Vol. 44 No. 4 NOVEMBER 2013 Volume 44, Number Four I N T H I S I S S U E Message from the 3 Sovereign Grand Commander The magazine for Scottish Rite Masons of AmericaSM 17 *Footnotes COVER STORY Notes from the 18 Scottish Rite Journal Celebrating 19 Brothers on the Net 4 with a Leigh E. Morris, 33° re-enactment. 20 Development/Planned Giving 21 Stamp Act Robert A. Domingue 22 Book Nook New Thomas W. Jackson, 33° 24 HealthWise By Aimee E. Newell, PhD On the Cover 25 Children’s Dyslexia Centers York The 1813 Charter – the “birth certificate” of the NMJ. ARTICLES 26 Views from the Past 27 Quotables Annual Meeting 8 Highlights 28 Today’s Family 29 More Than Just Books Readers Respond Brother Truman: 30 Masonic Moments Our Most Masonically Active President 12 31 Et cetera, et cetera, etc. By Jeffrey L. Kuntz, 32° D I R E C T O R Y EDITOR Alan E. Foulds, 32° GRAPHIC DESIGNER What Art You Doing Beth E. McSweeney New Years? STAFF WRITER 16 Jerry A. Roach Jr., 33° By Alan E. Foulds, 32° MEDIA ADVISORY COMMITTEE Richard V.Travis, 33°, chairman CONTRIBUTORS Eric Ginette, 33° Donald M. Moran, 33° Donald G. Duquette, 33° Alan R. Heath, 33° Douglas N. Kaylor, 33° SUPREME COUNCIL, 33° Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A. SOVEREIGN GRAND COMMANDER John Wm. McNaughton, 33° THE NORTHERN LIGHT (ISSN 1088-4416) is published quarterly in February, May, August, and November by the Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite,Northern Masonic Jurisdiction,U.S.A., as the official publication. Printed in U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA, and at additional mailing offices. Jeffrey L. Kuntz, 32°, is a Robert A. Domingue is Leigh E. Morris, 33°, Jeffrey Croteau is POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Northern Light,PO Box member of the Valley of historian for St. Matthew’s works in corporate manager of library and 519, Lexington, MA 02420-0519. Williamsport. He has Lodge, Andover, MA, and communications for a archives at the Van Copyright © 2013 by Trustees of the Supreme Council of the Ancient published several articles editor of The Philatelic major utility company. He Gorden-Williams Library. Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic both nationally and Freemason. is a member of the Valleys Jurisdiction, U.S.A. internationally. of Milwaukee and Mailing Address: Springfield, IL. PO Box 519, Lexington, MA 02420-0519 Other Contributors: Editorial Office: 33 Marrett Road (Route 2A), Lexington, MA 02421 Aimee E. Newell, PhD, is the director of collections at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library, located at Supreme 781-862-4410 • Fax: 781-863-1833 Council headquarters in Lexington, MA. Thomas W. Jackson, 33°, was formerly Grand Secretary for the Grand Lodge of email: [email protected] Pennsylvania. He is Executive Secretary for the World Conference of Masonic Grand Lodges. S. Brent Morris, 33°, is the editor Internet: of The Scottish Rite Journal, a publication of the Southern Jurisdiction, USA, located at Washington, DC. Jerry A. Roach, 33°, www.ScottishRiteNMJ.org is executive assistant at the Supreme Council. SOVEREIGNGRANDCOMMANDER John Wm. McNaughton, 33º The Final Inspection ovember, especially weather wise, is not the The Soldier stood and faced God, Which must always come to pass. most inspirational or revitalizing of months. The N He hoped his shoes were shining, beautiful days of spring and summer have passed Just as brightly as his brass. ever too quickly moving into fall with its final blaze ‘Step forward now, Soldier, of colors and refreshingly crisp days. November, in How shall I deal with you? spite of the bounty at Thanksgiving time, puts an Have you always turned the other cheek? end to all that. The harvest is over and soon the To My Church have you been true?’ harsh days of a long winter will leave us with little The soldier squared his shoulders and said, to do in the world of nature but to think spring. ‘No, Lord, I guess I have not. Because those of us who carry guns, Perhaps the keyword for November is thinking; Can’t always be a saint. reflecting on our manifold blessings and comforts I’ve had to work most Sundays, which that beautiful tessellated border or skirting And at times my talk was tough. surrounding the ground floor of King Solomon’s Temple And sometimes I’ve been violent, signifies to us in the ritual of the Entered Apprentice Because the world is awfully rough. But, I never took a penny, degree. That wasn’t mine to keep… Those blessings and comforts have been preserved Though I worked a lot of overtime, and ensured for us as Americans by the valiant men When the bills got just too steep. and women of our Armed Forces whose sacrifices we And I never passed a cry for help, remember every day, but especially on November 11, Though at times I shook with fear… Veteran’s Day. And sometimes, God, forgive me, I’ve wept unmanly tears. Every family in this great and free society of ours I know I don’t deserve a place, has most likely seen its sons, daughters, fathers and Among the people here. mothers involved in some way as a vital part of They never wanted me around, America’s Armed Forces Except to calm their fears. If you’ve a place for me here, Lord, November will bear witness to our thoughts, our It needn’t be so grand. reflections, our prayers of remembrance for those who I never expected or had too much, served, for those who now serve, and for those who But if you don’t, I’ll understand.’ will take up arms in answer to any future call on this There was a silence all around the throne, nation to suppress the dark forces which seek to alter Where the Saints had often trod. the American way of life. As we were so well reminded, As the soldier waited quietly, For the judgment of his God. especially after the never to be forgotten events of ‘Step forward now, you Soldier, 9-11-01, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty” and You’ve borne your burdens well. we are committed always to being prepared. Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets, Complacency is perilous. You’ve done your time in Hell.’ Recently, I came across a poem, “The Final Lest we forget! Inspection,” a tribute to a fallen hero. The words that follow are especially appropriate to our mutual meditations at this Armistice Day traditional observance. Sovereign Grand Commander The Northern Light / November 2013 3 New York By AIMEE E. NEWELL, PhD hroughout 2013, the Northern Masonic TJurisdiction has celebrated its 200th anniversary. The year has been marked by the publication of a new book about the fraternity’s history, A Sublime Brotherhood, and a new exhibition at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library in Lexington, MA. Despite new research and continued interest, there are still some details that remain unknown about the beginnings of the jurisdiction. For example, we know that the charter establishing the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction was signed in New York City on Aug. 5, 1813, but we don’t know exactly where. The early history of the Northern various buildings used by the Grand Lodge of Masonic Temple, Masonic Jurisdiction is intertwined with Masonic New York, ca. New York during the early and mid-1800s. Prior history in New York and the state has a long 1875, E. & H.T. to 1820, the Grand Lodge of New York, which Anthony & Co., tradition of Masonic activity and products that New York, NY. was established in 1782, and declared its are represented in the collection of the Museum independence in 1787, had no fixed meeting & Library. place. In 1820, the Grand Lodge secured rooms for its larger meetings in Washington Hall on Masonic Buildings in New York City Broadway. In 1826, the cornerstone was laid for a On Aug. 5, 2013, a re-enactment of the Masonic Hall on Broadway between Duane and signing of the charter was held at the Grand Pearl Streets. An engraving of the building from Lodge of New York, now located at 71 West 23rd 1830 shows a Gothic-style façade with plenty of Street. It’s possible that the Northern Masonic room to confer lodge degrees and conduct Grand Jurisdiction held some of its early meetings at the Lodge business. While details about meeting places for the Supreme Council in 1813 and after are unknown, there is evidence that Abraham Jacobs held meetings of his Supreme Council at New York City’s Washington Lodge in 1808. The published history of Washington Lodge, No. 21, recounts Masonic Hall, that in November 1808 Jacobs gathered his Broadway, NY, 1830, A.J. Brethren at “the rooms of Washington Lodge” Davis, artist, and organized a Council of Princes of Jerusalem Jennings and Chaplin and and a Lodge of Perfection. Among the men who I.T. Hinton, attended one of these meetings was J.J.J Gourgas, publishers, London. who would later serve as Sovereign Grand Photo by Commander of the Northern Masonic David Bohl. Jurisdiction. Despite Jacobs’ claims to be legitimate, his Supreme Council was one of those found to be spurious by Emanuel De La Motta in 1813. The current Grand Lodge of New York building was erected in 1913, replacing the building on the same site, which was dedicated in 1875. The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & 4 November 2013 / The Northern Light Masonic Harvest Jug, 1805, Unidentified Maker, New York.