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A Window for FreemasonryVol. 37 No. 2 MAY 2006

Sovereign Grand Commander

Walter E. Webber1943 - 2006

THE

7 Capital Campaign Begins • 11 What’s in a Name • 12 Masonic Word Math• 13 The Heritage Shop • 14 Notes from the Masonic Learning Centers •25 New Membership Video Released • 25 2006 Valley Incentive Program Of-fers Computer Equipment • 27 Quick Quotes • 29 Strategic Plan for 32° Ma-sons • 30 Hiram • 30 On the Lighter Side

2 THE NORTHERN LIGHT / MAY 2006

MAY 2006 Volume 37 No. 2

Features

3 Sovereign Grand Commander

18 Notes from the Southern Jurisdiction

19 Brothers on the Net

20 Scottish Rite Charities

21 The Stamp Act

22 Book Nook

24 HealthWise

26 Views from the Past

28 Today’s Family

30 Readers Respond

31 Footnotes

Also:

4 Red Skelton Comes Home

by David C. Goodnow, 33°Indiana center to be dedicated toAmerica’s clown.

SUPREME COUNCIL, 33°Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite

Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A.

SOVEREIGN GRAND COMMANDERJohn Wm. McNaughton, 33°

THE NORTHERN LIGHT (ISSN 1088-4416) is published quarterly in February, May,August, and November by the Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite,Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A., as the official publication. Printed in U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA, and at additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Northern Light, PO Box 519, Lexington,MA 02420-0519.Copyright © 2006 by Trustees of the Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A.

EDITORRichard H. Curtis, 33°

ASSISTANT EDITORAlan E. Foulds

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTSSonja B. Faiola & Beth E. McSweeney

MEDIA ADVISORY COMMITTEEStephen E. Carpenter, 33°, chairman

Richard V. Travis, 33°Donald D. Thomas, 33°

William Fox Jr., 33°Lawrence D. Inglis, 33°

William L. McCarrier, 33°Frank R. Preble, 33°

Mailing Address:PO Box 519, Lexington, MA 02420-0519

Editorial Office:33 Marrett Road (Route 2A)

Lexington, Massachusetts 02421781-862-4410

Fax: 781-863-1833e-mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.supremecouncil.org

THEA Window for Freemasonry

16

Sowing the Seeds of Liberty

New American Revolution exhibition coming the the National HeritageMuseum.

6

Setting An Example to Follow

by Richard H. Curtis, 33°Commander Webber’s brief tenureprovides legacy for the future.

Columns

Don’t Forget Addie Joss

by William J. SwartzAnother Mason on the mound.

4

6

10

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A Window for FreemasonryVol. 37 No. 2 MAY 2006

Sovereign Grand Commander

Walter E. Webber1943 - 2006

16

Illustrious Walter E. Webber, 33°

July 31, 1943 – April 22, 2006

MAY 2006 / THE NORTHERN LIGHT 3

The smile was genuine. It radiated with en-thusiasm and carried with it a positive outlookon life.

Even when he discovered a year ago thatcancer was attempting to change his life, herefused to accept defeat. With a firm determi-nation to find a way to beat this dreadfuldisease, Walter E. Webber acceptedaggressive treatments last sum-mer realizing that the percent-age of success was still beingtested.

He wanted to interrupttreatments in late Augustso that he could fulfill hisduties as Sovereign GrandCommander at theSupreme Council annualmeeting in Grand Rapids.Doctors strongly advisedagainst it because the pro-cedures had reduced hisresistance to infection. Hebacked off, completed the med-ical plan, and returned to theoffice by early September.

Defeat was not in his vocabulary. Med-ical professionals were amazed at his resilience.He was able to spend long hours at the officeand appeared to be getting back on track. Heresumed his speaking engagements, convincedthat he was on the road to recovery.

But by early April he began to feel weaker.After the doctors performed another battery oftests, he was told that the earlier procedureswere not producing the anticipated results andthe cancer had once again begun to take hold.

He was told that he had only a matter ofmonths to get things in order.

Walter was in the process of making neces-sary arrangements when he underwent still an-other series of tests. By mid-April he was toldthat the cancer was spreading faster than ex-

pected and he had only a few weeks tolive. In less than a week, the

“weeks” became “days.”The Masonic world wasshocked when the news of

his death came on Saturday,April 22. Those who sawhim just months agocould not believe that lifehad been taken awayfrom this robust manwith the pleasant smileand upbeat appearance.He maintained his compo-

sure to the end.Just as his life was cut

short, so too was his term asSovereign Grand Commander.

In less than three years, he hadbegun to set in place his plans for

the future direction of the Scottish Rite.There was not sufficient time for him to see hisgoals reach fruition. He has left that part for allof us to complete.

May we pick up the working tools that hehas laid down and move forward with a gen-uine smile, a radiant enthusiasm and a positiveoutlook on life.

Richard H. Curtis, 33°Editor


Red SkeltonComesHome

By DAVID C. GOODNOW, 33°

Indiana center to be dedicatedto “America’s Clown”

The new Red Skelton PerformingArts Center honoring America’sclown will be the centerpiece of

the first annual Red Skelton festival andgrand opening gala in Vincennes, Indi-ana, June 10 and 11.

The late Ill. Richard Bernard “Red”Skelton, 33°, the local boy who madegood, would be delighted.

The celebration on Saturday morn-ing, June 10, will begin with a two-milelong Parade of a Thousand Clowns,floats and bands.

The Grand Marshals will be Mrs. RedSkelton and Red’s daughter Valentinariding in Red’s big red Mercedes withthe Smothers Brothers as HonoraryGrand Marshals.

The celebration then continues with adowntown street festival of tours, food,arts and crafts.

Scottish Rite Masons, Shrine Circusclowns and other members will be therein the long procession as well as otherjesters from near and far.

The Parade of a Thousand Clownswill embody what Red always said hewanted to be — just a clown.

For anyone with the urge to wear abig red nose, this is made to order.

Saturday evening, the events beginat the Red Skelton Performing Arts Cen-ter on the campus of historic VincennesUniversity where the big new $17 mil-lion state-of-the-art theatre complex willplay host to headline acts the SmothersBrothers and famed Red Skelton im-personator Tom Mullica.

Vincennes University alumni who arenow professional New York performerswill also return to entertain.

That is just Day One.Then, Sunday, June 11, will be “Red

on the Green” family day on the lawnand patio at the center.

Arts and crafts, food, the Hasty Pud-ding Puppet Company, face painting,clowns and more entertainers are instore.

At 3:00 pm, impersonator Tom Mul-lica will present another show portray-ing Red’s most famous characters.

Red had been honored numeroustimes over the years in his southwesternIndiana hometown.

But his fondest hope was to havesome permanent honor in the historicold French city.

The wish came true and he might beastounded that the new Red SkeltonPerforming Arts Center sits just one

block from his birth home.Mrs. Lothian Skelton has donated $3

million worth of items her husband cre-ated over the years.

These include his costumes, scripts,paintings, songs, symphonies, stories,poems and items he acquired fromother famed comedians.

The center is the largest site of RedSkelton memorabilia anywhere. It issaid he copyrighted about 15,000 cre-ations.

The Saturday evening gala will notonly honor America’s clown but alsohelp the volunteers, “Red’s Friends,”

ILL. DAVID C. GOODNOW, 33°, is an Indiana native and aformer CNN anchor. He is also an honorary member ofVincennes Lodge No. 1.

More information, includingclown participantregistration, is availableonline at redskelton.vinu.eduor call the VincennesUniversity ticket officetoll-free 1-800-889-1396.

The building and grounds at the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center.

raise funds to build the Red SkeltonMuseum adjacent to the performingarts center.

The entire collection of Red’s itemswill then be on display.

The gala will not only highlight Red’samazing career but also his humble be-ginnings as the youngest of four broth-ers growing up in deprived circum-stances with their widowed mother.

His father, a former circus clown, haddied before Red was born and the littleboy had to work to help support thefamily.

By the early 1920s, the eight-year-oldwas doing his part by selling newspa-pers on Vincennes’ Main Street near thePantheon, a busy vaudeville theatre.

He yearned to buy a ticket but moneywas scarce.

Red knew how to draw a crowd byhawking the latest headlines. As cus-tomers read the news, he would offer tostand on his head for an extra nickel.

One day would be a turning point inRed’s life.

As he went through his newspaperroutine, an onlooker asked what he wasdoing.

Red replied he was earning moneyfor his family and hoped to get a littleextra to see the famous Ed Wynn thenappearing at the Pantheon.

The man then bought all the papersand told the boy to get a ticket and re-turn for the show.

That evening the excited paperboyreturned to the theatre and saw thesame man who then introduced himselfas none other than Ed Wynn.

Red’s jaw dropped as the star tookhim backstage to see other performersand look through the curtain at the au-dience then filling every seat.

It was a day neither star would forget

and the beginning of a world-famouscareer.

The comedy, acting and clowningbugs had bitten Red in earnest that dayand he made up his mind this was whathe had to do.

By 1928, Red was on the road makingpeople laugh, the goal he’d often re-peated to friends.

He even clowned in the Hagenbeck &Wallace Circus, the same show in whichhis father had appeared years before.

Time passed and Red’s fame spreadas he appeared in movies and on radio.

He petitioned to become a Freemasonin 1939 and his journey began as amember of Vincennes Lodge No. 1.

He completed all memory work inthree days’ time, a feat still rememberedin the 206-year-old lodge.

As years passed, his Masonic awardsheld great importance for him.

The many honors included the rareScottish Rite Gourgas Medal, the high-est honor accorded by the NMJ; the 33°in the Valley of Evansville, Indiana, andthe 50-year Award of Gold presentedby Vincennes Lodge No. 1.

His generosity was legendary and in-cluded the Red Skelton Needy Chil-dren’s Christmas Fund for Vincennesschool children established in 1963. Thecharity is still active today.

The Red Skelton Show ran on net-work TV for 20 years, second longest ofany series.

It was one of many achievements andhonors settled upon him as a clown, co-median, Freemason, gifted artist, musi-cal composer and humanitarian.

The honors served notice that Amer-ica had given a unique treasure to allwhose nature would respond to laugh-ter, generosity and hope.


A few of the many characters Red Skelton portrayed during his career.

The auditorium at the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center in Vincennes, Indiana.

San Fernando Red Junior the Mean Widdle Kid Freddie the Freeloader Clem Kadiddlehopper

Sowing theSeeds ofLiberty New American Revolution exhibtion

coming to the National Heritage Museum

After the first shots of the Ameri-can Revolution were fired onLexington Common, patriot

Samuel Adams described the event as“a glorious morning for America.”

Others were more somber, calling theresulting conflict a “most unnaturalcivil war between Great Britain andAmerica.”

From either view, the battle that tookplace at Lexington, Massachusetts, onthe morning of April 19, 1775, still cap-tures the American imagination.

“Sowing the Seeds of Liberty: Lex-ington and the American Revolution,”the National Heritage Museum’s up-coming cornerstone exhibition, is beingdesigned to stimulate new ways ofthinking about a crucial event thatshaped our national story.

While describing the battle and theevents that led to it, the exhibition willalso explain why people in a smallfarming community were willing totake up arms against their own coun-trymen and the world’s most powerfularmy.

Through an engaging mix of objects,documents, images, re-creations, inter-active elements, and sound, visitors willwitness how the lives of everyday peo-ple were influenced by the larger worldaround them, even as their own choices,large and small, were shaping thecourse of history.

The museum’s exhibition, due toopen in April 2007, will be presented inthematic sections.

It Happened HereFirst, the museum visitor will be in-

troduced to the familiar story of the Bat-tle at Lexington.

Every schoolchild has been taughtthe basics but here it is brought to lifethrough everyday events and lives.

Among the items on display will be aplow reportedly left in the field by JohnCurtis of Boxford when he responded tothe alarm of April 19.

The opening vignette provides animportant starting point for further in-vestigation into the reasons why andhow such an extraordinary event couldhave begun in a small town of ordinaryfarmers.

What Were Colonists Defending?Moving into the second area of the

exhibition the visitor will see whatcaused everyday citizens to risk theirlives, their fortunes and their sacredhonor, as Thomas Jefferson would later

characterize it. Most Americans are familiar with the

term “No taxation without representa-tion,” but to a modern audience, thisabstract concept may not seem reasonenough to go to war.

As the colonists’ daily lives are ex-amined, and the ways in which theyfelt threatened by new taxes andchanges in government are portrayed,this vignette shows why they were will-ing to take up arms against their mothercountry.

It also shows how Great Britain’s dis-play of force made New Englanders feeltheir lifestyles were threatened and howthe bonds with a government so faraway were loosened.


Print by Amos Doolittle titled “The Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775.” Cour-tesy of the Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, CT.

The section begins in a re-createdcolonial farm kitchen.

The kitchen scene highlights the factthat those in America participated inboth a local and world economy. Thevisitor can examine various agriculturalproducts and contrast locally made andpurchased goods with imported ones.

Colonists bought and sold goodswith neighbors, with shopkeepers inBoston, and with British merchants.

Moving from home to town, the ex-hibition provides an overview of theself-government that the colonists hadbecome accustomed to.

Next, the visitor is introduced to thechanges brought on by such British dic-tates as the Townshend Acts and theStamp Act.

The colonists, with good reason,feared the loss of self-determination.

Avideo presentation, illustrated withpolitical cartoons and other primarysources, will examine those laws, theresults, and the reactions, such as theBoston Tea Party.

The Farmers’ RevoltAnother vignette is designed to

demonstrate how ordinary people andordinary events shaped the future.

Long before the first shots were fired,colonists were resisting British rule inmany ways.

There were boycotts against taxedgoods. Weapons stockpiles were cre-ated, and local militias were trained andprepared for resistance.

In this portion of the exhibition, wesee how farmers and craftspeople lived,

through their tools and images relatedto their activities.

A highlight is selections from thewheelwright shop of John Parker, cap-

tain of Lexington’s militia. Objects andimages from a colonial meetinghousewill describe Rev. Jonas Clarke’s role asthe voice of moral and spiritual au-thority that helped unify the town.

This part of the display transitions totreatment of the town military pre-paredness as mandated by the Provin-cial Congress’ committee of safety.

Examples of the arms stockpiled innearby Concord are featured.

Visitors will see how the 77 men whoassembled on Lexington’s common inthe early morning of April 19 had beenpreparing for the possibility of armedconflict with British soldiers for manymonths.

Confrontation on the CommonAnother section provides full details

of the events of April 18-19, 1775, in-cluding Paul Revere’s alarm ride intotown, the British march from Boston,the battle on Lexington Common, andthe march back to Boston. ➤


“The Bloody Massacre, 1770,”by Paul Revere. National Heritage Museum.

Plow, ca. 1775. This plow is said tohave been left in a field by JohnCurtis of Boxford, MA, when he

responded to the alarm of April 19,1775. Courtesy of the

Peabody Essex Museum.

➤ John Hancock’s trunk is one of theobjects in this section. The trunk wasoriginally filled with important papersand hidden near the militia’s meetingplace by the Common. Paul Reverespirited it away during the battle.

The visitor will also see firearms likethose used in the battle, portraits of pa-triots Revere, Hancock, Sam Adamsand other key participants, and con-temporary prints depicting the battlescene.

Supplementary stories include thatof the Loring sisters, who hid church sil-ver from the retreating British army anda display of tools and clock parts simi-

lar to those stolen from the Mullikenfamily’s clockmaking shop before theretreating army burned it down.

The section ends by linking the day’sevents with the larger national story.Visitors can see the ramifications of theBattle of Lexington on the local, na-tional, and international levels.

Also examined is the spreading of thenews from Lexington to New Englandand beyond.

Broadsides, prints, and other propa-ganda generated in the days followingthe battle show how both sides at-tempted to win hearts and minds.

Finally, this section looks at when and

how the battle at Lexington becameknown as the beginning of the Ameri-can Revolution.

Enduring SymbolsThe conclusion will examine how the

Battle of Lexington has been used as asymbol of freedom and Americanideals.

The visitor should leave the exhibi-tion with a better understanding of theevents of that April so long ago andhow they relate to Americans and peo-ple throughout the world today.


CURRICULA

A set of curricula, developedin conjunction with the exhi-bition will be put to use inschools throughout the coun-try. It conforms to guidelinesendorsed by the NationalCouncil of Social Studies andthe National Council for His-tory Education.

Plate imported from Britain toAmerica, ca. 1760. National Heritage Museum.

The National Heritage Museum is located on thegrounds of Supreme Council headquarters and is

one of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction’s four maincharities. It is free and open to the public year-roundexcept Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and NewYear’s Day. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.

For information on exhibitions and special events, visitthe museum online at:

nationalheritagemuseum.org


In describing the National HeritageMuseum at Lexington, MA, StevePekock, director of development forthe Supreme Council, said, “It wasborn of two parents.

One is the Scottish Rite family andthe other is Lexington and its sur-roundings, where the idea of Ameri-can liberty was born.”

This year those same “parents” areworking together in raising $440,000to create a major exhibition for the in-stitution and a companion curriculumcalled “Seeds of Liberty.”

The National Heritage Museumwas opened in April of 1975 as a bi-centennial gift to the nation from theScottish Rite Masons of the NorthernMasonic Jurisdiction.

Located on the grounds of SupremeCouncil headquarters it is one of theRite’s four main charities.

The new cornerstone exhibition isdesigned to explain the battle of Lex-ington and Concord, the crucialevents that led to it, and its evolutioninto a full-scale revolution, which re-sulted in a new nation.

It also explores the role of Freema-sonry in the birth of our country,through the involvement of such nota-bles as George Washington, John Han-cock, Paul Revere, James Otis, andJoseph Warren.

The curriculum, developed in con-junction with the physical displays,will be made available for use inschools throughout the country.

Ill. Forrest D. McKerley, 33°, of NewHampshire, general chairman of thecampaign to make the plan a reality,says that he envisions the work in thecoming months as “shared involve-ment between Masons and the com-munity.”

Those sentiments are echoed byLexington resident Elsa Sullivan, whohas agreed to head up the committeeof local volunteers.

She says, “Like Freedom, this mu-seum is not really free. There may beno admission price, but it takes hardwork and commitment, both in time

and money, to make it work and toallow it to grow.”

She also said, “It may be the Masonswho built it and maintain it, but thosewho frequent its galleries justifiablyfeel that it is theirs as well.”

She has already been successful inrecruiting movers and shakers in theLexington area community to helpwith the project.

Ill. Philip L. Hall, 33°, heads up thecampaign among the Masonic com-munity. Together with Bro. McKerley,he is encouraged by early do-nations, giving the campaign asolid head start.

The new exhibition, whichwill tell the story of the begin-nings of the American Revolu-tion — events that took placeless than a mile from the mu-seum — replaces “LexingtonAlarm’d,” which has reached asimilar audience for severalyears.

The older display opened in1995 and has served well. Sincethat time, though, many user-friendly video technologieshave been developed that willallow the new state-of-the-artexhibition to give the visitor anenhanced experience.

It is anticipated that “Seedsof Liberty” will attract morethan a million visitors duringits lifetime, projected to theyear 2013.

The fund-raising campaign isan ambitious one. “Seeds ofLiberty” is scheduled to openthe week of April 19, 2007 —the 232nd anniversary of thefamous battle and the 32nd an-niversary of the opening of themuseum.

According to the campaigncommittee, a number of recog-nition opportunities, bothwithin the exhibition and onprinted materials and throughadvertisements, will be avail-able.

Pledges of up to three years willalso be accepted.

To get involved with this new era atour museum, contact Bro. StevePekock, director of development at(800) 814-1432 ext. 3326.

According to the project overview“It will provide the visitor with an in-teractive experience. As a long-termexhibition, it will provide opportuni-ties for people of all ages to learnabout the roots of the Revolution andof our nation.”

Capital Campaign BeginsRaising funds for new Nat ional Her i tage

Museum history exhibi t ion

In The Northern Light of May2005, Alan Foulds authoreda very interesting article

called Mason on the Mound. Itfocuses on Cy Young, one ofthe all time great major leaguepitchers.

Foulds mentions CyYoung’s record total of 511wins and that pitching awardstoday bear his name.

He also states that manytoday still consider him tohave been “the greatest pitch-er in the early part of the 20thcentury.”

It would be difficult to takeissue with this premise. In-deed, most fans feel thatYoung’s total wins record willnever be surpassed, and thattoday’s Cy Young Awards ap-propriately keep alive thememories of a great performer.

Foulds proceeds to discussthe merits of Rube Waddell, achallenger of Young’s superi-ority, and adds, “Throughoutthe first decade of the 20thcentury, debate raged as towho was the superior player.”

In the first decade of the20th century, another chal-lenger of Cy Young certainlydeserves attention.

Adrian “Addie” Joss was a32° Scottish Rite and York Rite Mason.He also belonged to the Mystic Shrine.

Born in Woodland, Wisconsin, in1880, Joss grew to manhood in nearbyJuneau, and signed his first profes-sional baseball contract with the minorleague Toledo Mudhens.

After pitching for Toledo in 1900and 1901, he signed with the American

League Cleveland Blue-birds (later Naps, now Indi-ans).

Joss pitched brilliantlyfor Cleveland in the nineyears 1902-10. He was ex-pected to pitch Cleveland’sopening game in 1911.

On the team’s northwardtrip after spring training,Joss was stricken with tu-bercular meningitis. Hedied a few days later.

Because his career wasrelatively short, Joss’s totalsare not outstanding.

However, in his nine-year career, he recorded su-perb numbers.

For many years, electionrules of the National Base-ball Hall of Fame requiredservice in ten major leagueseasons.

In Addie’s case, it wasclear that only the ten-yearrule precluded his election.

In 1977 this rule was re-laxed, providing the possi-bility of a waiver in the caseof deserving players whosecareers were shortened byillness, injury, or death.

In 1978 he was elected,inducted, and took hisrightful place in the Hall ofFame alongside Cy Young,

Rube Waddell, and many other greatperformers.

The Young versus Waddell debate inthe first decade of the 20th century hasbeen mentioned.

Rube Waddell’s major league careerspanned 13 seasons. He spent his lastnine seasons in the American League.

Those seasons, 1902-10, coincide ex-actly with Joss’s nine-year AmericanLeague career, so a fair comparison of


Don’tForgetAddie Joss

By WILLIAM J. SWARTZ

Another Mason on the mound

WILLIAM J. SWARTZ is retired from the faculty of Montana State University. He is an avid baseball fan and cousin of Joss.

Adrian “Addie” Joss, photo from the National BaseballHall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY.

their numbers can be made.The omission of Waddell’s four

years in the National League will dohim no disservice for he had a losingrecord in those years.

Joss had 160 wins and 97 losses for awinning percentage of 62.2. Waddell’srecord was 164 and 111 for 59.6 per-cent.

Joss’s earned run average was 1.88,Waddell’s was 2.37. The numbers forhits plus bases on balls allowed pernine innings were Joss 8.71 and Wad-dell 9.69.

Joss gave up 1.41 walks per nine in-nings; Waddell yielded 2.40. Ninetypercent of Joss’s starts produced com-plete games.

Waddell’s figure was 75 percent. OfJoss’s complete games, 28.1 percentwere shutouts. Waddell’s shutout per-centage was 28.7.

Joss struck out 3.56 batters per nineinnings. In this area, Waddell excelledby fanning 7.34. Joss’s career earnedrun average of 1.88 is the all time sec-ond best, surpassed only by EdWalsh’s 1.82.

His 1.41 bases on balls per nine in-nings rate him as one of the greatestcontrol pitchers of major league base-ball’s modern era. (Prior to 1893 thepitcher’s mound was only 50 feet fromhome plate.)

Joss’s 8.71 hits plus walks per nineinnings is the all-time best, makinghim the most difficult pitcher in histo-ry to reach base against.

Fred Lieb, a noted baseball writerand historian whose career spannedmore than 70 years, and was a mem-ber of the Veterans Committee that

elected Joss, said, “he was the bestpitcher in the first quarter-century ofthe American League.

Foulds details an historic match-upof Cy Young and Rube Waddell inMay 1904. Young was the winner, au-thoring the first perfect game in base-ball’s modem era.

In 1908, Joss pitched the second per-fect game. His mound foe that day

was most formidable — Chicago’s EdWalsh who won 40 games that year.Walsh’s performance in losing 1-0 wasoutstanding: 15 strikeouts, four hitsand one unearned run.

Joss’s perfect effort was particularlyremarkable since it occurred on Octo-ber 2 during the pressure of an ex-tremely close pennant race involvingCleveland, Chicago, and Detroit.

Arthur Daley, writing in the NewYork Times Magazine, April 17, 1949, la-beled this game as one of baseball’s“Ten Greatest Moments.” Joss pitchedanother no-hit, no-run game in 1910.

Scott Longert, in his Joss biography,“King of the Pitchers,” describes sev-eral Joss-Young and Joss-Waddellmatch-ups.

The first Joss versus Waddell en-counter did not occur under the aus-pices of organized baseball.

In 1901, after winning 27 games forToledo, Joss returned to Wisconsin atthe end of the season and pitched sev-eral games for Racine’s semi-pro team.

Racine then claimed the unofficialWisconsin semi-pro championship.Nearby Kenosha disputed this claim,

and a late October game to settle thematter was scheduled in Racine.

To oppose Joss, Kenosha reachedinto the major leagues and engagedthe services of Rube Waddell, then theproperty of Chicago’s NationalLeague team.

Joss prevailed 4-2, giving up the tworuns on Waddell’s second inningtriple.

Foulds contrasts Young’s steady de-meanor with the flamboyant and un-predictable temperament of Waddell.

In this regard, Joss resembled CyYoung. Addie was quiet, unassuming,and never sought headlines. He wasmodest in victory, never blamed histeammates for a defeat, and foundgood in every person he met.

His name is mostly forgotten today.He pitched many decades ago, his ca-reer was rather short, and he neverhad a chance to pitch in a World Se-ries.

It is tragic and rather ironic thatsome of his greatest publicity was oc-casioned by his untimely death.

Yet, in his time, he did not toil inanonymity. Midway through his ca-reer he accepted off-season employ-ment with the Toledo News Bee, servingas their Sunday sports editor.

His writing was favorably regarded,and it appeared that he had found acareer to pursue after his playing daysended.

In addition to being Brothers in Ma-sonry, Cy Young and Joss were closefriends, even prior to Young leavingBoston and joining the Naps in 1909.

In 1910 they were roommates. The➤


“”

It is tragic and rather ironic that some of his greatest publicity was occasioned by his untimely death.

The Cleveland American League franchise has had several namesthroughout its history. When Addie Joss began his career there theclub was called the Bluebirds or Blues. A year later, according tothebaseballpage.com, “team members voted to scrap the sissyname” and went with Broncos. In 1903 the club honored star playerNap Lajoie by calling the team the “Naps.” When Lajoie left Cleve-land in 1914 it prompted yet another name change — this time toIndians. Why Indians? There are a couple of theories. One says thatit was to honor Louis Sockalexis, thought to be the first Native Amer-ican to play pro baseball. Another says that it was chosen becauseof the “Miracle Braves,” Boston’s National League club which hadfinished in last place six years out of eight, when the team miracu-lously won the pennant and swept the 1914 World Series.

What’s In a Name?

➤ next spring it was Cy Young whoaccompanied Addie’s mother andwidow to Joss’s funeral service.

In 1951 Wisconsin’s Hall of Famewas dedicated. Cy Young, at age 84,traveled to Milwaukee to representAddie and unveil the Joss plaque.

Joss and Waddell were also goodfriends. At the time of Joss’s passing,the Toledo News Bee quoted Waddell assaying, “Ad and I were close friends,and to be a friend of his really meantsomething.”

Rube went on to recall first meetingAddie at the Racine-Kenosha gameand said, “I believe it was the greatestbattle I was ever in.”

After Joss’s death, the Clevelandowners arranged a benefit game, theproceeds to go to Addie’s widow andtwo young children.

It was played on July 24, 1911, inCleveland, a day when no AmericanLeague games were scheduled.

The Cleveland team played an ag-

gregation of the American League’soutstanding players.

Their roster included Ty Cobb, TrisSpeaker, Eddie Collins, Home RunBaker, Hal Chase, Sam Crawford,Bobby Wallace, Walter Johnson, andSmokey Joe Wood.

All are in the Hall of Fame today. Itwas the greatest collection of Ameri-can League talent ever to appear inuniform on a baseball diamond.

Some have described it as the major

leagues’ first All-Star game. It empha-sized the esteem in which Joss washeld by fans, teammates, and even di-amond foes.

Ty Cobb was generally consideredhot tempered and vindictive, with fewfriends in baseball.

Yet Cobb and his wife sent a floraloffering to Joss’s funeral service. Cobbnot only played in the benefit game,but also purchased several hundredgame tickets to increase the proceedsfor Joss’s family.

He had very kind words for Joss,touted his defensive abilities and de-scribed him as “a fifth infielder.”

Not surprising, bunting for a basehit was a favorite ploy of Ty Cobb.Cobb’s .367 career batting average isthe best ever. Facing Joss, he batted.233.

Joss died two days after his 31stbirthday on April 14, 1911. The funeralservices were held at the Toledo Ma-sonic Temple under the auspices of theAncient Accepted Scottish Rite andToledo Commandery Knights Tem-plar.

When considering the greatestpitchers of the early 20th century, oneshould not overlook Addie Joss, an-other Mason on the mound.


“”

Ad and I wereclose friends,and to be afriend of hisreally meantsomething.

— Rube Waddell

MASONICWORD MATH

How to solve: Start with the first word. Add to itthe letters of the second word. Then add or sub-tract the letters of the following words. Total theremaining letters and unscramble them to find aword

( D R E A M E R S ) + ( M O D E R N I S T I C ) –

(ROMAN) + (MANDATE) – (REST) +

(SAIL) – (DEMAND) – (SLIME) +

(MEASURE) – (SUITES)

Clue for this puzzle appears on page 26.Answer from previous issue: TENETS

=

League Park, home of Cleveland’s American League baseball teamduring “Addie” Joss’ career.

— J

EF

FS

UN

TALA

ww

w.s

unta

la.c

om


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Without intending to do so, weoften reduce students at our learningcenters to numbers and statistics.

Occasionally when we hear a suc-cess story firsthand from a child orparent we again become aware of ex-actly why our centers have been es-tablished and what they can accom-plish.

For a boy named Mark results fromthe program are more than case stud-ies and graphs. His life has beenchanged for the better.

His parents relate the followingstory, thanking the Scottish Rite Ma-sons, and center director Gina Cookein particular for all that has beendone.

“We were all at a boy scout meetingand one of the den leaders calledabout six boys up to the front to helphim out. (There were about 50 peoplein the audience).

“Greg, Lauren, Alex and I were sit-ting in the back row. Mark was one ofthe boys called up. The den leaderthen asked the boys (In a very loudvoice) . . .

“I hope you guys can all read. Ofcourse you can. You aren’t a bunch ofdummies are you? All of our heartsdropped. I looked at Mark and he justhad this look of fear on his face. I did

not know what to do. Greg went up tothe front and stood behind Mark andquietly asked him if he needed help.Greg told me Mark said to him, ‘Don’tworry Dad. I can do this.’

“Mark stood in front of 50 peopleand all of his peers and read. We havenever been more proud of Mark. Be-cause of the center Mark has gonefrom being a shy little boy that could

not read at all to a very self-confidentboy who can read.

“I think I have always overpro-tected Mark, as I never wanted him toget hurt.

“But on that day we saw Mark dif-ferently than we have ever seen him— confident and not afraid to take achance. Thank you, Gina, for all thatyou have done for Mark.”


Throughout the spring Bro.Joseph J. Berlandi, 32°, director ofthe 32° Masonic Learning Centersfor Children, Inc., and Bro. StevePekock, 32°, have been travelingthroughout the jurisdiction meetingwith boards of governors from allthe centers.

A primary purpose of the confer-ences is to provide the latest infor-mation on the learning center pro-gram. The meetings also offer aforum for addressing any issues orconcerns of the local boards.

The new format for meeting withthe centers includes a greater num-ber of attendees, so that more voicescan be heard. Berlandi says, “This isa departure from our annual confer-ences where we invited only thosechairing the boards, together with

the center directors, to a multi-dayconference.”

A major topic of discussion con-cerns the importance of fund-raisingby the boards of governors and Val-leys where centers are located, inorder for each center to be self-sup-porting and self-sustaining. Boththe reasons to be actively involvedin fund-raising and programs avail-able to assist in this endeavor weretopics of discussion.

The regional conferences havebeen well attended and, accordingto the director, “very productiveand informative.” Bro. Berlandi hasbeen impressed with the efforts ofmembers of the boards of gover-nors, saying, “Without their dedica-tion and commitment the programwould not be the success that it is.”

One Child’s Story

32° Masonic Learning Centersfor Children, Inc.

Regional Conferences Conducted

With 52 learning centers already open, the programis expanding once again. Six new locations are invarying states of readiness.

In Peoria, Illinois, Gina Cooke has agreed to be cen-ter director, moving over from Chicago. The centerwill be open in time for the start of the summer pro-gram.

Heather Petrucelli, currently in Canton, Ohio, will

direct the new Akron center, which will open inSeptember.

Philadelphia has been approved and is waiting fora floor plan and pre-opening budget. Funds arebeing raised for Danville, Illinois. To date no directorhas been chosen.

Interim locations have been chosen for bothWilliamsport, Pennsylvania, and Springfield, Illinois.

Six New Learning Centers for 2006


In 2007 the learning centers willsee a new twist in the walks tohelp children with dyslexia. Cur-rently in the works is a relay runevent including the PennsylvaniaValleys of Reading, Allentown,and Bloomsburg. Originating atthe Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, itwill conclude in Reading.

Expected are more than 400relay teams of 12 runners each.The relay event is intended to raise

much needed funding, allowingthe learning centers program tocontinue its expansion and to en-hance public awareness of the in-valuable services provided.

Although the inaugural run islimited to the three Pennsylvaniacities, plans are in the works toexpand the event in 2008 and be-yond, to include all centers withinthe 15-state Northern MasonicJurisdiction.

K E E P I N G U P T H E P A C EThe running of the famed Boston Marathon is

a tradition that dates back to 1897. Followingvirtually the same course for more than a cen-tury it is a must race for anyone serious aboutthe sport.

Also a tradition now for several years is theparticipation by the 32˚ Masonic Learning Cen-ters for Children. Each year directors, tutors,and others have taken part, while raising moneyfor the centers they represent.

The 2006 edition was no exception as 16 run-ners from the centers were among the 20,000who started in the suburban town of Hopkinton,MA, and ran the 26.2 miles to Boston.

Returning from last year’s race were Kurt Wal-born, Randy Bachman, Arnie Grot, Loren Winn,John Heycock, Thomas McClintock, and GeorgeTournas.

*Kurt A. Walborn Ft . Wayne 3:08.50*Randy Q. Bachman Cinc innat i 3 :28.46

Arn ie Grot Waterbury 4:51:09Loren W inn Detro i t 4 :33:43Rhonda Clout ier Detro i t 5 :01:01John Heycock Harr i sburg 5:10:00Thomas McCl intock Boston 4:04:54Marcus Hol l iday Wi lmington 4:21:07George Tournas Lowel l 4 :51:19Dean W i l son Mi lwaukee 4:51:37Cath leen Samborsk i Worcester 4:46:38Mary Ba l l Worcester 4:02:41Douglas McCready Columbus 5 :47:19J im White South Bend 4:56:21Dav id Ingham Reading 4:34:58

*J im Winker Freeport 3:12:53

* These runners received numbers by meeting strict BAA qualifying times. .

As plans are formulated for thisyear’s charity walks, those inter-ested in volunteering or participat-ing are reminded that the latestcontact and scheduling informationcan be found at dyslexiawalk.org.Information concerning the learn-ing centers is available at:childrenslearningcenters.org.

Legendary runner Bill Rogers (center), four-time winner of the Bostonand New York City marathons, is flanked by Kurt Walborn (left) andRandy Bachman (right).

Race Results :

ON THE WEBRELAY RUN NEXT YEAR


SettingAn ExampleTo Follow

By RICHARD H. CURTIS, 33°

Commander Webber’s brief tenure provides legacy for the future

When Sovereign Grand Com-mander Walter E. Webber,33°, set sail on his final voy-

age on April 22, the words of AlfredLord Tennyson came to mind. Com-mander Webber loved the coast ofMaine and he had a fascination withships.

Although Tennyson’s poem, “Cross-ing the Bar,” was written with anothershore in mind, Commander Webberwould have agreed with the sentimentsin the poem. In place of sadness, hewould have encouraged everyone tocarry on the work he had started.

A memorial service at the NationalHeritage Museum in Lexington onApril 30 was a celebration of his life.Speaking at the ceremony were repre-sentatives from the Masonic fraternity,a law partner and long-time friends ofthe family. Each spoke of the strengthand personal conviction of the manbeing honored.

Commander Webber carried the Ma-sonic principles in his heart and ac-cepted his responsibilities with pride.He was Master of Casco Lodge No. 36,Yarmouth, Maine, in 1979; a DistrictDeputy Grand Master for the GrandLodge of Maine in 1980-81, and a mem-ber of many Grand Lodge committees.

He presided over several groups inthe Scottish Rite Valley of Portland andwas recognized for his service by re-ceiving the 33° in 1987. He was electedan Active Member in 1994 and becamethe Deputy for Maine in 2001.

When Commander Robert O. Ral-ston, 33°, announced in advance hisplans to retire at the end of the 2003 an-nual meeting, a search committee wasselected in 2002 for a successor.

Ill. Brother Webber was highly re-garded as an attorney in Portland. Hefirst joined the law firm of Jensen &Baird in 1969 and eventually becamethe first president of Jensen Baird

Gardner & Henry. His expertise was inthe field of commercial real estate andwas directly involved in such projects asthe Maine Mall, South Portland Cross-ing, the Augusta Mall, the rehabilita-tion of the Eastland Hotel and the con-version of Congress Square Hotel intoelderly housing.

He was a member of the CumberlandCounty, Maine State and American BarAssociations, and was invited to be amember of the American College ofMortgage Attorneys and the AmericanCollege of Real Estate Attorneys. He

was regularly listed in The Best Lawyersin America.

The Marietta College graduate hadno desire to give up a well-establishedcareer in Maine. Yet the search commit-tee set their sights on him as the firstchoice to head the Supreme Counciland eventually convinced him to acceptthe position of leadership.

His term in office was brief. He wasinstalled Sovereign Grand Commanderin September 2003, and immediatelyshifted into gear with enthusiasm anddetermination. In his remarks at the

Ill. Walter E. Webber, 33°, received congratulations in 2003 at the SupremeCouncil meeting in St. Louis when he succeeded outgoing Grand CommanderRobert O. Ralston, 33°.


close of that meeting, he reinforced hisfirm belief that is the responsibility ofevery Scottish Rite Mason to strengthen“the very fabric of our civic society.”

He also emphasized that it is “thequality of a person’s character and notsome other distinguishing characteris-tic that defines a person.”

Duty and character were importantelements in his life. His family learned

those principles by example. He chal-lenged Scottish Rite Masons in a similarmanner.

In the conclusion to his first Allocu-tion, delivered a year later, he onceagain pointed out that all membershave a responsibility to help others toenrich their minds not only through theway each of us conducts our individuallife but also through the support of the

Scottish Rite Charities.He stated, “We cannot compel you to

live in harmony with the lofty princi-ples taught in our degrees. All that wecan do is to entreat you to obey whatcannot be enforced, and to be loyal tothat which you know to be right.”

That is the message he instilled in hisfamily. That is the message he leaves tothe world at large.

The Webbers gathered for a family photo in November. (Seated) Leslie and Walterwith grandson Ethan in the center. (Standing) son-in-law Ross Crampsey, daughterElizabeth, daughter-in-law Sheila, granddaughter Allison, son David, and son Seth.

McNaughton Succeeds WebberIll. John William McNaughton,33°, who was elected GrandLieutenant Commander at theannual meeting in August, hasbeen elevated to the positionof Sovereign Grand Comman-der following the death of Ill.Walter E. Webber, 33°.

Not to be confused with his fa-ther, Ill. John Willard Mc-Naughton, 33°, who is an Ac-tive Emeritus Member of theSupreme Council, the newGrand Commander is usuallyreferred to as “Bill.”

Both father and son have beenpresiding officers in the Scot-

tish Rite Valley of Fort Wayne,Indiana.

Commander McNaughtongraduated from Indiana Uni-versity with a degree in foren-sic studies and became a detec-tive with the Fort Wayne PoliceDepartment for ten years. Helater worked with the familybusiness, All Rite DistributingCompany in Fort Wayne, andbecame president of the firm.

For the next few months hewill divide his time betweenFort Wayne and the SupremeCouncil headquarters in Lex-ington.

John Wm. McNaughton, 33°

Sunset and evening star,And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out theboundless deep

Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness offarewell,

When I embark;

For tho’ from out our bourne of Timeand Place

The flood may bear me far,I hope to see my Pilot face to face

When I have crost the bar.

—Alfred Lord Tennyson

Crossing the Bar


N O T E S F R O M T H E

First 2006 ScottishRite LeadershipConference Held inHouston, Texas

The first of three 2006 ScottishRite Leadership Conferences washeld in Houston, Texas, on March17–18. This year’s theme was“Charting the Rite Course.” Morethan 200 Scottish Rite Masons andtheir ladies were in attendance tolearn about the Supreme Council,Southern Jurisdiction’s strategicplan. The strategic plan includesfive main objectives: education,leadership, public relations,finance, and philanthropy. TheValley of Houston workeddiligently as a wonderful host andsession attendees enjoyed aHouston-style Tex-Mex buffet.Other conferences will be held inAtlanta and San Francisco.

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children to Host 2006 RiteCare ConferenceSpeech-language pathologists, dyslexia specialists, and clinic leaders will have the opportunity to soar at the 2006 RiteCare

Conference, scheduled for September 29–30 in Dallas. Host-ed by Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC),the conference will focus on research-based interventionsand current clinical issues that will prepare educators andclinicians for the improved treatment of children withspeech, language, and learning disorders. For more infor-mation, call TSRHC at 214–559–7816 or visit the events cal-endar on the hospital’s website at www.tsrhc.org.

On Wednesday, April 19, ABC TV’sGood Morning America broadcast livefrom the House of the Temple inWashington, DC, headquarters of theSouthern Jurisdiction Supreme Coun-cil. This was the second segment of athree-part series on “Secret Societies,”which also included a day each devot-ed to Opus Dei and the Knights Tem-plar.

Charles Gibson, GMA co-anchor,opened the show at 7:00 a.m. from thesteps of the House of the Temple, andthen did previews in the atrium andPillars of Charity alcove before inter-viewing Ill. Richard E. Fletcher, 33°, ex-ecutive secretary of the Masonic Ser-vice Association of North America,who talked about Masonic secrecy andwomen. Later in the show Gibson in-

terviewed Dr. S. Brent Morris, 33°,managing editor of the Scottish RiteJournal, who talked about Masonic reli-gious tolerance and the sociologicalforces affecting membership. Gibsonclosed the show from the TempleRoom with a nice summation ofFreemasonry’s mission of making goodmen better. There was also during theshow a live shot from the front of theGeorge Washington Masonic NationalMemorial in Alexandria, VA.

The staff of Good Morning Americacontacted the House of the Templeon Tuesday a week before the show,visited the next Wednesday andThursday, and then made their finaldecision to use the Temple on Mon-day, April 17, less than 48 hours be-fore the show. A crew of about 15 set

up from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m.on Tuesday, and then re-turned at 3:00 a.m. beforebroadcasting live at 7:00.The Grand Commander’soffice was prepared as anews room in case amajor story requiredCharles Gibson to broad-cast from a more formalsetting. The show was aunique opportunity topresent Freemasonry tothe American public.

For more informationabout the Good MorningAmerica episode, pleasevisit www.srmason.net.

Charles Gibson (left), co-anchor of ABC TV’s GoodMorning America, interviews S. Brent Morris, 33°, inthe Temple Room of the House of the Temple.

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Good Morning America Broadcasts fromthe House of the Temple in Washington, DC

If nothing else, readers of thiscolumn love their Internet serviceproviders (ISPs) and their com-puters. On the other hand, theyhave doubts about the effective-ness of Masonic Internet efforts.

Those are among the findingsthat come from our Internet sur-vey, where we also learnedsomething about computer pref-erences, security concerns and at-titudes toward spam.

Often a source of irritationamong consumers, a whopping92 percent of our survey respon-dents voiced satisfaction withtheir ISP. The breakdown was 74percent voicing complete satis-faction and 18 percent sayingthey are somewhat satisfied. Ofthose who confessed to beingsomewhat satisfied, the numberone complaint was high cost.

While most of us use someform of high-speed Internet ac-cess, it is worth noting thatabout a quarter of us still usedial-up. Nonetheless, the dial-upusers are satisfied with their ISP, though many expresseda desire to switch to high-speed should it become avail-able. Not one respondent is using satellite broadband.

Regarding high-speed ISPs, respondents are aboutevenly divided between cable modem service (36 per-cent) and DSL (33 percent).

As for computers, the desktops outnumber laptops bynearly three to one and ten percent own both.

Windows XP is the leader among operating systemswith 60 percent of total. However, Apple finished sur-prisingly strong with 12 percent opting for the Mac OS.A few respondents use the Linux system.

No matter what brand of computer respondents own,63 percent would buy the same brand again. Five per-cent had built their own computers or had computersbuilt for them — and all would do it again.

Almost all respondents reported being concernedabout Internet security. Nevertheless, slightly more thanhalf do not turn their computers off — a practice thatmakes your computer vulnerable and wastes energy.

Attitudes toward spam were split between those whoconsider it a serious problem (53 percent) and those whodon’t (36 percent).

Respondents also were divided on the Masonic frater-nity’s effective use of the Internet.

Typical of the comments was this from Brother JimCogan, newsletter editor for AcaciaLodge No. 651, in Euclid, Ohio: “Most

sites are used to provide infor-mation on lodge functions.There is very little education andpromotion.” Brother Cogannotes that his newsletter isaimed at older members, whilethe Web site(www.acacia651.org) is directedat both younger members andprospective members.

Bro. Bob Ivey wrote: “[Pro-vide] more useful and up-to-date information, [and] tie printpublication references to Inter-net sites.”

Bro. Brad Steigerwalt com-mented: “Every lodge shouldhave its own website to recruitand drown out anti-Masonicsites.”

Past Master Pattric W. Gouldin Ohio, offered this: “We’re stillunknown to the general public.Some of the general publicreads/sees/hears from the anti-Masonic crowd. Perhaps we canuse more positive informationthat shoots down what the anti-

Masonic people say/write. In general, there are a lot ofpeople who still do not know that Shriners are Masons.”

Bro. Robert Boone wrote: “I think they (Masonic sites)could and should provide members e-mail accounts, sim-ilar to HotMail. This would provide an excellent oppor-tunity to see how many of our members actually use theInternet. As usage increases, the fraternity will be ableto increase its use of the Internet as a means of commu-nication. The way it is now, I think it is unable to gaugewho does and who doesn’t use the Internet.”

Bro. John Miller suggested: “I saw the info in an issueof The Northern Light concerning the book AmericanFreemasons. I immediately ordered it and have read itfrom cover to cover twice. What a wonderful work. Ithas done more to answer questions I have had than anyother book I’ve read. If we could put up a website thatembodies the high points of that book, get the wordout that it exists, and keep it actively updated, we’dhave a phenomenal tool to promote the best that weare. We have so much to offer as an organization in asociety that needs a real infusion of brotherly love,morality, and truth. The use of that society’s most pow-erful communication tool to foster this goal should be apriority for all of us, not just a few blue lodges and theheadquarters group.”

Oh yes, you might be interested in the ages of the re-spondents. The youngest was 31 and the oldest 85. Well,there was one Brother who simply listed his age as“old.” The average age: 63 years.

Thanks to all 238 of you who participated in the sur-vey.

Please send your comments, questions and thoughtsto me at <[email protected]>.

Fraternal wishes to you all.


And thesurvey says . . .

Leigh E. Morris, 33°, works in corporatecommunications for a major utilitycompany. He is a member of the Valleys ofMilwaukee and Springfield, IL.

As you read this article, you have probably already re-ceived the first of up to three letters reminding you of thisyear’s blue envelope appeal. As you consider a donation tothis, the oldest and most enduring charitable campaign ofthe Scottish Rite, it is important to look at its legacy andscope.

The roots of the blue envelope can be traced back to1955, and became at that time the first comprehensivefund-raising effort at the Scottish Rite. The campaign wasestablished under the leadership of Ill. Richard A. Kern, 33°,Deputy for Pennsylvania and long-time chairman of theCommittee on Benevolences. (His leadership is rememberedtoday through the Kern Award that recognizes Valley par-ticipation in the blue envelope appeal. The award has beenpresented at each annual meeting since 1985.)

In the early days, the notion of establishing a jurisdiction-wide appeal was not universally supported. One statedeputy proposed that, rather than send the Brethren of thatstate a solicitation, he would prefer to send a single checkreflecting the amount that Sovereign Grand CommanderGeorge Edward Bushnell would have expected from thatstate. The Commander rejected this suggestion. Financialsupport of our charities aside, he understood the impor-tance of communicating the good works our charities pro-vide, which the blue envelope conveys. He also wished tomake the blue envelope appeal a campaign supported bythe rank and file of our membership.

The most enduring symbol of this appeal — the envelope— is blue. Blue is the primary color of Freemasonry and ofour blue lodge roots, which unite us all. At a time whenfund-raising programs have become rife with gadgets andgive-aways, the blue envelope remains uniquely simple andremarkable in the tremendous loyalty and response to it byour Brethren.

Over the years, the blue envelope has evolved to supportthree of our charitable initiatives — the Leon M. Abbottscholarship program, the schizophrenia research programand the National Heritage Museum. Blue envelope remainsthe only major fund-raising appeal for each of these pro-grams.Consider its success:• Last year, nearly 400 young men and women attending

colleges or universities — children or grandchildren ofMasons — received Leon M. Abbott scholarships. Thatrepresents $400,000 supporting talented students fromall corners of our jurisdiction because of blue envelope.

• Annually, up to 15 schizophrenia research fellowships,each worth $15,000 are awarded to doctoral studentsconducting groundbreaking work at the best universitiesin our jurisdiction. Schizophrenia research was the earli-est jurisdiction-wide charitable initiative in Scottish Rite.Now about $180,000 each year continues this commit-ment in hopes that the work we support at Penn State,or Harvard or Indiana University, among others, mayfinally help society defeat schizophrenia.The National Heritage Museum includes perhaps the

most extensive library and collection of Masonic antiquity inthe Western Hemisphere. While also a popular and freedestination for families who want to explore and celebratethe many facets of the American story, the museum con-serves and maintains tens of thousands of Masonic books,papers and artifacts. The blue envelope supports this work.

So, as you consider the letter and simple azure envelopethat has arrived recently, please imagine that your participa-tion continues a commitment long regarded and beneficialall over our jurisdiction.

We welcome your support exemplifying the values ofBrotherhood.

On more than one occasion it has been said that receiv-ing the 33˚ is more than an honor. It is the beginning of anew obligation to further our work as Masons. While this iswidely demonstrated in different ways, two recent 33˚ re-cipients (Class of 2005) used their personal foundations toprove this point to benefit the 32˚ Masonic Learning Cen-ters for Children.

Ill. Richard Stephenson, 33˚ (Valley of Chicago) andtrustee of the Stephenson Family Foundation presented

Sovereign Grand Commander Walter E.Webber a check for $100,000 during anevent in Chicago recently to support the

Chicago Learning Center. Ill. Roger Wilson, 33˚ (Valley ofDetroit) through his personal foundation made a $25,000commitment to sponsor five students at the Detroit Learn-ing Center. Extraordinary generosity from two extraordinarybrothers.


Steve Pekock, 32°Director of Development

Promoting Knowledge and Learning

Consider the Blue Envelope

New 33° Masons Provide Extraordinary Support

Ill. Richard J.Stephenson, 33°,presents a check

to CommanderWebber from the

StephensonFoundation to

endow theChicago Learning

Center.

Capt. Nathaniel BrownPalmer was a great man inseafaring annals of the1800s and is acknowledgedin the U.S. as the discovererof Antarctica. He was bornin Stonington, CT, on Aug.8, 1799, and was reared inhis father’s shipyard in thattown. He shipped as a boyon one of the blockade-run-ners in early 1814.

His first open ocean sail-ing experience was as sec-ond mate on the brig Her-silias in 1819 to the Shet-land Islands south of CapeHorn. His next trip was incommand of the sloopHero and during that triphe ventured further south— down to 68° south lati-tude where solid ice barredhis way. He met up withCapt. Fabian von Belling-shausen, commodore of theRussian Imperial NavyFleet that was on a discov-ery mission.

When Palmer describedwhat he saw, the com-modore declared that themountain range wouldbear Palmer’s name, as hewas the discoverer. Hemade many more notabletrips to that area and else-where around the globe.

In 1877 while trying tofind a climate which mightcure his nephew’s tubercu-losis, the boy died andCapt. Palmer’s healthfailed steadily. Within a few

days, he also passed away— on June 21, 1877.

Bro. Nat Palmer was amember of Asylum LodgeNo. 57, Stonington, CT,being initiated in 1826. Heremained a member of thatlodge until his death,which was reported at aspecial meeting of thelodge on June 29, 1877. Heis pictured on a USPSstamp issued in September1988 to honor Antarctic Ex-plorers.

✤ ✤ ✤

Apolinario Mabini, pic-tured on a stamp releasedby the Philippines in July1964 to honor him, was oneof the leading Freemasonsin that country. He was amember of the Lodge Bal-agtas No. 149 of the GrandOrient of Spain in Manila.He served as the first oratorof that lodge.

Born into a farming fam-ily on July 23, 1864, in Ta-laga, he stud-ied in Manilaat the Collegeof San Juan deLetran andthen studiedlaw at theUniversity ofSanto Tomasin 1894. Hewas strickenwith paraly-sis the fol-lowing year and could helpthe Revolution only from achair, but he earned the title“Brain of the Revolution.”He wrote the laws for therepublic in 1898-99 and wasthe right-hand man toEmilio Aguinaldo whenBro. Aguinaldo became

president. He would nottake the oath of allegianceto the U.S. and in 1899 wasimprisoned by Americantroops and banished toGuam. He was allowed toreturn to his homeland afew months before hisdeath on May 13, 1903, inManila.

✤ ✤ ✤

Born in Vermont in 1813,Stephen A. Douglasmoved to Illinois, where hewas admitted to the bar in1834. He was judge of theIllinois Supreme Court in1841, a representative inCongress from 1843-47 anda U.S. Senator from 1847-61. He was defeated byBuchanan for the Democra-tic nomination for presi-dent in 1856 and by Abra-ham Lincoln in 1860 fol-lowing a heated series ofdebates. He died in 1861.

The Lincoln-Douglas De-bates were commemoratedby a U.S. stamp in August1958. He is standing di-rectly behind Lincoln,dressed in a dark suit.

Bro. Douglas was raisedin Springfield Lodge No. 4

on June 26, 1840, andthe following Octoberwas named Grand Ora-tor of the Grand Lodgeof Illinois but declined toserve. In December ofthat year he was electedJunior Warden of Spring-field Lodge. Masonicservices were held theevening before his funeral.

✤ ✤ ✤

Bro. Arthur William Fad-den received his degrees inCaledonia Lodge No. 737,

Scottish Constitution, in1915. He affiliated withboth Unity Lodge No. 306,and Lamington Lodge No.110, both of the U.G.L.Q., in1920. He is shown on anAustralian stamp releasedin 1994 to honor primeministers.

Born at Ingham, Queens-land, in 1895, he worked inhis youth as an office boyand a clerk in a sugar mill.

He served as city coun-cilor and entered theQueensland Parliament in1932. He was leader of theFederal Country Party from1940-58. When R.G. Men-zies resigned as prime min-ister in August 1941, Bro.Fadden became the primeminister but served foronly a short period whenthe opposition votedagainst his budget and hewas also forced to resign.When the Menzies govern-ment regained office in1949, he served as deputyprime minister and treas-urer. He died in 1973.

✤ ✤ ✤

France issued a Masonicstamp on May 12, 1973, tocommemorate the bicen-tennial of the Grand Orientof France.


Robert A. Domingue is secretary forSt. Matthew’s Lodge, Andover, MA, and

editor of The Philatelic Freemason.

The Origins of Freemasonry:Facts and Fictions

By Margaret Jacob. Published in 2006 by Universtiy ofPennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-4112. $26.50.

I have been a fan of Margaret Jacob’s writing sincefirst reading Living the Enlightenment. Her latest book,The Origins of Freemasonry, does not lessen my appre-ciation for the quality of her writing, althoughit may be less academically com-mitted than has herprevious works. Shecontinues to repre-sent some of the moresuperlative researchand writing in the fieldof Masonic historytoday.

This book is muchshorter and easier to di-gest but it is no less valu-able in the significance ofits contents and its in-depthanalysis of the contributionmade by Freemasonry to thedevelopment of civil societyand support of democratic thought.

Jacob has applied much of her extensive researchknowledge of the origin of the Masonic fraternity aswell as reasons for its rapid expansion, its attractionto men of influence and its impact on the develop-ment of world governments.

She has concentrated on pocket diaries and Ma-sonic almanacs that tend to reveal reasons for affilia-tion by those outside of operative masonry.

It is her contention that operative masons beganadmitting non-Masons to obtain their financial sup-port, thus transforming it into a voluntary societythat, in turn, evolved into speculative Freemasonry.

I appreciate her observation: “Of the many formsof new social behavior to become an integral part ofenlightened culture during the 18th century, Freema-sonry has been the most difficult to understand.” In-deed, it remains so today.

Certainly one of the greatest contributions that ourcraft has made to society is that it became a school fordemocratic government.

She emphasizes the significance of the lodgesbeing a “vital piece in the new 18th-century social ex-perience we call civil society.” She also makes the ob-servation, “where else but in 18th-century lodgescould an entire system of governance be found. . .”

The book includes a chapter titled “Money, Equal-ity and Fraternity” that effectively presents the issueof the spread of a market economy and the impact onit by a fraternal equality developed within Masoniclodges. This new concept is significant to the devel-opment of a new style of economy that remains todayas the driving force in world society. In this chaptershe discusses the final transformation from a frater-nity of guildsmen into a society of gentlemen andmerchants that was ensured by the year 1734.

A chapter, “Women in Lodges,” presents a compre-hensible understanding of the position of women inFreemasonry at this period in history and in turntheir influence in shaping the new society that isevolving.

Co-Freemasonry (a form of Freemasonry acceptingboth men and women) provided an opportunity forwomen at that time to assume a more prominent rolein contributing to the development of civil society.

In the conclusion, the author evaluates the present-day position of North American Freemasonry and itspossible future position concerning women’s involve-ment in the craft in America.

I am confused with an observation she makeswhen she implies that “Benjamin Franklin broughtthe Freemasonry he learned in London to Philadel-phia,” and that “American Freemasonry derived di-rectly from its British counterpart as imported byBenjamin Franklin.” I must speak with her some dayconcerning this point.

This book is worth reading and worth having inyour library.

Secrets of The Widow’s Son

by David A. Shugarts. Published in 2005 by SterlingPublishing Co., Inc., 387 Park Avenue, New York,

NY 10016. $17.95.

In the November issue of The Northern Light I madenote of the number of books being written relative toDan Brown’s books, The Da Vinci Code and Angels and


Reviewed by Thomas W. Jackson, 33°

Demons. It seems that there were many writers jump-ing on the bandwagon to make a profit on a subjectthat had created such an impact on the American psy-che.

I guess we should not find it unusual, therefore,that a book would be written projecting what DanBrown’s next book would be. Secrets of the Widow’s Sonis dedicated to this purpose. The introduction is writ-ten by Dan Burstein, editor of the New York Timesbestseller, Secrets of the Code, a book also referencingThe Da Vinci Code. It is his contention that Brown’s nextbook will be to early American history what The DaVinci Code was to early Christian history.

It is believed that Brown’s book will involve thesubject of Freemasonry and be set in Washington, DC.

Shugarts uses the style of Brown’s books to projectthe possibilities of the plots. He researched into thesubject of Freemasonry and its involvement in the lay-out of Washington, DC. He even admits to readingMorals and Dogma that he refers to as 861 pages ofwonderful weirdness.

He projects a positive image of the Masonic frater-nity and its contribution to American society. It is hisproposition that Freemasonry had been one of the“many long threads that tie the history of the oldworld with the new” and therefore provides DanBrown with a tie-in to his prior books. He states that“the philosophical foundations of the American Revo-lution and, in fact, the high ideals of rationalism, sci-ence, separation of church and state, and the wondersof nature were reflections of the foundations ofFreemasonry.”

The suppositions made by Shugarts may quite pos-sibly be touching upon the plots of Dan Brown. I couldnot help thinking, however, that it is a real stretch toproject what someone else will do. If you have an in-terest in the writings of Dan Brown you may find thisbook interesting reading, but I would suggest you readit before Brown’s next book is released.

Freemasons for Dummies

by Christopher Hodapp. Published in 2005 by Wiley Publishing Co., Inc. 111 River St., Hoboken,

NJ 07030. $19.95.

I was prepared to dislike this book because of thetitle. I thought it was degrading to Freemasonry andfelt “Freemasonry” for Dummies sounded more logi-cal. I understand the publisher chose the title becausethe word “Freemasons” is more frequently searchedon the Internet. (What a weird world.)

I read the book on a flight to attend the Grand Ori-ent of Italy and I found myself trying to conceal thetitle from anyone near me, because I thought it de-meaning.

Much of the book is written with tongue-in-cheekand a somewhat irreverent attitude but this is the stylechosen by the author and probably adds to the read-

ability for those who read books for dummies. I didfind that the insertion of sidebars in the middle of top-ics somewhat disconcerting. It forced me to skip aheadand then back to sidebars.

Although Hodapp qualifies most of his statementswhen he alludes to exceptions, there are a number notqualified and the statements are too generalized.Many are exceptions to general lodge practices that hehas experienced. I have since learned that he has beena member of the craft for only eight years and thestatements probably reflect a lack of experience.

There are several, however, that should be cor-rected. For example, he specifically indicates that Ma-sonry has been outlawed in all Muslim countries, ex-cept Morocco, Lebanon, and Turkey. Mali is a Muslimcountry. I attended the consecration of the Grand

Lodge there ten years ago. I do not know if“outlawed” would be the cor-

rect terminology. Insome countries we

simply do not existbut have not been

acted against bylaw. Also, his as-

sumption that thereis a Grand Lodge in

“almost every countryin the world” is wrong.

Many African, mid-eastand far-east countries

do not.Although I have not

read any part of the ex-posé written by William Morgan, I would suspect thatMorgan may have suffered his fate for exposing less ofFreemasonry than has Hodapp. This however, is pres-ent-day North American Freemasonry.

I seriously disagree with his statement: “the missionof the Masonic lodge is to make new Masons . . .”There are leaders today who operate on that assump-tion, but it is clearly wrong.

Having said all this, I feel it is still a dang goodbook for its purpose. I am impressed with the amountof knowledge and the understanding the author hason the subject considering his limited time as a mem-ber. It is comprehensive and easy to read, provides asimplistic answer to many questions, and will serve asa good reference book.

It is just as valuable to the Mason as to the non-Mason and is a book that I can recommend to anyBrother wishing to learn more about the craft and notwilling to spend the time to research the multitude ofcategories it covers. Just keep the title covered whentraveling.


THOMAS W. JACKSON, 33°, was formerly Grand Secretaryfor the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. He is Executive Secretary

for the World Conference of Masonic Grand Lodgesand the book reviewer for The Northern Light.

Sleep apnea and strokes Doctors at the Yale Center for SleepMedicine have found that people withobstructive sleep apnea have twice therisk of strokes as steady breathers.

People with mild apnea may wakenfour or five times an hour. Those withsevere apnea may wake up every 30seconds, often without becoming fullyconscious. It’s a cycle of oxygen depri-vation; adrenaline-fueled wakening torestore breathing; an increase in bloodpressure from the adrenaline; then areturn to sleep.

The cycles lead to inflammation andclogging of the arteries. Over time,they could lead to stroke and death.

Kids’ throats and strepResearchers at Harvard MedicalSchool say 53 percent of kids with sorethroats aren’t given a test for strep be-fore antibiotics are given. Antibioticseffective against strep include peni-cillin, amoxicillin, and erythromycin.Antibiotics won’t work on a sorethroat that is caused by a virus.

Dental care: goodinvestmentIf you visit your dentist on a regularbasis, you are doing yourself a favorin four ways. First, you are savingyour teeth so you can chew properly,which is an important factor in nutri-tion.

Second, when you visit your den-tist, he or she can check your gums.Periodontal disease can result in lostteeth and is a significant factor inheart disease. Periodontal bacteria canlead to blood clots, increasing the riskfor heart attack and stroke.

People with diabetes should be par-ticularly watchful for periodontal dis-

ease. They are more prone to infec-tion, and periodontal disease makes itmore difficult to stabilize blood glu-cose levels.

Third, properly caring for yourteeth results in big financial savings inthe future. Root canals, bridge work,dental implants, and dentures can costthousands of dollars.

Fourth, by properly caring for yourteeth, you will ultimately save your-self a lot of pain and inconvenience.

Handle hamburger correctlyWhen meat is ground, much more of itis exposed to harmful bacteria. That’sone reason to cook hamburger thor-oughly. Don’t depend on appearance. Apatty can turn brown before it reachesthe safe temperature of 160 degrees.Other tips from the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture:• Keep it cold. Buy hamburger just

before you leave the store. Refriger-ate or freeze when you get home.

• Store ground beef at 40 degrees orless and use within two days.

• Well-wrapped frozen hamburgerwill keep indefinitely, but is best ifused within four months.

• Never put cooked hamburgers onthe same plate that held raw patties.Never reuse the packaging materi-als.

• Don’t partially cook ground beef touse later. This allows harmful bacte-ria to survive to the point wheresubsequent cooking may not de-stroy them.

You can get a cold if you are chilledThough infectious disease specialistshave long said that getting chilled orhaving cold, wet feet can’t give you acold, research proves they are wrong.

Studies at Cardiff University’s Com-mon Cold Centre in Britain show thatchills can lower the nose’s natural de-fenses and unleash latent viruses.They say we all carry cold viruses, butrespiratory defenses keep them incheck.

For everyone you see with a cold,there are two or three who have a sub-clinical infection. It’s those peoplewho are prone to developing a com-mon cold when they are chilled, saythe researchers.

Lose a pound and save your kneesEven small amounts of weight losscan improve knee function, especiallyin osteoarthritic adults.

Each pound you lose means fourless pounds of pressure on your kneejoints, say researchers at Wake ForestUniversity.

Achieving and maintaining ahealthy weight pays off in pain reduc-tion.


“Breed? He’s a pointer . . . anda clicker.”

2006 Valley Incentive ProgramOffers Computer Equipment

In late December more than30 Ohio Masons met at thePerrysburg Masonic Templeand took part in the creation ofa new membership tool.

The result of their effort is aDVD aimed at new andprospective members.

The video program featuresIll. Charles Murphy, 33˚,speaking casually, explainingthe tenets and purposes ofFreemasonry.

Also included in the program

are additional lodge Brotherssharing their love of the craftand relating stories of the im-pact it has had on themselvesand their families.

The DVD is one componentof a kit to be provided to initi-ates and also includes localcontact information and anexplanation of the Scottish Rite.

Members wishing to acquirea set of kits for their lodgeshould contact the localScottish Rite Valley Secretary.

For the second straight year the SupremeCouncil is offering a significant incentive to Val-leys to initiate new U.S. Bank Scottish Rite Visacards. In the spirit of friendly competition eachValley will contest with the others in a race togenerate the largest number of new cards.

This year Valleys have been segmented intofour brackets, based on membership. The topthree Valleys in each bracket will win theirshare of computer equipment, which includes

flat screen monitors, printers, and barcode scan-ners. Although the contest is between Valleys,our charities are the real winners as royalty feesfrom the start-up and usage of every accountgoes directly to them.

To learn more about what your Valley is doingto win this equipment, contact your Valley Sec-retary. For more information about the onlycard that gives back to your Scottish Rite Chari-ties, go to www.supremecouncil.org/visa.

NEW MEMBERSHIP VIDEO RELEASED

Last Year's Incentive Program ResultsThe 2005 Valley Incentive Program which was launched to promote the new U.S.Bank Scottish Rite Visa cards was a huge success. Last year the Northern MasonicJurisdiction was divided into five brackets allowing Valleys to compete againstsimilar-sized Valleys. A spirited competition between Valleys resulted. After monthsof effort by all Valleys the final standings were as follows:

Membership Valley

Less than 1,000 Portsmouth-Dover, NH1,000 to 1,999 Rockville Centre, NY2,000 to 2,999 Youngstown, OH3,000 to 4,999 Toledo, OHGreater than 4,999 Boston, MA


Of one thing we can be sure, crisis isno stranger to us. It has been with usmany times before, and it will be withus many times more within our life-times. Therefore, the first order ofbusiness in dealing with crisis is to or-ganize our lives, and our fraternity tocope with it. Presumably we have an-ticipated adversity in times of ourprosperity and made provision for it.Now, is the time for us to put theseplans into action.

Regrettably, most persons never dotoday what they can put off until to-morrow and in like manner believeduring prosperity that crisis willnever return. But, it always does re-turn. And, it always will.

But, so does prosperity return. It al-ways has and it always will. Freema-sonry has survived the crises of thepast and it will survive the crisis ofour time. It is the acid test of Brother-hood. Like marriage, initiation intoFreemasonry is “for better or forworse.” Perhaps we have enjoyed the“better,” now, we must endure the“worst.”

For Freemasonry to cope with thecrisis of our time, the welfare of thefraternity must take priority over thatof its members. Its members come andgo with the passing of time, but the

lodge must continue if it is to survivethe crisis and be ready to serveFreemasons of the future.

Retrenchment in money-spendingactivities and their replacement withinspirational programs sponsored bythe members instead of the lodgeshould be a first step toward moralebuilding and cost cutting.

Developing a competitive generos-ity among members to give to thelodge rather than ask from it, what-ever each Freemason may best be ableto give. During prosperity lodgeshave consistently provided refresh-ment to give a home-like incentive forBrethren to gather and experience amost pleasant camaraderie. Now, it isencumbent upon those who have en-joyed the hospitality of the lodge inprosperity to undertake the continu-ance of the lodge in adversity.

Our Brotherhood must be able to“roll with the punches,” outlive thecrisis, and aim for the future. EveryFreemason is a part of the fraternalteam. Your contribution of time, ef-fort, material means, and, most of all,constructive suggestion is needed andmost welcome.

— Raymond E. Wilmarth, The Far Eastern Freemason,Vol. 66, No. 3, Jul-Sep 1984


Addressing the Grand Lodge ofNew Zealand after his installationin the Wellington Town Hall on No-vember 26, M.W. Bro. Cuthbert Tay-lor said he believed the greatestpossible freedom of discussion ofMasonic subjects should be notmerely grudgingly tolerated butshould be actively encouraged.

It would be a good thing for thecraft if the generality of theBrethren could be induced to thinkabout and talk about Masonic mat-ters.

He strongly disagreed with theview expressed in Masonic circlesthat lodges of research discussedmatters which would better be leftundiscussed. Everything expressedin the ritual should be open to thefullest and frankest expression ofopinion and the same applied to theConstitution and Laws of GrandLodge.

He expressed the hope that dur-ing his term of office the lodges ofresearch would receive greater en-couragement and added that therewas something wrong with any or-ganization that was unable to standup to the fullest investigation of itsteachings and beliefs.

— H. L. Gaston,The West Australian Craftsman,

February 1959

Freemasonry in the Crisis of Our Times

A Family Affair

Freedom ofDiscussionShould Be

Encouraged

An American paper reports thefinal admission into the craft by afather of six of his sons on the samelodge night, and this with anotherson already a member makes eightBrethren by nature and by craft sci-ence.

In England such an event couldonly take place by dispensation forour limit, very wisely, is two forany degree at the same time. Thislimit would have entailed the fa-

ther working the degree on threeoccasions. An imaginative Brotherwho showed me the report pre-sumed that the event recorded wasan indication of why lodges in theU.S.A. are so large. The prospect ofseven W. M.’s in succession bear-ing the same surname is alluringand piquant according to ourideas.

— “Observer,”The Masonic Record,

December 1927

Conflict cannot survive without yourparticipation

— Wayne Dyer

Low self-esteem is like drivingthrough life with your hand-break on.

— Maxwell Maltz

In prosperity, our friends know us. Inadversity, we know our friends.

— John Churton Collins

Labor to keep alive that little spark ofcelestial fire called conscience.

— George Washington

There is no power on earth that canneutralize the influence of a high, sim-ple, and useful life.

— Booker T. Washington

Stand with him while he is right andpart with him when he goes wrong.

— Abraham Lincoln

An optimist sees an opportunity inevery calamity; a pessimist sees acalamity in every opportunity.

— Winston Churchill

Your future is created by what you dotoday, not tomorrow.

— Robert Kiyosaki

No one would ever have crossed theocean if he could have gotten off theship in a storm.

— Charles Kettering

Win as if you were used to it. Lose asif you enjoyed it for a change.

— Eric Golnil

Example is not the main thing in in-fluencing others, it is the only thing.

— Albert Schweitzer

It was character that got us out of bed,commitment that moved us into ac-tion, and discipline that enabled us tofollow through.

— Zig Zaglar

Quick QuotesQuick Quotes


In view of the obligations whichFreemasons are under, one to an-other, we would suppose it almostimpossible for Brethren to entertainill-feeling toward one another; andtruly they did not when our mem-bership was fired with the holy de-termination to observe and faithfullyexecute our laws, and live togetherin the enjoyment of the pure andheavenly spirit of fraternity.

But things have changed, and wehave changed with them. Freema-sonry is not now the pure creaturethat it was when its members hadthe interest of the institution at heart,and felt assured that upon their goodconduct and brotherly kindness de-pended the ultimate success of theglorious enterprise.

It is established upon a firm basis,that they do not think it necessary toexercise brotherly kindness towardsa Brother; or that their good conducthas anything to do with the greatfinal triumph which awaits Freema-sonry or that a moral course of con-duct is necessary to maintain the re-spectability and purity of the institu-tion.

“We are not in the habit of cryingout that there is no longer any goodin the order but we believe that thereis not a proportionate amount ofgood in the institution, when wecompare the present with the past.The plain halls, and plain men, fewin numbers, have all passed away,and now quite a different state ofthings exist. Look around at thestately edifices, reared to our excel-lent tenants. Examine our statistics,and see the immense number ofnames inscribed upon our roll-books.

“We do not find any fault withthese; but ask the Brethren to lookaround them carefully and see howoften they are at variance with eachother, and then permit us to inquirewhether we are all moved by thesame spirit that actuated Freemasonsyears ago?

We must love one another if wewould have others to love and re-spect us; and we speak pointedly inregard to brothers cherishing ill-feel-ing towards each other, or formingfactions or parties in subordinate orGrand Lodges.

Men should never disagree, letalone Freemasons, yet we all knowthat perfection cannot be looked forin an institution purely human, wecannot hope to escape having differ-ences among us now and then; forwe cannot disrobe ourselves of ourdepraved natures altogether, and ex-ercise love towards one another at alltimes.

We can all labor, after differenceshave occurred, to reconcile the par-ties, and try to restore them to aproper state of feeling toward eachother as men and Masons. A softword turneth away anger, and hewho affects a reunion of severedhearts, will certainly receive his re-ward here and hereafter.

We are prone to err; all do err; allmust some time or other be forgiven,and why not forgive? There is noth-ing weak in admitting that we havebeen wrong; it does not lessen us inthe estimation of God or man.

Then why will you not be recon-ciled at once, forget all animosities,and live together as the great Creatorhath designed. But one says, “I willforgive just as soon as I am asked to,but not before, and just as soon asthe hand is extended to me I will notrefuse it.”

We would ask the Brother reason-ing thus if he ever did wrong, and hemust certainly answer “Yes.” Hewho knows that he has done wrong,is conscious that he may do wrongagain; and we entreat you, knowingthese things to be so, that you mayteach your erring Brother by yourkindness in extending to him aBrother’s hand, and there is nothingweak or unmanly in forgiving.

He is certainly the best man whomakes the first advance toward areconciliation, no matter under whatcircumstances it takes place.

There is something so beautiful ina man’s acknowledging an error, andit gives such a glorious earnest ofbetter in the future, that we neverlook upon a man performing this ac-tion without wishing his happinesswas our own; and he surely reaps ablessing that the unforgiving cannever enjoy.

— Frank R. NewellThe Ohio Freemason,

May 1891

Personal Differences

Brighten panelingIf you’re tired of the dark-coloredpaneling in your recreation room, din-ing room, or den, painting it a lightcolor will do wonders to brighten thearea. Here’s how to do it successfully.• Buy a quart or two of degreaser at a

paint supply store. Wash the wallswith it to remove grease, wax, andcigarette smoke. These substancescould bleed through a light color ofpaint.

• If the paneling is very smooth,rough it up a little with sandpaper.

• Apply a primer. Save yourself thetrouble of applying two coats ofpaint afterword by having theprimer mixed so it’s the same coloras the paint.

• If the paneling has grooves, applythe primer and paint with a paintpad so the grooves will be evenlypainted.

Dry cleaning at home Wouldn’t it be nice to dry clean yourclothes at home? Unfortunately, mosthome dry-cleaning products havefaded out of the marketplace, proba-bly because they weren’t very effec-tive.

If you want a quick freshener ofyour clothes between dry-cleaner vis-

its, tumbling them in the dryer with adamp cloth and a fabric softener sheetfor 30 minutes will do just about aswell as the home dry-cleaning prod-ucts. The garments look fresh, readyto wear, and have a light, pleasant fra-grance.

Seed starting success• Soaking vegetable or flower seedsin water (no longer than 24 hours)softens their hard coats, triggeringgermination. Plant immediately aftertaking them out of water. • Seeds of many flowers benefit frombeing cooled in the refrigerator four to12 hours before planting. In a plasticbag, mix with a dampened mixture ofperlite or vermiculite. Seal the bag.

Add a deckAdding or upgrading an outdoordeck is one of the most popular homeimprovements. The deck is a valuedspot for relaxing, dining, holding par-ties, or entertaining friends.

Builders recommend that the deckshould be no larger than one-third ofthe size of the main floor. Smallerdecks, however, can be very attractiveand enjoyable.

The climate in your area and theviews you’ll see are the major factorsto consider when deciding where toplace your deck. A north-side deckmay be the coolest location. Southernor western orientations may be toowarm in the middle of the summerunless the deck is in a shaded area.

Though wood is most often used fordecking, new engineered decking maybe easier to maintain and last longer.It’s particularly true in areas of highhumidity and frequent rain or snow.

Engineered decking is made ofeverything from sawdust to plastic topeanut shells. It tends to be more sta-ble and wears better than wood.

Fast garden soil testYou can do a quick soil test by pickingup a handful of slightly moist soil (notwet) and closing your hand around it.Watch the soil when you open yourhand. If it falls apart immediately, itssandy. If it holds its shape briefly, thencrumbles into small chunks, it’s loam.If it stays in a ball and shows the im-pression of your fingers, it’s clay.

Window box

encourages readingThis window box is not for flowers.You can encourage learning bymounting a light-weight window boxon the wall of your child’s room. Fill itwith favorite colorful books that caneasily be seen and selected.

Window boxes also make good stor-age places for toys and stuffed ani-mals.

Kids think

‘inside the box’You always knew that little kids seemto like the box more than the toy. Nowit’s official. The National Toy Hall ofFame has given the cardboard box anhonored place in its exhibit.

At the Parents’ Choice Foundationpeople wonder why it took so long.They say the Jack-in-the-Box and Can-dyland, which were both enshrinedon the same day as the box, werenever as attractive to kids.

Maybe it’s the smell of cardboardthat they find so attractive, but it’smore likely to be the endless possibili-ties of a big box. A child can get awayfrom mom and dad, sister, andbrother for hours in a box. USAToday’s Craig Wilson says his box be-came a little crowded when his collieand the neighbor kid got in with him,but he didn’t mind.


“We don’t spend enough timetogether, son. Ever thought of

becoming a caddy?”


Unless a navigator charts a course, how can he possiblyknow where he and his crew are headed? So, too, anyorganization that hopes to survive well into the futuremust draw up a vision and mission statement to insure asafe journey on a proper course.

The Strategic Planning/State of the Rite Committee of theSupreme Council, 33°, has prepared vision and missionstatements as well as strategies to carry out the goals.

The committee, which has the reputation of being the“think tank” for the Supreme Council, meets on a regularbasis to evaluate the current plan and to make recom-mendations for change.

Strategic Plans have been in place for many years andthe current plan, revised in January 2006, will be re-viewed again in May 2006. The entirety of the 2006-2010 Strategic Plan is available on line through theSupreme Council website,www.supremecouncil.org/valleyresources.

The Vision of 32° Masonry as set forth in the most re-cently approved plan reads as follows:

Thirty-Second Degree Masonry must bean organization that is effectively man-aged by highly motivated men with vi-sion and leadership skills. It must be at-tractive to men of good character, wellunderstood and embraced by the fam-ily, and which, through financialstrength, ultimately makes a positiveimpact on the quality of life and the re-inforcement of high moral values in aglobal society.

The Mission of the fraternity is composed of five partswherein the future has been charted to:

• Improve the individual character,leadership, and spirit throughrelevant programs

• Inspire men to support the principlesof the organization

• Promote family and community val-ues

• Strengthen and promote SymbolicMasonry and the Masonic Way ofLife through its worldwide Brother-hood

• Serve mankind through the impactof its extensive charitable outreach

In order to realize the vision and mission statements, theCommittee has devised eight strategies, each of which isdivided in several sections, called objectives. Those eightstrategies are set forth as follows:

1. Be attractive to Masonic Brethren

2. Build closer working relationshipswith Grand Lodges and otherMasonic-based organizations

3. Be an organization that is managedeffectively

4. Be led by men with leadership skills

5. Be recognized as a fraternal organi-zation committed to philanthropyand community service

6. Be active in the community at large

7. Be endorsed by the entire family

8. Be financially strong to accomplishthe long-range mission

Although the committee will monitor all of the strategicinitiatives, several plan objectives have been identifiedas top priority for 2006. Among them are:

• To expand both image-building &marketing programs

• To expand financial development &fund-raising programs

• To assure steady learning center net-work expansion

Valley and Council of Deliberation Secretaries have beenrequested to review and to update their respective strate-gic plans and to forward them along to Supreme Councilheadquarters.

The committee invites all 32° Masons to forward reac-tions both pro and con relating to the various elements ofthe Strategic Plan to the attention of Ill. Richard B.Burgess, 33°, Recorder for the Strategic PlanningCommittee, P.O. Box 519, Lexington, MA 02420-0519 or by e-mail, [email protected].

Your helpful comments will be shared with the committeeat its next meeting.

Strategic Plan for 32° Masons

Familiar Face

I'm writing to you because I have astory that you might find interesting.I am the office manager of the ScottishRite in Portland, OR, and we receiveThe Northern Light. Imagine my sur-prise when I saw the back cover of theFebruary issue and saw a photo of my“significant other,” who lives in Ore-gon and is a member of the PortlandValley.

Garlen “Spike” Selmyhr is retirednow but dabbles as a model and is anoccasional actor. I have spotted himin several ads and billboards, andthought you might get a kick out ofknowing that the man whose photoyou selected for your magazine is in-deed a true Mason in every sense ofthe word.

Cecille KellyPortland, OR

Beethoven Still Popular

In “Beethoven's Ninth” (February2006) you made mention of LeonardBernstein changing the words of theNinth Symphony to “Ode to Free-dom” when he conducted the BerlinPhilharmonic. The story is true. I wasdriving to Berlin on Christmas 1989when I heard the live performance onthe radio. The words did not soundcorrect — “Freiheit” instead of“Freude.” Upon returning home I sawthe CD cover of the performance andit all made sense.

Ralph G. W. Lamy, 32°Valley of Springfield, MA

❁ ❁ ❁

I just finished reading “Beethoven'sNinth (February 2006) and had todrop you a note telling you just howmuch I enjoyed it. I found it informa-tive, interesting, and just exciting. Icould almost hear the music as I readit.

Kenneth G. Leib, 32°Valley of Rockville Centre


HIRAM™ By WALLY MILLER

On the Lighter Side

Church bulletin:

• Remember in prayer themany who are sick of ourchurch and community.

• This afternoon services willbe held at the north andsouth ends of the church.Children will be baptized atboth ends.

• The Little Mothers Club willmeet at 5 p.m. Thursday. Allwishing to become LittleMothers, please see the min-ister in his private study.

• This being Easter Sunday, wewill ask Mrs. Lewis to comeforward and lay an egg onthe altar.

• Next week we will take a col-lection to defray the cost ofthe new carpet. All thosewishing to do something onthe new carpet should comeforward and get a piece ofpaper.

• The ladies of the church havecast off clothing of every kindand they may be seen in thechurch basement today.

• A bean supper will be heldon Thursday evening. Musicwill follow.

• The senior choir invites anymember of the congregationwho enjoys sinning to join thechoir.


* Tributes. Expressions of sym-pathy have been pouring in to theSupreme Council headquartersfrom all corners of the earth. Ourlate Sovereign Grand Commanderwas highly respected by Masonsthroughout the world. It was hispleasing personality and friendlygreeting that resonated with thosehe met. It should have been no sur-prise the so many people camelong distances to attend the memo-rial service for Commander Web-ber.

During the 20th century therewere three instances of the death ofa presiding Sovereign Grand Com-mander. The first was Ill. Henry L.Palmer, 33°, who passed away atthe age of 90 on May 7, 1909. Hehad presided for nearly 30 years(1879-1909) and had been an ActiveMember for 45 years. The Wiscon-sin Mason was actively involved inthe Union of 1867, during whichtwo Supreme Councils in theNorthern United States merged. Be-cause of failing health he submittedhis resignation several weeks beforehis death.

Sovereign Grand CommanderLeon M. Abbott, 33°, assumedcommand at the annual meeting of1921. He was elected an ActiveMember and Deputy for Massachu-setts in 1909, the year of Ill. BrotherPalmer’s death. He became Sover-eign Grand Commander in Septem-ber 1921 and served in that capacityuntil his death on Oct. 10, 1932. Heclosed the September 1932 sessionwith these words: “It may be thatwe shall not all meet again.” Lessthan three weeks later, while at thepeak of his Masonic career, theGrand Commander died. He left alegacy that established the Leon M.Abbott Scholarship Fund.

At the Supreme Council annualmeeting in 1965, Sovereign GrandCommander George E. Bushnell,33°, presided over the conferral of

the 33° on the evening of Sept. 30.He later retired to his hotel room forthe evening. The following morningthose in attendance learned of hispassing during the night. Ill.Brother Bushnell was elected an Ac-tive Member in 1934 and becameGrand Lieutenant Commander in1945. With the unanticipated resig-nation of Sovereign Grand Com-mander Melvin M. Johnson, 33°, inDecember 1953, Ill. Brother Bush-nell assumed command and contin-ued to serve for eleven years.

* New Commander. This isindeed a very difficult time at theSupreme Council headquarters.The staff was busy fulfilling thegoals set down by the SovereignGrand Commander. The loss couldhave created a vacuum. Yet theGrand Lieutenant Commander, Ill.John Wm. McNaughton, 33°, real-izes that the shoes he must fill arelarge ones and is prepared to stepinto his new role. He has assuredthe staff that he plans to carry for-ward the goals established by hispredecessor, and we wish him wellin his new assignment.

* Twain award. In the lastissue we brought to your attentionthe new Masonic awareness pro-gram announced by the MasonicInformation Center, an arm of theMasonic Service Association. De-tails of the program were highlight-ed in the April issue of the ShortTalk Bulletin. The award wasdeveloped to encourage localMasonic lodges to develop plansthat will heighten Masonic aware-ness within the lodge and through-out the local community.

Lodges should submit a letter ofintent by June 1. This will allowparticipating lodges to be part of anetworking resource to share ideas.

Full details appear on the MSAwebsite: msana.com/twainaward.

* Book business. We contin-ue to receive rave reviews for theNational Heritage Museum’s latestbook, American Freemasons: ThreeCenturies of Building Communities.Written by Mark A. Tabbert, 32°,former curator at the museum, thebook is a treasure trove of informa-tion about the many fraternal asso-ciation that developed as an out-growth of the Masonic fraternity. Itis also a sociological study of thereasons why men have joined overthe years.

The book is available throughthe museum’s Heritage Shop. Or-dering information appears on page13 of this issue.

* Index. Every five years wecompile an index of material thathas appeared in The Northern Light.Copies of the indexes are availableon request. The most recent indexcovers the issues from 2000-2004.Copies of a limited number of pastissues of the magazine are alsoavailable.

Information about past issuesand indexes should be addressedto: The Northern Light, PO Box 519,Lexington, MA 02420, or via e-mail:[email protected].

The Northern Light was first pub-lished in January 1970. In the earlyyears the magazine appeared fivetimes a year. In 1987 the frequencywas adjusted toquarterly distri-bution.

RICHARD H. CURTIS, 33°Editor

Footnotes*

The Northern LightP.O. Box 519Lexington, MA 02420

ORDER FORM

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AMETHYST

MARCH

AQUAMARINE

APRIL

DIAMOND*

MAY

EMERALD

JUNE

ALEXANDRITE

JULY

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AUGUST

PERIDOT

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SAPPHIRE

OCT

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BLUE ZIRCON

The Supreme Council, 33°, NMJ has authorized a specially designedGold Ring, set with diamonds or birthstones for its Brethren. Our new

ring is inspired by a historic Scottish Rite ring design. The Double Eaglehas been sculpted and cast in solid 10kt Gold. The ring is a wide band ofsolid 10kt Gold, with a hand-tooled design. Touches of enameline are added byhand to highlight the Gold DoubleEagle, and to create the historical Lodge of Perfection and Consis-tory emblems.Each brother will have his ring set with his choice ofpersonal Birthstone or Dia-mond. As a final touch of exclusivity, theBrother’s initials and exclu-sive serial number will be en-graved in his ring. This will makeeach ring highly personalized and a treas-ured Masonic keepsake for generations to come.

REMARKABLY PRICED CONVENIENT PAYMENT PLAN

Our rings are now available through the Supreme Council, 33°, NMJ and

will never be sold in any stores.And, because of our exclusive

arrangements to custom-orderthese unique rings at quan-

tity discount prices, your cost is remarkably low

compared to retail prices.The price is $399* and , if you

wish, can be paid in convenientmonthly installments, with no interest.

Diamond birthstone rings are $499*, alsopayable in four monthly installments.

See the order form for details.We will all enjoy wearing our rings every day, and especially to Ma-

sonic meetings and social events. And, we will take pride in knowing that weare each part of the world’s most honorable and humanitarian fraternity.

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACKBIRTHSTONES ARE GENUINE AND DIAMONDS ARE

FULL CUT .10 CARAT WEIGHT STONES.

Mail to: Supreme Council, 33o, Ring Order CenterTwo Radnor Corporate Center, Suite 120, Radnor, PA 19087-4599❑ YES. I wish to order the exclusive Solid Gold Scottish Rite 32°

Double Eagle Birthstone ring personalized for me as follows:

Ring Size ______ Birthstone Month* (see list above)______________

Initials(3)_______ _______ _______

I PREFER TO PAY AS FOLLOWS: (CHECK CHOICES)

❑ IN FOUR PAYMENTS OF $99.75* plus $9.95* for shipping, handling andengraving with the first payment due prior to shipment. I agree to pay thebalance in three monthly payments of $99.75*, promptly when billed. There is no finance charge.

❑ I PREFER TO PAY IN FULL at this time in the amount of $399.00*, plus $9.95 forshipping, handling and engraving.

❑ ENCLOSED IS MY CHECK/MONEY ORDER made payable to “Scottish Rite Ring.” ❑ CHARGE MY CREDIT CARD as indicated at right.

❑ CHARGE MY PAYMENT(S) TO MY CREDIT CARD (CHECK CHOICE):

❑ VISA ❑ MasterCard ❑ Amex ❑ Discover Exp. /

Card Number __________________________________________________________________________

Signature X ______________________________________________________________________________

SHIPPING ADDRESS (Please Print Clearly) We cannot ship to P.O. Boxes

Name ________________________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________________

City _____________________________ State __________ Zip ________________________(Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery)

Daytime Phone ( ) ______________________________________________________(In case we have questions about your order)

*Diamond birthstone (April) add $100.00 to the first payment. *PA residents add 6% sales tax.

34567891011121314 RING SIZE GUIDECUT THIS OUT CAREFULLYUSE AS SHOWN ON FINGER

IF YOU DON’T KNOW YOUR RING SIZE PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR

JEWELER OR USE THE RING GUIDE CHART TO THE LEFT.© 2002-2006 AMAIMPORTANT

NSRBRS-NL-0506

MO. YR.

ORDER BY PHONE TOLL-FREE:1-800-437-0804

9AM TO 5PM EST MONDAY - FRIDAY HAVE YOUR CREDIT CARD AT HAND

SOLID GOLD DOUBLE EAGLESCOTTISH RITE BIRTHSTONE RING

SET WITH YOUR CHOICE OF PERSONAL BIRTHSTONE OR GENUINE DIAMOND ENGRAVED WITH YOUR INITIALS AND EXCLUSIVE SERIAL NUMBER

TO HONOR YOU AS A SCOTTISH RITE MASON

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