THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON Issued Q uarterly By The Right W orshipful Gra nd lo dge of The Most Ancient ond Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Ma sons of Pennsylvania a nd Ma sonic Jurisd iction Thereunto Belonging, through its COMMmEE ON liBRARY AND MUSEUM- William E. Ye a ger, Past Grand Moster, Chairman; Willia m E. Montg omery, G. Edward Elwell, Jr., Fra nk R. l eech, W illiam A. Carpenter and Cha rles A. Yo ung. APPROVED AN D AUTHORIZED TO BE PRINTED BY
RALPH M. LEHR Right W orshipful G rand Master W illiAM A. CARP ENTER, Editor
Mailing Address: The Masonic Temple, Bro ad and Filbert Streets, Philadelphia 7, Pa.
Vol. I
November, 19 5 4
No. 1
Thanksgiving ... 1954 Autumn, with its colors so beautiful, its harvest and its homecoming atmosphere, now surrounds us. With it comes the season of Thanksgiving when we should extend our thanks to an all-wise and all-powerful Lord God for all His loving mercy and kindness. Yet, as we read our newpspapers, listen to our radios, watch our television sets and look around us we see so much of vice and crime, juvenile and adult delinquency, graft, greed and corruption, that it may sometime cause wonderment as to what we have to be proud of and to be thankful for. While, as Freemasons, we should not, for one moment, relax our efforts in behalf of moral and upright living, hones ty and integrity in private and public affairs, let us not fail to pause and offer thanks to Him for the blessings we enj oy. Let us thank Him for the privilege of living in a land where we can meet as Freemasons, secure from spying and per~ecution of a secret police dominated by a pagan dictator. Let us be thankful for the bounteous harvest from the ferti le soil of America, which insures us against want and hunger. May we ever be mindful of the opportunities which are ours in a free country, with liberty for private enterprise which provides for all who are able and willing to work at employment whereby they may earn their daily bread. Thankful that we live in a country where we can exercise our abilities and become the masters of our own destinies. Let us be thankful also for the right to worship our God in the church of our choice and according to the dictates of our own conscience, free from domination by a statecontrolled church. May we always keep in mind the blessings of close fellowship with our Brethren, and the opportunity presented within our Fraternity for the understanding and good will among Members. With charity
in our hearts, let us ever be mindful of a Brother's welfare, that none may be in need of that which is in our power to supply. Let us be thankful and grateful for a Fraternity, a way of living, wherein liberty, freedom and opportunity are granted to all. Let us be grateful for a Fraternity where we have access to philosophy which includes God in our lives and recognizes our sonship to Him. And through that sonship we are permitted to realize the blessings of a Brotherhood that is big enough to include all men. And which gives a promise of eternal life after death and a glorious hereafter in that house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. So, Brethren, at this Thanksgiving-1954, while we continue our ceaseless battle with eternal vigilance against the evils of an imperfect world, let us not forget to express our thanks t o an all-wise and all-powerful Lord God, The Great Architect of The Universe, for His loving mercy and kindness and extend to Him all honor, glory and praise from sincere and thankful hearts. W. A. C.
New Souvenir A lbum Have you seen the new souvenir album entitled " The Masonic Temple, Philadelphia" where the R. W. Grand Lodge F. & A. M. of Pennsylvania holds its Quarterly and Annual meetings? If not, you shou ld secure a copy. This album was published by the Committee on Library and Museum, and prepared by William J. Paterson, Librarian and Curator. The information contained therein was collated after a continuous search among old h istoric records, in order to obtain a true and accurate biblical account of the various rooms and corridors throughout the Temple. On October 22, 1887, "The Art Association of the Masonic Temple" was organized with the object of decorating and embellishing the various halls, of giving them artistic, historic and Masonic beauty, and also of decorating with statuary, paintings and other works of art. From 1908 to 1926, there were a number of issues of a souvenir album showing the various places of meeting of The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania from its inception, together with exterior and interior views of the present Temple, in color, which are now out of print. How The Grand Lodge gradually evolved from its humble meeting places in the extreme eastern part of Philadelphia in the early years of the eighteenth century to its magnificent home at Broad and Filbert Streets after the lapse of over two centuries, is an interesting study, and is vividly brought step by step before the Brethren of the present day by the series of illustrations shown in this album. Illustrations in color of the present Masonic Temple are only in this album. However, additional information has been furnished regarding the Museum, Renaissance Hall, Gothic Hall, and the numerous murals throughout the building. This album is submitted to the members of the Fraternity and to the public in the hope that it will be interesting to both.
One of the theories of the ongm of the Fraternity is, that it sprang from a line of Mas ter Builders or Architects. The Masonic Temple from pavemen t to turret and all through its numerous halls, speaks in the language of architecture. Our mystic ancestors in Scotland, France, England, Egypt, Greece, Italy and Germany, are all suggested to us by the typical styles of designs which distinguish the various Lodge rooms. They are the most delightful of studies because they minister simultaneously to the love of art. Art, you know, is akin to Freemasonry. The Masonic Temple is an outstanding structure and is worthy of the adornment which has been bestowed upon it, architecturally in both exterior and interior. The corner-stone of the Temple was laid on Saint John the Baptist's Day, June 24, 1868, and the building was dedicated September 26, 1873. The beautifully bound souvenir albums are now available at the price of $2.00 each, and may be had by contacting Brother William J. Paterson, Librarian, Masonic Temple, Broad and Filbert Streets, Philadelphia 7, Pa., or by contacting any member of the Committee on Library and Museum.
John L owry Ruth The Committee on Library and Museum sadly mourn the passing of Brother John Lowry Ruth of Lodge No. 266, whose sudden death interrupted an assignment he was performing so well and enjoying so much. Brother Ruth, a most competent secretary of the committee, had played a great part in the planning and designing of this publication. He was, indeed, a great man and Master Mason.
Pledge of A llegiance By virtue of a joint Congressional resolution approved by President Eisenhower June 14, this year, the words "under God" have been inserted following the word nation in the Pledge of Allegiance to The Flag. By this official action, the proper wording should be: " I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisihle, with liberty and justice for all."
"Therefore, when we build let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for. And let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when these stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and the wrought substance of them, 'See! This our fathe rs did for us.' " - JoaN RusKIN
A N OFFICIAL P U BLICATION OF THE RIGHT WOR SHIPF U L G RAND LODGE OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MA SONS OF PENNSY LVAN I A
VOLUME NO . I
NUM BE R 1
NOV E M BER • 1954
A Message f rorn Our Grand Master over two and one-quarter centuries that Freemasonry
firs t appeared in the Province which was destined to become the ICommonwealth of Pennsylvania. T IS NOW
Beyond the City of Brotherly Love (Philadelphia) , to the west and north were frontiers still to be conquered by the slowly increasing tides of peoples of Europe who sought asylum from political oppression as well as to worship God according to the dictates of their creed or religious opinion. With th is fr eedom assured, the wilderness was no obstacle. Many faced dangers and privations with courageous hearts, knowing that patience, industry and thrift would procure the economic security which was naturally a part of their quest. The colonization and development of this new world of the fifteenth century is one of the whole world's greatest epics. In the early period of colonization of Pennsylvania, here and there brethren of the Craft met and recognized one another as such ; in the growing settlement which was to become a great city on the Delaware, in the interior along the routes of commerce, the forts of the military and in the depths of the forest on the fro ntier. Unorganized they may have been, but they had the spirit of Freemasonry in them and it was not long until small groups devised ways and means to meet at some favorable place and time and there open a Lodge. I t was within these Lodges they could commune with one another and di5.;uss thei. mutual problems aud dspirations and • .:i. 0W tl.eir fa ith in one another as brethren of the Craft, and the choice they made for themselves as pioneers. They were men who put their trust in God; the forerunners of those who have followed in their steps and all creating and building the Masonic heritage which is now in our care and keeping. This heritage comes down to our day because of the worth of Freemasonry. The moral and spiritual influence of it becomes more noticeable in the decade before the struggle of the American colonies for their independence; and, later, the evidences are not lacking in the words of men and their documents upon which rest the foundation of our national life, with liberty and justice for all. Through the years, then, the ancient usages, customs and landmarks stand unchanged in the vast social and economic changes which naturally follow growth and development and invention, because of human resourcefulness and effort. We are a free people. Having withs tood the test of time and the changes which it brings, we must be impressed that our future grows out of the past. We believe, too, that our existence has been a useful one or else we would not have survived the test which came to challenge both worth and usefulness within the first century of Freemasonry in Pennsylvania. In whatever manner or way we look to the future, it is only by
in forming ourselves on the structure, purpose, and deeper meaning of our fraternity that we can perceive, in the rapidly changing social and economic order, the necessity for assuming a greater usefulness than ever before. Brethren, you and I have our duties; religious, civil and fraternal. It is these duties we owe to ourselves and to our fraternal descendants that should concern us in the present. Within recent years, considerable thought has been given and trial efforts inaugurated to ascertain an agreeable and effective method of providing our membership with a medium which would be devoted to presenting the "State of the Craft." This is an all-inclusive term and excepts only the Ritualistic Work, for which there is the authorized School of Instruction. In our inaugural address at the last Annual Grand Communication of the Grand Lodge we presented a program of development, designed to fulfill a need as well as a responsibility to the Craft. As one of the results of our recommendations, this publication comes to you from our Grand Lodge through the function of the present Committee on Library and Museum. You are no doubt informed that by amendment to the Ahiman Rezon it is proposed to create a Committee on Masonic Culture which will replace the Committee on Library and Museum and the Committee on Lectures. It shall be the purpose of this committee, through the columns of thi3 publicat;on, to provide you with idvrmation that will not on!y be of interest but also of usefulness to you. To be well and accurately informed is to increase one's knowledge ; and this is a rich storehouse for the glory of the Creator, and the betterment of man's estate. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania wants you to feel and know that it is interested 'in you as an individual member of the Lodge which it has warranted and constituted. Its interest, even as yours, goes beyond the boundaries of those to whom membership is already a privilege. We, the present membership, are the custodians of the moral, religious and philosophical doctrines of our institution, and upon us depends its future. We reflect its virtues in our daily lives and associations and thereby create the desire in the hearts of youth and adult to become Freemasons. It is therefore one part of our Masonic duty to review and ponder the past. This will give us inspiration and direction; and thus ensure the fulfillment of our moral obligation to the Brethren in succeeding generations.
RALPH
M. LEHR, Grand Master