THE A Window for Freemasonry Vol. 38 No. 1 FEBRUARY 2007 THE A Window for Freemasonry FEBRUARY 2007 Volume 38 No. 1 Features 4 Seeds of Liberty 4 by Alan E. Foulds New exhibition at National Heritage Museum. 8 United American Mechanics by Mark A. Tabbert, 33° Two fraternities, one origin. 10 Paul Revere the Businessman by Aimee E. Newell Patriot interweaves Masonic and commercial life. 8 10 Columns 3 Sovereign Grand Commander 18 Notes from the Scottish Rite Journal 19 Brothers on the Net 16 20 Remembering Scottish Rite Charities President Ford 21 The Stamp Act A brief presidency during trying times. 22 Book Nook 24 Also: HealthWise 26 7 14 15 Views from the Past Billy the Patriot Mouse • Making a Difference • Fleet Feet • 15 17 17 28 The College of Freemasonry • The 33° • In Memoriam: Ill. Today’s Family 25 25 William Harrison Boutell • Standing Guard • Masonic Word Math 30 27 29 30 30 Readers Respond • Quick Quotes • The Heritage Shop • Hiram • On the 31 Lighter Side Et cetera, et cetera, etc. SUPREME COUNCIL, 33° EDITOR Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Mailing Address: Alan E. Foulds, 32° Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A. PO Box 519, Lexington, MA 02420-0519 PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS SOVEREIGN GRAND COMMANDER Sonja B. Faiola John Wm. McNaughton, 33° Editorial Office: Beth E. McSweeney THE NORTHERN LIGHT (ISSN 1088-4416) is published quarterly in February, May, 33 Marrett Road (Route 2A) MEDIA ADVISORY COMMITTEE August, and November by the Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Lexington, Massachusetts 02421 Stephen E. Carpenter, 33°, chairman Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A., as the official publication. Printed in U.S.A. 781-862-4410 Richard V.Travis, 33° Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA, and at additional mailing offices. Fax: 781-863-1833 William Fox Jr., 33° POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Northern Light, PO Box 519, Lexington, e-mail: [email protected] William L. McCarrier, 33° MA 02420-0519. Frank R. Preble, 33° Internet: Eric Ginette, 33° Copyright © 2007 by Trustees of the Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A. www.supremecouncil.org 2 THE NORTHERN LIGHT / FEBRUARY 2007 “We must reexamine our effectiveness.” — John Wm. McNaughton, 33º Time to Tune the Engine It is no secret that the Big Three automakers though the limo has been hidden in the garage in Detroit have been floundering in recent years. gathering dust with the door closed. So when Ford Motor Company CEO William As Mulally said, time is of the essence. We Ford Jr. sought help to stop the bleeding, he need to be aggressive when examining our looked outside the auto industry and turned to structure and reinvest in a way that serves the Alan Mulally, executive vice president of Boeing members’ needs. Aircraft, to lead an “American icon.” One of our first priorities must be to restore During a television interview on “The credibility with a world that has forgotten who Bloomberg Report,” Mulally, the new Ford CEO, we are. At the same time, we must maintain the said, “Time is of the essence. The next few years fraternity’s core values. are absolutely critical. There must be aggressive In too many cases, we have emphasized the restructuring.” need for more members in order to maintain He emphasized the need to reinvest in prod- buildings that are no longer relevant. ucts that people want. Restoring credibility will But what is the most important ingredient? Is be a high priority. it a physical structure or is it the emphasis on the He realizes that to improve quality it will be individual member? necessary to work with suppliers in a collabora- The basic principles of Freemasonry exempli- tive way. fied through the degrees are timeless. The way As I listened to “The Bloomberg Report,” I in which we convey those principles to every began to realize how closely Mulally’s concerns Mason and to the world is the strength of the parallel those of the Masonic fraternity. fraternity. We must reexamine our effectiveness. The Scottish Rite — indeed, the entire frater- If the Scottish Rite is to provide an “advanced nity — has considered itself in the driver’s seat of education” within the fraternity, it must build a limousine that has gained respect and admira- upon the core curriculum of the blue lodges by tion in the past. collaborating with our “suppliers.” The problem is that the limo has gathered a It is time to tune the engine. little rust from lack of polish and many of the drivers haven’t bothered to lift the hood to tune the engine. In some instances it seems as Sovereign Grand Commander FEBRUARY 2007 / THE NORTHERN LIGHT 3 By ALAN E. FOULDS, 32° Seeds of New exhibition at Liberty National Heritage Museum History doesn’t happen in the ab- stract. It is made by people, so we intend to focus on the lives and choices of the people who shaped” the start of the American Revolution. That is how Hilary Anderson, direc- tor of exhibits and collections at the Na- tional Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA, sums up the institution’s newest “exhibition. Titled “Sowing the Seeds of Liberty: Lexington and the American Revolu- tion,” it is designed to tell the story of the beginnings of our nation’s struggle for independence. It opens in April on Patriots Day — a holiday in Massachu- setts and Maine honoring those events and the people who made them hap- pen. Although every school child has heard of the battle of Lexington and Concord — the events are well docu- mented — there are always new ways to consider the story. Print by Bro. Amos Doolittle titled “The Battle of Lexington, As the Supreme Council headquar- April 19, 1775.” Courtesy of the Connecticut Historical ters and the museum are located just Society, Hartford, CT. steps from the battle scene, telling the story of Lexington and Concord has al- ways been a high priority. nial gift and the Masons have continued an important role in the start of the Rev- For several years an exhibition called to lend their support because most of olution and still exists today. She says “Lexington Alarm’d” was a staple at the values of the fraternity are those of that the National Heritage Museum is the National Heritage Museum. It was the nation as well.” one of her favorite charities. time, however, to update the presenta- He says that many of the principal When asked how she became in- tion using modern technology and fresh characters of that opening chapter, volved Ms. Sullivan answered, “I orig- perspectives. “such as Paul Revere, John Hancock, inally had a love-hate relationship with To fund the undertaking the Supreme and Joseph Warren were members of the museum. Council formed a committee headed up the craft.” “I was in love with the estate that by general chairman, Ill. Forrest D. Bro. Steve Pekock, director of devel- once stood on the site and was not McKerley, 33°, of New Hampshire. opment at Supreme Council headquar- happy when things changed. The new Bro. McKerley is a staunch supporter ters feels that the project has brought to- architecture didn’t seem to belong. of Scottish Rite charities. He says he got gether both the Masonic and local com- “Upon my first visit, however, my behind this particular project “because munities. Spearheading the local drive mind was changed forever. When I no one else is doing it.” is Ms. Elsa Sullivan, a woman with deep walked through the door, it was as if the He feels that many schools don’t roots in town activities, such as the Lex- museum said hello to me.” teach a complete history of our nation’s ington Historical Society, the Lexington This new exhibition, she says, is par- beginnings. Additionally he adds “Scot- Symphony, and the Garden Club. ticularly important for the children. tish Rite Masons donated the museum She is also house chairman of the Echoing the sentiments of Bro. McKer- to the people of America as a bicenten- Munroe Tavern, a building that played ley, she wants to “get them while they 4 THE NORTHERN LIGHT / FEBRUARY 2007 are young.” She says the response from the Lexington area has been strong due in part to a great committee. Included with her from the commu- nity are such leaders as Mary Gillespie, Chuck French, Bebe Fallick, Selectman Norm Cohen, Dawn McKenna, Jim Shaw, and Laura Atwater. She also thanks the Masonic commu- nity “for making sure that this all hap- pens.” Reiterating the theme that this is a story of people, Hilary Anderson ex- plains that much of the focus centers on two main characters, John Parker and Jonas Clarke. Parker, among the many hats he wore in town, was head Iron Compasses, 1700s. John Parker, captain of the Lexington militia, of the local militia. made his living as a farmer and a wheelwright. He used He was in charge of the men on the compasses like these in his work. National Heritage Museum. town common when the British regi- ment arrived from Boston. Legend has it that his last order to his men was, “Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they everyone was tied to everyone else, Underscoring that theme is an image mean to have a war, let it begin here.” either by family, trade, or church; often that greets visitors as they enter the The other, Jonas Clarke, was minister by all three. “Seeds of Liberty.” of the local church. Additionally he was The new exhibition is divided into On the wall opposite the doors is a a strong and well-respected voice in seven sections.