MWPHGLMD THE LIGHT
CONTENTS EDITORIAL
03-08 09-13,20 ROSCOE C. CARTWRIGHT 18-19 RONALD E. MCNAIR 21 PRINCE HALL DAY REMARKS E. JERRY WILLIAMS
HISTORY
PRESERVING OUR LEGACY
SPOTLIGHT
MACEO BOSTON
COMMUNITY
PAST MWPHGL EVENTS
MAGGIE B. WILLIAMS #55 ANNOUNCEMENTS
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MWPHGLMD THE LIGHT Victoria Lodge # 71 F&AM PHA is delighted to announce they celebrated their 100th anniversary on Saturday October 15, 2022 at the Solomons Inn Resort and Marina, 105 Holiday Drive, Solomons, MD 20688. Since 1920, the brothers from Victoria Lodge continues to provide leadership, community service, and partnership with several organizations in an effort to improve the community and raise our families. Victoria Lodge # 71 as one of the oldest institutions in Calvert County, MD remains a vital community resource. During the pandemic alone, brothers from Victoria packed thousands of meals for school aged children, hosted dinners for seniors, provided meals for civic organizations, supported back to school programs and provided scholarships to enable higher education initiatives in the community.
The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland has a rich history not only within the context of Freemasonry, but its contributions to the improvement of the lives of African-Americans in the City of Baltimore, and the State of Maryland. Many notable leaders in the Civil Rights and religious communities have been, and are Maryland Prince Hall masons. This article will shed light on one such leader, and Maryland Prince Hall mason, Rev. Marion Curtis Bascom, Past Grand Chaplin for the Jurisdiction. The late Rev. Marion C. Bascom was born on March 14, 1925 in Pensacola, Florida to Mary Anderson and Bruce Bascom. After the death of his father, Marion being a mature young man helped to raise his four siblings, while they were all raised by his maternal grandmother.
MWPHGLMD THE LIGHT Bro. Bascom completed his secondary education in 1942, graduating from Washington High School. In 1942, Bro. Bascom was called into the ministry and preached his first sermon at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola.
OUR CHOICE
Bascom enrolled and earned his first bachelor’s degree from Florida Memorial College in 1946 while serving as pastor of Shiloh Baptist and First Baptist Church in Pensacola. Bascom’s second bachelor’s degree in divinity was earned from Howard University in 1948. He furthered his education by attending Wesley Seminary and Garret Biblical Institute and became a Reverend. In 1949, Bascom began a 46 year pastorship at Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
As Pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church (DMCC), Bascom became active in the local and national Civil Rights Movement. He participated in the 1963 demonstration to desegregate Gwynn Oak Park, which lead to the desegregation of all amusement parks in Baltimore. It was through the efforts of Bro. Bascom, and then Grand Master Samuel T. Daniels, that Maryland Prince Hall masons pledged to pay the bail for any student that made the request.
FROM OUR EDITOR 3 WORLDS __________ The Trinity in man lives in the three great chambers of the Human body, from which they radiate their power throughout the three worlds. These centers are the brain, the heart, and the reproductive system. These are the three main chambers of the pyramid and also the rooms in which are given the entered apprentice, fellow craft, and master masons degrees of blue lodge masonry. In these three chambers dwell the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who are symbolised by the three letter word, AUM. The transmutation, regeneration, and unfoldment of these three great centers results in the sounding of the Lost Word, which is the great secret of the Masonic order. From the spinal nerves come impulses and life forces which make this possible. Therefore the Mason is told to consider carefully his substitute word, which means “The Marrow of the Bone.” In the cerebellum or posterior brain—which has charge of the motive system of the human body and is the only brain developed in the animal—is to be found a little tree-like growth which has long been symbolised as a sprig of Açacia and as such is referred to in the Masonic allegory. (Demeter - DMT) The two lobes of the cerebrum were called by the ancients Cain and Abel, and have much to do with the legend of the curse of Cain, which is literally the curse of unbalance. For murder of the spirit equilibrium, Cain is sent forth a wonderer upon the face of earth. I have in my possession a very remarkable skull which originally rested on the shoulders of a homicide. It is of high organic quality, but bears the curse of Cain. This individual had a grudge which he nursed very carefully. Nursed grudges sometimes become very dangerous things. This person swore that when he met a certain man he would cut his heart out and throw it in his face. A number of years passed, his hatred grew, and at last meeting his enemy, he attacked him and fulfilled his threat. He was hanged for the crime, but the skull bearing the testimony to the brain, reveals a very interesting fact. The right half of the brain is under the control of mercury—the planet of intelligence— and as a result of the crossing of the brain nerves at the base of the skull it rules the left side of the Body. The left half of the brain, under the control of Mars—the spirit of anger and impulse—rules the right side of the body and likewise the strong right arm. As a result of his hatred and the ruler ship of Mars which grew out of that hatred, the left rear side of the brain is fully twice the size of the right side.
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MWPHGLMD THE LIGHT
R.W. Seymour E. Chambers, Grand Historian PRINCE HALL MASONRY— OUR PAST, OUR PRESENT AND OUR FUTURE
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o all assembled, good afternoon. I am deeply humbled and honored to have been asked by the Junior Grand Warden to serve as the speaker for this occasion. When asked to deliver the remarks for Prince Hall Americanism Day, many themes and topics to discuss entered my mind. But first, I was curious as to why we call it Prince Hall Americanism Day. In consultation with two learned Prince Hall historians and authors, Brothers Alton G. Roundtree and Tehuti Evans, I learned this tidbit of history. At the 1948, Prince Hall Conference of Grand Masters meeting it was unanimously adopted that the Grand Lodges set aside a “Prince Hall Day” on September 12th or Sunday nearest thereto, each year, to honor the life and legacy of Prince Hall. Prior to 1948, some Grand Lodges were already observing Prince Hall Day, but on varying dates. Here is the interesting part which speaks to the word “Americanism.” At the 1950 Prince Hall Conference of Grand Masters meeting, “Americanism” was added to Prince Hall Day. Why you may ask? It was during the 1950’s that U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy rose to power on the platform of fighting communism, and labeling those who were considered enemies of the government. This time period from 1947 to 1957, was called the second red scare. The leaders of Prince Hall masonry were concerned that we would be targeted as un-American, especially as many Prince Hall masons were involved in the early stages of the
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Civil Rights movement; decided to add the term “Americanism” to show that Prince Hall Freemasonry was patriotic. Isn’t that interesting? Brothers and Sisters, we assemble in this sacred place to reflect on the life of our visionary founder, Prince Hall, and contemplate our responsibility in perpetuating his legacy. More importantly,
we should take this time to assess and recalibrate our commitment to improving the conditions of the communities we serve, and strengthening the mystic tie that binds us to one another. Prince Hall masonry is unique not only because we are the oldest organization established by free Black men in North America. We are unique, if not singular among fraternal organizations in that we have been at the helm for the liberation, education and
self-determination of our people for over 240 years. For more than two centuries we have been the leaders, advocates, and defenders of the Black community. Prince Hall masons like Medgar Evers, Thurgood Marshall, John H. Murphy, W.E.B. DuBois, Richard Allen, and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. have been the movers and shakers of this nation to ensure that the words, “We, the People,” in fact included our people. We should not only be proud of this history, but we should honor it by our daily walk and talk as men assembled serving on noble standards—MASONS! As the Grand Historian, it is my duty to chronicle the history of this Jurisdiction, so that we know from whence we came, and know where we need to go. To paraphrase the great John Henrick Clarke, “history is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. History is also a compass that people use to find themselves on the map of human geography.” History tells a people where they have been, where they still must go, and what they still must be. If I were to correlate this in a masonic sense I would say that as masons, we should ask ourselves these three foundational questions: Who comes here? What come you here to do? And whither are you traveling? For in answering these questions you should surmise the very purpose of why you call yourself a Prince Hall mason. These questions require us to examine what we have done, what are we doing now, and what are our plans for the future. As we study the great heroes and sheroes of the craft and the order, we ought to be inspired to not only live up to
MWPHGLMD THE LIGHT their past greatness, but determined to surpass it, so that current and future generations will look to Prince Hall masonry as a citadel in the Black community of men who stand on high moral principles and ethical standards, provide relief to the suffering, and seek truth in all we do. But we cannot be all what we can be until we remember who we were, assess who we are today, and organize for tomorrow. So, the theme of my remarks for this day is, Prince Hall Masonry—Our Past, Our Present, and Our Future. One would be hard-pressed to go through the who’s who of Black history and not find a distinguished Prince Hall mason. Starting with Prince Hall, who we can say was the first civil rights activist in the late 18th century. Oddly enough, though this is Prince Hall Americanism Day, I will not focus on Prince Hall. Instead, I wish to highlight two lesser known masons who’s impact in our community has been forgotten. Men who during their day, believed it to be their responsibility as Prince Hall masons to right the wrongs of America. Our past is replete with radical Black men who not only spoke truth to power, but spoke the power of the truth. Men like abolitionist, and author David Walker, who was born in 1796, in Wilmington, North Carolina. Born free, Walker saw the daily abuses of Black men, women and children under the institution of American slavery. As a young man he moved from North Carolina to Charleston, South Carolina, and became active with Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church. For those who remember, on June 17, 2015, Mother Emanuel was the site of one of the nation’s darkest moments when a self-avowed white supremacist shot and killed nine Black people during prayer services. As a leader in the anti-slavery movement, Walker worked with abolitionists including Denmark Vessey to challenge the injustices afflicting Black people. In 1818, city officials in Charleston arrested 140 Black church members and sentenced them to fines and lashes because they endeavored to encourage Black men and women to liberate themselves from the physical and mental shackles of slavery. City officials continued to harass the church and in 1822, Vessey and other church members, some of whom were masons, were charged with plotting a slave revolt. Ultimately, 30 men were convicted and executed for their rebellious activities, and white citizens burned down Mother Emanuel Church later that year. Walker fled from Charleston and eventually settled in Boston. In Boston, Walker owned a clothing store, assisted in the escape of enslaved men and women, served as a writer for the Freedom’s Journal, the first newspaper owned and operated by Blacks, and founded the Massachusetts General Colored Association; which opposed the removal and colonization of free Blacks to Africa. During this time Walker became a member of African Grand Lodge of Boston, the Mother lodge of Prince Hall Freemasonry. he, along with Bro. Thomas Dalton, who would later become Grand Master and Bro. John T. Hilton, who established the Prince Hall National Grand Lodge and served as its first National Grand Master, were all active abolitionists and organizers of the free Black community, and used their masonic membership to advocate on behalf of the enslaved.
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n September 28, 1829, walker wrote his famed pamphlet entitled: Walker’s Appeal, to the Colored Citizens of the World… In the opening pages, Walker writes:
I am fully aware, in making this appeal to my much afflicted and suffering brethren, that I shall not only be assailed by those whose greatest earthly desires are, to keep us in abject ignorance and wretchedness... I do not only expect to be held up to the public as an ignorant, and restless disturber of the public peace…, as well as a mover of insubordination--and perhaps put in prison or to death…, Bro. Walker believed that the lack of knowledge of self, and the acceptance of the prescribed inferiority of Black people is what kept the race oppressed, more so than the physical chains. The South African freedom fighter Steven Biko said “The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” No doubt Biko read Bro. Walker’s Appeal in South Africa for inspiration.
The individual allowed Mars to control his nature. The impetuosity of Mars ruled him, and he paid with his life for the Mark of Cain. Science knows there is a very narrow line between genius and insanity; for any dominating vice or virtue man must pay with unbalance. Unbalance always distorts the view point, and distorted viewpoints are unfailingly productive of misery. In the skull is the switchboard which controls the activities of the body. Every function of man below the next is controlled by a center of consciousness in the brain. Medical science now knows that the spinal cord is an elongation of the brain, and some authorities even claim the cord to be capable of intelligence throughout its entire length. This cord is the flaming sword which is suppose to have stood at the gates of the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is in the skull, within which is a tree bearing twelve manner of fruit. The brain is filled with vaulted chambers and passageways which have their correspondence in the spans and arches of the temples, while the third ventricle is undoubtedly the kings chamber of the great pyramid. The spinal cord is the serpent of the ancients. In central and South America the saviour God is called Quetzalcoatl. His name means a “Feathered Serpent,” and this has always been his symbol. This is also the brazen serpent raised by Moses in the wilderness. The nine rattles on the tail of the serpent are called the number of man and they represent the sacral and coccygeal bones, within whose centers the secret of human evolution is contained. Every organ of the physical body is reproduced in the brain, where it can be traced by the law of analogy. There are two embryonic human forms, one male and the other female, twisted together in the brain. These are the Yin and Yang, the black and white dragons biting each other. One of these figure has its organ of expression the pineal gland, and the other the pituitary gland. These two ductless glands are very important factors in the unfolding of human consciousness. These two little glands are called the Head and the Tail of the Dragon of Wisdom. They are the copper and zinc poles of an electric circuit which had the entire body as a battery.
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MWPHGLMD THE LIGHT Bro. Walker’s Appeal was a strong condemnation of America’s treatment of Black people. Again, speaking truth to power and speaking the power of the truth, Bro. Walker, much like the legendary builder of Solomon’s temple refused to compromise his integrity for the trinkets of complacency. In the South, the book was labeled as seditious and those who read it or distributed it were penalized. The Southern power structure feared it would radicalize Blacks and cause slave rebellions. The state of Georgia set a $10,000.00 bounty for anyone who would turn over Bro. Walker alive, and $1,000.00 if dead. Bro. Walker was able to face his fears and threats because he had the support of Prince Hall masonry. In fact, it was the African Grand Lodge that published his book. Those radical and brave Brothers did not run and hide or abandoned Bro. Walker. They tightened up on their cable tow and affirmed that Biblical question that “I am my Brother’s keeper.” Bro. Walker’s Appeal influenced other great Black leaders such as Nat Turner, Frederick Douglass, Marcus Garvey, and Malcolm X, and also inspired an armed raid on the federal armory at Harper’s Ferry lead by John Brown, in 1859. The next little-known Brother I will present to you, was also influenced by Bro. Walker, and would organize an army of Black men that would answer Walker’s call for the race to fight for freedom. In August of 1846, twelve Black men gathered in St. Louis, Missouri to initiate plans for a massive armed assault against slavery. These bold men had been called together by Father Moses Dickson. Dickson was born free on April 5, 1824, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bro. Dickson was trained as a barber and traveled as such on steamships in the South. He too, witnessed the brutality of slavery, and committed himself to its destruction. Dickson was also a conductor on the Underground Railroad. During his travels he met several young men who he grew to trust, and begun to have discussions with them about organizing an assault against slavery. At that St. Louis gathering they named themselves the Twelve Knights of Liberty, and they sought other men who would dedicate themselves to the armed liberation of their people. These men took an oath of secrecy, and pledged their lives to each other. Part of that oath stated “I can die but I cannot 6
reveal the name of any member until the slaves are free.” Again, drawing inspiration from the example of the master builder of King Solomon’s Temple, these men collectively said you may take my life, but never my integrity when it comes to the liberation of my people. They gradually built up their ranks, and began to drill in secret and to stockpile arms and ammunition. By 1856, just ten years after their initial meeting, 47,240 members of the Knights of Liberty were ready to fight and lay down their lives in the quest for freedom. They also changed their name to the Order of the Twelve Knights to honor their twelve original founders. On Dickson’s orders, the army that had been organized, planned to descend on Atlanta and commence their assault on slavery. This would have been the largest armed attack by Black men against the institution of slavery in the US, to that point in history. However, following his gut instinct, he felt that the mission’s time might not have come, so Bro. Dickson called off the attack. But the training of those men was not in vain, for just four years later, the Civil War commenced. Many of the Order of the Twelve Knights joined the Union Army, including Bro. Dickson. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Dickson decided to focus his efforts on education and economic development among the recently freed people. By 1866, he joined the A.M.E. church, and became an ordained minister. He also started schools to educate Black children, lobbied to hire teachers for the children, and was a founding member of the Missouri Equal Rights League. In 1871, Bro. Dickson became Grand Master of the Prince Hall Masons for the state of Missouri. His wife, Mary Elizabeth Dickson, also called Mother Dickson, helped organize Black women to aid in the fight and formed the Daughters of Tabor. In 1872, Bro. Dickson would go on the create the International Order of Twelve Knights and Daughters of Tabor, which would become an African American self-help organization, which promoted the acquisition of property, morality, and education. Both he and his wife are buried in the Father Dickson Cemetery, in St. Louis, Missouri, which was named in his honor. Bro. David Walker and Bro. Moses Dickson, are but two examples of what
Prince Hall masons have done in the past on behalf of our people. They were not afraid to take the risk, and challenge America to be the land of the free, and not remain the home of the slave. Through their membership in Prince Hall masonry, these men had the organization skills, and discipline to stand upright and unafraid, knowing that their Brothers would rush to their assistance. They believed in the verse from Pslam 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” This my brothers is our past, and the legacy that we are heirs to. This is from whence we came, the question facing us now, is what come you here to do—Our Present? Are we in this day holding high the banner of Prince Hall masonry? Are we unafraid to stand up to address the wrongs impacting our people and our country? I ask you again, what come you here to do? Sadly, far too many of us have lost sight of our noble purpose. Some of us have laid down our working tools because the burden of responsibility is too much to bear. Even more disturbing, some of us are trying to bend and shape masonry into what we think it should be, instead of conforming to what it is. Several years ago, while reading Mackey’s Jurisprudence of Freemasonry, I came across a footnote that captured my attention. It was from the proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Maryland in 1857, and reads as follows: “Many are crowding into our Institution from other secret societies, having their prejudices, peculiar ideas and notions, with a disposition to make Masonry conform to what they have been taught elsewhere; and finding places of power and honor easy of access, are hardly sensible of the burdens imposed upon Entered Apprentices, or conscious of what material is necessary for building before they are superintending as Masters its construction, and sometimes seem indignant that they should be told they are spoiling the temple.” Brothers, some of us are spoiling the temple! One of the malignant growths within the craft, at present, is apathetic or timid membership and leadership. In these times, our lodges require leadership and membership that is concerned about the needs of the community, has a clear vision on how to lead, and an appreciation of what it means to be a Maryland Prince
MWPHGLMD THE LIGHT
Hall mason. Our daily walk, attitude and talk should reflect the best in ourselves and magnifies the God in each of us. We demonstrate to the world that we are masons, not by the decals on our cars, the rings on our fingers or the number of selfies we post to social media. We demonstrate to the world that we are masons when our good character speaks before we say a word, when our respect for others welcomes them into our circle, and when we display the truest essence of manhood and womanhood that contradicts the negatives images and narratives promoted in society. My brothers, we dare not become complacent with obtaining collars, rank and titles for the sake of our own selfaggrandizement. For we can ill afford to have collar chasers; those who seek titles, and positions to appease their ego, or compensate for their short-comings outside the lodge room. Those who are so wrapped-up in looking like a mason, that they are not living up to the calling of a mason. These persons often exploit the trust of their brothers, and this kind of mason is a danger to the sanctity of our profession. When we fail to hold each other accountable to the high standards of our noble craft, when we fail to remember from whence we came, or the obligations we have assumed, and when we try to make masonry mimic the culture of college fraternities, someone should tell us we are spoiling the temple. In our efforts to sustain our lodges and increase our numbers, there can be no greater duty of a Mason than to recommend for membership a new brother. When we vouch for a man, we must first remember the mission of Masonry, and that is to take good men and make them better. No, not perfect men, not rich men, but good men. Those for whom we vouch for must possess a sincere sense of integrity, honesty, loyalty, and respect for self and others. To vouch for anyone lacking in these qualities is to bring in weak timber for the construction the temple. We must inform new brothers, that to travel the road of Masonry, one must be a constant seeker of light. Learning is a life-long process, and we must never become content with a superficial understanding of our ritual or our rites. Moreover, it is the responsibility of the voucher, and learned brothers to provide wise counsel, and the master of the lodge to give proper instructions for their labors. A Mason is one that not only seeks light, but imparts light in dark places. If your character and intentions are dark, you cannot be a light in this world. For we have come to learn that there are two types of people in this world, those who can brighten a room when they enter, and those that can do the same by leaving, the question is, which one are you? My Brothers, we have reflected on our glorious past, and contemplated the challenges of our present, it is now time for us look to our future. Some may ask, is there a future for Prince Hall masonry? I reply that we are needed now, just as in the past, if not more. Our work is incomplete, because we still have not found that which has been lost. Just as the craftsmen were searching for the master builder who was assailed by ignorance, fear and jealousy, rendered dead, and left in an undesirable place, so too has the Black man in America. Just as our Most Excellent Grand Master endeavored to raise our fallen ancient brother, we in this day must lift up and resurrect the Black man from a dead level to a state of consciousness. My brothers the very legend that we reenact is more than words in a book, it is our story! This my brothers is why we must practice the ABC’s of Prince Hall masonry, we must Awaken our Brother’s Consciousness.
The Pituitary Body (which rests in the sella turcica of the sphenoid bone directly behind and just a little below the bridge of the nose and connected to the 3rd ventricle by a tiny tube called the infundibulum) is the feminine pole, or negative center, which has the charge of the expressions of physical energy. It’s activity also regulates to a large degree the size and weight of the body. It is also a thermometer revealing disorder in any other of the chain of ductless glands. Endocrinology (the study of the ductless glands and their secretions) is still in its embryonic stage; but some day it will be revealed as the most important of all medical sciences. The pituitary body is known under the following symbols by the ancient world: The Alchemical retort, the Mouth of the Dragon, the Virgin Mary, the Holy Grail, the Lunar crescent, the Laver of Purification, one of the cherubim of the Ark, the Isis of Egypt, the Radha of India, the Fishes mouth. It may well be called the hope of glory of the physical man.
At the opposite end of the 3rd ventricle and a little higher is the Pineal Gland, which looks not unlike a pine cone (from it which it secured its name). The Egyptian custom of tying pine cones on the tops of their heads. In the Papyrus rolls these cones are fastened to the tops of the heads of the dead when taken into the presence of Osiris, lord of the underworld. Undoubtedly this symbol referred to the pineal gland. It is interesting that the American Indian should wear his feather—which was originally symbolical of his Christ—in the same place where the Christian monk shaved his head. The African tribes fastened a piece of Fat to the tops of their heads, and allowed it to melt in the sun and run down over them, as a part of their religious observance. The Hindus teach that the pineal gland is the 3rd eye, called the “Eye of Dangma.” It is called by the Buddhists the “Eye Single.” We are told that ages ago the pineal gland was an organ of sense orientation by which man cognized the spiritual world, but that with the coming of the material senses and the two objective eyes, it ceases to be used and during the time of the Lemurian race retreated to its present position in the brain. It is said that the children, recapitulating in childhood their previous periods of evolution, have limited use of the third eye up to their seventh year, at which time the skull bones grow together
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