The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin 1

The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin

by

Khristian E. Kay, PM

Silas H. Shepherd Lodge of Research #1843

The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin 2

Freemasonry and Education

Public Education is a relatively new concept in the history of humankind. Public Education differs from religious education in that the principles of science are emphasized regardless of a religious doctrine or belief. It follows a path of logic through concepts which can be proved or disproved rather than maintaining a faith or a belief. The abolishment of primogeniture and entail in the New World1 after the American Revolution helped the pursuit of an educational system free from aristocracy. However the concept was not without its detractors as the danger of education of the masses made some individuals fear that the newly educated masses would take control of the government and of American life in general. Others believed that education was the sole priority of the home. There exists a long history of fear concerning the philosophies of as well. As the popular coinage presumes, ‘we fear that which we do not understand,’ or we fear that which is different. To understand the importance of Freemasonry’s influence on Public Education we need to delve back in time to the beginnings of speculative Freemasonry. Some of the beliefs of Freemasonry are that all faiths are welcome as long as there exists a belief in a singular deity, men should learn and discover the virtues of morality through education and experience, and that through a strong education of sciences one should be apt to learn.

A New World Order

To understand the purpose behind the development of a Public Education system we need to review a few dates and their importance, the first being 1738. The aforementioned principles were targeted by the church as early as April 28, 1738 by Clement XII2. Where he denounced the practice of allowing people with different religious ideals other than the Catholic teachings to come together and swear allegiance to one another. Pope Clement XII further denounced the practice of using common vernacular to teach uneducated men as opposed to the clerics and approved dogmatic teachings. This date is important because it was through Freemasons in the New World who would try to establish a country based on the practices of a freedom of religious belief and a purposeful education of sciences to the general masses. This is

1 Gross and Chandler (1964) 2 In Eminenti on Freemasonry of Pope Clement XII http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti- masonry/papal/in_eminenti.html The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin 3

commonly believed to be the evolution of a Novus ordo seclorum3, “New World of the Ages” as suggested by Virgil’s poem Eclogue:4

“Now comes the final era of the Sibyl's song;

The great order of the ages is born afresh.

And now justice returns, honored rules return

now a new lineage is sent down from high heaven.”

Which is to suggest that the time had come to break from the traditional King decrees, entail and privileges, as determined by England and Rome, and for the establishment of a new lineage of a Democracy by the people, for the people.

This “New World of the Ages” would take place in 1776 as what Americans define as the birth of the United States of America. Thus in many avenues the principles of Freemasonry helped establish the philosophies of this new nation. Another important date for Freemasons to keep in mind is 1829. On May 24, 1829 Pope Pius VIII5 wrote in an titled Traditi Humilitati (On His Program For The Pontificate), that not only was it immoral and wrong to have men of different faiths gather but it is heresy to teach people anything other than the prescribed teachings of the and this should only be done by the church rather than laymen outside of the church’s precepts.

The study of the liberal arts

Freemasons believed that science was something that needed to be taught and that everyone should be taught regardless of birth, religion or hierarchy in society. The first public school to be established in the New World was the Boston Latin School6, in 1635, it is important to note that two of its alumni Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock were both signers of the Declaration of Independence and fellow Masons7.

3 http://greatseal.com/symbols/explanation.html 4 http://greatseal.com/mottoes/seclorumvirgil.html 5 Traditi Humilitati (On His Program For The Pontificate) http://www.ewtn.com/library/ENCYC/p8tradit.htm 6 http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/firstpublic.asp 7 Denslow (1957) The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin 4

Thomas Jefferson is credited with saying “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” His involvement with and support of education is best known through his founding of the University of Virginia, which he established in 1819 as a secular institution after he left the presidency of the United States. In 1779 in "A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge," Jefferson proposed a system of public education to be tax- funded for 3 years for "all the free children, male and female," which was an unusual perspective for the time period. They were allowed to attend longer if their parents, friends, or family could pay for it independently. Jefferson was an advocate of public education. In a 1786 letter to George Wythe, he remarked that "the most important bill in our whole code, is that for the diffusion of knowledge among the people." He believed that "no other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom and happiness" and that failing to provide public education would "leave the people in ignorance."

The Northwest Ordinance

The Northwest Ordinance8 of 1787 was one of the greatest accomplishments of the infant United States. Under its regulations, Congress was to set aside a section in each township in the old Northwest Territory (Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, etc.) for the support of public schools9. This was the first time in history that a government had the foresight to plan for the education of its people. Since that time, the individual States and now the Federal Government have supported and developed our system of free public education.

Another Mason, Horace Mann10 who is considered the father of American Public Education declared in 1838 that Public Education should accomplish these six principles11:

(1) the public should no longer remain ignorant;

(2) that such education should be paid for, controlled, and sustained by an interested public;

8 http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~dalbello/FLVA/background/education.html 9 http://www.calodges.org/no529/education/ed2005.02.html 10 Fisher (1994) 11 http://www.biography.com/people/horace-mann-9397522#the-educational-reform-movement-begins The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin 5

(3) that this education will be best provided in schools that embrace children from a variety of backgrounds;

(4) that this education must be non-sectarian;

(5) that this education must be taught by the spirit, methods, and discipline of a free society; and

(6) that education should be provided by well-trained, professional teachers. Mann worked for more and better equipped school houses, longer school years (until 16 years old), higher pay for teachers, and a wider curriculum.

The California State public school system was started in the 1850s, and the first State Superintendent of Public Instruction was John Swett12, a transplanted Mason who had come west in the years following the Gold Rush.

This survey, by no means complete or detailed, is meant to account for the idea that Freemasonry had an impact on American public education and its principles. This leads us to the progressive establishment of Wisconsin Public Education and how Freemasons designed to forge a design or model for public education.

The Birth of Wisconsin Public Education

The Western Emigration Company

John Bullen, as the representative of a number of individuals of Oswego county, New York, who desired to emigrate to the West, formed the Western Emigration Company13 in Hannibal, New York in 1834. All of these company members were, curiously enough, Freemasons. They held their meetings in the and decided to send representatives “to explore and locate” somewhere along the western shore of Lake Michigan in what was then the Wisconsin territory. They arrived on Sunday, the 14th day of June, 1835. These representatives established a village in the Wisconsin territory at what was then called

12 Denslow (1957) 13 History of Lodge #47 http://kenoshafreemasons.org/?page_id=3788 The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin 6

Pike Creek14, by 1837 this village would be renamed Southport, (the southernmost port in Wisconsin) and subsequently, Kenosha. The population was then 144, fifty percent of the men being Freemasons15. Among these representatives would be Rev. Jason Lothrop, Col. Michael Frank, Charles Durkee, and John Bullen, Jr.

Rev. Jason Lothrop

Rev. Jason Lothrop a Baptist minister and afterwards a school teacher, found himself in September of 1835 in the "Far West," engaged in keeping a boarding-house at Kenosha. He was a man of considerable talent, and of some eccentricity of character. Having no part of his family with him, he found it necessary to perform all the duties which pertain to such an establishment, such as cooking, washing, and general housewifery, and the accustomed duties of host. Notwithstanding he was an educated and had been accustomed at one time to a life of elegance and stature, yet he performed all the diversified offices which his new occupation demanded. Through his efforts a school was established in December of 1835, and maintained through the winter. A number of families residing on the prairies in the vicinity availed themselves of this opportunity to send their children to school. In the latter part of the season of 1837, a block building was put up on South Main Street and near the then market square, for a school house and a place of worship, free, to all denominations16. After the organization of a Baptist church at Kenosha, Lothrop was employed for several years as its minister, but disagreeing with his congregation upon some cardinal points of doctrine, he became disengaged from the church, and afterwards withdrew himself almost wholly from society.

Col. Michael Frank

In June, 1840, the "Southport Telegraph," edited by Christopher Latham Sholes, and Michael Frank, was established. Sholes was also the inventor of the first practical typewriter and the QWERTY keyboard still in use today17. Col. Michael Frank was Southport’s first village

14 Frank (1904) 15 History of Lodge #47 http://kenoshafreemasons.org/?page_id=3788 16 Mygatt (1904) 17 Early Typewriter History http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/Dvorak/history.html The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin 7

president and Kenosha’s first mayor18. In 1840 Frank began to promote the idea of free schools through the Southport Telegraph newspaper where he was an editor. He was elected to the upper house of the territorial legislature in 1843 and wasted no time introducing the first bill in the legislature to establish free schools in Wisconsin. It failed, defeated by anti-free-school forces. On Feb. 24, 1845, he secured passage of a law authorizing the establishment of a free school in Southport subject to local approval. After realizing defeat in 1845, he introduced a bill authorizing the community of Southport to establish a free public school supported by property taxes. It was passed, although it would not become operative until approved by the citizens of Southport in a referendum vote. There was opposition to the law, but the referendum passed in April 1845. The resulting system of free public education became the model for the state public school system19. It was the first free school in the U.S. outside of New England. Fifty years later, Frank School opened in 1896.

Charles Durkee

Charles and Catherine Durkee came here in early 1836 and convinced two more family groups to settle here, including the Demings. By the end of that first year, Charles was serving in the Wisconsin Territorial House of Representatives with Deming. He was elected first to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1849 and later to the U.S. Senate in 1855. Durkee was a vocal proponent of public education in southeast Wisconsin. In 1865, he was appointed the sixth governor of the Utah Territory. Durkee School opened in Kenosha in 1878. Deming, who later became a minister at the Methodist Episcopal Church, came here with his family in the fall of 1836. He served as a representative on the territorial legislature and supported Frank’s free school system from the very beginning. Deming served on the first school board in 1849 and again on the board in 1858, 1859 and 1864. When plans were made to build the first high school in 1849, opponents called it “Deming’s Castle.” Deming School, the grade school named in his honor, opened in 189920.

18 Giles (June 1st, 2013) 19 The Wisconsin Mosaic: A Brief History of Education in Wisconsin http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~dalbello/FLVA/background/education.html 20 Giles (June 1st, 2013)

The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin 8

Southport Lodge No.7

Masonry in Southport dates back to January 9, 1845. A petition was presented to the of Wisconsin for a dispensation of a to the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin by Zalmond G. Stebbins, praying for a dispensation for a Lodge “beholden” at Southport, Wisconsin, to be known as Southport Lodge, F. & A. M. The prayer of the Brethren was granted, dispensation was issued and Southport Lodge under dispensation proceeded to hold Masonic Communications with John Bullen, Jr. appointed as Worshipful Master. On January 17, 1846 a charter was issued to Southport Lodge No7 F. & A. M., George S. Willis was named as Worshipful Master. For the next six or seven years the Lodge flourished and Masonry had taken an important place in the Village of Southport.

Interestingly in 1848, a new religious denomination21 was inaugurated at Kenosha, by Christopher Latham Sholes and others. It was called the "Excelsior Church,” and it was claimed to be founded upon purely democratic principles. Whatever a man's religious opinions were, it was no bar to his admission into this church. Indeed, it invited together the most discordant elements; and each one regularly attending, had the right to advocate with perfect freedom, whatever doctrine he may have chanced to hold. All classes, the high and the low, the believer and the unbeliever, here met upon one common platform.

Further Light

Throughout history Freemasonry has supported and promoted public education. Although Freemasons typically do not discuss either politics or religion within the Lodge, they have openly supported for the public provision of education through both fundraising and rhetoric. Historically, Freemasons supported, both financially and politically, efforts to restrict financing for church-supported schools and encouraged public spending for education.22 A survey of historical documents reveals that Freemasons played a significant role in the development of public education throughout the United States at various times of her development. In the early 19th century Freemasons were founding colleges, providing funding

21 Mygatt (1904) 22 Demott (1986) and Dumenil (1984) The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin 9

and construction to establish schools, and procuring teachers and teacher salaries to perform educational duties. De Witt Clinton, who was Grand Master of New York, established the New York Free School Society in 1809. This society provided free education to Freemason children with voluntary donations from Freemasons. This Society also served as a model for the development of the public education system in New York and donated its buildings and equipment to the public school system in 184223. Freemasons of eleven southern states were directly responsible for the development of some 88 schools between 1840 and 185024. Further demonstration of the importance of public education to Freemasons is that graduates of these universities, which were either free or reasonably inexpensive, were either required or strongly encouraged to become teachers in common schools. Freemasons were integral in supporting public education throughout the 19th and early 20th century. The founder of the New York Free School Society, De Witt Clinton, eventually became Governor of the State of New York and has been called the “Father of Public Schools in New York25.” Another example of Freemasons supporting public education is by the California Grand Master, Charles Albert Adams, who used the system of California Masonic Lodges to mandate his establishment of Public Schools Week Observance in 1920. Over 600 schools in California had been closed due to teacher shortages and improper training, Adams’ efforts along with the California Freemasons were responsible for the adoption of an amendment to the California constitution that established a taxed contribution of funds for public schools. Curiously in 1919 Freemasons tried to establish a federal department of education. This department of education would have distributed funds to states to combat illiteracy. Masons throughout the country supported this motion, and the Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction of Freemasons26 uncharacteristically voiced public support for establishing this department as a means to provide funds for the educational opportunities for children throughout the nation27. Freemasons further supported public education by providing facilities for schools. Traditionally Freemason Lodges were two floors, the rituals and other Masonic business would

23 Mackey and Haywood (2003) 24 Woods (1936) 25 Lang (2006) 26 Dumenil (1990) 27 Mackey and Haywood (2003) The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin 10

take place on the secure upper level, and in some communities the first floor was utilized as a school28. Through various efforts and concerns Freemasons providing a space for public education has been acknowledged as one of the “most important transitional steps towards free public education29.” Most lodges and grand lodges established educational funds to support the studies of sons, daughters and orphans of widows. These funds were one of the central charities provided by the Freemasons. In due form Freemasons supported public education throughout the world30. In Wisconsin through the efforts of Freemasons Bullen, Frank, Durkee and Deming amongst others, public education was established based upon the models existent in the New England area in 1845, just two years after Wisconsin established a Grand Lodge and three years before achieving statehood. Michael Frank’s public school in Southport would become the model for the future of Wisconsin public education. As the study of the liberal arts and sciences was and is a primary tenet of Freemasonry it is important to relate the correlation between a free and accessible public education for all and the efforts of Freemasons to ensure that ideal.

28 Webb (1955) 29 Eby (1925) 30 Mackey, et al (1946) The Masonic Agenda: Public Education in Wisconsin 11

References

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Denslow, W. R. (1957). 10,000 Famous Freemasons. Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co.,

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Dumenil, L. (1990). “The Insatiable Maw of Bureaucracy": Antistatism and Education Reform

in the 1920s. The Journal of American History 77 (2), 499{524.

Eby, F. (1925). The Development of Education in Texas. New York: The MacMillan Company.

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Copeland Draper, L.L.D., Secretary of the Society Vol. III, Being a page-for-page reprint

of the original issue of 1857 Under the editorial direction of Reuben Gold Thwaites,

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Giles, Diane. (June 1st, 2013). That’s history: Three giants of education buried near each other.

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Lang, O. (2006). in the State of New York. Kessinger Publishing.

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Mackey, A. and Haywood, H. (2003). Encyclopedia of Freemasonry Part 2. Kessinger

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of the original issue of 1857 Under the editorial direction of Reuben Gold Thwaites,

L.L.D., Secretary and Superintendent Published by the Society, Madison, 1904, p. 395

Webb, W. (1955). Masonry in Texas, Background, History and Influence in 1846. Fort Worth:

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Woods, R. O. (1936). Masonic educational institutions. The School Review 44 (6), 456{461.