VOL 4, No. 10 JUNE, 1939 GRANDLODGE BULLETIN Editor: A M. Mitchell, P G M u * The Condition of Masonry

(Editor’s Note: The figuroa quoted 8.10 from a apecia1 Bulletin On this basis most Grand Lodges are years ahead of t.he Masonic Service Association of the United States, copy- of their normal increase trends and the present ap- right 1939 and wed herc by special permission.) parent slump may be charged to the abnormal con- dit,ions of the after war years slowly but surely eor- more at the forthcoming Communication recting themselves. OXCFof Grand Lodge we shall be privilcged to hear earnest reports from those in the best position to The problems incident. to losses from the dues give them on thr condition of Masonry in this juris- problcin are likewise being adjusted. Kindly but diction. firmly and in every case with the fraternal generosity one has learned to expect in the Order, the sheep and Without in any way venturing to ant.icipat.e their thc goats have been quietly separated. Weak Lodges remarks, some comment on the condition of Masonry have amalgamated in stronger c.ombinations, econ- ebemhere may not hc amiss at t,liis time of annual omical unsoundness in Lodge finances and dues reckoning. rates have been adjust,ed and steady, progress re- as The Proceedings, or Reviews of them at the hands ported now the rule. of his Brethren, of some f.ifty jurisdictions have In the words of the Grand Master of Arizona, passed before the writer duilng the last six mont,hs “from the standpoint of the average member, I and without doubt thc predominant note in almost would say that his interest is near the surface of every jurisdiction is that, of quiet opt,imism. his being, ready to he roused to fruitful efforts and accomplishments, if t,he proper approach is found and In point of numbers, losses still occur but without made.” exception the tosses are shrinking, more applicant,s “hlasoiiry can be made to truly serve its votaries are seeking the degrers and in some happy instances in spit.e of the fast t.empo and complexities of present small gains are appeanng. day living, in spite of the many counter-att.ractions.” It may be that we have, t,aken serious a vicw The Condition of Masonry is good, the trend seems of our losses. None can deny that in the years im- definitely upward, without losing sight of the tradi- mediately following tlir Great War, floods of applicant,e tion and accomplishment of tho past, Freemasonry out of all proportion to normal trcnds were received is being gently “stream-lined” to the present and initiated. Their numbers swcllcd comparatiw age and the responsibility for the forward march figures and distortions from normal, inevitably re- into thc future lics squarely upon thc officers of today sulted. and toniorrow. The Rlasonic Service Association of the United There is no reason to doubt that Frermasonry States recently published a survey based upon an- properly presented to carefully selected petitioners ticipat,ed normal growth for the years ahead as coin- will have anything but its old charm, and salutary pared wit,h actual growth for the thirty years from aud permanent effect on its initiates. The task be- 1887 to 1917. Skatistics for t.hirty-four of the forty- longs to 11s and now wit,h the rising tide we must nine Grand Lodges in the United Statrs were collected nieasurc ourselves as Imders for the future. and the figures plotted 011 a graph. A.M.M. .a. “From G07,000 Ma,sons in 1888, ‘thr population curve’ climbs to 1,914,000 in ‘1917, then bends sharp- GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND WARNS ly upward to the peak of 3,300,000 in 1929, then MEMBERS TO BE CAUTIOUS down again to the 2,500,000 line in 1937.” ~ Two inat,ters always of vital importance to Free- A median or average line is then drawn across thr masonry were brought before the Grand Lodge of graph with the general t.heory that t,hc t,rend from England at its rccent, communication. One is the 1888 to 1917 was averagc and from 1917 on should can: that must he exercised by Masons when speak- normally follow the sanw t,rcnd. ing of fratmnal inat,t,c?rsin t.hr prcsence of non-mml- June GRAND LODGE BULLETIN 1939

~ hers of the Craft. The other, the need for close none might “turn his back on his sovereign.” The examination in admitting visitors to Lodges. very bowing of the head without hat is a survival; The Board of General Purposes of the Grand Lodge the savage who lowered his head in the presence of I referred to the warning issued at the Quarterly Meet- authority confessed either fearlessness of an unseen ing of the Lodge last June, and again emphasized blow, or his willingness to receive it from his liege the need for brethren to be cautious and prudent lord. and assure themselves that those with whom they Not always does the removal of the hat indicate talk on Masonic matters are in fact members of the respect. Orthodox Jews remain coyered in their Craft. synagogues; early Quakers wore hats tn their houses Reciting the precautionary steps to he taken, thc of worship; women do not remove t.heir hat,s in some Board further said that too much care cannot be churches. Romans prayed with covered. heads; in- ., exercised in scrutinizing the credentials of brethren deed, Romans forbade the headcoverings to a slave, invited to visit Lodges. a wooden cap () being only for citizens. 0.. Dr. George C. Williamson (“Curious Survivals”) THE MASTER’S HAT says of t.he House of Commons in London: “A mem- Copyright, 1938, by the Masonic Service Association of tlir ber has to wear his hat when he is to address the , United States House and often there is confusion when the member Reprinted by permission is unable to find his hat at the moment, and to put (Abridged) it on, bcfore he addresses the speaker, hut were. he ”Why does the Master wear a hat?” to rise without his hat, he would be greeted im- How many times do newly raised brethren ask thc mediately with cries of “Order! Order!” question, and how few of the brethren int.errogated Just when or where originated the cust,om of a can give a satisfactory answer! Usua,lly t,hc reply Master wearing a bat. as a sign of authority is :m un- is: “Oh, that’s an old symbol,” or, “That’s one of the solved question. It is easy enough to “guess” that Landmarks.” But as a matter of fact, Rzeafing a hat it began from operative Masons of the middle ages in Lodge is symbolic only as all customs with regard awing the customs of the court, and requiring all to are symbolic, and certainly no custom Fellows of the Craft to uncover before the biatiter which has suffered so many changes and reversals Mason. But guessing is not proving. as this, can by any stretching of a point, be considered is quoted as saying: “Among the Romans a Landmark. the hat was a sign of freedom and brotherly equality. Ceremonies connected with are very In English and American Lodges it is now exclusively ancient, dating at least from the era in which the first an attribute of the Master’s .” captives in tribal wars were stripped of all clot,hing, Oliver as a historian is open to question; certainly partly as a symbol of the complete subjugation of t,he bats are not generally worn by Masters in England slave state. Among some peoples today, stlipping now. But t.his quotation indicates that Enghsh part of the clothing is st,il! a sign of respect; the Masters formerly did, which is borne out by some Tahitians uncover to $he waist as a sign of rcvercncc notable exceptions of today; Rristol, for instance to a king; Asiatics bare the feet; Japancsc take off n and Lodge Newstead, 47, in the Province of Notting- slipper for ceremonious salute. Worshippers in ham, whcrc the Master wears a silk hat at Lodge ancient Greece and remove their sa,nda.ls in ceremonics. In the Royal Sussex Lodge of Hospitality a house of worship, as do East Indians today. (Bristol) the Master carries (not wears) a cocked During the days of chivalry, knights often worc hat into t,he Lodge room. In Lodge Mona the transfer full armor in public, and usually when going upon of tho bat from outgoing to incoming Master has for private jouFeys. To open t,he vizor was a form of many years been a part of Installation. greeting which said, in effect,: “I do not expcct a thrust in the mouth from you.” A knight Writing in 1896, Wor. Brother Got.t,helf Greiner states, of German Masons, I‘. . . . it is the invariable removed his helmet before a friend as a t,oken t,hat custom, for brethren in Lodge t.o wear high silk hats he feared no blow, and $ways in the presence of a (which are raised during prayer and when t.he name king, as a symbol that his life N~Sthe king’s. of tbc G.A.O.T.U. is invoked). In that. country, it Moderns remove the hat as a sign of respcct in (the veaiing of the hat) is not a distinction confined greeting a friend, always when speaking to or mect,ing to t,hoae of any psrticular standing.” It is to he noted a lady, a survival of the ancient cust,om of unrover- t.hat the Ahiman Rezon of Pcnnsylvania specified ing as a symbol of trust, or subjectivity t,o a higher t.hat at Masonic funerals all t,he brethren should authority. wear black hats. That monarchs wear -or bats-as a right Onc of the articles of the Statutes of the Cliapter when all others are uncovered, has been sung hy poets of Clermont (1775) reads: “Only the Master of a of all ages. Lodgc and the Scots Masters are permitt,ed to re- min covered.” The king never uncovered. He wore his where he would, even in the House of God. All had to un- Confirming this, an old eighteenth century catch cover before the king, as all had to retreat from his pestion (which survives in some of our Lodges to presence by moving backward-a custom which ~bisday) is:Q. “Where does the Master hang his hat?” obtains in ceremonial audiences in England-that A. “On Nat,ure’s peg.” 38 JUW GRAND LODGE BULLETIN 1939

Some fanciful theories have been advanced to his apron or jewel. The Master’s hat is not used as account for the Master’s hat. Among these may be a head covering designed for warmth and protection mentioned this curious idea; because of a supposed from the weather, but as a badge of authority. Good unpopularity of t,he Masons’ Craft in the middle t8st.e would dictate it.s lifting when the Mast,er speaks ages, the brethren on a cathedral building project of or to Deity, of death, during the reading of passages were occasionally permit,ted to hold their meetings of Scripture, and in the presence of the Grand Master. in the cathedral they built, or, if that N~Snot suffi- In ot.her words, the Master’s hat is doffed in the ciently adva-nced, in a nearby monastery. The monks, prescnce of superior authority. being learned men, were often made Masters of the It is customary for Masters to wear their hats various .builders’ Lodgcs, and continued to wear when conducbing funerals, raising them, of course, I their , as wa.s t,heir custom. From this is during the prayer. But equally common usuage supposed to have arisen the custom of a Master wear- makes the Master remove his hat when services ing a hat.! are held in a House of Worship. Fort, in his “Antiquities of Freemasonry,” writes: What kind of a hat should a Mast,er wear? Here “During the Middle Ages, when a travelling also is neither law nor rule except those of good t.aste. Fellow approached a Lodge of Masons in prescribed and custom rule all our clothing, including form, he first exclaimed: ‘May God bless, direct and our hats. prosper you, Master, Pallirer (Wa.rdens), and dear Lodges in which the officers appear in evening Fellows!’ Whereupon the Master, or in his absence clothes, either “swallow tails” or dinner coats, natur- the Pallirer, was instructed by the ordinance of ally expect Masters to use black silk hats. Lodges Torgau to thank him in reply, in order that the visit- where less forma1it.y is practiced frequently see Mast- ing brother might see who was custodisn of the Lodge. ers in silk hat.s, but the results are sometimes anomal- And having obtained suitable assistance, the wandcr- ous. The spectacle of a brother in white , ing Craftsman removed his hat and thanked the a blue shirt, no coat, black and white shoes and a brethren with an established formula. From the silk hat, is incongruous, at least. At a Lodge meeting preceding ceremony, it is evident that neither the in hot weather in informal clothes the Master is Master nor the Wardens of a mediaeval German better dressed with a straw hat than the more formal lodge were distinguishable by distinctive tokens silk. Lodges in which officers wear ordinary business while at mechanical labor; othenvisc, no regulation clothes should look with approbation on the felt or was essential or obligatory upon thc officers to make derby. proper response to a visitor for the purpose of deter- That the Master should wear his hat, and not let mining the Master. the cust,om go by default, merely for personal con- ”Curiously enough, the implication is direct and venience, goes wit,hout saying. clear that t,he Masons of ancient times, when regularly . 0. convened for work, and during the formal reception KING SOLOMON’S SEAPORT of a travcllcr, pursued their daily avocation and at- tended the usual Masonic dema.nds, within closed American archeologists have recently discovered portals, with covered heads. At the present day the by excavation King Solomon’s seaport on the north- custom has inat.erially changed, and, with one ex- ern end of the Gulf of Aquabah, the eastern arm of cept.ion, the members of a Lodge at labor noticeably the lted Sea. divest themselves of tbeir hats. This is unquestion- The site, now known to the Arabs as Tell El- ably a transformation of recent, origin, and with it Kheleifeh, was a flourishing city of t.rade and industry the instruction usually incident. to the distinction in Biblical days upwards of 3,000 years ago. -. has been adapted to the innovation. A Yale (University) professor in commenting on “When the initiatory rites in t,he niediaeval Lodge the Bible reference to the splendor of Solomon’s were performed, the Master was not t.hus prominently reign, said that with the aid of Hiram, King of Tyre, contrasted with his brethren. I speak with especial Solomon built a fleet of ships at “Eeion-G(:?bcr, which emphasis upon this point, because the esoteric and is beside Eloth on the ahore of the’Ited Sea in the sublime signification involved in t,he Master’s hat, land of Edam.” . ha.s been recklessly perverted and dent,royed. It mas The discovery made at Tell El-Kheleifeh indicates t,ypical, during t,he Middle Ages, of superiority, and that the chief industries of t,he city during its most, was so interpret.cd in the ceremonies of initiation by prosperous period from the 10th to the 8t.h century, the Masons of Francc at the termination of tha B.C., were the manufacturc of copper implements - eighteenth century, all of whom sat in open Lodge md the building of ships, which were used largely with covered heads.” in carrying on commerce directly with southern Turning from history to practice, a question often Arabia and, from points there, with India. Fishing asked is: “When should the Worshipful Master re- was also a. principal industry. - move his hat?” The answer must come from taste It is probable, according to the comment, t,hat rather than law. Some Masters are veritable “hat the visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon was caused snatchers,” pulling off their headgear whenever by the fear that his merchant vessels would lessen they speak from the East. There seems little more her revenues from the caravan trade that had passed reason for a Master to divest himself of this badge of t,hrough her count,ry to t,he nort,h for many ye;irs. office when addressing a brother, than to remove 0.. Jilne GRAND LODGE BULLETIN 1939

The bee hive has its special place in Masonry, graduates of the second year medical courcle, specializ- but members of the Lodge at Gilead, Peru, Ind., ing in Occupational Therapy and Pbysiot~herapy. believed that the walls of their building was not the who are in need of financial assistance. right place, so they set a member to removing several Formal presentation of the fund was made to t,he swarms of bees. Nearly a thousand pounds of honey Board of Governors of the University in the absence has been taken over the protest,s of the busy little of H. J. Cody, President of the University. fellows who put it there and the bees are reported to be discouraged and in the mood to seek more hospit- 0.. able quarters, ARE YOU A PHILATELIST? 0.. A new three cent stamp depicting George Wash- ington taking the oath of office wa8 placed on sale ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FESTIVALS in New York City April 30th, the day the World’s Fair opened. The Royal Masonic Institution for Girls in England held its 151st Anniversary Festival on May llth, The World’s Fair Stamp has a special significance 1939. The purpose of t,he Festival is to accumulate to Masons. The Bible on which Washington took funds to maintain nea$y 1,300 girls who ?re rece,iv- the oath of office was taken from the altar of St. ing the benefits of this Masonic Tnstitutlon, whlch John’s Lodge No. 1, F.&A.M., New York, N.Y., is one of three supported by the United Grand Lodge and is st,ill the piizcd possession of that. ndl known of England. Lodge. The scheduled Chairman of the Festival is Ernest The more distinct, historical figures on the st.amp Dixon, Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial were nearly all Masons, particularly Washington, Grand Lodge of Durham. Livingston, Steuben, Knox, Sherman and very 0.. probably Hamilton who is believed to have been a membcr of a military Lodge. Chancellor Livingston The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution of mas at that time Grand Master of the Grand Lodge England, for dependent old people, held it,s 99th of New York. Annual Festival Thursday, February 23rd, 1939, in the Masonic Peace Memorial, London. The Presi- 0.. dent of the occasion was the Provincial Grand Master OUT FISHING for Essex, Brig.-Gen. Kenneth J. Kincaid-Smith. By HARRY LEE BCRGESS Some 1,200 persons were present including the Pro A feller isn’t t.hinkin’ mea.n-out fishing; Grand Master, Deputy Gmnd Master and the His thoughts arc mostly always clean-out fishin: Assistant Grand Master. He doesn’t knock his fellow-men, The result of the Festival was announced as total- Or harbor any grudgos then; ling over $110,093. As usual the Province whose A feller’s at his finest when-out fishin’. Grand Master presides at t,he Fe.stiva1 made the The rich are comrades to the poor-ut fishin’; largest single contribution. The total in this instance All brothers of a common luro-out. fishin’; was over S54,042. The London Masons accounted The urchin with the pin and string; for S31,867; the rest of the Grand Lodge areas, over Can chum with millionaire and king; 224,182. Vain pride is a forgot.ten thing-out fishin’; 0.. A feller gets a chance to dream-out fishin’; According to schedule the Royal Masonic Institu- He learns the beaut.ies of a stream-out fishin’; tion for Boys will hold its 141st Anniversary Festival An’ hc can wash his soul in air at the Connaught Rooms, London, on Wednesday, That isn’t foul with selfish care, May 31st, 1939. More t.han usrra.l interest is bcing An’ relish plain and simple fare-out fishin’. manifested in the occasion as the Duke of Kent, A fellcr’s glad to be a friend-out fishin’; the new Grand Mastcr of the United Grand Lodgr A helpin’ hand he’ll always lend-out fishin’; of England, will preside. He will do so however not The brotherhood of rod and linc in the role of his new office hut as Past Provincial An’ sky an’ stream is always fine; Grand Master of the Province of Wiltshire. Somc Men come real close to God’s design-out fishin’. 1,200 boys are now receiving benefits from the institution. The annual expenditures are over Sll1,- A feller isn’t plotting schemes-ut fishin’;, 000, less than $15,000 of which comes from invested He’s only busy with his drcams-out. fishin’; funds. His livery is a coat of tan 0.. His creed to do thc best he can; A feller’s always mostly man-out fishin’. CANADIAN LODGE ESTABLISHES LOAN FUND FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS “BULLETIN SUBSCRIPTIONS” At its Twenty-fifth Anniversary, celebrated re- The subscription price for the Bdletin is tNo cents (k)per cently, Mount Sinai Lodgc No. 522, Toront.0, Can., copy, mailed to Lodge Secretaries for distribution. presented 621e University of Toronto with %2,000. Suitable binders can be supplied at seventy (70c). The money was raised by voluntary contribution cents from members of t,he Lodge for loans to under- Communicate with Grand Lodge Office, CRIgary. 40