CRAFT STEWARDSHIP MASONIC EDUCATION NEWSLETTER Volume One Issue 2 RITUAL EDUCATION MENTORING October 2020 The Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario 363 King Street West Hamilton, Ontario In This Issue Title Page……………………………………………………..…page1 M.W. Bro. John Ross Robertson……...……………..……pages 2 & 3 Virtual Presentations….………………………………………...page 3 The William Mercer Wilson Medal…………………..…..pages 4 & 5 Some Additional History.....................................................pages 6 & 7 Practising Charity in Western District……………….…………page 7 Niagara Lodge No. 2……………………………………………page 8 Niagara Lodge No. 2 Photo Gallery…………………………….page 9 Which One of These are You?....................................................page 10 If you have missed the latest Covid-19 update from Grand Lodge, please be advised that it is available from your lodge Secretary or by logging on to the Grand Lodge website. It is important that you stay current. According to the Proceedings as of December 31, 2019 there are 33 469 Masons in the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario. This membership is dispersed throughout 41 Districts and 499 lodges. Since January 1, 2020 five lodges have amalgamated with others to reduce the number of lodges in Ontario to 494. OPEN HOUSE GUIDE When all of this is behind us and we get back up and running if your lodge is planning an Open House you are encouraged to consult the newly updated Open House Guide that can be found on the Grand Lodge website under “Grand Lodge – Open House”. I am sure that you will find it to be an invaluable asset to assist you in your researches. M.W. Bro. John Ross Robertson Grand Master (1890-1891 and 1891-1892) of the Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario Grand First Principal (1894-1895 and 1895-1896) of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Canada in the Province of Ontario Grand Master (1882-1883, 1883-1884 and 1884-1885) of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of Ontario (Cryptic Rite) In my researches while completing modules from the College of Freemasonry I came across material on M.W. Bro. John Ross Robertson. I found both the civilian and Masonic careers of our worthy Brother to be particularly interesting. This excerpt is taken from the Past Grand Masters section of the Grand Lodge website and was so extensive that it was best shared between two issues of the newsletter. The second part of this writeup will be included in Issue 3 and will deal with the Masonic career of M.W. Bro. Robertson. If you just can’t wait to find out more about this Brother check out the Grand Lodge website or other Masonic resources. John Ross Robertson was born December 28th, 1841, at the Robertson home on John St., Toronto, son of John Robertson, a successful dry goods merchant. He was educated at Upper Canada College, Toronto, where he gave evidence of his skill as a compositor and as a printer. As a schoolboy he started a small printing office in his father’s home, producing The College Times, later known as the Boys’ Times which he distributed round the school from 1857 to 1860. By working at ‘odd jobs’ and assisting as opportunity offered in several of the city printing works, such as the Christian, Guardian, Globe, and Leader, he gained valuable and practical experience. When it came to the choice of a vocation, he pursued journalism. His early enterprises included publication of The Grumbler (a weekly satirical paper) and Sporting Life (the first sporting paper in Canada devoted to athletic sports). In 1861-3 he was on the staff of The Leader and was also responsible for a year’s issue of the Canadian Railway Guide under his own name. In 1863 he was city editor of the Toronto Globe and in 1866 he helped found the Daily Telegraph (ceased publication 1872). In December 1869 John Robertson of the Telegraph and Robert Cunningham of the Globe visited NW Canada where, at Fort Garry, they became prisoners of Louis Riel for a short time. This was followed by three years in England as the London correspondent and representative of the Toronto Globe. On his return in 1875 he undertook the management of The Nation edited by Prof. Goldwin Smith, an association that led to the establishment of the Evening Telegram in April 1876, said to have been the only daily paper in Canada which paid its way from the start. It was his initiatives and strong support which contributed immeasurably to the improvement of medical services and facilities in Toronto — an improved ambulance service in Toronto in 1888 and support for the Children’s Hospital. He entered politics and represented East Toronto from 1896 to 1900 in the Canadian House of Commons, as an independent Conservative, pledged to vote for the general good of the country. In 1902, he and his wife attended the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. In the 1917 New Year’s Honours List he was offered a Knighthood and a Senatorship, both of which he gratefully declined. He passed away on May 31st, 1918, at his home, 291 Sherbourne St., Toronto, at the age of seventy-eight. If you are now in Past Grand Master mode take some time to check out the YouTube video of our Grand Secretary, M.W. Bro. D. Garry Dowling, interviewing our first Grand Master, M.W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson. Virtual Presentations Since the arrival of current situation that we find ourselves in, an influx of online presentation formats e.g. Zoom, GoToMeeting, etc., have become more evident and have kept the Brethren of the jurisdiction in touch with Masonry by offering various topics of Masonic interest to the brethren. Some of these presentations that might catch your interest are below. Hosted by Craft Stewardship Pillar / Masonic Education The Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario The Grand Lodge Masonic Education Committee Speaker Series will take place monthly, typically on the first Saturday of each month at 7 pm. We will have a wide variety of speakers over the course of the year. We welcome all masons of every rank and from every lodge. We also encourage candidates to join us if they are interested. Invitations to join the event will be posted on the Grand Lodge Facebook page and will also be forwarded to the DDGM of each District for dispersal to the lodges in their respective Districts. *Please Note: the meeting will be held on GoToMeeting (not Zoom). Please make sure you have downloaded appropriate apps/software ahead of time. Questions and comments concerning the presentations may be directed directly to W. Bro. Don Kemball at: [email protected] Niagara A – Once-a-Month Series This series of presentations is scheduled on the last Monday of each month. If you are interested in joining this presentation, simply drop an email to R.W. Bro. Edward Dunsmore at [email protected] and he will take care of your registration. Toronto East District The Toronto East District has also been conducting virtual presentations for the brethren on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. If you wish to be added to the list of participants please contact W. Bro. W. Bro. Michael Cipollone at [email protected] or Bro. Mark Ingram at [email protected] The William Mercer Wilson Medal V.W. Bro. Loyal D. Beggs This article was compiled using information gleaned from the Ontario Heritage Plaque erected at the Cemetery in Norfolk County where William Mercer Wilson was laid to rest, and Protocol & Etiquette Essentials, Issue #9 (December 2010), with deep gratitude. We all know one; that man, who, with humility and without pretense works tirelessly for his lodge. He looks for no reward but gives unselfishly of himself for the good of the lodge, the craft in general and his fellow brethren. So often they are the quiet, meek, mild mannered, soft spoken example to the younger brethren who labours silently in the pursuit of brotherly love, they have, for whatever reason, never aspired to a high office such as Worshipful Master, yet their contribution and value far exceed rank and titles. This is the definition of a William Mercer Wilson Medal recipient. The charge at the end of our installation ceremony speaks eloquently of the ideal of a freemason. Read it. Brethren does a William Mercer Wilson Medal recipient not personify those ideals to the fullest? The William Mercer Wilson Medal could be said, therefore, to honour those within our ranks who exemplify those qualities to which we all aspire and which we hold in such high regard. What better way to honour such a valued brother than with an award named after our first Grand Master, William Mercer Wilson. Born in Scotland in 1813, he came to Canada in 1832 and would rise to become one of the most prominent Canadian figures of his time. He settled in Simcoe where he worked as a court clerk, lawyer, crown attorney and judge for Norfolk County. As a cavalry commander at Simcoe he was instrumental in quashing the Rebellion of 1837. He would rise to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He introduced the first printing press in the district and for two years published the Norfolk Observer. He entered the world of Freemasonry in 1840 in Simcoe, and it would be the leadership and vision of William Mercer Wilson that would result in the creation of The Grand Lodge of Canada independent from the authority of the Grand Lodge of England. He became its’ first Grand Master in 1855 and he would hold that office twice before his death in 1875.