THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON Issued Every Three Months By The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge o f The Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdiction The reunto Belonging, through its COMMITIEE ON MASONIC CULTURE - William E. Yeager, Past Grand Master, Chairman; William E. Montgomery, G. Edward Elwell, Jr., Fronk R". Leech, Willia m A. Carpenter, Charles A. Young and Ashby B. Paul. APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED TO BE PRINTED BY
CHARLES H. NITSCH Right Worshipful Grand Master WILLIAM A. CARPENTER, Editor Mailing Address: The Ma sonic Temple, Broad and Filbert Streets, Philadelphia 7, Po.
Vol. III
February, 1956
No. 1
Annual Address Highlights of R . W. Past Grand Master Lehr In his Annual Address as R. W. Grand Master, Brother Ralph M. Lehr cited the prog· r ess in membership (with about 9,000 candidates initiated during the past year) to an "all-time high" of approximately 252,400 Master Masons. Reference was made to his having caused George M. Leader, Governor of the Commonwealth, to be made a Mason at sight at York, P a., on March 3, 1955. One new Lodge was constituted- Penn-Morris Lodge, No. 778, Morrisville, Pa., on January 29, 1955. Brother Lehr stated that two years ago he had outlined an ambitious and constructive program, of which some projects are complete, some in process, and some not yet s tarted but with plans in the making . .He believed this " to have been the busiest two years since the turn of the century." At the Masonic Homes, Elizabethtown, Pa., designated by Brother Lehr as " the heart of Pennsylvania Freemasonry," work is progressing satisfactorily. The utility tunnel is nearing completion ; the work on the new wing of the hospital is scheduled to be completed in the near future and immediately thereafter, the renovation of the old section will be undertaken; and on November 26, 1955, the corner· stone of the n ew Recreation Building and Lodge Hall was laid. With reference to the work at the Homes, he reported the grant of $120,500 from the Ford Foundation for use at the hospital. From an administrative standpoint, amendments to the Ahiman Rezon were mentioned providing for additional n ecessary revenue and for a Children's Service Committee. Reference was made to the Pennsylvania Mason Juvenile Court Institute held in Pittsburgh, November 27, 1955 to December 3, 1955, at which time Brother Roscoe Pound, Dean Emeritus of Harvard Law School and noted Masonic Philosopher, was the closi ng speaker. Brother Lehr recommended that serious consideration be given to a plan for providing alternates for Representatives in Grand Lodge
in order that a greater proportion of the Lodges may at all times be properly represented during the vari ous Communications.
Lodge No. 9 of Philadelphia Celebrates 175 th Anniversary Back in 1798, Lodge No. 9 of Philadelph ia, "con tributed to Gran d Lodge ten guineas for building a dispensary to which the Lodge was given perpetual rights to send two patients." And 157 years later in what more fitting way could this venerable Lodge mark its 175th Anniversary than by dona ting S5,000 to Grand Lodge to be used for establishing a general dispensary in the Hospital at Elizabethtown? And when the dispensary is well under way, Lodge No. 9 has promised to contribute another S5,000 for this worthwhile project, and expects to donate annually approximately $2,000 fo r the maintenance of this dispensary. When Brother T . Harrison Gibson of Lodge No.9 died, he left a Trust Fund, some of the proceeds of which are wisely being used as outlined above. In the near future a bronze plaque will be unveiled to the memory of this deceased Brother . Lodge No. 9 was granted its Warrant on July 27, 1780 and on the following August 3rd, its Warrant Officers were in stalled. Lodge No.9 was one of the first to have "established a fund for the r elief of indigent and distressed Masons." From then un til today this Lodge has " dispensed chari ty liberally and generously." This is Masonry at its best. Brother Joel Carver , who prepared the Historical Resume, presented at the recent celebration, indicates tha t Lodge No. 9 is one of the few early Lodges which did not have "gaps of from two to twenty-three years when they ceased labor for some reason or other, showing Lodge No.9 has a continuous record." Brother Ralph M. Lehr, then R. W. Grand Master, made an official visitation and delivered an inspiring address at their 175th Anniversar y Banquet.
The Pennsylvania Mason Juvenile Court Institute Under the auspices of the Children's Service Committee of the R. W. Grand Lodge of Masons of P ennsylvania, the first session of a juvenile court ins titute ever held was conducted. in Pittsburgh at the Juvenile Court of Allegheny County from November 27 to December 3, 1955. As the sessions continue several times a year, it is hoped that the Institute, known as the Pennsylvania Mason Juvenile Court Institute, may do for the emotionally crippled child, regardless of race, creed or color, what the Shriners' Crippled Children's Hospitals already do so magnificently for the physically crippled child. The Institute develoyed in response to an urgent and fundaments need to help juvenile court judges-as key public officials in their communities-to better serve the more than 1,000,000 unhappy, bewildered, dis turbed boys and girls who, each year, throng the
juvenile co ur ts of America. These young people a re a part- a large part- of our greatest natwnal resource for the fu ture-ou r junior citizens. It is the j uvenile court wh ich is designed to act as a parent would , or should, to salvage them from a life of crime in· their more mature years. It is the juvenile cour t which the public calls upon to correct and to guide these troubled young people into a life of useful ness and, at the same time, to protect the commun ity and to assure its future . . T remendous as is th e challenge as well as th e responsi bility of the jlll-enil e court judge, neither in law schoo l nor in his previous private practice is he likely to have had any experience in workin rr wi th children in trouble before the law. In the adult field, the proced ures are of a trial or adversary na ture in wh ich the judge acts largely as um pire. In the children's field, he is directed to make an inquiry, as a parent would, to find ou t how best to correct the individual child. Instead of acting as though blindfolded, he is to put into practice the universal experience of parents and others that no two chi ldren are alike but that each has his own personality, so that the procedure in a juvenile court must be personalized to be effe ctive. It is in the Institute that a small group of judges come together to make a clinical study of a Court wh ich devotes all its time to children's work. Living toaether during the week, they consult with eac~ other and listen to, and consu lt wi th , outstanding leaders in relating and in terlacing fields. Stimulated and informed by these exceptional opportunities and contacts, they return home, personally better able to mee t their unique, official re· sponsibilities to troubled children. As the benefits of the Institute spread more and more over the country, each juvenile court may, in effect, become a "hospital," coordinating and fo cusing in a responsible, judicial way,_ community reso urces for the emotionally cnppled child. Answering the announcemen t of the first session of the Pennsylvania Mason Juvenile Court Institute, more than 100 judges indicated their desire to attend. Twenty judges were selected and participated, becoming the first Fellows of the Institute. These 20 judges, Protes tant, Catholic and Jewish, came from 14 different states and were representative of America and of our local communities, large and small. In the words of one of the Fellows, the Honorable Hugh Reid, Judge of the Juvenile and Domes tic Relations Court of Arlington County, Virginia, and the immediat~ _Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of V1rgm1a: "This may be more than just an Institute that you have started. It may be getting the Fraternity back toward the ideals of its founding fathers . .. " The P ennsylvania Mason Juvenile Court Institute is a tangible way to prove constr~c tive interest in combating the alarmmg problems of juvenile delinquency and of disturbed youth in our troubled times. I t p~ts into practice on the highest plai_Ie the. prmciples of brotherly love, benefittmg children regardless of race, creed or color. In so doing, it strengthens public service and democracy itself. The second session of the Insti tute will be held May 6-ll, 1956.
FREEMASON AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS OF PENNS"(LVANIA
VOLUME III
FEBRUARY • 1956
NUMBER 1
A Message from Our Grand Master
I
T IS WITH mingled emotions tha t I address you for the first time as
Grand Master. In the fi rst place, there is a deep feel ing of gratitude to you, my Brethren, for th is, the highest honor within your power to bestow. Since my election to this exal ted office on December 7th, I have received many communica tions from my Brethren expressing their faith in me. Th is touches me deeply and I am indeed gra teful. I am gra tefu l for the many acts of kindness shown me by my predecessor, P ast Grand Master, Brother Ralph M. Lehr, whose advice and counsel will serve me well during my term of offi ce. I am conscious and deeply concerned with the magnitude of the task before me, the high trust which the office imposes, its great responsibilities, and I have many misgivings when I realize my own inadequacy. However, there is comfort in the realization that the task is not for me alone. No man can assume he has the combined knowledge, talents and abilities of his associates, and if he should thi nk so he surely would be doomed to fa ilure. There is an unlimited amoun t of talent available to the Grand Master and I am comforted in the knowledge tha t this talent is his for the asking. Therefore, with your s upport, your advice, your counsel and, yes, your criticism mu ch can be accomplished. It would be unseemly for me to pred ict what I hope to do. There are, h owever, some things of which I would li ke to speak and in these matters yo u can be of great help. I fear we recite in our rituals the beautiful lessons of Freemasonry rather easily and glibly. But do we practice these lessons in our daily lives? Are we as tolerant toward our fellow men as we are taught to be? I have always believed that the basic lesson of Freemasonry is the simple philosophy of teaching men how to get along with each other just a little better. Let us be mindful of the heritage of Freemasonry. It is a proud Order and its influence fo r good shou ld be fe lt everywhere. Let Freemasonry be deeply rooted in ou r lives. We have in our Jur isdiction 585 Lodges. The smallest has 49 members and the largest 2051. The average membership is 426. I have found in the smaller Lodges greater opportunities for personal interest in each individual member, so that a new member is not lost in the Lodge. We have 14 Lodges whose membership is over 1000. How can a member learn to know his brethren intimately? Not all members, of course, will aspire to office. Yet each brother mus t be made to feel that he is an important member of our Fraternity and to realize that his influence as a Mason must be fe lt in and out of the Lodge. Here the recommenders have a vital duty. The mere signing of a petition is not the end of their responsibility. They are the friends who introd uced him to Freemasonry. They should pave the way for n ew frien dships and a fuller understanding of Freemasonry. (Excerpts from address delivered at the A nnu.al C rand Communication Dece mber 27, 1955)
The Freemasons of Philadelph ia have pledged themselves to ra.ise, by personal subscription, $500,000 as their contribution to the Hospi tal Extension. To date, Brother Morris Ruberg, Secretary of the Philadelphia Committee, has turned over to the Grand Secretary $440,000 against the $500,000 pledged. For this handsome su m of money we are sincerely grateful and trust that, in the near fu ture, the Philadelphia Masons will go well over the minimum of $500,000. January 17, 1956 will be the 250th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin believed that man's greatest service to man was the free and voluntary commun ication of ideas. Without such an exchange among peoples there could be no wisdom, no freedom, no understanding, no peace. All of his life was lived in that pattern. Individual freedom and equality were the cornerstones of Franklin's Rights of Man. The great Masonic Fraternity credits him with having helped it to change its course from a " club" fo r the wealthy to membership for all classes. The Freemasons of Pennsylvan ia should be justly proud of Franklin's activity in our Grand Lodge which he served as Grand Master in 1734. In the December 1955 issue of the Pennsylvania Freemason, our Librarian and Curator, Brother William J. P aterson, has written an interesting and factual article about this great American, titled " Benj amin Franklin, The Freemaso n." It i s my suggestion t hat each Lodge in our Jurisdic tion set aside a m ee ting during the yea•· 1956 in m e mory of Bro ther Benjamin l~t·anldin so that we may pay appt·opriate honor to this gt·eat Mason.
In my efforts to fill the office of Grand Master , I shall be most humble. I know mistakes may be made, but I assure you they will not be errors of the hea rt. I take consolation from a statement made by Dr. Charles Kettering, the eminent Vice President and Director of Research of General Motors Corporation. He said "A man will not stumble unless he is moving forward." One does not need to be a theologian to know that the person who would keep sane, happy and balanced under the extreme stress of modern living must enjoy an active partnership with a P ower tha t is higher than himself" Lord in t his race that we call life; Loacled with trouble; pock-marked with strife ; We ask n o adva ntage; no h ead s tart; Just grant u.s the boon of an Educated H eart."
CHARLES H. NITSCH, Grand Master