Vol. XVIII. No. n. MAY 19 0 5 n\ mom m GAZINE PUBLISHED BY THE TRESTLE BOARD CO. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. — DO YOU WANT — SUMMER BOARDERS? People living along the North Shore Railroad, or reached by its lines, are invited to send in description of their hotels, boarding houses, camp grounds, etc., to Geo. W. Heintz, 222 Sansome Street, San Francisco, for insertion in North Shore annual publication. No charge. trestle Board — CONTENTS FOR MAY, 1905 American Templary . . Ooi Islam Temple’s Activities 6n3 Xew Scottish Rite Cathedral 60 4 California Grand Commandery 605 David Wooster, the American Soldier 60 s Bi-Centenary of Masonry Gil Freemasonry in the History of ’the World G14 Editor’s Corner 616-619 Affiliation. [Masonic Expressions Questioning the Petitioner Stated [Meetings “Trestle Board” Appreciated. Our Sympathies. Observance of Obligations. Try, Try Again. Where Is Our Home Talent? 619 Perfect Ashlars of [Masonic Thought 620-621 The Word Cowan 622 Our State and Our Country 623 Stand Erect 625 Power of Freemasonry 627 That Letter “G.” 62s There Is a Better Existence 629 Smiles and Tears 631 The Dove of the Heart 632 What Is Light 633 Fidelity 634 The Social Institution of Masonry 636 Prerogative of Grand [Masters 637 Chips from the Quarries 639-641 Book Shelf 642 PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY trestle Board (Company 1 02-104 Second Sl. y San Francisco , Cal. Edited by James Wright Anderson Walter N. Brunt, and Edmund Mansfield Atkinson. Business Manager. Subscription Prick, $1.00 a Year; Single Copies, 10 Cents. Entered at the Post Office at San Francisco. California, as second-class matter. Liberal commission to active agents. Correspondence solicited from every locality, jurisdiction and country on subjects pertaining to every Rite and Branch of Masonry. THE TRESTLE BOARD Masonic Calendar. IN EVENING CLOTHES FOR IMMEDIATE USE WE STAND PRE-EMINENT (|1)r lit s. Jletlus Sc (jjtf- (fjxrlustor Ifjjigl} -(^rabp (Qlolliters. 132 iftcnrng Si reel, ^an J^rnnrtsro . SftN FRftNGISGO f\ND f\LftME>Df\ GOUNTIM. Stated Meetings. MONDAY i*t *Occidental Lodge, No. 22. 1st ♦Hermann Lodge, No. 127. 1st {King Solomon’s Lodge, No. 260. 1st & 3d *San Francisco R. A. Chapter, No. 1. 1st & 3d {Golden Gate Commandery, No. 16. ad & 4th gBeulah Chapter, No. 99, O. E. S. 2d & 4th fttOlive Branch Chapter, No. 169 O. E. S. every ’►♦‘♦Oakland Scottish Rite Bodies. 1st & 3d fttSan Francisco Chapter, No. 196, O. E. S. last ****Fruitvale Lodge, No. 336. TUESDAY 1st *Golden Gate Lodge, No. 30. ist *Oriental Lodge, No. 144. 1st **San Francisco Lodge, No. 360. 1st {{ Brooklyn Lodge, No. 225. every ^Mission Commandery, U. D. 1st & 3d *California Chapter, No. 5. R. A. M. 1st & 3d **Starr King Chapter, O. E. S., No. 204. 1st {{Oakland Commandery, No 11. 2d & 4th {Ivy Chapter, No 27, O. E. S. 2d &4th || || Unity Chapter, No. 65, O. E. S. 1st & 3d Berkeley Chapter, O. E. S., Berkeley. WEDNESDAY ♦Mount Moriah Lodge, No. 44. ♦Crockett Lodge, No. 139. ♦Excelsior Lodge, No. 166. ^Mission Lodge, No. 169. {{Oakland Chapter, No. 36, R. A. M. ♦California Council, No. 2, R. & S. M. {Islam Temple, A. A. O. N. M.S. ggCarita Chapter, No. 115, O. E. S. {King Solomon’s Chapter, No. 170, O. E S. THURSDAY **Starr King Lodge, 344 ♦California Lodge, No. 1. ♦Fidelity Lodge, No. 120. gSouth San Francisco Lodge, No. 212. ♦Doric Lodge, No. 216. ^Mission R. A. Chapter, No. 79. HU Alcatraz Lodge, No. 244. §§Oak Grove Lodge, No. 215. ♦San Francisco Lodge of Perfection, No. i,S.R. ♦San Francisco Chapter. Rose Croix, No. 1. ♦Godfrey de St. Omar Council, No. 1. ♦San Francisco Consistory, No. 1. tfOakland Council, No. 12, R. & *S. M. ♦Pacific Coast Masonic Veteran Association. 2d & 4th {Harmony Chapter, No. 124, O. E S. 2d & 4th ffOak Leaf Chapter, No. 8, O. E. S. 1st & 3d tfOakland Chapter, No. 140, O. E. S. 1st & 3d {California Chapter, No. 183. O. E. S. 1st {{{Presidio Lodge, No. 354. FRIDAY 1st ♦Pacific Lodge, No. 136. 1st *Loge La Parfaite Union, No. 17. 1st ffLive Oak Lodge, No. 61. 1st ffDurant Lodge. No. 268. every *California Commandery, No. 1. 1st & 3d {Golden Gate Chapter, No. 1, O. E. S. 1st *Loggi Esperanza Italiana, No. 219. 2d & 4th {Crescent Court, No. 3, R. & A. D. SATURDAY fflAlameda Lodge, No. 167. ist tfOakland Lodge, No. 188. 1st ^Berkeley Lodge, No. 363. 2d ggAlameda Chapter, No. 70, R. A. M. every Masonic Board of Relief, Emma Spreckels Bldg. ,927 Market St., Room 604. last *Past Masters’ Association. 2d & 4th ^Mission Chapter, No. 155, O. E. S. ist & 3d { Aloha Chapter, O. E. S., No. 206. * Masonic Temnle, Corner Post and Montgomery Sts f Franklin Half, Fillmore, bet. Sutter and Bush Sts. t Golden Gate Commandery Hall, 629 Sutter St. \ Masonic Hall, Railroad Ave., South San Francisco, f Masonic Hall, 2668 Mission St., bet. 22d and 23d Sts. ff Masonic Temple, 12th & Washington Sts., Oakland, it E. 14th St., East Oakland. If Peralta St. near 7th St., West Oakland. Masonic Temple, Park St., Alameda. S Masonic Hall, Berkeley Station. ♦Soottish Rite Cathedral, 14th & Webster Sts., Oakland {{{223 Sutter St. ♦♦Devisadero Hall, 317 Devisadero St. ♦♦♦♦East 14th St. and Fruitvale ave., Fruitvale. tttOctavia and Union Street*. ♦^Masonic Hall, Centerville, Cal. ist ist ist ist ist& 3d ist 2d 2d& 4th ist& 3d ist ist ist ist ist ist ist 2 d 1st At Call At Call At Call 5th At Call Keep Your Eyes on Palo Alto. Send for Price List of Property. J. J. Morris Co. mx* trestle Board Vol. XVIII MAY, 1905 No. ** AMERICAN T EM PL ARY BY GEORGE W. WARVELLE, CHICAGO. HE Templarism of America is an outgrowth of the Eng- lish Masonic orders of chival- ry. which, in various forms, may be distinctly seen soon after the year 1750. It was not until toward the end of the eighteenth century, however, that or- ganization began and the orders assumed a definite place in the Masonic system. In the old chronicles it is said that in the month of June. 1791, the Knights Tem- plar of England, being prompted by the flourishing state of symbolic Masonry and being animated with the desire of reviv- ing the ancient and justly celebrated Chivalric and Religious Orders of Knight- hood, which had existed for so many years, assembled in London and organized the first grand encampment: that thereupon they elected Sir Thomas Dunckerly grand master of the Order, under the patronage of H. R. H. Edward, Prince of Wales, and then and there the ancient statutes of the order were revived, re-enacted and ap- proved. There is some conflict as well as con- fusion of authority with respect to the introduction of Templarism into this country. It would seem that the chivalric orders were originally conferred under the sanction of a Masters warrant, or as an adjunct to a chapter of Royal Arch Ma- sons. for we find in the well-preserved records of St. Andrew’s Chapter of Bos- ton, under date of August 2S. 1769, an entry which says that one William Davis was ••accepted and made by receiving four steps, that of an Excellent, Super-Excel- lent, Royal Arch and Knight Templar.’" Xone, however, of the^e degrees wen in all respects the same as those now con- ferred under the same names. Instances of the conferring of the degree of Knight Templar are very rare until within the last decade of the eighteenth century. The Grand Encampment of England, as above shown, was established in 1791, and the early encampments of this coun- try seem to have been formed within a few years thereafter, but not by the au- thority of that body. Some claimed un- der the vague authority which, in those days, was believed to be vested in the lodge ; others were instituted by virtue of a claim of inherent right, under old usage, in three knights, hailing from three different encampments, to form and open an encampment for the dispatch of busi- ness, but the great majority were self-eon- stituted bodies, organized without any claim of authority. As a rule, the early 602 THE TRESTLE BOARD bodies were of a highly ephemeral charac- ter. They met, transacted business and disbanded. In very few cases has any rec- ord been preserved. Aside from the sporadic exhibitions of the lodges, chapters, etc., the earliest rec- ord of the introduction of Templarism in America locates it in Pennsylvania in the year 1794. Three years later a Grand En- campment was formed by the bodies of that state, but its history, as well as that of the encampments engaged in its for- mation, is vague and unsatisfactory. It does not seem to have ever issued any charters and none of its records appear to have been preserved. Another Grand Encampment was organized in Pennsyl- vania in 1814, which for a time was quite active. This body was dissolved by its own action in 1824, and thereafter the four encampments by which it had been organized ceased to exist. The oldest ex- isting Templar body in Pennsylvania was chartered by the Grand Encampment of the United States in 1819. The earliest record of Rising Sun En- campment of New York, is 1808. It claims to have existed prior to that date, but no reliable evidence is submitted to establish the facts with certainty. The earliest notice of a possible organization is December 30, 1799, when a request was published in a New York paper for Knights Templar to assemble and join the funeral procession of Bro. George Wash- ington. It received its first charter of recognition from the second Grand En- campment of Pennsylvania, and afterward assumed the name of Columbia. It is the No. 1 of New York, the oldest command- ery in the jurisdiction. Encampment No. 1, of Baltimore, Md., received its first charter of recognition from the second Grand Encampment of Pennsylvania in 1814, but claims to have conferred the order of knighthood as early as 1790. This claim, however, is not supported except by traditionary evi- dence. It is now known as Maryland Commandery No. 1, and is the oldest Templar body in Maryland. St. John's Encampment, of Providence, R. I., held its first meeting in August, 1802, and its records are preserved from that time to the present. It does not un- dertake to show by what authority it was established, but is recognized as the pio- neer of Templarism in the jurisdiction of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was one of the bodies which organized the Grand Encampment of that jurisdiction, from which it received its first charter in 1805. Washington Commandery, No. 1, of Connecticut, claims, and apparently with much right, to be the oldest commandery or organized body of Knights Templar ex- isting in the United States. It was or- ganized in July, 1786, at Colchester, Conn., by virtue of the inherent right del- egated to Knights Templar by ancient usage. In June, 1801, it received a charter from the Gland Encampment of England. It is, therefore, the first commandery chartered in the country, and the only one that ever received a charter from the Grand Encampment of England. The supreme authority of Templar Knighthood in the United States is the Grand Encampment, a body which had its origin in a general convention held at the city of New York, June 20, 1816. All of the Templarism of the country is sub- ordinate to and under the dominion of this body, and from it nearly all the au- thority for the practice of Templar rites has emanated. From 1816 until 1826 there was a slow but steady growth of the order through- out the country. Between 1826 and 1832, the period of the anti-Masonic excitement, it was practically dormant, although the organization was kept up and the Grand Encampment held regular meetings. Since 1835 its growth has been constant and un- interrupted. At the present time four- fifths of all of the Templars in the world are in the obedience of the Grand En- campment. THE TRESTLE BOARD 603 From what has been stated we may safe- ly draw the conclusion that the chivalric orders, in their present forms, are com- paratively modern. So, also, is Craft Ma- sonry, for its organization antedates the orders only by a few years. But the ideas involved in both branches are very ancient, and, notwithstanding their pres- ent apparent differences, both branches are offshoots from the same parent stem. ISLAM TEMPLE ACTIVITIES ERTAINLY no Noble of Islam Temple can complain 'that at the present time that Body is failing to furnish a host of diversions for the Nobles within its gates. On April 19th the Spring Ceremonial Session was held at the Me- chanics Pavilion, where ninety-three un- regenerates hung on to the tail of Fil Mer Ad Din, the magic camel of the prophet, and were safely conducted across the scorching sands to the refreshing goal of Mecca. Later in the evening the tra- ditional banquet was held and Zem Zem and jollity flowed galorh The floor work was done by the Arab Patrol with its usual dash. On April 27th Islam Patrol held its sec- ond Military Novelty Night at the Pavil- ion, and in every way scored a great suc- cess. The Guard Mount, drill of the Naval Militia, spirited Indian Campaign- ing by Troop A Cavalry, and the intri- cate maneuvers of the Patrol, with their flashing scimitars and gorgeous uniforms, all contributed to a most enjoyable even- ing. The Temple has recognized the worth and services of the Patrol for the three years last past and will send them East to escort the representatives to the Im- perial Council and to give an exhibition drill at the Imperial Council which will be held at Niagara Falls next month. If tne Patrol drill as well at Niagara Falls as they drilled at the Paviliion California will have no reason to be ashamed of her crack drill corps. On Saturday, May 6th, a pilgrimage for the ladies was made to Santa Cruz. After a short ceremonial session in the after- noon a banquet was held at the Sea Beach Hotel. Several hundred Nobles and their ladies attended, and the occasion will long be remembered with pleasure by all who were so fortunate as to be present. Just now the officers and members of the Temple are busy making their plans for. the pilgrimage to the Thirty-first Im- perial Council which meets at Niagara Falls next month. A magnificent vesti- buled train, guaranteed to be the finest which has crossed the continent, will leave this city over the Santa Fe at 10 o’clock p. m. Sunday, June 11, 1905. A large number of Nobles have already signified their intention of making this pilgrimage undoubtedly the most elaborate which has yet been undertaken by Islam, and which will be of great benefit to the State of California. One may live as a conqueror or as a king, but he must die as a man. The bed of death brings us all to our individuality, for here it is indeed that fame and renown cannot assist us, that all external things must fail to aid us, and it is only through the gates of death that we are to find the place of refreshment and rest, and await the joys and glories of an eternal Sabbath. — John R. Gardner , New York. The feeling of brotherly love should be constantly in your heart. You can take it into the Lodge room and carry it away with you, made stronger and more potent by the pleasant intercourse with your brethren. It adorns the counting room, the store and the shop, lightens the bur- dens of toil and sheds sunshine in the home. — TV. J. Duncan. 604 THE TRESTLE BOARD PROPOSED SCOTTISH RITE CATHEDRAL, LOS ANGELES, CAL. NEW SCOTTISH RITE CATHEDRAE HE accompanying illustra- tion shows a front elevation of the elegant new Cathedral which the Scottish Rite bodies of Los Angeles pro- pose to erect this year upon their lot on South Hope street, near Xinth. Ground will be broken for the purpose within a very short period. The Cathedral will front on Hope street and will have two stories and a basement. The basement will contain an elegant banquet hall 60x77 feet, which will open into an annex 30x66 feet. It will also have cloak rooms and lavatories. A reading room 24x40 feet is a part of the plans. An auditorium 60x70 feet and 33 feet high with a stage 32x60 feet will occupy the first floor. The stage will be 48 feet high and will be arranged to permit the production of elaborate scenic effects. A large balcony will surround the main auditorium. Social quarters, and a lodge room 35x40 feet, with dressing rooms, smok- ing and billiard parlors, will occupy the second story. This floor will contain the real living rooms of the members and the furnishings will be elaborate. The interior finish will be mahogany throughout and the furnishings and dec- orations will match the rich dark color of the rooms. The Grecian-Ionic style of architecture will be followed and the exterior will be furnished in pressed brick and terra cotta. The vestibule will be finished in marble and the entrance will be orna- mented with massive pillars. The cathedral will be erected under the auspices of the Scottish Rites Cathedral Association incorporated for that purpose from the following four Masonic bodies. The Lodge of Perfection, The Chapter of the Rose Croix, The Council Ivadosh, and The Consistory. A committee of eleven members from these bodies have been chosen and these will have full charge of all arrangements. The committee con- sists of Perry W. Weidner, Will R. Har- vey. William D. Stephens, Simon Con- radi, W. C. Patterson, Henry Baer, Franklin Jordan, Xiles Pease, Otto Sweet, A. W. Skinner and Frank H. Pfaffinger. The building will cost $125,000 and will be used exclusive^ for Masonic pur- poses. When completed it will be one of the finest and best appointed Masonic edifices in the West. THE TRESTLE BOARD 1)0 .*> CALIFORNIA GRAND JgF COMMANDERY The HE Grand Coniinandery of Knights Templar of Cali- fornia held its Forty-seventh Annual Conclave in Masonic Temple, commencing Thurs- day April 20th, at 10 o'clock A. M. Grand Commander. \Y. Frank Pierce, called the Conclave to order. There was a full attendance, all of Commander ies in the jurisdiction being represented. The opening and devotional exercises were impressive, consisting in part of the following splendidly executed programme under the lead of Musical Director Samuel D. Mayer: 1. Selection by Templar Choir, “Holy! Holy! Holy!’* 2. Scripture Exortation Grand Prelate 3. General Confession and Absolution. 4. Gloria Patri Templar Choir 5. Lesson from Old Testament Grand Prelate 6. "Lift Thine Eyes” Templar Choir ?. Lesson from New Testament. The prayer of Jesus, John 17. 8. Hymn, “Come Sound His Praise Abroad,” Tune Boylston. 9. Benediction. There was a full attendance of the rep- resentatives of other Grand Commerderies, who were cordially welcomed by Grand Commander Pierce. The Grand Commanders address dealt principally with the ordinary business routine with the unusual settlement of matters pertaining to the late Triennial Conclave added. The Triennial Committee reported the final adjustment of all claims arising out of the Conclave. The reports of the Auditor and Treas- urer confirmed by the Finance Committee showing the handsome balance on the right side of the ledger of $14,125.05, this with all indebtedness paid and the stock in the Masonic Hall Association, owned by the Grand Coniinandery unincumbered. In consequence the per capita tax was re- duced to the old figure of one dollar, with everybody satisfied. Much credit i> given Grand Commander Pierce, who. with the active and able co- operation of Chairman Loveland and the Executive Committee, was enabled to ac- complish so desirable a result. Very little new legislation was >ug- gested or accomplished. Past Grand Master Lloyd, as he always doe>. met with a cordial reception at the hands of the Templars of California. Committees were appointed looking to a possible erection of a New Temple bet- ter adapted to meet the needs of the Ma- sonic Fraternity than the present build- ing at the corner of Post and Montgomery streets. The usual donation of $300 was made to the widow of a Past Grand Commander. A reception was given on Thursday evening at Golden Gate Hall to Members and Visiting Templars and their families A Charter was granted Mission Com- mandery under dispensation, and it wa- registered as No. 41. Sir Knight John Burns De Jarnatt was elected Grand Commander. Brilsford P. Flint Deputy, Charles I., Field General- issimo and Hudson B. Gillis Grand Cap- tain General. Sir Edward Coleman wa> re-elected Grand Treasurer and Sir Win. A. Davie- Grand Eecorder. The officers were installed, the installa- tion hymn sung, the standing committee? appointed with a special committee con- sisting of the three fir>t officer? and Pa-t Grand Commander Jacob Hart Netf to devise and procure the proper testimonial for presentation to Past Grand Com- mander W. Frank Pierce and the Grand Coniinandery adjourned. 606 THE TRESTLE BOARD Acacia Fraternity at BerKeley Several months ago a chapter of the new Acacia Fraternity was organized at Stanford University, as mentioned in these columns. The fifteenth of April witnessed the establishment of a chapter of the Order among the students, alumni and fac- ulty of the University of California,, with headquarters at Berkeley. The institution of the new chapter, which was performed at Hotel Metropole, Oak- land, was conducted by members of Beth Chapter of Stanford University. The exer- cises were followed by a banquet. The Acacia Fraternity is intended to unite Masons at colleges throughout the country, each Chapter being the head- quarters of college Masons where it is es- tablished. The Chapter at the California University is the fifth to be organized in this country. The original society was or- ganized at the University of Michigan in 1904. A national organization is to be per- fected this spring* when delegates will meet at Ann Arbor, Mich. The chapters are similar to other college fraternities, except that Hebrew letters are used in- stead of Greek and membership is elective and composed of Master Masons of the universities. The new Chapter in Berkeley expects to erect its own clubhouse near the uni- versity campus and thus help to unite Ma- sonry at the university more closely than it has been in the past. The charter membership includes: Alumni — Governor George C. Pardee, Colonel George W. Bauer, E. A. Dickson, Carlos G. White. Faculty — Professor Henry Morse Ste- phens, professor of history and director of the university extension work; Dr. R. T. Crawford, instructor in astronomy; W. H. Matlock, instructor in German; W. J. S'harwood, assistant professor in chemis- try; H. W. Reynolds, assistant professor in mechanical engineering; John Fryer, head of department of Oriental languages; A. V. Stubenrauch, assistant professor of horticulture; W. J. Wythe, instructor in drawing. Undergraduates — W. H. Hopkins, E. J. Berringer, R. R. Rankin, Arthur U. Clark, H. Barnes, C. C. Meyer, G. S. Crites, E. E. Carpenter, E. O. Heinrich, H. B. Kitchen. In the Southern Jurisdiction of the An- cient and Accepted Scottish Rite there are thirty-six Lodges of Perfection, fourteenth degree, with a membership of 17,397. There are 660 councils of Royal and Select Masters, with a membership of 58,800. There are 1,085 commanderies of Knights Templar, with 137,956 Knights Templars. CAUTION TO SUBSCRIBERS. It having recently come to the knowledge of the publishers of this magazine that unauthorized persons have solicited subscriptions and made collections on account of same, it be- comes necessary to warn brethren and subscribers not to pay any money to any canvasser not personally known to them, unless such person can show a letter of authority, signed by The Trestle Board Co., Walter N. Brunt, Manager, dated subsequent to April 1, 1905. Notice is hereby given that the pub- lishers of the Trestle Board will not be responsible for any payments made in contravention of the above ^ caution. Pay no money to any stranger un- less he can show written authority to make collections. Good Investment Bro. Edward A. Blodgett speaks thus of his ‘‘first investment”: “The first money I earned after leaving the army I invested in the first three de- grees of Masonry, and I have never made an investment from wMich I got as rich returns as the money spent in this Order — rich in the friendships it has brought to me and rich in the delightful evenings I have spent in its lodge rooms. The Masonic Frater- nity has always stood for the best standard of citizenship and the highest standing of morality. It is and always has been the handmaid of religion, and no man on earth, whtever his life may have been, can ever say that he was taught anything but good morals in a Masonic lodge. The or- ganization is immortal on earth, and the unborn child of ten thousand years yet to come will, as we have done, direct his footsteps under the great archway of Ma- sonry.” A beautiful woman pleases the eye, a good woman pleases the heart; one is a jewel, the other a treasure. THE TRESTLE BOARD «iur YOSEMITE FALLS, YOSEMITE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA. 608 THE TRESTLE BOARD DAVID WOOSTER, THE AMERICAN SOLDIER Made a Freemason in England WRITTEN FOR THE TRESTLE BOARD BY GILBERT PATTEN BROWN. HE illustrious men of all times .have knelt at the sacred altar of Freemasonry. Of those eminent gentlemen the New World has had its share. During the colonial period those foremost in civil and military life were of ancient brotherhood. It is an historic fact that during the war of the American Devolu- tion nearly every man of prominence in the patriot cause was of the institution. There is a type of men admired by their fellows, possessing that aristocracy which is popular among all classes. It is that which gives such a charm to bio- graphy that many of us of the twentieth century love to erect literary monuments to their memories. One with that rare gift is the subject of this memoir, David Wooster, who was born in old Stratford, Conn., March 2, 1710, was the son of Abraham and Mary (Walker) Wooster, and the youngest of six children. His early education was obtained at the dis- trict school of Danbury. He was gradu- ated from Yale College in 1738. The next year the Spanish pirates were num- erous, and he was commissioned a lieu- tenant of a privateer. In 1740 the Gen- eral Assembly of Connecticut built at Middletown a sloop of war and named her the “Defense.” She was the first ship of war ever built in that colony, and its people were proud of their vessel. In 1741 he wag commissioned her first lieu- tenant. His wages were “four shillings and sixpence per day.” In 1742 we find him captain, commanding the “Defense,” and in October of that year he was or- dered by the General Assembly to dis- charge all hands and lay up at New Lon- don. This ambitious and handsome young man was loved by all who knew him. In 1745, when trouble came at Cape Breton, David Wooster took a firm stand in the new issue and was commissioned captain of a company in the Connecticut Regiment, commanded by Colonel Andrew Burr. The Puritanic spirit of New Eng- land is those days was much against Catholicism, and as the French were Catholic, many soldiers planned to rob the rich churches of their choice vest- ments. Banners were carried by the New England expedition bearing mottoes an- tagonistic to Priest-craft. A certain Chaplain carried on his shoulder a hatchet to hew down Papal images. While Cap- tain Wooster was a thorough Protestant, he objected to anything being done against another creed. The firm old warrior censured the Chaplain, and the spirit of bigotry soon died out. Upon arriving at Louisburg, the Pro- vincial soldiers were subjected to the rules of the regulars. In Captain Woo- ster’s company were many raw recruits, and one of his men made a slight mis- take in discipline, for which a British captain struck him with a rattan. At this Captain Wooster became very indig- nant, after which the regular drew his sword on the soldier. This aroused the “Connecticut Yankee,” who at once dis- armed the King’s friend, and made him ask the soldier’s pardon. The news soon spread throughout the provincial forces, and in a short time Captain Wooster was loved by the entire American troops. Upon Captain Wooster’s return he settled in New Haven, where, on March 6, 1746, he married Mary, daughter of Rev. Thomas Clapp, President of Yale College, the fruit of that marriage being THE TRESTLE BOARD 60.0 three children. Mary, born January 21, 1747, died October 20. 1748: Thomas, born July 3, 1751 (served in the Revo- lution) ; Mary, born June 2, 1753. He commanded a cartel-ship and was sent to France, but was not given per- mission to land in any one of the French ports. He went, however, to London, England, and was there royally received. He was honored by the Masonic Institu- tion, in that he was made a Master Mason in the “Lodge of St. James/' and at the hands of Lord Cranston, then Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England. When visiting Boston, he received a warrant to establish a lodge in the Con- necticut Colony. The choice parchment bore the date of Xovember 12, 1750, and was issued by the Colonel Thomas Ox- nard, “'Provincial Grand Master of Mass- achusetts." The lengthy document said in part: “'Our truly worthy and well- beloved Brother, Captain David Wooster:” “to be the first Master of the first Lodge in Xew Haven, aforesaid.” The Lodge was organized on December 27th. Thus we read a brief extract from those rare records: “At the Lodge of Freemasons, held at Jehiel Tuttle's, in Xew Haven, on the Festival of St. John the Evange- list, A. L. 5750, the following brethren were present, viz: David Wooster, Wor- shipful Master; Samuel Mansfield, Senior Y arden : J ohn Elliot, Junior M arden ; Brothers, Xathan Whiting, Archibald McXeil. Joseph Goldthwait, Eleazar Fitch, Jedediah Stow, Elihu Lyman, Jehiel Tuttle, John Harpin, Benj. Appleton and Israel Abbott.” The above named brethren were the charter members of “Hiram Lodge. Xo. 1." Captain Wooster continued as Master of that sturdy body of Colonial life until the year 1762. when Xathan Whiting was elected to fill the Oriental chair. Among those of Revolutionary fame made in this renowned lodge were Hon. Pierpont Ed- wards, Captain Andrew Fitch, Colonel Andrew Burr, Timothy Join*-. J -eph Bradley and Benjamin Sanford. In 1756, what was then ealled the “Seven Years" or “French War," lie was again called to wield the sword of human justice, and was commissioned colonel to command a Connecticut regiment, and before peace was declared was made a brigadier-general in tin* KingV forces, when he was put on “half pay." and wa> given the eollectorship of the port of Xew Haven. He soon became a sucee-sful merchant. When the war broke out with the country, whose banner he had de- fended in two wars, no man stood more firm in the cause of the colonies than David Wooster. He at once refused to longer receive his half pay as an officer of the British Army and resigned the col- lec-torship of the port. In the April S* s- sion of 1775 the General Assembly of Connecticut commissioned him a major- general for “the safety and defense of the colony." Several regiments were at once organized for the patriot army, and the name of Wooster was foremost in their midst. He was on May 1st of that year commissioned colonel of the First regi- ment. That command consisted of the first blood of the colony, and their best soldier was at its head. As they marched away, the veteran of Louisburg and the “Seven Years War" halted his regiment at Xew Haven in front of the old church, and called upon the parson for prayers. The aged Divine could not be found and he ordered his men to enter the church. He filled the pulpit with credit, preach 1 and prayed in the faith of his forefather-. As he marched from the church a burst of cheers went up from the townspeople. That day the Tories kept out of sight. He was one of the originators of the famous expedition, which captured Tic< n- deroga May 10. 1775. On June 2 2d fol- lowing he was made a brigadier-general by the Continental Congres-. He -erved under General Montgomery in Canada. During the unfortunate campaign of 17 76 he was subjected to a Court of In- 610 THE TRESTLE BOARD quiry, but was acquitted of all blame. He was again appointed a major-general of Connecticut militia. In the winter of 1776-1117 he did valuable service in pro- tecting his state against the enemy, then stationed in New York. The Tories were getting bold in his colon}^ and at old Ridgefield on April 27, 1777, a battle took place, the Royal Governor, William Try on, leading them. The British forces consisted chiefly of artillery, and as Gen. Wooster was about to charge, he exclaimed to his men : “Come on, boys, never mind such random 'shots.” It seemed a light battle to the old fighter, yet so hard was the fire, that it had broken the American line. General Wooster was shot while annoying the enemy’s rear-guard. The ball entered his spine. He was at once taken to old Danbury, where, on May 2d, he died. His death was that of a Christ- ian. The funeral was not largely attend- ed, nearly all able bodied men of the town were in the service of the “United Colon- ies.” His remains were laid in the old cemetery in the center of the town. On 'June 17, 1777, Congress resolved that a suitable monument be erected to General Wooster, and the sum of five hundred dollars was appropriated. The money was squandered, and his grave remained unmarked until 1854, when proper steps were taken through the efforts of Free- masonry in that state, when a suitable shaft was erected. The craft laid the corner-stone on April 27th. One side bears the following timely inscription: David Wooster, Idrst Maj. Gen. of the Conn, troops in the Army of the Revolution; Brig. Gen. of the United Colonies ; Born at Stratford, March 2, 1710; Wounded at Ridgefield, April 27, 1777, While defending the liberties of AMERICA, And nobly died at Danbury, May 2nd, 1777. Of his coimiry Wooster said: “My life lias ever been devoted to its service from my youth up, though never before* in a cause like this, a cause for which I would most cheerfully risk — nay, lay down my life.” The opposite side bears the following inscription : Brother David Wooster, Impressed, while a stranger in a foreign land, With necessity of some tie, That should unite all mankind in a Universal Brotherhood ; He returned to his native country, and pro- cured From the Provincial Grand Lodge of Massachusetts A Charter, And first introduced into Conn. That light which has warmed the widow’s heart, And illuminated the orphan’s pathway. Under this charter, in 1750, Hiram Lodge No. 1, of New Haven, was organized, Of which he was the first Worshipful Master. The oration was delivered by the Gov- ernor of Connecticut. A brief portion was as follows: “No longer do his ashes slumber among thankless people. The state to its child, its bulwark and martyr ; Masonry to the Master-builder of its old- est Temple; and Danbury to its self-sac- rificing avenger, have at length yielded a slow tribute of a monument.” To be sure of the right grave, it w T as opened and from his remains was taken the British musket ball, which caused his death. Empires of the Old World may rise or fall; many of the great cities may crumble to dust; but on the sacred soil of the Puritans rests all that is mortal of one of the makers of the World’s greatest Re- public, that generations yet to be born may enjoy the blessings and fruits of a well spent life. May this article from the busy pen of a young writer serve to keep green the memory of General David Wooster, who died for his country. And may the day never come when the youth of a future generation shall fail to respect the subject of this monograph , the best of whose life was given to the elevation of mankind. How much better to send flowers to the brother who languishes on the bed of sick- ness, than to wait until he is dead and then heap them on his coffin. THE TRESTLE BOARD r>\ I MASOXIC HOME, MACOX, GEORGIA, DEDICATED OCTOBER 2o, 1904 . BI-CENTENARY OF MASONRY Suggestion for Proper Celebration of Event Having First Importance to the Craft EY BRO. JOSEPH E. M0RC03IBE, HISTORIAX GRAXD LODGE OF IOWA. FEW years ago and he was accounted an nndnly skepti- cal brother who did not date existence of the Masonic fraternity at least from the deluge. Some few there were content with a shorter calendar. These, perhaps, were content to fix the point of departure at Xuma Pompilins and his Eoman craftsmen: or others, with insular pride, began with Athelstan and Edwin and the gathering at York. But, unfortunately, neither Yoah nor Xuma nor the Saxon king has escaped the destructive inquiries of latter- day investigators. These, after studying every scrap of authentic history, have given us IT IT as the furthest fixed date of the Masonic calendar. Xot but that there are glimpses of the craft, specula- tive and operative, in times long antedat- ing that year, but they are confused and confusing, and among them appears no event upon which we can fix firmly and with historical confidence. It is enough to say. and without discrediting whatever claims greater antiquity, that modern Freemasonry, with its machinery of Grand Lodges. Constitutions, etc., date^ only from the day of St. Tohn the Bap- 612 THE TRESTLE BOARD tist, 'June 24, 1717, when at the Apple- tree Tavern, in London, there was formed the Grand Lodge of England — prolific mother of all Masonic bodies. We do not need a vague antiquity. Former claims could only appeal to and awe the ignorant. It is preferable among thinking men to take account only of things known and proven and of value. The island-empire of Japan, with an al- most interminable calendar, found it ex- pedient to set up a very recent point from which to date its progress and achieve- ments. And that gallant race has crowd- ed into the few decades of the Meiji more of real history than appears in all the previous hazy centuries. The period of historic Masonry, thus bounded, has at least been sufficiently extended to test vi- tality of the organizaton and to prove its worthiness. “Survival of the fittest” holds no less true in human institutions than in natural forms. The world is, after all, very practical, however impa- tient we may sometimes become at persist- ence of outworn or useless types. That which is needless or superfluous passes quickly, leaving but faint traces. Fads and follies are ephemeral, and only the effective and the beneficial survives. That for almost two strenuous, practical cen- turies Freemasonry has existed; that dur- ing such time it has grown and extended in and over all portions of the earth, and that to-day it gives evidence of even greater increased vigor and vitality — these facts should be a sufficient answer to detractors. The history of Freemasonry within this time has now been fully and fairly written. It remains for those having grasp of the facts and adequate power of analysis to give us sight of real forces which underlie events. There is need also of such presentation as shall reveal what part the silent, increasing influence of the craft has had in accelerating world movements and elevating world ideals. Partly because of indifference and partly because Masonic writers have been woe- fully unequal to the task, the labor of the fraternity has been treated as a negligi- ble quantity in summation of the world's beneficent forces. In the struggles which have furthered the liberty of men, the approximation to equality of opportunity and the advocacy of peace between na- tions, the. tenets and teachings of the fra- ternity have not been without weight, but have, so far, been exerted without credit. Almost two hundred years of insistence upon the fundamental fact of human brotherhood has borne rich fruit in the breaking down of barriers raised by caste and creed and race. It is time that the services of the craft to the world should be told and insisted upon and acknowl- edged. But not until we ourselves understand the institution and are competent to its explanation can w r e expect others to give it serious attention. Generalities, how- ever eloquently expressed, are not usually convincing. Harping upon sublime pre- cepts and glorious records of good work in all the fulsomeness of self-praise may be very gratifying to those immediately interested, but others will prefer a show- ing of concrete facts. And facts are very stubborn things. They are not readily woven into ornamental sentences, and more than a gift for smooth language is needed for their proper presentation. Yet it seems to have largely become the task of Masonic orators and writers to indulge in platitudinous flights, to the supreme disgust of those who walk on common earth and who desire real information rather than spread-eagleism. But the changes which may be needed, the historical standards which are de- manded and the authoritative pronounce- ments upon Masonic philosophy which are desirable cannot come from any in- dividual or coterie, however learned and talented. Hor may any one Grand body make declarations thereupon which shall be accepted as for the entire craft. In questions of government, and even of work, any such ruling body is competent THE TRESTLE BOARD G13 to speak for itself, because others have only an incidental interest in its methods. But there are larger matters, affecting the entire fraternity, upon a correct un- derstanding and definition of which the future of the institution may in great measure depend. These must be consid- ered and pronounced upon by a general council of the craft. I know that many of my American brethren are not in favor of Masonic congresses. The experiences of the past have been unfortunate and distinctly dis- couraging. But these former congresses have been convoked to discuss matters of minor importance, questions of mere de- tail, and vain attempts to secure uni- formity in language and ceremony. They have been attended by those who were fa- miliar only with the form, and knew lit- tle of the spirit of Masonry. These have been against agreement even on the lim- ited program, because of fear for their own prestige or that provincial suscepti- bilities might be wounded. It is a diff- erent gathering that is now needed. Leave the disputed phraseology of work to Grand Lodges, or rather to their cus- todians or lecturers, for these latter must make a show for their places. With fixed uniformin' their occupation would be gone. But a council of the best and wisest craftsmen, representing every legitimate Grand Lodge of the world — scholars, statesmen, men of affairs — these would have a different program, and the result of their discussions would be to the last- ing benefit of the fraternitv. In 1917 — twelve years hence — Masonry in its present form will have rounded out two centuries. Why should not this bi-centenary be observed by a great con- gress in London, representing the craft of the world? Such a meeting would be unique and command attention and re- spect because of its potentialities. More than all else it would fix the place of Masonry high among the beneficent forces of humanity. It would be the greatest possible object lesson of brotherhood, of good will and peace among men. Upon the common grund of craft interest and betterment could meet those who other- wise would be divided by national and political lines, by racial differences, or by the artificial boundaries of creed and caste. The program of such men would be upon the broadest possible lines, their discussions upon the highest plane, and a new note would be sounded in the world- old marching music to which human en- deavor responds. It will be no place for the self-conscious orator, with hi' cheap clap-trap of sentiment and Fourth-of- July rhetoric. It will rather attract and find use for the thinker, the historian and the philosopher — for those who can look out over the past and detect the subtle forces which impel action: for those who can view the future with a prophet's eye. can warn of dangerous tendencies and point out the pathway of progress. Twelve years may seem a long time in advance to make such a proposal: But if this suggestion be of worth, it will take time to overcome obstacle^. to change in- difference to interest, to study out way* and means, to arrange details and to pro- pose and perfect a program. It. will fir^t be necessary to test the sentiment of Ma- sonry in the various countries. This can only be done through the fraternal pre-s, and to secure an expression this su^je*- tion is thus made. I cannot but believe that at the close of two centuries the Grand Lodges of the world will most will- ingly send their wisest to where Masonry had birth, to where the Mother Grand Lodge still holds her ancient state, and with unabated vigor is yet greate* among all her children. Florida. Virginia and West Virginia have organized Grand Chapters this year. Wise is the individual who can remain silent on any subject. The Grand Chapter of Illinois has 3*2.000 members. 614 THE TRESTLE BOARD Freemasonry in tHe History of the World HILE ; basing its lofty ideals on a remote past, Freema- sonry as it exists to-day is a comparatively modern in- stitution, says Lloyd's. Its vitality is no doubt to be as- cribed to the fact that the high principles upon which it was founded are formed by the broadest humanity. Being outside the region of controversy, either religious, scientific, or social, 'the tenets of Masonry embraces the sovereign upon the throne and the humblest of his subjects. The white and colored races, rich or poor, learned or simple, Jew or Gentile, meet upon common ground, and wherever they come together brethren may know and greet each other. The record that St. Alban founded the first lodge in Britain A. D. 287 rests upon tradition; and details are wanting as to the kind of Masonry into which King Henry VI was initiated about 1450. Some two hundred years later the craft took more definite shape and we hear of Sir Christopher Wren as Grand Master. It was not, however, until the eighteenth century that Freemasons' lodges command- ed the recognition which has since made them such potent instruments for good in the community. From the committee of charity, first appointed in 1725, have sprung three notable institutions, now conferring benefit on 1,153 persons. The oldest, designed to educate and bring up the daughters of deceased Freemasons, has existed for over a hundred and six- teen years. At the last return 265 girls were being cared for; and the donations and subscriptions for the year amounted to a little over £28,500. The kindred in- stitutions for boys, founded in 1798, has an equally good record — the number of boys in the school being thirty; while the year's contributions were over £40,000. There are 236 men and 291 widows (be- sides thirty-one widows receiving half their late husband's annuity) on the funds of the benevolent institution; the donations to which reached £25,363. The participation in Freemasonry of members of successive royal families af- fords abundant evidence of the loyalty and integrity of the body. The Prince of Wales (afterward George IV) and the Dukes of York and Clarence were ini- tiated in the year 1787 the Duke of Kent and the Duke of S esses following a few years later. It was under the last men- tioned that the craft became thoroughly united, as the Duke remained Grand Master for thirty years, from 1813 to 1843. Albert, Prince of Wales (our pres- ent King Edward) initiated in 1868, was elected Grand Master in 1874 — continu- ing until called upon to ascend the throne, when his brother, the Duke of Connaught, succeeded. Freemasonry binds our naval and mili- tary forces together -in whatever part of the world she may be. When Com- mander Scott and the gallant heroes of the Discovery returned from their explor- ations toward the South Pole this year they found the warmest of greetings awaiting them from their fellow-Masons in Kew Zealand. Masonic lodges now flourish along an- cient rivers of Egypt. In Cairo some of the most zealous members of the Craft are Arabs, who are content to forego the social pleasures of dining together, their proceedings ending with sending round a charity box for the relief of poor brethren. In the far-distant Soudan is now to be found a Khartoum lodge, meeting in the city where Gordon perished. The com- mander-in-chief of India, attends the Kitchner lodge at Simla, and also re- mains a member of the Drury lane lodge at home. Jerusalem has its own lodge, with brethren of many nationalities meet- ing amid the most ancient surroundings. Lord Wolseley, in his memoirs (pub- lished this year), says: “I have been often asked if there is any good in Freemasonry THE TRESTLE BOARD 1515 for the soldier,” and proceeds to relate that the only wounded British officer rescued alive from the trenches before Sebastopol was one who made himself known as a Mason, when he was treated with every consideration and kindness. The annals of war furnish many in- stances of good will. During the Ameri- can struggle for independence, the Ma- sonic chest of the Forty-sixth Regiment (now the Second Battalion of the Duke of Corn walks Light Infantry) fell into the hands of the enemy. VTien the fact became known to General Washington he not only ordered the return of the chest, but directed that it should be handed over by a guard of honor, under the command of a distinguished officer. It is recorded that the chest containing the constitution and implements of the Craft was carried through the ranks of the regiment, while the band played a sacred march, the colors waved, and the troops presented arms. Xeedless to say that this act of Washington’s was received with ringing cheers. By an extraordinary coincidence the Forty-sixth Regiment suffered a similar loss while in Dominica in 1805. The French attack was gallantly resisted, but in the course of the action the Masonic chest of the regiment was seized and car- ried off to sea without its contents being discovered. Three years passed and then the French government returned the chest with complimentary presents, thus paying the homage of an enlightened nation to the value and usefulness of Masonry. Of personal instances many notable things are recorded. Major General Put- nam was captured in the French and In- dian war. and condemned to the stake. The faggots were piled around him, and death seemed certain. A French officer approaching, the general made himself known as a Mason, whereupon the fag- gots were at once dispersed, the cords loosed, and his life saved. In 1813 the Irish captain of a trading vessel was captured by a French priva- teer, commanded by Louis Mariencourt. The latter, on finding that his prisoner was a Freemason, at onre gave him hi- liberty, and also returned his ship with its cargo. Antiquity of Masonry Bro. Geo. W. Leninger. Past Grand Master of Xebraska, in describing t ravel- in Egypt and the Holy Land, says : “Among the things shown me in the Grand Lodge room at Cairo, Egypt, was a plaster cast out of the tombs ait Sacara or Memphis. In one of these rooms there is illustrated the F. C. degree. They took a plaster cast of that section and had it in their Grand Lodge room. They pre- sented me with a photograph of it. I am satisfied that the F. C. degree is shown in the tombs and temples at Thebes, Lux- or and Memphis. There is no doubt but that the F. C. degree was conferred in those ages, and that those men had their guilds. They may not have had their Grand Lodges as we have them today, but they had their guilds during the early period.” Freemasonry is indisputably the oldest human institution known among mankind. Contemporary with the elder civilizations, dispersed ages ago throughout all lands and peoples, inculcating the pure princi- ples of Faith. Hope. Charity, Fortitude. Prudence, Temperance. Justice, Brotherly Love, Truth, Morality and Virtue, it ha? ever claimed and received, and now claims and receives, the homage and fealty of the good, the wise, the virtuous and the noble. —C. F. Painter , Grand Orator, Colorado. Masonry is evidently flourishing in England, the Grand Master having grant- ed warrants to eight new lodges in Lon- don since the December quarterly commu- nication, and to three in the provinces and three abroad. A Frenchman says dyspepsia can be cured by smiling. Don't know, but we are sure smiling can be cured by dyspepsia. 616 THE TRESTLE BOARD We again call the at- Affiliation , tention of Masons of California to the fact that, when they desire to change their membership from the Lodge to which they belong to some other Lodge, it is not necessary nor desirable to take a demit from the body with which they are at present affiliated. All that is necessary for a member wishing to change is simply to obtain a certificate from the Secretary of his Lodge and file this with his appli- cation to the Lodge which he desires to join. If then he is rejected he does not lose his membership in his own Lodge. Should he be elected he then obtains a demit from the Secretary of the Lodge with which he desires to sever connection and files this with the Secretary of the Lodge which elected him. His member- ship in the Lodge to which he is elected is not complete until he obtains this demit, and files it with the Secretary of that body. This is an excellent provision, and one calculated to do away with the evil of non-affiliation. It is a provision that ought to be brought to the attention of all Masons, not alone for the advantage to themselves individually, but also for the general benefit of Masonry. Any- thing that will tend to lessen the evil of non-affiliation must prove of benefit to the Fraternity at large. As a general proposition, when one takes a demit he does not do so with intent to dissolve his connection with the Fraternity; but when he obtains the same he neglects applying to some other Lodge, and, little by little, loses interest, until finally he has become a confirmed backslider. It would be well in all cases of application for demits for Secretaries to call attention of those ap- plying to this provision of our law. We have known a number of instances of Masons applying for demits in ignorance of this provision, when no intention on their part to sever their connection with the Fraternity existed. Indeed, it is sel- dom that we hear of a Mason desiring to entirely withdraw from the Fraternity. Often, however, it becomes necessary, through removal or other causes, for Ma- sons to change membership from one Lodge to another, and this change can be readily effected by recourse to this wise provision of our law. Masonic Freemasonry has a lan- Expressions 8' ua S e ’ or rather > a phraseology peculiar to the fraternity, or that has originated in the order; such are the terms “upon the square,” “under the tongue of good re- port,” “so mote it be,” “cable tow's length,” “upon the angle of the square,” etc. The square in Freemasonry is an em- blem of morality. To act upon the square, then, simply means to act in conformity to the recognized principles of morality, or the standard of right. No teaching of the order either requires or permits any action in contravention of the behest of reason. We are aware that many who are not Masons are of the opinion that Ma- sons bind themselves to stand by one an- other, right or wrong. .There is no such requirement; on the contrary, Masons are seriously enjoined to practice the social and moral virtues, to be examplary in the discharge of all duties incumbent upon them in their social and civic capacities. As citizens they are charged never to pro- THE TRESTLE BOARD 61? pose or countenance any act that would tend to subvert the peace and good order of society. Due obedience to the laws of the land, and allegiance to their country, are cardinal teachings. As individuals they are enjoined to practice all the do- mestic and public virtues. The very first lesson impressed upon the mind and heart of the novitiate is the high importance of truth — the foundation of every virtue. Masons are taught that justice in great measure constitutes the really good man, and that they should never depart from the minutest principles thereof. The les- sons of the highest standard of morality are constantly held before the members in all the ceremonies of Masonry. They are taught to aid and assist one another only so far as the first square or angle of hon- orable action, or the cable tow of duty to God, to society and to themselves, will permit. Masonry is a human institution, and its votaries are human; but it is not a reformatory institution. Were its teach- ings rightly observed, none but those of good repute, of exalted moral character, could cross its threshold. Questioning the Petitioner The Grand Master of the District of Colum- bia recommended the adoption of a new form of petition for de- crees, which should contain answers to the following questions to be propounded to the applicant for light in Masonry: 1. Have you ever been indicted in any court ? If so, state result. 2. Have you ever had a case in any kind of court? If so, state its nature and re- sult, 3. State in sequence what schools you have attended. 4. State in sequence what you have been employed at since leaving schools. 5. Are you married? If so, do you live with your wife? Eecognizing the propriety of the first question, the Committee on Jurisprudence recommended its adoption in a modified form, as follows: “Have you ever been a defendant in a criminal case in court? If so, state cir- cumstances and result.” The other questions were ignored. This action was eminently proper. The query which met with favor is one calcu- lated to protect the fraternity against im- position. Great care should be exercised regarding the moral character of the seeker after Masonic light. Masonry is not a reformatory institution; a person convicted of a crime should not under any circumstances be permitted to cross its threshold; one even accused of a serious offense against the laws of the land should be subjected to the very closest scrutiny, with the benefit of the doubt weighing heavily in favor of the safeguarding of the fraternity. The remaining questions, however, have naught to do in determining the moral fitness of a candidate, and some oi them are impertinent. It is certainly no affair of a Masonic lodge if the applicant has ever been a party to a civil case in court, and if bv this question it is sought to de- termine whether the petitioner has always dealt justly in business matters with his neighbors, there are methods of making such inquiry without thrusting it under his nose. The committee of investigation should elicit such facts as are of import- ance. A list of the schools attended by the petitioner has little if any pertinency in determining moral worth and character, or eligibility to the sublime mysteries of Freemasonry. A mere statement of the applicant’s present occupation should be sufficient, Masonry being interested therein only to the extent of its justification with Ma- sonic principles. We fail to see any good reason for the inquiry as to whether applicant is mar- ried, or what his status in this respect has to do with his mental and moral charac- ter, or his eligibility to Masonry. 618 TEE TJSESTLE BOARD Stated Members of Lodges , should be punctual in eetmgs attendance upon stated meetings. The welfare of the Lodge de- pends upon the loyalty and assiduity not only of the officers but the brethren as well; for the most watchful care should be exercised in order that none but good men and true be admitted to its rights and sacred privileges. It should be the duty of the officers to see that these meetings be made in- teresting. The routine of business often becomes tiresome to the members, but it should be remembered that when the reg- ular order is finished there is an oppor- tunity for the introduction of exercises for the good of the Craft. The Master should arrange for some brother who is worthy, well qualified to entertain the brethren with remarks that are pertinent to the occasion with reference to the prac- tical application of the beautiful lessons taught in the symbolism of Masonry. Such exercises will awaken a deeper in- terest in the noble work in which we are engaged that of making men wiser and better. Will some Master try the plan which is here outlined and suggested, and com- municate with the Trestle Board in ref- erence to the result obtained? Trestle Board Occasionally some good A . , brother who appreciates Appreciated t he work of a Masonic editor, and whose heart overflows with the true spirit of Freemasonry, writes to us letters of encouragement like that which is hereto appended, and when such an epistle arrives at the sanctum sanctorum of this journal there spreads o’er the coun- tenance of him who pens these lines a smile of joy which drives away the frown of care and anxiety from the mind and features, and from the heart the dusty cobwebs of despondency, and gives birth to a fond hope that, perhaps, after all, the faithful and strenuous labors of a Mason- ic editor may not be entirely in vain. May the bright and glorious sun which rises in the E'ast to open and adorn this brother’s day, journey to the south in the meridian of its beauty, and vanish in the west in transcendent splendor, in full fruition of all his hopes and aspirations, and may other brethren emulate his noble example in this truty appreciative man- ner ! Office of Esperanza Lumber and Timber Co. John McKea, President. McCloud, Cal., April 7, 1905. The Trestle Board Co ., San Francisco, Cal. Inclosed please find check for $10. Kindly credit my subscription account with the same. God bless you and the work, is the wish of one who lives in the shadow of old Mt. Shasta. Very fraternally, John McKea. Through the courtesy Our Sympathies of the Grand Secre- tary, Brother Diehl, we are in receipt of a copy of the Proceed- ings of the Grand Lodge of Utah for 1905. From it we learn that our noble brother has been subjected to severe affliction. La grippe endeavored to make him let go his grip, but he held on; shortly afterward, he broke his ankle by stepping on a cob- blestone. Although advanced in years. Brother Diehl, like his namesake, is won- drously active and equally persistent. It would be difficult to make him believe that he should administer chloroform : and it would not be possible to make the Grand Lodge of Utah believe that the time for him to do so has come. For many years Brother Diehl has officiated as Grand Secretary, and as chairman of the Committee on Correspondence in his Grand Lodge. His reports on correspon- dence are among the ablest. He has our sympathy in affliction, and our admiration for his pluck and sterling worth. £ Would it not be well servance o f or ]\j as t e rs frequently lgations j 0 call attention of the members of their Lodges to the character of the obligations which they voluntarily assume when embracing the Fraternity? These seem too often to be lightly as- THE TRESTLE BOARD GIVE US NOTICE. Subscribers are urgently requested to report promptly to this office every failure to receive the Trestle Board. It is our purpose to afford prompt and unfailing service, if such is possible. If your magazine is not delivered promptly we want to know it. It is especially requested that all changes in address be specifically re- ported, and it is necessary in such cases that both the old and the new addresses be given, that we may find your name upon our books. Brethren, if you change your addresses you can- not expect us to know it unless you yourselves notify us of the fact. In a great majority of the cases of failure to receive the publication, which we have investigated, it has been found either that the subscriber has changed his residence without notifying us, or the non-receipt of the magazine is traceable to some other oversight not the fault of this office. Give us due and timely notice. sumed, and as lightly violated. It is per- haps needless to say that the promises made by Masons are very solemn utter- ances, and no one can violate them with- out material injury to himself, in his self-respect and to whatever is sacred in the teachings of Masonry. The correspondent who Try, Try Again signs himself “Tele- grapher,” and sends to this office a clipping containing a hu- morous anecdote of a verdant youth who visited a jeweler’s store and purchased a pin containing a square and compass, and requests that same be given publication, is informed that if he will refer to the is- sue of the Trestle Board of 'June, 1904, he will find the same printed in entirety, hence the story will hardy bear repetition so soon. Try again, brother. fil 9 Where is Our Home Talent? Editors, Trestle Board: For many years I have been a constant reader of the Trestle Board, and have found in its columns much of moral and intellectual worth; but I have often ob- served that, aside from editorials and an occasional contribution, very little home talent has been in evidence. I have often found true pleasure and derived lasting benefit from reading and referring to articles written by Brothers Brown, Meyerhardt, Butler, Laflin, Ev- ans, Walton and others, all dwellers in jurisdictions beyond the Rockies but sel- dom from the pens of California Masons have I seen words of cheer, encourage- ment and approbation for seekers after light and knowledge. Where, I ask, are the Grand Masters who have presided over the craft in Cali- fornia, and also the Grand Orators who have electrified the brethren in the Grand Lodge in the years that have gone? These illustrious brothers all entered our ancient and honorable fraternity with the avowed purpose of being serviceable to their fel- low men. I can find no answer to these questions except what is implied in the parable of the sower, and no evidence to the contrary appearing, the conclusion must be drawn that much of the seed sown has been carried away by the fowls of the air. If the editors of the Trestle Board have any reasonable explanation to give as to the apparent dearth of Masonic* writers in California, it will be well received by members of the fraternity who have been led to believe that there is something in Masonry beneath, above and beyond the mere rigmarole of lodge work. “'As the hart panteth after the water- brook. even so panteth my soul for" — the fountain of symbolic lore. A Past Master. People who cannot endure children in the home will find heaven a very unpleas- ant place. 620 THE TRESTLE BOARD Perfect AsHlars of Masonic Thought T IS a grand thing to stand today a living man with feet upon the first years of the Twentieth Century. With a mind responsive to the surg- ing knowledge which makes the air electrical with thought — with a soul that thrills to a hundred as- spirations and high-arched longings, life is indeed rich and deep to the present day man. If he stand with clean hands and uplifted brow to meet the new, sweet days that are crowding to meet humanity over the threshold of a new century, he may, indeed, be called the envied one of the ages. Life never before meant so much as it means today. Life has grown intense and swift and various, weighted with the ac- cumulated gifts of the centuries that are gone. An hour of life today is worth a year of life that slept its slow movements of idle leisure outside the tent door of the Arab, or on the shepherd’s hillside loung- ing place. Ideas clash and reclash today, and in a swift moment institutions rise and fall. In the brilliant history of our own country, men have touched the moun- tain and it has yielded golden treasure, genius like a flame of night has builded great cities and linked them together with bands of steel and electric wires, across mountain and plain, under rivers and lakes to the shores of sunset. Back of all this splendid civilization that fascinates with its grandeur, and back of every new birth of liberty, has been the influence of Freemasonry. It ripened into Magna Charta, it flowed in the Declaration of Independence, it fruited at Yorktown, and today, in the progressive onward march of civilization to yet higher achieve- ments, is leading men to the God-given fellowship — a common Brotherhood. — — John R. Gardner , Neiv York. There are three things that are neces- sary to make life a success. A worthy ob- ject, a singleness of purpose, and a per- severing determination. We must first realize that life is worth the living, that there is something to be accomplished, a work to be performed; and realizing this to be true, we should bend every energy to direct life so that there would be no difficulty in reaching the desired goal. JSTo man lives to himself; he may be a recluse or a hermit, and such is the wise provision of Providence that somewhere and at some point his life will and must touch some other life. Every thought we think, every word we speak and every act we perform, affects some other life, whether we intend it so or not, and the character of life we put in motion is a wave on the great sea of time that never ceases until it lashes against the shores of eternity — Bro. R. D. Lindbaugh , Indian Territory. I am constrained to sound a warning to all lodges that no vice known to our present civilization can do more to tear down Masonry and blot its fair name than for it to tolerate this evil. The world has learned, and jnstly so, to look upon the Masonic fraternity as being composed of the best, most moral, conservative and temperate body of men anywhere banded together. And a single instance of drunk- enness of a known Mason in the commun- ity is noted and commented upon and most harshly criticised by the profane. And equally so among even the very men who are guilty themselves. It is because it is not expected of a Mason. I admonish all THE TRESTLE BOARD Cs> 1 lodges to refuse absolutely to elect any man to take the degrees unless he is a sober man ; do not take professions of re- form until time has demonstrated the genuineness of the claims. — Philip D. Brewer , G. 3L, Indian Territory . Like the great temples which the peo- ples of antiquity builded, Masonry has a place for each class of its votaries, accord- ing to need, knowledge and receptivity for instruction. In its outer court he who is content with formula and words of rote may be satisfied. The external show and sight of unexplained symbols may fill him with awe and even with some glimmering of aspiration. He is bettered, uncon- sciously' to himself, by his surroundings. But only the enlightened ones, prepared for the higher initiation of understanding, will the genius of Masonry lead into the adytum of her temple and reveal the eso- tery of her pregnant symbolism. — J. E. 31 or combe, Iowa. Truth has been a problem to all sages and philosophers. Truth was a goddess in the ancient mythology. She was said to be the mother of virtue and was painted in garments as white as snow. Her look was serene, pleasant, courteous, cheerful, and yet modest. She was the pledge of all hon- esty, the bulwark of all honour, the light and joy of human society. She was ac- counted the daughter of Time or Saturn, because truth is discovered in the course of time. “What is truth?” was asked of a deaf and dumb boy, and he made an- swer by moving his finger in a straight line. — C. D. Belden , Arizona. Xo man is perfected by miraculous oc- currence. Xo one is made a Mason by forms and ceremonies, or by wearing of insignia. If you would become proficient, become reading Masons — study Masonic literature, not forgetting the Great Light which will “guide you in all truth.” Be aggressive. If you have an idea, develop it. Your responsibility does not end by receiving, but turn about and give your be.-t talents to tho^e who conn* after you. Practical Masonry is measured not b\ fig- ures on a dial, but by the exercise of God's best gifts, charity, virtue and examplary deeds. — If. Scott Say. I firmly believe our noble Fraternity will always be a strong bulwark for law- ful authority and strict obedience t<> the laws of the land, and a great lea\rn to teach all men the true principles of bro- therly love, relief and truth, and that tol- eration. mutual concessions, an earnest de- termination to be just, a proper conci ption of man's duty to man. will bring all classes of workers and citizens of the State and nation more closely together in the bonds of friendship and fraternity, with a full realization of how much we are dependent upon each other for our well-being, as well as upon the great Creator for IIP mani- fold blessings. — Marshall 11. Dean , Colo- rado. And for the actual practice of its vir- tues, for that true feeling of hone>ty and candor which should characterize all men in dealings with their fellow^. commend me to the Blue Lodges. I say this because high sounding titles or distinguishing in- signia do not add to true Masonic worth. Degrees won't make a Mason, if the heart is not right ; it is honor and character in- born and existent when brought from darkness to light, and which that light alone makes dominant which makes the Mason. — Harry II. Myers, Arkansas. The landmarks of Masonry are un- changeable. and the spirit of the work is incorruptible ; it may be developed, illus- trated and applied, but it never can die, it never can decline. As it moves onward and upward in the accomplishment of its glorious mission, there rise.- into being a living monument, its foundation already resplendent with age, attaining a height and magnitude worthy of the inditement of the virtues of its followers. — David C. Chase, Idaho. 622 THE TRESTLE BOARD THE WORD COWAN HE word cowan, which is used among Masons, has caused much controversy. Some have derived it from the French c-hien — a dog. This derivation, however, does not appear to have any good sup- port. A more likely explanation is that in Scotland the builders of dry walls were at one time called cowans; and that these inferior workmen were not permitted to join the assemblies of the regular crafts- men, nor to take any part in the regular and more honorable work of Masons. This is plausible. But there is a third theory which has still greater probability in its favor. The word covin is one known to our modern law, signifying collusion or a secret agreement to the prejudice or injury of someone. In former times any plot or secret intrigue, and any aggregation for private advantage to the detriment of oth- ers was called covin. This word was vari- ously spelled and variously pronounced. In many old documents it is spelled couin, cowin, and sometimes cowan. It is used to designate unlawful assemblies of work- ingmen. In an account of English guilds it is said that “in 1383 they issued a proc- lamation forbidding all congregations, covins and conspiracies of workmen in general.” In times when the statutes of laborers were applied with strictness and even severity to keep workingmen from meeting to secure higher wages or to fur- ther their interests, Masons were exempted from the operation of the law. They were generally, but not always, permitted to hold their regular assemblies and to con- sult for the good of their craft. As they enjoyed this privilege by the good will of the crown, they were careful not to abuse it, and equally careful to keep free from associations and classes' that were under the ban. They therefore forbade all cowans or covins to enter their assemblies. It is easy to understand that the irregular and inferior workman — the builder of dry walls — would be designated a covin or cowan, just as a modern trade unionist would call an irregular workman a scab or rat; and they would be as careful to keep these cowans from their assemblies as the Masons’ union to-day is to keep out scabs. It was the duty of the tiler to drive off these cowans from their assemblies as the Mason’s union to-day is to keep out scabs. It was the duty of the tiler to drive off these cowans as well as spies and eavesdroppers desirous of over- hearing the discussions within the lodge, or to gain possession of the secret words and signs by which genuine Ma- sons were known to each other. — A. T. Freed, in Masonic Sun. The Comma Made a Difference Becently a school inspector arrived at a small town in Germany, and requested the mayor of the place to accompany him on a tour of inspection among the schools. The mayor, as he put on his hat, muttered to himself, “I should like to know* why that ass has come so soon again,” a remark which the inspector overheard, but he pur- posely appeared not to have heard it. Ar- riving soon at the first school, be began to examine the pupils in punctuation, but was told by the mayor : “We do not trou- ble ourselves about commas and such like.” Then the inspector merely told one of the boys to write on the blackboard: “The mayor of this town says the inspector is an ass.” “Yow, young man,” says the in- spector, “put a comma after town and an- other after inspector.” The boy did so. The mayor has changed his opinion as to the value of commas. — Exchange. You cannot dream yourself into a char- acter. You must hammer and forge your- self one. Revenge dwells in little minds. OUR STATE- AND OUR COUNTRY BY HON. ALYA ADAMS, FORMER GOVERNOR OF COLORADO. ATBIOTISM is fundamental in Masonry. The man who is not true to his state, loyal to his country, is false to Masonry. The American Mason has no statute but the Bible; no flag but the Stars and Stripes. It is true Benedict Arnold was a Mason; but when treason tainted his soul, he ceased to be a Mason, and across his name in the records of his Lodge was written in letters of scarlet, "Expelled — a Traitor.” In the Masonic order there is no toleration for disloyalty to liberty or to God. The first Masonic sacrifice of the republic was when the blood of Warren crimsoned the sod of Bunker Hill. From that immortal field to the last conflict for liberty there has been no battle for its flag in which Ma- sonic brothers have not paid the supreme penalty for country. In all our history there has never been a council of war upon sea or land — never a conference of patriotic statesmen — in which Masons have not participated. Unlike Egypt, inscriptions upon the tombs are not the final records of Ma- sonic achievement. The lesson of to-day told us that the hour of the Mason is now, the present. It is not the dead Mason, but the living, that is to perpetuate the Order and defend our country. Ancestry should be a confession, an apology, and not a boast. Cherish the memory of the dead, draw inspiration from their deeds, but remember it is the living that reign. Our fathers have done much for state and country. They laid the foundations in courage and liberty, but there remains much more for us to do. Duty and brotherhood are more than figures of speech. If Masonry is nothing but a Lodge -affair ; if our ceremonies are but a *An address delivered by Brother Adams at a recent Scottish Rite reunion in Denver. mimic play within the secret recesses of the Temple: if the only evidence we give of our principles is the wearing of an emblem; if the right to carry the eagle- our only purpose in joining the ScottLh Rite; if its obligations and teachings are not for use in daily life, in busings, in politics, in the home — then the order is a delusion and its Temples whited sepul- chres, tenanted only by ghosts. But, thank God Masonry is not a phantom ship upon a river of dreams. Though rich in achievement and glory, it is an institu- tion of to-day — a living, vital force, throbbing with hope, pregnant with des- tiny. There is something wrong with the politics of the world when the resources of nations and the energies of statesmen are bent toward preparation for war. There is something wrong in our country when half its enormous income must be spent in building battleships and in main- taining armies; something wrong when strikes and want sweep over a nation bur- dened with the plenty of the promised land. There is something wrong with Colorado when the tramp of soldiers has become a familiar sound in the streets of our cities : something wrong when martial law and strikes dominate great industrial centers of the state. Soldiers and lock- outs and strikes are poor testimonials of the boasted civilization of the new twen- tieth century. While my sympatny is with the toiler. I am no apologist for either side in the great industrial warfare that inflicts state and nation, compelling authorities, in or- der that individual rights may be protect- ed, to create military camps where a happy and prosperous industry should prevail. In these conflicts both sides are wrong, as both are arbitrary and dictatorial. There is seldom a con- troversy in which the difference is 624 THE TRESTLE BOARD so great but a decent spirit of fair- ness and justice on each side would find a solution without the intervention of force or soldiers, and a decent regard and re- spect for the rights of the non-combatant should compel any honest party at inter- est to seek that peaceful solution. There never was a contest between men that was not based upon injustice, and permanent peace can never come until they meet and treat upon the common ground of justice. 'Justice is the only panacea — the only anti- dote for the poison of avarice, prejudice and outrage. Like a thread of light through a cloth of gold, the principle of justice runs through the Masonic creed from the first to the thirty-second degree. Upon jus- tice the Order is founded, and that makes it immortal. The mission of every Mason is to carry this doctrine into individual and civic life. Our traffic should be in deeds rather than degrees. If those who pay wages and those who receive wages in Colorado would adopt, as a rule of con- duct, the Masonic principles of brother- hood and justice, our brother governor could disband his armies and could to- night, and for all nights to come, go home and rest in sweet and undisturbed repose. Strife would cease, prosperity re- turn, and this mountain empire become, what God intended, an Eden, a Paradise, where brother could look upon brother in love and not with hate. And in a broader field, if the equity and justice of Masonry could crystallize into international law, peace would come to the nations. Where labor is concerned, our state and our nation can profit from a study of the methods of King Solomon, the father of Masonry. Of him the Bible says that, when building the Temple at Jerusalem, he treated his 150,000 workmen “so that neither envy nor discord disturbed the peace and tranquility that pervaded the earth at that time.” Justice was the law of conduct between employer and em- ploye. Unions existed then as now. Pro- ficiency, skill and character were the con- ditions of permanent membership, and to such the secret word or card was given, enabling them to receive masters wages in foreign countries. Hiram Abif was • the Grand Master of the federated build- ers’ trades unions of Judea; Jubalum and his companions were “scabs,” but the honest workman received honest wages for fair hours and honest toil. It should humble our pride when com- pelled to go back 3,000 years for an ex- ample, where capital did not try to see how much could be forced out of labor, and when labor did not try to see how little it could do for its wages. Then Masonry was the tribunal, and justice presided. Let its courts be set up in America. In Colorado there are, in ratio of pop- ulation, more men who are free-born and of good repute than in any other com- monwealth. They have only to be har- monious and active in right-doing to be invincible. Our weakness is that when- ever reform and discipline touches civic questions we partisans cry out “my party,” “my party.” Truth and right will bring no harm to any honest man or party. My party or my country have no right to be wrong, and when wrong they have no right to demand my allegiance. We owe no loyalty to any organization when such fealty taints our manhood. If state, party and country cannot stand up and be measured by the moral plumb and square of Masonry, they need to change their course. Masonic principles cannot bend or give way to expediency or policy. Masonic lights are fired by the Eternal and are enduring. Men cannot change them; God cannot revoke them. Integ- rity and justice are the pillars of Masonic philosophy and jurisprudence, as love and brotherhood are its religion. If there be a Masonic trust or combine, I declare that there is no “wafer” in it. It is not overcapitalized, and its shares are underwritten by Almighty God. They are panic-proof ; they never shrink in value ; they are better than gold ; for. THE TRESTLE BOARD G25 while the American eagle and the British sovereign may be current coin the world over, vouchers of Masonic manhood are legal tender in two worlds, this and the next. There is but one degree to human lib- erty, and to that every American has sub- scribed, but no citizen has taken the ob- ligation with the solemnity that sur- rounds the initiation of the Scottish Rite Mason. In free government rests the ultimate hope of human happiness. You and I are now defenders of the faith, for have we not during the past four days, old members as well as new. before many altars given our sacred pledge to stand for, fight for, and if need be die for jus- tice and truth, for the freedom of the in- tellect, conscience and body ? There is no conflict between the teachings of Scottish Rite Masonry and the doctrines of free government. Every political or civic degree of the Order is almost a re- incarnation of the Declaration of inde- pendence, or. if you please, the Magna Charta of the republic is a reincarnation of ancient Masonic doctrine. STAND ERECT BY BRO. P. C. HUXTIXGTOX. 0 we fully appreciate the significance of these two lit- tle words ? Have we had such a revelation of the sub- lime truths which are taught in the lessons of the three degrees of Masonry that we grasp the trenchant and impressive mean- ing of the words, $tand erect? If so, let me ask you, my brother, not to be content to depend on other men’s actions or be mere supine spectators. If your feet have pressed the floor of the hall of the chosen, do not be forgetful, but stand erect, and not alone there, before its sacred altar, where you took upon yourself those sol- emn obligations, but when you pass out. Upon the street, in your home or office, stand erect. Remember the princely pro- cession of grand and noble men who have stood erect before this altar and through all the centuries never have lost sight of, or forgotten, the lessons taught there- from. They were not idlers, misers or her- mits, but lived upright men — men who welcomed labor, self-denial and oppor- tunities to do good. All forms of tender kindness and gentle charity, a full recog- nition of the sanctity of weakness and the majesty of compassion inspired and ani- mated these, our brethren. They did not wait for incentives to exercise virtue and relieve sorrow. They stood erect, beheld the opportunities, and hastened to glad- den and comfort. Stand erect ! Behold for yourselves how the teachings of our Ancient Order have ever honored the name of Jehovah, the loving Master of the universe. How they have softened and transformed char- acter; how. for hundreds of years, it ha- furnished the highest patterns of virtue and the noblest examples of character. Though sometimes shrouded by eclipse or dimmed by passing mist, the light of ancient Masonry has never been quenched. Though calumny and slander and abuse, incited by ambition or something worse, have tried to wound the grand old Order unto death, she has retained her strength like the eagle ; has run and not been weary: has walked and not been faint. For this reason her mightiest apology from age to age has been the numberless votaries who have stood erect before her altar and exemplified her gracious teach- ings in blameless living and peaceful dying. Stand erect, then, my brother, in the ranks of those to whom the honor of being true to the uttermost is more than diadem or the flatterv of men. ( 126 TUB TRESTLE BOARD BRO. HENRY&W. RUGG, D. D. THE TRESTLE BOARD b'> , POWER OF FREEMRSONRY BY BRO. HENRY W. RUGG, RHODE ISLAND. HE topic to which I invite your attention is “The Power of Freemasonry'* — the whole- some power of Freemasonry as witnessed in personal life and in the community. All questions relating to the sources of human power are of peren- nial interest. We turn to them again and again. They impress and fascinate us. In their consideration we have to think first of what man is in himself — a master- ful being — strong by reason of his en- dowment of intellectual and moral facul- ties and also by reason of his ability to profit by association with other men. so making his life more useful and more forceful than otherwise would be the case. Institutions justly count among the sources of vital power in the world. The benign institutions of education and re- ligion serve the highest purposes of hu- man good. They develop and mold per- sonal character and furnish an equipment to make men potent factors in all that relates to the betterment of humanity. And there are other institutions, estab- lished on a basis of morals and philan- thropy, which exercise a like influence and deserve to be regarded as powerful ad- juncts in promoting individual welfare and the public good. Society needs .these instituitonal helps. The community owes a debt of gratitude to the varied, organized forces of educa- tion, religion, and charity whose work in * our day is so much in evidence through churches and schools — through asylums, homes and hospitals — in associations, clubs, fraternities, whose abundant minis- tries brighten and bless human lives as they ameliorate some of the ills which cast their dark shadow over the earth. There can be no question that such institutions, with all their complex machinery, their carefully devised combination of resources and benefits, their effective organization, and their ample equipment, make large contributions to the general welfare. Be- ing wisely administered, they serve impor- tant uses. They bless the outvie world. They bless their own membership. Institutions develop manhood — they make men ! But the converse of the prop- osition is also true, for men make institu- tions. Back of all systems and organiza- tions we shall always find a personal ele- ment having directing, determining force. There must be men behind the guns : there must be the force of individual character and purpose behind the system, the organ- ization, to insure great results. “God sifted three kingdoms.’* it has been well said, “for the seed with which to plant Xew England civilization.’'* It was Winthrop and Carver and Bradford and Miles Standish and Roger Williams, typical men, all of them, with their asso- ciates and successors — less prominent, but no less faithful and true — who shaped the thought and action of the Xew England colonies and made them strong for the building of a nation. But with this con- cession of the foremost place to the per- sonal element we have to recognize the im- portance of systems and institutions, and our efforts should always be to estimate them according to their deserving. In the long run the world comes thus to estimate institutions and men. It asks what are their purposes, what they have done, what they are doing, and they are judged ac- cordingly. That Freemasonry has been and is a wholesome power in dm world cannot be denied. The claim of the institution to be thim regarded and ranked may be justified. I believe, in two ways — by reference to his- tory and to personal experience. 1. The historic evidence is ample to show that the Masonic institution ha^ been a potential force of help and hie—- 628 THE TRESTLE BOARD mg in the communities where it has been, established. Masons may not boast of what their fraternity has wrought of’ good in promoting the public welfare, but a rec- ord has been made which is quite sufficient to justify our claim that Freemasonry has always been an effective supporter of hu- man rights and the good order of society, that it has given aid to numerous human- ities and reforms, so making self-evident contributions to the general welfare, al- beit much of its influence has been exert- ed in ways so quiet and unheralded, as hardly to claim the notice of those who only judge of its power by its most ob- vious results.” THAT LETTER. “G” RAND Master Tennis, of Pennsylvania, in 1 9 0 3, created quite a furor in the fraternity by the announce- ment that “the letter ‘G’ forms no part of our cere- monies, is not a proper Ma- sonic decoration, and must not appear on lodge notices.” This most unusual rul- ing does not meet the approval of the present Grand Master of Pennsylvania, Bro. Chas. W. Brown, who has restored the letter to its proper place as a Masonic symbol. In an address recently delivered before the G-rand Lodge of the Keystone State, Brother Brown says: “It is not only my duty, but yours, who are members of our ancient Fraternity, to prevent the introduction of innovations, and it is also our duty to prevent the abol- ition or obliteration of any of the ancient symbols. “I have long felt that it is the tendency of the age to lose sight of some of these ancient symbols. I have particularly in mind that the letter ‘G’ was declared, not many years ago, not to be a Masonic sym- bol in Pennsylvania. “With that decision I have long dif- fered, and at this time I take the oc- casion to restore it to its proper place as a Masonic symbol. “The letter f G’ was conspicuous in the lodgeroom wherein I was made a Mason, and it remained there unquestioned for many years, and until the use of the room was abandoned. “In connection with the compasses and square, emblematical of the Great Lights in Freemasonry, it has been the most com- mon symbol of Freemasonry known. It is recognized by all our sister jurisdictions in this county, and was always embroid- ered on the apron of the Grand Master until after the decision affecting it was made.” Commenting upon the above, the -Ma- sonic Standard says: “This rehabilitates the letter ‘ G * in the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania, and the Grand Master’s action will doubtless re- ceive the approval of that large body of brethren who- believe in the preservation of the ancient customs and symbols of Free- masonry. “The letter ‘G’ is the English equiva- lent of the Hebrew letter yod , the initial of the sacred name of Jehovah, and is constantly to be met with among Hebrew writers as the abbreviation or symbol of that most holy name, which indeed, was never written at length. Strangely enough this English symbol, the letter ‘G,’ is used in all the lodges of Continental Europe, and in every country where Masonry has been introduced.” The Foxy Woman When a woman receives a Christmas gift she doesn’t like she puts it away carefully to give later on as a prize at a card party. — Atchison Globe . THE TRESTLE BOARD iVi 9 THERE IS A BETTER EXISTENCE BY BRO. J. R. LINDSAY, IOWA. MOXG the many gems “of purest ray serene” which the dark nnfathomed caves of ocean will reveal to the light of the last great day, none will measure higher in death- less devotion to the post of duty than our dead brethren. But if the lives of all these, our brethren, are as tapers that are burned out, then we treas- ure their memory and their example in vain, and the latest prayers of their de- parting spirits have no more sanctity to us, who sooner or later must follow them, than the whisper of winds that rustle the foliage of the complaining forest, or the murmur of the waves that break upon the fretful shore. Tradition may fail, revela- tion may be a disappointment, but human nature, the aspirations of man, the in- spirations that grow with his growth, that strengthen with his strength, indicate to him as an unerring proof that beyond this life, beyond the grave, there is, upon an- other shore, somewhere, in some clime, another and a better existence. If we wholly perish with the body, what an im- posture is this whole system of laws, man- ners, and usages on which human society is founded. If we must wholly perish, what to us are the sweet ties of kindred ? What the tender names of parent, child, sister, brother, husband, wife, or friend? Would we honor the illustrious dead? How absurd to honor that which has no existence ! Would we take thought for posterity? How frivolous to concern our- selves for those whose end, like our own, must soon be annihilation ! Our philoso- phy cannot efface the memory of those with whom we have toiled and laughed and wept on lifers journey; and ever and anon the wounded heart will yearn — “For the touch of a vanished hand, And the sound of a voice that is still.” To mourn without measure is folly ; not to mourn at all is insensibility. As the beauty and grandeur of the starry heavens are only to be seen when set against the brow of night, so sorrow often brings forth the latent beauties of the characters. If we mourn, they rejoice. If we hang our harps on the willows, they tune theirs in the eternal orchestra above. Sorrow is one of God's own angels in the land. Her pruning knife may not spare the tendei buds of hope that make glad the garden of the soul, but her fingers sow the seed* of a quick sympathy with the woes of >• common humanity, which, springing i nt< leaf and bud and blossoms send perfume and beauty into the waste places of loneh lives, and permeate with fragrant incense the soil that gave them birth. It would seem that a certain shock is needed to bring us in contact with reality. We are not conscious of breathing till obstruction makes it felt. The tenure of life is un- certain. An inexorable law is ever mani- festing itself. Cloud and sunshine, cold and heat, winter and summer, the dark- ened luminaries above, the funeral drap- eries, decay and death, rest and sleep, and life and resurrection are witnessed every- where. The Mason is taught to believe in the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body. This is the pur- pose of Masonry and the hope of the world. Within man's mortal tenement burns a captive flame, lit up by the samq infinite hand that enkindled “all the con- stellations that gem ike a diadem, night V brow. Although not permitted the pre- eminence whereon Moses of old stood when he viewed the alluring landscape of Canaan, vet, if guided bv the lmht of the Star, those who now see through a gla.— darkly will then stand face to face with stellations that gem like a diadem, night's mansions prepared for them within the confines of that temple not made with hands. 630 THE TRESTLE BOARD Masonry’s Moral Force 1 am persuaded the world at large is realizing more and more as time passes the great moral force of Masonry. The spirit of brotherly love has been made manifest by its teachings and practice. Friendship has become more than a name under its influence; and morality finds in it a most zealous support. The history of Masonry is replete with beauty, but it is the practical working out of the theory in our deeds of kindness and acts of love which gives it life and makes it a power for good. Brethren, let us raise our voices in praise to the Great Architect of the Universe for his bounty and goodness, and for the privi- lege we have enjoyed in having a part in the execution of the designs laid down upon the trestle board of life. — W. Holt Apgar , New Jersey. Life There are two words in our language, beside which all other — innumerable as they are — pale into a most abject signifi- cance; many of these are lifted up and worshiped for a little time, but sooner or later are fairly flung aside as these two rise up in their majestic awfulness, and demand attention and a hearing, and then most lowly homage and obedience. They are Life and Death. They are the begin- ning and the end of time; the Alpha and Omega of human existence. The one opens the door of living, growth, knowledge, noble aims and glorious attainments, deathless fame and unbounded good, no- bility, victory; the other shuts the door upon failures and successes, wasted oppor- tunities and improved possibilities; trans- gressions and retrievals; the filth of evil, the vacuity of indolence, and then opens the gate of eternity. What a world of privilege lies between ! What a vista of beauty or ugliness! Life makes you and me to become students, architects, builders, inventors, painters, sculptors, musicians, physicians, saints or devils. It does not make a human being one of these, but all of these, for life embraces all nations and languages, all communities and homes, and does not permit individualism to cast off communism. “Ho man liveth unto himself,” is the inflexible word of inspira- tion. Life requires us to be, individually, students of its duties, architects of char- acter, builders of principle, inventors of progress, painters of possibilities, sculp- tors of rectitude, musicians of the har- monies of good will, physicians for “the ills which flesh is heir to,” saints in ex- ample, or devils by personal influence. — Warren C. Hubbard , New' York. Masonry A BulwarK For Law I firmly believe our noble Fraternity will always be a strong bulwark for law- ful authority and strict obedience to the laws of the land, and a great leaven to teach all men the true principles of broth- erly love, relief and truth, and that tolera- tion, mutual concessions, an earnest deter- mination to be just, a proper conception of man’s duty to man will bring all classes of workers and citizens of the State and Nation more closely together in the bonds cf friendship and fraternity, with a full realization of how much we are dependent upon each other for our well being, as well as upon the Great Creator for His mani- fold blessings. — Marshall H. Dean , Colo- rado. Brought Her Home Wretch of a Man (at the club) : “I say, you fellows, my wife went off to see her mother lately, intending to stay for six weeks, but I brought her home in a hurry. Do you know what I did? I sent her a paper every day with a paragraph cut out, and she was so full of curiosity to see what local news I was keeping from her that she came home at the end of four days.” “Buddkins said that, after all, he was glad to die.” “What made him feel that way?” “Well, he was paying for so many things by the installment plan, that death came as a welcome relief.” — Ex. THE TRESTLE BOARD G31 SMILES A BY BRO. W, HE world is filled with smiles, and. paradoxical as it may seem, it is also filled with tears. Smiles are the lan- guage of love. They bring joy and gladness to the heart. Blessed is the face which is always wreathed in smiles. It in- dicates that the individual who possesses it is of a cheerful disposition, not pessi- mistic nor morose. The face whose wrinkles are made by smiles is a much more beautiful one than that one whose wrinkles are made by frowns or whose fur- rows come from the burden of care. The smile wrinkles seem to laugh from cheer- fulness. There is a twinkle in the eye that is an index to the heart, and it is greeted by everybody with pleasure. '‘Laughter and tears.” said Oliver Wen- dell Holmes, “are meant to turn the wheels of the same sensibility ; one is wind-power and the other water-power, that is all.*’ The world turns from tears. It has no time to listen to your tale of woe, but plenty of time to hear your fun- provoking story. There is a selfishness in this refusal to heed the cry of distress. There is a lack of sympathy which has its ill effect upon our hearts. “Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.” Tears will come, caused by cir- cumstances beyond our control. They give a relief to the burdened soul. To weep is the common lot of man. There is a time in every life when one seeks to separate himself from the rest of mankind and in solitude to weep alone. There is a greater community of inter- est in smiles than in tears, because one is more contagious than the other. But there is a blessedness in the community of tears that does a great deal of good in the world. “It is better to go to the house of mourn- ing than to go to the house of feasting/' Sympathy is often the production of tears, and tears that flow from it are not only comforting to the one who is in sorrow. ND TEARS J. DUNCAN. but strengthen our own souls. “Sym- pathy is two hearts tugging at one load.” It is a debt we own to our fellow crea- tures. The face that is always - rent*, al- ways* wears a contented smile. po— « .-ses a mysterious attraction; sad heart- turn to it, as people turn to the sun t(. warm them- selves. The sympathy that manifests it- self in tears is more helpful than wisdom. It is a draught of human pity that will not forsake us. There is a sympathy in sor- row that is stronger than any other. There is an indifference in some heart- that precludes the possibility of sympathy. There are many Levites and prie-ts in the world who simply look and “pas> by on the other side,”* and but few good Samari- tans. A good Samaritan is always smil- ing. He show's his kindly fellow feeling for suffering humanity in hi> cheerful ministrations of sympathy. The world says, “I have troubles of my own. don't tell me yours." It is a selfish spirit which does not realize that in telling our trouble- we thereby lessen our burdens. “Misery loves company/' and we are “to hear one another's burdens.” Let us smile at all times, and thereby help and encourage others. Let us have a heart full of sympathy, and thus show’ our love for our fellow men. Smiles and tears are both blessings to mankind. “A smile is ever the most bright and beautiful with a tear upon it. What is the dawn without the dew? The tear is rendered bv the smile precious above the smib it- self." Great Relief As the pedestrian passed the deserted lot seven masked men sprang out and be- ban to pummel him unmercifully. “Help ! Help !” shouted the pedestrian. “What are you trying to do to me?" “Rob you !” retorted the leader of the wicked gang. “Thank heaven ! I thought you were going to give me a college initiation." — Chicago Hexes, 632 THE TRESTLE BOARD THE DOOR OF THE HEART BY RRO. ROBERT MORRIS. Tyle the door carefully, brothers of skill; Vigilant Workers in valley and hill! Cowans and eavesdroppers ever alert, Tyle the door carefully, door of the heart. Carefully carefully, tyle the door carefully, Tyle the door carefully, door of the heart. Guard it from envyings, let them not in; Malice and whisperings, creatures of sin; Bid all unrighteousness sternly depart, Brothers in holiness, tyling the heart. Holily, holily, tyle the door holily, Tyle the door holily, door of the heart. But should the angels of mercy draw nigh, Messengers sent from the Master on high — Should they come knocking with mystical art Joyfully open the door of the heart! Joyfully, joyfully, ope the door joyfully, Ope the door joyfully, door of the heart. Are they not present, those angels to-night, Laden with riches and sparkling with light? Oh, to enjoy all the bliss they impart, Let us in gratitude, open the heart! Gratefully, thankfully, ope the door thankfully, Ope the door thankfully, door of the heart. THE TRESTLE BOARD 033 * WHAT IS LIGHT? FROM THE STANDARD. IG-HT has been defined as “the form of radiant energy that acts on the retina of the eye and renders visible the object from which it comes; the illumination or radiance that is apprehended by the sense of vision ; that agent or force in nat- ure by the action of which upon the organs of sight, objects from which it proceeds are rendered visible.** Light travels at the rate of 192,000 miles a second, in waves in straight lines. It is the opposite of darkness. Light is life, existence. Darkness is death, stagna- tion. All things that live are in the light. Light discovers and reveals all things, while darkness hides and obscures them. Light is safety, darkness is danger. Light is the greatest blessing of creation, the most wonderful of all visible things. Dark- ness was the first condition of the world. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said ‘Let there be light* and there was light/* Then began in nature order and beauty. Before God*s fiat went forth, “Let there be light;** all was chaos, the world was “without form and void** and it would have remained so, but for the creation of “God*s eldest daughter.** This is material or physical light. When man is born into the world he is in mental darkness, his mind is a blank. He is a creature prepared to receive impres- sions, to be illumed by the light of knowl- edge, made beautiful by the spirit of edu- cation, strong by the influence of experi- ence and mighty in intellect by the en- lightenment of divine truth, until like the newly created universe, fresh from the plastic hand of its maker, it calls forth songs of praise from the angelic hosts. The mind flooded by the light of knowl- edge becomes a powerful and prolific agency for good. The saddest condition of poor humanity is a state of darkness. The most pitiable object in all the world is a darkened in- tellect and a dethroned reason. All the light of knowledge gone, all the strength of experience wasted, and all the beauty of education destroyed, the wonderful ma- chinery of man goes whirling round and round “without form and void.** Thi- sad condition is too often a type of the darkness that comes when man “goes to •his long home and the mourners go about the streets,** for there is no repairing the intellect, no recreating the mind, no re- lighting the brain. Xo, the man is in darkness worse, far worse than the dark- ness of the grave. Man*s enlightenment is a matter of slow development. He must begin by feeline nis way and learn day by day. “here a lit- tle and there a little.** The light of the A, B, C in school, is the first glimmer of the educational dawn, and as he gains in knowledge, and the “rule of three,** and the higher branches become fixed in hi- mind the light increases, until the efful- gence of the glory of education fills the mind. As light was the first of God’s creation-, so it is the first of all the symbols pres nt- ed to the neophyte in Masonry and con- tinues to be presented to him in various modifications throughout all hi.- futun progress in his Masonic career. Little by little, and step by step, he is led out of the darkness of ignorance into the reful- gent light of Masonic truth. He can not comprehend and understand the whole system of Masonry at once, no more than the strongest rays of the sun are seen at sunrise. Light is that knowledge of the principles and doctrines of the fraternity that broadens a man's mind, strengthens THE TRESTLE BOARD (m his purposes to do right, reveals the true state of his existence: that he owes alleg- iance to his Creator, and tender feeling for his fellows. This knowledge does not come to him all at once, but as the flower unfolds, grow- ing more and more beautiful as it ap- proaches its full blooming, so is his mind gradually unfolded until it becomes a powerful and enlightened agency for vir- tuous actions. Light embraces in its capacious signifi- cation all the symbols of Masonry. It re- veals them and makes them clear. Ma- sons are called “the sons of light” because they are entitled to be in possession of the true meaning of the symbol ; while the un- initiated has not received this knowledge and is said to be in darkness. Duncan says : “Light is a great source of positive happiness ; without it man could barely exist. And since all religious opinion is. based on the ideas of pleasure and pain, and the corresponding sensa- tions of hope and fear, it is not to be won- dered if the heathens reverenced light. Darkness, on the contrary, by replunging nature, as it were, into a state of nothing- ness, and depriving man of the pleasurable emotions conveyed through the organ of sight, was ever held in abhorrence, as a source of misery and fear. The two oppo- site conditions in which man thus found himself placed, occasioned by the enjoy- ment or the banishment of light, induced him to imagine the existence of two antag- onistic principles in nature, to whose do- minion he was alternately subjected.” This is light, to have the mind filled with pure thoughts, the heart stored with brotherly love, and the soul over-flowing with love to God. This is the light that shines from the altar of Masonry, and it is this that fits man for this life and the life hereafter. FIDELITY HE Rev. R. A. Brooks, assist- ant rector of the Church of the Messiah, of Brooklyn, X. Y., preaching to a Ma- sonic audience recently on the subject of “Fidelity,” said, in part: “In these days when graft is rampant, when eye-service and the kind of service which is always looking at the clock to see how little work may be accomplished in the longest possible time, when such conditions make their presence felt every- where. what word better expresses the lack of which all men feel is the growing tendency in the business world to-day than the word fidelity? How to get faithful service from employees is the burden of every employer of men and women, in the home as well as in the factory. Xot that we mean to say that it is impossible to find persons who are faithful there are indeed many of them ; still it is neverthe- less true that there are altogether too many of those who read into the words of the Bard of Avon, ‘To thine own self be true/ the injunction, work for your own pocket all the time, regardless of what the inter- ests of others may or may not be. “And so the word stands as the synonym of what is needed in business life to make it all that it should be. In the meantime, to insure to the employer and to large cor- porations that so far as possible, fidelity in money matters shall be assured them on the part of their employees, it is not un- common to find men placed under bonds. You may say that it is a queer way to promote fidelity — the placing of innocent persons under bonds in order to insure their faithfulness. An excuse for such ac- tion is given, that no person may be sub- jected to unnecessary temptation, and the custom is now so general that neither you nor I give the matter any thought. It is only now and then when a bonded servant THE TRESTLE EG A 111) G35 goes Avrong and-the affair is made, a feat- ure of the public press, that we recall that there is such a system. Thus thoughtful- ness is in a measure bought by money — is made as it Avere, a commodity and just so long as the employee is faithful to his trust, the bond holds good and his stand- ing in the community is secured. But let faithfulness depart and another Avreck is cast ujdou the shores of life henceforth in a measure to be shunned by his fellows as one who could not be trusted — an em- bezzler, a forger, or a common thief. But the bond protects the employer from loss, at least in a measure, even though it has failed to keep the employee honest and faithful. “What the bond is to the business world, Avhat the relation of employee is to employer, so in a measure does a man stand before his fellows in all Avalks of life. You men whom I see before me to- night members of what is, without doubt, the strongest fraternal organization in the world — Freemasonry — built upon the traditions connected with the erection of the Temple of Jerusalem and holding to the Bible and the symbols of geometry as your rules and guides in life, you do not accept a man as pne of your members sim- ply because he desires it. You instruct him in AAdiat Masonry means, you explain fo him the many details of your beautiful ritual and when this is done you lead him to your altar and exact from him, not by force, but of his own free will and accord and as a being in the presence of Al- mighty- God, an oath of secrecy, important in itself, hut far more important is the fact that you pledge yourselves and all who may become Masons, that you will live in and before the world as upright men and Masons should live. Fra- ternity is something, organization is something, but uprightness, honesty and integrity of life and far more in the sight of God and in the eyes of men. These are things which you have an inherent right to exact from all who come into your ranks — it is the bond which it is your duty to sec* respected and kept, otherAvise your organization rounded upon pure and unselfish motives falls to the ground, a veritable sham and hypocritical show. “How does the Avorld regard us avIio are Masons? Xot by our best men. not by those Avho are square and just in their dealings Avith their fellowmen. not by those who esteem it a privilege to protect defenseless Avomen and children, not by those who give to the home the sweet per- fume of loA*e and sanctity, but by those Avho through unfaithfulness to their vows, present themselves to the Avorld as spec- tacles of what they really and personally are, and not Avhat Masonry Avould have them to be. And it is because of such that the world jeers at Masonry. Fidelity to Masonry and its principles will make a man true to God, true to his felloAvmeu. true to himself. Infidelity to Masonic voavs makes a creature Avhich fails to be an ornament to society, be his position what it may/ 5 Why Masonry Lives We deal in symbols and signs and pass- words. They are to us, hoAvever, not an end but a means. They are simply the outer door to the Temple of truth. They are of value to us only as they reveal those higher secrets of noble living and manly conduct, which it is not only our privilege, but our solemn duty as well, to make the guiding and controlling forces of our lives. Had Masonry been nothing more and higher than rituals and passAvords it had perished miserably long ago. It lives and flourishes because its principles appeal to that Avhich is highest and noblest in human nature, and its ennobling influ- ences are felt in the heart of every man Avho yields himself to their persuasive poAver. — Eli M. Turner. IT. Yu. Endeavor each day to do something to make the world better for having lived in it. 636 THE TRESTLE BOARD THE SOCIAL INSTITUTION OF MASONRY BY BRO. CHARLES L. WOODBURY, P. G. M., MASSACHUSETTS. Masonry is a social institution, and its basis is the good sense, honesty and truth of the craftsman. The virtues we cherish are plain and homespun, those which the experience of life shows are the safeguard of the practical middle interests of so- ciety. We neither seek the very rich nor the very poor, neither the erratic scintilla- tions of genius nor the unimpressible apathy of ignorance. “The rank is but the guinea’s stamp; The man’s the goud for a’ that.” The Masons, as a class, represent more than any other I know of, the practical common sense of the whole community in the most liberal aspect, solid men of judg- ment, selected from every interest in so- ciety for the good of society. She seeks no political distinction, nor does she ostra- cise any one for his politics. We welcome good men of all parties, and think the more they meet here on the level the better they all will be for it. We welcome varieties in creeds as we do in politics ; an equal consideration for all good men. Every Mason has his own politics, his own creed; this is his private right. To our Fraternity the solid character is the test of the man — his equity, his prudence, his energy, his social worth. Has he, in the common sense of the word, a good character ; does he possess the solid virtues of life ? And in this, his social and benev- olent qualities are included. These are the vital questions that should occupy you in selecting candidates for admission. The candidate's proofs should be made in his life before you admit him to your mys- teries. It is too late after he is in. Ma- sonry does improve good men, but the foundation must exist before. She has no divine privilege to regenerate a captious spirit, to change a fool into a man of sense, or a rogue into an honest man. She needs good material to begin on, and of such a man she will make a better man day by day as long as he lives. This is what we claim for her. He may be a rough ashlar when he enters, but if the structure, the character, is all right, Ma- sonry will hew him into a perfect ashlar soon. You cannot make a square man out of stone, cracked, rotten, or full of shakes. My experience, every man's ex- perience, is that Masonry improves the tone of his character, takes the rough edges off his prejudices in a marked de- gree, and makes him a worthier neighbor, a better member of a family, more rever- ential in his piety, and more disinterested in his patriotism. To the social system Masonry is a balance-wheel, steadying and restraining the excesses and vagaries of the motor-power, the human will, but neither having relation to the construction and working parts of the political ma- chine, nor capacity to assume any relation thereto. That it has this value in society is due, first, to the social and sturdy vir- tues it builds upon; next, to that liberal- ity that exacts no sacrifice of private opin- ions on politics or theology, and demands only respect for the laws of the country, and common reverence to the Supreme Architect of the Universe. Grandest Science Freemasonry is the grandest science of symbolism existing on the face of the globe, and without a knowledge of it, the essence of the institution is no*t attained. All else is superficial. The ore of truth lies not upon the surface and can only be reached by mental research and investiga- tion. Every character, figure or emblem depicted has a moral meaning and forcibly inculcates the practice of virtue . — Joseph K. Wheeler. The fraternal press creates enthusiasm, encourages devotion and inspires all to aim for the highest possible standard. THE TRESTLE BOARD G3T PREROGATIVE OF GRAND MASTERS Brother H. B. Grant. Grand Secretary of Kentucky, in an interview in a Louis- ville exchange, sa}~s: “In the Masonic Reporter , Brother E. T. Schultz is represented as saying he is a believer in Grand Masters’ prerogatives, and that the Grand Master may make Ma- sons at sight; that is, he may call to his assistance six or more brethren, open an ^Occasional Lodge/ and omitting all usual requirements, at once proceed to confer the three symbolic degrees upon any one. Erom the organization of the Fraternity this power was exercised by Grand Masters unchallenged . . . ” All of which I distinctly deny. It seems necessary to fight these innovations and unlawful proceedings — world without end. When the Grand Lodge of England was organized in 171? it declared: “The privi- lege of assembling as Masons, which had hitherto been unlimited, should be vested in certain lodges, assemblies of Masons convened in certain places : and that every lodge to be hereafter convened, except the four old lodges at this time existing, should he legally authorized to act by a warrant from the Grand Master ... by petition, with the consent and approbation of the Grand Lodge in communication, and that without such warrant no lodge should be hereafter deemed regular or con- stitutional.” Thereafter that enactment, like others then established, has been held in so great veneration* it is esteemed a fundamental law of the fraternity. This same law is rehearsed at the installation of a Master, who is required to “'admit that no new lodge can be formed without the consent of the Grand Lodge." and is published in manuals to this day. By the same old in- stallation charges, handed down from time immemorial, the installed Masters are re- quired to “'submit to these charges, and promise to support these regulations as Masters have done in all ages before you.” From these foregoing, and other old reg- ulations, it is apparent: 1. That an “occasional lodge" can not be “convened” by Grand Master: or Grand Lodge, which is the supreme power, with- out a “warrant." 2. That the Grand Master, before he can establish or “convene” any lodge, mu-t have a “petition" to convene it; and then can only do so “with the consent and ap- probation of the Grand Lodge." or it can not be “deemed regular or constitutional.” 3. The assumed “prerogative" is con- stantly “challenged" by the ancient charges and regulations, by the installa- tion vows, and by Masonic writers. This bosh about “Grand Masters' pre- rogatives”' is addling to the brains even of thinking men and I devout ely hope they will read and apply the old laws, and not run after will-o'-the-wisps and innova- tions that are revolutionizing our fratern- ity, and which are without foundation in fact. Man has come out of barbarism, out of ignorance, out of love of cruelty a> hi? greatest pleasure, out of idolatry. It ha? been a hard struggle for him to get where he is. in an age of budding brotherhood, of a conception of the true God, of >chool houses and churches and hospitals, and it is something of a struggle for him to r - main in his present development, for he is full of savage instincts. Ma.-onry is the product of his better thought-, hi- divine aspirations, his purer nature. He gat hen d together vital truths and eternal prin- ciples, a description of his duty to him- self. his fellow^ and hi- God, and made them into a Mosaic. He called it Ma-onry. —J. B. McFotrirh. In the presence of a great sorrow, the principle of our common rmh* rh’~*d starts into fre-h life and becomes a reality. — Brother Win. E. Ann. I\ G. M . , Florida. THE TRESTLE BOARD 638 Adhere to Principles The rush of modern times, the multi- tude of secret and fraternal societies that are constantly springing up over the land, most, perhaps, if not all, with noble ob- jects and a purpose copied in their basic ideas and forms from the Masonic institu- tion, but in substance far removed and different from our ancient Fraternity, has created a spirit of the joining habit in the land that has infected even some of our Masonic brethren, who, caught by the froth of meaningless show and ceremony, would have, to their notion, the Masonic institution improved and modernized by departing from our Ancient Landmarks. The conservatism of the Fraternity will always in the future, as in the past, be a bulwark against any such innovation. True, tolerance should be a characteris- tic of every real Mason, individually, as well as collectively in the Fraternity, but tolerance must never induce us to violate the fundamental principles of Masonry, upon which rests, as upon firm and solid columns, the structure of the Institution. — Jose Fernandez Pellion G. M Cuba. Message from the Dead Bro. Apgar of New Jersey writes: Since our last annual communication, 870 brethren have passed into the invis- ible world. They are no longer in our midst, the place which knew them shall know them no more henceforth forever. They have laid down the working tools and entered into well-earned rest. But, though gone from sight they are near our hearts. Death can not separate those who in this life were united in a holy cause. While their lips have been sealed and their voices hushed, they still have a message for us, and deliver it in accents sweeter than those which fell from their lips in life. Their work was ours, their cause is ours, and as long as we remain true to the cause we remain true to them, true to their memory. We reap the benefits of their lives and their labors. Are we not, then, bound to live so that when the summons comes to us, others may reap where we have sown? The present always stands upon the shoul- ders of the past. That which we are and which we enjoy, do we not in a large meas- ure owe to those who have gone before? The past and the present, the dead and the living, are they not intimately bound together? The present were not possible without the past, the future depends upon the present. What a glorious message this is ! It makes the dead still our own, and if we be faithful it binds us to those who come after us. It makes us deeply grate- ful for the loves, the lives, and the labors of those who have gone before, and is the strongest incentive to be faithful our- selves, spreading the cement of brotherly love with an untiring hand. Our lives are richer, brighter, warmer for their having been — may other lives grow more blessed, brighter and happier, and happier for our having walked on earth. Tht Real Masonry Brethren, shall we seize upon and in- corporate into our lives the teachings which Freemasonry imparts, or shall we permit ourselves to disobey her com- mands ? Shall we think only of the good fellowship which is fostered by the lodge ? Shall we point to its generous charities as its chief accomplishment? Shall we not rather, while welcoming these rich fruits of Masonry, especially seize upon that which is its life, its strength and its never- ending power, the deep spiritual comfort wrapped up in its ceremonies, which, rightly comprehended, lift us higher and higher towards the Creator ? — R. Hill Myers , Manitoba. A Gentle Hint “Some men are just like automobiles/ 7 she said, with a yawn, as the clock struck twelve. “How is that? 77 he asked pleasantly, glancing in the direction of the clock. “Why, they won 7 t go when you want them to. 77 THE TRESTLE BOARD 639 CHIPS FROM THE. <5 STONE QUARRIES News of the Craft Gleaned From All Sources OGDEN MASONIC TEMPLE Plans for the new Masonic Temple at Ogden, Utah, mention of which has been made in these columns, have been adopted. They provide for a structure to cost $40,000, three stories in height, with a large basement. The ground floor space will be used for business purposes, but the entire second and third floors will be used for Masonic meetings. The front of the second floor will be devoted to a large banquet hall. There are to be three lodge rooms, two small and one large one, with a dome ceiling. This large room will be of double height, occupying the space im- mediately behind the banquet room on the second floor, and the corresponding space above the dome shaped ceiling. There is to be an armory and regalia room for the exclusive use of the Knights Templar. The dimensions of the building are to be 60x127 feet. The front is to be of white stone. The architects believe that the structure can be completed within six months. Al- lowing for bad weather and delay, how- ever, it is not supposed that it will require more than a year. The laying of the cor- nerstone is to be made a notable event in the history of Utah Masonry. The loca- tion of the Temple is almost directly east and across Washington avenue from the city hall. TRIPLE RAISING Santa Rosa Lodge, No. 57, and Petaluma Lodge, No. 180, F. and A. M., spent a pleasant evening on April 8th as the guests of Lafayette Lodge, No. 126, at Sebastopol, Cal. The third degree was conferred upon three candidates. The sublime degree was conferred upon each, in turn, by Bros. P. J. Blim, A. O. McNab and Sydney Espey, Worshipful Masters, re- spectively, of Petaluma, No. 180, Santa Rosa, No. 57, and La Fayette, No. 126. Each W. M. was supported in the rendition of the work by the corps of officers of his Lodge. NEW OAKLAND TEMPLE Members of the Scottish Rite in Oakland will soon begin the erection of a new $100,- 000 stone temple at the corner of Four- teenth and Harrison streets, in that city. The lot upon which the structure will be built is 100 by 100 feet, which will afford sufficient area for a building of ample pro- portions. GRAND MASTER IN SOUTH Grand Master George W. Hunter made an extended tour of the southern portion of the State in the latter part of April. Bro. Hunter visited Salinas. Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Ana, San Bernardino, San Diego and other locali- ties. At every stage of his journey the Grand Master was met with a mr»t cordial and fraternal reception by the brethren of the communities which he visited.. Bro. Wm. H. Edwards, Grand Lecturer, accompanied the Grand Master and shared in the warmth of welcome and fraternal inter- course with the brethren of the South. Both report a keen and active interest in matters Masonic in the region visited. Stockton, Fresno and other points in the San Joaquin Valley were visited by the Grand Master and Bro. Edwards in the early part of May. The second week in May wa> spent in vis- iting the various lodges of San Franciso* and vicinity. BERKELEY CHAPTER Berkeley Chapter, No. 02. Royal Arch Masons, was formally dedicated and its of- ficers installed May 9th, the officiating member of the Grand Chapter of California being Most Excellent Grand High Priest Thomas Flint, Jr. The event was significant in Masonic his- tory in Berkeley as marking the es- tablishment of the first Masonic organiza- tion in the town higher than the blue lodge. The following Chapter officer^ were in- stalled: High Priest. Dr. Frank R. Wool- sey; King, Walter Gompertz; Scribe. Dr. J. Edson Kelsey,; Treasurer, Captain J. T. Morrison; Secretary, Charles H. Blohm; Captain of the Host, \V. E. Loy; Principal Sojourner, E. T. Harms; Royal Arch Cap- tain, D. Finley; Master of Third Veil, O. K. Cloudman; Master of Second Veil, L. C. McNulty; Master of First Veil, C. R Lord; Guard, G. S. Allyn. The Shriners of Jacksonville, Fla . pro- pose to erect a building eight or ten dories high at a cost of over $100,000. A Masonic building association has been organized in Dunkirk. N. Y. for the pur- pose of building a temple. 640 THE TRESTLE BOARD MISSION COMMANDERY After an existence under dispensation of several months, Mission Commandery, No. 41, was constituted in Mission Masonic Hall, San Francisco, in the presence of a large number of Sir Knights by Right Emi- nent Grand Commander J. B. de Jarnatt, assisted by various officers of the Grand Commandery. The hall in which the ceremony was con- ducted was lavishly decorated with choice roses and cut flowers, and after the Com- mandery was declared of legal existence, according to the laws of the Order, the fol- lowing were installed by the Grand Com- mander, assisted by H. B. Loveland, as Marshal of Cer'emonies: Alexander M. Cox, Commander; Andrew Christenson, Generalissimo; William H. White, Captain General; Fred W. Williams, Senior Warden; Frank E. Shafer, Junior Warden: Rev. H. B. Collier, Prelate; Rich- ard Herring, Treasurer; John R. Hillman, Recorder; Calvin E. Hansell, Standard Bearer; Pliny C. Huntington, Sword Bear- er; [Marshall J. Fairfield, Warder; Benja- min R. Wolcott, Guard; Hazlett L. Pelton, Guard; Edwin R. Zion, Guard; James E. Parmelee, Sentinel; Robert D. Burness, Or- ganist. The installation was followed by an elab- orate' banquet, at the close of which there were responses to toasts by the grand offi- cers and the newly installed officers of the Commandery. SPRING CONVOCATION The brethren owing allegiance to San Francisco Chapter, No. 1, Knights Rose Croix, observed the Solemn Ceremonial Feast Obligatory of Maunday Thursday and the Easter Services of the Scottish Rite this year, in accordance with the time-honored custom. Maunday Thursday, April 20th, witnessed the ceremony of Extinguishing the Lights and the Solemn Ceremonial of the Paschal Lamb; Easter Sunday, 3 P. M., the Relighting of the Lights. A very beautiful program souvenir of the convocation, consisting of a tastefully de- signed, deckle-edged brochure, embellished with an embossed Rose Croix, was present- ed to the attendants. LADIES’ AUXILIARY At the April meeting of the Ladies’ Aux- iliary to California Commandery, No. 1, Knights Templar, the following-named were elected officers for the current term: Mrs. William Crocker, President; Mrs. R. W. Neal, First Vice-President: Mrs. P. F. Ferguson, Second Vice-President; C. G. Gebhart, Secretary; Mrs. Walter Fletcher, Assistant Secretary; Mrs. J. B. Charleston, Treasu rer. Masonic dual membership is permitted in Virginia. CALIFORNIA GRAND CHAPTER The Grand Chapter of California, R. A. M., met in annual session, April 22d, at the Masonic Temple, San Francisco, received the reports of officers and committees, and adopted the new work promulgated by the General Grand Chapter. California Chap- ter, No. 5, exemplified the Royal Arch de- gree under the new ritual, Raymond H.. Wilcox officiating as high priest. The elec- tion was held in the afternoon and during the evening the order of high priesthood was conferred in Commandery Hall. The following officers were elected for the en- suing year: Grand High Priest, Thomas Flint, San Juan; Deputy Grand High Priest, Joseph Bailey Cooke, Colusa; Grand King, John Francis Hughes, Los Angeles; Grand Scribe, Charles Joseph Willett, Pasadena; Grand Treasurer, Franklin H. Day; Grand Secretary, William A. Davis, San Francis- co. EASTERN STAR NOTES Monrovia, Cal., has a new Eastern Star Chapter. Oak Leaf Chapter, O. E. S., of Oakland, celebrated its 33d anniversary in April. The silver anniversary of Ariel Chapter, No. 42, of Antioch, occurred April 3d, and was fittingly observed. In accordance with their usual custom, the General Grand Chapter, O. E. S., will maintain headquarters at the Lewis and Clarke Exposition in Portland, Oregon, which opens June 1st. Berkeley Chapter, No. 178, O. E. S’., gave a grand ball in Shattuck Hall, Berkeley, April 28th, for the purpose of raising funds for the purchase of stock in the new Mason- ic Temple to be erected in the college town. The Grand Chapter O. E. S. of Wash- ington will convene June 15th. It is ex- pected that Mrs. Madeline B. Corkling and Mrs. Lorraine J. Pitkin, Grand Matron and Grand Secretary, respectively, of the Gen- eral Grand Chapter, O. E. S., will be pres- ent as distinguished guests. The Grand Matron, Mrs. Pauline W. Dohrmann, of Stockton, has been making a tour of official visitation throughout the State. On April 11th she established a new Chapter at Oakdale, Cal., and on April 14th, Yerba Buena Chapter was instituted at Mis- sion Temple, San Francisco. The Grand Matron has been the recipient of many beautiful tokens of regard from the Chap- ters visited by her. There is much talk of erecting a Masonic Temple in Saratoga, N. Y. THE TRESTLE BOARD r;4 1 THE CRAFT IN GENERAL Spokane's new temple will be completed about July 1st. Walla Walla, Wash., will build a new Masonic hall to cost upward of $20,000. The fifth annual re-union of the A. A. S. R. of the Valley of Salt Lake, Utah, oc- curred April 24th to 27th. The four Masonic Lodges of Bellingham, V ash., will undertake the construction of a Masonic temple at that place. The 50th anniversary of the Scottish Rite bodies of the Valley of Chicago was held in that city April 18th, 19th and 20th. The Scottish Rite bodies of Buffalo, N. Y., met in annual re-union April 25th to 2Sth. Degrees from 4th to 32d were con- ferred. Kentucky has a Masonic widows and orphans' home and infirmary at Louisville, which received its first inmate in 1871 and has a capacity of 260. The forty-fourth annual conclave of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Missouri will be held in the city of St. Joseph, commencing Tuesday, May 23, 1905. In the District of Columbia there are now' tw'enty-one living Past Grand Masters, tw'enty-three Past Grand High Priests and nine Past Grand Commanders of Knights Templar. South McAlester, I. T., is to have a Con- sistory of the Scottish Rite and will thus be the Scottish Rite center of Indian Ter- ritory. The Consistory will have a mem- bership of about 500. A Masonic home wdll shortly be erected in Mississippi. The Grand Lodge has been collecting funds for the establishment of this home for many years and now' has a fund of $40,000 on hand. SAN FRANCISCO COMMANDERIES California Commandery, No. 1, Knights Templar, has elected the following officers: O. F. W estnhal. Eminent Commander; P. F. Ferguson. Generalissimo; Ralph Hathorn, Captain-General; J. L. Leibold. Senior War- den; Samuel A. Clarke. Junior Warden; Thomas Morton, Treasurer; W. R. Joost, Recorder. Golden Gate Commandery, No. 16, has elected these officers: A. W. McKenzie, Em- inent Commander: John Bennett. General- issimo: Millard L. Growall. Captain-Gener- al; A. J. de Lamare, Senior Warden; George K. Porter. Junior Warden: C. S. Benedict, Treasurer; Theodore Frolich, Recorder. CALIFORNIA IN PARTICULAR A new' Masonic temple will be con structed in Santa Maria, Cal., this year. The Masons of Lakeport, Cal., have in contemplation a new two-story' lodge hall. The Shriners of Oroville gave a party' April 30th. Potentate Filmer was in at- tendance. Suisun Lodge No. 55, F. and A. M., cele- brated the fiftieth anniversary of the grant- ing of its charter May' sth. Dr. and Mrs. E. T. Gould tendered a re- ception to the Sir Knights of Pacific Com- mandery' No. 3, K. T., at their residence in Sonora, Cal., in April. A number of Royal Arch Masons who re- side in the vicinity' of Palo Alto have formed a Royal Arch Chapter, having been granted a dispensation for that purpose. The cornerstone of the new' high school at Alhambra, Los Angeles county'. Cal., was laid by r the Grand Lodge of California, April 29th, Brother Motley' N. Flint. Senior Grand Warden, acting as Grand Master. The new' Masonic Temple at Pasadena is rapidly' nearing completion, and is said to be one of the handsomest structures of it^ class in the United States. It w'ill be for- mally' dedicated about May' 15th or 20th. Plans have been prepared for a three- story' Masonic hall for South Gate Lodge in Los Angeles. The building will be classic in design and constructed of brick. It will be situated at the corner of Thirty'-fifth and Main streets. The Grand Lodge of California, F. and A. M., dedicated the new lodge hall at Covelo, Cal.. April 25th. V. W.. E. H. Hart, Senior Grand Warden, acted a^ Grand Master. Bro. Hart and Congressman Dun- can McKinlay' delivered addressee South Pasadena Lodge, U. D.. wa< for- mally organized Aoril 4th. There are about fifty Masons in South Pasadena, most of whom, it is expected, will affiliate with the new' organization. The officers of the lodge are: Leo Longlev, W. M.: P> V. Garwood, S'. W.; J. C. Pridham. J. W.; H. R. Pastle. S. D.; Sanford S. Smith. J. D. : F B. Moore and M. B. Reid. Steward-: J. B. Soper. Treasurer; Geo. L. Binder. Secretary. A new' Masonic hall is in process of erec- tion in Leander. Texas. In Rhode Island there is a Freemason for every thirteen voters. 643 THE TRESTLE BOARD Book Shelf The Trestle Board acknowledges receipt, since the last issue of this magazine, of the following Masonic publications: From Elva Boardman, Grand Secretary, proceedings of the Grand Chapter, O. E. S., of Montana, for 1904. From Comp. W. W. Perry, Grand Secretary, proceedings, of the Grand Chapter, R. A. M., of Wisconsin, for 1905. From Bro. Fay Hempstead, Grand Secre- tary, proceedings of the Grand Lodge, F. and A. M., of Arkansas, for 1904. From Bro. Christopher Diehl, Grand Sec- retary, proceedings of the Grand Lodge, F. and A. M., of Utah, for 1905. From. Comp. Jas. H. Price, Grand Secre- tary, proceedings of the Grand Chapter, R. A. M., of Delaware for 1905. From Mrs. A. L. Stebbins, Grand Secre- tary, proceedings of the Grand Chapter, O. E. S., of Connecticut, for 1904. From Bro. Chas. Cary, Grand Secretary, proceedings of the Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter of Pennsylvania for 1904. From Bro. A. K. Wilson, Grand Secre- tary, proceedings of the Grand Lodge, A. F. and A. M. of Kansas, for 1905. From Companion Fay Hempstead, Grand Recorder, proceedings of the Grand Coun- cil, R. & S'. M., of Arkansas, for 1904. From Bro. John H. Barlow, Grand Secre- tary, proceedings of the Grand Lodge, F. and A. M., of Connecticut, for 1905. From Bro. A. W. Johnston, Grand Secre- tary, proceedings of the Grand Lodge, F. and A. M., of District of Columbia, for 1904. From Comp. A. W. Johnston, Grand Secre- tary, proceedings of the Grand Chapter, R. A. M., of District of Columbia, for 1905. From Comp. W. A. Clendening, Grand Recorder, proceedings of the Grand Coun- cil, R. and S. M. of Tennessee^ for 1905. From Sir Kt. Frank J. Thompson, Grand Recorder, proceedings of the Grand Com- mandery, K. T., of North Dakota, for 1905. IQeJ.ll.6iag Company Manufacturers of Presses. Dies and Special Machinery Power Punching and Shearing Machinery OF EVERY DESCRIPTION 209-21 1 Mission St. San Franciico Telephone Main 5745 Keep Your Eyes on Palo Alto, the Home City of California THE TRESTLE BOARD THE POPULAR SCENIC LINE TO SALT LAKE CITY, LEADVILLE PUEBLO, COLORADO SPRINGS, DENVER OMAHA, KANSAS CITY, ST. LOUIS CHICAGO AND ALL POINTS EAST Connecting at Ogden Union Depot with all Southern Pacific Trains Che Only Trans-continental Line "Passing "Directly Uhrough Salt Lake City THROUGH PERSONALLY CONDUCTED PULLMAN TOURIST EXCURSIONS AND DAILY TO ALL ORDINARY r EASTERN POINTS SLEEPING CARS niMINQ PA DC Service a la Carte Ullllllll Urtlig ON ALL through trains For rates , free illustrated books oj travel, etc., inquire of or write to J. D. MANSFIELD, Gen. Agt. Pass. Dept. J. T. SKELTON. Frt. and Pass. Agt. 625 Market St., San Francisco, Cal. 1017 Second St.. Sacramento, Cal. L. B. JOHNSON, Frt. and Pass. Agt. TIMOTHY MEF, Frt. and Pass. Agt 11 East Santa Clara St., San Jose, Cal. 230 South Spring St., Los Angeles, Cal. San Mateo San Francisco’s nearest and most beautiful suburb. H. jN\ ROYDEX, 24S Main St., San Mateo. Real Estate ^YG-EZSTTS WANTED B3' the Trestle Board Co. to secure new subscribers. Apply to the Manager. THE TRESTLE BOAED CO. 102-104 Second St.. San Francisco, cal. W. STATHAM Piano Manufacturer and Tuner. Pianos for rent and sold on easy payments. 106 McAllister St. S. F The J. J. iTorris Real Estate Co., Palo Alto, California THE TRESTLE BOARD FOR. Anyone sending a sketch and description may quickly ascertain our opinion free whether an invention is probably patentable. Communica- tions strictly confidential. HANDBOOK on Patents sent free. Oldest agency for securing patents. Patents taken through Munn & Co. receive special notice, without c harg e, in the Scientific American. A handsomely illustrated weekly. Largest cir- culation of any scientific journal. Terms, $3 a year ; four months, 3>L Sold by all newsdealers. MUNN & Co. 36lBroadwa * New York Branch Office, 625 F St., Washington, D. C. Wedding Invitations and Announcements CALL ON 102-4 Second Street TLEPHONE MAIN 199 SAN FRANCISCO BL0KE, IHOFFITI k TOW0E DEALERS IN ....PAPER.... 55, 57, 59, 61 First Street Between ilarket and Mission Sts. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 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