Volume 10 Issue 5 No. 79 September 2014 SRA

Monthly Newsletter

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Contents Cover Story, Drawing the Lodge Did you Know – Why we Square t e Lodge?

Lodge Queens Edinburgh Rifles No. 1253 Famous Freemasons – Harold Abrahams Rays of Mason ry Old Tiler Tal s No. 36

Knights of Columbus The Mosa i c Pavement

L i g h t Cha r i t y and F reemason ry T h e G r e a t S e c r e t o f F r e em a s o n r y T h e Ma son i c D cT i o n a r y

Website – Abraham Lincoln and Freemasonry

In this issue:

Page 2, ‘Drawing the Lodge’ A look at the old custom of Drawing the Lodge, the forerunner of the modern Tracing Board.

Page 6, ‘Did You Know?’ Why do we square the Lodge?.

Page 7, ‘Lodge Queens Edinburgh Rifles (The Royal Scots) No. 1253’ The History of one of our Scottish Lodges.

Page 12, ‘Harold Abrahams.’ “A Famous Freemason.”

Page 14, ‘Rays of Masonry’, “I am a Master Mason”, our Regular monthly feature.

Page 15, ‘The Old Tiler Talks’. “Bluff”, the thirty sixth in the series from Carl Claudy.

Page 16, ‘Knights of Columbus’ Secret Societies throughout the World.

Page 19, ‘The Mosaic Pavement’ A symbolic Interpretation.

Page 20, ‘Light’ The search for Masonic Light.

Page 22, ‘Charity and Freemasonry’. The thoughts of Bro. Rabbi Raymond Apple.

Page 24, ‘The Great Secret of Freemasonry’ A small reminder for us all.

Page 25, ‘The Masonic Dictionary’ Mark

In the Lectures website The article for this month is ‘Abraham Lincoln and Freemasonry’ Although not a Freemason, Lincoln had all the qualities of one. [link] The front cover blackboard and tracing board artwork was designed and drawn by the editor using paint shop pro 7.

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The Old Custom of Drawing the Lodge

In reading the histories and extracts from the Minute Books of old Lodges, which existed between the years 1717 and 1813, we frequently come across expressions "Drawing the Lodge," "Framing the Lodge," or "Forming the Lodge." My purpose this evening is to enquire into the meaning of these expressions and to show how, from this old custom, the modern Tracing Boards with which everyone is familiar have arisen. In those days a Lodge generally met at some well-known inn or hostelry. The furnishings of such a place were very bare and plain. There was no electric light or gas, candles being the only illuminant in those days, while the floor was bare boards, carpets being unknown. Down the middle of the Lodge room were tables set on trestles. On these tables were set out the bowls of steaming punch, bottles of wine, rum, brandy, sugar, lemons, and glasses, and also screws of tobacco for the smokers; for it must be remembered that smoking and drinking were allowed in the Lodge during the ceremonies in those days. Toasts were drunk and songs sung between different portions of the ceremonies, the Brethren sitting at the tables and the candidate passing round behind them. The floor of the Lodge room, being bare boards, was sprinkled with sand. When, however, there was an initiation, a space

in front of the Master's Pedestal was swept clear of sand. On this clear space it was the Tyler's duty to draw with chalk and charcoal a design in the form of an oblong square representing a building, with various Masonic Emblems. The chief items so delineated were the two Columns, Seven Steps, Tesselated Pavement, Dormer or Window, Laced Tuft, Flaming Star with the Sacred Letter "G," the Square, Plumb Rule, and Level. (The drawing is considered by some to have been a representation of the ground plan of King Solomon's Temple, whilst others deem it to have represented the form of the Lodge.) These were all carefully drawn in black and white, the floor being previously whitened to form a suitable background. These Masonic Symbols and Emblems were then carefully explained to the candidate. This was evidently found to be the best way to impress on the candidate's mind and memory the great lessons and symbolism of Freemasonry. After they had been carefully explained, the candidate was handed a mop and pail of water and compelled to wash out the "Drawing on the floor", that no cowan or intruder might learn any of their ceremonies. In some Lodges, such as the Old Dundee Lodge, portions of the ceremonies, including "Drawing the Lodge," were carried out in a small room opening off the main Lodge room and known as the "Making Room." The drawing on the floor appears to have been a very important part of the ceremony and a Lodge could not legally be held to initiate a candidate without it. It was a much greater part of the ceremony in a Lodge working under the "Modern" Grand Lodge than in one working under "The Ancient." In the

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quarrels between the two Grand Lodges the "Ancients" make frequent gibes at the "Moderns" custom of "Drawing the Lodge." Bro. Laurence Dermott, the Grand Secretary of the "Ancients," in the instruction to the "Ahiman Rezon" of 1764, referring to the "Moderns," writes, or twelve shillings for drawing two sign posts with chalk, etc.: and writing Jamaica Rum upon one and Barbados Rum upon the other, and all this, I suppose for no other purpose than to distinguish where the liquors are to be placed in the Lodge." There are two main sources from which we get our information regarding this old custom-the minutes of the old Lodges which were working in the 18th century, and the exposures and spurious rituals, of which there were a number published during that time. From the minutes of the old Lodges we find that it was the Tyler's work to draw the Lodge on the floor. Thus in the minutes of the Old Dundee Lodge, No. 18, one of the oldest London Lodges, we have the following: "1795, August 13th, paid Bro. Geo. Mills, (Tyler) for 'framing and forming the Lodge,' 2/6"; "1799, August 8th. paid Bro. Mills (Tyler) for 'forming 6 Lodge,' 15/," and in the minutes of the Grenadiers Lodge, "1763, November 14th, 'Agreed by this Lodge that Bro. Lister be a free member for drawing the Lodges except no Making or Raising in the quarter then he is under obligation to pay.'" According to the minutes of the Shakespeare Lodge, a whiting box and penknife were bought on Jan. 26th, 1774, for the sum of £1/1/6, evidently for the Tyler in his work of drawing the Lodge. It seems to have been the custom to pay the Tyler for drawing the Lodge. This was known

as the "Tyler's fee," and was quite apart from the amount he received for performing the usual duties of Tyling. This fee was usually paid by the candidate directly to the Treasurer and paid over by him to the Tyler. In a few of the old Lodges this payment by the candidate to the Tyler has been continued to the present day, though the services for which the payment was originally made have long ago ceased to be performed. The "Tyler's fee" in different Lodges varied from 6d. to 2/6. In the Old Dundee Lodge the amount was originally 6d. It was raised to 1/6 in 1771 and to 2/6 in 1795. It was 2/6 in the Lodge of Felicity in 1738 and also in the Old Kings Arms Lodge, No. 28, in 1752. There are many references to the custom in the exposures and spurious Rituals published during the 18th century. The following two seem to be the most interesting. The first is from an exposure dated 1762 and known as Jachin and Boaz, and is as follows:- "The candidate is also learnt the step, or how to advance to the Master upon the drawing on the floor, which in some Lodges resembles the Grand Building termed a Mosaic Palace (Pavement?), and is described with the utmost exactness. They also draw other figures, one of which is called the Laced Tuft, and the other The Throne beset with Stars. There is also represented a perpendicular line in the form of a Mason's instrument, commonly called the Plumb Line; and another figure which represents the Tomb of Hiram, the first Grand Master, who has been dead almost three thousand years. These are all explained to him in the most accurate manner, and the ornaments or Emblems of the Order

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are described with great facility. The! ceremony being now ended, the new-made member is now obliged to take a mop out of a pail of water brought for that purpose and rub out the drawing on the floor, if it is done with chalk or charcoal." The following is an extract from "The Three Distinct Knocks" (1760): "The explanation of the following figure which is all the drawing that is use din this sort of Masonry called the Most Ancient by the Irishman. It is generally done with chalk or charcoal on the floor; that is the reason that they want a mop and pail as often as they do: before when a man has been made a Mason, they wash it out; but people have taken notice and made game of them about the "Mop and Pail," so some Lodges use tape and little nails to form the same thing and so keep the world more ignorant of the matter. This plan is drawn on the floor East and West." The custom of drawing the Lodge prevailed from the earliest time of Speculative Masonry, right down to the time a little over a hundred years ago, when the Tracing Board, as we know it, came into general use. There were probably several reasons for the decline of the custom of drawing the Lodge. As time went on, Lodge rooms were made more comfortable and the bare floors were covered with carpets on which it would be impossible to draw with chalk or charcoal. Another probable reason was the ridicule cast on the custom by contemporary writers. Probably also there were many Tylers who were not very good artists, and the resultant drawing may have left a good deal to be desired. While the custom of drawing

the Lodge was dying out and before the introduction of the Tracing Board, as we know it, various expedients were resorted to. Some Lodges, such as the Royal Alpha Lodge and the Old Dundee Lodge, had metal templates cut to represent the object to be delineated. It is not! clear however, whether these pieces of metal were used, as is suggested by Bro. Heiron, to help the Tyler in his drawing, or whether the pieces of metal themselves were placed on the floor instead of the drawing. It has been suggested that the use of these metal patterns by the Tyler in making his drawing gave rise to the expression "Framing the Lodge." Tape and tacks were also sometimes used. In Bristol these metal representations were laid out on a board with a painted border. This method is used to the present day in their Lodge of Instruction. Another expedient which was widely used, was the drawing of the Symbols and form of the Lodge on a piece of cloth or linen, which could be placed on the floor when required for use and rolled up and put away when not in use. It is undoubtedly in these old Tracing Cloths or Floor Cloths that our modern Tracing Boards have their origin. For the sake of convenience, these cloths were placed on boards held up by two trestles and known as trestle boards. Gradually the custom seems to have arisen the drawing on the floor was known as "The Lodge" this board became known as "The Lodge Board" or "Trestle Board." It seems impossible to lay down a definite rule for the change from the drawing on the floor to our present Tracing Boards. During what we might call the period of transition, there was very little uniformity. Some Lodges appear to have had the cloths before

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they had the boards, some to have had the boards first and some to have gone straight from the drawing on the floor to the drawing on the board, at first done afresh at each meeting and later permanently painted. Some appear to have had both at the one time. In fact, one Lodge at the present time (the Phoenix Lodge, No. 257) uses its old floor cloth as well as a Tracing Board. The modern name for it, "The Tracing Board," appears to be a misnomer, as the Tracing Board is one of the emblems which appears on it. This seems to be quite clear, from the lecture on the first Tracing Board. It is described as one of the three Immovable Jewels "for the Master to lay lines and draw designs upon," and after describing the rough and perfect Ashlars, the lecture goes on: "They are called immovable jewels because they lie open and immovable in the Lodge for the brethren to moralise upon." It would appear that two separate boards must have been referred to in the lecture, otherwise the description is incongruous, since it would not be possible for the Master to lay lines and draw designs on the board as now in use, and on the other hand there would be no sense in moralizing on a perfectly plain board such as could be used by the Master to lay lines on. It seems clear, therefore, that what we know now as the Tracing Board is in reality the Lodge Board or Trestle Board, which the brethren are invited to moralise on and which has the emblems painted on it. The real Tracing Board - for the Master to lay line son - is the plain drawing board, one of the Emblems depicted on the Lodge Board. Although the above facts seem to be generally accepted, it

has been maintained by some, notably Bro. Speth, that the present board is the original Tracing Board which the Master used to lay lines on and which was quite blank. Gradually, he maintains, the emblems which were depicted on the Drawing of the Lodge on the floor or later on the cloths or floor cloths, as they were called, were transferred to the blank drawing board, making it as we have it now, and the floor cloths preserved only the pavement and tessellated border which we have at the present time. The drawing on the floor was always known as "The Lodge." Thus I the description of the Procession at the dedication of the new Grand Lodge Hall in 1776, we have "Four Tylers carrying the Lodge covered with white satin." The Lodge referred to was undoubtedly a board with the "Form of a Lodge" drawn on it and was placed on trestles in the centre of the Grand Lodge room. In the engraving by Antoine Benoist of the Mock Procession of the Scald-Miserable Masons in 1742, we see a large floor cloth being carried as a banner. On it are painted the symbols of the third degree and in the explanatory key underneath it is described as a "Master Mason's Lodge." We have a survival of this use of the word "Lodge" in our present day ritual. When a candidate is placed at the N.E. corner of the "Lodge" he is placed at the N.E. corner of the Lodge Board, which is near the centre of the Lodge room (and not at the N.E. end of the Lodge room). In some of the provinces in England, at the consecration ceremony, the phrase "let the Lodge be uncovered" is still used. The brethren who sign the petition for the Warrant are placed round "The Lodge," that is,

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round the Tracing Board of the First Degree. There seem to have been no regulation as to what emblems should be drawn on the floor; just as at the present time there seem to be no written rules as to what should be depicted on the Tracing Board. Custom, however, seems to have decreed that certain emblems should be depicted, though how they should be is left to the artist. Though the facts which I have given you this evening, brethren, regarding the old custom of "Drawing the Lodge" and the origin of our modern Tracing Boards, are no doubt familiar to most of you. I hope that in what I have said there may be some new information, however small, for every one of you. By Norman B. Spencer, 27 June, 1929 Published in SELECTED PAPERS, Vol.1 United Masters Lodge No. 167, Auckland,

Did You Know? In our working we square the lodge; but why do we square the lodge? Answer: It is almost certain that the practice arose unintentionally. In the early 1730's the 'lodge', i.e. the Tracing Board, was drawn on the floor, usually within a border, or else the 'floor-cloth' (then just coming into use) was rolled out in the middle of the floor. In the small tavern rooms which were the principal places of meeting there cannot have been much space left for traversing the lodge and, if the 'drawing' or 'floor-cloth' was to be protected, a certain amount of squaring was inevitable. Of course, it was not the

'heel-clicking' type of precise squaring, but simply a natural caution to avoid disturbing or spoiling the design. There is a minute, dated 1734, of the Old King's Arms Lodge, now No. 28, which mentions 'the Foot Cloth made use of at the Initiation of new members', but the earliest pictures of 'floor-cloths' in use, are dated 1744, and they show fairly large designs laid out to cover most of the floor of a small lodge room, with all the brethren grouped around. Looking at those engravings, one can see that squaring was almost obligatory. The earliest record found describing perambulations around the 'floor-cloth' is in Reception d'un Frey-Macon, 1737, which says that the Candidate was ... made to take three tours in the Chamber, around a space marked on the Floor, where ... at the two sides of this space they have also drawn in crayon a great J and a great B ... Most workings nowadays square the Lodge, clockwise, during the ceremonies, but the exaggerated squaring, which requires all movements to be made clockwise round the floor of the Lodge and forbids crossing diagonally even during ordinary business, probably arose in the mid-1800s. The word exaggerated is used deliberately here, because the practice is often carried to extremes, which are a waste of valuable time. The practice of squaring is wholly admirable, because it adds much to the dignity of the ceremonies, so long as it is not carried to extremes. The above answer was answer given by W. Bro. Harry Carr, a former Secretary of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076.

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Lodge Queens Edinburgh Rifles

(The Royal Scots) No 1253

This is a Memorial Lodge founded to the memory of those members of the 4th and 5th Battalions, The Royal Scots who made the Supreme Sacrifice in the First World War, now preserved as a tangible tribute to all members of the Regiment who have since made the Supreme Sacrifice. “We Honour Their Undying Memory

The Foundation and Early History.

LIFE in the Volunteers and Territorial’s prior to the first world War was one of social and semi-military activity. Few were the adolescents who did not serve in some form of auxiliary military service, the various battalions of the Royal Scots - including the Queen’s Edinburgh “Blacks” as a. byname being favoured with the most attention. Citizenship in those days was incomplete unless one served in some Unit - and paid for the privilege. Evenings spent at drill in the Queen's Park after work; Saturday afternoon parades; Rifle shooting firing at Hunter's Bog; competitions at Malleny ranges during Summer months; Winters taken up with drills; these were some of the spare time activities of that period. Whist leagues and dances and visitations between various Messes formed of friendly intercourse and happy times on the social side. Then came August 1914. Various Units mobilised were posted to different parts

of the country for further training before being sent abroad on active service. Individuals were dispersed to put into practice that which they had been taught in times of peace, and reports were received that friends whose company one had enjoyed in happier times were gone, and by 1918 the whole social structure had changed for those who returned. This, in brief was the picture which presented itself to me one Sunday evening the Autumn of 1920 while half asleep in front of the fire in a darkened room. My thoughts then turned as to how we who were left might keep together and remember our departed friends, and bring closer together those who remained of our ranks into one friendly body which could not exist under military conditions. Although not in the category of a long experienced Mason but only of two years' standing, I was forcibly struck by the idea of a Masonic Lodge. Arousing myself and turning on the light, I wrote down my dream thought, and next morning transmitted it to Bro. Andrew Law, and in turn to Bros. Duncan Lowe and Colonel Archibald Young and others interested. The scheme fell flat for a few weeks until I met the Colonel in St Andrew Square, and he encouraged me to take immediate action. A meeting was advertised, and as a result a Form of Petition was obtained from the Grand Lodge. Although the rush to be Founders was rather disappointing, and it was quite evident that all ex-members of the Queen's Edinburgh did not share our view, Lodge Heart of Midlothian, which had a large membership of old Volunteers and Territorial’s came along, and with their assistance we were able

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to collect about 70 Founders. We were grateful for the help of Brother T. Donaldson from that Lodge, who assisted me in the work. The Test Fee of 10/-, and Founder's Fee which did not carry Life Membership, may have been the reason for the falling away of some of the Founders and was to be regretted. The project of a new Lodge of military character received by the Grand Lodge with enthusiasm, guidance and assistance in this connection received from the Chairman and the Metropolitan Visitation Committee is in evidence to this day. After many Committee Meetings the Petition was duly completed, signed by Master and Wardens of No.2 Canongate Kilwinning and No.151 Edinburgh Defensive Band as sponsors, and submitted to the Grand Lodge in time for their Meeting on 3rd February 1921; but here objection was raised by the Right Worshipful Master of Lodge Rifle in view of the similarity of title. By the eloquence of Colonel Archibald Young and Bro. James Sime Waterston speaking in our favour, the name Queen's Edinburgh Rifles was maintained. During the preliminary stage the Ritual was overhauled, and revised copies bound and interleaved were presented to some of the Office-Bearers. The approved method was rigidly adhered to for some years, but with the change of office-bearers has gone back somewhat to the issue as printed. At first it was considered that the colours of the Regalia should be Rifle Green and Gold, but later it was decide in view of the well-known popular designation of Edinburgh Blacks, the

colours would be black and gold. It was thought that these would be most appropriate, as they resembled the uniform of The Queen's Edinburgh Volunteers in 1865, when the gold badges and chevrons of the Regiment were specially gifted by Her Majesty Victoria on the occasion of her conferring on the regiment the title of "The Queen's." All set with Charter, Ritual and Clothing, Lodge Queen’s Edinburgh Rifles, No. 1253 on the roll of The Grand Lodge of Scotland was, on 28th February 1921, officially erected and consecrated by Bro. Joseph Inglis, Past Senior Gr:and Warden, Chairman of the Metropolitan Visitation Committee, who officiated as Acting Grand Master. By courtesy of Lodge Defensive Band, their Quarters and Furniture were used, meetings were held there regularly until transferred to Royal Scots Club, Abercromby Place, in 1925. Harmony was afterward was held at the Territorial Hall of the Queen's Edinburgh Rifles in Forrest Road, where many toasted the health of the latest Lodge. Other toasts and songs, etc., still remembered, brought to a close a memorable evening in our history. Here was inaugurated the Silent Toast, which is proposed by the Right Worshipful Master to our fallen comrades at every Harmony Meeting. Clothing and adorning the new infant daughter to the Grand Lodge of Scotland was an exciting and interesting event. While the monies received from the Founder’s Fees provided funds for Aprons and Sashes, many gifts of other essentials came forward, and the Lodge was not long in being fully equipped with all the various necessary

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paraphernalia. ith the articles purchased by Lodge Funds, gifts from the Members, and Lodge Defensive Band’s Furniture, we were well equipped. During the first 11 months of 1921, 14 Working Meetings were held, when 26 Candidates were admitted, passed and raised. Three of that number have occupied the Chair. The Test Fees and Annual Subscription still bothered some of the Members, and this caused a Special Meeting to be on Monday, 21st November 1921. After various expressions of opinion, the matter was left to a Committee to approach Grand Lodge - their decision being 2 guineas for Founders, no Commutation, and 10/- Annual Subscription. The Laws were finally approved and passed by the Grand Lodge Committee on 23rd March 1922. Right Worshipful Master Colonel Archibald Young's term of office was one full of enthusiasm and untiring energy, and we all regretted his passing ten years later. On Sunday 5th December 1931, a Lodge of Sorrow was held in the Lodge Room in the Royal Scots Club. His successor, Past Master Bro. James Sime Waterston, said of him: "His personal connection with this Lodge of ours perhaps what touches us most deeply. From its inception he took the keenest possible interest in it, and the grip it has taken on the imagination of all those connected it is largely due to the Foundation so ably laid down by Archie Young. I know what a joy it was to him to become its first Master, and the work this entailed upon him, new to

Masonic office of any kind, must have been heavy. It was performed with the fullest acceptance of the Brethren and to his own sincere pleasure. Since that time he was always at the service of the Lodge for installation, musical accompaniment, or indeed any office or task which he felt it his duty to carry out. He was a tower of strength in committee and general management, and must have been looking forward to many years of continued Masonic service, not only to the Lodge, but also to many bodies allied to the Craft and to the Metropolitan District itself." ANNUAL COMMEMORATION SERVICE This Service was first held in 1916 by a Parade at Mohamdryeh, Desert of. Sinai, and since the end of the Great War has been held in St Giles' Cathedral, the date being as near as possible to the 28th June, the day in 1915 when both battalions serving at Gallipolli went into action together and lost heavily. The 4/5th Battalion the Royal Scots carried on this service until 1924, but being unable to continue, the Lodge took over the duties, and have faithfully and zealously carried out their sacred responsibility. After 28 years the Service is still well attended by old soldiers of the last war, relatives and friends. But still another war has brought new responsibilities to carryon with renewed energies. This Memorial Service includes the fallen Royal Scots who kept the enemy from our shores from 1939 to 1945. This job is ours to carry on, and while it is a privilege to belong to any Masonic Lodge, membership of our Military Memorial Lodge, is charged with the sacred duty

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of remembrance, is a unique honour and distinction. On 29th June 1922 the Lodge held its First Annual Celebration in the Lecture Room at Territorial Headquarters in Forrest Road. In a stirring address Immediate Past Master Bro. Colonel Archibald Young carried us through the varying military history of the Queen's Edinburgh Rifles from 1859. His finishing remarks were:- This Lodge, Queen's Edinburgh Rifles (No.1253), was erected as a memorial to their sacred memory, and, in accordance with our invariable custom, I ask you now to stand awhile in solemn silence." This Annual Celebration has been held each succeeding June, and the oration has been given by some eminent mason, soldier or citizen, and has never throughout the 25 years lost its importance in our Masonic life. While the assembly has lost some of its lustre through war restrictions, the attendances have proved that the Brethren are well aware for what the Lodge stands - a Memorial . At the Second Anniversary Celebration it was decided to admit non-masonic friends. As I have already said, the Lodge was at first named Queen's Edinburgh Rifles. At a Regular Meeting of 23rd April 1925, a Notice of Motion was intimated by Worshipful Master, D. M. Lowe – “That the words Royal Scots” be added to the existing title of the Lodge making the full title Lodge Queen's Edinburgh Rifles (The Royal Scots) No.1253, that being the correct designation of the Units of which the Lodge is a memorial, and that Grand Lodge be asked to give effect to this." The Motion was passed

and approved by The Grand Lodge on 7th August 1925. The Royal Scots Club having purchased the property at 30 and 31 Abercromby Place to be converted into new club premises, the Trustees were approached, and they agreed to accommodate our Lodge as being part of the Royal Scots’ peacetime activities. Certain minor alterations were necessary to comply with Grand Lodge requirements, these being allowed and carried out by the Club Trustees, and afterwards inspected and approved by the Grand Lodge Committee, the entrance being by Northumberland Street Lane. The assistance given by Bro. W. Clark in these alterations and after our occupation was greatly appreciated. While club engagements kept him from attending our meetings, we were at all times indebted to him for his kindly interest and assistance. April 1925 saw the commencement of interesting job of arranging details and purchasing furniture to be ready for our occupation, and there was no off-season, for the Committee and other assistants who joined in preparations. Bro. David Lyall, a master in the craft of cabinet-making gave willingly of his experience, and his judgment in purchasing was of great value. A great part of the woodwork was completed with his own hands. On 8th October 1925, an emergency meeting was held in the Memorial Hall of the Royal Scots Club, and in a word Right Worshipful Master D. M. Lowe expressed the Lodge would be comfortable in its new home. A Report was given at this Meeting of a

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Deputation having attended the Erection and Consecration of Lodge Royal Thistle, No. 1338 at the Royal Scots Barracks, Glencourse. Our aspirations and endeavours were rewarded when on 22nd October 1925 the new premises were formally opened by The Most Worshipful Grand Master Mason, Bro. The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Stair, D.S.O., D.L., J.P., After the Ceremony the Grand Master complimented the Lodge on the high position it occupied in Scottish Freemasonry and wished it continued success. At the close of the opening Ceremony, the Grand Master handed the Mallet to Right Worshipful Master D. M. Lowe who conducted the further business, and at the conclusion, Lord Blythswood congratulated the Office-Bearers on the working of the First Degree, and expressed the pleasure he had in visiting the Lodge. After this eventful period we settled down, carrying the banner of Freemasonry faithfully and zealously with pride and devotion. Our field of recruits being limited, the Membership has never been large, but this is as was intended in order that each brother, would know his fellow-member more than is possible in a Lodge with a large membership; everyone a chance of helping the Lodge or filling an Office, and expressing himself in his own particular way, thus making one united family. Our idea of this has been evidenced by the large proportion of Initiates who regularly attend and are anxious to become useful Masons. A number of Affiliates have been admitted many having come from the regular

Battalions of The Royal Scots, and some of these have been elected to Office. The Gallipoli Pilgrimage on 1st May 1936 an opportunity of exercising our heritage of Remembrance. A wreath was ordered on our behalf from the Poppy Factory, and made by an ex-Royal Scot who served from 1910 to 1918 and was severely wounded. This was conveyed to Gallipoli by Mrs Milne, widow of a Royal Scot. On her return she reported having placed the wreath against the Royal Scots Panel in the Memorial at Cape Helles. Our relationship with other Lodges in the Metropolitan District and further afield has always been most cordial, and our inter-visitations have proved pleasant and helpful in the making of our history. The appreciative testimonials of the Visitation Committee on their Annual Visit prove that we have always had competent Brothers in the offices of Secretary and Treasurer. Masonic bowling, golfing and rifle shooting have been well-represented, the most important event being the late Bro. G. L. Watson's achievement in winning the One-Armed Golf Championship of Scotland in 1937. In peace time Whist Drives, Dances, Ladies Nights and Children’s Parties enabled our wives and families to participate in the social side. The outbreak of World War No.2 deprived us of our hall, this being taken over by the Royal Scots Comforts Committee. Convenient temporary quarters were found at St Andrew’s

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Chapel, 76 Queen Street, where we still work, hoping shortly to be re-established in our old home, continuing to add lustre to our Lodge and the Craft. You have heard the names of the Honorary Members, a list of which we are proud. It is a great satisfaction to us that most of them have revisited the Lodge, and one donated a handsome gift which helped to swell our Benevolent Fund, while others keep in touch by sending us greetings from to time. The Past Masters have all fanned the flame of enthusiasm for their Lodge, and the services of many have been requested as Installing Masters in the Metropolitan and Provincial Lodges. The members who have distinguished themselves in Masonic, military and civil life would provide another interesting chapter of lives given to public services as Grand Office-Bearers, soldiers of courage and devotion to duty, Members of Parliament and Councillors. This, then, is briefly the story of the 25 years of our Lodge. I trust it will be an inspiration to our younger Members to carry on and hand to their successor the work so well and truly laid from the foundation. This address by Bro. Walter Kerr PM for the Silver Jubilee was sourced from the website of Lodge 1253. The website is now down.

Famous Freemasons Harold Maurice

Abrahams

‘Running with Fire’

An outstanding university athlete at Cambridge, Abrahams won a gold medal running in the 100m at the 1924 Paris Olympics. During the qualifying stages of the event he set three new records. His performance formed one of the centrepieces of the film, Chariots of Fire (1981). When he retired from athletics due to injury, Abrahams became a barrister. He also wrote for the Sunday Times and was a BBC broadcaster for 50 years. He was closely involved with the administration of athletics, especially the Amateur Athletics Association. He was an unrivalled compiler of athletics statistics and was founder president of both the world and British associations in this field.

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British sprinter Harold Abrahams won the 100-meter gold medal at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, equalling the Olympic record of 10.6. (He had previously equalled the record in a qualifying heat.) Abrahams was the first non-American to win the sprint event. He also earned a silver medal at the Paris Games, running the lead leg of the 4x100m Relay, and he finished sixth in the 200m event. Abrahams created considerable controversy in his homeland when, the year of the 1924 Olympics, he hired a coach––the first British athlete to hire a personal trainer. The tactic paid immediate dividends, as Abrahams established new English records in the events he would soon take on at the Paris Olympics. His Olympic story, albeit with much “Hollywood license”, is portrayed in the 1981 Academy Award-winning motion picture “Chariots of Fire”. The film centres on the personal battle between Abrahams and his “Chariots” protagonist, Scottish track star E.H. Liddell, and their competitive struggles to win the 100m sprint. In actuality, Liddell did not compete in the real 100m event because its finals were held on a Sunday, and Liddell, a devout Presbyterian, would not compete on his Sabbath day. In real life, Abrahams and Liddell met up in the Olympic 200m sprint, and the best the rivals could achieve was a bronze medal for Liddell and a sixth place finish for Abrahams. Liddell won an Olympic gold medal in the 400m event, a race Abrahams did not enter. Harold was also a member of the 4x100m relay team which took fourth place.

Though seldom noted, Abrahams made his initial Olympic appearance at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, the first Olympiad following World War I. However, his promise at home would not be realized on this international stage. His trial heat times failed to qualify for the finals of the 100m and 200m sprints, he had no success in the long jump, and his British 4x100 Relay team managed only a sixth place finish. A year after his successful 1924 Olympic triumph, a serious leg injury cut short Abraham’s competitive career. A lawyer by profession, he nonetheless continued to distinguished himself as a writer, broadcaster and leader of England’s amateur sports establishment. He was particularly committed to the development of Jewish sports activities in Great Britain. Abrahams represented England and Northern Ireland on the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), the international governing body of track and field. In 1948, he was inducted into the Veterans of the IAAF, with such luminaries as King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden. In 1928 Abrahams was appointed as Team Captain of the British Olympic team in the 1928 Games in Amsterdam and subsequently edited the Official British Olympic Report for the same games. He was a man of very strong principles believing that “taking part is more important than winning”. Abrahams became a freemason in Oxford and Cambridge University

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Lodge No 1118, London in 1925 and two years later became a founder member of Athlon Lodge No 4674. The Athlon Lodge was consecrated on the 12th February 1925, its founders being leading members of the Amateur Athletic Association. Among its members have been a number of prominent athletic administrators, as well as many leading athletes, including Harold Whitlock who won the 50km Walk in the 1936 Berlin Games. The winner of the Bronze Medal in the 100 Metres race was by Harold was a New Zealander called Arthur Porritt, later Lord Porritt. He joined the Apollo University Lodge and had a very distinguished career as a Freemason, being Junior Grand Warden in 1964, and in 1981 was awarded the Order of Service to Masonry by the Grand Master. He was a leading surgeon before becoming Governor General of New Zealand. Harold Abrahams and Arthur Porritt dined together on 7 July at 7pm every year to celebrate the anniversary of their double medal success in 1924, until the former died in 1978. Harold Abrahams died in 1978, he was inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of fame in 1981 and the England Athletics hall of fame in 2009. The late Guinness Book of World Records founder Norris McWhirter once commented that Harold Abrahams "managed by sheer force of personality and with very few allies to raise athletics from a minor to a major national sport”. This article was sourced from the UGLE, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the Insight Masonic Magazine.(editor)

Rays of Masonry

“I Am a Master Mason” The name itself stands as a symbol of the wisdom of the ages. I am part of an institution that has forever followed the Glorious Light in the East. I am part of the hopes, the yearnings and the efforts of a world-wide group of men who are meeting and working in the name of The Almighty One. I have a share in the spreading of ideals of Justice, of Tolerance and of Kindness. To me is given the opportunity for unveiling symbols which impart Golden Truths. I have the opportunity to grow morally in an atmosphere of sacred silence. I am a member of an institution which throughout the ages has taught and followed the ways of peace, yet never for a moment has capitulated to the demand of dictatorship. I am a member of an institution which has forever inspired men to engage vigorously in the struggle for the preservation of God-given rights- Freedom of Worship and Freedom of Thought. My Masonic membership offers the greatest blessing that is given to man- the opportunity to be serviceable to my fellow creatures. Great are my privileges. Great are my responsibilities.

Dewey Wollstein 1953.

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Bluff. "You are the only man in the lodge I can talk to and say what I think!" announced the New Brother to the Old Tiler. "Do you think me the only one with understanding, or am I the only man stupid enough not to take exception to your remarks?" smiled the Old Tiler. "I don't exactly know," confessed the New Brother. "You are not offended when I say that which you don't agree. For instance, I think there is a lot of bluff about Freemasonry. You won't get offended with me; you'll probably convince me I don't know what I am talking about." "Assuredly I am not offended," answered the Old Tiler, "but give me some examples of Masonic Bluff. To me, the fraternity seems honest, upright, aboveboard, simple, sincere."

"Oh! It intends to be," rejoined the New Brother, impatiently. "But it does bluff. For instance, we prate about 'Masonic light,' 'further light,' 'more light,' yet Masonry never gives it to you!" "Don't you mean it never gives it so an ignorant and unintelligent man can understand it? I have been Tiler for more years than you have lived. I have grown old and gray in Masonry, always getting a little more light through its gentle ministrations. Now you try to tell me it is all a bluff!" "There, there, old chap, don't get sore! I am puzzled as to why we promise so much and give so little." "I think we promise much and give more!" retorted the Old Tiler. "We give the path at the end of which the light shines in glorious brightness. Masonry is not a school, a college, a university. It doesn't attempt to hold classes, to use textbooks, to pump the young and uninformed mind full of information. It veils its truths and their application in symbolism and allegory. Masonry points the way to study, to new vistas, to a new beauty to life, a new truth to philosophy, a new meaning to religion. "The simple facts and the simpler faith of the ritual are learned in a couple of lessons. But the inner meaning requires many lessons. Earnest students have spent their lives trying to reach the bottom of the well of information which is Masonry, nor ever plumbed its depths. Masonry teaches men how to think, and to think for themselves. Masonry teaches men the real beauty of the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God. Masonry instils into

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men's minds a new conception of God. It makes no difference what religion you follow, Masonry amplifies it, clarifies it, helps you to understand it. No man with a heart in his breast and a brain in his head can stand before a Masonic Altar without a new conception of his relations with his fellow men. If he hears with deaf ears he is a Mason in name only. "Masonry's ritual is a key by which to read the symbols. If you are lazy, or unable to think, Masonry safeguards herself by requiring effort of you. If she wrote every truth she has, she would cast the pearls of her wisdom before the swine of brethren who cannot appreciate her. The winding tortuous road of knowledge is difficult; Masonry's wisdom is only for those with the brains and the perseverance to pursue her secrets through her symbols into the broad light of understanding." "You mean that if I find the 'further light' of Masonry a bluff the fault is in me and not in Masonry?" "Absolutely! That so many learned men devoted their lives to fathoming Masonry should show the young Mason that when he is entitled to wear the square and compasses he has just begun! Masonry has vast knowledge, but only for those who look. Masonry gives a wonderful reward, but only for those who are willing to follow where she leads. "The bluff in Freemasonry is in the minds of brethren who expect all and give nothing; who try to appear Master Masons when they are but lodge members. The bluff is not in the system

of philosophy we call Masonry, but in the unthinking, dull-witted, unimaginative, and non-useful members of the lodge who are Masons in name only!" "Ouch!" cried the New Brother, "I shall go away from this company to hunt the library!" This is the thirty sixth article in this regular feature, ‘The Old Tiler Talks,’ each month we publish in the newsletter one of these interesting and informative pieces by Carl Claudy.

Fraternal & Secret Societies

of the World

‘Knights of Columbus’

The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 in New Haven, Connecticut, as a fraternal, insurance, religious, and patriotic organization for Catholic men over 18. Young men aged 12-18 may join the Columbian Squires. Although the order is international, it is concentrated mostly in North and Central America. There were 1,495,251 members in 1994.

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On March 29, 1882, a new fraternal insurance organization called the Knights of Columbus was chartered by the state of Connecticut, under the leadership of the 29-year-old curate of St. Mary’s Parish, Connecticut, Rev. Michael J. McGivney. The title was chosen over the alternative “Sons of Columbus.” The original intention was to provide a measure of security for widows and orphans of the parish. Since then, the Knights of Columbus has become the largest fraternal benefit society of Roman Catholic men in the world. The charter defined four aims, as follows: - Rendering pecuniary aid to its members and beneficiaries of its members - Rendering mutual aid and assistance to its sick and disabled members - Promoting such social and cultural intercourse as shall be desirable and proper - Promoting and conducting educational, charitable, religious, social welfare, war relief, and welfare and public relief work. The description often applied to the Knights of Columbus, “Catholic Masons,” is fairly accurate. Denied the opportunity to join the freemasons by papal edict, many Catholic men have used the Knights of Columbus in much the same way as their Protestant brethren have used the Masons. The fraternal assistance is as often unofficial as official, as Knights do business with friends whom they meet at the lodge. A more important similarity between the Knights of Columbus and Freemasonry is that the Knights of Columbus lodges

work a number of degrees. The first three, Admission, Formation and Knighthood, correspond more or less to the Entered Apprentice, Fellow-Craft, and Master Mason, and were introduced when the order was set up. The fourth degree, corresponding to the Higher Degrees of Masonry, was introduced in 1900. Its theme is patriotism; its existence seems to have been inspired equally by a desire to dress up after the manner of other secret societies, and by an attempt to show that Catholics are not some sort of subversive heathen, but Americans much like any others. Initiates wear somewhat florid pseudo-military costumes, rather like those of a 19th-century U.S. Navy admiral. In contrast to the Masons, Knights of Columbus members swear no oaths, as this would be contrary to the wishes of the Church. They do, however, agree not to divulge the “secrets” of the order. Another important difference between the Masons and the Knights of Columbus is that many people join the Knights of Columbus mainly for the insurance. This is one of the factors that accounts for the low attendance at many lodges, where 20 percent of the enrolled members would be regarded as a good turnout. There are no attendance requirements for a member who wishes to remain in good standing, unlike some other organizations. Those who cannot pass the physical examination necessary for health insurance, or who want to join only for social purposes, are admitted as Associate Members. They can then share in the considerable number of social, family, and athletic events organized by the Knights.

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Like most Catholic organizations, the Knights’ faith tends to be sturdy. Virgil C. Dechant, the Supreme Knight, stated: “Knights of Columbus are very Church-oriented people. They don’t second guess the magisterium. But they do accept the challenge of the Second Vatican Council to be more active and involved in the Church.” This attitude means that members can devote their energies to practical works. They raise — and spend — a great deal of money to support and promote the Catholic Church. Some of their projects are temporal, such as the restoration of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, while others are more intimately connected with the spiritual: The Vicarius Christi fund of $10 million places its interest at the disposal of the Pope, and R.S.V.P. (the Refund Support Vocations Program) provides “moral and financial support to seminaries and postulants pursuing religious vocations.” Since 1948, The order has funded advertisements in a wide variety of periodicals, with the intention of interesting non-Catholics in the faith. Yet other projects are divided nicely between the spiritual and the temporal, as in the Vatican Microfilm Library at St. Louis University. The Knights contributed the $1 million campanile at the National Shrine in Washington, D.C. and have promoted less spectacular forms of devotion, as in their campaign of giving away as many as 10,000 rosaries a month In addition to raising money and support for the church, the Knights also supports a number of secular or community causes. Within a few years of the initial charter, the order contributed $50,000 toward a Chair of American History at

the Catholic University of America, and in 1907 it raised half a million dollars toward scholarships at the same university. During World War I it lived up to the promise embodied in their fourth head, by operating five Knights of Columbus huts in London and 45 in France. Many grateful servicemen joined the organization when they were demobilized and returned home. In World War II, the Knights of Columbus was less than pleased when the work that it regarded as its own was placed in the hands of the National Catholic Community Service by American Catholic Bishops. More recently, the Knights of Columbus is noted for working to organize blood drives; running shelters for the homeless; delivering Meals on Wheels; and other good works — an aspect of the order that has become more important since about 1970, when the organization became less inward-looking under Virgil C. Dechant, the most influential Supreme Knight of recent times. Some of recent K of C activities have been political, including support for the phrase “under God” in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, opposing Communism, and participating in such moral/political causes as fighting pornography and opposing the right to abortion.

These societies which are featured in the newsletter do really exist; there are virtually hundreds of them throughout the World, and you can see from the ritual they were mostly all based on Freemasonry.

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THE MOSAIC PAVEMENT

Most of us are interpreting the happenings within the hemisphere of our "self" in terms of black and white, in terms of good and evil, and although we are very much consciously aware that the white of Light harbours all of the colours of the rainbow and that absolute darkness is but an allusion, we tend to basically stick to our concept of what is desirable or undesirable, without recognising on our rational plane that these forces of good and evil, these colours of black and white, were meant to overlap.

Masonic ritual teaches us that we ornament our lodges by mosaic pavement to remind us of the uncertainty of all things here below. That today we may bask in all sorts of prosperity both mental and physical, only to totter on the next round of our existence on the uneven path of failure, temptation and potential misery.

The mosaic pavement, therefore, exemplifies those forces outside of our being which forever, like the waves of the ocean, ebb and flow or, not unlike our muscular faculties, expand and contract, thus providing us with the mental exercise needed to develop our

Soul through the mastery of those outside and inside forces.

Picture yourself as you once did in lodge, walking on this mosaic pavement. Now pretend that you, yourself, have become a part of the black square. Conjure up all the passions within you which hate, which dislike, which detest. Together with all the circumstances which are heaped upon you to eat away at your happiness and which have conspired to make you feel miserable. Now in the next step, see yourself blending into the purity of the white square, free, feeling nothing but exhilaration, basking in the light of all your blessings, in the good wishes of all your friends, with your eyes lifted up to the heavens where the universe which is the temple of the deity whom we serve is ready and eager to reach out to you. How, you may ask? Through the temples of love built by Christ, through the halls of science built by an Einstein, through the living sculptures chiselled by a Leonardo da Vinci, through the light and shadow masterpieces created by Rembrandt, through the awesome masses of the "impossible" pyramids. This is how the Song of the Universe was conveyed to you, that you may be happy.

As a new Masonic year approaches, you continue to be free, free to picture yourself at any time on either the black or on the white square of the mosaic pavement which symbolises your life.

Your attention is once again directed to its border or skirting which continues to be an emblem full of hope for all those who trust, as all masons profess to do, in the G.A.O.T.U.

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This skirting is the horizon of your vision as a man, where you may either see the sun of your hopes and dreams rise to enliven your landscape, or where you can conjure up nights of despair, setting on the impotent earth of scepticism. Remember, even on the darkest nights the stars are a reality, and the mosaic pavement continues to prefigure the blessings derived from a steady dependence on Divine Providence, symbolized by the Star that blazes in the centre of your universe.

Masons are builders. It is one art which cannot be performed in solitude. We trust you will join us to add your, strength to the work at hand so that you and your lodge may be happy.

Sourced from the October 1984 newsletter on the committee on Masonic education – GL of Canada – Province of Ontario.

A Masonic Toast

To him that all things understood, To him that found the stone and the wood, To him that hapless lost his blood In doing of his duty. To that blest age, and that blest morn Wherein those three great men were born, Our noble science to adorn With Wisdom, Strength and Beauty

LIGHT The doctrine of light is an ancient concept going back thousands of years to the times of the ancient Magi. One of the first recorded practices date back to the Persia empire at a time when Zoroasterism flourished; where the Sons of Light led by the God of creation and goodness: Ormuzd, ever battled the God of Darkness; Ahriman. Light has always been symbolized as goodness and as a source of power and knowledge; a symbol of Truth. Darkness conjures the negative; such as ignorance or confusion. There have existed many mystery schools that have used light as a metaphor for a transfer of Wisdom; initiation, illumination, and enlightenment. Light, as Wisdom, is a powerful concept. It should be distinguished from knowledge as found in the seven liberal arts and sciences Whereas knowledge is built up, one stone upon another; Wisdom has totality and synthesis of parts, transferred as a whole. Wisdom is passed from one being to another and is either discovered slowly as it unwinds into personal reality or suddenly realized through catharsis. Wisdom is a matter of contact. Wisdom as a metaphysical concept represents presence and transference. Wisdom resulting from old age represents contact with 'life' and preservation through its many trials. Life itself has been symbolized as light. The light of life.

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Divine Wisdom is also symbolized by light and is what is meant by a 'search for light'. This is a search for the being of God. Contact with divine manifestations result in deep understandings and influences. The Virtues, as a spiritual reality, have effects upon the self and civilization. It is our nature as human beings to personify spiritual influences as beings or objects found in our objective spheres. This is simply a method of perception and is acceptable to the processes of realization. To conceive a virtue as a being is to establish a communication, a form of contact that allows transference of Divine Wisdom. This is spirituality. But this is also a difficult and at times dangerous subject, not accepted or practiced by all. For the light of spirituality can easily give way to the darkness of superstition. The search for light then is a search for true reality. As speculative Masons we search through internal reality. In contrast to the operative who built in the external and visible, where we travel is within the realm of the invisible. We must discern internal truths from erroneous fiction and myth. We have taken objective tools to assist in the realm of the subjective. We have illuminated the lamp of Masonry to search through the darkness within. We are ever searching for the light of God and through this process we discover true reality. Perhaps a spiritual reality. We conceive through symbol and we build our knowledge base via symbol, but Wisdom bypasses this process. It goes direct to our hearts and minds. It then re-manifests as symbol capable of being projected into action. Behind the

symbol of light is a reality and the discovery of this reality is a matter of faith and belief. Masonic light represents the sum total of wisdom of all who have ever taken and upheld the Masonic obligation...a great and mystic circle of being, traveling ever to the east in search of more light; more Wisdom. If one believes in the Acacia, then the wisdom of our ancient Grand Master H.A. has not been lost. Thus, the Word is ever present, accessible within the realm of light, behind the symbol. With the assistance of the Virtues, personified and communicated with as divine beings of light or simply practiced as philosophical civilizing concepts, this realm can be reached. The Gematria discovered therein would be used to build an internal temple of light, a repository for more light. But this requires an enormous leap of faith, because one would have to leap beyond the symbol into the essence of reality. But just as the Virtues can assist, so can lack of virtue become our stumbling blocks. For darkness can not enter into the realm of light. Many never get beyond the first maze of Temperance, let alone the wall of Fortitude. Before reaching the Oriental Light; learn, absorb and practice within the realm of Masonic Light. For within this light resides the Virtues as teachers; and the fires of Wisdom from past generations. If you can not hear the voice nor see this light, then how can you perceive divine light; more translucent than the rainbow, more complex than the Aurora Borealis, yet simpler than the aura of a single candle that lights our alter. By David Randel

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Charity and Freemasonry

WH Lecky remarks in his “History of European Morals”, 1877: “Simply to tell men what is virtue, and to extol its beauty, is insufficient. Something more must be done if the characters are to be moulded, and the inveterate vices eradicated” (vol. 1, page 292). This is why we need ritual: in order to be trained in the virtues which, if honoured in daily life, mould the human character and make the world a sanctuary. There is one virtue above all others on which Masonic ritual and thinking lay great store. A Mason, it was said nearly three centuries ago, “is to be a Man of Benevolence and Charity, not sitting down contented while his fellow Creatures, but much more his Brethren, are in Want, when it is in his Power (without prejudicing himself or Family) to relieve them” (William Smith, “A Pocket Companion for Free-Masons”, 1735). Charity is so basic to Masonry that none of us can disagree with the old rabbinic commentary that if one performs charity it is as if he has carried out all the Temple ritual (Sifra to Lev. 23:22). There are at least three different words for charity, each from a different language. “Charity” itself is from a Latin root meaning “dear”. In English it suggests something patronising – the “haves” conferring bounty upon the “have-nots”. A second word is “philanthropy”, from a Greek word for the love of mankind. It denotes goodwill

towards others, both individuals and causes. A third approach is the Biblical one, where the Hebrew tzedakah really means righteousness. It involves monetary assistance but much more – generous attitudes as well as kindly deeds. Tzedakah does not let you give in a superior, patronising spirit. It equates the one who gives and the one who receives, even exchanging their roles in the sense that he who gives is also blessed with the opportunity to be thoughtful and helpful. Tzedakah prefers you to give anonymously. You do not know who the recipient is, nor do they know you are the donor. You will get no votes of thanks, but you will know you did what was right. In the Jerusalem Temple, it is said, there was a Chamber of Secret Charity where God-fearing people deposited their contributions secretly and the needy were supported from it in equal secrecy (Mishnah Shekalim 5:6). Tzedakah believes that how you give is important: “If a man were to give his fellow all the good things in the world but with a sullen face, it is as if he gave him nothing; he who greets his fellow with a cheerful face even if he gives him nothing, is as if he gave him all the good things in the world” (Avot D’Rabbi Natan 13). A Russian novelist writes of a beggar who approached a man in the street and asked for alms. “I am sorry, brother,” was the answer, “I regret I have nothing to give you!” The beggar said, “I am quite content – you called me ‘brother’!” This is the Biblical, and also the Masonic principle. We are siblings with

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a responsibility towards each other. So often the Bible uses the term “brother” where tzedakah is concerned: “If your brother has become poor”… “Let your brother live with you”… “Do not close your hand from your needy brother”… William Smith, the 18th-century author I quoted above, spoke of a Mason “not sitting down contented while his Fellow Creatures, but much more his Brethtren, are in want”. We are all brethren, but some brothers and sisters are closer and some are not (yet) so close. We have a responsibility for them all, but it is natural to support closer brothers first. People criticise Freemasonry for its concern for fellow-Masons’ needs, but no-one can accuse us of leaving our charity there and not supporting human beings as a whole. If we sum up the Latin, Greek and Hebrew concepts of charity, they all have their role in Freemasonry and in life. Nonetheless the Hebrew concept is the more comprehensive. It says, “Give – without fanfare. Give – with a smile. Give – with respect for the other. Give – and feel that you too have gained”. The idea that charity is broader than giving money but entails showing a nice face is not revolutionary: it has been around for millennia. But it would make all the difference if there were more niceness in the world, if people trusted each other a little more, if they went out of their way to improve the other’s situation, if they constructed a value-added society where everyone else mattered as well as yourself. By Rt. Wor. Bro. Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple, AO RFD, Past Deputy Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales & the Australian Capital Territory. Click the name to go to his website

The Great Secret of Freemasonry

Recently I called at the home of a friend and found his wife reading a Masonic Paper. Since she and her people had long been a bitter anti-Masonic family, I asked her the reason for her change in reading material. She replied she had discovered the grand secret of Masonry; and related to me as follows:

“Soon after you were here last, I learned to my mortification, my husband had become a Mason. I felt it was because of you and I need not say how I felt toward either of you. I at once decided that my domestic happiness had come to an end. Some time later a circumstance occurred that for the first time gave me reason to doubt his integrity. Late on one of the coldest nights last winter my husband came in and asked, “Margaret, can you do without your blanket shawl?” I answered yes and he asked me to get it, also a bed comforter. I handed them to him and he left the house to join a friend who was waiting for him with a very large basket. My husband returned shortly with no explanation, either then or later for his actions. I decided to watch for my shawl, for if I once caught sight of it I could unravel this whole mystery. Soon afterward a female whisked past me on the street wearing my shawl.

“The good for nothing hussy, I thought; and excitedly started in pursuit. I followed closely from street to street and into the fourth story of a bindery. As she sat down to work I immediately set about locating her residence to get a clue to my husband's perfidy. On arriving at her home

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I saw that I was not mistaken for I found my comforter there.

Freemasory is... “The whole secret flashed on my mind at once, as clearly as if it had been written with a sunbeam from heaven. There I found a widowed mother in the last stages of consumption, and three children dependent upon the scanty pittance earned by the elder sister, whom I had followed. I learned from the dying woman a lesson, that in all my philosophy I had never dreamed of—such a tale of sorrow as I had never before listened to—and when she had related the deed of charity that had been the cause of all my unhappiness, I felt there was not room in my bosom to appreciate the disinterested benevolence of my husband. She said, “I do not know how we should have lived, but for the kindness of two persons who came here late one night, and left a basket filled with provisions, some bed-clothes, a shawl and five dollars. They just opened the door and set in the basket, saying, “Accept this and ask no questions”; and left before I had time to inquire their names. I do not know who they were, and I have some doubts from where these things came. But I never forget in earnest prayers to Him, Who opened His hand and filleth the poor with bread, to ask, if these were men, He will keep them and theirs from the sorrows and afflictions with which I am visited. I left the house a better woman than when I entered it.”

Kindness in the home Honesty in business Courtesy in society Fairness in work Pity and concern for the unfortunate Resistance towards the wicked Help for the weak Trust for the strong Forgiveness for the penitent Love for one another-and-above-all Reverence and Love for God *

“But the grand secret of Masonry,” said I, “I thought you were to tell me what it is.” She replied, “It is this—to do good and not tell of it.”

Freemasonry is many things- but most of all –

Freemasonry is a way of life *

I can’t remember where I sourced this from many years ago, I came across it again and thought I would include it to remind ourselves what Freemasonry is all about. (editor)

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THE MASONIC DICTIONARY

Mark The appropriate jewel of a Mark Master. It is made of gold or silver, usually of the former metal, and must be in the form of a keystone. On the obverse or front surface, the device or Mark selected by the owner must be engraved within a circle composed of the following letters: H. T. W. S. S. T. K. S. On the reverse or posterior surface, the name of the owner, the name of his Chapter, and the date of his advancement, may be inscribed, although this is not absolutely necessary. The Mark consists of the device and surrounding inscription on the obverse. The Mark jewel, as prescribed by the Supreme Grand Chapter of Scotland, is of mother-of-pearl. The circle on one side is inscribed with the Hebrew letters fast n, and the circle on the other side with letters containing the same meaning in the vernacular tongue of the country in which the Chapter is situated, and the wearer's mark in the center. The Hebrew letters are the initials of a Hebrew sentence equivalent to the English one familiar to Mark Masons. It is but a translation into Hebrew of the English mystical sentence. It is not requisite that the device or Mark should be of a strictly Masonic character, although Masonic emblems are frequently selected in preference to other subjects. As soon as adopted it should be drawn or described in a book kept by the Chapter for that purpose, and it is then said to be "recorded in the Mark Book or Book of Marks," after which time it can never be changed by the possessor for any other, or altered in the slightest degree, but remains as his Mark to the day of his death. This Mark is not a mere ornamental appendage of the Degree, but is a sacred token of the rites of friendship and brotherly love, and its presentation at any time by the owner to another Mark Master, would claim, from the latter, certain acts of friendship which are of solemn obligation among the Fraternity. A Mark thus presented, for the purpose of obtaining a favor, is said to be pledged; though remaining in the possession of the owner, it ceases, for any actual purposes of advantage, to be his property; nor can it be again used by him until, either by the return of the favor, or with the consent of the benefactor, it has been redeemed; for it is a positive law of the Order, that no Mark Master shall "pledge his Mark a second time until he has redeemed it from its previous pledge. " By this wise provision, the unworthy are prevented from making an improper use of this valuable token, or from levying contributions on their hospitable Brethren. Marks or pledges of this kind were of frequent use among the ancients, under the name of tessera hospitals and arrhabo. The nature of the tessera hospitalis, or, as the Greeks called it, XuSoXor, cannot be better described than in the words of the Scholiast on the Medea of Euripides (v 613), where Jason promises Medea, on her parting from him, to send her the symbols of hospitality which should procure her a kind reception in foreign countries. It vas

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the custom, Eays the Scholiast, when a guest had been entertained, to break a die in two parts, one of which parts was retained by the guest, so that if, at any future period he required assistance, on exhibiting the broken pieces of the die to each other, the friendship was renewed. These tesseroe, thus used, like the Mark Master's Mark, for the purposes of perpetuating friendship and rendering its union more sacred, were constructed in the following manner: they took a small piece of bone, ivory, or stone, generally of a square or cubical form, and dividing it into equal parts, each wrote his own name, or some other inscription, upon one of the pieces; they then made a mutual exchange, and, lest falling into other hands it should give occasion to imposture, the pledge was preserved with the greatest secrecy, and no one knew the name inscribed upon it except the possessor. The primitive Christians seem to have adopted a similar practice, and the tessera was carried by them in their travels, as a means of introduction to their fellow Christians. A favorite inscription with them were the letters II. T. A. II., being the initials of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The use of these tessarae, in the place of written certificates, continued, says Doctor Harris (Dissertations on the Tesserae Hospitalis), until the eleventh century, at which time they are mentioned by Burchardus, Archbishop of Worms, in a visitation charge. The arrhabo was a similar keepsake, formed by breaking a piece of money in two. The etymology of this word shows distinctly that the Romans borrowed the custom of these pledges from the ancient Israelites, for it is derived from the Hebrew arabon, meaning a pledge. With this detail of the customs of the ancients before us, we can easily explain the well-known passage in Revelation ii, 17: "To him that overcometh will I give a white stone, and in it a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." That is, to borrow the interpretation of Harris, "To him that overcometh will I give a pledge of my affection, which shall constitute him my friend, and entitle him to privileges and honors of which none else can know the value or the extent." The White Storze of Revelation ii, 17, has been understood as perhaps referring to the Tessara Gladiatoria given to the victor in the arena.

Source – Mackays Masonic Encyclopaedia

Until next month, Keep the faith!

The Editor.

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