The Proposed Amendments To The Ahiman Rezon The proposed Amendments to the Ahiman Rezon which were presented to Grand Lodge in June will be acted upon at the D ecember Quarterly. Article XIII, Section 39 now provides that the Grand Lodge Charity Fund be used for "chari table relief to the widows, mothers, sisters, and orphan children of worthy deceased Master Masons." Away back in 1783, the regula~ions provided that this Fund be restncted to the relief of "regular Masons who are members of a Warranted Lodge." In 184 7 when anoth er Fund be.' . of "worcame available for the relief thy Master Masons only," the regulations of the Grand Lodge Charity Fund were amended to limit its benefits to the female relatives and children of deceased worthy Masons. This limitation is still in effect . The Fund now used only for the relief of Master Masons is much smalle r than the Grand L odge Charity Fund and is not large enough to meet the requests for this assistance. The proposed amendment would eliminate the present exclusion of Master Masons, and would permit the Grand Lodge Charity Fund to be used as required to meet the needs that exist at any p a rticular time. The oth er proposal would amend Article III, Section 4 and Article XVII, Section 10 to permit the Members of our Lodges who now live in other Jurisdictions to be el ected and serve as Officers in our Lodges; also to permit elected Officers who move to other Jurisdictions to continue to serve
Questions & Answers
A n exact rCJJI'oduction of the standani or banner, adopted by Grand Lmige on Decembel' 6, 1939. Mm·c f 1•e(1Uently known a: the <:ran.d Mast er 's Flag, the spec1fi e d size 1s four and one-half feet by fiv e and one-half f eel. The adopted seal of Grand Lodge, with the omission of tl~e nam e G1·mul Lodge, is e mblaze n ed 111 "old colorecl silk on government flag ~ilk, purple in color. The Latin motto I'ead,; Vii·tuc-, S il ence and Love.
If von have mislaid yom· seHaddresseu e nv e lop e for the Guest Fund at the Masonic Homes at Elizabethtown, make your checks payable to all(l ~nail to Masonic Homes, Elizah e thtown. Pa. 17022.
Answer: No. Freemasonry is not a religion. Freemasons should not think of their Lodge as a Church or as a secondary Church. Least of all, Freemasons should not think of their Lodge as a substitute for the Church. Freemasonry is not in conflict with any religion, denomination or sect, nor is it allied t o any one of them. There are no theological tests for membe~ ~h ip. The Volume of the Sacre~ Law IS opened on the altar of a Masonic Lodge and all those who petition a Lodge for initia tion and membership must declare a belief in the existence of a Supreme Being. Question: When does a candidate for the degrees of Freemasonry become a Member of the Lodge? Answer: Contrary to the erroneous "':'darstanding or belief of many, a C;andtdate for the degrees of Freemasonry 111 Pennsylvania becomes a Member of the Lodge at the time he receives his Entered Apprentice Mason's Degree. ~? is not entitled to all rights and pnvtleges of the Lodge but nevertheless he is a Membt;r. M an y Lodge S ecretaries ~av e b~en wa iting until a candidate receiVeS hts Master Mason's Degree before placing the n.a~e and address of the Member on the mai1111.g list for The Pennsylvania Freemason. This only denies the candidate one or two issues to which he is entitled. Question: What can be related about the experience of Freemasonry in Russia?
in their respective stations. Th~ only restriction is that "such non-residence will not prevent the performance of the duties of his office." The above proposed amendments have been thoroughly reviewed and are believed to warrant favorable consideration.
! Send FORM 3579 to Above Addressl
Answer: Freemasonry was introduced in Russia early in the Eighteenth Century. There was an English P rovincial Grand Master for Russia in 1731 and the first Lodge is supposed t o have been established there in 17.40. Freemasonry prospered in Russia under Catherine the Great from about 1762 to about 1794 and again under Alexander I from 1801 to 1822. Count Leo Tolstoi has much t o say about Freemasonry in his great story, "War and P eace ," and describes a Masonic D egree. Early in the Nineteenth Century there were several Lodges in Paris, France, conferring the Masonic Ritual in the Russian language. Although Freema~onry h~s been under ban for several years 111 Russia it is the opinion of many that there a:e Brethren in Russia and that they are sttll living their Freemasonry. Question : I s it proper to v ouch for anot~er as a Master M ason if you have sat w tth him in a Masonic meeting or gathering other than a Symbolic Lodge?
POSTMASTER : Please include Comple te
••ame, Address and Ide ntification No. on Return clipping. n
FREEni.I:A.SO~
Question: Is Freemasonry a religion?
Second Closs POSTAGE PAID AT Elizabethtown Pennsylvania
THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON Distribution Office MASONIC HOMES Elizabethtown, Po. 17022
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Answer: Decision No. 9 of the Digest of Decisions of the Grand Lodge and Grand M asters states that "to sit with a person somewhere else than in a regular Blue L odge is not lawful Mason~c information that he is a M aster M ason 111 good stand ing."
AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS OF PENNSYLVAN IA
VOLUME XII
NOVEMBER
•
1965
NUMBER 4
Grand Master Stresses Ideals and Image Needed For Freemasonry's Future As my term as Grand Master of Masons in Pennsylvania draws to a close, I look back on the past two years with pride and misgivings. The pride is based on the thought that some progress has been made. The misgivings are for the things that I would like to have accomplished, but time and circumstances would not permit. I express a deep gratitude to the elected and appointed Grand Lodge Officers for their two years of dedicated service to Freemasonry. It was a great pleasure to serve with them. I also thank the thousands of dedicated Lodge Officers for their devotion a nd service to Freemasonry. Without this dedication, the Grand M aster could not h ave carried out his program. I am sure that every Mason in this Jurisdiction did not fully agree with all my ideas. If I erred, it was an error of the mind and not the heart. Looking to the future, I am very much concerned about the apathy and indifference that exists in some of our Lodges. Too many of us are satisfied to continue the same ideas-offering nothing new, following the same old pattern, a nd giving little or nothing in the way of progress. At high noon on December 27, I will have joined the ranks of Past Grand Masters. In this position, my services will always be available to my successors so long as the Great Architect of the Universe sees fit. When I was installed as Grand Master on December 27, 1963, I urged an all-out effort to Improve the image of Freemasonry. I am very happy to report that in the past two years great strides have been made toward this goal. However, this is a never ending project. We must continue to build our image with humility a nd pride. Many of our Lodges have sponsored special church programs. These have been increasing, and I pray will continue to increase in the future. Lodges attending divine services as a group bear testimony to our common belief and faith in God. The DeMolay work in the Jurisdiction has been re-
The above porll·ait of Bro. Earl F. Herold, R . W . Gra nd Master, was painted hy Ralph Pallen Coleman, a Jenkintown artist. On Decembe r 27, the painting will be hung in the Grand Master's R eception Room in Masonic Temple, Philadelphia, with the portraits of other living Past Grand Masters.
ceiving Masonic Lodge assistance. Many DeMolay Chapters are now meeting in M asonic L odge Rooms. My Brethren, assisting the DeMolay is a cheap price to pay to assure t he future of this country and F reemasonry. With a great deal of pride, I look upon the improvement to M asonic meeting facilities as one of the highlights of my two-year term. We have made a great start,' but there r emain many Lodges who have not responded. In the years ahead, I hope a new spark of interest will be forthcoming. During my term, I approved L odge officers wearing tuxedoes as Masonic D ress, with the exception of the Worshipful Master. I a m pleased to know that the vast (Continued on Pa~e 4 )