~
Question: What was or is "The Ahiman Rezon?" Answer: It was the Constitution of the Ancient Grand Lodge of England and first published in 1754 as compiled by Bro. Laurence Dermott, Grand Secre~ary. The name is Hebraic in origin and IS su pposed to mean "A Help to a Brother." It is the name of the Constitution of the Grand Lodge F. & A.M. of Pennsy lvania, published in book form.
FREE1YIASON All OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE OF FREE AND A((EPJED MASOliS OF PEIIIISYLVAIIIA VOLUME XXVIII
Question: Although I have never seen a close-up of the Past Grand Master's Jewel of P.ennsylvania, I have always been fascmated by its design and bea uty. Will you describe or explain it? Answer: The lower portion is the Compasses and Square united, with the irr~diated Sun, in the center, setting behmd clouds, and with the Gavel pendent between the legs of the ComP?sses. The Jewel is gold, set with a ~Iamond and suspended by a purple nbbon. By coincidence, you can observe the beauty of this rare and coveted Jewel shown on the oil portrait of Bro. Joseph E. Trate, Right Worshipful Gr.and Master, appearing on Page 1 of this edition of "The Pennsylvania Freemason." Question: While visiting Lodges recently I have noticed a new or different procedure used in the ceremony for opening and closing the Holy Bible. When was the change made and why? Answer: The ceremony used for opening and closing the Holy Bible has been taught and used for many, many years. Recent directives to the Ritualistic Instructors to bring uniformity throughout the Jurisdiction, relative to proper procedures in all Ritualistic and Lodge Work, has resulted in many areas in what appears as "something new." It isn't. It is really the way it should have been done all the time. Question: I have now attended a Quarterly Communication and a Special Communication of our Grand Lodge and I am curious about the additional purple and gold flag. What is it and what is on it? Answer: Placed in the East, opposite to the American Flag, it is the Standard or Banner, adopted by Grand Lodge on December 6, 1939. More frequently known as the Grand Master's Flag, the specified size is four and one-half feet by five and one-half feet. The adopted Seal of Grand Lodge, with the omission of the name, Grand Lodge of
The PENNSYLVANIA.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER • 1981
NUMBER 4
Long Needed and Vital Concerns of Craft Have Been Priority Items in Grand Master's Program My Brethren:
BRO. BEN IS NOW PART OF "A LEGACY OF LOVE"- Recently erected in front of the latest addition to our Masonic Health Care Center that bears his name is shown the actual and original handiwork of Mr. Joseph Brown, sculptor of the 14-foot bronze statue of Benjamin F~anklin - Cr~ftsman now located directly across North Broad Stree~ from the ~asomc Temple, Philadelphia, and presented by the Masons of Penns~lvama to the C1ty of Philadelphia in commemoration of 250 years of Freemasonry m the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on June 27, 1981. This work of the ~culptor, used by the foun~ry in ~aking the bronze statue, has been treated to protect It from. the weather and will be giVen whatever treatment is necessary to maintain its longevity. Stop and see Bro. Ben when you visit the Homes. Pennsylvania, is embroidered in the center in gold colored silk on government flag silk, purple in color. The Latin motto, "VIRTUTE SILENTIO AMORE," also embroidered in gold color silk, beneath the Seal, reads THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON Distribution Office MASONIC HOMES Elizabethtown, Pa . 17022 (Send FORM 3579 to Above Address )
Virtue, Silence and Love. Gold colored silk fringe is applied on three sides and two long gold colored silk cords, each with a large tassel, hang from the top of the sleeve used to insert the staff.
Second Class POSTAGE PAID AT Elizabeth town Pennsylvania
POSTMASTER : Please Includ e Complete Imprint of Address on Your Postal Return Clipping.
This is the last time that we will have the privilege, as your Right Worshipful Grand Master, of addressing you from these pages. We take this opportunity, therefore, to express to you, the Freemasons of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, our eternal gratitude for the honor and pleasure of serving you as your Grand Master in 1980 and 1981. It has been, for us, an extremely valuable and most enjoyable experience, the reality of which seemed, at times, difficult to comprehend as reality because of the extraordinary excitement and exhilaration produced by the many Masonic functions and events which occurred in those two years. The most valuable experience and that which gave us the greatest enjoyment, my Brethren, was in meeting, personally, with so many of you in almost every nook and cranny of this great Jurisdiction of ours. By the end of this Masonic Year (the end of our two-year term) we will have been in well over 100 cities, towns and localities in Pennsylvania, traveled more than 100,000 miles in the process and greeted, personally, between 20,000 and 25,000 of you , our Pennsylvania Brethren. We cannot help but recall, as we write this, the words of a good friend and distinguished Mason, our late Brother and Right Worshipful Past Grand Master , Rochester B. Woodall, as he asked: "How can you be a Brother to someone you don't even know?" Brethren, our only regret is that we could not meet and greet all of you and, further, that each of you cannot meet and know every other Pennsylvania Freemason. There is something to be said, however, for the joy of anticipation of meeting and making new friends amongst our Brethren, a joy we have been experiencing for some time in the District Visitation program. The District Visitations also provided us with the knowledge that Pennsylvania Freemasons are enthusiastic about their Masonry and concerned with the things that the Masonic Fraternity must endure in this day and age. We found a thirst for knowledge
Bro. Joseph E. Trate Right Worshipful Grand Master A four-color photograph of the large oil portrait by Artist, Henry Cooper, which will take its rightful place after December 28, 1981, on a wall in the Benjamin Franklin Room, Masonic Temple, Philadelphia, with the portraits of the living Right Worshipful Past Grand Masters.
about Freemasonry in general and about the Grand Lodge in particular. Great concern was expressed for the physical problems besetting the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia which we reported. Following our many progress reports, the concerns seem to be diminishing. (Continued on Page 3)