are disfranchisement and im- 
prisonment for a given time. 

The Master of a Masonic Lodge is 
authorized to administer obligations to 
candidates, and confer upon them the de- 


grees of Masonry, by authority of the 
Grand Lodge of the State, under the laws 
it has made regulating the admission of 
candidates. 

The Grand Lodge of the State is a le- 
gally organized body, holding a charter in 
a legal way by descent from the beginning 
of the Masonic organization so far back in 
the mystic mazes of the past that the mem- 
ory of man runneth not to the contrary. 
It is also incorporated as a legal organiza- 
tion by a special act of the Legislature, 
and can, and does, do only those things 
that are lawful and honorable among men. 
Subordinate Lodges, or branches, deriv- 
ing their authority from the Grand Lodge 
are authorized to initiate candidates into 
the Order only under snch regulations as 
are prescribed by the Grand Lodge, which 
are specified in the charter and in the gen- 
eral regulations of the Order. No one 
but the Master of a Lodge can legally 
make a Mason, and he can do so only in a 
regular Lodge when there is present a 
constitutional number, with a charter from 
the Grand Lodge empowering them to 
work. 

One of the most serious objections many 
good people make to the Masonic Frater- 
nity — and the same objection may apply 
to all other secret societies or organiza- 
tions — is the obligation every candidate 
must take before he can be admitted to 
membership. It is a remarkable fact, too, 
that opposition to the Fraternity on this 
account that has accomplished anything — 
and that only by excommunication of its 
own members — comes from religious sects 
that are supposed to know nothing about 
that which they proclaim against. The 
Catholic church was the first to issue bulls, 
as they were called, of excommunication 
against Masons belonging to that church. 
The first was issued in the year 1738, by 
Clement XII, at that time Pope of Rome. 
He assigned as a reason of his condemna- 
tion that the Masonic Institution confed- 
erated persons of all religions and sects in 
a mysterious bond of union and compelled 
them to secrecy by an oath taken on the 
Bible, accompanied by certain ceremonies 
and the imprecation of heavy penalties. 
This, from that time to the present, has 
been the basis of Catholic opposition to 
the Institution. 

A dozen years later the associate sece- 
ders of Scotland adopted an act concern- 
ing what they called “the Masons’ oath.” 
In the preamble to the act they assigned 


THE TRESTLE BOARD 


437 


any degree. The constitution of the 
United States has prescribed the form of 
oath which a president shall take before 
he can be permitted to enter upon the 
duties of the office. It is in these words: 
“Ido solemnly swear (or affirm), that I 
will faithfully execute the office of Presi- 
dent of the United States, and will to the 
best of my ability preserve, protect and 
defend the Constitution of the United 
States.” That is what he swears to, and 
whether he adds “so help me God,” or, 
“as I shall answer under the pains and 
penalties of perjury,” makes no sort of 
difference. That has nothing to do with 
the oath. It is the same with the Masonic 
obligation, or the obligation of any other 
order or society. If the initiate should 
bind himself under no less penalty than 
that inflicted upon Hector when he had 
his legs bound and tied to a chariot drawn 
by runaway horses, and dragged and 
pounded and beat to a jelly, or that of be- 
ing shot out of a cannon, or of having his 
brains beat out against the rock of Gibral- 
tar, could not possibly add anything to the 
effectiveness of his obligation. Mackey 
has well said: “If in any promise or vow 
made by Masons penalties are inserted, it 
may probably be supposed that they are 
used only with a metaphorical or para- 
phrasical signification, and for the purpose 
of symbolic or historical allusion. Any 
other interpretation w r ould be entirely at 
variance with the opinions of the most in- 
telligent Masons, who, it is to be presumed, 
best know the intent and meaning of their 
own ceremonies.” 

Covenants, which are the same in effect 
as oaths or obligations, are of divine or- 
igin, and are found in the Scriptures as 
far back as the book of Genesis. In chap- 
ter xv of that book it will be found that, 
where, to confirm a covenant which God 
made with Abraham, the latter, in obedi- 
ence to the divine command, took a 
“heifer, a she goat, and a ram, and divid- 
ed them in the midst, and laid each piece 
one against the other, that the covenanting 
parties might pass between them.” 

This custom is again alluded to in the 
book of Jeremiah, xxxiv: 18-20, as fol- 
lows: 

“And I will give the men that have 
transgressed my covenant, which have not 
performed the words of my covenant which 
they have made before me when they cut 
the calf in twain and passed between the 
parts thereof; 


as reasons for their objections “that there 
were very strong presumptions that among 
the Masons an oath of secrecy is adminis- 
tered to entrants into their society, even 
under a capital penalty, and before any of 
those things which they swear to keep 
secret be revealed to them, besides other 
things which are ground of scruple in the 
manner of swearing the said oath.” 

It is admitted that in each of the degrees 
of Masonry there is an obligation, and that 
there is a declaration of constancy attached 
to them. The objection that these obli- 
gations must be taken before the secrets 
on which they are based can be revealed, 
is hardly worth considering. The very 
object of the Order, if the secrets were re- 
vealed before the administering of the ob- 
ligation, would be frustrated. In that 
case, suppose the candidate should con- 
clude not to take the obligation ? How 
long is it supposed the Order could main- 
tain its existence on that sort of a basis ? 
The candidate is first informed that the 
obligations he is about to take contain 
nothing which can conflict with any of the 
duties he owes to God, his country, his 
neighbor, or himself. There is nothing 
in any of them that can in any way con- 
flict with his duties as a law-abiding, moral 
and religious citizen. 

The Mason who violates his obligation, 
no matter under what penalties he may 
bind himself, can only be punished by 
reprimand, suspension or expulsion from 
his Lodge and the Fraternity, and deprived 
of all privileges of the Order. To all in- 
tents and purposes he is Masonically dead 
to the Fraternity and to every member 
thereof. It is Masonic death, and that is 
the only penalty that can be inflicted, and 
the only one that has ever been inflicted. 
That he is thus dead and an outcast is not 
the fault of the Masonic Order. It is his 
own fault. There can be no good reason 
for a violation of any of the covenants of 
Masonry. No one can by any possibility 
be placed in a position where it could be- 
come necessary to violate any of the sol- 
emn promises he was required to make be- 
fore being admitted to the Order. There- 
fore, any violation of his obligation that 
he may be guilty of can only blacken his 
own character and deprive him of the Ma- 
sonic rights he otherwise would be enti- 
tled to. 

The penalty attached to an obligation 
has no effect morally or otherwise. It 
does not altar or change the obligation in 


438 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


“The princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, 
and the priests, and all the people of the 
land which passed between the parts of the 
calf; 

“I will even give them into the hand of 
them that seek their life; and their dead 
bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of 
the heaven and to the beasts of the earth.” 

These ceremonies, says Dr. Mackey in 
his admirable work on symbolism, were 
performed in full in Biblical times, as fol- 
lows: 

The parties entering into a covenant 
first selected a proper animal, such as a 
calf or kid among the Jews, a sheep among 
the Greeks, or a pig among the Romans. 

i st. The throat was then cut across 
with a single blow, so as to completely di- 
vide the windpipe and arteries without 
touching the bone. This was the first 
ceremony of the covenant. 

2d. The second was to tear open the 
breast, to take from thence the heart and 
vitals, and if, on inspection, the least im- 
perfection was discovered, the body was 
considered unclean and thrown aside for 
another. 

3d. The third ceremony was to divide 
the body in twain, and to place the two 
parts to the north and south, so that the 
parties to the covenant might pass between 
them coming from the east and going to 
the west. The carcass was then left as a 
prey to the wild beasts of the field, and 
the vultures of the air, and thus the cove- 
nant was ratified. 

The attentive Masonic student will 
readily observe the analogies to those of 
his own Order, and whence originated cer- 
tain declarations doubtless heretofore veiled 
in mystery. 

In the language of Zechariah viii: 16, 
17, we conclude: 

“These are the things ye shall do: Speak 
ye every man the truth to his neighbor; 
execute judgment of truth and peace in 
your gates, and let none of you imagine 
evil in your hearts against his neighbor, 
and love no false oath, for all these are 
things that I hate, says the Lord.” 

— Daniel McDonald, P. G. M. fo Indiana . 
o 

Decision No. 16. Held, that an applicant 
for degrees, being blind in one eye, but 
otherwise eligible, would not. because of 
such defect alone, be disqualified from re- 
ceiving the degrees of Freemasonry. 

— G. L. of Ohio. 


So Little. 


So little makes us glad, so glad — 

One whispered word in fondness clad, 

But simple look we understand, 

Warm sympathetic clasp of hand. 

A proffered help in time of need, 

Unto our woe a gentle heed, 

Dear promise kept despite the wear 
Of months and years deep-taught with care. 

The bit of praise or of complaint, 

A flower in sweet remembrance sent; 

The letter we did not expect, 

Some tender token of respect. 

So little makes us sad, so sad — 

The shattering of a dream we had; 

A favor asked forgotten quite, 

Meant or unmeant the trivial slight. 

The censure and the stinging chide 
When we our very best have tried; 

The wrong construction harshly placed 
On acts love, only love, had traced. 

Why, why, O friends, do we withhold 
The best of life ? Why, why, so cold ? 

So little makes us glad, so glad — 

So little makes us sad, so sad. 

o 

The Coming Revival. 


It is not incumbent upon thee to com- 
plete the work, but thou must not there- 
fore cease from it. If thou hast worked 
much, great will be thy reward, for the 
master who employs thee is faithful in his 
payment. But know that the true reward 
is not of this world. — The Talmud. 

Unless all signs and portents are mis- 
leading the early part of the twentieth 
century will witness, on the Western hem- 
isphere, one of the greatest religious re- 
vivals that the world has ever seen. It is 
visible now to the eye of prophecy; it is 
palpable to the touch of faith; it is in the 
air and in the thoughts and feelings of 
men. What form it will take may not 
now be told, but certain it is to find ex- 
pression in the best vehicle available for 
the purpose, whether that be any of the 
churches now organized or a church to be 
organized. The pendulum has almost 
reached its farthest sweep and the return 
swing will soon begin. Men will return 
to religion as to the horns of the altar for 
protection — as the dove returned to the 
ark because it could find nowhere else to 
rest its foot. They will return quietly, 
unanimously and of their own volition. 
There will be no St. Dominies to engage 
in mortal combat the Albigensian heretics. 
There will be no Luther to defy power and 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


439 


defeat error. There will be no Calvin — 
saturnine evangel of the nuance — to burn 
people over shades of difference in mean- 
ing. There will be no rivalries or fana- 
ticisms or ferinities. The homoiousian 
lion and the homoosian lamb will lie down 
together. The heresy hunter will rest 
from his labors. The covenanter and the 
cavalier will be at peace. The Catholic 
will continue the search for souls through 
mephitic purlieus and squalid garrets, 
where poverty and depravity find sanctu- 
ary. The Methodist will continue his la- 
bor of love in the remote rural districts, 
where souls are famishing for the waters 
of life. These will be applauded and as- 
sisted by the other churches and commun- 
ions, or shown the way by the more ener- 
getic among them. It rests entirely with 
themselves as to which shall lead. It is to 
be a home affair, a Western hemisphere 
movement, and the icy mountains of 
Greenland and the coral strands of India 
will be left alone for a season. The un- 
mitigated impudence of fragmentary bodies 
of Christians sending out missionaries to 
convert heathens in distant lands, while 
the heathen at home is permitted to per- 
ish, shall be abated. The revival is not 
to come from without, but from within; 
not from objective study, but from subjec- 
tive study. It is going to be a spiritual 
movement, a psychic revolution, rather 
than an intelligential or reasoning meta- 
morphosis. It will be a reawakening. It 
will bring us back to the original and 
beautiful meaning of things. It will be a 
subjection to the better impulses which 
every one possesses— an exaltation of the 
spiritual man. It will not come through 
polemical discussion, nor through argu- 
ment, nor through fear. Neither rack nor 
rod will be employed. No Socrates will 
confound with arguments based on statues 
of Polycletus or pictures of Zeuxis. No 
Paley will cause men to doubt by argu- 
ments based on a watch found in the desert 
and other “Evidences of Christianity” 
that disprove themselves. It will come as 
a guest and it will not be dragged hither 
as a galley slave. It will come as an odor 
from an orange grove, yet powerful and 
irresistible. It will come to make life 
complete and equable. Men have pro- 
gressed materially, morally and intellec- 
tuallv. Before they can become well- 
rounded and whole they must progress 
spiritually. The cramped spirit has been 
reaching out in various directions and 


finding weak vehicles of expression in the- 
osophy, in salvation armies, in psychical 
research, in bands of brotherhoods without 
number. Men have learned the weakness 
of human strength, the poverty of human 
riches, the velleity of human will, the 
fallibility of human reason, and they are 
becoming too proud to continue dishonest 
with themselves in the perpetuation of 
show and seeming. Every fiber in their 
being is tremulous with hope of a future 
life, and hopes of a futute life can only be 
based on a faith that looks beyond death’s 
portals. That discerning spirit which en- 
abled Addison to look beyond the veil 
when writing “Cato’s Soliloquy” will be 
sovereign of the ascendent. What is to 
become of a man after death will concern 
people less than what is to become of him 
here. We feel that the march of human- 
ity is a part of some great plan to us un- 
knowable — a tangled skein which the deft 
fingers of the flesh may not eglomerate, 
but which a voice that will not be hushed, 
crying out from our inner consciousness, 
tells us will be made plain in the newer 
life. We must frankly admit that so far 
as the merely human knowledge extends, 
unillumined by faith, the poet is truthful 
who sings: 

I hold that we may live when earth 
From under us shall swing; but lo, 

There is no jot of proof to show 
That we shall have a second birth. 

There never has a whisper sped 
From out the moonless mists that weep 
Forever o’er the clanging deep 
That cravvleth outward with our dead. 

This is the materialistic view — the ra- 
tional view — but in the higher life as well 
as in the night of grief, “hope sees a star,” 
and listening faith “can hear the rustle of 
a wing.” Christianity as at present or- 
ganized must give way to something better 
and broader. Each church has been fol- 
lowing a narrow groove of sectarianism so 
long that its creed and customs have be- 
come professional. The modern minister 
no longer affiliates with the people, gener- 
ally, because as one of the cloth said — an 
extreme case, let us hope — “I cannot visit 
all my church members because I have no 
carriage to ride in and many of them have 
no parlor in which to receive me.” The 
modern clergyman is as good as condi- 
tions permit him to be. He would be bet- 
ter if people were better. It is not his 
fault, but the fault of the times — a fault 
which is soon to be remedied. The mod- 
ern church is no longer a place of worship 
for all the people, especially in the cities. 


440 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


It is more of a clubroom, a place for the 
vulgar and ostentatious display of wealth, 
a vestibule to the holy of holies of society. 
Poor people have deserted it altogether, 
or feel humiliated when they enter its por- 
tals. Men have deserted it. Women use 
it as a stepping stone to social recognition. 
By reason of his position, by common 
consent, or because no one else wants the 
job, the clergyman is a sort of social fugle- 
man. Ambitious women in every city af- 
fect him and simulate a wonderful interest 
in “church work.” The more doubtful 
and insecure a woman’s social position is, 
the more “devoted” she is to her church. 
And for the excellent reason that activity 
in church work throws her in constant 
contact with the clergyman and, ergo, with 
the “best people” — her heaven on earth. 
Therefore doth the modern woman desert 
husband and children, home and domestic 
duty and cleave unto her preacher. 
Therefore is she “devoted” to her church 
and interested in the “work.” And so 
she remains until the doors of society are 
thrown open freely to her when she spurns 
the bridge on which she crossed, becomes 
“advanced” or a social leader, and thus 
her glad eyes behold her name in print as 
chairman or secretary of the Cucumber 
Vine Circle. Every one knows that this 
is not religion, and people are on the eve 
of confessing it. 

And what a farce it all becomes when 
we deal with the servant class. Profess- 
ing the religion of the Carpenter’s Son, 
how few have any conception of the obli- 
gations it imposes. The housemaid or 
servant girl, though pure as an icicle and 
learned as Aspasia, must not be recog- 
nized. The woman who works with her 
hands, who serves as a menial for pay, is 
not only extinct, socially, but is a social 
outcast. We relegate the drab and scarlet 
to the same place — nay, the bitter, barbar- 
ous truth of it is, that virtuous poverty is 
treated with a soul corroding contempt 
and is less respected among the sons of 
men than is bedizened prostitution. The 
one he would have go about crying, “Un- 
clean ! unclean?” The other we would 
shield with a lying simulation of ignor- 
ance of its true character. This, though 
found in the churches, is not the religion 
of Jesus. No wonder that so many girls, 
yielding to feminine vanity, purchase adu- 
lation and amorous tributes with their 
soul’s salvation. Scorned, neglected, hu- 
miliated while their lives are pure, no 


sooner do they fall into the deepest deeps 
and adorn themselves with the sin-bought 
finery than some notoriety loving Mrs. 
Grannis seeks to make use of them as ad- 
vertisements for a “Rescue” fake. If 
they consent to go on exhibition and be 
“rescued” they are made to feel proud of 
their escapade by the honors paid them, 
while their sister, yet pure, is humbled in 
their sight. This is not the religion of 
Jesus, and the world knows it and is on the 
eve of confessing the fact. 

These things have made men accusers 
of the present, and prophets of a new dis- 
pensation. And there are other causes. 
The so-called religious novels have been 
at once an indication and a cause of the 
change. “Robeit Elsmere,” “Ben Hur” 
and “Titus” were written in response to a 
demand for spiritual nourishment, and as 
an expression of distrust of present day or- 
thodoxy. They accomplished harm and 
good The “Prince of the House of Da- 
vid” and “The Pillar of Fire” made 
Christ too commonplace, the former, at 
least, in depicting Mary’s love for him 
and her lingering about him while Martha 
performed her household duties; and both 
of them, in that they humanized the Sav- 
ior unwittingly, more than Renan’s incom- 
parable “Life” humanizedhim designedly. 
But the danger point has been reached and 
the signal for a retreat has been sounded in 
Henryk Sienkiewicz’s “Quo Vadis” and 
in Walter Pater’s “Marius the Epicurean.” 
In these works we have the strong indi- 
viduality of the Christ obscured and min- 
imized by the magic of words that bring 
out boldly contemporarv events and be- 
ings. Pater is a mystic and confounds 
while he charms. The great Pole spreads 
his pigments with such consummate skill 
as to make licentiousness adorable. Christ 
is not introduced. Christianity is made a 
mere successful rhetorician in an oratori- 
cal contest. Its divine origin is not ques- 
tioned — is maintained, in fact — but by a 
species of logic that confutes itself. In 
both books the minacious eidolon of doubt 
is continually hovering anear, and men 
flee from it, instinctively, as from the 
clutches of a demon. The success of the 
books named and of others that could be 
named, from a financial standpoint de- 
monstrates the voracity with which relig- 
ious information is devoured. But these 
works lead us to the extreme limits of be- 
lief beyond which all is darkness and 
doubt. They admonish us that investiga- 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


44i 


tions, without God’s illuminating grace, 
pursued to their logical ultimate, lead us 
into outer darkness; that the faith which 
we possess, the faith that is so deeply im- 
bedded in our natures is, after all, the only 
thing that makes life tolerable and death 
an event to be considered with equani- 
mity. 

The occupant of the pulpit, yielding as 
he must to the exigencies of the time, 
masks the truths w hich he utters in opaque 
and sugar-coated capsules until “Sup- 
presio Veri” should be inscribed on his 
door lintels instead of the familiar “The 
Lord is in His Holy Temple.” The oc- 
cupant of the pew is gorged and surfeited 
to regurgitation with caballistic dicta and 
the husks of dogma and revolts at the in- 
vitation to emulate the merycism of St. 
Paul’s dog that shrank not from a second 
deglutition of the offending substance. 
Men are asked to slay their God-given in- 
telligence and, while the reeking blood of 
it is on their hands, they are commanded 
to abjectly bow before textual inanities, 
or exegetical frippery furnished by self- 
constituted interpreters less skilled than 
themselves, while what is really important 
and apodeictical is slurred over or ignored. 
A change is at hand. All men feel it, but 
are restrained from expressing it by hered- 
itary timorousness or congenital cowardice. 
There are no scoffers. There never have 
been any. The children who scoffed at 
the prophet and who were by him turned 
over to the bears existed only in the imag- 
ination and never in the flesh. Men are 
all religious — when sane. The so-called 
“enemies of religion” are insurgents who 
rebel against the tyranny and circum- 
scribed limitations of tense bigotry and 
unchristian narrowness. Deep down in 
the heart of every man is a veneration for 
the Supreme Unknown, and out from his 
being, on the wings of invisible doves, fly 
hopes of a future state. As to the precise 
character of that future state no one knows 
— the wisest sage no more than the naked 
Hottentot One believes in “the resur 
rection of the body and life everlasting.” 
Another sings: 

And I know w hen out of the finite to the infinite I shall go, 
I will shine in the Mght immortal of the sun upon my grave. 
I wih bloom in the red, proud roses that out of my breast 
shall grow*. 

And live in the larger freedom of the wind and wood and 
wave. % 

I will laugh in the little children: I will love in the lover’s 
breast: 

I will cry with a vast, keen rapture as I melt in thy mystic 
soul ; 

Will know- the supremest action, will feel the divinest rest, 
And I who was here an atom shall aggregate the whole. 


Some believe in Nirvana, some in the 
Happy hunting grounds, some in one 
thing and some another, but no one knows. 
Neither should he. What we have to do 
is with the present — with this preparatory 
state, this temporary abode, this cuter ves- 
tibule to the glorious palace of perpetual 
life. Under the broadening influences of 
the unrestricted spread of intelligence men 
are no longer hermit-crabs or minatours. 
Fraternization progresses toward the ideal- 
istic, toward universal brotherhood. As 
our bodies and the beauties which we be- 
hold in nature are the result of impercep- 
tible vibrations so the beauty of our lives 
can be expanded in the larger activities. 
True happiness will be sought in doing 
good to others, its only habitation. The 
heart turned to stone by the lapidific pro- 
cesses of selfishness will be solved and 
softened by the alchemy of love. In the 
progress toward spiritual perfection men 
have learned how utterly useless and un- 
profitable are the things we strive and 
struggle to secure. Money, the synthesis 
of all worldly wealth, cannot purchase 
content or happiness or give a meaning to 
life. Honor, fame, the applause of our 
fellows are hollow mockeries. The poets 
and sages with their keener perceptions 
have long seen the futility and fatuousness 
of the chase after earthly glory. The 
masses now see. They see that they have 
been cramped and confined by their preju- 
dices and narrowness. They scorned the 
Alcoran with its aesthetical treasures; they 
scorned the Talmud with its opulence of 
beauty and wisdom, its haggadistic exe- 
gesis; they turned their eyes from the 
Vedas, from the Zend-Avesta, from the 
poets and prophets of the people who have 
striven for the light in all ages; they con- 
sulted not the scribes and sages or the her- 
meneutical writings on life’s mysteries, but 
turned their eye on one book which they 
could not understand and out of which 
they fashioned doctrines unknown to the 
Saviour But men are no longer stiff- 
necked and perverse. They look both to 
the right and to the left They fear not 
to peer into the boundless infinitudes. 
They examine. They search out. They 
think. They feel. They are leaving that 
narrow cell which confined them and which 
excluded their fellows. They are coming 
back to early teachings and early mean- 
ings. They perceive that good is done by 
doing and not by saving; by acting, not by 
thinking. They will be less formal, per- 


442 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


haps, and will care less for the conven- 
tional outward and visible signs of an in- 
ward and invisible grace. They will be 
more fruitful in good acts. They will 
help the poor, comfort the afflicted, succor 
the needy, protect the widow and the 
orphan and follow in spirit and in truth 
the footsteps of the Master. They will do 
these things not for ostentatious display, 
or as a task, or a penalty, or a penance, or 
a mulct, but as a pleasure, because it is 
right and profitable and wise. Of con- 
suetudinary exercises there may be a de- 
crease; rubrics and missals may be less 
conspicuous; the euchology will be in the 
heart and not in the hand. From the 
heathen and the pagan, from the Buddhist 
and the Confucian, and from every part of 
the earth where human intelligence has 
been recorded, and where human lives 
have been spent for good, in the quest of 
truth and right, will come the teachings of 
Jesus, because his spirit is universal and 
his vicegerents speak in strange tongues. 
There will be a meaning to all things and 
a sameness in all things, a music and a 
beauty in all things, when the Bhavagad 
Gita, the songs of the master, in every 
tongue, are as familiar to us as “Nearer, 
My God, to Thee’’ or “De Profundus.” 
Upon the bosom of that vast religious re- 
vival so near to us and so sure to come, 
men will go forth regenerated and freed 
from error and selfishness. With a new 
perspective they can better see and better 
understand the teachings of the Man of 
Galilee, whose voice stealing through the 
senses will be heard to say, again and 
again as in the olden time, ‘ ‘I am the way 
and the light.” “It is not incumbent up- 
on thee to complete this work.” No, but 
we must begin it and cease not from it. 
We must make the world better and 
brighter, by brave works and kindly deeds 
leaving to others the task of completing 
the undertaking. The master who em- 
ploys is faithful, and we may rest secure 
in the belief that what is done in sincerity 
and truth and love shall not be done amiss. 

— M. IT. Connolly . 

o 

About the year 1730, or shortly subse- 
quent, the Grand Lodge of England es- 
tablished Lodges at The Hague, in Prus- 
sia, Spain, Portugal, the East Indies and 
its colonies in North America, where none 
previously existed From these sprang all 
there is or ever was of legitimate Masonry 
on the continents of Europe or in America. 


Don’t Look for the Flaws. 


Don’t look for the flaws as you go through lite, 
And even when you find them 

It is wise and kind to be somewhat blind, 

And look for the virtues behind them, 

For the cloudiest night has a tint of light 
Somewhere in its shadows hiding; 

It is better by far to look for a star, 

Then to stop on the sun abiding. 

The current of life runs ever away 
To the bosom of God’s great ocean; 

Don’t set your force against the river’s course 
And think to alter its motion; 

Don’t waste a curse on the universe — 
Remember it lived before you; 

Don't butt at the storm with your puny form, 
But bend and let it go o’er you. 

The world will never adjust itself 
To suit your whims to the letter; 

Some things go wrong your whole life long, 

And the sooner you know it the better. 

It. is folly to fight with the Infinite, 

And go under at last in the wrestle; 

The wisest man shapes into God’s plan 
As water shapes into the vessel. 

o 

Masonic Charity in Old-Time Way. 


In my rambling through the streets of 
New York one day I came across a crowd 
of street urchins and idlers who gaped and 
looked on curiously at a process of an 
“eviction.” Did you ever witness an 
eviction in this great city, or, as expressed 
here, a dispossess? We are not in poor, 
poverty-stricken Ireland, where a heartless 
landlord lives a thousand miles away and 
neither sees nor cares for his poor tenant, 
but right here in this great city, the rich 
and prosperous metropolis of America, and 
yet evictions are quite frequent here. Did 
you ever witness one? If you did, and 
have any heart, any feeling for your fel- 
low-man, you will never wish to witness 
another. To see the sacrilegious hand of 
the officer of the law and his minions 
rudely take down the few cheap pictures 
from the walls, take down and almost 
break or tear the ancient motto, “God 
bless our home,” worked in cheap worsted, 
perhaps by some dear hand, maybe dead 
now and at rest, out of harm’s way, out of 
the way of want and poverty. And there ! 
Now he takes down the picture of mother, 
and handles it with his cold and ruthless 
hand, not knowing how tenderly, how 
carefully the picture was always kept by 
the poor, sobbing inmates of this little 
home. And now the old chintz covered 
chair, that had been brought here from the 
original home in the country, and had 
been moved and removed to every apart- 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


443 


ment they had occupied in the city, be- 
cause every one of the children had been 
rocked to sleep in this old chair. It had 
belonged to mother, and it was brought 
down here with her — she would not part 
with it, even when they were well off and 
comfortably situated. And now the few 
books, the good old family Bible, well 
thumbed and worn, which contains the 
record and history of three generations, 
Bunyan’s 1 ‘Pilgrim’s Progress, ” “The 
Lives of the Wesleys” and a few more 
books of like nature; and at last came one 
which at once attracted my attention, “The 
Masonic Chart and Hieroglyphic Moni- 
tor,” by Jeremy L. Cross. 

As I was looking at this book the officer 
brought out a very old man, so feeble and 
emaciated that he could scarcely stanp 
alone, and he bade the old man to sit in 
the old rocking chair until the others were 
ready to come down. I accosted the poor 
old man, and, pointing to Cross’ chart, 
asked him to whom it belonged. I could 
see that the question deeply touched him. 
Whether from old associations, the mem- 
ory of which this book recalled, or from 
other motives, or probably from the sur- 
rounding circumstances, he could scarcely 
answer me, but managed to give me to 
understand that the old “guide book” be- 
longed to him. I then asked his name, 
when, with trembling hand, he opened the 
book, and there on the fly leaf showed me 
his name written in a large, bold hand, 
“Worshipful Isaiah B. Sherwood, Master 
of Blank Lodge, No. 900, Anno Lucis, 
5829-30.” Year after year was added 
31-32 to 5834. When I again asked him 
if this was his name, and whether he had 
been Master of his Lodge six consecutive 
years — and such years, in the midst of the 
Anti Masonic storm — he nodded assent, 
and finally mustered strength to tell me 
that the best years of his life were spent 
in the service of the Craft He seemed to 
warm up with the subject, and to grow 
stronger as the scenes of his younger days 
were brought up to pass in review before 
his mind and memory. “Yes, sir, I was 
a Mason when it was almost a disgrace to 
be called one, and I kept mv Lodge to- 
gether in Blanktown until only five mem- 
bers came together on our meeting nights. 
After a long and hard struggle we finally 
gave up meeting regularly, and I kept the 
Charter and the books, working tools and 
the aprons and all the paraphernalia until 
the wild storm had blown over, and then” — 


Here I interrupted the old man, and, 
glancing around, was forcibly reminded 
that this was neither time nor place to 
learn nor discuss Masonic history from this 
poor old man who had just been thrust 
out of his little home into the street. I 
told him to sit still where he was; that I 
would come back soon and bring help, 
and that I would call upon some brethren, 
and bring them to his aid, and see what 
could he done for him. A doubting look 
was his only answer. Probably the man’s 
disappointments and the many idle prom- 
ises he bad received made him doubtful of 
my sincerity. But I had my mind made 
up while listening to his story that some- 
thing ought and should be done for this 
poor old man. 

A brother of my Lodge kept a grocery 
store a short distance from the scene just 
described. To him I hurried and related 
the story of the eviction. “I kot him,” 
said this kind-hearted brother, a German, 
in broken and very poor English, but 
with a very rich vein of charity running 
through his composition, and, taking a 
key from his pocket, he brought me 
around the corner, where he had just por- 
tioned off a small store from his own 
quite extensive establishment “to reduce 
expenses,” for he had always an eye to 
sound business. “Here, my boy, we will 
put dis olt mon in wit’ his whole family. 
The store is to let from the first of the 
next month, and this gives us more’n a 
week to work mit, and by that time we 
will see more further.” And rolling out 
his grocery wagon, he sent for horse and 
harness, and with the help of his clerks, 
who came with us, we soon had every- 
thing in readiness for the removal. 

Upon returning to the old Past Master 
we found that during my short absence 
the rest of the family had been put out in 
the street. It consisted of a feeble old 
woman, a lame woman (youngest daugh- 
ter of the aged couple), and a small boy 
(their grandson), whose father had been 
killed in the war and whose mother had 
died of a broken heart at the loss of her 
husband; and I found later on that the 
only means of subsistence the whole fam- 
ily had was the small pittance allowed by 
the government, generously called a pen- 
sion, and what few pennies the old people 
could earn at basket-making — a trade they 
had learned in their youth in the old 
homestead on the family farm. Tears 
came to the eyes of both the old people as 


444 


THE TRESTLE BOARD . 


they spoke of the old home. “We will 
never see it again,” sighed the old wom- 
an, scarcely able to suppress her sobs. 
“No, mother,” answered the octogenarian, 
“but our next home will be permanent. 
We will soon be there, and no landlord 
will put us into the street.” 

During this conversation the little fur- 
niture and few things belonging to our 
old brother had been placed in the grocery 
wagon, and we now helped the lame girl 
and the old dame into it. The brother 
himself thought that with the aid of his 
stout cane he could manage to walk with 
us, and so the procession started toward 
the little store, which was to be their 
temporary home until other arrangements 
could be made for them. 

On arriving at the house, I found that 
the wife of our good brother had prepared 
a substantial meal for the poor family, to 
which they sat down with evident surprise 
and relish. If, as we are told, it is greater 
pleasure to give than to receive, it is, in- 
deed, supreme pleasure to see a worthy 
and a half-starved family sit down to a 
good and hearty meal suddenly prepared 
for them. My good German brother, 
however, could not stand it. With the 
pure and holy diamonds of charity glisten- 
ing in his eyes, he winked and blinked at 
me until he made me go “mit” him 
around the corner to his store. There he 
brought out a bottle. “This makes me 
feel bad, Brother L. I feels weak; don’t 
you ?” We then returned to the old man, 
and, taking him one side, subjected him 
to a rigid examination, which proved en- 
tirely satisfactory. He also showed us 
several old letters and documents, dating 
away back to those story times when Ma- 
sonry and anti-Masonry were important 
political factors in this and other States 
of the Union. When we were satisfied on 
this point, we started out to visit several 
brethren in the immediate neighborhood, 
members of different Lodges, and we soon 
interested enough of them in this affair to 
enable us to form quite a large committee, 
and we also collected money enough to 
enable us to hire suitable apartments to 
put the old people into, and all this be- 
fore any of our Lodges had met. On this 
point the committee came very near hav- 
ing a row, for myself and my German 
brother claimed pre-emptory proprietor- 
ship over these people, while another 
brother claimed that, as he was the only 
Worshipful Master on the committee, he 


would claim them for his Lodge, but we 
compromised this by organizing and 
electing the W. M. chairman, and our 
good German brother treasurer, while I 
agreed to act as secretary for the committee. 

Then we began the search of the old 
records and documents, which brought to 
light the fact that this Lodge had met, 
as told by the old Past Master; that he 
was the Master of said Lodge in the years 
stated, and that the brethren had surren- 
dered the Charter to the then proper au- 
thorities, and that many years thereafter 
the Charter had been reissued, and an en- 
tirely new Lodge had been formed with 
the old Charter, but with new men and 
new material, and that these new members 
were good men and true, and kept up the 
sacred traditions of the Craft. I wrote to 
the Master of the Lodge, informing him 
of our “find,” and received a prompt 
reply in most courteous and Masonic 
spirit. The Worshipful Brother wrote, 
thanking me for the kindness shown to 
the Past Master of his old Lod^e, and, as 
a happy coincidence, told me that his own 
father, who was still living with him, was 
one of the five faithful brethren who kept 
on meeting and struggling in those ad- 
verse times, winding up by inclosing a 
check for a substantial sum, with the 
promise of more to come, and saying if we 
would only keep and take care of the 
aged couple and their family until June 
(this was in May), he, with others in 
their Masonic neighborhood, would come 
down to the city to Grand Lodge, and 
would see if they could persuade the old 
people to go back to the country with 
them, and that they would never again be 
in want or without a home as long as God 
spares them. 

And our good brothers from “up the 
State” did come down in June, and saw 
our charges and took them home with 
them to take care of and provide for 
them, and kept them until the final sum- 
mons came to them both. The brethren 
supported them out of the funds of the 
different Lodges — out of the font of char- 
ity, rich in the true Masonic heart. And 
before parting the Master asked our Ger- 
man brother, the treasurer, for the bill of 
expenses, and received this reply: “ Bill 
of expenses ? We hafe no bills for dot; 
dis vas all for sharity. Only, I tell you 
vat, ven one of our New York boys goes 
up to de country and is hard up, do so 
likewise unto him.”’ 




THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


445 


My Experience. 


I’ve met with a good many people 
In jogging over life’s varied way — 

I've encountered the clever, the simple, 

The crabbed, the grave and the gay; 

I have traveled with beauty, with virtue, 

I’ve been with the ugly, the bad, 

I’ve laughed with the ones who were merry, 
And wept with the ones who were sad. 

One thing I have learned in my journey, 
Never to judge one by what he appears — 
The eyes that seem sparkling with laughter 
Oft battle to keep back the tears, 

And long sanctimonious faces 
Hide often the souls that are vile, 

While the heart that is merry and cheerful 
Is often the freest from guile. 

And I’ve learned not to look for perfection 
In one of our frail human kind; 

In hearts the most gentle and loving 
Some blemish or fault we can find. 

But yet I have not found the creature 
So low, or depraved, or so mean, 

But had some good impulse, some virtue 
That ’mong his bad traits might be seen. 

And, too. I’ve learned that some friendships 
We make are as brittle as glass; 

Just let a reverse overtake us, 

Our “friends on the other side” pass. 

But, ah, I have found some few loyal, 

Some hearts ever loving and true, 

And the joy and the peace they’ve brought me 
Have cheered my whole journey through. 

O 

Adoptive Masonry. 


The Order of the Eastern Star properly 
comes under the head of what is called 
adoptive Masonry, and as established in 
France bore an imperfect resemblance to 
Freemasonry and the formations were 
called Adoptive Lodges from the fact that 
every female Lodge was obliged to be un- 
der the guardianship of, or adopted by 
some regular Lodge of Freemasons. 

There are several theories in regard to 
the exact date assigned to the first intro- 
duction of this system, among which one 
report gives the credit of its practical or- 
ganization to Queen Henrietta Maria, the 
widow of Charles the First of England, 
who, upon her return to France after the 
execution of her husband, made some con- 
siderable talk about the efforts made by 
the Freemasons of England to restore her 
family to position and to place her son 
upon the throne of his ancestors, and in 
her conversations on this subject, she 
made known to the Ladies of her court, 
in her exile, the words and signs employed 
by her Masonic friends in England as 
their mode of recognition and thus in- 
structed them in some of the mysteries of 


the Institution. This theory of its origin 
has been considered by so many to be ab- 
surd and umeliable that it is not accepted. 
Another theory is that tne Ordtr of Adop- 
tive Masonry was originated in Russia in 
the year 1712, but as the then Czar, Peter 
the Great, founded an order called the 
“Order of St. Catherine, “ in honor of the 
Czarina, in that year, which was purely a 
Russian Order of female Knighthood, this 
theory has also to be abandoned. 

I speak of these traditions as some have 
through imperfect knowledge thought 
them the correct explanation, but the most 
careful research and best authorities now 
accept the fact that the Lodges of Adop- 
tion were calhd into existence by some 
secret associations of men and women in 
France just previous to the middle of the 
eighteenth century, or about the year 1730, 
and it was some thirty years after its or- 
ganization that it attempted to imitate the 
institution of, and was recognized as hav- 
ing some connection with Freemasonry’, 
and although having a secret form of in- 
itiation and mode of recognition, it was 
evidently only of a social nature. One 
established in 1743 was called the “Order 
of Happy Folks.” The emblems and ri- 
tual were all nautical; the sisters made*a 
symbolic voyage to the island of felicity 
in ships navigated bv brethren; there were 
four degrees, named Cabin Boy, Captain, 
Commodore and Vice Admiral, and the 
Grand Master was called the Admiral. 
Another started in 1745 was called the 
Knights and Ladies of the Anchor. In 
1747 Beauchaine instituted a system called 
the Order of Wood Cutters. The cere- 
monies were taken from the political so- 
ciety of the Carbonari ; this was so made 
the fashion at the time that ladies and 
gentlemen of the highest distinction con- 
sidered it an honor to become members. 

Out of all these and many others which 
resembled Freemasonry only in secrecy, 
benevolence and a rude sort of symbolic 
initiation ceremonial, it was about the mid- 
dle of the 1 8th century that the Lodges of 
Adoption began to attract attention in 
France, from whence they rapidly spread 
into Germany, Poland and Russia, En- 
gland refusing to take any notice of them 
whatever. Freemasons on the continent, 
however, took this scheme up with enthu- 
siasm as a means of giving their waves and 
daughters some share of the mystical 
pleasures, and they became distinguished 
for their numerous charities. 


446 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


The first of these lodges was established 
in 1760 in Paris, another in 1774 in Hol- 
land, and then several others in Paris, one 
of which was presided over by the Duchess 
of Bourbon, who was installed with great 
pomp and splendor in May, 1775, and she 
was assisted by the Princess Lamballe, 
who you will remember was afterwards 
beheaded, the Duchess of Bourbon presid- 
ing until 1780, when the Lodge was dis- 
continued. 

At first the Grand Orient of France was 
unfavorably disposed towards these lodges, 
but finally on the 10th of June, 1774, it 
assumed protection and control of the 
Lodges of Adoption and established the 
rules, which are the foundation of our own 
regulations of to-day: 

First, that no male except a regular 
Freemason should be permitted to attend, 
and 

Second, that each Lodge should be un- 
der the charge of some regular Masonic 
Lodge, whose Master should be the pre- 
siding officer of the Lodge of Adoption, 
assisted by a female President; this was the 
origin of the office of our Patron. 

During the reign of terror in France the 
Lodges of Adoption almost entirely dis- 
appeared, but with the coming of a regular 
government again they were resuscitated 
and the Empress Josephine presided over 
one at Strasbourg in 1805, and after pass- 
ing through alternate times of popularity 
and reverses, they are to day now in exist- 
ence in France. 

In Italy the “Carbonari” or Charcoal 
Burners, which was a secret political soci- 
ety, imitated the Freemasons of France in 
instituting an Adoptive Rite, and an 
Adoptive Lodge was instituted at Naples, 
over which presided Queen Caroline, who 
was a firm friend of Masonry, and was the 
wife of Ferdinand II. The members were 
styled female Gardeners and called each 
other female cousins, in imitation of the 
Carbonari, who were called “Good Cous- 
ins.” 

Adoptive Lodges, or the Rite of Adop- 
tion, as practiced on the continent of 
Europe, and especially in France, has 
never been introduced into this country, 
although Bro. Albert Pike, a very promi- 
nent Mason, translated the work and 
greatly enlarged and embellished it to 
seven degrees. Bro. Pike was an hono- 
rary member of almost every Supreme 
Council in the world; his standing as a 


Masonic author and historian is most dis- 
tinguished. 

In 1855 Bro. Robert Morris, one of the 
most prominent Masons in the United 
States, started to introduce a modification 
of the work, calling it “The American 
Adoptive Rite,” but so much opposition 
was encountered among Masons generally, 
that notwithstanding the strenuous efforts 
made by Bro. Morris and his friends to 
establish it in the Western States the Or- 
der has been very slow to win its way to 
prosperity, but at the present time and for 
the last few years and under the newly ar- 
ranged ritual, it is growing very rapidly. 
In some parts of the United States the 
Order is very popular, but in other parts 
it is hardly known at all. 

In Bro. Morris’ original conception of 
this Order, the male members were called 
“Protectors” and the female members 
called “Stellae” and the reunions or meet- 
ings were termed “Constellations.” 

There are several other Adoptive Rites 
or degrees in this country, but they are not 
known to any great extent; one of these is 
called “Masons Wife,” and can be con- 
ferred on a Master Mason’s wife, unmar- 
ried daughter, or sister and wddowed 
mother. Another is called the “Heroine 
of Jerico,” and is only conferred on the 
wives and daughters of Royal Arch Ma- 
sons. Another is the “Good Samaritan” 
and is confined to Royal Arch Masons and 
their wives, and is the only Adoptive Rite 
other than the Eastern Star which has any 
ceremony or ritual. 

The objects of the Order, as explained 
by Bro. Morris, are too well known to 
say anything in regard to them, but when 
a woman is told, that by becoming a mem- 
ber of an Adoptive Rite and by passing 
through the beautiful ceremonies of the 
Eastern Star initiation they will become 
Masons, as has sometimes been done, they 
are simply deceived; but it is true that 
every woman related by ties of consan- 
guinity to a Master Mason is at all times 
and under all circumstancs peculiarly en- 
titled to Masonic protection and assist- 
ance, and it is one of the principal func- 
tions of this Order to instruct ourselves to 
know, and our wives, daughters, sisters 
and the widows, in methods and ways to 
make themselves known to their brother 
Freemasons, and by this common bond 
they become, not Masons, but a valuable 
and trusted helo to the Masonic Frater- 
nity. — Chas. W. Grant , of Maine . 


\ 


t: 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


447 


“As Ye Would.” 

If I should see 

A brother languishing in sore distress, 

And I should turn and leave him comfortless, 

When I might be 

A messenger of hope and happiness 
How could I ask to have what I denied 
In my own hour of bitterness supplied ? 

If I might share 

A brother’s load along the dusty way, 

And I should turn and walk alone that day, 

How could I dare 

When in the evening watch I knelt to pray, 

To ask for help to bear my pain and loss, 

If I had heeded not my brother's cross ? 

If I might sing 

A little song to cheer a fainting heart, 

And I should seal my lips and sit apart, 

When I might bring 

A bit of sunshine for life’s ache and smart, 
How could I hope to have my grief relieved 
If I kept silent when my brother grieved ? 

And so I know 

That day is lost wherein I fail to lend 

A helping hand to some wayfaring friend ; 

But if it show 

A burden lightened by the cheer I send, 

Then do I hold the golden hours well spent, 
And lay me down to sleep in sweet content. 

o — 

Trusting in Providence. 


BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES. 


“Guess it’s goin’ to be a snappin’ cold 
night, mother,” said Miss Elsa Robbins, 
warming her fingers over the blaze of an 
armful of pine logs which she had just 
flung on the fire. “And I’m very glad, 
mother, that we’ve got the russet apples 
safe into the cellar, for it’s on them I place 
my main dependence for the interest 
money this year.” 

Mrs. Robbins sat knitting in the cush- 
ioned rocker; a wrinkled, bright-eyed lit- 
tle woman, whose caps were always spot- 
lessly clean, and whose dresses never 
seemed to wear out. 

“Frost, eh?” said she. 

“I rather guess so,” responded Elsa, 
with a shiver. “Stars shinin’ like so 
many little diamond specks, and a new 
moon behind the pines.” 

“Well, it’s a good thing we ain’t stint- 
ed for wood,” cheerfully observed Mrs. 
Robbins. 

“You’re always finding out some good 
thing or other, mother,” said Elsa, a little 
petulantly. 

“La, child, the world is full of ’em 1” 
said Mrs. Robbins, who had a sweet, 


plaintive voice. “The Lord, He’s a deal 
better to us than we deserve !” 

“Well, then,” quaintly remarked Elsa, 
“I may as well tell you now as ever that 
the roofs leakin’ dreadful bad.” 

“Leakin’, is it?” said Mrs. Robbins. 
“Where ?” 

“Up garret,” said Elsa. “Over the 
west store room.” 

“Well, it’s lucky it ain’t leakin’ over 
the rooms we live in,” said the inveterate 
old optimist. “If it was to leak at all, it 
couldn’t have selected a better spot.” 

“And the fence is down in the north 
lot,” remarked Elsa, “and neighbor Car- 
ter’s cattle are all in.” 

“Bless me !” said Mrs. Robbins. 
“Well, there ain’t much but rocks and 
mullein stalks in that lot anyway, and 
neighbor Carter don’t half feed his cattle. 
I’m glad the poor creatures can have a 
good bite for once in their lives.” 

“And I’ve had a letter from Walter’s 
widow,” added Elsa, “and she wants to 
come here with her children.” 

“Tell her to come,” said Mrs. Robbins. 
“It ain’t a fine city place, and maybe she 
and the little ones will find it hard to make 
out on mush and molasses and baked po- 
tatoes, as we do. But she’s my nephew’s 
widow, and she’ll be welcome here.” 

“But, mother,” said Elsa, “think what 
you are doing. Another family in this 
cramped-up little house — a lot of noisy 
children, racing and screaming about — a 
fine lady to be waited on, who is certainly 
as able to take care of herself as we are to 
take care of her. And you know that we 
owe a large bill at the grocer’s, and we 
haven’t paid for the cow yet, and the tai- 
loress business is getting duller every 
year, now that folks have taken the notion 
to go to the city foritheir littlejbovs’ suits.” 

“Well, child, well,” serenely interposed 
the old lady. “God will provide. He 
always does. And it’s a dreadful thing 
to be a widow and homeless. Write to 
her, Elsa, and tell her to come.” 

“But she has no money to travel with,” 
bluntly added Elsa. “She wants us to 
send her twenty dollars. She has written 
to Cousin Marrett, up at the grange, and 
they won’t even answer her letter.” 

“Dear, dear, that’s bad !” cooed Mrs. 
Robbins. “No money at all. Poor soul ! 
poor soul !” 

“Well — but, mother,” pleaded Elsa, 
“we haven’t got any money either — to 
spare. ’ ’ 


44 8 


THE TRESTLE BOARD 


‘‘There’s the chicken money,” said 
Mrs. Robbins, looking wistfully up. 

“But that was to buy you a warm, new 
cloak, mother.” 

“Well, I’ll make the old gray shawl do 
for another year,” said Mrs. Robbins. 
“And Walter’s widow must have money 
to pay her traveling expenses, poor thing. 
It was very wrong of Olivia Marrett not to 
answer her letter, v^ery. But Olivia and 
her husband was always close. It’s their 
nature, I do s’ pose.” 

And Elsa broke out laughing, with tears 
in the corners of her hard, gray eyes. 

“You dear, old mother !” she said. 
“Let Walter’s widow and her children 
come. We’re poor and in debt, and can’t 
find bread for our own two selves; but I 
believe, for once, I’ll follow your example, 
mother, and trust in Providence.” 

And she sat down and wrote to Walter 
Robbins’ widow, inclosing that last twenty- 
dollar bill, with which she was to have 
bought the warm winter cloak for the old 
lady, who was so contentedly knitting in 
the coral glow of the firelight. 

Mrs. Walter Robbins was sitting by the 
fire also, but not such a fire as illumines 
the farmhouse kitchen with a softer shine 
than any electric light. It was a mere 
handful of coals in a rustic grate, over 
which she bent with a shudder, as the wind 
howled by, shaking the window panes and 
rattling the paper shades. She was mend- 
ing the children’s stockings, and as she 
worked a little girl crept out of the bed 
and stole across the floor to her side. 

“Mamma, I can’t get warm,” said she. 
“Isn’t there any fire?” 

“There’s a fire, dear,” said Mrs. Rob- 
bins; “but we can’t have much, for there’s 
only a peck of coal left in the box.” 

“Mamma,” went on the child, “why 
don’t our fires shine red and bright like 
the fires I see through other people’s win- 
dows sometimes?” 

“We can’t afford it, dear,” sighed the 
widow. “If you let the coal blaze and 
crackle it soon turns into ashes, and we 
must economize.” 

“Mamma,” spoke up a tiny voice from 
the bed, “I didn’t eat quite enough sup- 
per. Can’t I have another half slice of 
bread ?” 

“There is no more, Bessie,” said Mrs. 
Robbins, with a pang, sharper than any 
serpent’s tooth, at her heart. “Go to 
sleep, dear; you’ll soon forget that you are 


hungry, and in the morning we are to start 
for the country, you know.” 

Bessie’s eyes sparkled. 

“We can have all the milk we want 
then, mamma, can’t we ?” said she. 

“And pick up nuts where they grow 
among the leaves, and eat apples without 
paying two cents apiece for them,” chimed 
in Lillie. “Oh, mamma, why don’t every 
one live in the country ?” Mamma, don’t 
you love Cousin Elsa and her mother ? Is 
Cousin Elsa a little girl ? Will she play 
with us ?” 

“I don’t know,” said Mrs. Robbins, 
with a quiver in her voice. “No, she is 
not a child; she is a woman like me, but 
I think she must be an angel in her heart.” 1 

For Elsa Robbins’ had been the first 
helping hand which had been stretched 
out to lift the poor little widow out of the 
abyss of troubles which had almost over- 
whelmed her since her husband died, in 
the far away Mexican lands, whither he 
had gone to make the fortune, which, alas, 
was ne\er made ! 

She had become sadly used to sharp 
words and cold glances, but kindness, 
sympathy, tender recognition of her claims 
to kinship were new and precious to her. 

Just then there came a heavy, creak- 
ing footstep on the floor — a tap at the 
door. 

Little Lillie jumped up and scampered 
back to bed. Bessie drew her cnrly yellow 
head under the sheets. 

“It’s a mistake,”, said Mrs. Robbins, 
spiritlessly. “Nobody ever comes here.” 

But she rose and opened the door. 
There stood a stout, middle aged man, 
with cheerful blue eyes, a ruddy complex- 
ion, and leg of-mutton whiskers, slightly 
sprinkled with gray. 

“Does Mrs. Walter Robbins live here ?” 
he asked. 


Miss Elsa had made waffles for supper, 
and had fried some fresh crullers, brown 
and light as butterfly wings. She had 
brought in the parlor lamp, and hunted up 
two little china mugs, handleless, and with 
the gilt inscription faded off, which had 
been hers and her dead sister’s, as children, 
long ago. 

“They’ll please the little ones,” she 
thought. 

And Mrs. Robbins, in her clean cap, 
sat smiling by the hearthstone, when 
Walter’s widow came in, her black dress 
powdered over with the snow, which had 


THE TRESTLE BOARD 


449 


begun to fall at the gathering of dusk, 
and with the two little girls clinging to her 
hand. 

“My dear/’ said Mrs. Robbins, “you 
are welcome —kindly welcome — you and 
the dear little girls !’’ 

And Elsa came in, her face softened for 
the moment, and led them hospitably to 
the fire. 

“It’s a poor place,” said she, “but 
mother is right — you are welcome.” 

The children looked timidly around at 
the black beams which traversed the roof 
overhead; the deep set windows, with their 
broad ledges filled with musk plants and 
fish geraniums; the strings of red peppers 
above the mantel, and the brass candle- 
sticks, which glittered as if they were made 
of gold. And then the fire — the great, 
open chimney-piece, the blazing logs, the 
funnily-shaped andirons, with round heads, 
and the great Maltese cat asleep upon the 
gaudy rag rug. Was it all true, or were 
they dreaming? 

And when it came to hot waffles and 
maple molasses cookies, with fennel seeds 
in them, and milk — just as much as they 
could drink out of those dear little antique 
mugs — the children decided the matter in 
their own minds, that they were not 
dreaming at all. And after they had gone 
to sleep in a bed room just off the kitchen, 
where the sheets smelled of sweet clover, 
and the wall paper was covered with 
bunches of cabbage roses with impossibly 
green leaves, and blue ribbon fillets around 
the stems, Mrs. Walter Robbins found 
courage to thank the friends who had been 
so good to her in her necessity. 

“But there’s something I haven’t told 
you yet,” she said timidly. “I couldn’t 
write it because I did not know it myself 
at the time that I appealed to you. I am 
not so poor as everyone thought. Poor, 
dear Walter’s mining ventures have turned 
out better than anyone expected. A law- 
yer from the South came to see me last 
night, and told me that I am to have at 
least a thousand dollars a year.” 

“Eh ?” said Elsa, almost incredulously. 

“It ain’t possible ?” chirped Mrs. Rob- 
bins. 

“And,” went on Mrs. Walter, “if you 
will allow me to live here and share it 
with you — ” 

“No,” said Miss Elsa. “We have no 
right to it.” 

“But,” pleaded the widow, “you were 
willing to share all that you had with me.” 


“That’s quite another thing,” said 
Elsa. 

“No, it isn’t,” said Mrs. Walter. “It’s 
the same exactly. And I have always 
longed for a home in the country, and it 
is so lovely here; and — and I feel that I 
love you already, and I should be miser- 
able anywhere else. Please — please let 
me stay !” 

And what could Mrs. Robbins and Miss 
Elsa say but “Yes.” 

And when the gentle widow retired to 
her room Miss Elsa looked at the old lady 
with tears in her eyes. 

“Mother,” said she, “you were right. 
Providence has provided. The moment 
I made up my mind to leave off caring and 
planning, and trust in God, He has laid a 
blessing at my feet. I think I will never 
doubt or despair again.” 

o 

An Unwarranted Bargain. 


There was a tinge of red in the girl’s 
hair, the chin was pointed and the lips 
were thin, but she was young and the 
neighbors had predicted that “Calistv 
Evans would be a purty girl when she 
grovved up.” She was twenty- one now, 
but somehow the people who have known 
you from the time you were born take a 
long time to wake up to the fact that you 
have “growed up.” 

Calisty was sewing, and the young man 
sitting on the corner of the table and 
swinging one foot thought she used a little 
unnecessary exertion in sticking the sharp 
needle into the brown gingham. 

“You don’t seem to be altogether good- 
natured this morning, Calista. Has any- 
thing gone wrong ?” 

The girl did not answer for a minute, 
then she straightened up, dropped her 
hands upon her sewing work and said, as 
if she had nerved herself to say it: 

“What is going on between you and my 
father ?” 

“Going on !” Why, there’s nothing 
going on. I have made him a propo- 
sition to put down a well, and he is con- 
sidering it. That’s what I came up for 
to-day.” 

“I know that; but who is going to pay 
for it ?” 

“Oh, that’s a secondary consideration,” 
and he moved toward the door. “I am 
going out now to see what your father 
says.” 

Calista put her sewing work on the 


450 


THE TRESTLE BOARD 


table and followed him to the front porch, 
where her father was sitting, his elbows on 
his knees and his straw hat in his hands. 
Calista went straight up to him. “Don’t 
make any bargain with anybody, dad, 
without asking advice. You know how it 
has been with so many. Remember how 
the Culverts lost their home just by spec- 
ulating. Don’t promise Mr. Ely to do 
anything that will put us in danger.” 

The old man grew impatient before she 
had finished and tried to interrupt her. 
“Do you think I’m such a fool ?” he said. 
“I never speculated, did I? You are just 
like your mother; she was always telling 
me that we’d go to wreck and ruin. We’ve 
never gone yet, have we ?” 

“Not yet, dad; but you know we have a 
lot of money to pay by and by, and we 
mustn’t spend a cent that we have.” 

“But we’ll get it back a hundredfold. 
If they find oil this place will bring ten 
times what we could get now.” 

“Yes, if you find it, but you’ll never 
find it. Won’t you promise me that you 
won’t use the money we have saved ?” 

“I’ll promise nothing. Mr. Ely,” 
turning to the young man in the doorway, 
“you can begin work just as soon as you 
have a mind to.” 

The girl had failed. She went back to 
her sewing, but there was a mist before 
her eyes and the stitches had to be all 
ripped out later on. She did not trust the 
young agent who had visited the locality a 
month before and had approached her 
father with talk of a lease. To be sure, 
the tanks receiving the product of great 
wells dotted the valley like brown mush- 
rooms, but the wells were on the other side 
of the valley. Two or three experiments 
had been made on this side, costly experi- 
ments they were, too, to the company 
sinking them. 

Once Henry Evans had had the oil 
fever, but as luck would have it, the well 
nearest him proved a failure, and the 
turning point in the malady came before 
anything serious happened. Since then he 
had gone on tilling his land, turning the 
sod for the annual crops of wheat and oats, 
while Calista did the housework, made the 
garden and her own clothes and managed 
to make ends meet while the money was 
being laid by for the mortgage. The 
mortgage, that vampire that sucks the very 
life from thousands of farmers each year, 
had been made the year Mrs. Evans died. 
The year when the frost killed the fruit, 


when the cloudburst washed the growing 
grain on the hillside into the valley and 
the cold snap in September nipped the 
corn. In a few weeks the mortgage would 
be due; there was almost enough money to 
meet it, but if her father drew it and used 
it — she took her hat and hastily pinned it 
on and started out. 

“Where are you going ?” asked her 
father. 

Mr. Ely had gone and the two were 
alone. 

“Iam going to the bank. I am going 
to see Mr. Wheden.” 

“You ain’t going to do anything of the 
kind,” and her father caught her sleeve 
and held her. “Calisty Evans, you go 
into the house and don’t you stir out of it. 
I’m doing this now and you keep your 
fingers out of it.” The hand on her arm 
was almost crushing the flesh, but she 
looked defiantly at him. 

“I am not going to let you make pau- 
pers of us both,” she said. 

“You go into the house,” the old man 
was shaking with anger. “Calisty Evans, 
don’t you try to interfere with me. Do 
you understand me?” 

The girl looked at the seamed face so 
wrathful and pale, and her feeling of con- 
cern changed to one of resentment. She 
went into the house and took off her hat. 
If he wanted to lose everything he might. 
She was young and could work for herself, 
but she would never help him to earn an- 
other penny, never. 

In a few days the men came and put up 
the rig. Then the engine began its steady 
beat, the rig shook, and for a time even 
the house was caught in the vibratiou made 
as the piercing drill went downward. For 
hours Calista heard nothing but the dull 
thud, thud. Then the keenness of her re- 
sentment lessened somewhat and she be- 
came listless, just waiting for the word one 
wav or the other. 

She had begun to pity her father. She 
knew that he was not sleeping : she heard 
him going out in the morning before day- 
light. If he came into his breakfast at all 
it was swallowed hastily, and he sat on the 
porch at night when the world was asleep, 
silent, with eyes fixed on the fire that 
gleamed where the engine was working. 

The drill had reached the depth beyond 
which experts said it was needless to go. 
The pump was put in, but the casing re- 
mained as dry as a conductor pipe in 
August. There was only one more thing 


THE TRESTLE BOARD 


45i 


to be done, to “shoot’ ’ the well. The ex- 
perts came and lowered the cartridge that 
was intended to make the fissures through 
which the oil might reach the well; the 
electric wires were adjusted. 

“Stand back, now, everybody,” said 
the foreman. The old man stood bare- 
headed leaning against the fence; Calista 
stood in the kitchen door. Mr. Ely had 
ridden upon horseback from the town and 
was standing at a safe distance with the 
bridle in his hand. 

Then the electrician turned the switch. 
The silence which had fallen was like that 
which falls upon nature before the break- 
ing of a storm, and it was broken by a 
rumble that was like thunder far beyond 
the hills. Then a cloud rose up from the 
tubing, spreading like billowy steam from 
the exhaust of a locomotive. The sun 
struck the cloud gilding it with rainbow’ 
splendor. Even the particles of sand and 
rock glowed like opals from a Mexican 
mine. 

The cloud gradually cleared away and 
the lookers-on waited in silence. Why 
wait ? 

“It it a duster,” said the foreman. 
“There’s no oil within five miles of here.” 

“Come into the house, father”; Calista 
touched her father’s sleeve. “Come in 
and sit down.” The old man looked as 
if he would fall. The girl’s voice was dry 
and husky. “Come in,” she repeated, 
and she led him to a chair. He fell into 
it as a wounded man falls, his arms crossed 
upon the table supporting his head. 

Womanly instinct is ever uppermost. 
All the resentment was gone now, over- 
balanced by pity. The girl put her arms 
around the old man’s neck and laid her 
cheek against his head. It was the first 
time since she could remember that she 
had done such a thing. 

“Never mind, dad,” she said. “We 
will pull through somehow.” 

“Every penny has gone, Calisty. He 
promised to lease the land if the well 
turned out, and if it didn’t I got nothing. 
I was so sure.” 

It was just as she had supposed. The 
agent had done his work cleverlv. 

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I tell you 
we’ll get through somehow'. Maybe we’ll 
have to sell out; but I can work.” 

And so night came, and after the old 
man had dragged himself to bed, to sleep 
for the first time in many nights, Calista 
sat by the window thinking. What could 


she do ? She would go to Mr. Wheden in 
the morning and ask his advice. Ask his 
advice ! What good would advice do 
now ? 

The cool air of night was soothing to 
her. The world seemed so peaceful lying 
under the stars. She may have dropped 
asleep with her head on the window sill. 
She was startled by a rushing and a roar- 
ing, a sound as if a volcano had opened, 
then there was a flash of light that became 
a blaze which spread to the oil rig and 
outlined it in fire like the set pieces are 
outlined at a big display of fireworks. 

“Father, fire, fire !” she called, and 
rushed out of the house to retreat before 
a creeping line of flame that came toward 
her through the grass. She realized what 
it was. It was burning oil. The well was 
flowing. 

The neighbors saw the blaze and came 
and barely saved the house. The fore- 
man, who had been working on the well, 
came up from the village and went to 
work, and by morning everyone knew that 
a big well had “come in” on the Evans 
farm. 

Mr. Ely had returned to the city before 
the great news reached the town. When 
he heard of it he hastened back, but he 
was too late. The old man was sitting on 
his porch watching the new work going on. 

“Well, Mr. Evans, I suppose we may 
as well arrange affairs to-day on the terms 
mentioned.” 

“I will have to refer you to my daugh- 
ter’s representative, Mr. Wheden. He has 
full charge of my daughter’s affairs.” 

“But the option I — ” 

“Well, it is like this, Mr. Ely. This 
place belonged to my wife. It came to 
her from her father. I didn’t know until 
Mr. Wheden told me this morning that I 
had no authority to give an option; the 
place really belongs to Calisty.” 

“We will begin proceedings at once; 
this is outrageous.” 

“Not so outrageous, Mr. Ely, as your 
inducing my father to make a verbal agree- 
ment with you to put down a well at his 
own expense, and in case it turned out 
well you were to have a lease at one-third 
what it was worth. However, Mr. Whe- 
den said if you had anything to say to 
send you to him.” It was Calisty who 
thereof he shall be subject to suspension 
the same as if a member of the Lodge, 
with the same rights as to reinstatement.” 

These statutes were referred to the Com- 


452 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


mittee on Jurisprudence. The spirit of 
this legislation is a step toward Masonic 
charity, showing a change is working its 
way in the Craft toward a less mercenary 
and unfraternal treatment of brethren who, 
for any reason whatever, become unaffili- 
ated. ” We hope it is the percursor of the 
time when, as we are taught, that as in ev- 
ery nation and every clime Masons are 
found, that even so shall every Mason be 
received as a brother wherever dispersed, 
and treated as such until he has forfeited 
that right through charges preferred and a 
fair trial. Every Craftsman should find a 
Masonic home in the Lodge of his choice 
and nearest his residence, for every Lodge 
is of such extensive dimensions as to ex- 
tend from East to West and from earth to 
heaven, and this being true, no treacherous 
blackball should intervene between him 
and his desire and greatest need. 

o 

To the Craftsmen of Mississippi. 

BY BRO. EDWIN A. SHERMAN. 


On the banks of the broad flowing river, 

By the shores of the wide midland sea, 

The Light from the Great Bounteous Giver, 
Shines eternal o’er true Masonry Free. 

There conscience, unfettered, adores, 

And without creed it worships its God; 

For over the checkered paved floors, 

Our Temple Builders have trod. 

Their altars are aflame there within, _ 

The holy fire, there burns like the 'sun, 

No longer are burnt offerings for sin, 

The day of cruel sacrifice is done. 

The goat is free to climb over the rocks, 

His mate in peace, suckles her kid; 

The sheep now run free in their flocks, 

For the murder of lambs is forbid. 

No longer the bullocks bellow in fear, 

The heifers are not mourned by the kine; 

E’en the doves fly free in mid air, 

For the peace of God is divine. 

There the humming bird and wild bee 
Gather the sweet nectar from flowers; 

The honey-dew of Mount Hermon is free, 
When gathered with Speed and with Power. 

There spotless linen and cotton replace 
The skin once torn from lamb’s back, 

E’en white sheep may be looked in the face, 
For all the wool is Ethiopian black. 

Once there was brave Quitman and Scott, 
Who then ruled Mississippi in love; 

And her altar fires still glowing and hot 
With Hillyer’s inspiration above. 

Behold ! the incense of devotion ascends 
In clouds unto Heaven’s White Throne, 

While the spirit of Fraternity blends, 

And makes the Brotherhood one. 


For the Little Ones. 


A DINNER AND A KISS. 

“I have brought your dinner, father/ 
The blacksmith’s daughter said, 

As she took from her arm the kettle] 
And lifted its shining lid. 

“There is not any pie or pudding, 

So I will give you this,” 

So upon his toil-worn forehead 
She left a childish kiss. 

The blacksmith took off his apron 
And dined in happy mood, 
Wondering much at the savor 
Hid in his humble food, 

While all about him were visions 
Full of prophetic bliss; 

But he never thought of magic 
In his little daughter’s kiss. 

While she, with her kettle swinging. 
Merrily trudged away, 

Stopping at sight of a squirrel, 
Catching some wild bird’s lay, 

And thought how many a shadow 
Of life and fate we would miss 
If always our frugal dinners 
Were seasoned with a kiss. 

O 

The Manufacture of Gold. 


Can gold be made from baser metals ? 
Prof. Gustav Hinrichs, the famous chem- 
ist, believes it can, and does not hesitate to 
affirm that the feat will be accomplished 
within a half century. Prof. J. J. Thom- 
son also thinks that if he can disassociate 
the atoms of various substances — that is, if 
he can split them up — they could be re- 
constructed again in the form of gold. 
He is now striving to produce a tempera- 
ture in excess of 5,000 degrees above zero, 
for it is the general scientific belief that 
with this excessive heat the feat can be ac- 
complished. 

Prof. J. J. Thomson believes that, un- 
der influence of the cathode ray, a true 
dissociation of elementary atoms occurs, 
and Prof. George F. Fitzgerald points 
out that if this be really true, then we 
“are within measurable distance of the 
dreams of the alchemists, and are in the 
presence of a method of transmuting one 
elementary substance into another.’ * For 
several years observations with the spec- 
troscope have made it probable that the 
elements as we know them are some of 
the dissociated in the sun and stars; and 
now the report comes from London that 
the same thing has apparently been ac- 
complished in a mundane laboratory. 

In view of the tests made by the ex- 
perts of the United States government of a 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


453 


process which was claimed by its inventors 
actually to make gold, Prof. Hinrichs’ 
opinion has peculiar timeliness. The gov- 
ernment experts were ridiculed in some 
quarters for so much as examining the 
alleged invention, but the statement of 
Prof! Hinrichs goes a great way toward 
justifying their action in the matter. It 
appears that the search for a means of 
making gold is by no means on a plane, 
as many people have supposed, with the 
fruitless endeavor to secure perpetual 
motion. It is held to be absolutely im- 
possible to make a perpetual motion ma- 
chine, because such a machine could only 
operate in violation of one of the most 
fundamental laws of physics — the principle 
of the conservation of energy. But the 
project to make gold from other metals 
does not, it is said on the highest authority, 
violate any known principle of nature. 
Therefore, it is the most eminent chemists 
who most readily agree that the feat may 
some time be accomplished. 

Of course not all scientists agree with 
Prof. Hinrichs as to the probability of 
this discovery being made in the near 
future. People never do agree about the 
probability of doing anything that has 
not yet been done. But the recent strides 
in chemistry have been so rapid and so 
great that the better argument seems to lie 
with those who expect much of this science 
in the near future rather than with those 
who expect little. The reason so many 
people are skeptical is chiefly that they 
are ignorant of what has been done al- 
ready. The work of the technical scien- 
tist goes ahead so quietly that it is little 
noticed by the outside world, except in 
those rare instances in which it chances to 
touch upon matters of direct economic im- 
portance. When chemists found that they 
could build up organic compounds in the 
laboratory, their first results seemed of no 
consequence except in the establishment of 
a principle which unscientific persons could 
hardly understand and not at all appre- 
ciate. Yet see what has come of this; step 
by step the experiments have gone ahead, 
till it is now possible to manufacture in 
the laboratory substitutes for many com- 
mercial articles that formerly were secured 
with difficulty from nature alone. 

A striking illustration of this is furnished 
by a very beautiful mineral called lapis 
lazulae, from which the brilliant blue pig- 
ment familiar to every artist as ultramarine, 
was formerly made. This mineral w r as ex- 


tremely rare, and found in but few coun- 
tries, chiefly in Persia, and its market 
value, weight for weight, was greater than 
that of gold. This fact led the chemists 
to attempt to analyze and reconstruct it in 
the laboratory. To analyze it proved 
easy; it was found to be composed of such 
familiar elements as silica, alumina (prom- 
inent constituents of common earths and 
rocks), soda, iron and sulphur. But a 
knowledge of its constitution gave no clew 
whatever to the beautiful color of the lapis 
lazulae, nor did there seem to be any way 
in which the constituents could be put to- 
gether in imitation of the natural mineral. 
The less progressive chemists gave it up 
in despair, saying that the processes of 
nature could not be duplicated in the 
laboratory. Others, however, went ahead 
with the experiments, and presently they 
were rewarded with success. They had 
but to put together the elements in proper 
proportions, and subject them to certain 
conditions, and, behold ! an artificial lapis 
lazulae as brilliant as the original. So, 
to-day, this mineral which, a few years 
ago, was literally worth its weight in gold, 
is supplanted by a duplicate made in fac- 
tories by the ton and sold for fifteen cents 
a pound. 

Then, again, about a century ago the 
great French chemist, Lavoisier, learned 
that the wonderful gem known as the 
diamond is really composed of the same 
material as charcoal — namely, carbon. At 
once it was suggested that it might be pos- 
sible to make diamonds out of coal. But 
most chemists scouted the idea — the dia- 
mond was a natural mineral, and nature’s 
processes could not be duplicated in the 
laboratory. So for about a hundred years 
no very extensive efforts were made to 
learn how to manufacture diamonds, not- 
withstanding the great value of these 
gems. Recently, however, M. Moisson 
has taken up the subject, and, as is well 
known, has actually succeeded in making 
true diamonds in his forge. The gems 
thus manufactured are very small, it is 
true, but the principle has been found, and 
who can doubt that its application will be 
extended until gems of any desired size 
are made at will? It would be nothing 
surprising if within the next generation 
or two diamonds equal to the finest crown 
jewels were to be turned out from factories 
by the ton, and sold at so many cents an 
ounce, instead of so many dollars a carat. 

Yet, again, think of the multitudinous 


454 


THE TRESTLE BOARD . 


and varied commercial products that are 
now manufactured from the black offensive 
liquid known as coal tar, which, until re- 
cently, was considered a waste product in 
the manufacture of gas from coal. From 
this apparently noxious liquid are pro- 
duced a great variety of ethers, which do 
service as “true fruit syrups” at most soda 
fountains, a host of beautiful and brilliant 
dyes and pigments and numerous valuable 
drugs. 

In truth, what has been done is but a 
mere beginning. It is new work in an 
untried field. Already chemists are in 
sight of greater achievements than any of 
these. In Germany even now there are 
factories where they hope, in the near fu- 
ture, to be able to make the invaluable 
drug quinine; and when this is accom- 
plished the making of morphine and all 
similar drugs independently of nature’s 
laboratory — the plant — will surely follow. 
This would mean the death blow to such 
great commercial interests as the cultiva- 
tion of the Peruvian bark tree and the 
poppy, industries that are as important in 
some tropical climates as the cultivation of 
cereals is in the temperate zone. 

It is reported from the chemical lab- 
oratories that ‘‘the synthesis of sugar is 
imminent”; in other words, that the time 
is probably at hand when this universal 
staple may be manufactured, perhaps from 
coal tar, in the laboratory. This would 
mean an utter revolution in the agricultural 
and commercial status of entire nations. 
But if sugar is to be manufactured, why 
not starch also, which has almost the same 
chemical composition ? Why, indeed, may 
not all the vegetable foods be substituted 
by laboratory products, making the occu- 
pation of the tiller of the soil only a rem- 
iniscence ? Such a suggestion, with all 
its revolutionary corollaries, takes liberties 
with the future, it is true; but with a part 
of the future that seems to lie barely be- 
yond the horizon of the present. 

All this, it must be admitted, is some- 
what afield from the subject of gold-mak- 
ing, for gold is an elementary substance, 
whereas the various substances just men- 
tioned are compounds ,of the same ele- 
ments (carbon, hydrogen and oxygen) 
variously put together. But the difference 
is apparent rather than real, for the modern 
chemist is disposed to regard the so-called 
“elements” as themselves composed of 
yet more elementary substances; indeed, it 
is this belief that justifies the hope of 


making gold from other metals. The 
presumption is that the atom of gold, 
which is very heavy, is composed of sev- 
eral lighter atoms, and it is believed that 
conditions will some time be discovered 
under which the elementary atoms of some 
lighter metals may be decomposed, and 
made to unite again, not as they were be- 
fore, but in such proportions as to form 
atoms of gold. In making such an effort 
the chemist of to-day may work, so to 
speak, with his eyes open. He knows the 
atomic weights of the different metals, 
and he can form a judgment in advance of 
his experiments as to what ones are of 
right weight possibly to produce the de- 
sired combination. The old-time alchem- 
ists who wore out their lives over the same 
problem had no such clew. They knew 
nothing of atomic weights, or, for that 
matter, of atoms themselves, and they 
worked utterly in the dark, with no pros- 
pect of success. That they failed is no 
proof that the chemist of the future must 
also fail. 

Even should it be proved that Prof. 
Thomson is correct, of course many steps 
remain to be taken before we shall see 
gold made from base metals. For ex- 
ample, we shall first have to learn the con- 
ditions under which dissociated elements 
will recombine in the right proportions to 
form gold. But the ingenuity of man 
seldom falters over details when once a 
principle is established, and it may be that 
persons who read these lines to-day will 
live to see laws enacted forbidding the 
manufacture of gold. Such a law was on 
the statute books of England in the day 
when numerous pretenders professed to 
have discovered the philosopher’s stone. 
It was a needless law then, and it would 
be equally meaningless to-day; but if the 
contentions of Prof. Hinrichs, Thomson 
and other leaders of science prove correct 
it might not be meaningless to-morrow. 
o 

It’s a “fad” now-a-days to carry “Old 
Glory” in parades alongside of the beau- 
seant of the Knights Templar. This is a 
good “fad,” and every Commandery in 
the land should have the Stars and Stripes 
spread to the breeze in their ranks. It is 
that grand symbol of liberty that has made 
freedom the greatest boon of this land. 
The beauseant and the Stars and Stripes 
make a grand combination, expressive of 
God and our native land. 

— W. J. Duncan . 


THE TRESTLE BOARD . 


455 


What Was His Creed? 

He left a load of anthricite 
In front of a poor woman’s door, 

When the deep snow, frozen and white, 
Wrapped street and square, mountain and 
moor. 

That was his deed, he did it well; 

“What was his creed?” I cannot tell. 

Blessed “in his basket and in his store,” 

In sitting down and rising up; 

When more he got he gave the more, 
Withholding not the crust and cup, 

He took the lead in each good task. 

“What was his creed ?” I did not ask. 

His charity was like the snow, 

Soft, light and silent in its fall; 

Not like the noisy winds that blow 
From shivering trees the leaves; a pall 

From flowers and weed, dropping below, 

“What was his creed ?” The poor may know. 

He had great faith in loaves of bread 
For hungry people, young and old; 

And hope inspired, kind words he said 
To those he sheltered from the cold. 

For we must be fed as well as pray. 

“What was his creed ?” I cannot say. 

In words he did not put his trust; 

His faith in words he never writ; 

He loved to share his cup and crust 
With all mankind who needed it. 

In time of need a friend was he. 

“What was his creed ?” He told not me. 

He put his trust in heaven, and he 
Worked well with hand and head; 

And what he gave in charity 
Sweetened his sleep and daily bread. 

Let us take heed, for life is brief. 

This was his creed — this his belief. 

o 

Whittaker’s Almanac. 


In the veranda of the club at Chutney- 
pore were seated one hot evening in May, 
three Englishmen. Two were old resi- 
dents in the country, Brown of the police, 
and Smith, who belonged to the depart- 
ment, which from its initials is facetiously 
known as the Department of Public Waste. 
The third was a new-comer, Jackson, who 
had only recently arrived in India, and 
had been posted to Chutneypore. Between 
the pegs and cheroots, the conversation 
ranged from topic to topic, until at last it 
fell upon the subject of Freemasonry. 
Brown and Smith were both old Masons, 
and Jackson was full of interest in the sub- 
ject, and asked a number of questions 
about it. Before he left England, so he 
informed his friends, he had been urged 
to join Masonry by an old friend of his. 
He had been told that in the colonies he 
would find it of extreme use. 

“Why did you not take the hint and 


join our noble Order there?” said Brown. 

“Well, the fact is,” said Jackson “I 
did not think I was qualified to join. I 
was informed that Freemasonry was for 
Christians only, who believed in the Bible, 
and as my parents happened to be free- 
thinkers, and I was brought up that way, 
I could not honestly say that I believed in 
the Bible.” 

“ Nothing of the sort,” said Smith. 
“Out here we admit as Masons all sorts 
of people — Brahmans, Parsees and Ma- 
homedans. Large numbers of these join 
ur Order every year. So long as they 
elieve in the existence of a supreme God, 
r at least say that they do, the doors of 
Freemasonry in India are open to them. 
Why, only the other day I was in a native 
Lodge, where the W. M. was a Parsee, 
the Senior Warden a Hindu, and several 
of the officers Mahomedans. There w r as 
not a single Christian in the whole place.” 

“But,” remarked Jackson. “ I always 
thought that a candidate for Freemasonry 
had to take a very solemn oath on the 
Bible.” 

“Not at all,” said his friends both to- 
gether. And they went on to explain that 
though an oath was certainly taken, it 
need not be taken on the Sacred Scriptures 
of the Christian. Each man was obligated 
on whatever book he placed most confi- 
dence in as a sacred book. The Parsees 
were obligated on the Zend Avesta, the 
Hindus on the Bhagavat gita, and so on. 
“So, you see,” they said, “there is no 
difficulty about your becoming a Free- 
mason. I suppose you believe in God?” 

“Certainly,” said Jackson. “My only 
difficulty is that I do not believe in the 
Bible. But if you can put me up as a 
member under these circamstances, there 
is nothing I should like better than to be- 
come a member of such an ancient and 
honorable Fraternity.” 

As a result of the above conversation, 
Mr. Jackson received about three weeks 
later a form of application which he was 
instructed to fill up, and return to the 
Secretary, Lodge Cosmopolitan, No. 965, 
Scotch Constitution, Chutneypore. The 
form was soon filled with his name, age, 
occupation, etc., and after enclosing a 
check for fifty rupees to show he meant 
business, he waited in some degree of 
nervousness for the night of his initiation. 
It came at last, and at the appointed time 
he strolled across from the club to the 
building where the Masons held their 


456 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


Lodge. After waiting in an ante-room 
for some time, his friend Brown appeared, 
arrayed in all the splendor of a Grand 
Lodge officer. 

“Well,” remarked Jackson, “now I 
suppose we shan’t be long.” 

“No,” said Brown, “but there is a 
slight hitch in the proceedings. You told 
us at the club the other night you did not 
believe in the Bible.” 

“No more I do,” said the candidate, 
“but you told me that it would make no 
difference, as a lot of men were made Ma- 
sons who are not Christians.” 

“That is a fact,” said Brown. “But 
the difficulty is this, What are you to be 
sworn on ? You must take the obligation 
like every one else on some book that you 
consider sacred. Now, as you do not con- 
sider the Bible a sacred book, what will 
you be sworn on ?’ ’ 

“I thought of that,” said Jackson, and 
produced from his pocket a small book 
with a green cover. ‘ ‘There, ’ ’ he remarked, 
“I consider that book worth all the Bibles 
in the world for sound, matter-of-fact, hard 
common sense. And if I cannot take my 
oath on Whittaker’s Almanac, I decline to 
be made a Mason at all.” 

“ Wait a few minutes,” said his friend, 
and left him to himself again. Inside the 
Lodge, Worshipful Bro. Brown repeated 
the conversation he had had with the can- 
didate, when a most excited debate fol- 
lowed. Some of the older Masons who 
were Christians objected. They said that 
to obligate a man who did not believe in 
the Bible on Whittaker’s Almanac was a 
degradation of Masonry they had never 
expected to see. But it was pointed out 
to them that other books were used for 
obligations; that a ruling of Grand Lodge 
had decided that any one who believed in 
God could be initiated, provided he took 
the oath on some book that he considered 
sacred. The candidate was prepared to 
swear on Whittaker as the book he rev- 
erenced most in the world, and that if he 
were kept out, what was to become of the 
universality of Masonry. The native 
brethren in the Lodge were particularly 
jubilant to think that a sahib had the same 
objection to the book which they hated, 
and hoped to degrade it still more from 
its position as the Great Light of Freema- 
sonry. The matter was at last decided in 
the candidate’s favor, and Mr. Jackson was 
brought into Lodge in the usual way, and 
duly obligated on his sacred book. 


Months passed, and Bro. Jackson be- 
came a most enthusiastic Mason. Having 
established his claim to regard Whittaker’s 
Almanac as the guide of his life and ac- 
tions, he proceeded to take other degrees 
in Freemasonry. Years passed by, and at 
last he found himself in the chair of his 
mother Lodge. His years of office over, 
he was appointed to office in the Grand 
Lodge of all Scottish Freemasonry in In- 
dia. And, at last, to make a long story 
short, an addition was made to the already 
very lengthy list of office bearers in that 
august body, and Worshipful Bro. Jack- 
son was appointed to be “Grand Whittaker 
Bearer,” ranking after the Grand Koran 
Bearer and above the Grand Gita Bearer. 

— Indian Review. 

o 

An Alaska Masonic Funeral. 


In 1895, M. W. Bro. Wm. W. Wither- 
spoon, then Grand Master of Washington, 
received a letter from a Mason at Juneau, 
Alaska, telling of the manner in which an 
assembly of Masons had paid the last hon- 
ors to a departed brother. The funeral 
described was not the only one that had 
been conducted with Masonic ceremonies 
in that far off land; but a number of times 
the resident Masons had assembled to- 
gether upon the death of a brother, and 
clothed in white gloves and aprons, and 
bearing the open Bible, they had con- 
signed the body to the earth, and cast into 
the open grave the symbol of immortal 
life and the Mason’s faith in the resur- 
rection of the body. They did this with- 
out Lodge authority, often without the 
assistance of a clergyman, always dis- 
claimed Lodge organization and omitted 
the grand honors. Some of the brothers 
felt that they had done nothing contrary 
to the spirit of Masonic law, while others 
thought that they ought not to attend a 
funeral in a body as Masons, and to set 
the doubt at rest in their minds the ques- 
tion as to what was their duty was asked 
of Washington’s Grand Master. 

In substance his reply was that “un- 
der the circumstances it seems a graceful 
and proper thing for Masons, situated as 
you are, to attend the funeral of a de- 
ceased brother in a body, so long as you 
do not give any cause for criticism; that 
is, by holding yourselves out as a regular- 
ly constituted Masonic body. Further, I 
do not see any objection to forming as 
you have described and performing the 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


457 


ceremonies as you have indicated, omit- 
ting the Masonic clothing — the apron.” 

Some comment has been made among 
correspondents as to the soundness of 
Grand Master Witherspoon’s advice, but 
so far there has been no adverse criticism, 
one correspondent saying, “Wear the 
white gloves and aprons.” It seems to 
the writer that there can be no wrong in 
doing just what the Alaska brethren did, 
and that neither the letter nor the spirit of 
any Masonic law T was violated. Alaska is 
unoccupied territory, and the writer will 
lay himself open to criticism by saying 
that Masons in unoccupied territory, who 
are not affiliated, may assemble together 
as an actual Lodge, perfect an organiza- 
tion and then ask recognition from some 
regular Grand Lodge of their choice. He 
will go farther and say that they would 
not be clandestine if Grand Lodges should 
fail or refuse to recognize them, only in 
the judgment of the Grand Lodge failing 
or refusing so to ’do. The Fraternity ex- 
isted before Grand Lodges, and none hav- 
ing jurisdiction over unoccupied territory, 
they are without control of the law'ful acts 
of legitimately made Masons within it. 

Even in unoccupied territory there is no 
violation of Masonic law' in doing what 
the Alaska brethren did.' The first Ma- 
sonic funeral the w'riter ever witnessed in 
Kansas was conducted in the same way, 
and as it may be of interest to the readers 
of the Freemason the story w'ill be given. 

It was in western Kansas and nearly 
fifteen years ago that a brother died w'ho 
had been loved and respected during life 
for his many good qualities. During his 
last illness he had often expressed regret 
that he could not have a Masonic funeral. 
He w'as nearly two thousand miles from 
his Mother Lodge and the same number 
from any blood relative. The nearest 
Lodge w'as twenty-five miles distant from 
Ihe little frontier towm in w'hich he died, 
and the question for the brethren was 
“could they give the dead brother burial 
with Masonic ceremonies without violating 
Masonic law?” There w'as considerable 
discussion, but the conclusion reached w'as 
that they could do so. 

There were only four Masons resident 
in the town, but for over a year there had 
been maintained a “Masonic Association,” 
and its records show'ed the residence of 
every Mason in the county. Messengers 
were dispatched to brethren living ten 
and fifteen miles away, and at the hour 


for the funeral twelve brethren, clad in 
white gloves and aprons, w’ith the Holy 
Bible open and w'ith a pair of compasses 
from a set of engineers’ instruments, and 
a square cut from a piece of tin resting 
thereon, accompanied the body to the 
grave and buried it with the Masonic ser- 
vice. 

There w'as no monitor in all the coun- 
ty, but among us three verses of “solemn 
strikes the funeral chime” w’ere resurrected 
from memory’s store house, and a good 
old brother, a Past Master, w’as able to re- 
hearse from memory the entire service. 
There w'as no evergreen, but each brother 
cast into the grave a few' leaves cut from 
a cottonw ? ood tree that grew' near the town, 
and the grand honors were not omitted. 

As the precession neared the grave rain, 
w'hich had been threatened by low' hang- 
ing dark clouds, dashed dowm and con- 
tinued during the service. The old gray- 
haired brother at the head of the grave, 
with head bared to the storm, and the lit- 
tle band of brothers, is a picture not soon 
to be effaced from memory. The vener- 
able brother, as w'ell as others of the lit- 
tle band, have slept beneath the sod for 
many years, and in doing what they did 
violated no Masonic law', either in letter 
or spirit, although in a State occupied by 
a Grand Lodge with nearly two hundred 
constituents . — Kansas Freemason . 

o 

Remedy for Non-Affiliation. 

Several Grand Jurisdictions are endeav- 
oring to solve the subject of so much un- 
affiliation of the Craft as is prevalent. 
Iow'a, in the adoption of a new Constitu- 
tion, has the following: 

“Article XIV, Section i. The right of 
every Master Mason in good standing to a 
Masonic home is absolute in the particular 
Jurisdiction in w'hich he resides, after 
timely residence. 

Section 2. The Grand Lodge shall by 
appropriate legislation secure to every 
non-affiliate Master Mason the right guar- 
anteed by the foregoing section of this ar- 
ticle.” 

As the requirement for appropriate leg- 
islation has not been complied with, the 
committee reported a statute requiring the 
Master of the Lodge to whom a non-affili- 
ate by dimit shall petition for membership, 
after having resided six months within its 
jurisdiction, to declare him a member of a 
Lodge, after due inquiry by a committee, 


45 § 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


without a ballot, upon his signing the by- 
laws, unless he shall be convicted of some 
offense for which some higher grade of 
punishment than reprimand is awarded, on 
charges which the committee of inquiry 
may bring against him as the only alter- 
native to his being so installed as a mem- 
ber, the rule as to punishment being the 
same as in other trials. 

Another section recognizes the right of 
dimission of any member not in arrears, 
under charges or liable thereto, upon re- 
quest and upon the order of the Master at 
a stated meeting, and further provides: 

“Any dimitted Master Mason in this 
Grand Jurisdiction may receive and enjoy 
Masonic privileges and benefits as if a 
member of a Lodge, except such as de- 
pend upon Lodge membership; but after a 
residence in any local Jurisdiction for six 
months, during which time he holds a 
dimit, his name shall be entered on the 
books of the Lodge of such local Jurisdic- 
tion, and he shall be required to pay local 
and Grand Lodge dues to such Lodge as if 
he were a member thereof; and in default 
for instance, the psychometer could read 
the moral, mental and spiritual character- 
istics of the writer, his physical condition, 
material surroundings and daily occupa- 
tion, and even in some instances the letter 
itself. Not only handwriting, but photo- 
graphs, locks of hair, articles of clothing, 
jewelry; in fact, any and everything upon 
which human thought and volition are ex- 
pended, is impressed by contact and be- 
comes a register of that thought and life. 

It has been repeatedly demonstrated 
that everything which surrounds a man, 
photographs not only his outward physi- 
cal condition, but his mental states, his 
habits of thought and motives of action 
and his spiritual development. Philoso- 
phers tell us that all movements, even the 
slightest, produce results which are indel- 
ibly stamped on surrounding objects. 
These are registered by magnetic influence, 
and are not affected by the lapse of time. 
In like manner the influences that emanate 
from every human being, leave their im- 
press on all around, and these impressions 
may be detected by the psychometer so 
clearly that scenes long since passed out 
of mind may be recalled to memory as 
vividly as by an eye witness or a partici- 
pant. Obscure diseases may be correctly 
diagnosed, drugs tested, their action being 
exactly described, their reaction noted and 
their toxic qualities accurately foretold. 


In fact accuracy is an important quality of 
the psychometric faculty. 

It has been recorded by Prof. Denton, 
the eminent geologist, that experiments 
with fossils and specimens from ancient 
ruins were equally successful with those of 
more modern specimens, even letters or 
articles of clothing belonging to living in- 
dividuals. He was early interested in this 
science, and published the results of vast 
numbers of experiments, in a work called 
“The Soul of Things,” which has passed 
through a number of editions. 

The case of Bishop Polk is not without 
parallel. Many are possessed of and exer- 
cise this faculty without knowing that it is 
capable of development, or that there have 
ever been scientific experiments to deter- 
mine its laws and possibilities. 

Psychometry can teach us nearly every- 
thing, much easier than we learn by our 
present methods; it will immensely enlarge 
the boundaries of every science; history 
will be vastly enlarged and made much 
more reliable. We are here for want of 
space, speaking only synoptically, but 
would refer our readers who desire to in- 
vestigate this important subject to Denton’s 
“Soul of Things,” found in Mechanics’ 
Institute or any other good library. 

—A. N. Abbott , M D. 

o 

What is Psychometry ? 


Psychometry is the science and art of 
reading the history and condition of per- 
sons, places and things, by contact with 
material substances. Professor J. Rodes 
Buchanan, who first called public attention 
to this faculty, calls it “soul-measuring 
power.” Bishop Polk, in conversation 
with the Doctor nearly fifty years ago 
(1841), remarked that “if he should touch 
a piece of brass, even in the night when he 
could not see, the influence would pene- 
trate instantly through his system, and he 
could recognize the offensive metallic taste 
in his mouth.” 

To Dr. Buchanan, ever on the alert for 
new research on scientific subjects, and 
particularly in mental and intellectual 
phenomena, this suggested the thought 
that others might possess the same power, 
and the possibility of so developing it that 
it should be available at will. He ac- 
cordingly instituted a series of critical ex- 
periments, continuing several years, some 
of the results of which have since been 
embodied in a book treating fully on the 


THE TRESTLE BOARD . 


459 


subject called ‘‘Psychometry.” He dis-^ 
covered that sensitives when brought I in 
contact with material substances could 
read the conditions amid which they had 
previously existed. By holding in the 
hands or placing on the forehead a letter, 
spoke and who was smiling at her father 
from the doorway. 

“I guess I did that pretty well, didn’t 
I, dad ?” she said, as the young man rode 
away. “We know a think or two, don’t 
we?” and she laughed and added, “when 
somebody tells us?” 

o 

Mercenary Masonry. 


Masonic speakers and writers have so 
long thundered their anathemas against 
all whose choice leads them to non-affilia 
tion, and have invoked upon all so offend- 
ing the penalty of Masonic death, that the 
management of the Institution has resolved 
itself almost entirely into a dollar-and-cent 
affair, without any regular system of fixed 
benefits as have the societies from which 
the movement has received, by reflected 
influence, so great an impetus. The sub- 
lime fundamental ideas of Brotherly love, 
relief and truth on which Masonry is based 
have been changed thereby and to-day 
Masonry is a luxury, and the life of the 
member is dependent entirely upon a cash 
basis. 

If this principle holds good, and who 
dares deny it, then it is but reasonable the 
value of membership will be estimated on 
the financial returns likely to accrue to the 
investor. 

There were 18,635 Masons suspended or 
excluded from the privileges of Masonry 
for the non-payment of dues in this coun- 
try in 1896. The suspended Mason has 
everything in common with the one who 
has been expelled. He is an outcast. 
Now the evil of this financial system is 
pernicious enough in itself, but the greater 
injury, it seems to The Tyler , comes from 
the spirit it inculcates. The tendency of 
the day is no longer to depend on the 
promises of God, no longer to act from 
high and noble purposes in life, nor to 
give because of heart love. Every thought 
and transaction of life more and more 
turns upon the immediate personal gain to 
be derived from an investment in benefit 
associations, insurance and other societies. 
In this way God is being crowded out of 
the thoughts of the people, the world is 
being divided into classes — that love only 


their own — selfishness is engendered, and 
unless a man or his wife holds member- 
ship in some one of these speculative con- 
cerns, life is considered, and is likely to 
prove, a dismal earthly failure to the poor 
man. What is the end to be ? 

When Masonry was under the ban of 
public opinion, non-affiliation was not a 
Masonic crime. In 1830, when Stephen 
Van Rensselaer, Grand Master of New 
York, so far succumbed to the pressure of 
the anti-Masonic excitement as to decline 
a re-election, the Grand Lodge elected as 
his successor, in that perilous emergency, 
Morgan Lewis, late a major-general in the 
army of the United States, ex governor 
and chief justice, President of the societies 
of Cincinnati and St. David, as his suc- 
cessor. When the Committee of the Grand 
Lodge visited the venerable patriot — then 
nearly seventy-five years of age — in his 
retirement, and informed him of his elec- 
tion, he cheerfully accepted the responsi- 
bility, and threw the weight of his name 
and influence in favor of the Fraternity. 
A grateful Craft re-elected him again and 
again, and he continued to fill the office 
until his death, in 1844, when five thou- 
sand Masons threw the evergreen sprigs 
into his grave. Yet Morgan Lewis was an 
unaffiliated Mason, and remained so until 
1842, when in the 87th year of his age he 
affiliated with St. John’s Lodge, No. 1, 
New York City. Thus in these dark 
days, which tried the souls of Masons, a 
non- affiliated Mason could be Grand Mas- 
ter. 

What do you think about it ? — Tyler . 

o 

The Payment of Dues. 

Did it ever occur to those brethren who 
are continually denouncing non-affiliates 
that in the early history of Masonry dues 
were unknown ? This question of dues 
has grown out of the attempt to engraft 
upon Freemasonry some of the features of 
beneficiary organizations, and the abandon- 
ment of some of the principles of the 
Craft — brotherly love, relief and truth. 
From this innovation has sprung all the 
trouble we now have about suspension for 
^s d, Departure from Masonic princi- 
ples ever will lead to confusion. Member- 
ship, it is urged by many, is requisite for 
a right for the benefits and privileges of 
Masonry. Formerly it was not so. Ma- 
sons were initiated, and membership vAs 
optional with the initiate, and may be so 


460 


THE TRESTLE BOARD . 


now in some Jurisdictions. After initia- 
tion formerly the novitiate was informed 
that if he desired to become a member of 
the Lodge in which it transpired he could 
do so by signing the by-laws. If he did 
not wish to become a member, and pre- 
ferred to perform his duties of friendship, 
brotherly love and charity in his indi- 
vidual capacity, that was his privilege. 
There is no law to compel a brother, after 
having taken his three degreee, remaining 
as a subscribing member. — Freemasons' 
Chronicle , New South Wales. 

From the above it will be seen that 
there was a time, in the long ago, when 
such a thing as dues was unknown to sub- 
ordinate Lodges, and that a brother, after 
being “ raised,” could go forth in the 
world to do good on his own account, 
wholly untrammeled by Lodge regula- 
tions. If he desired he could affiliate 
with any Lodge of his choice simply by 
signing the by laws. No ballot was nec- 
essary. This is the custom to day in Vir- 
ginia, except that he has to be elected to 
membership in the Lodge with which he 
wishes to affiliate. 

In the olden time the expenses attend- 
ant upon the running of the Lodge and 
the charity done by them had to be kept 
up by free-will offerings. Each brother 
was allowed to give all he felt able, and 
if he gave nothing no censure was cast 
upon him. It was a matter entirely with 
his conscience. In those days it was con- 
sidered a great privilege to be a Mason, 
and every brother, it mattered not how- 
ever poor he might be, always contributed 
a small amount, at least, toward the run- 
ning of his Lodge. But since that time 
how things have changed — in America. 
O ye ghosts of our grandfathers, rise up 
and teach us the true spirit of Masonry ! 
Here the matter of dues gives us more 
trouble than all other things combined. 
Look at your Lodge records, and see how 
many are behind, and in your Grand 
Lodge reports note the number suspended 
or dropped from the roll for “n. p. d.” 

The great trouble is, brethren, we don’t 
appreciate our Masonry as we should. 
We are Masons only in name, while the 
heart is freezing for want of that soothing 
influence brought about only by attend- 
ance on our Lodge meetings and helping 
to do the work. We make this assertion, 
and have no fear of a successful contra- 
diction, that ninety per cent of those 
dropped from the roll or suspended for 


non-payment of dues are the laggards in 
our ranks. They never attend Lodge 
meetings or take any interest in things 
Masonic. All notices from the secretary 
are torn up, and should they be called on 
for charity they put up a poor mouth, and 
tell you how often they have been beat, 
but they fail to tell you how often they 
have brat some one else. And thus they 
go until the Lodge has no alternative but 
to “hew them down as cumbtrers of the 
ground.” 

The truth is, with all such, that they 
were mistaken in Masonry. They went 
into it for personal aggrandizement, and 
when they found they had no “cinch on 
something good” they lost interest, and 
the beautiful lessons taught them were 
soon swopped “for puts and calls,” per- 
haps, or some other speculating game, 
and the enthusiasm displayed by them at 
each stage of their progress was strangled 
to death in due course in their search for 
the dollar. Masonry is far better without 
this class than with them, and the quicker 
they forget their identity the easier will be 
their conscience, because they took the 
vows of Masonry voluntarily, and would 
perjure themselves to be released. 

But, you ask, what would we do with 
the brother who has grown old in Ma- 
sonry and been a constant attendant and 
worker all his life, and in his declining 
years has become too poor to pay ? This 
question needs no answer because his 
dues are always remitted without his ask- 
ing, and will continue to be so long as he 
lives, and, at his death, his brethren will 
show their appreciation of his worth by 
burying him decently, and assisting those 
he has left behind. This always has been 
the case, and will ever continue to be with 
those who have proved themselves worthy. 
Our charity is unbounded for such breth- 
ren as this. 

There is one other kind of a due pay- 
ing member who is mighty near the dan- 
ger line and liable to let go for n. p. d. 
most any time, and that is the one who 
never pays without a “kick.” Be careful, 
brother; attend your Lodge a little more 
regularly, and melt those icicles which are 
beginning to form around your heart. 
Remember that good Christians have their 
seasons of revival, and they attend church 
for that purpose; therefore, go to your 
Lodge before it is too late, and demon- 
strate to the world that you are a Mason 
in deed and in truth . — Bun F. Price . 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


461 


The Mason's Church. 


The latest charge which Papacy makes 
against Freemasonry is that it provides a 
religion for its members, and causes them 
to be satisfied with services and forms, 
having the semblance of churchlv cere- 
monies, thus keeping them out of the true 
church. This recent change in the Roman 
Catholic attacks made on English Free- 
masonry is taken as the suggestion of an 
article printed in the Christmas number of 
the London Freemason. Bro. J. Ramsden 
Riley is the author of the paper which 
deals very fairly with the accusation to 
which reference is made. Bro. Riley, 
after noticing certain public utterances by 
Catholic priests, who have recently de- 
clared their intense opposition to all secret 
societies, and to the Masonic society in 
particular, invites attention to the “shift- 
ing of position” by those writers who 
seek to influence public opinion. He says: 

“The new charge against Freemasonry 
is, like its predecessors, a very poor in- 
vention to excite the pious horror of the 
faithful, which it may be able to do, but 
only for a time. ‘Freemasonry.’ say the 
priests, ‘is a religion; the Lodge is the 
Mason’s Church.’ ” 

Bro. Riley thinks this change in the 
line of attack shows that English Free 
masonry at least has vindicated itself from 
the charge of infidelity so often preferred 
against our Institution. On this point we 
quote his statement, as follows: 

“For a long time the Encyclicals of 
Popes had no effect whatever upon Eng- 
lish Masons. They did not deign to no* 
tice them. Then came, as a surprise to us 
all, the unexpected repudiation in France 
of the fundamental Masonic belief in the 
great Architect of the Universe. The 
prompt action of the Grand Lodge of En- 
gland at that time opened the eyes of the 
Vatican, and ‘the infidel character of Ma- 
sons’ could no longer be charged against 
us. But even then we were told that the 
charges of infidelity made against Masons 
by the different Popes (whatever we could 
claim to be in England) had been sub- 
stantiated and their unerring wisdom 
proved.” 

Bro. Riley is not disposed to resent the 
insinuation that a Mason regards Free- 
masonry as furnishing him enough of re- 
ligion t o satisfy his moral needs, and re- 
gards his Lodge as his church; but he is 
careful to add that he never heard of a 


Craftsman possessed of this feeling. 
Nevertheless, he adds, in closing his sug- 
gestive paper: 

“It is possible that the lessons of Ma- 
sonry may do more to point the way to 
heaven than bigotry and intolerance in a 
church or chapel. We believe that, as a 
body, Masons are above the average as re- 
gards regular attendance at a place of 
worship, and therefore should rather say 
a Lodge binds a Mason still closer to his 
church.” 

This is our conviction. Craftsmen, as 
a rule, are devout and reverent, and the 
majority of them belong to the class of 
regular worshipers and church attendants. 
But they are large-minded and tolerant, 
not regarding mere church-going, or any 
religious form, as determining true char- 
acter or fixing the soul’s position in the 
sight of God. In this largeness of thought 
and faith they show' the potent and blessed 
influence of Masonic teachings. 

— Repository . 

o 

The Ante-Room. 


The ante room is a necessity to every 
lodge-room. It is intended as the place 
where members are first “looked over” by 
the Tyler and permitted to “pass in” if 
they are properly vouched for and clothed. 
The only persons who have a right to be 
in the ante- room are the Tyler, whose 
watchful eye should ever be on the look- 
out for eavesdroppers or cowans, and can- 
didates awaiting their “turn.” It is a bad 
place for “congregations of brethren.” 
“Ante-room” meetings are not desirable. 
First, because the “congregators” are dis- 
posed to talk, and sometimes talk more 
loudly than is conducive to the work in 
the lodge-room. Second, “ante room” 
congregations take away from the meet- 
ings inside the lodge rooms, and may in- 
terfere with the w’ork, because in the ante- 
room may be a “useful” officer. Third, 
“ante room” meetings are not more pleas- 
ant than those in the lodge room proper, 
and as a rule it is cooler in the lodge- room 
than in the ante room. Fourth, in “ante- 
room” meetings matters may be discussed 
that candidates might not want to hear, or 
“stories” may be told not exactly of a na- 
ture to prepare the mind for services and 
silent meditations, or for proper apprecia- 
tion of the solemn services of invitation. 
Fifth, “ante room” meetings sometimes 
seriously interfere with the Tyler in the 


462 


THE TRESTLE BOARD . 


proper discharge of his duty. His atten- 
tion may be distracted by the “drummer’s 
last story,” or by some “interesting inci- 
dent” of lodge work, and he fails to treat 
visitors properly, or to see that the breth- 
ren are “clothed,” etc. So, it seems to 
us that “ante-room” meetings should be 
dispensed with, and work resumed in the 
lodge room. — N. Y. Dispatch . 

o 

The Old Indian’s Rebuke. 


John Trumbull, the celebrated American 
painter, when a boy, resided with his 
father, Governor Trumbull, at his resi- 
dence in Lebanon, Conn., in the neighbor- 
hood of the Mohegans. 

The government of this tribe was hered- 
itary in the family of the celebrated Uncas. 
Among the heirs to the chieftainship was 
an Indian named Zachary who, though a 
brave man and an excellent hunter, was as 
drunken and worthless an Indian as could 
well be found. By the death of the in- 
tervening heirs, Zachary found himself en- 
titled to the royal power. In this mo- 
ment, the better genius of Zachary assumed 
sway, and he reflected seriously. “Now, 
can such a drunken wretch as I aspire to 
be chief of this noble tribe ? What will 
my people say ? How shall the shades of 
my glorious ancestors look down indig- 
nant upon such a successor ? Can I suc- 
ceed to the great Uncas ? I will drink no 
more !” And he solemnly resolved that 
henceforth he would drink nothing stronger 
than water; and he kept his resolution. 

Zachary succeeded to the rule of his 
tribe. It was usual for the governor to at- 
tend at the annual election in Hartford; 
and it was customary for the Mohegan 
chief also to attend, and on his way to 
stop and dine with the governor. John, 
the governor’s son, was a boy, and on one 
of these occasions a scene occurred, which 
I will give in Trumbull’s own words: 

“ One day the mischievous thought 
struck me to try the sincerity of the old 
man’s temperance. The family were seated 
at dinner, and there was excellent home- 
brewed ale on the table. I thus addressed 
the old chief: 

“ ‘Zachary, this beer is very fine; will 
you not taste it ?’ 

“The old man dropped his knife, and 
leaned forward with a stern intensity of 
expression, and his fervid eyes, sparkling 
with indignation, were fixed upon me. 

“‘John,’ said he, ‘you don’t know 


what you are doing. You are serving the 
devil, boy. Do you know that I am an 
Indian? If I should taste your beer, I 
should not stop till I got rum, and I 
should become again the same drunken 
contemptible wretch your father remembers 
me to have been. John, never again while 
you live tempt a man to break a good res- 
olution.’ 

‘ ‘I was thunderstruck. My parents were 
deeply affected. They looked at me, and 
then turned their gaze upon the venerable 
chieftain with awe and respect. They 
afterward frequently reminded me of the 
scene, and charged me never to forget it.” 
o 

The Order of Knights of Pythias. 


This Order was founded on February 
19, 1864. Its origin is not shrouded in 
mystery. James H. Rathbone and Robert 
A. Chambers were fellow- clerks in one of 
the Departments of the government at 
Washington, D. C., and had been boon 
companions for quite a long time. Mr. 
Rathbone had read the ritual to his com- 
panion when they were both employed at 
the U. S. A. General Hospital at German- 
town, Pa., in 1863. This ritual was writ- 
ten by Mr. Rathbone while teaching school 
at Eagle Harbor, Mich., in the winter of 
1860-61, when he was but twenty-one 
years of age. These two friends had fre- 
quently talked the matter over, and de- 
cided to take measures at once to form a 
Mutual Protective Association, in which 
only those employed as clerks in the vari- 
ous Governmental Departments at Wash- 
ington would be eligible to membership. 
At a meeting of a Club of prominent per- 
sons he stated he had a new ritual that he 
was desirous of bringing into existence. 
Accordingly, at a subsequent meeting, 
February 15, 1864, after an obligation, he 
imparted to those present the work and 
the ritualism. On February 19, 1864, an- 
other meeting was held, when several other 
acceptable persons were invited to be pres- 
ent as candidates, and they were invested 
with the first rank of Page, by communica- 
tion. Mr. Rathbone was made Worthy 
Chancellor, and arrangements were made 
conferring the second and third ranks — 
Esquire and Knight. A Grand Lodge was 
organized April 8, 1864. The membership 
at large, on December 31, 1896, was nearly 
500,000. It has also an Insurance Branch 
and an Uniformed Rank. 

— Columbus Companion . 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


463 


“Rob.” Morris. 


This once prominent man and Mason is 
still living, even though he has long since 
passed to the other shore. He lives 
through his character, and his writings 
that he left behind as a legacy to all Ma- 
sons. A man is never known until he is 
dead, and it is so with Rob. Morris, the 
Masonic poet laureate. He was criticised 
often and accused of making money out 
of Masonry, and wrote the following in 
answer to those criticisms and accusa- 
tions : 

“As a matter of history, I must declare 
that I did not enter the Masonic pursuit 
from mercenary motives, and that it has 
been anything but a source of profit to me. 
During my life as a Freemason I have 
published the first work ever issued on 
Masonic law; the first Masonic history in 
this country; the first work upon Masonic 
Belles Letters in any country, and three 
editions of Webb’s Monitor. I have com- 
posed or compiled nearly seventy works 
of a Masonic character; written a score of 
Masonic addresses; hundreds of Masonic 
odes and poems; visited more than two 
thousand Lodges, and delivered lectures 
innumerable. In all these labors, would it 
be strange if I had made some mistakes ? 
For all my services as a Mason I have 
made but the poorest and most inadequate 
support for myself and family. I have 
necessarily neglected the education of my 
children and all my home interests. At 
my time of life, when I ought to think of 
rest, I have the world to begin over, as I 
began it twenty- seven years ago. This is 
the pecuniary reward of my labor.” 

o 

Dog in the Chapter. 


Some years in York Chapter, No. 148, 
R. A. M., Chicago had an efficient, 
highly- respected Treasurer, Comp. Chris- 
topher Bunge. Everyone on the west 
side knew “Chris” (as he was familiarly 
called), and Union Park Lodee and York 
Chapter knew of his ability to see that 
good things to eat were always provided 
at the banquets, consequently Chris had 
many friends; but his most faithful “com- 
panion” was a little dog which accompan- 
ied him on meeting nights, probably to 
assist in guarding the funds in transit from 
Lodge to home. This dog seemed to un- 
derstand his business, and instead of claim- 
ing membership in the body, only asked 


for office as Assistant Tyler, and as such 
faithfully performed his duties. Comp. 
James B. McKay, a life member and al- 
most a life Tyler, was in his youthful days 
something of a practical joker. One night 
at an exaltation he conceived the idea of 
having a little amusement at the expense 
of candidates, placed the dog in the vault, 
and when researches were being prosecuted 
the dog was brought forth, not exactly 
with praise, but amidst considerable mirth. 
The master and faithful dog have long 
been gone from earthly view, but the in- 
cident remains fresh in the minds of many, 
and at every “Royal Arch” the story is 
told to the ante-room members, and the 
memory of Uncle Chris will always be 
kept bright in the hearts of all. If the 
readers have any doubt as to the truth of 
this “dog story,” Comp. Frank C. Roundy 
can verify it and tell who brought forth 
the dog. The dog was so rejoiced at be- 
ing rescued that he laid his head on his 
rescuer’s shoulder and wept. — Tyler . 

o 

A Wrong Idea. 


A brother was recently asked why he 
did not attend the meetings of his Lodge. 
His reply was: “Oh, Masonry doesn’t do 
me any good; I don’t get anything out of 
it.” We should like to ask this brother 
whether or not he ever did Masonry any 
good and whether or not Masonry ever de- 
rived anything from his membership ? 
There are many men who enter a Masonic 
Lodge in the expectation of deriving some 
benefit therefrom. They expect it to be a 
help to them in a business or social way. 
A young man was recently asked about 
his interest in his Lodge and replied: 
“You see everybody has a hobby, and I 
guess that I found mine in Masonry; I find 
a Masonic lodge- room a good place to kill 
time.” This young man, though invested 
with the honors of Masonry, has not 
grasped its philosophy and is still groping 
in outer darkness. These men who enter 
a Masonic Lodge in the hope of advancing 
their own personal interests are soon dis- 
appointed and as a result very early ter- 
minate their membership either by dimit 
or a failure to pay dues. These Masons 
are seeking Masonic wages when none are 
their due. Having failed to perform their 
part of the labor in the great Masonic 
vineyard, they cannot reasonably expect 
the reward of others. Every candidate 
who comes prompted to solicit the privi- 


464 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


leges of Masonry by a favorable opinion 
conceived of the Institution, a desire of 
knowledge, and a sincere wish of being 
serviceable to his fellow creatures, will get 
something out of Masonry. 

— Illinois Freemason . 
o 

Liquor Drinking and the Bicycle. 

It may be only coincidence that during 
the year in which the use of the bicycle 
increased almost in geometrical progres- 
sion, the consumption of liquor in this 
country decreased to a wonderful extent; 
but it looks very much as if there were 
some relation between the two facts. That 
this liquor habit is growing weaker among 
the American people is shown by the re- 
cent statement of the Commissioner of In- 
ternal Revenue that during the past year 
there has been a decrease of nearly 6,000,- 
000 gallons in the consumption of whisky 
and other spirits and of j ,403,004 barrels 
in the consumption of beer. 

The bicycle is the enemy of the liquor 
habit for two reasons. It appropriates 
both for its purchase and for its use the 
spare money of the young man that for- 
merly went largely to the saloon-keeper, 
and it makes impossible over-indulgence 
in intoxicating drinks, because it can be 
operated only to advantage by a strong- 
limbed and clear-headed rider. The men 
who own bicycles to day are not the mil- 
lionaires, but the wage-earners of the 
country, and their machines were bought 
from the money that they were enabled to 
save by economizing in some other direc- 
tion. And what is more reasonable than 
that this economy should be first put in 
practice by cutting off the luxury of drink- 
ing? 

But the other reason why the bicycle is 
cutting down the consumption of liquor — 
because it is not the friend of weak and 
sodden men — is more potent and will be 
more lasting. The athlete in all branches 
of sports nowadays is eschewing the use 
of intoxicating drinks, and the wheelmen, 
forming the largest band of athletes in this 
country, must be given the credit for the 
greatest decrease in the consumption of 
liquor. There are some riders who at 
first think they can drink deeply and ride 
strongly at the same time, but they are 
soon undeceived, and quickly join the 
great majority of abstainers or light drink- 
ers. The bicycle has been condemned for 
interfering with the sacredness of the 


Sabbath and for introducing a laxity in 
the morals of the young, but it should be 
given full credit for its assaults upon the 
excessive use of liquor. 

o 

‘ ‘What is a cigar. I want you to tell me, ’ ’ 

Lisped little Tom Brown to his knowing big 
brother; 

“It’s a roll,” was the answer, “of silly enchant- 
ment, 

With a fire at one end and a fool at the other.” 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 

A National Masonic and Family Magazine. 

PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE 

TRESTLE BOARD ASSOCIATION. 

Terms — $1.00 per year sent in United States, Mexico and 
Canada, and other Countries $1.25 strictly in advance. 

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stopped at the expiration of their subscription, will please 
notify us by postal card otherwise we may consider it their 
wish to have it continued. 

How to Remit. — Send Cashier’s Check, Express Or- 
der, Post Office Money Order, Postal Note or Greenback in 
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number issued after the receipt of the remittance. 

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408 California St., San Francisco, California. 


TRAVERING AGENTS. 

Rev. Jonh N. Parker. W. O. Sterling. 
R. C. Yarbrough. Samuel Collins. 


Our Duty to Visitors. 


This is not our duty to visitors as we 
sometimes see it exemplified. This is the 
way , however, it is so?netimes done. The 
brethren go to the Lodge, greet those they 
know with a hearty hand shake and look 
askance at those who are strangers in a 
strange land. If the latter signifies a de- 
sire to visit, and it is on “stated night, ” 
they are refused a committee to examine 
because “they do not take any of the 
members from attendance on business 
night,” and so, if the brother is in distress 
and needs assistance, he cannot receive it 
until he can be vouched for as having sat 
in a Lodge, and he cannot sit in a Lodge 
until he can be examined by a committee 
appointed under the authority of some 
presiding Master while said Lodge is in 
session. 

If the stranger attempts to visit a Lodge 
on some other than a “stated meeting / * 
the first question asked is, “Have you your 
last receipt for dues?” If he has paidjit 
and filed it away at home among his pa- 
pers, he is answered sometimes with, “We 
cannot examine you. Our rules require 
that visitors show a receipt for dues.” 
The Tyler's oath is of no account. And 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


465 


so the visitor is sent away without further 
ceremony. If he happens to have a re- 
ceipt on his person, he is all right, and 
receives all the courtesy due him, because, 
perhaps, they do not fear that he will call 
on them for relief, and only desires to 
visit. If he has no receipt, he is not al- 
lowed to prove that he is a brother even. 
One attempted to do so once upon a cer- 
tain time, and showed the brethren a sign 
they had sworn to recognize, which they 
did by rushing him out into the street and 
giving him a parting kick on the sidewalk. 

These instances are rare, however, and 
we mention the facts more as a caution to 
the Craft not to become too thoroughly 
imbued with the unfraternal and unbroth- 
erly spirit of other so called benevolent 
societies as to adopt their methods, or per- 
mit the spirit of rival societies to permeate 
Masonry. We know a few — very few — 
brethren who would justify such treatment 
of visitors, and they are all, without ex- 
ception, members of other Orders. Re- 
cently we heard a good brother, after a 
slight provocation for the remark, say that 
Masonry should not permit in his opinion 
a brother to belong to any other fraternal 
organization, and if he did, it should be 
required of him to relinquish it or be ex- 
pelled, for, added he, they would soon 
make Masonry a benefit society alone. 
We know of a few who would change its 
policy of distributing relief to that of other 
societies — specific dues and specific re- 
lief — no more and no less, whether needed 
or not. We have paid dues for nearly 
two score years without pecuniary benefits, 
and we are happy in having been able to 
do so, and hope never to be obliged to ask 
any favor in return. Such is what we 
understand to be Masonry, and we would 
not exchange it for all other so-called fra- 
ternal societies combined. The relief 
granted by Masonry should be limited 
only by the need of the distressed, and 
the right of visit only by the closing of the 
Lodge. Every brother has had presented 
him the working tools of Masonry, and 
wherever Masons are at work every Mason 
should have the opportunity to measure 
the work, try perpendiculars, prove hori- 
zontals, and square the same, and if any 
superfluous parts are shown, knock them 
off, and finally when placed in position, 
spread the cement necessary to constitute 
it one solid mass. This is the duty of 
every Craftsman, whether visitor or mem- 
ber of a local Lodge, and wherever Ma- 


sons are gathered together, and no broth- 
er should say, “Nay, you cannot enter.’’ 

o 

The Salvation Army, 


No phase or form of religious caste has 
flourished more luxuriantly of late years 
than the organization known as the Salva- 
tion Army. From a tiny beginning it has 
encompassed the globe. The original 
band of missionaries in the London slums 
has aggregated unto itself thousands of re- 
cruits in every civilized country. While 
the ratio of increase is not now so great 
as it once was, it is still tremendous. In 
these jin de sciecle days the Salvationists 
are becoming more and more persistent. 
The Army will not be ignored. Its aims 
are declared to be the highest, its professed 
object is to do good, and yet it will bear 
watching. Those who scrutinize the 
manipulation of its affairs, and those who 
look more particularly to its discipline, 
can detect in the Salvation Army that 
which evolved out of early Christianity, 
the cruel, tyrannical church of Rome. 

While we do not question the honesty 
or the sincerity of the rank and file, we 
perceive the arbitrary and excessive au- 
thority which is exercised by the general 
officers. The head of the Salvation Army 
is an autocrat, a tyrant, who rules, as he 
believes, by divine right. The Booth 
family is possessed of altogether too much 
power. This self constituted oligarchy is 
jealous of its prerogatives, and despotic in 
its mode of government. We do not in 
the least intend to disparage the grand 
and noble work of the Salvation Army, 
nor do we try to belittle the great things 
which the Salvationists have accomplished. 
But it is no discredit to place the honor 
where it properly belongs. It is the sim- 
ple truth to say that nearly all the good 
the Salvation Army has ever done was 
achieved through the individual efforts of 
the brave, faithful and self-sacrificing sub- 
ordinates who have, like the donor of the 
widow’s mite, done all that they could. 
It is their work that has won the world’s 
appreciation of the Salvation Army, which 
the General sanctimoniously ascribes unto 
himself. It is these unknown and in- 
conspicuous people who have lifted fallen 
humanity up out of the gutter, and led the 
thousands which the Army has “saved 
unto a higher and better life. They col- 
lect the vast revenues which the General 
and his associates disburse with such won- 


466 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


derful economy; they are hustled about 
from pillar to post, and their wishes are 
scarcely if ever consulted. A soldier’s 
pay suffices to eke out a bare subsistence, 
and while in the Army he or she is subject 
to more irksome conditions than was the 
ordinary negro in the old slavery days. 

The Founder of Christianity bade his 
followers be free, but the founder of the 
Salvation Army would and does impose a 
yoke of abject servitude. On joining the 
Salvation Army an American citizen is 
asked to forfeit entirely his independence. 
He is not to reason why he must zealously 
beg and cry Hallelujah ! to whatever the 
Commander says. This is carrying the 
thing a little too far. And if it is the end 
and aim of the Army to become a religious 
machine, it can not be thwarted too quick- 
ly. A recrudescence of mediaeval despot- 
ism is not to be endured in this enlight- 
ened age, and especially be supported by 
Protestants who have ever protested against 
religious tyranny. 

o 

Negro Masonry. 


Anent the standing of Negro Masonry 
in the United States, Bro. J. Q. A. Fellows, 
of Louisiana, one of the best posted Ma- 
sons in the country, says “that at the time 
‘African Lodge No. 459’ was warranted 
by the Grand Lodge of England, there was 
already a Grand Lodge in Massachusetts. 
That even if African Lodge was regular, 
it had no right to create Lodges anywhere. 
Hence the Lodges created by African 
Lodge were clandestine, as are all Negro 
Lodges tracing, as they do, their origin 
from that source.” — Texas Freemason . 

From the records of Massachusetts Ma- 
sonry it appears that there were several 
Grand Lodges in that State, previous to 
March 5,' 1792, when the present “Grany 
Lodge of Massachusetts” was formed bd 
the union of “St. John’s Grand Lodge” 
and “Massachusetts Grand Lodge,” but 
still leaving one recalcitrant white Lodge 
(St. Andrews of Boston) which did not 
come under its allegiance until 1807. The 
charter of African Lodge was issued in 
1784, while neither Grand Lodge had ex- 
clusive jurisdiction, and neither would ac- 
cept the allegiance of African Lodge. The 
Grand Lodges of England and Scotland 
both had Lodges in Massachusetts on their 
rolls until 1813, besides African Lodge, 
which did not declare its independence of 


England until 1827. Prince Hall, the 
first Master of African Lodge, established 
in 1797 a Lodge in Philadelphia and soon 
after a Lodge in Providence. In 1847 
three Lodges formed the Negro National 
Grand Lodge, which has since met trien- 
nially. Over thirty Negro Grand Lodges 
have been formed since 1847 from author- 
ity of this organization. When it is taken 
into consideration that the doctrine of ex- 
clusive jurisdiction is not now everywhere 
nor was it then anywhere recognized as the 
law of Masonry, and there was many con- 
flicting jurisdictions in the United States, 
and as there is no dispute about the origin 
of Masonry among the negro race in this 
country, candid judgment must be that the 
present colored organizations are not clan- 
destine, but are as genuine as the white 
bodies, and that they are only irregular as 
regards the white bodies, and if the preju- 
dice against color could be overcome, 
they, like other irregular and contending 
schismatic bodies, can be healed. The 
Texas Freemason will object, of course. 
The Trestle Boabd believes in exercis- 
ing the cardinal principle of justice by 
Masons as the President did in the issue 
of the Emancipation Proclamation. If 
African Lodge had no right to create 
Lodges, they had no right of self preser- 
vation or to make Masons after the Grand 
Lodge of Massachusetts was established. 
It was evidently the intention of the Grand 
Lodge of Massachusetts to exterminate 
Masonry among the negroes, but instead 
of asserting jurisdiction over the negroes 
and preferring charges and expelling 
them, they let them alone to die; and in- 
stead of quietly dying it was the cause of 
a revival of vitality among them. It is a 
landmark of Masonry to be a quiet and 
peaceable citizen of the country in which 
one lives and to conform to the laws. The 
laws of this country recognize the negro 
race as men among men, and Masons 
should do the same as much so with the 
native as with negroes who visit or sojourn 
among us from foreign jurisdictions. 
There are from thirty to forty thousand 
negro Masons in this country, that when 
visiting other countries are recognized by 
Masons of those countries, but who are ex- 
cluded from the white bodies of their own 
country. The question to decide among 
ourselves is, do we in good faith recognize 
the rights of any race or schismatic body 
in refusing to reconcile differences and ac- 
cepting propositions of peace and amity 


THE TRESTLE BOARD . 


467 


from those who are engaged in the same . 
great work ? There have been Grand 
Lodges, two, three, or more in the same 
jurisdiction, and there are rumors of more 
than one white Grand Lodge in one State 
now. Is Masonry so strongly intrenched 
behind the aegis of Justice that it cannot 
be wrong or listen to the demands of Jus * 
tice ? The negroes do not expect social 
relations with our families and we believe 
do not want them, but only Masonic re- 
lation, and from a pure desire for equality 
for those worthy and well qualified. 

We quote from a Baltimore paper pub- 
lished by a negro the grounds for their 
struggle for equality under the civil law. 
It should apply equally for Masonic 
equality: 

“We do not desire any special legisla- 
tion in our favor, but we do want all ob- 
noxious laws and restrictions removed 
from the statute books of this State that 
have a tendency to stultify our manhood 
and are barriers to our success in the race 
of life. We desire to be painted just as 
we are — wrinkles and all. We wish to be 
known, seen and judged by the individual 
and not the race. There are men among 
us who are capable, judged from any 
standpoint, of filling any position in the 
State, from governor down, and we have 
individuals among us who are not fit for 
anything at all, hardly fit to live, and 
surely not fit to die. We do not desire to 
be judged by that class, but by the class 
that have aspirations, who are striving 
after the highest things of life and who 
are living example of probity and honor. 
This is the class we demand recognition 
for and not the criminal classes of our 
people. There are differences among col- 
ored people just as there are differences 
among white people. White people rec- 
ognize differences among white people, 
then why not recognize differences among 
colored people? Let the white people 
give the struggling class of our people the 
benefit of their nature judgment and their 
assistance and they can be assured that 
their confidence will not be misplaced.” 

o 

Oakland Consistory. 


On Monday evening, September 13th, 
a dispensation having been granted by 
Bro. Thomas H. Caswell, 33 0 , Grand 
Commander of the Supreme Council, 33 0 
of the Southern Masonic Jurisdiction of 
the United States, Bro. W. Frank Pierce, 


33 0 , Inspector- General for California, in- 
stituted a Consistory of the 32 0 A. & A. 
Scottish Rite in Oakland to be known as 
Oakland Consistory. In this he was as- 
sisted by Bros. Wm. S. Moses, G. C., as 
Prelate; Edwin A. Sherman, 33 0 , as 
Prior; Henry A. Cline, 33 0 , as Preceptor; 
and Chas. L. J. W. Pierce, 33 0 , as Master 
of Ceremonies. 

The following officers were installed: 

Webb N. Pearce, 32°, Master of Kadosh; George C. 
Pardee, 32°, Prior; Charles E. Gillett, 33 0 , Preceptor; Geo. 
Patterson, 33°, Chancellor; John Williams, 32 s , Orator; 
David W. Standeford, 32 0 , Hospitaller; Char’es F. Burn- 
ham, 32 0 , Registrar; William T. Hamilton, 32 0 , Treasurer; 
Zachary T. Gilpin, 32 0 , Primate; James B. Merritt, 33° 
Master of Ceremonies; August L. Ott, 32 0 , Expert; Albert 
H. Merritt, 32 0 , Assistant Expert; Edward H. Morgan, 
32°, Standard Bearer; Robert Edgar, 32 0 , Master of Guard; 
Leroy D. Fletcher, 33 0 , Tyler; 

The following additional brethren as 
Charter members assisted in organizing 
the Consistory: 

Alpheus Kendall, 32 0 ; Martin M. Samson, 32 0 ; Eugene 
T. Thurston, 32 0 ; Martin W. Kales, 33 0 ; Nathan W. 
Spaulding, 33 0 ; John Nord, 32 0 ; Edgar Hobart, 32 0 ; Fred- 
erick L. Krause, 32°; Byron C. Dick, 32 0 : Isaac R. Alden, 
32 0 ; Stephen T. Gage, 32 0 ; and William F. Heckell, 32 0 . 

After the close of the ceremonies, re- 
freshments were served in the banquet 
hall, and speeches and music concluded 
the interesting occasion. This makes the 
third Consistory in California, and more 
are expected in the not distant future. 
The Scottish Rite in California is surely 
on the wave of prosperity as it deserves. 

o 

Editorial Chips. 


The Supreme Council of the 33 0 for the 
Southern Jurisdiction of the United States 
of America opened in full form Sunday, 
September 19, 1897, in Oakland, Cal., at 
Oakland Consistory, 306 Fourteenth street, 
and conferred the 33 0 in full form on 
Charles August Wagner. 

The following composed the officers: 

Thomas Hubbard Caswell, 33 0 , Grand Commander; W. 
Frank Pierce. 33 0 , Lieut. Grand Commander; Charles L. 
Patton, 33 0 , Grand Prior; William A. Davies, 33 0 . Grand 
Chancellor; Martin W. Kales, 33 0 , Grand Minister of 
State; Ralph De Clairmont, 33 0 , Secretary-General; Sam’l 
W. Levy, 33 0 , Treasurer-General; Nathan W. Spaulding, 
33 0 , Grand Almoner; Edwin A. Sherman, 33 0 , Grand Con- 
stable; Charles L. J. W. Pierce, 33 0 , Grand Equerry; Henry 
A. Cline, 33 0 , Grand Standard Bearer; George Patterson, 
33 0 , Grand Sword Bearer; James B. Merritt, 33 0 , Grand 
Herald; Charles E. Gillett, 33 0 , Grand Tyler. 

This is the second time Oakland has 
been honored by having the Supreme 
Council opened in full form; the other 
occasion was on March 4, 1S94, when 
Bros. Charles L. Patton and Charles L. J. 
W. Pierce were coronated 33 0 . 


The Kansas Freemason denies that it is 
optional with a notitiate to become a mem- 
ber at the time of receiving the third de- 


4 68 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


gree in Kansas, and that by virtue of his 
initiation he becomes a member of that 
or some other Lodge. If such is the case 
we have been misinformed. Our contem- 
porary will admit, if such is the fact, that 
such a Mason is not a free Mason, but 
only an accepted Mason. If the brother 
is not free to become a member of a Lodge 
or not as he pleases, then he is not a free 
Mason in a literal sense. When we were 
made a Mason we were told that it was 
optional to become a member of a Lodge 
or not. We accepted membership, but 
could have declined it if we had felt dis- 
posed. We have, therefore, felt as though 
we were a free Mason in title and fact. 


In the city of New Orleans there are 
English, French, Spanish and German 
Lodges working in the York and Scottish 
Rites under the Jurisdiction of the Grand 
Lodge of the State of Louisiana. 

The eighth annual session of the Grand 
Chapter O. E. S. of Montana convened in 
Helena, September 17, 1897. The fol- 
lowing are the officers for the ensuing 
year: 

Mrs. Lucy Railsback, Billings, Grand Matron; Robert 
Vickers, Virginia City, Grand Patron; Mrs. Amelia Hind- 
son, Helena, A. G. M.; S. C. Kenyou, Bozeman, A G. P.; 
Mrs. Elva Boardman, Butte, G. Secretary; Mrs. Louise 
Day, Glendive, G. Treasurer; Mrs. Emily Frizzell, Great 
Falls, G. Conductress; Mrs. Jennie Bishop, Dillon, G. A. 
C.; Mrs. Sarah A. Ives, Stevensville, G. Chaplain; S. M. 
Nye. Livingston, G. Marshal; Mrs. Allie Goddard, Billings, 
G. Adah; Mrs. Maggie Taylor, Glendive, G. Ruth; Mrs. 
Rebecca Allison, Philipsburg, G. Esther; Mrs. Ursula 
Schonfeldt, Kalispell, G. Martha; Mrs. Julie E. Ward, 
Anaconda, G. Electa; Mrs. Arcelia Smith, White Sulphur 
Springs, G. Warder; W. D. Smith, Helena, G. Sentinel; 
Miss Bertha Frank, Helena, G. Grgamzt 


Governor Lowndes of Maryland recent- 
ly enjoyed the unusual distinction of being 
made a Mason at sight in the Masonic 
Temple at Baltimore. This peculiar pre- 
rogative of Grand Master Thomas J. Shry- 
ock was exercised upon Governor Lowndes 
in the presence of Senator Wellington, 
the Grand Lodge officers and a distin- 
guished gathering of notable brethren. 


The statistics of the Lodges in this 
country compiled from the latest reports 
show there are 57 Grand Lodges, 12,045 
subordinate Lodges and 799,855 Masons 
in this country, a gain of 17,928 for the 
year. The largest gain was in New York, 
2,301; Illinois follows with 1,782 increase; 
California gained 717; Arkansas made a 
loss of 262, and South Carolina 160. The 
largest Lodge in the country is Minneap- 
olis, No. 19, at Minneapolis, with 823; 


Hiram, No. 1, New Haven, Conn., is sec- 
ond, 752 members, and Genesee Falls, 
No. 507, Rochester, N. Y., is third, 726 
members. The average of membership 10 
each Lodge is greatest in the District of 
Columbia, 198; New York ranks fifth, with 
126. In New York there are 93,271 Ma- 
sons in 740 Lodges. 


At the recent great jubilee meeting in 
London the Grand Master, the Prince of 
Wales, and all the seven thousand Masons 
present in Albert Hall were attired in 
black morning coats, black ties and white 
gloves. Full dress suits are not worn by 
Masons in England when participating in 
day tunctions. 


The Grand Lodge of Indiana has, at all 
times, contended and held that a Mason in 
distress is entitled to aid and assistance 
from the Fraternity, wherever he may be, 
at the time of his need, and that, as a mat- 
ter of law, his Lodge is not bound to make 
any restitution, though it may always do 
so at its own option. 

— Bro. Henderson , G. M. of Ind. 

So we might expect of Indiana. 


Grand Master Preston of California, in 
his annual address, said: “The act of cre- 
mating the body of a deceased Mason does 
not suit the Masonic burial. The perform- 
ances of the ceremonies of our ritual for 
burial would not be appropriate on such 
an occasion.” And Grand Lodge ap- 
proved. Nevertheless, deceased Masons 
are cremated after Masonic services. Ma- 
sonry is a progressive science, and as is 
demonstrated by the address delivered 
before Durant Lodge, No. 268, February 
5th, last, by Bro. John Williams, which 
was printed on our pages in May riumber. 
The Craft will adopt cremation to some 
extent, and, if necessary, the ritual will 
sometime be adapted to this manner of 
disposition of the remains of deceased 
brethren. 


Nevada Lodge, No. 13, at Nevada City, 
California, has been presented with a large 
crayon portrait of Bro. Ianthus J. Rolfe, 
one of its most zealous members and zeal- 
ous Masons in California. It was a sur- 
prise to Bro. Rolfe, having been hung on 
the wall in his absence, and was nicely 
framed. Bro. Rolfe’s good looks would 
make his portrait an ornament to any 
Lodge room. 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


469 


Gale Chapter, O. E. S., was instituted 
August 9th, at Galt, California. 

The 8th triennial session of the General 
Grand Chapter, O. E. S., of the United 
States will be held at Washington, D. C., 
in 1898. 


Bro. James Wright Anderson, Past 
Grand Lecturer, was in the city last 
Wednesday evening, having come up from 
his home at Fresno for the express purpose 
of conferring the 3 0 on his son in Mission 
Lodge. He returned to Fresno on the 
following day. This is the manner in 
which good men show their estimation of 
Freemasonry. 

The Supreme Council of the 33 0 of the 
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for 
the Southern Jurisdiction of the United 
States will meet in Washington on Mon- 
day, October 12th. 


Detroit Commandery, K. T., proposes 
to visit Paris in 1900, and give an exhibi- 
tion drill that will do honor to the memory 
of Jaques de Molay, the Grand Master of 
the Order, who, with about fifty fraters, 
perished in the flames of the Romish In- 
quisition on the 1 8th day of March, 1314. 


“Petticoat Masonry” of California has 
contributed $10,000 to the Masonic Home 
in that State, all of which, directly and in- 
directly, came out of the pockets of our 
“hubbies.” 

— Bro. Bun F. Piice, P. G. M. of Tenn. 

A man who has attained the eminence 
of Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge 
of Tennessee should be ashamed of the 
utterance of such language. He should 
be returned to the condition in which he 
found himself when he first began to know 
something and be obliged to wear petti- 
coats and taught better manners than to 
ridicule the sex to which his mother be- 
longed, by slurs and innendoes, or de- 
tracting from their value in their sphere of 
life, and taught better manners. Such a 
man would keep woman enslaved* as well 
as the black man. For shame, Bro. Price. 


Carrie A. Thomas of Piedmont, Oak- 
land, California, aged 15 years, died Aug- 
ust 23d, and was buried under the direc- 
tion of Oakland Commandery. Her fath- 
er died in Vicksburg, Mississippi, twelve 


years ago. He was a Mason and Knight 
Templar. The Vicksburg Lodge author- 
ized the expense of burial. 

The Romish Church opposes cremation 
as anti-Christian, unscientific and unsafe. 
If anti-Christian, why have they burned so 
many at the stake? If unscientific, why 
do scientific men recommend it? ff un- 
safe, it can be so only for a few' moments 
instead of many years. We are suspicious 
that it will lessen the revenues of their 
“church,” and that is the secret of their 
opposition. 


The Order of Eastern Star now numbers 
in the United States about 125.000 mem- 
bers. It should number 5,000,000. 


A Council of the Knights of the Red 
Cross of Constantine has been instituted at 
Los Angeles, to which Master Masons are 
eligible to membership. 


California Lodge, Xo. 1, held a special meet- 
ing on Thursday, September 9, Bro. William G. 
Brown, W. M., presiding. The first degree was 
conferred on four candidates. This Lodge is 
crowded with work, and of course late hours 
without any refreshment cause the usually full 
attendance to dwindle down sometimes to a 
small number before the close. Some salt cod- 
fish, crackers and cheese with coffee would 
be acceptable and the weary workmen and 
Craftsmen would consider such a refection suffi- 
cient reward for their labor and waiting to re- 
main till the close. It was for this purpose «that 
the large banquet-room in the Temple was made. 
We hope to see California Lodge comfortably 
seated in social intercourse as a body in that 
fine room, touching toes under the table and 
listening to speeches from the ablest speakers 
on the Pacific Coast among its members. The 
Trestle Board has long been puzzled to know 
why this Lodge has never done any fourth sec- 
tion work. Some of its members apj>ear often 
at such occasions at other Lodge gatherings and 
are always welcomed because they acquit them- 
selves with credit as speakers as well as in their 
aid in disposing of the edibles and viands. They 
are not of the bashful class in either of the quali- 
fications. It is not because the Lodge is parsi- 
monious, for no Lodge has a more oj>en hand 
for the cry of distress. The Grand Lodge has 
Gelded its restrictive rule and permits five per 
cent of gross receipts for refreshments, and it is 
now no violation of law to serve refreshments. 
Besides, we feel as a member of that Lodge that 
we are hardly doing our duty to our brethren of 
other Lodges in going to their Masonic banquets 
and partaking of their generous hospitality and 
never reciprocating their kindness to us. Before 
we became a member we were free to go wher- 
ever and whenever invited. Xow as a member 
we have a home, but we cannot ask our brethren 
to enjoy any return of favors, for the reason 
that — we don't know the reason. Will some 
one tell us ? 


470 


THE TRESTLE BOARD 


The Grand Lodge of California will hold its 
annual communication in San Francisco com- 
mencing Tuesday, October 12th, at 10 o’clock 
A. M. 


Yerba Buena Lodge of Perfection, No. 1, A. 
& A. S. R., held a special meeting on Friday 
evening, September 10, Bro. William J. Smith, 
V. M., presiding. The fourth degree was con- 
ferred on one postulant. This body confers 
eleven degrees, five in full form and the o there 
by communication. Almost as a necessity it has 
a separate corps of officers for each degree. 
The acting Master of the 4th degree at present 
is Bro. Frank B. Ladd, whose zeal and work is 
commendable and highly appreciated by the 
large number that usually attend the Scottish 
Rite meetings. The new’ paraphernalia and re- 
galia added" through the efforts of Bro. Henry 
Burner lend much attraction to the effect of the 
work. 


A Lodge of Instruction, under the direction of 
Bro. William H. Edwards, Grand Lecturer of 
the Grand Lodge of California, was held on Fri- 
day evening, September 10, in King Solomon’s 
Hall, at the Temple. It was principally held to 
exemplify the changes in the Ritual proposed, 
and as suggested by Grand Master Preston in 
his annual address to Grand Lodge. 


In the opinion of The Trestle Board the 
world of humanity needs no more religion than 
is contained in the creed of Masonry. In the 
complete exercise of the tenets of Masonry the 
era of the millenium will have come. 

Of late we hear many mutterings of discontent 
and dissatisfaction at the result of ballotings for 
new members and affiliations. The best men in 
th$ community are not spared by the blackball. 
There is a black sheep in every flock, but you 
cannot see the color of the blackball fiend in 
Masonry. There is only one way to circumven 
him. Take away the ballot on affiliatfon and 
require several blackballs for rejection of candi- 
dates for initiation. Better still is the plan of 
calling the roll and voting viva voce. The latter 
is manly and Masonic, because hypocrisy and 
deceit should be unknown among us. 


The regulations of the Grand Lodge of Cali- 
fornia should be changed on the subject of affili- 
ation. If the ballot is not abolished, at least 
permission should be given to receive and act 
on applications unaccompanied with a demit, 
and, if favorable, should not take effect until the 
demit shall be deposited with the Secretary of 
the Lodge. This is done in several States now. 


Bro. John C. Smith, Venerable Chief of the 
Veteran Freemason’s Ancient Society, invites 
The Trestle Board to meet with the Vener- 
able Brethren at “Smith’s Inn,” Sibley Road, 
65, Chicago, Wednesday, October 27, at ^arly 
candlelight. Mrs. John C. Smith accompanies 
the invitation with a desire that our dame. ac- 
company us to the reception which will continue 
until low twelve. The invitation suggests the 
use of a tandem bicycle as a conveyance, but 
our dame and our self not being familiar with 
the use of that vehicle, and the great distance 


and time to learn its use being rather brief, we 
shall be obliged to forego the pleasure of being 
present at that occasion. Bro. Smith and his 
dame have our thanks for the kind invitation. 


Bro. Elmer White, of Columbus, Ohio, made 
our sanctum a pleasant call last Saturday. He 
likes California very much and will locate here. 


Bro. Bent Olsen, a member of Mt. Moriah 
Lodge, No. 44, returned from the Klondike on 
Wednesday, September 15, having been there 
two years. He is a reticent about the amount of 
his finds, but has returned to visit his mother in 
Sweden this winter and will return to the Klon- 
dike in the spring, where he still retains interests 
in mining. He advises no one to go there this 
fall. 


Bro. Albert M. Roehrig, formerly steward of 
the Marine Hospital at Chelsea, Mass., has re- 
cently been ordered to the Marine Hospital in 
San Francisco. Previous to his departure for 
this Coast, a surprise party was arranged at the 
residence of a friend, at which about 75 were 
present. Bro. Roehrig was presented with a 
gold watch chain with a diamond set Masonic 
charm and Mrs. Roehrig with a diamond set 
gold pin, accompanied with presentation 
speeches. A collation was served and the even- 
ing was passed in a particularly pleasant man- 
ner. 


Fidelity Lodge, No. 120, held a special meet- 
ing on Thursday evening, September 16, Bro. 
Phillip Jacobovics presiding. The third degree 
was conferred on one candidate. For the first 
time in California that we have heard of, the 
eight classes of emblems which may be found in 
any of the monitors which have from time to 
time been adopted as text books and which the 
Craft in this State have always been recom- 
mended to become familiar with, were fully ex- 
plained, and also illustrated by the stereopticon, 
an example worthy of all imitation. About, one 
hundred of the Craft were present, and were all 
satisfied. 


The Trestle Board mentioned, a few months 
ago, that in a Lodge in another Jurisdiction, 
smoking was indulged in in the Lodge room 
during the work, and even by the workmen 
while at work. As westward the star of empire 
takes its way, so has smoking in the Lodge room 
while at work commenced and become firmly 
fixed in some of the Lodges of California. 
During the past week we have noticed this 
fashion has been introduced into two Lodges 
that we have visited. It has long been the cus- 
tom to smoke in the Tyler’s room and hall en- 
trances, but until this time we have not seen it 
in the ,Lodge room except during recess or 
while called off. We have long been aware 
that people on the street had no rights which 
smokers were bound to respect. And on the 
street cars it is the same, and in some places of 
amusement ditto. This nuisance has now 
reached the Masonic gatherings of all degrees 
and rites. The next step of aggression will be 
the churches during service. Many years ago 
we remember there was a law in the East pro- 
hibiting smoking in the streets, and the law was 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


47i 


observed. And there is a legend that in Con- 
necticut once there was a law against spitting 
tobacco juice in a barnyard. The present con- 
dition of the tobacco habit shows a radical 
change in sentiment as well as callousness with 
respect to other people’s rights. We have 
hoped that the Lodge room would not be pol- 
luted, but are destined to disappointment. We 
refer our readers to our advertising columns for 
a positive remedy. 


A Lodge of Instruction has been organized by 
Bro. Win. H. Edwards, Grand Lecturer, for the 
purpose of representing the changes in the work 
to be recommended by the Committee on the 
Ritual appointed by the Grand Lodge for that 
purpose at the next annual communication. The 
workmen have been selected from different 
Lodges in this city, and a good opportunity will 
be afforded to witness the proposed corrected 
work in the three degrees. From what we can 
learn of the proposed changes we heartily ap- 
prove them. We hope the Committee will 
make a thorough revision, which will stand for 
many years, but as Masonry is a progressive 
science, and more light is discovered, a perfect 
Ritual cannot be expected. The essentials of 
course are preserved. 


The Trestle Board is in favor of abolishing 
the ballot on initiation and affiliation in the East- 
ern Star, and allowing all Master Masons in good 
standing to be admitted to the Order without 
any ballot. In illustrating our reasons therefor 
we would add the following to others we have 
heretofore presented. A brother suspended from 
membership for non-payment of dues in a Chap- 
ter desires reinstatement, and is ready to pay the 
delinquent dues, but cannot get a clear ballot. 
His wife is an officer of another Chapter and he is 
the Sentinel, although not in standing. Another 
case is where a Mason in good standing and his 
daughter applied for the degrees. The father 
was rejected, while the daughter was accepted by 
virtue of the good standing of the father in his 
Lodge. A singular anomaly. 


The following telegram has just been received 
in the office of the Santa Fe route, in this city: 

“The first California Limited eastbound will 
leave Los Angeles Tuesday, October 26th, go- 
ing through to Chicago in 71 hours and 43 min- 
utes. Immediate connection will be made at 
Barstow, with sleeper, leaving San Francisco 
Monday night, October 25th. The train will 
leave eastbound Tuesdays and Fridays, connect- 
ing with trains leaving San Francisco Monday 
and Thursday afternoon. The train will con- 
sist of ten-section double drawing-room palace 
sleeper, buffet smoker and dining car through to 
Chicago; also palace sleeper through from Cali- 
fornia to St. Louis via Kansas City.” 


The usefulness and prosperity of almost every 
magazine and newspaper depends upon its ad- 
vertising patronage. Nowadays the subscription 
price of the average periodical scarcely pays for 
the white paper on which the issue is printed, 
and, like every other well-conducted publication. 
The Trestle Board desires advertisements. 
We would like to double the present size of the 
weekly and increase the dimensions of the 
monthly to one hundred pages. But we cannot 


do it unless we receive sufficient advertising. 
The circulation we already have, and we are 
proud of it. In every land, in every clime, are 
Masons to be found, and dispersed around the 
globe. From Alaska to Australia and Europe to 
Japan, are many subscribers to The Trfstle 
Board. The American Newspaper Directory 
for 1897 credits The Trestle Board with a cir- 
culation of 22,951, and these figures pro\e be- 
yond cavil the superiority of The Trestle 
Board as an advertising medium. So much for 
quantity, and as for quality The Trestle Board 
being Masonic, and appealing strictly to that 
class of people, is evidence that it circulates 
among the very best class of people. It is joy- 
fully welcomed into the most exclusive homes, 
and its entire contents are read and reread 
around the family fireside. It is placed on the 
desk of the capitalist and it lies on the work 
bench of the mechanic, millionaires number it 
among their valuable papers and poor toilers in 
their leisure hours find many articles of interest 
and value in The Trestle Board. 

Now that an era of prosperity is again drawing 
upon our country, we hope to receive additional 
advertising patronage, not because a majority of 
the great advertisers are Masons and we have a 
real or fancied claim upon them on that ac- 
count, but for the reason that the men who have 
proved that advertising pays are shrewd, alert, 
far-sighted business men who know a good 
medium when they see it. We are not seeking 
advertising on the ground of Masonic sentiments 
or association, but when you have anything of 
interest to say to the public we invite you to 
make use of the ‘columns of The Trestle 
Board because it is a straight-forward, common- 
sense business proposition to do so. 

Business is business; we are in the advertising 
business, and we want to do business with rep- 
utable advertisers. 

O 

Alaska Correspondence. 


Fort Get There, Alaska. 

Editor of Trestle Board: I am instructed 
to send you an account of a meeting of Master 
Masons, which was perhaps one of the most re- 
markable as well as novel, considering the fact 
that we are thirty-eight hundred miles from civil- 
ization. 

Brother Edward Earle Keeley of Pentalpha 
Lodge, No. 202, Los Angeles, Cal., conceived 
the idea while en route from San Francisco to 
Dawson City, N. W. T., that it would be a good 
plan to get all the Masons together, as in our 
expedition, the Steamer Humboldt , there were 
twenty-six, including K. T., 32d degree, and 
five Shriners. 

Bro. L. B. Shepard, the General Manager of 
the North American Trading Co., kindly gave 
the use of his large offices, and a notice was 
posted in our cook house announcing a meeting 
for Thursday night, September 9th, and twenty- 
five Masons attended. Bro. Earle called the 
meeting to order, and stated the object, and the 
following officers were duly elected: Judge Dan- 
fort Becker, of Metropolitan Lodge, No. 273, 
New York city, and late of Milwaukee, Wis., 
was made Chairman or W. M.. being a P. M.; 
and Edward Earle Keeley. of Los Angeles, 
Secretary; L. L. Metzger, of Sault St. Marie, 
Michigan, was made First Vice-Chairman or 


472 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


S. D.; Frank Hertz, of Crookston, Minnesota, 
Second Vice-Chairman or J. D.; C. M. Robin- 
son, Cincinnati, Ohio, Tyler. Three brothers 
retired and examined each other and all the 
others. After business was over, for there was 
several important affairs, the brethren were at 
ease, and Brother Shepard surprised us with an 
elegant repast. On Sunday we assembled and 
had our photographs taken. It was a novel 
sight, some being dressed in furs, hides and all 
sorts of clothes to keep out cold, some used 
pocket handkerchiefs for aprons, others more 
fortunate had aprons made of canvas and such 
material that they could find. Sister Howland, 
of California, Matron of Eastern Star, soon con- 
verting it into aprons. 

There were several new arrivals in port, one 
of which was the Steamer Merwin , of Seattle; 
the other the Steamer North Fork , of San Fran- 
cisco; so a special meeting was called for Sunday 
night, and on roll call thirty-seven Master Ma- 
sons were present, representing seventeen States, 
England, Canada and Sandwich Islands. After 
business was finished, each member made a 
short speech and then Bro. Shepard spread an 
elegant repast. The Humboldt Orchestra ren- 
dered sweet music. I enclose you a list of mem- 
bers present: 

Danfort Becktr, Metropolitan Lodge 2 3, New York city. 
Ed. Earle Keeley, Pentalpha Lodge, 202, Los Angeles, Cal. 
L. L. Metzger. Bett el Lodge, 348, Sault St. Marie, Mich. 
Frank Hertz, Crookston Lodge, 141, Crookston, Main. 

C. M. Robinson, Cincinnati Lodge, u8. Cincinnati, O. 

F. B. West, Mt. Baker Lodge, 36, Mt. Vernon, VVis. 

R. B. Taylor, Setting Sun Lodge, 3a,, West Side, Iowa. 

T. P. Hersberger, Fosston Lodge, 206, Fosston, Minn. 
John Howland, Yount Lodge 20, Napa, Cal. 

B. Stumpf, Ancient City Lodge, 452, Albany, N. Y. 

W. E. Mark, Table Mt. Lodge, 140 Cherokee, Cal. 

C. B. Jellson, Oakland Lodge, 188. Oakland, Cal. 

C. G. F. Peterson, Doric Lodge, 216, San Francisco, Cal. 
Thos. G. Stewert, Dallis Lodge, 39^, Easton, Pa. 

John H. Hall, Newberg Lodge, 309, Newburg, N Y. 

A. P. Mordaunt Philotrapic Lodge, 107, Lynn, England. 
Andrew Young, King Solomon Lodge. 2S0, San Francisco. 

D. D. Bogart, Missoula Lodge, 13, Missoula, Mont. 

A. F. Treuschel, Live Oak Lodge, 6t, Oakland Cal. 

Otto Beaverstork, Tomtogany Lodge, 451, Tomtoganv, O. 
W. A. Welsh, Pike Peake Lodge, Colorado Springs, Colo. 
George A. Allen, Mt. Zion Lodge, Barre, Mass. 

Benjamin S. Brown, Eureka Lodge, 243, New York city. 

L. J. Reedy, Abel Lodge, 146, Ukiah, Cal, 

Ben Dill, Nezperca Lodge, 10, Lewiston, Idaho. 

C. N. Brown. Sommerset Lodge, 34, Norwich, Conn. 

J. T. Fare, Alameda Lodge, 167, Centerville, Cal. 

L C. Hill. Chesapeake Lodge, Chesapeake, Mass. (?) 

A. S. Holmes, Hannibal Lodge, i^8, Hannibal. Mo. 

H. O. Wright, Stratsford Lodge, Stratsford, Canada. 

O. S. Osborne, Vincil Lodge, 62, Cameron, Mo. 

W. S. Lane, Orlando Lodge. 69, Orlando Fla. 

L. B. Shepard, Hesperia Lodge. 411, Chicago, 111 . 

Jno H Dunne, La Progress del Oceanic, 124, Honolulu, H. I. 
W. C. Hill, Highland Lodge, 38, Hillsboro, O. 

Frank A. Jones. Pacific Lodge, 136, San Francisco. 

Samuel C. Melligan, Tacoma Lodge. 52, Tacoma, Wash. 

Edward Earle Keeley, Sec’y. 

o 

Minnesota Correspondence. 


Minneapolis, Aug. 23, 1897. 

Minneapolis Chapter, No. 9, O. E. S. , held its 
regular meeting with a large attendance of mem- 
bers and visitors from eight .States, ranging from 
California to New York. After Chapter had 
been opened in form, and the usual routine of 
business transacted, the Chapter was called off, 
and an interesting program was given that had 
been arranged by the Entertainment Committee. 
\\ liile our Chapter does no work during the 
months of July and August, it holds their regular 
meetings and furnish entertainment to keep up 
the interest of members and promote sociability. 


Sister Louise Lyon Johnson, P. \Y. G. M., 
presented our Chapter with a Register at the 
above date, and all visiting members were in- 
vited to register therein. Minneapolis Chapter 
is in a prospering condition, and is the largest 
in the State, numbering nearly three hundred. 
We have seven Chapters in the city of Minne- 
apolis. 

All the invited guests were present to enjoy a 
social afternoon and dainty 5 o’clock tea at the 
home of Sister Ida M. Samuel, 3128 Sixteenth 
South avenue Friday afternoon, September 17th. 
The guests were all members of the Eastern 
Star, Mrs. Samuel being an active member of 
that Order and at present Worthy Matron of 
Minnehaha Chapter. Covers were laid for the 
following ladies: 

Miss Eleanor I. Young, of St. Pau', Grand Secretary; 
Mrs. Louise Lyon Johnson, Past Grand Matron; Mrs. 
Louise E. Jacoby, Past Grand Matron; Mrs. Jennie L. 
Flynn, Past Grand Lecturer; Mrs. Marv J. Ainey. Matron 
of St. Paul Chapter, St. Paul: Mrs. Louise E. Vondine, 
Associate Matron of St. Panl Chapter; Mrs. Virginia L. 
Flint Past Matron Minneapolis Chapter; Mrs. Mary E. 
Boyce, Past Matron Harmony Chapter; Mrs. Eugenia 
Wheeler Goff, Past Matron Minnehaha Chapter. 

In the evening the ladies accompanied Mrs. 
Samuel to the regular meeting of her Chapter, 
where five candidates were in waiting to receive 
the degrees. A banquet followed the initiation, 
and the Grand Matron, Sister Flora Adams 
Potter, being present at this session of her home 
Chapter, was first invited to a seat in the East, 
while other guests entitled to seats in the East 
numbered twenty-three. Eight Chapters were 
represented, including one from Wisconsin, Ne- 
braska and Breckenridge, Minn. 

The following I clipped from one paper: “One 
of the attractive features of the Order of the 
Eastern Star is its social possibilities, a practical 
demonstration of which was the reception and 
banquet tendered Broden Lodge, No. 168, A. 
F. and A. M. by the ladies of St. Paul Chapter, 
No. 24, O. E. S., on Wednesday evening, Sep- 
tember 1 6th, at the Masonic Hall in St. Paul, to 
which some Minneapolis members of the Order 
had been especially invited. The receiving party 
included Mrs. Mary J. Ainey, Worthy Matron; 
Frank Vondine, Patron; Mrs. Louise E. Von- 
dine, Associate Matron. Music and literary 
numbers added to the enjoyment of the formal 
part of the occasion, after which all adjourned to 
the banquet room. At the close of the bountiful 
repast, the following toasts were responded to, 

F. H. Rebler acting as Toast Master: Wilcom to 
Broden Lodge, by Mrs. MaryJ. Ainey, Matron; 
response by W. P. Jones, Master; principles of 
the O. E. S., by Mrs. Louise Lyon Johnson, P. 

G. M.; the relations existing between the Ma- 
sonic Fraternitv and the Order of the Eastern 
Star, by Dr. C.' H. Griswold, P. G. M., A. F. & 
A. M.; Good of the Order, Frank Vondine; 
“The Ladies,” Rev. Mr. Louis of Atlantic Con- 
gregational church. The Ariel Mandolin Club 
of Minneapolis furnished the music. V. L. F. 


Minneapolis, Sept. 18, 1897. 

Sister Ida M. Samuel gave a delightful lunch- 
eon at her home last Friday afternoon to a few 
of her Eastern Star friends. 

In the evening all attended Minnehaha Chap- 
ter, of which Sister Samuel is W. M. The Chap- 
ter hall was crowded with members of the Or- 
der, mainly from the “Twin Cities,” but Cali- 
fornia, Nebraska, Kansas and Wisconsin were 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


473 


also represented. When the ceremony of cour- 
tesy was completed about thirty had been es- 
corted to their seats of honor, and properly 
saluted. In the kaleidoscopic maze of the march- 
ing and countermarching, music, salutations, 
honors, greetings, etc., of this ceremony, which 
was conducted by the W. M., with remarkable 
system and order, your correspondent lost track 
of several of the participants, but the following 
twenty-seven were identified: 

Louise E. Jacoby, P. G. M., Minneapolis Chapter: Flora 
A. Potter, G M., Minnehaha Chapter: Eleanor J. Young:, 
G. S., Constellation Chapter; Louise Lyon Johnson, P. G. 
M., Minneapolis Chapter; Jennie L. Flynn, P. G. M., Lor- 
raine Chapter: Mary J. Ainey, M„ St. Paul Chapter; Ida 
M. Samuel, M., Minnehaha Chapter; Emma Dulev, M„ 
Plymouth Chapter; Virginia L. Flint, P. M., Minneapolis 
Chapter; Eugenia Wheeler Goff, P. M., Minnehaha Chap- 
ter; Mary E. Boyce, P. M , Harmony Chapter; Elizabeth 
Cox, P. M., Minnehaha Chapter; Emma Schlaener, P. M.,« 
Plymouth Chapter; Ellen S. Chipman. P. M., Plymouth 
Chapter; E. R. Shepard, P , Mim.eapolis C *apter; E. H. 
Abbott. P., Minnehaha Chapter; Frank Vin Duvne, P., 
Paul Chapter; E. R. S immerton, P , Racine Chapter, 
Wisconsin; \V. O. Clark, P. P.. Minnehaha Chapter; J. H. 
Johnson, P. P., Harmony Chapter; Adolph Schlaener, P. P., 
Minneapolis Chapter; E. R. Stanley, P. P., Harmony 
Chapter; Edward Martin, P. P., Minnehaha Crapter; a. B. 
Rand, P. P., Minnehaha Chapter; Louise E. Van Duvne, 
A. M„ St. Panl Chapter; Sister Ix>ng, A. M , Minneapolis 
Chapter; Frances L. Clark, A. M., Minnehaha Chapter. 

The work, which is especially beautiful in 
Minnehaha Chapter, includes the floral presen- 
tation as introduced into Minnesota by Sister 
Louise Lyon Johnson, whose earnest efforts have 
always been to elevate and ennoble the work of 
our Order, and whose life exemplifies its high- 
est teachings. Three new members saw the 
light of our Eastern Star on this occasion. Flow- 
ers, music and refreshments supplemented the 
lessons and intellectual feasts of the evening. 

E. \Y.G. 

o 

Chips from Other Quarries. 


There is a growing disposition among 
all Grand Bodies of Masonry in this coun- 
try to be more careful in the granting of 
petitions for the formation of new Lodges, 
Chapters, etc. This is certainly wise, as 
the strength of no organization is increased 
by adding weak subordinates for constit- 
uent bodies. We noticed, a few days ago, 
in reading the proceedings of one of the 
Grand Lodges, that a number of the 
Lodges, small in membership and weak in 
finances, took from the treasury of the 
Grand Body more than they paid in. This 
has necessarily a weakening influence, 
and requires the healthy Lodges to take 
care of the unhealthy. There are two 
things to be considered in the formation of 
a new Lodge: First, does the locality fa- 
vor a self-sustaining body; and, second, 
will the organization of a new body be an 
injury to the Lodges already working in 
that neighborhood. The mere convenience 
of a few zealous brethren should not enter 
into the calculation, neither should the 
ambition of some to hold office, or to be 
considered the “father” of the Lodge in- 


fluence the “powers that be” to grant a 
dispensation. There is no credit in estab- 
lishing a Lodge or other body that will 
prove a drain upon the Grand Body. 
There are entirely too many weaklings 
among the Lodges of all the Jurisdictions. 

— \V. J. Duncayi. 

Bi other Duncan, what are Lodges for ? 
Are they for paying dues to Grand Lodge 
only? 


It cannot be doubted that many men go 
into Masonry simply because they wish to 
go higher and become Knights Templar or 
Shriners. Many such men immediately 
dimit from Lodge and Chapter as soon as 
they have accomplished their desire. It 
is a fact beyond dispute that such men do 
not make good Templars. Their only 
worth to the Order is to count one in a 
parade or at the banquet table. No man 
should be allowed to enter Masonry when 
it is apparent that his sole purpose is per- 
sonal aggrandizement. Look well to the 
bal 1 ot. — Illinois Freemoso?i. 


Morton Lodge, No. 63, F. and A. M., 
of Hempstead, Long Island, recently cele- 
brated its centennial anniversary. Two 
very interesting stories are handed down 
from the earlier history of the Lodge, one 
showing the faithful enthusiasm of two 
brothers in Masonry and the other dis- 
playing the faith which a would-be Mason 
had in the sayings that are as popular to- 
day as they were in the beginning of the 
century. The first incident is that of two 
brothers who lived on the north side of 
the island, perhaps twenty miles from 
Hempstead. They reached the Lodge by 
what is called “the ride and tie” method. 
That is, they both started together early 
in the morning, one riding the single 
horse on the farm and the other walking. 
The rider proceeded to a place agreed up- 
on, where he tied the horse, and took up 
his journey afoot, when the first w’alker 
reached the horse he mounted, and after 
passing his tvalking brother continued his 
journey, and tied the horse again at an- 
other place of agreement. So the journey 
was made to the Lodge, and the return on 
the following morning w’as the repetition 
of the scheme. The second story is told 
of a man named Platt Stratton, living near 
what is now College Point. Stratton w*as 
a candidate for Masonry, and rode into 
Hempstead on horseback about noon. 
Having looked after his horse in the bam 


474 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


he went into the hotel through the kitchen, 
which was as fashionable a way as the 
front door at the time. In the kitchen he 
found an old colored cook standing over a 
great fire in the large chimney place, 
across which was a gridiron of very ample 
proportions. “What’s the gridiron for, 
Aunty ?’' asked Stratton, to which the old 
cook replied: “Ise I don’t know, marsa, 
zacxly, ’cept that the Masons meet ter day, 
an dey genly uses it when dey meets.” 
This was enough for Stratton. He re- 
turned to the barn, mounted his horse 
and rode off. Nothing was ever heard of 
him again by the Lodge, and he doubtless 
died in the faith that the gridiron was in- 
tended for him. — Royal Craftsman. 


Most Masons believe that it is unMa : 
sonic to ask for an office, or to decline one 
when elected to it. In a Masonic Lodge 
is the place where the brethren should seek 
the candidate, and not the candidate, or 
his supporters, the brethren. Official pre- 
ferment here should be reserved for, and 
bestowed upon those who show themselves 
best qualified and equipped to discharge 
the duties of the office; upon those who 
have shown themselves most interested 
and devoted to Masonry and to the welfare 
of the Grand Lodge, and not upon those 
most skilled and qualified in manipulating 
elections. Electioneering for office in a 
Masonic body is undignified and unMa- 
sonic. It is a menace to the prosperity of 
any organization or society like ours, and 
should be scorned and “frowned down” by 
all true members. When we hear of such 
a thing as a caucus being held in a room 
adjacent to this one, it is time for us to 
pause and inquire, Whence are we drifting ? 

— Calvin L. Brown , G. M. of Minn. 

Among other amendments to the Con- 
stitution of Grand Lodge of New Zealand, 
the following was adopted: 

“That any conviction in the law courts of 
the colony be considered as prima facie 
evidence, arid shall remove the necessity 
for summoning the accused person to ap- 
pear. ’ ’ 

This is contrary to Illinois precedents, 
and we believe it unsound law. We be- 
lieve it to be straining the law all it will 
bear to give to the record of a conviction 
in court so much force in a Masonic trial 
as shall throw the onus of proof upon the 
defense. It is certainly going too far to 
hold that to be conclusive, which is con- 


fessedly only prima facie , and possibly 
susceptible of rebuttal. Besides, if this 
principle is to be established, why should 
not the converse of the proposition hold 
good, and forbid the summoning of an ac- 
cused person to appear whose trial in a 
law court has resulted in acquittal ? It 
seems to us that in either case the fact may 
be competent evidence to be' taken for 
what it is worth. — foseph Robbins , of III. 


At the last annual communication of 
the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, Mr. 
R. N. Duke, a benevolent gentleman, not 
a Mason, who was already a benefactor of 
the Oxford Orphan Asylum, the organized 
charity for which the North Carolina 
Craftsmen have made so many sacrifices, 
offered to give $5,000 to erect new build- 
ings and improve the old, provided the 
Masons and people of North Carolina 
would give a like amount. Owing to 
some misunderstanding a portion of the 
$5 000 pledged and in sight when the 
Grand Lodge closed proved to be un- 
available. Just before the Grand Lodge 
met this year, Mr. Duke renewed his offer, 
extending the time through 18(76, and pro- 
posing to make the sum $10,000 if the 
Masons would meet it with a like contri- 
bution. The Grand Lodge unanimously 
decided to accept the last munificent prop- 
osition, received pledges on the spot from 
the Lodges amounting to $2,000. and pro- 
vided for a canvass of the State for the re- 
mainder. Pending amendments to the by- 
laws looking to an increase of the per 
capita dues for the benefit of the asylum, 
and new propositions to the same end but 
of less permanent nature were all voted 
down, thus emphasizing anew the deter- 
mination manifested in the same way last 
year, that the asylum should be supported 
by voluntary contrioution?,. 

In the following the Grand Master of 
Wisconsin is at once his own law- giver 
and commentator, referring to special dis- 
pensations: Of twenty-eight dispensations 
refused, one was to allow a Lodge to act 
as escort to a funeral conducted by the 
order of Odd Fellows; one for a Lodge to 
attend a funeral conducted by Knights 
Templar; one lor a Lodge to attend Easter 
service; one to allow use of Lodge room 
for public reception; one to allow use of 
Lodge room for Woodman’s jubilee; two 
to receive application, ballot on and con- 
fer the Entered Apprentice degree on the 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


475 


same evening and the candidates in each 
case to leave the State next day; twenty - 
one to do away with physical qualification 
requirements, the defects in each case but 
two were very slight, but, in direct con- 
formity to the edict passed at the last 
Grand Lodge, the W. M.’s of the several 
Lodges were in doubt, and referred the 
case to the Grand Master, who finds the 
door closed and answers “No.” The W. 
M.’s of this Jurisdiction have been, are 
now, and always will be, the best men in 
the community where the Lodge is locat- 
ed, and competent to judge of the things 
that are for the best interests of their 
Lodges and for Freemasonry, and I would 
recommend that, as heretofore, the respon- 
sibility be again placed in their hands to 
judge of the physical qualifications of ap- 
plicants for the degrees. The present 
Grand Master is free to say that he cannot 
judge of a man’s physical condition and 
diagnose his case one hundred miles away, 
and that the obligations and requirements 
of W. M.’s cover the ground for safety 
just as fully as any that are required of the 
Grand Master, and finally, do not forget, 
my brethren, that it is the internal, and 
not the external qualifications that recom- 
mend a man to be made a Mason. 

— W. W. Perry , G. M. of Wisconsin. 

Beautiful, appropriate and impressive 
are the ceremonials and rites of Masonry. 
Its sublime degrees are environed with 
oriental magnificence and conferred with 
ritualistic splendor. But to the truly ini- 
tiated the greatest grandeur of the Order 
is found in the due proportion of all its 
parts — in the perfect combination of wis- 
dom, strength and beauty shines forth its 
chiefest glory and most enduring charm. 
A pure and noble character does not neces- 
sarily receive additional dignitv with a 
grandiose designation, nor do high sound- 
ing titles make officials moreadept in their 
work. It is but a step from the sublime 
to the ridiculous, and how often is this 
step taken by well meaning but vain, glor- 
ious individuals who are handicapped with 
some pompous appellation. The titles of 
officers in the Lodge, Chapter, Council and 
Commandery are particularly and strictly 
Masonic, as much so as the other parapher- 
nalia, and their use for any ulterior pur- 
pose cannot be too severely condemned. 
The unseemly parade of Masonsc titles in 
public is a species of vulgar ostentation, 
which is neither advantageous nor credit- 


able to the Institution, and yet it is becom- 
ing altogether too common. 

The elect may know Soandso to be ex- 
alted, venerable, eminent or thrice illus- 
trious, but to the world at large he is noth- 
ing above the ordinary. If he has his 
faults, and faults may be found even with 
a Grand Elect Perfect and Sublime Mason, 
his shortcomings are sure to be magnified 
many times because of his pretentious 
title, and Masonry as well as the individual 
suffers in consequence. Bro. Albert Pike 
did something toward the elimination of 
high-sounding titles in Masonry. But 
more remains to be done. We would be- 
gin at the foundation and clear the Insti- 
tution to its pinnacle of all these superflu- 
ities and grandiloquent titles. 


It was a very warm day in Jerusalem. 
The workmen were perspiring beneath the 
melting rays of the noonday sun, when 
Solomon going around the building, no- 
ticed the thermometer that hung above 
Hiram, the builder s drawing table, and 
asked: “What’s the matter with your 
thermometer ? It seems to be out of or- 
der.” Hiram replied: “No, your majesty, 
it’s all right. You observe it’s a Masonic 
thermometer, thirty- three degrees is as high 
as it can go.” Solomon walked thought- 
fully away. Shortly afterwards he intro- 
duced the ninety sixth degree among the 
Craft. — W. J. Duncan . 

Some one has written the following: 
“It is a mistake to visit a Lodge every 
night in the week, on the one hand, or 
never at all, on the other. These ex- 
tremes meet. If you are a married man, 
don’t forget you have a family; if you 
are a Mason, don’t forget you have a 
Lodge, if you are a married man. King 
Solomon said there is a time for every- 
thing under the sun. He never did for- 
get the Lodge nor did he forget Mrs. 
Solomon.” It is credited to “Ex,” who- 
ever he or she may be, and as that it goes, 
but it should have been made to read 
“the Mrs. Solomon,” for the Bible credits 
him with about a thousand. Josephus says 
also that he had seven hundred sure enough 
wives and three hundred not so certain. 
They came from among the Sidonians, 
Tyrians, Ammonites and Edomites, and, 
of course, there was a small sprinkling, 
from his own country — say six or seven 
hundred. The writer says that he “never 
forgot Mrs. Solomon” — in the aggregate, 


476 


THE TRESTLE BOARD , . 


remember — nor did he forget his Lodge. 
This last goes without saying, that is, if 
he ever really did attend Lodge. I mag ine, 
though, what the poor old brother, “our 
first Most Excellent Grand Master,” had 
to stand up to if he “remembered his 
Lodge” too often, or if he started to go to 
Lodge and got switched off with “ the 
boys” and lost his latch key; and then 
when he found it in the starboard side of 
the forecastle of his overcoat, and finally 
did get in, to fall over a coal scuttle of 
tinware placed at the foot of the stairs in 
the hallway, and hear the seven hundred 
voices of the assembled Mrs. Solomon 
echoed by three hundred proxies, making 
anxious inquiries from the head of the 
stairs, and suggesting that if he intended 
to “carry on” that way they had better go 
visit their mammas for a while. Too 
much of this doubtless soured our M. W. 
brother in his old days so that he wrote 
what he did about women in the twenty- 
eighth verse of the seventh chapter of 
Ecclesiastes, always granted, however, that 
he really did write that book. 


There are two features in Masonry that 
go side by side. First. There is the fra- 
ternal feature that enables one to take a 
companion by the band and say, “You 
are my brother” ; to do him a favor “with- 
out hope of fee or reward” ; to ask a favor 
of him without being humiliated in doing 
so. Second. There is the field of truth, 
the wide open door of Masonic knowledge, 
that invites the aspirant onward and up- 
ward to the end of time, with other worlds 
of truth and knowledge before him still 
unexplored. These two features of Ma- 
sonry are every Mason’s privilege, and 
though the Mason may forfeit his rights 
to the benefits of fraternal relationship, he 
may go right on, if he chooses, and add 
to his stock of Masonic knowledge as 
long as he lives. — J. W. Wells , Iowa. 


Lodges, but they probably tried to render 
the legends of the Craft as literally as 
possible. It is known that in the Scotch 
operative Lodges before 1717 the cere- 
monies were very brief, but in the Lodge 
at Doneraile Court, where Elizabeth St. 
Leger was made a Mason five or six years 
before 1717, there was unquestionably a 
ritual of the Fellowcraft degree to which 
she was admitted, and this ritual was the 
prototype of that afterwards adopted by 
the “Ancients,” and now practiced in Penn- 
sylvania. So the Lodge at Warrington, 
in which Elias Ashmole was made in 1641, 
and that at Chester, of which Randle 
Holme was a member in 1688. and the 
Lodge of the Masons’ company in Lon- 
don in 1636. must have bee^ speculative 
Lodges and must have had rituals. We 
may yet hope 10 have a pre-1717 ritual 
turn up among the rubbish. 


The cipher crime of Michigan, and a 
few other States, is generally condemned 
by the Grand Lodges of the world. The 
charge that Scottish Rite Masonry, and 
especially Bro. Pike, is responsible for the 
introduction of ciphers and rituals, is a 
childish one, and unworthy of any Grand 
Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. 
Suppose the Scottish Rite Bodies have 
printed ciphers and rituals, why should 
that cause a Grand Lodge of Freemasons 
to sin ? If the Scottish Rite Bodies print 
the ritual of the Blue degrees (!) then the 
fact that they have waived the so-called 
right to work these degrees in their Lodges 
of Perfection, should not allow them to 
escape the punishment they deserve at the 
hands of Grand Lodges. The Tyler hopes 
to see the Grand Lodges that have trans- 
gressed in issuing printed ciphers and rit- 
uals repent, and do their first work over 
again, then will the joys of salvation be 
restored unto them, and transgressors 
taught the ways of the Lord. — Tyler. 


Those who claim that no Masonic ritual That the practice of giving the sign at 
existed before 1717 may be as far out as the altar has been in vogue for years is 
the scholars who claimed that Moses could substantiated in a personal letter from one 
not have written the law because letters of the patriarchs in Masonry, Josiah H. 
were not known so early as his day. Drummond. He says: “This method of 
Moses is vindicated by the finding of balloting was practiced in my Lodge in 
manuscripts two thousand years older than 1848, and when it was proposed to carry 
the Exodus, and now evidence is ac- the box about the hall, there was quite a 
cumulating that speculative Lodges con- discussion as to the lawfulness of the 
ferred the degrees long before 1717, and change. The reason given in those days 
they could not have existed without rit- was that the brother in casting his ballot 
uals. No doubt they varied in different should be forcibly impressed with the im- 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


477 


portance of what he was doing, and should 
perform the duty with a full sense of his 
obligation and protect the Craft against 
the admission of unworthy men and to 
vote unbiased by personal feelings.” 

— Orient. 


A year or so ago a person joined, in 
Montana, what he supr osed was a Masonic 
Lodge. It was chartered by the Colored 
Grand Lodge of Missouri. He now de- 
sires to petition for membership in this 
State. The Worshipful Master of the 
Lodge which he sought to jbin wrote me 
as follows: “He joined the Lodge in Mon- 
tana under the supposition that it was all 
right, and did not know that it was char- 
tered by the Colored Grand Lodge of 
Missouri. He is a good citizen, and de- 
sires to renounce the Montana membership, 
and become a regular Mason. Can we re- 
ceive his petition? Is he required to pay 
full fees ? Are we compelled to confer the 
degree in full ?” To these questions I an- 
swered: “You may receive his petition for 
the degrees the same as you would receive 
one from any profane. He is not a Mason 
to us, and we cannot recognize him as 
such, nor as having any Masonic rights 
whatever He must be initiated, passed 
and raised on the usual and regular way.” 

— Bro. C. L. Brown , G. M . , of Minn. 

Good for you, M. W. brother. That’s 
the way to talk it. Let’s make our Ma- 
sons regular, or not at all. But, hold, what 
will The Trestle Board say about this? 
If there is one thing it likes better than 
another it is the Negro. That is, we are 
led to believe so from its constant ad- 
vocacy of his cause. — Bro. Bu?i E. Price. 

Lexington, Ky., has a theological 
school in which some of the students have 
provoked a great deal of criticism by at- 
tending the theater and publishing in their 
college paper the following racy descrip- 
tion of the kind of girls they want for 
wives: 

“The buxom, bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked, 
bouncing lass, who can darn a stocking, 
mend trousers, make her own frock, com- 
mand a regiment of pots and kettles, feed 
the pig, chop wood, milk cows, wrestle 
with the boys, and be a lady withal in 
company is just the sort of a girl for me, 
or for any worthy man to marry. But 
you, ye pining, moping, lolling, screwed- 
up, wasp-waisted, putty- faced, consump- 
tive-mortgaged, music murdering daugh- 


ters of fashion and idleness, you are no 
more fit for matrimony than a pullet is 
with a family of fourteen chickens. The 
truth is, my dear girls, you need more of 
liberty and less of the fashionable re- 
straints, more kitchen and less parlor, 
more leg exercise and less sofa, more pud- 
ding and less piano, more frankness and 
less mock- modesty, more breakfast and 
less bustle. Loosen yourself a little, en- 
joy more liberty and less restraint by 
fashion, breathe the pure atmosphere of 
freedom, and become something as lovely 
and as beautiful as the God of nature de- 
sig ned. — Atlanta Constitution . 


The commissioners of St. Joseph county, 
Indiana, lately invited the Masons to lay 
the corner-stone of a new court house at 
South Bend. When the Masons were all 
ready to perform the ceremony, a protest 
from the Roman Catholics knocked the 
Masons silly, and the commissioners re- 
voked their invitation. The Roman Cath- 
olics declared “the practice is unwarrant- 
able, it is offensive, it is un American. It 
ought to be stopped.” And it was at 
South Bend. It is surprising how far 
ahead of the father of this country in 
Americanism the Jesuits have got. George 
Washington, acting as Grand Master of 
Masons, a little more than one hundred 
years ago, laid the corner-stone of the na- 
tional capitol. My ! What an unwarrant- 
able, offensive, un-American act for Wash- 
ington to be guilty of. — Tyler. 

An amusing incident once occurred in 
a Pittsburgh court, in which the use of the 
technical language of Masonry occasioned 
a misunderstanding. 

A gentleman who had changed his resi- 
dence from Xenia, Ohio, to Pittsburgh, 
was summoned to the witness stand to tes- 
tify to a certain matter in dispute. It be- 
hooved the counsel for defense, lawyer- 
like, to discredit his testimony as much as 
possible. Among other inquiries, the 
attorney asked him where he w*as raised. 
He replied, in Hartford, Conn. At this, 
the defendant whispered a hurried sentence 
in the lawyer’s ear, which caused that gen- 
tleman to bristle up, look sternly in the 
face of the witness, and asked “Do you 
say on your oath, sir, on your oath, re- 
member, sir, that you were raised in Con- 
necticut?” “Yes, I do.” “Of what age 
w'ere you w’hen you left there, sir ? 
“About thirty or thirty-one.” 


478 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


The witness was here ordered to stand 
aside, and a subpoena hastily issued for a 
certain man, a friend of the defendant, 
who, being sworn, testified that he had 
often heard the latter declare he was raised 
in Xenia, Ohio. Here was a question of 
veracity. The plaintiffs counsel stood 
aghast. The jury waked up, to a man, 
and commenced listening. The defend- 
ant’s attorney prayed for a bench warrant 
against the individual whose mendacity 
had become so painfully evident, and a 
plain case of perjury was beautifully ripen- 
ing, when a hint from the gentleman him- 
self, through the plaintiffs attorney, set 
all right again. To the merriment of the 
whole crowd, and none more than the 
judge, it was explained that, Masonically 
speaking, Mr. Rosel was raised in Ohio, 
but so far as the slight matters of birth, 
youth and education went, Connecticut 
might safely claim the raising . 

— The Keystone . 


Recently two fallen women at Waco, 
Texas, a mother and a daughter, were in- 
duced to abandon their lives of shame, and 
return to the life of purity they had aban- 
doned. They were welcomed to a Christian 
home near by until they could gather 
strength to face the world that was frown- 
ing upon them Professed Christians said 
the women could not stay there; that they 
or the family that gave them protection 
should leave the neighborhood, and an 
embryo mob assembled to carry out the 
threat. The man who so readily gave 
these unfortunate women a place in his 
house bravely stood his ground until police 
protection was invoked. The Texas Bap- 
tist , speaking of the affair, says: 

“This incident furnishes a text from 
which each of the five thousand preachers 
on our list should preach a sermon. The 
notion is abroad that there is no such thing 
as a fallen man. Men who are putrid with 
licentiousness and whose liasons are count- 
ed by the dozens are received into “good 
society,” and are respected by men and 
fawned upon by women. They “lead the 
german” and cut a high figure in all the 
recherche doings in the social world. No 
finger of scorn is ever pointed at them. 
They have e?itrce into fashionable homes, 
and their names are an open sesame to 
business success and social distinction. 
There are other men who are not so utterly 
vile as these, and yet who count it an 
achievement to rob some trustful woman 


of her good name and her virtue. All 
down the line men sin, and their sin is con- 
doned by both sexes and all classes. In a 
man it is only ‘sowing his wild oats,’ while 
in a woman it is a hopeless, damning life 
of shame. An impure man, as the world 
goes, does not really much need to reform, 
but a woman who has made one false step 
is consigned to disgrace unspeakable and 
a social ostracism more terrific than the 
terrors of Dante’s hell.” 


“Ten million dollars is lying unused in 
a single Denver bank.” So says a Denver 
paper. ’Tis unfortunate that there should 
be idle men and idle money, each only 
needing the co-operation of the other. 
The circumstance illustrates that the in- 
crease in the production of gold is no as- 
surance of an increase of money in circu- 
lation, or of money at all, for that matter. 
The mining of gold is simply the produc- 
tion of a commodity, just the same as the 
production of anything else. It will con- 
tinue just as long as there is a market for 
it; and, whether it will go into the arts, in 
watch cases, chains and gold-bowed eye- 
glasses, or into gold dollars and pounds 
sterling, will depend entirely upon the de- 
mand for those things. Money gets into 
circulation through the demands of busi- 
ness/ not through the production of gold. 
It is the revival of business that will set 
money in circulation, not the minting of 
money that will create this business pros- 
perity. — Mining and Scientific Press . 


When we were made a Mason we were 
instructed that when we should visit a 
Lodge which we did not know to be regu- 
lar, we must ask to see the Charter, and if 
it were not forthcoming, to retire at once. 
We were told by Masons, who had been 
steadfast during Morgan times, that the 
care taken to give this instruction was in 
consequence of the fact that, during those 
times, in some localities, in order to ridi- 
cule Masonry, “Jack Masons” and pro- 
fanes would get together and open a Lodge, 
and burlesque the work; and if they could 
succeed in getting a real Mason to visit 
them, it was regarded as a “big thing”; 
of course they had no Charter, and if the 
visitor asked to see it, their true character 
was at once exposed. Now we are of 
those who hold that it is not possible to 
legislate for every case that may arise, 
and, theretore, that as it is possible that 
history may repeat itself, we most earnest- 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


479 


y object to the doctrine that a visiting 
brother may not ask to see the Charter 
without being deemed a crank, or desirous 
of showing his smartness; and especially 
against laying down in these times, as per- 
manent law, propositions that may not be 
applicable in other times and under other 
circumstances . — J H. Drummond. 

When a man contemplates joining the 
Order of Freemasons, he should ask him- 
self some pertinent questions in regard to 
the step he is about to take, before send- 
ing his petition to the Lodge. Let him 
ask himself, why do I seek admission to 
this ancient and honorable Fraternity ? 
Am I actuated by selfish motives ? Is it 
pecuniary benefit I am looking for ? Is it 
curiosity to know the great mystery that 
prompts me to this action ? Or, do I de- 
sire to become more fraternal with my fel- 
lowman ? To know myself better ? To 
seek light and knowledge of the here and 
hereafter ? To the man who seeks mem- 
bership in our Order for pecuniary gain, 
we desire to say, Go elsewhere. Masonry 
is not a beneficiary institution, and prom- 
ises a man nothing in the form of pecu- 
niary benefits. Masonry is a charitable 
institution, and provides for the widow 
and the orphan, and other destitute per- 
sons in a silent and unostentatious manner. 
But there is no fund in Masonry set aside 
to reward those who pay their dues. So 
we say to those who expect to become 
members of our Order, do not hope for 
pecuniary reward at the hands of Free- 
masonry It is designed for other pur- 
poses. To those curious to know the mys- 
teries of Freemasonry, and who are actu- 
ated to become members by no higher 
motive, we say, do not send your petition 
to a Lodge; you are sure to be disappoint- 
ed. The mysteries of Freemasonry are 
not for the idle and curious. Thfc cere- 
monies of Freemasonry are very simple, 
grand and beautiful to the philosophic 
mind, but very commonplace to the mind 
actuated only by curiosity to know their 
form without their spirit. Unless you de- 
sire to study and understand and practice 
in your daily life a magnificent and per- 
fect system of moral philosophy, do not 
become a Freemason. If you desire to be- 
come more fraternal with your fellows, if 
you wish to know yourself better, if you 
desire to become a better man than you 
are at present, if you would understand 
the nature of your fellowman, and help to 


advance all God’s rational creatures to a 
higher plane, if you desire light and knowl- 
edge for their own sake, if you would 
comprehend the great problem of human 
life in the here and hereafter, if you are 
ready to consecrate yourself to right living, 
to the cause of humanity and to the honor 
of God, then become a Freemason. 

— The Pacific Mason. 


A gentleman advertised for a boy to as- 
sist him in his office, and nearly fifty ap- 
plicants presented themselves before him. 
Out of the whole number he selected one, 
and dismissed the rest. “I should like to 
know,” said a friend, ‘‘on what grounds 
you selected that boy without a single 
recommendation ?” ‘‘You are mistaken,” 
said the gentleman, “he has a great many. 
He wiped his feet when he came in, and 
closed the door after him, showing that he 
was careful: gave up his seat to that old 
lame man, showing that he was thought- 
ful; he took off his hat when he came in, 
answered my questions promptly and re- 
spectfully, showing that he was polite and 
gentlemanly; he picked up a book which 
I had purposely laid on the floor, and re- 
placed it on the table, while all the rest 
steuped over it or shoved it aside; and he 
waited quietly for his turn, instead of 
pushing or crowding. When I talked to 
him I noticed that his clothes were care- 
fully brushed, hair in nice order, and his 
teeth as white as milk, and when he wrote 
his name I noticed that his finger nails 
were clean, instead of being lipped with 
jet like that handsome little fellow in the 
bluejacket. Don’t you call these things 
letters of recommendation? I do; and I 
would give more for what I can tell about 
a boy by using my eyes ten minutes than 
all the letters of recommendation he can 
give me .” — Scientific American. 


When the Provincial Grand Lodge of 
Pennsylvania, which afterwards became the 
present Grand Lodge of that State, was or- 
ganized, William Allen and his associates 
were refused recognition, as Masons, by it, 
precisely as if they were never Masons at 
all. The Provincial Grand Lodge, organ- 
ized by Allen and Franklin twelve or fif- 
teen years before the other, under a war- 
rant from the Grand Lodge of England, 
was driven out of existence by it. The 
members of the obedience of that body 
were refused recognition by it, and many 
were remade under its authority, precisely 


480 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


as if they were profanes. Indeed, so far 
as can now be discovered, neither William 
Allen nor Benjamin Franklin were ever 
recognized as Masons, during their lives, 
by the dominant Provincial Grand Lodge 
while it existed, or the Grand Lodge which 
succeeded it. It has remained for that 
Grand Lodge, in the present generation, 
to repudiate practically its action in its 
early days, and do justice to the memory 
of these eminent men and Masons, by pub- 
lishing their portraits, and endeavoring 
(but in vain) to make them the progenitors 
of the Grand Lodge. — J. H Drummond. 


We know a man and a Mason who ap- 
plied for affiliation, and was rejected; he 
is a gentleman of the highest standing in 
his community. He was shut out years 
ago. He is still out, while the blackball 
fiend is suffered to go marching on. 

— The Freemason and Fez . 

And so it will ever be until the little 
“tack-headed” brother learns the sanctity 
of the ballot, and quits making it a ma- 
chine to “get even” and thereby vent his 
private spleen. We also know several 
good men and true who are now doing 
penance, as it were, to the great satisfac- 
tion of those who, under cover, have done 
what they would not dare to do in the 
light. Hard, indeed, must be their con- 
science. — Ex. 

Cyrus Bulwinkle is a man of good in- 
tention and the possessor of a heart about 
the size of a load of hay, but recently he 
fell into the habit of swearing. 

Not that he thought it smart to swear, 
or that he was prone to lose his temper, 
but, somehow, he got to interjecting wicked 
oaths into ordinary conversation with a reck- 
lessness that tended to frighten people — 
especially ladies — who were not used to 
his way. 

Mrs. Bulwinkle worried over it a great 
deal. She remonstrated with her husband, 
and begged that he be more careful. 

“Pshaw !” Mr. Bulwinkle would reply 
at such times, “what’s the use of being so 

fussy. My swearing doesn’t amount 

to anything. It’s all from the surface — 
merely a habit, you know. I guess it’s 
because the boy in the office swears so 
like .” 

Seeing that it was impossible to stop 
him by any ordinary means, the lady re- 
solved to apply heroic treatment. 


So, a few evenings ago, when Mr. Bul- 
winkle came down from the office, he 
took a look at the lawn, and then bounded 
up the front steps to the porch, where his 
wife was awaiting him. 

“Henrietta,” he exclaimed, “why don’t 
you have the man mow our grass and fix 
up the yard, it looks like .” 

“Oh, I don’t care a how it looks !” 

she calmly replied. 

Mr. Bulwinkle stopped as if he had 
been shot. He turned pale and looked at 
his wife in amazement. For a moment he 
thought his ears must have deceived him. 
Then he noticed a slight twinkle in her 
eyes, and going up to her and putting an 
arm around her, he said: 

All right, dear, I’ll quit. 

And he did. He swears no more. 


“Jim Kelly, a well-known prospector, 
came to Grand Forks, B. C., after an absence 
in the mountains of six weeks. 

“On arriving in town he staked out his 
horse, and betook himself to the Cosmos 
hotel, and proceeded to sample all kinds 
of liquor, prolonging his spree until Sun- 
day afternoon. 

“All day Friday, during Friday night 
and until late Saturday afternoon the horse 
waited, whinnying when any one ap- 
proached, but refusing any attempt to feed 
him. About sunset Saturday, his master 
not returning, the horse strained at his 
picket rope till he finally succeeded in pull- 
ing the picket pin, and, trailing the rope 
behind him, he trotted up to the Cosmos, 
keeping up a prolonged whinny. He 
walked up the steps to the porch, and 
peered anxiously through the windows in 
search of his master. For fifteen or 
twenty minutes he walked up and down 
the porch, whinnying as though in pain. 
Then, after a long look into the window, 
he left the porch, and, with head hanging 
near the ground, he deliberately walked 
into a stream of water about three feet 
deep, lay down on his side and buried his 
head under the water. 

“The act was witnessed by me and by a 
number of others who were attracted by 
the horse’s whinnying and strange con- 
duct. We followed him down to the 
creek. There is no doubt he deliberately 
committed suicide. When Kelly came 
off his spree on Sunday and learned of 
the horse’s death he secured assistance, 
and buried the faithful animal.” 

Rum did it. 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


X S 4 



Flowing through the picturesque country pene- 
trated by the San Francisco and North Pacific 
railroad are some 300 streams, and out of their 
aggregate length of 6,000 miles, there is at least 
3,000 miles of water, which affords excellent 
fishing. To prevent these brooks and creeks 
and rivers from ever being "fished out" the 
genial and public-spirited President of the rail- 
road caused from 250,000 to 500,000 young trout 
to be distributed in the streams aforementioned 
every year for the past four years. This prac- 
tice gave so much satisfaction that even greater 
things were resolved upon. To more abundant- 
ly stock the crystal lakes and purling streams of 
of Marin, Sonoma. Lake and Mendocino coun- 
ties, a magnificent fish hatchery has been erected 
in the Gibson Canyon, near Ukiah. Scientifical- 
ly considered, the location is an exceedingly fa- 
vorable one. and the hatchery is as nearly per- 
fect as can be in the arrangement of all its de- 
tails. Its capacity is — well, we don’t know how 
many millions, and it is expected that the output 
for the present season will be over two millions. 
The new hatchery can not be called a money- 
making enterprise — in reality it is a munificent 
gift to the public. The young fry are not placed 
in ‘'preserved" streams, but in creeks and rivers 
that are open to everybody. The benefits of an 
increased amount of travel during the fishing 
season are the only returns that the railroad 
company will ever derive from the investment. 

Since its completion the new hatchery has be- 
come an object of great curiosity to tourists and 
others. In Ukiah especially a vast degree of in- 
terest was manifested — even- one wanted to go 
and see it. So it came about that a good drive- 
way was built from the city to Gibson's canyon, 
and the breeding ponds are kept continually 
open to public inspection. 

Aside from the hatchery, apart from the knowl- 
edge of natural history to be gained by studying 
fish in even* stage of growth, from the embryo 
to the fully developed trout, Gibson's canyon is 
an interesting place to visit. Who can forget its 
weird and mystic combinations of light and 
shade, or the solemn rugged grandeur of its 
scenery ? 

Since quaint old Izaak Walton wrote his cele- 
brated treatise on the “gentle art,'’ angling 
has lost none of its popularity. What bliss it 


is to [escape from tin* crowded 
city, to tlee for a brief time from 
business cares to sequester one’s 
self in the cool woods, and wan- 
der, rod in hand, beside the rip- 
pling streams. The drinking in 
of the exhilarating wine of the 
mountain air, and the feasting of 
the eyes on nature’s beaut), are 
associated with the capture of 
the gamey trout, and in luring 
the finny tribe out of the spark- 
ling pools strength is regained 
and restored health as well as a 
full basket is the reward of the 
fisherman. 

With the two million young 
trout w hich the San Francisco 
and North Pacific Railway Com- 
pany propose to turn loose in the 
streams along the line of their 
railroad this year, there is many 
a good day’s sport to l>e had. 
That portion of California will become the Mec- 
ca of fishermen. 

Bro. A. W. Foster, the efficient head of the 
San Francisco and North Pacific Railway, is an 
honored member of Oriental Lodge, No. 144, 
F. &. A. M., California Chapter, No. 5, R. A. 
M., and California Commander)-, No. 1, K. T. 
We publish this information for those members 
of the Craft, and their name is Legion, who are 
devoted manipulators of the rod and reel, that 
they may know w hom to thank for erecting the 
hatcher)- and stocking the streams. 


A man that is married to woman is of 
many days and full of trouble. In the 
morning he draws his salary and in the 
evening it is all gone. It goes, but he 
knows not where. He spendeth shekels 
in the purchase of fine linen to cover the 
bosoms of his family, yet he is seen at the 
gates of the city with but one suspender. 
He goes forth as an ox and draweth the 
chariot of his offspring. He ariseth in 
chilly garments of night and seeketh the 
somnambulent paregoric which healeth the 
colicky^ stomach of his offspring. Yes, he 
is altogether wretched and full of misery-. 
Wide is the way and broad is the road 
that leadeth to the gate of matrimony and 
many there be that go in thereat. — Ex. 


The Grand Secretary- of the Grand 
Lodge of Texas gives some items not us- 
ually found in the returns of Lodges: Of 
the 33,389 Masons in the Jurisdiction, in- 
cluding 3,067 non-affiliates reported, 8S9 
use profane language, 71 are gamblers 
and 419 drink to intoxication. For obvi- 
ous reasons none are returned as being un- 
sound in the faith. The jurisprudence of 
Texas does not tolerate the presence in the 
fraternity of any- who are not religiously 
orthodox. — Bro. Joseph Robbins , of III. 




482 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


Premiums for 1898. organization, from April 19, 1850, to April, 1897, 

with a beautiful engraving of the Masonic Temple 

Any person subscribing for The Trestle Board and jP San Francisco, portraits of the officers of the 
paying- $i direct to this office shall receive the numbers for first annual communication, Alexander G. Abell, 
the balance of the year 1897 free from additional charge. Charles L. Patton, John Mills Browne, Charles 
WORSHIPFUL MASTER’S assistant. With all Nelson Fox, with sketches of the lives of these 
matters essential to the successful government of a Ma- and some others of the founders and builders of 
sonic Lodge. By Bobert Macoy; 304 pages; flexible, $1. so u n • p a i;f orn ; a The letter nress ic well 

With The Trestle Board, one year $2 25 lvia sonry in c,aniorma. i ne letter press IS wen 

4 . . , T . kept up, and is a credit to the publishers. 

BOOR OF THE CHAPTER, or Monitorial Instructions ^ 

in the Degrees of M., P. M., M. Ex. M. and R. A. M. By 

Albert G. Mackey, M. D., G. G. H P. of the G. G. c. of the Templar Hand Book for California, being the 
TJ S., G. H. P. of the G. R. A. C. of S. Csxolinzi, etc. . .$1.60 T'apfjpc onrl MnnitOT for nf fKp nf 

With The Trestle Board, one year , . $2.35 7 ac H, CS an , a lvloml ? r . Ior ^ 01 tae . Uraer Ot 

BOOK OF THE ancient and ACCEPTED SCOT- tae T en jpl e > containing the drill regulations nec- 
TISH RITE OF FREEMASONRY. Containing instruc- essary for work and parade; also Constitution 
tions in all the degrees from 3d to 33d, etc. By c. T. Me- and Statutes of the Grand Encampment, the 
Clenachan. This work is profusely illustrated, and has re- Swiifpc o n H Ppcmlntirmc: nf f^ronrl Pnm- 

evived the sanction of the highest authorities $3.00 ^ tau \tes ana KegUiatlOns Ot tUe UrailCl \ om 

With The Trestle Board, one year $3.50 mandery, the general forms prescribed by law, 

MORALS AND DOGMA, Scottish Rite from the 4-h to ceremonies of the Order, description of uniforms, 

33d degree. By Albert Pike S2.00 insignia, crosses, standards and banners, notes 

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onhe E d R egTek°of1he 0 IIsurn'star' ^ndrte 'finefn^jbe [ 1 ° n ? r 1 s ; correspondence, orders, reports, books 
South. To which is added the Matron’s Administrative book-keeping, instructions for all ceremonies of 
degree. A Book of Instruction for the Organization, Gov- the Councils, CommanderieS and Priories, by 
ernmeut and Ceremonies or the Chanter’s of the Rite of Frank W nl. Sumner, Past Grand Commander. 

Supreme Patron. Superbly illustrated. Fine cloth and This work IS in 8 VO. form, flexible, leather COV- 

gilt. $100 ers, neatly printed by Geo. Spaulding & Co., 

With The Trestle Board, one year . . $1.75 with copious illustrations and index, 856 pages, 

IC V PO h T r Y * a By Rob ^ Morris f 2 - 2 5 and is authorized by the Grand Commandery of 

With The Trestle Board, one year $3.50 r* • ai ^ 1 a , r 

EARLY HISTORY and ANTIQUITIES OF FREE- Callfo ™ a -. It is the most complete vvork for the 
MASONRY, as connected with ancient Norse Guilds, and ^se OI IvnightS Of the Red CrOSS, Knights Tem- 
the Oriental and Mediaeval Building Fraternities. By plar and of the Order of Malta that has been 

® E: F ^T t * Koval 8 vo., 500 pp $3.50 printed. The author is well known in military 

With The Trestle Board, one year $4.00 ^ A r . , • .... ... . J 

utctadv vorPMAcovuv a ~ . .1 and fraternal semi-militarv organizations to ex- 

HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY and Concordant Or- , • s • Y j 1 

ders, etc. By Henry L, Stiiison and Wm. j. Hughan. cel as a disciplinarian and instructor, and as he 

Latest and best. Cloth $4.50 has been several years engaged in the produc- 

With The Trestle Board, one year $5.00 tfon of this volume, which is not the first of his 

MASON!C JURISPRUDENCE. By A. G. Mackey. A efforts in this line, we have no doubt from the 
Text-book, illustrating the written and unwritten laws of _ ^ . .1 . u 

Freemasonry $2.50 cursory examination we have made that it will 

With The Trestle Board’, one year*. ’. *. . ’. ’. *. 7$3!25 fully supply the need which has existed in this 

MASONIC astronomy, etc. By Hewitt Brown. 32 0 great body. Much contained therein is of value 
•••••• ? 2 -°° wherever the Order exists, but is of especial 

^Ln mOO AND THE EGYPTIAN SPHYNX.^ ^ ^ I Tf 

lustrated with 75 full-page pictures $6.00 pnee is $2 per copy, and is for sale at J. M. 

With The Trestle Board, one year $6.50 Litchfield & Co’s., Masonic Temple, San Fran- 


SIGNET OF KING SOLOMON, or the Freemason’s 

Daughter. By A. C. L. Arnold $*.50 

With The Trestle Board, one year $2.25 

TRADITION, ORIGIN AND EARLY HISTORY OF 
FREEMASONRY. By A. T. C. Pierson and Godfrey C. 

Steinbrenner. 540 pp. Illustrated $2.50 

With The Trestle Board, one year $3.25 

WASHINGTON AND HIS MASONIC COMPEERS. 
By Hayden. With ANCIENT CONSTITUTIONS OF 
FREEM iSONRY. By Anderson, D.D. 500 pp. Illus- 
trated $2. *0 

With The Trestle Board, one year $3*25 

ENCYCLOPEDIA. By A. G. Mackey, D.D. Revised 
and enlarged with new subjects, pronouncing dictionary, 
Masonic Scripture names, terms, etc. By C. T. Mc- 

Clenachan. Bound full leather; library style $6.00 

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CISCO. 

O 

Caution. — It is no longer safe to remit green- 
backs by mail. Within a few months we have 
had sixteen complaints to make, to the P. O. 
Department for non-receipt of remittances. Our 
subscribers and agents will hereafter remit with 
money orders or checks payable to order of the 
Manager. Until within eight months we have 
had no complaint. There is some thief or thieves 
in the P. O. D. 

o 

Deaths. 


o 

Literary Notes. 


We have received printed copies of the 

proceedings of the following Grand Bodies for which the 
Secretaries have our thanks: Grand Lodges of Maine, 
Prince Edward Island, Manitoba; Grand Chapters R. A. M. 
of Washington, Norih Dakota, Rhode Island; Grand Com- 
mandery K. T. of Maine; Grand Chapter O. E. S. of North 
Dakota, Vermont, Massachusetts, Indian Territory; Re- 
port on Correspondence of Montana. 


Fifty Years of Masonry in California, Part IV, 
from the press of George Spaulding & Co. , is on 
our table. Chapter V includes the history of 
the M. W. Grand Lodge of California from its 


At Guavmas, Mexico, August 6th, Philip Hortop, a mem- 
ber of Yuba Lodge, No. 39, at Marysville, Cal., aged about 
50 years. His remains were buried at Guaymas. 

In San Francisco, September, r9th, J. Aaron Joseph, a 
native of Sacramento, a me » ber of Concord Lodge, No. 
117, of Sacramento, aged 41 years, 10 months. His funeral 
was attended by California Lodge, No. 1. 

In El Paso, Texas, June 23d, George Bush Stevenson, a 
native of Woodford county. Ky.; a member of Vacaville 
Lodge, No. 134, Vacaville, Cal , aged 67 years. 

At Whidby Island, Wash.. September .15th, Alfred A. 
Plummer, Past Grand Master of Grand Lodge of Washing- 
ington, aged 41 years, 

In San Francisco, September 23d, Arthur S. Lovelace, a 
native of Missouri, a member of Excelsior Lodge, No. 166, 
aged 4^ years, 5 months, 18 days. 

In San Francisco, October 1st, Edward P. Cole, a native 
of Williamsburg, Va., a member of Oriental Lodge, No. 
144, and California Commandery, No, T, aged 45 years, 11 
months. 


THE TRESTLE BOARD. 


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Capital fully paid, ..... $[,000,000.00 

Transacts a general Banking business and allows interest on deposits payable on demand or after notice. 
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Company’s Attorneys 'md are taken care of without charge. 

SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES to rent at prices from $5 per annum upward according to size, and valuables of all 
kinds are stored at low rates. 

DI REC TORS— J. D. Fry, Henry Wi liams, I. G. Wickersham, Jacob C. Johnson, James Treadwell, F. W. 
Lougee, He ry F. bo'tmann, R. B. Wallace, R. D. Fry, A. D. Sharon and J. Ddzell Brown. 

OFFH'ERS— 1 . D. Fry, President; Henry Williams, Vke President; R. D. Fry, Second Vice President. 
J. Daizell Brown. Secretary and Treasurer; E. E. Shotwell, Ass’t Sec’y; Gunnison, Booth & Bartnett, Attorneys. 


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SCHAEZLEIN & BURRIDGE, 
Gold and Silversmiths. 

Masonic Jewels per set of nine pieces. (Californ a 
regulation,) heavy Silver plated ana finely tngravec. 
$20,00; with hangers $25,00. 

The same in Sterling Silver, in leather ca«e, from 
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Knights Templar Crosses, in all .sizes, from $6 00 t > 
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Charges Moderate and all Work Warranted. 

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Francisco, for descriptive pamphlets. 



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CONTINENTAL 

BUILDING & LOAN ASS’N 

• OF CALIFORNIA 

ESTABLISHED IN 1889 

Subscribed Capital - $5,303,400 oo 

Paid in Capital - - 562,919.34 

Monthly Income, over - 30,000.00 


Growih for the Year 1897. 

Assets June 30th, 1897 $562 919 34 

Assets June 30th, 1896 324,522 07 

Increase 73 per cent, or . . . $238,397 27 

Subscribed capital June 30, 1897, $5,303,400 00 

Subscribed capital June 30, 1896, 2.393,100 00 

Increase 122 percent, or . . $2,910,300 00 
Homes built for members during year, 106. 


222 


HOME OFFICE 

Sansome St., San Francisco. 

WILLIAM CORBIN, 

Secretary and General Manager. 

When you write, please mention The Trestle Board.