THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON Issued Eve ry Three Mon th s By
The Right Worshipful Grand lodge of The Most Ancient and Honorable fraternity of f ree and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdiction Thereunto Be longing, through its COMMITTEE ON MASONIC CULTURE-William E. Montgomery, Chairman, G. Edward Elwell, Jr., Charles A. Young, W. Irvine Wiest and Ash by B. Paul, Grand Secretary. APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED TO BE PRINTED BY
MAX F. BALCOM Right Worshipful Grand Master Mailin g Address: MASONIC TEMPLE BROAD AND FILBERT STREETS, PHILADELPHIA 7, PENNA.
WILLIAM A. CARPENTER, Editor Notify Ma sonic Temple, Broad a nd Filbert Stree ts in case of Change o f Address- Your lodge number must be included.
Vol. VIII
November, 1961
No.4
Valley Forge and Freemasonry (Continued/rom p ase '' )
and that they served their country as men and soldiers." The Moses Sproule jewel, which we are tempted to call the Valley Forge jewel, is a small oval bearing on the obverse side a mosaic pavement on which stand th ree candlesticks flanked by two pillars surmoun ted by globes; above the candles are a square and compasses, and above all a trowel and an open book, an aU-seeing eye, a blazing sun , a quarter moon, and stars; at the left a temple, ga uge, and gavel, a blazing star, a letter G, and a burning bush; at the right a mallet, a key, a level, a sharp instr ument, and .a hand holding a plumb line ; below, a coffin, a sprig of acacia, and a representation of the 47th Probelm of Euclid; inscription at the bottom: A ~IOR HONOR & JUSTITIA. The reverse side bears the name, Moses Sproule, with No. 8 above and an arch and compasses below, flanked by the date in two par ts : 57 and 78; inscription around rim: INDEPENDANT ROYAL ARC H LODGE.
All of us as Masons should remember with deep gratitude and thanksgiving our Brethren of former years, wh o played such an important part in the founding of our Country. To George Washington, outstanding patriot, statesman, and military leader, and our Fraterni ty's most revered Maso nic Brother, and to all those other Freemasons, many whose names are not now known to us, we owe much. One hundred and eight-three years ago, on the 19th of December, 1777, Washingt on and his army of 11,000 patriots, marched into Valley Forge, to face the sternest test of the American Colonies up to that time. They did not fail, but met the test, and went on to glorious victory at Yorktown four years later. We dare not fail today. These patriots bought for us a priceless heritage. We can do no less today than to keep alive t he torch of freedom, and pass it on to future generations, until time shall be no more.
Secretary of Phoenix Lodge Has Outstanding Lodge Attendance R ecord Brother Thomas Holland Paist, 86, of Cheltenham, Philadelphia, became a Mason in May, 1902 and fifty-nine yea rs later boasts of a Lodge attendance record that is most outstanding. In those fifty-nine years, Brother Paist has never missed a stated mee ting or a fu neral ser vice of his Lodge, Phoen ix Lodge, No. 130, Free and Accepted Masons. He estimates that during the 59-year period his perfect attendance record represented attendance at 1,180 meetings. Born on a farm near Paoli, Pa., on June 12, 1875, !VIr. Paist graduated from Temple Uni versity. Nine years ago he retired from the Underwood Typewriter Company. I n 1908, Brother Paist served as Worshipful Mas ter of his Lodge. He was elected Secretary of his Lodge in 1914 and has served in that capacity since his election. His other Masonic affiliations include Past High Pries t of the Philadelphia Royal Arch Chapter ; Life Member of Benjamin Frankli n Consistory; and Past Commander of Kadosh Commandery No. 29. Brother Paist is a member of the Cheltenham Methodist Church and a life member of the Patriotic Sons of America. On June 2, 1909, Mr. Paist was married to Grace C. Rohrman. They have two children, Mrs. Grace E. Wagner, a music teacher at Elkins Park Junior High School, and Thomas Holland Paist, Jr. , a music teacher at Upper Moreland High School. They also have two grandchildren. In disclosing his attendan ce record, Brother Paist said he has onl y missed two meetings of his Royal Arch Chapter. He said he missed one meeting to go on his wedding trip, and one when he was sick. He also remembers slipping out of a sales
Did You Remember Your Guests? Wi th the approach of the Holiday Season , don't for ge t yo ut· G uests at the i\'lasonic Homes at Elizabethtown . Don't put this off, as it is easy to forget. Put your check in the selfaddressed envelope that was provided in your September Lodge No tice. If you don't have the envelope, send yom· check to the Superintendent at the Masonic Homes, Elizabe thtown , Pa . Rem ember, a ll gifts to the Masonic Homes are deductible for income tax purposes.
confe rence at the Underwood Typewri ter Company to at tend a Masonic meeting and re turn ing to the conference before it was discovered he was missi ng. Brother Paist is known to a hos t of Masons in Philadelphia. He spends at least two days a week in the Masonic Temple, working on his Lodge records. He has preserved copies of his Lodge Notice si nce he was elected Secretary. Most of the Notices are in bound books. In addition to his Lodge duties, Brother Paist has served fo r many years as a Trustee of the Thomas R. Patton Memorial Charity F und for the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania.
To be a Worshipful Master and to throw my whole soul in to the Work, with candidate fo r my audience and the Lodge for my stage, would be a greater distinction than to receive th e plaudits of the people in all the theaters of the world.- EDwiN BoOTH.
INFORMATIVE AND POPULAR LITERATURE STILL AVAILABLE The following informative booklet, pamphlets, brochure and albums are still available and may be ordered in single copies or in quan tity : Popular Ques tio ns and Answers booklet of pocket size a n d con taining 124 questions a nd a nswers on Ft·eemasont·y a t 10 cen ts pe t· copy. Set s of the Eight Masonic CultUl·e Pt·ogt·am Pamphlets at $1.00 per set . Color Brochm·e on Masonic Homes a nd Patton School for Boys at Elizabe thtown at 50 cents pe1· copy plus 10 cents for postage. Colorful 40-page Souvenir Album describing hi story a nd fcatu•·es of t he Masoni c Te mple, P hiladelphia , h eadqua rte rs of Grand Lodge, a t $1.00 for soft-bound copy and $1.50 fot• hanl-bound copy. Add 10 cents fo1· postage. Any or all of the above menti oned items may be ob tained by writing to: WILLIAM A. CARPENTER, Librarian and Curator, Masonic Temple, Broad and Filbert Street s Philadelphia 7, Pennsylvania
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FREEMASON A N OFFICIAL PUBLICA TION OF THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS OF PENNSYLVANIA
VOLUME VIII
NOVEMBER • 1 9 61
NUMBER 4
A Message from Our Grand Master Br ethr en, the privilege I h ave had of serving you as Grand Master is almost past. During my term as Grand Master of Masons in P ennsylvania, which s tar ted December 28, 1959, I have received fraternal considera tion and affecti on everywhere. For this great honor I personally tha nk ever y Mason in Pennsylvania. It has been a great experience. Although my ter m is rapidly coming to an end, I shall cherish forever the many kindnesses and h onors you have made it possible for me to r eceive. The most remarkable cooperation has been given me by all the Grand Lodge officers, P ast Grand Masters, appointed officers and committees. I especially thank the District Depu ty Grand Masters for real Masonic devotion . When I became Grand Master, I urged every Mason in Pennsylvania to emb ark upon an Eight -Poin t Program . The r esults of this progr am have been very encouraging. During my t erm of office, seven new Mason ic Lodges have been Constituted. The eigh th Lodge will be Con st itut ed at Easton on D ecember 9 . Many Lodges have materially improved, or replaced, their meeting rooms. Many Lodges, through dedicated wor k of W orshipful Masters, have improved their attendance. When the final results of Masonry in P ennsylvania in 1960 and 1961 are fully known, I believe we will all be proud of our accomplishments. When I be came Grand Master, I proudly announced th at P ennsylvania Mason s can complete m ost anything th ey cooper at ively agree to a ccomplish. My faith in your devotion was fu lly pr oved when Masons in P ennsylvania contributed approximately $300,000 to t he George Washington Masonic National Memorial. With this contr ibution , you have set the pace for every Grand Lodge in the United Sta tes. You have proved that Masons everywhere would be willing to assist this great Masonic structure if give n th e opportunity- and if the need were fully explained. While you generously s uppor ted t h e Mem orial, you did not forget about your less fortunate Brothers, their wives and children a t the Masonic H omes at Elizabethtown. Your gener ous s upport for this most worthy cause is deeply appreciated. We are now in the midst of an other appeal for the Christmas and Entertainment Fund a t the Masonic Homes at Elizabeth -
town. I have urged every P en nsylvania Maso n t o give something to this most important project. Let me explain. I am n ot attempting to set a dollar mark on your con tribu tion. I am merely pointing out that every Mason sh ould give something, regardless of t he amount. I know it is ver y gratifying to P ennsylvania Masons to know h ow vital and direct a part each has in providing t h e finest ki nd of human service for approximately 700 youngs ters and senior citizens. Every Mason in P ennsylvania has received an envelope in the September Lodge notice, addressed to the Masonic Homes. This envelope is an easy way to make a yearly contribution. Your gift goes to the Christmas and Entertainment Fund, and is used all through t he year . It not only provides a happy Christmas for the Guests, but en tertainment duri ng the entire year, many small personal items a nd "pocket money" each month . Brethren, this is importan t money. I t is th is money th at helps t o make your Masonic H omes a Home, and not just another institution . W h en making out your ch eck for th is yearly contribution , keep in mind that all gifts to the Masonic H omes are deductible for income tax purposes. If yo u h ave lost your self-addressed envelope, send your contribution t o the Superintendent, Masonic H omes, Elizabethtown, P a. As we approach the holiday season, let our prayers be f or th e less f01;tunate . Let us pray that the Great Architect of the Universe will guide our lives. Let us r~dedicate ourselves to the t en ets of Freemasonry. Let us stand to be counted as men and Masons who believe in world peace-the Brotherhood of Man . T his being my last message in THE P ENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON as Grand Master, I personally t hank you for all your sincere efforts to continue Freemasonry as a dominat ing forqe in th is t rou bled world. God give us the courage to meet our everyday pr oblems as Masons-as men dedicated to n oble principles. Cordially and frat ernally,
MAX F. BALCOM, R . W. Grand Master