THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON Issued Every Three Months By The Right Worshipful Grand lodge of The Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdiction Thereunto Belonging, through its COMMITIEE ON MASONIC CULTURE- William E. Yeager, Past Grand Master, Chairman; William E. Montgomery, G. Edward Elwell, Jr., Frank R. leech, William A. Carpenter, Charles A. Young and Ashby B. Paul, APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED TO BE PRINTED BY
SANFORD M. CHILCOTE Right Worshipful Grand Master Mailing Address: P.O. BOX 688, WARREN, PA. WILLIAM A. CARPENTER, Editor
Change of Address: Notify above oddren, your l odge number must be included.
Vol. VI
May, 1959
No.2
George Washington National Masonic Memorial Association By MAx F. BALCOM R. W. Deputy Grand Master The Annual Meeting of the George Washington National Masonic Memorial Association was held in Alexandria, Virginia, at 10:00 a.m., Monday, February 23. Owing to the illness of President Jory, First Vice President Dewey Hesse presided. This meeting was again very well attended by Grand Lodge Officers and Past Grand Masters as well as many other visitors. The Grand Lodge of P ennsylvania was represented by the Right Worshipful Grand Master as well as most of the line Officers and Past Grand Masters. Acting President Hesse gave the report for the year and stated that up to this time total expenditures for the Memorial had been $6,890,697.47 and that while the interior of the Memorial was completed, the Association would still need about $250,000 to complete the granite work on the outside. This Memorial to Brother George Washington, our first President, as well as to the Masonic Fraternity in the United States, is indeed a most magnificent edifice and one of which the Fraternity may well feel proud. It is located on Shooters Hill near Alexandria, Virginia, and can be seen for miles around. We again recommend that any of the Brethren who may be in Washington would feel amply repaid for the time which it would take to make a visit to this Memorial. Early in 1958 it was the feeling of Grand Master Chilcote and the other Grand Lodge Officers that something should be done to accelerate the completion of the Temple and its opening on a regular daily schedule should not be delayed. With this thought in mind special letters were sent to the District Deputy Grand Masters and the Secretaries of all the Lodges throughout the State recommending that $1.00 be secured from each newly made Mason, also members of the Lodges make an additional contribution to the Endowment
Fund and that the Lodges themselves could well consider a gift which, of course, would be based upon their ability to finance it from current funds. For many years it has been the practice of Grand Lodge to make a special contribution of $5,000 to the Memorial and, in addition, to forward the $1.00 initiate fees as they are received from the various Lodges . However, in the past few years only about half of these initiate fees were collected and consequently the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania was not living up to the verbal obligations which had been made to the Association. For the year ending February 10, 1959 we are glad to report to you that the contributions and initiate fees for that year amounted to $17,793.75 as compared to only $3,504 in the previous year. This amount, which was increased by the annual $5,000 contribution, meant that the Masons of Pennsylvania in 1958 contributed a total of $22,793.75 to this most worthy project. The Grand Master was very pleased with the response to his appeal and wishes to thank all the Brethren who have been so helpful in this matter. However, this does not solve the problem at the Memorial for it has long been the aim of the Memorial Association to have an Endowment Fund which would produce sufficient revenue to operate the Memorial in a proper manner. Up to this time the Endowment Fund only amounts to $880,000 as compared with a goal of $5 million. When the Temple is opened in all its parts and on a daily schedule, the operating costs will be approximately $125,000.00 the first year and in a short time on full operations, would probably increase to $150,000.00 per year. It has also been the practice of the Memorial Association to always have the cash on hand as they continued and they have the desire to have the Endowment Fund operate in the same manner but apparently the appeals in recent years have not been sufficiently strong to bring this about. Therefore, Grand Master Chilcote in a most inspiring address at the meeting of the Memorial Association advocated that in order for the Association to have sufficient operating funds for the first year that all the Lodges throughout the country make a donation of $10.00 each. Also that all of the Grand Lodges endeavor by solicitation to secure a total equivalent to $1.00 for each of their current membership and which, in total, would amount to $4 million and would thus about take care of the needed
A Day in the Masonic Homes The following lines of poetry were written by Mrs. Clara Logan, Guest at The Masonic Homes at Elizabethtown from February 27, 1939 through October 22, 1951. Although Mrs. Logan, widow of a Member of Richard Vaux Lodge, No. 384, has passed this life, her sentiments, as expressed in the poem, are indicative of the general reactions expressed by the many Guests at The Homes, both past and present. On top of this beautiful round World I sit. JJ?ith nothing to do bur gouip and knit, After breakfast we walk, after dinner we nap, If tlais thing keeps up I won't have any lap. So man.y good thin gs to eat, I'm bu.stin' a button, Jf/e have plenty of beef bur very little mutton. Sunday we have chicken, J\-londay we have soup, I eat so much I can hardly stoop. Already I have ga~'.ned five pounds and a half, Afraid I 'll make a wrinkle each time I laugh. We have breakfast at seven, dinner at noon, But always and forever supper comes too soon, Jf/hy the ch icken is hardly picked out of our teeth Before back to the dining room we silently sneak. The supper hour is five, to be exact And , although our tummies are solidly packed, Jfi'e sip a little and eat some more Until visions of ni&IJimare before us soar. Then comes the evening when we gather and sit 1n that big assembly room where we talk , laugh and knit, Listen to Amos and Andy, Lowell Thomas or some cure Until we have had all we can endure. Then, in two's, three's or bunches we trek to our home~ Across lawns or tllrough subways we slowly roam. A little chinning, then good nlshts are said And by nine~thirty we are safe in. our bed. But during these days we are grateful and glad and I'll say u Life in. the Masonic Homes is not half bad."
Endowment. Also that the initiates would continue to make their payment of $1.00 each and in this way all members of the Fraternity could rightfully say they had some part in contributing to the George Washington Memorial. There was a very spirited discussion regarding the Grand Master's proposal but since this was an entirely new approach it was finally decided that the recommendation should be laid over for a year and in the meantime a Committee appointed to gather all information necessary regarding the Memorial and forward it to each of the Grand Lodges so that they in turn could start a project along the line as suggested by our Grand Master, or else come up at the next Annual Meeting with an alternate proposal as to how this financial matter could best be solved. In the meantime, however, it is still the recommendation and the desire of Grand Master Chilcote and the other Grand Lodge Officers that the Lodges in Pennsylvania continue their efforts in raising as much money as possible and thus enable the George Washington National Masonic Memorial to be opened in all its parts and on a regular schedule.
If, at any time, your present mailing address is changed, please remember tha t, in addition to your new address, your Lodge Number MUST be indicated if you wish to continue receiving "The Pennsylvania Freemason." In mailing in a "Change of Address Card," it is vitally important to process one card only and to be certain that your Name, New Address and Lodge Number are so noted.
• . . YOUR NAME .•. YOUR NEW ADDRESS AND LODGE ~ ARE MOST IMPORTANT, IF AND WHEN YOU MOVE
FREEMASON VOLUME VI
MAY • 195 9
NUMBER 2
A Message from Our Grand Master OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS! LET US RESPOND TO THE CALL!
The International Order of DeMolay was founded in Kansas City, Missouri on March 18, 1919. A most distinguished Mason, Frank Sherman Land, conceived the idea of fo rming an organization of young men between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one years, possessed of high ideals of citizenship and democracy, to the end that the true value of right living be developed a t an early age when it would become most effective in the channeling of a more abundant life. The vision of Frank Sherman Land has matured and become a reality. Still active as Secretary General of the International Supreme Council Order of DeMolay, he is recognized throughout the World as a man of vision who has lived to see his fabulous dream come true. The youth of today will be the men of tomorrow. The destiny of the World and of our beloved Country will shortly be in the hands of the young men and women of today. The Grand Lodge of P ennsylvania is interested in the future citizens of America. The least that we can do is to endeavor through the channel of DeMolay to help them become better leaders and better citizens. DeMolay itself has erected a structure in the framework of which is found all of the essen tial elemen ts for the development of character and leadership in young men. It is built on a solid, firm foundation and the supers tructure has withstood the tests of time. In the basic foundation and structure we find that it advocates and teaches reverence for God, and the highest respect and regard for womanhood and parents. It teaches the essential elements leading to a successful life by estab. lishing within its structure the ideas of honesty, loyalty to high ideals, development and promotion of friendship, graciousness and gen tlemanliness. In this atomic age where scientific developments are far beyond the comprehension of mos t of us, and where the potential for destruction surrounds us on every hand, with lack of confidence between nations the subject of newspaper headlines, together with many other disastrous fo rebodings, the young men of the World who are members of DeMolay are taught the basic principles of integrity and patriotism in time of peace as well as war. Reco~;~nition of cleanliness of mind and body becomes a part of the beliet and practice of these young men who have entered within the portals of DeMolay. The Principles of obedience to the law and devotion to the practices of good citizenship, both by precept and example, together with the pledge to support all of these basic principles leading to a more abundant and fruitful life, are a part of the thought and action of DeMolay. When we conceive of what has been done within DeMolay we are compelled to stand within its shadow and that of its founder and those who have successfull y devoted their energies and attention to the problems of the youth of the World, with prayerful thanks for the vision of this great institution. When we remember that there are approximately three million of the young men of the World who have joined toget'her in the practices and teachings of the principles of
DeMolay, with approximately six thousand chapters in the United States, its territories and eleven foreign countries, we can not help but be persuaded of the tremendous influence which has been brought to bear for good, looking to the future of mankind. This institution has given the youth the tools of leadership and successful adventure in the fields of industry, government, business and the professions. Senior DeMolays have already taken their place as leaders in all walks of life. In these unsettled times DeMolay takes its place with all the great institutions designed to build a better W orld. The International Order of DeMolay is not confined t o those of our youth who may be able to trace their heritage to a Masonic background. Any young man who will subscribe to and support the principles for which it stands, is eligible for membership. The inspiration and development of young men in DeMolay has resulted in approximately 65 per cent of them becoming Master Masons. More than thirty thousand have become Worshipful Masters of Masonic Lodges. A number of the Grand Lodges have been presided over by Grand Masters who were in their youth members of the Order of DeMolay . Over thirty thousand DeMolay boys have become Ministers of the Gospel. Many have taken their places as outstanding business and industrial leaders and the professions are well represented by those who charted their course in their youth on the true principles of correct living, as taught in DeMolay. Many have become active in politics and in our government with high responsible positions affecting the policies of our Nation and of the W or!d. Truly the idea of Brotherhood and the proper relationship of man to man and Nation to Nation has developed in this great " Flower Garden" of youth. Realizing the tremendous influence of DeMolay in the World today and after very careful consideration and conference with Masonic Leaders, on, March 18, 1959, on the Fortieth Anniversary of the founding of the Order of DeMolay, familiarly known in DeMolay as "Obligation •Day," the Grand Lodge of P ennsylvania, through my ruling as Grand Master, recognized in an official way the greatpotential of DeMolay. On that day we ruled that Subordinate Lodges throughout P ennsylvania be permitted to sponsor a chapter or chapters of the Order of DeMolay. Financial assistance may be given by the Lodge, from current Lodge funds, to the establishment and maintenance of these chapters. Lodges are also authorized by voluntary gifts of those members who may desire to participate, to form a special fund to be used in the promotion of a chapter or chapters of DeMolay. This will afford every Lodge in every community an opportunity to actively and directly participate in an activity which will improve the youth of P ennsylvania, directing their actions and thoughts in proper channels and removing them from the pitfalls which so frequently encompass so many young men as they travel through the formative teenage of life. It is my sincere hope that every Lodge and every Mason will conduct a soul searching examination of the great opportunity now in the hands of every Mason in every Lodge to get back of the youth, (Continued on page 2)