The Academy Blog

Remembering Our Brothers Who Paid For Our Freedom With Their Life - By Jack Buta P.M.

admin@freemasonacademy.com — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:00:00 GMT

On this Memorial Day I found myself thinking about the Civil War when Brother fought brother in this great country. I have recently had the privilege to edit a collection of works by Freemason writers which the Philalethes Society published in 2009 under the name Fiat Lux. Among the many fine articles is one written by Allen Roberts entitled “Masonry under Two Flags”. The following are a few instances involving Freemasons who fought and in many cases died, on both sides of this bloodiest of American conflicts.

Freemasons did not go easily onto the killing fields. For more than a decade Grand Lodges fought to prevent the slow slide into a bloody conflict which would set Brother against Brother.

“Love S. Cornwell, Grand Master of Masons in Missouri in 1856, asked: ‘Is there a Mason hailing from the land of the Puritans, who so far forgets his duty as to set laws at defiance, and attempt to propagate his political creed by force of arms … or is there a Mason hailing from the sunny South, proverbial for honor, generosity and benevolence, who is willing to sacrifice this temple of freedom, upon the altar of ambition?’ Within a period of two years from the day he spoke, many Grand Masters and individual Masons asked the same question. All of them pleaded for understanding and peace.

There are many verified instances of Masons helping one another, although on opposing sides, during the build up to this War. Many occurred in Kansas while blood was being shed because of the passage of Stephen Douglas’ Kansas-Nebraska Bill. Douglas had actually submitted his bill in an attempt to still the talk of hostilities then running rampant. It had the opposite effect, which caused the Grand Lodge of New York to send a sympathizing letter to the Grand Lodge of Kansas. The letter called for Masonry to ‘Let her do her kind offices in mitigating the severities of civil war, which in the days of other years, have marked her career through far more fearful and protracted scenes and come out unscathed, unsullied, and without the smell of fire upon her garments, and stood forth luminous, the admiration of the moral world.’

“President James Buchanan, a Past Master of a Pennsylvania Lodge, during the dedication ceremonies of the Equestrian Statue of Washington pleaded for understanding between the opposing factions. The applause he received indicated the citizens of the country agreed with his sentiments. Not so the fanatics.

“James McCallum, Grand Master of Tennessee, sent a letter to every Grand Lodge seeking ‘for some means of escape from the dire calamity that seems so certainly impending over us as a people.’ Other Grand Bodies were unsuccessfully looking for a peaceful solution, even though all hope of peace appeared Lost.”
Despite all the efforts war came and our country ran red with the blood of our citizens. Still the mystic tie that binds the Masonic Brotherhood held as men wearing the uniform of the enemy rendered aid to their fallen Brothers.

In 1862 while attempting to disrupt the Confederate railroad between Atlanta and Chattanooga, a group of Ohio raiders including Marion A. Ross, a Freemason, were captured. While a prisoner he was visited by Confederate Brothers who gave him assurances of friendship and brought him small amounts of money with which he was able to help feed his fellow prisoners.

There were many such incidents both great and small in which Freemasons from both sides paused in the killing fields to recognize each other. This is also from “Masonry Under Two Flags”

“ . . after a battle at James Island, South Carolina. Major Sissons of the 3rd Rhode Island, bearing a flag of truce, and accompanied by three officers, all of them Masons, approached a group of Confederates. The Major remarked to the Southern officer who approached: ‘I suppose by the tools you carry I have the honor of meeting a Craftsman, as well as an enemy in war?’

“The Confederate officer replied: ‘You do, and I am happy to meet you as such.’ He then sent for some of his fellow Masons. They cracked a bottle of wine and drank to the health of the Craftsmen, whether in peace or in war.”

The last post:

“Daniel Butterfield, a member of Metropolitan Lodge No. 273, New York City, was a businessman turned soldier. He did not appreciate the way the bugle calls were causing his regiment no end of confusion, so he decided to do something about it. At Harrison’s Landing one night in July, 1862, he composed a new call because the final one of the day, ‘Extinguish Lights,’ sounded ‘too formal.’ His composition became the now famous ‘Taps.’ Its popularity was not confined to the Union forces; it also became a welcome sound in the Confederate camps.”

Compassion recognized neither blue nor gray:

“John Edwin Mason, a war correspondent who was a Freemason, wrote about the Battle of South Mountain and of a Mason who fell mortally wounded at twilight: ‘When night had drawn around her sable mantle, and the roar of battle ceased, and all was still save the groans and low moaning of the wounded and dying lying on the field, two Generals again embraced each other; they were Brig. Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis and our dying hero, Maj. Gen. Jesse L. Reno. They were classmates at West Point, but there was something stronger than early friendship that bound them together. It was Freemasonry.’

“The Correspondent went on to tell of a Confederate officer whose life he had saved. When the Southerner asked him why he had helped him, the writer replied: ‘Because you are a Royal Arch Freemason’
‘But,’ said the Confederate, ‘I have been fighting against you, and all such as you for a year.’ Mason told him to ‘go and sin no more.’ As the Surgeon walked up to them the South Carolinian promised, ‘I will never cease to love the flag I honored in boyhood, until we three, or three such as we, meet together in heaven.’

“During the Battle of Antietam a soldier handed Colonel Edward E. Cross, a member of North Star Lodge No. 8, New Hampshire, a slip of paper on which a [Masonic] sign had been crudely made with blood. The colonel sent for several Masons in the company and in a short time Lieutenant Edon of the Alabama volunteers was carried to the hospital of the 5th New Hampshire. Before the battle ended the stable turned into a hospital contained ten Federal and two Confederate Masons. For several days they were cared for by Surgeon William Child and Chaplain Milo M. Ransom, both Masons from the Granite State.”

It became very popular for Freemasons to wear Masonic insignia in plain sight on their uniforms that they would not be shot by a fellow Brother. There were many instances of small patrols being allowed to pass safely through enemy positions solely because someone the opposite side refused to fire on a fellow Mason.

I will close this commentary on the civil war with a final excerpt from Allen Roberts’s paper. “The citizens of St. Francisville, Louisiana, were amazed when they saw a small boat from the USS Albatross approaching the shore under a flag of truce. The guns of that ship had been firing into the town at will. They were even more surprised later to witness Northern and Southern men dressed in Masonic regalia escort the body of the commander of the gunboat to the cemetery of Grace Episcopal Church—the church and cemetery which were pock-marked with exploded shells from the guns of the deceased.

“Under a brilliant Southern sun on June 13, 1863, the ancient funeral rites of Masonry were held for Lt. Comdr. John E. Hart, a member of St. George’s Lodge No. 6, New York. The acting Master was William W. Leake, Senior Warden of Feliciana Lodge No. 31, Louisiana. He was also a captain in the Confederate army. When informed of the request for a Masonic funeral for his enemy, Leake state: ‘As a Mason I know it be my duty to accord Masonic burial to the remains of a Brother Mason, without taking into account the nature of his relations in the outer world.’

“The war stood still in that part of the world while the magic rays of the brotherhood of Freemasonry flashed in all their brilliance through the dark clouds of bitterness to illuminate all those around. The rays continued to spread warmth; ninety-three years later, the Grand Lodge of Louisiana placed a permanent marker over Hart’s grave with the beautiful phrase: ‘This monument is dedicated in loving tribute to the universality of Freemasonry.’

“Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia moved into the North during the latter part of June, and on the first day of July General Henry Heth, the last Senior Warden of Rocky Mountain Lodge No. 205, leading the Confederate advance met the lead forces of General Meade and pushed them back through the streets of Gettysburg. The Federal troops were rallied by General Winfield S. Hancock, a member of Charity Lodge No. 190, Pennsylvania, on the heights near Evergreen Cemetery.

“The fighting raged furiously for three days and culminated in an infantry charge the likes of which the world had never seen. Three Confederate generals who were Virginia Masons played an important role in the charge up Cemetery Ridge: George E. Pickett of Petersburg No. 15, Lewis A. Armistead of Alexandria Washington Lodge No. 22, and James L. Kemper, a Past Master of Linn Banks Lodge No. 126. Through a hail of death they and their thousands of men charged to die or straggle back. The Union lines held. The three day battle was over.

“General Armistead reached the top only to fall mortally wounded. His friend, General Hancock, sent another Mason, Colonel (later General) Henry H. Bingham, to his assistance. But during the night Armistead died.

Today a statue stands in the cemetery at Gettysburg commemorating this act of Brotherly love.

Something to contemplate this Memorial weekend.

Are the life-threatening vows in the degrees of Freemasonry meant to be taken seriously, or only as a joke? by Jack Buta P.M.

admin@freemasonacademy.com — Thu, 20 May 2010 07:00:00 GMT

The question above is one I received from a young man who stated he wanted to become a Freemason but the bloody penalties and the oaths which he had down loaded from an anti-Masonic website bothered him.

He had read that Master Masons would keep the secrets of another Master Mason and refuse to testify against another Mason even he had committed rape, kidnapping, or other heinous crimes. He wanted to know if he could alter the words of his oath so that I could feel more comfortable with them.
Obviously, the young man had been fed some very untrue and malicious lies which distorted the language and intent of our Masonic oaths.

They say the first casualty in war is truth and one only has to turn on a television to understand how prevalent the total disregard for truth has become in our society today. But, how does a man, particularly a Freemason, respond to such lies?

The words of our Masonic Oaths are close to 400 years old. They were penned at a time when the world was lit only by candles; when men were burned at the stake for believing that the earth was round; that the earth rotated around the sun and not the other way around.

It was only in the sanctuary of the Lodge that a man was free to express his beliefs and discuss the seven liberal arts and sciences. No minister or priest would ever betray the trust of a Brother Freemason regardless of his social ranking. These men were literally putting their very lives at risk by daring to speak their minds and ask questions which were prohibited by Church and State.

There is no evidence of any Freemason ever having his throat cut or being disemboweled for betraying his oath, even though the first printed expose of the Fraternity came within just a few years after the first Grand Lodge was formed. By 1825 over 30 such exposes had been published and distributed with no ill effect on the Fraternity.

So why do we continue to take these oaths today?

Why do we swear on a Holy book of scriptures and invoke the name of our creator when we testify? If you think having your throat cut is a scary penalty how is it so many people risk of wrath of the Almighty by lying under oath? An oath is by definition an invocation of divine agency, to ask God to be the guarantor of the oath taker's own honesty and integrity in the matter under question. By implication, this invokes divine displeasure if the oath taker fails in their sworn duties. In other words when you take an oath which includes the words “So help me God” you pledge your very existence. No stronger promise can be made.

The medieval phrasing is admittedly theater, it always was, but I would not want to change one word, for when I took it I agreed to those penalties, and I still do. If a man wants to avoid such a commitment then he should not take an oath and he should not seek entry into the Fraternity.

The Master Mason Degree was not added until the mid 18th century and the language relating to the keeping a secret, which is confided to you are such, by a Master Mason has never meant to be anything more than a promise to keep a confidence.

One has to understand who Freemasons are in order to put this promise in proper perspective. A man can confess the most hideous crimes imaginable against man and even God to a priest and know that that priest cannot tell a soul. Yet no one ever questions the priest’s right to this confidentiality. A Freemason takes a commitment to fulfill his moral and ethical duties to God, his country, and his neighbor. His oaths bind him to these commitments. Yet any man who would confess a serious crime against man or God to a Masonic Brother as a secret is in violation of the very oath he swore as a Mason and no longer worthy of the name. The Brother receiving such a secret must prefer changes against the man for un-Masonic conduct and if found guilty, the man would be expelled from the fraternity. Freemasonry has no place for rapists, or kidnappers, or other criminals.

So, if you are contemplating applying for membership understand that you will be asked to take the same oaths that millions of men who have entered the fraternity have taken for centuries. As for you criminal types, well there is a place for you, but it is not in Freemasonry.

THE 800 POUND GORILLA IN THE ROOM By Jack Buta P.M.

admin@freemasonacademy.com — Sun, 09 May 2010 07:00:00 GMT

	Last night I attended the annual discussion on pending legislation and the presentation of the incoming budget. It was fun, entertaining, and sad, all at the same time. It was fun to see the Grand Lodge marshal its’ forces to deal with unnecessary and threatening legislation. The presentation of the 2010-2011 budget however, was sad. The new budget coming on the heels of last year’s $6 per capita increase was increased by another $60,000 and will require another $8 increase. The justification was the declining membership is now only 9,000 down 60% in the past 10 years! Unfortunately, not one of those pennies will be used be used to help the Membership of the Grand Lodge. You dear Brothers, will vote for it because you have a history of trusting in the Grand Master to do the right thing. What is interesting is the budget could be brought in line without a lot of work and leave a lot of the new expenditures in place. So what is the 800pound gorilla which everyone keeps ignoring in the Grand Lodge?
In 1950, the average Freemason remained active in the Lodge for over 20 years. Today they stay for less than 4 years. In the business world the shareholders would demand either a solution or the resignation from the corporate President. However, after 60 years of seeing the number of candidates fall and the turnover rate quadruple we have no established program geared up to solve either of these two crucial problems. Eight years ago when I first looked at the membership numbers it was very clear to me unless something was done, Freemasonry in this state as we now know it, was in dire trouble. I wrote a tongue-in-cheek article based 25 years in the future and published it in the Lodge Trestle Board. Last night listening to the Junior Grand Steward predict a similar tragedy if we did not approve this largest pro capita raise, I had to bite my tongue. So if we have known about this problem for decades who is responsible for nothing being done about it? I am! You are! Every Master Mason in this jurisdiction is! We have all failed miserably in taking personal responsibility for our inability. The problem is just too overwhelming. We are too busy. We do not understand. What’s good for the Grand Lodge is good for the USA! Last year General Motors filed bankruptcy solely because they ignored their customers in search of corporate greed. Millions of shareholders were wiped out because they took no personal responsibility for their own welfare. I should know, for the first time in my life I thought the professionals knew best right up to that time woke up Broke. Whose fault was that? – Mine! Like you, I have seen good Arizonan Freemasons unjustly treated by “Brothers” who are not worthy of the name. Like you, I have watched men be browbeaten into dropping Masonic Charges by people who are supposed to be Servant Leaders, and like you, I have failed to take responsibility. Yep Brothers we are the villains in this mess, but we can also be the solution. This is not rocket science if you are willing to help we can solve it in very short order.
	Let me tell you a short story about the Philalethes Society. Eighteen months ago I was asked to join the Board as 1st Vice President. Suddenly, I got clobbered with complaints and predictions that we would be out of business in a year. We were losing 30% of our membership and we would be broke in two years. We were disliked by every Grand Lodge, York Rite and Scottish Rite. My predecessor along with several key members of the Society had founded The Masonic Society and they were already approaching 800 members. You can imagine the mood in that first board meeting was grim. Fortunately Terry Tilton and I realized we needed to admit we had a serious problem and we began to take a hatchet to our budget, we fired the publisher and hired a new editor. We asked our members what we could do to keep them. The result is we became more involved with giving our members what they wanted. This included making our society management more transparent and giving our members more for their membership dues. We avoided politics and concentrated on education and research. By the end of the year we had stopped the bleeding. Members were renewing and new members were joining. The next step was to bring in people to strengthen the board and be willing to be hands-on board members. I called up my close friend Ron Martin who is well thought of by both AASR and York Rite. Ron had been one of the three prime builders of The Masonic Society and I convinced him he could do more good for the fraternity. Ron in turn approached John L. Cooper from the GL of California. Terry convinced Ed Halpaus to take on the position of Executive Secretary.
By the end of March we had gained back almost all the members we had lost and we are back in the black. It’s amazing what you can accomplish by helping your customers get what they want and when you don’t care who gets the credit. When the Junior PGM asked me to offer the Freemason Academy courses (including a 20 lesson lodge leadership, member retention, and recruiting course) to the chair of our own Grand Lodge educational committee, I managed to get in about three sentences before having to listen to a 50 minute lecture on how Masonic Education is left in the hands of PhD’s and not someone like me. When the lecture was finally over and I put the phone down my wife handed me a cup of tea. “Didn’t he understand you were offering the Grand Lodge the entire curriculum for free?” “I never got that far” I replied savoring that first sip, “and after the first five minutes of being insulted I lost interest.” Whose fault is it we are not taking on the 800 pound gorilla? - Mine and yours because sometimes what is being said is nowhere nearly important as what we do not hear. The question we all must ask ourselves as Arizona Masons is; what are we going to do about it? Call me, send me an instant message on Skype or shoot me an email, if you are ready to take on your responsibility.

THERE NO ATHEISTS IN THE COCKPIT OF AN ICED-UP AIRPLANE - by Jack Buta P.M.

admin@freemasonacademy.com — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 07:00:00 GMT

I get a lot of questions about the requirement to express a belief in a Supreme Being for a Candidate for Freemasonry.

I am not in any shape or form what you would call a religious person. I can’t remember the last time I walked into a house of worship. But I also can’t remember ever having a doubt about the fact that God not only exists but still performs miracles. I can count no less that 30 instances where my life has been impacted directly by events and circumstances that are impossible to comprehend without the existence of a Supreme Being. Many times this involved me living when I should, by all the laws of nature, have died.

All of these events have had a cumulative impact on my belief systems, but none more dramatically than the following incident which happened long before I married my wife of forty years.

It was late in November and I was logging a lot of hours in my single engine Piper Arrow before the weather really got bad. One evening, I arrived at the home of a gal I was dating at the time to find her in tears. The right side of her mother's face had gone slack, and she was complaining about having a bad headache. Sherry also confided that she had felt a growth on her own body. Between her mother's condition and her own, she was really worried.

Thus began a very strange night.

I still have no idea why, but I picked up the telephone and called not the local hospital but the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, 250 miles away.

At that time, the world-famous clinic normally had a six-month waiting list for patients waiting to be treated.

I told the hospital's telephone operator I was immediately transporting two patients, one with a possible brain tumor and the other with what might be cervical cancer. I said I wanted them seen the very next day.

After four decades I still do not know where I came up with the diagnosis. I have no medical knowledge nor can I explain what happened next. Incredibly, the person on the other end of the phone thought I was a doctor and set up the appointments. One hour later, I was lifting off from DuPage County Airport, right into the teeth of a winter snow storm.

Forty miles northwest of Rockford, the Chicago Control Center called me on the radio: "67 Juliet Mike, be advised heavy icing conditions are reported 20 miles northwest of your position. State your intentions," as if I had a choice. I was committed to getting to Rochester. I replied, "Center, we'll stay on course."

The words were hardly out of my mouth when the windshield crackled with Saint Elmo's fire. Blue sparks flew across the thick plastic, bathing the cockpit in an eerie glow. I barely had time to recognize the fact that the little plane was taking on ice when the gear horn went off. Piper had introduced the Arrow with an automatic landing gear lowering system that worked off manifold pressure. Big mistake! The manifold pressure gauge was dropping to zero and the gear was coming down. This is not the best thing to happen in a snow storm when the plane is icing up! The airspeed indicator dropped from 160 knots to 70, and my artificial horizon gauge was beginning to tumble. Things were going downhill at warp speed!

I knew the pitot tube which provides ram air pressure for the vacuum system had iced up and both the stall warning horn and the gear down warning filled the cockpit making it almost impossible to hear. Sherry was sitting in the front passenger seat, and I had her manually place the gear lever in the up retracted position and hold it there while I smashed the glass of the vertical speed gauge with my flashlight in an attempt to provide an alternate air supply for the gauges. It must have worked because horns stopped wailing and the gauges began to recover somewhat, at least to the extent that the plane was still in the air. Still, we desperately needed to land, the sooner the better. The closest airport was Dubuque, Iowa. I called up and got clearance for a radar approach to the airport.

There comes a time when you know you have just run out of altitude, luck, and ideas-all at the same time. I came to this realization about the time I reached minimum height above the ground on final approach to the airport only to see the dark gray insides of a snow storm. The controller's next transmission confirmed the situation: "67 Juliet Mike, I show you just south of the airport. Be advised the terrain in that area is higher than your reported altitude."

Pushing the throttles to the firewall and waiting for the impact, I remember silently saying "Well Lord, I tried." Each second dragged by as I waited to see the trees materialize out of the snow. With agonizing slowness, the plane clawed its way back into the sky, and I turned it downwind. I was still convinced I had only gained a few precious moments of reprieve.

That's when it happened! For over an hour I had not been able to see the propeller, but suddenly a hole opened up in the storm directly to my left and directly over the airport.

Now I am a fool, but I am not stupid. I did not question this miracle but I was going to take advantage of it. I dived for the airport, making what we pilot guys call a carrier landing, and decided the rest of the trip could be made by Avis.

Was this whole thing just on long a string of coincidences? Maybe, but don't try telling that to my two passengers that night. Sherry did in fact have cervical cancer, the doctors did find that her mother had a brain tumor, and both of them survived because they got the treatment they needed in time. Her mother told me six months later she was told by her surgeon that if she had waited even a few more days before being operated on, she might not have made it.

I have no idea how atheists would explain away the events of that night. I do know this. If they had been in the plane with us that night, it certainly would have put the fear of God in them. So let me ask you my Brother. In whom do you put your trust?

Arizona Prepares For Historic Reunion By Jack Buta KCCH

admin@freemasonacademy.com — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Beginning May 12th, 2010, the Phoenix Valley will host the Fifth Southwest Regional Scottish Rite Reunion which will make Scottish Rite history. Since it’s founding in 1801 the Supreme Council for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in North America has conferred the 4th through the 32nd Degrees leaving the Craft Lodges to confer the first three Degrees of the York Rite; everywhere, that is, except for a handful of Lodges in New Orleans where the first Lodge of Perfection was established in 1764.

Now for the first time ever, a Scottish Rite Reunion will exemplify all 32 Degrees of the Rite. For those who have never experienced the first three Degrees of Scottish Rite, this will be a once in a lifetime experience.

How different are these Degrees from those a candidate goes through in the Blue Lodge? Well, let’s just say it’s not for the feint hearted. The preparation room in the First Degree of Scottish Rite is styled “The Chamber of Reflection” and I still have a vivid memory of the one I entered in Mexico some five years ago.

The entry was in a small alcove just off the Lodge room which was finished in rough gray cement. A single wooden kitchen chair, a wax candle and a book of paper matches were the only contents. “You must light the candle before we proceed” my guide informed me “Please be careful” and pointed the way to a rough hewn tunnel which led down and turned to the right. As I inched forward, the tunnel became smaller and more uneven. Finally, I caught a glimpse of the final turn but not before slamming my bald head against the lowering roof of the tunnel. It ended with a drop down into a small chamber barely large enough to contain a small table upon which sits a skull and crossed tibia, along with a sand hourglass which is already running out. A sheet of paper lies in front of one chair upon which the candidate is instructed to write his last will and testament , along with a cup of water, a small piece of bread and some salt. The similarity to a dungeon is evident. Time creeps by and the candidate is left alone with his thoughts. On the walls of the cell fluorescent signs catch the flickering light cast by the small candle. “If You Are Afraid, Leave”; “If You Are Not Certain, Withdraw”; “If You Cannot Cope, Renounce”; With these sober admonishments the meaning of the chamber becomes clear as the candidate begins to contemplate his decision to become a Freemason.

The Spring Reunion in Phoenix will run from 2 pm on Wednesday, May 12th through the banquet commencing at 7 pm on Saturday the 15th. It will be a non-stop adventure covering all of the 32 Degrees. The Scottish Rite Degree Team from Louisiana under the direction of Brother Mike Poll will present the first three Degrees over two nights. Another first will be the fact that these Degrees will be open to all Master Masons to give them a glimpse into the “College” of Freemasonry.

The task of coordinating which degrees each region will put on will fall on the shoulders of a team of highly motivated Scottish Rite Freemasons who know how to work hard and yet have fun doing it despite the tremendous challenges a program like this presents. The main venue will be at the Chaparral Suites in Scottsdale. The Phoenix Scottish Rite Bodies will provide shuttle busses to pick up attendees at the airport, take them to the different events which are being planned away from the main hotel and return them to the airport for the return flight home. While the event is being planned as a first class event, Arizonans are not fond of rubber chicken meals, so our planning teams are busy negotiating the best possible prices to make the event affordable for everyone who wants to be present at this unique experience.

An exciting ladies program is in the works to make this a memorable event for the ladies who so patiently support us in our quest for light. If you are planning to attend any event in Freemasonry in 2010 this is the one to be at. You will have both an enjoyable and certainly memorable experience that may never come your way again. We will celebrate our honored guests from the great state of Louisiana with a Cajun dinner on Thursday and wind up the reunion with a Western barbeque and Native American Dancers on Saturday.

In the words of my friend and Brother Mike Poll “Laissez les bons temps rouler, I G-U-A-R-O-N-T-E-E!!”

A Masonic Tour of The Lost Symbol in Washington D.C. by S.K. Daniel Hanttula

admin@freemasonacademy.com — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:00:00 GMT

When Dan Brown selected Washington D.C. for the locale of The Lost Symbol, he picked a place rich in history and controversy. While our readers are surely no strangers to the silly conspiracy theories surrounding the design of the Capital City, Mr. Brown sidestepped these easy targets and, in doing so, provided the reader with a far richer experience for their literary visit to the District of Columbia. The result is a tome that provides a fruitful platform for those interested in Masonic sightseeing and to re-experience the city for the first time, even for locals or those who have already made repeated visits to DC.

The House of the Temple

“The colossal edifice, located at 1733 Sixteenth Street NW in Washington D.C., was a replica of a pre-Christian temple – the temple of King Mausolus, the original mausoleum… a place to be taken after death. Outside the main entrance, two seventeen-ton sphinxes guarded the bronze doors.¹”

Mr. Brown opens his story inside what may be one of the most fascinating buildings Masonry has to offer. The House of the Temple is the headquarters for the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, an appendant body of Masonry that consist of the 4th through 32nd degrees as well as the honorary 33rd degree that (avid readers will recall) The Lost Symbol uses as a plot point.

Tours of The House of the Temple are available Monday through Thursday from 10am with the last tour beginning at 4pm. Admission is free for Masons and their families when a dues card is presented and for active and retired military with appropriate ID. The general public is asked to pay $7.33 for adults and $3.33 for students (Over 18 with student ID) and seniors (55+). Children under 18 are admitted at no-charge.

The George Washington National Masonic Memorial

“The George Washington National Masonic Memorial stands atop Shuter’s Hill in Alexandria, Virginia. Built in three distinct tiers of increasing architectural complexity from bottom to top–Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian–the structure stands as a physical symbol of man’s intellectual ascent.²”

This is a landmark that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. Tours are offered at 10:00am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:00pm, seven days a week (major holidays excepted) and visitors are encouraged to walk around the first floor and basement of the memorial at their leisure. Freemasons can make arrangements to attend either of the Craft Lodges (Alexandria-Washington Lodge #22 and Andrew Jackson Lodge # 120) that hold meetings in the two beautiful lodge rooms within the building while the Memorial Library (which contains more than 20,000 volumes) is available only by appointment with the Director of Collections.

The Almas Shrine Temple

“He was staring at a building that looked like an Old World mosque. Nestled between two much larger buildings, the Moorish façade was made of gleaming terra-cotta tile laid in intricate multicolored designs. Above the three massive doors, two tiers of lancet windows looked as if Arabian archers might appear and open fire if anyone approached uninvited.³”

This is perhaps the most mysterious of the buildings mentioned in the book. Because of its close proximity to the buildings that surround it and the tree line in front of it, you can’t even see the building in its entirety using Bing Maps Aerial View or Google Maps Street View. Adding to the mystery is that the locale features the beautiful Sphinx Club, a historic landmark built in 1929 that includes a 7,000 square foot soundproof ballroom. As a final point, their Web site doesn’t include a virtual tour, so you’ll have to visit this building in-person to learn more. They offer tours of the building from 8:30am-4:30pm Monday through Friday, and kindly request that you call first (202-898-1688) on the day you plan to visit.

Online Tours

George Washington National Masonic Memorial:

http://www.gwmemorial.org/tour.html

The House of the Temple

http://www.scottishrite.org/visitors/vtour.html

Footnotes:

1.   Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol (New York: Doubleday, 2009), p. 3.
2.   Ibid, p. 290
3.   Ibid, p. 366

How does Freemasonry Make Good Men Better? By Jack Buta P.M.

admin@freemasonacademy.com — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:00:00 GMT

When asked about Freemasonry and what it does, perhaps the most popular answer is that Freemasonry makes good men better, but how does it accomplish that goal?

The fact that every Masonic meeting opens and closes with prayer has often led to unfounded allegations that Freemasonry is a religion. It isn’t of course, Freemasonry is open to good men of all religions, but it does say a lot about the type of men who are attracted to our Fraternity. The first step in improving the nature of any group of men is a belief in the inherent goodness that lies within them. In Freemasonry that common belief is that we are a Brotherhood of men under the fatherhood of God.

Prayer really works and I can prove it:
In Freemasonry you are taught the importance of looking to God for his blessings in everything you do. This is very important because it frames the character of a Freemason. You may lie to yourself and others but no rational thinking man can lie to his creator. If we are to implore God’s help, then what we are about to do must be right in his eyes. This act is essential in any attempt at self-improvement and operates on several levels to help us succeed. The moral and ethical implications are self-evident, but there is a powerful practical side to this act as well.

Sometimes even analyzing a problem will not resolve it. Let’s face facts - every day we face problems to which we must find solutions and how we go about finding solutions will determine how successful we are.

We all know doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different answer is one definition of insanity, but did you know your conscious mind is hardwired to do just that when you are problem solving?

Here is how our conscious mind works. When we attempt to solve a problem and fail, the failed solution becomes part of the problem. Why? Because it is now in our conscious mind and this makes the original problem even more complicated; however, when we implore God’s blessing we are not communicating with the 5% of our brain we refer to as the conscious portion of our mind, but the rarely tapped resources of the 95% of our brain we do not use, our sub-conscious.

The principal is the same as telling yourself before going to sleep that you need to get up at 5 am for an early appointment, or when you write down your goals and read them every night before going to sleep. When we pray we turn over the problem to God and our subconscious, which means we get the benefits of using the other 95% of our brain to work out a solution to our problems. Can you think of a better way to start any important project?

Bonding and trust, the first step in becoming a leader:
By being blindfolded and led into a room and there being handed over to a person he has never met, the candidate is taught the benefits of teamwork, learning to trust someone else with his own welfare.

Building trust is the basis for all cooperative efforts whether it is an executive committee performing a difficult negotiation or a Navy Seal combat team. Each team member has to know that the other team members trust his judgment, and in turn expect him to trust them. This is not a skill learned from books, but one that comes from practicing discipline, coordination, and reliance on each member of the team. In Freemasonry, this process starts with the candidate’s first step into the unknown, and like every other skill he is about to learn, will take several years to fully develop.

The beginning of discipline and the development of integrity:
Before any person can learn to lead he must first learn to follow orders or instructions. If you have ever served in the military you will always remember your very rude entry into military life, whether it was your first day at a Military Academy or your first day at boot camp, the experience was very much the same and it seemed to last forever. You were stripped of your personality, told when to speak, eat, sleep, how to dress, from your close-cut hairstyle to your underwear, and what and when to do anything. You were now the lowest of the low and your only purpose in life was to conform to what is expected of you as part of your team.

Obviously, that sort of behavior does not work in an organization where every member is a volunteer and is free to leave at any time. In Freemasonry, the learning of discipline occurs at a much slower pace. Those who are not suited for the leadership process do not get asked to leave but are allowed to participate at whatever level they feel comfortable. Those who adapt and show a willingness to learn can gain entry into a seven year training program where they learn to become executives so that they can run a Lodge or a business in the most successful manner.

Much is said about a Freemason taking oaths to maintain secrets, but little is said as to why that is important as an interpersonal relationship skill. The penalties of violating those oaths are symbolic, but there have been times past where the fraternity has been persecuted, and indeed there are countries today where the disclosure of a person being a Freemason can lead to arrest or worse. It was the Freemasons who liberated the people of South America from slavery and oppression and helped countries like Italy become a sovereign state.

One might relate these vows of secrecy to those WWII slogans such as “loose lips sink ships”, but they still serve a practical purpose. They develop not only discipline but also integrity. Can this team member be trusted to live up to his word? If he says he will do something, can he be relied upon to accomplish the job? No other attribute is more important in the development of a leader than that of being known as someone people can trust.

The servant leader:
A candidate for Freemasonry is pointed to the Volume of Scared Law of his own particular faith, and told that within its pages he will find the duties he owes to God, his neighbor, and himself. In each of these duties he is instructed to be first a servant if he is ever to lead. The willingness to put aside one’s own ego and sense of worth to serve and render assistance and relief to a Masonic Brother in distress has become one of the tenets of Freemasonry and a test of a Brother’s ethics, moral character, and most importantly leadership. When we expand this concept into a leadership style, we are living up to the very best in Freemason teaching.

Every form of religion has scripture that instructs us to follow this principle. For Christians it is Mark 9.35 "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." It is the most successful form of leadership, but it is also the hardest to assimilate and takes constant practice.

There are several other techniques Freemasonry uses to make good men better, but we will wrap up with perhaps the least understood advice given to any Freemason - learn to subdue your passions.

Think about what that really means. How many times have you given in to your passions when angry or upset only to regret it later? When our blood is up every little annoyance adds to our anger and we overreact, injuring our loved ones and friends who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many times the damage we do while in the control of a rage can undo decades of effort and good intentions in a moment, and many times the damage is irreversible.

Learning to subdue your passions is a proven way to improve your personal and business relationships. It is a lesson too many of us learn too late.

The Masonic Importance of Haiti in the New World. by Jack Buta P.M.

admin@freemasonacademy.com — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Even before the devastating earthquake which struck the capital of Haiti last week the country was widely recognized as the poorest in the Western world.

But, just two hundred years ago Haiti was a thriving example of success.

The country, once known as Hispaniola, began as a French colony in which hundreds of thousands of African slaves worked the sugar plantations under horrific conditions. Many of them were literally worked to death. The news of the French revolution would ignite a bloody revolution and the loss of Haiti led to Napoleon giving up a vast portion of North America in what is known as the Louisiana Purchase.

What is not so widely known, is the important part Haiti played in the liberation of South America, and the spread of the Scottish Rite in France in 1804. The key players in this Masonic history were Estienne Morin, originator of what we know today as the Morin Rite, Alexandre Francois Auguste Comte de Grasse, and Jean Baptiste Delahogue (two of the eleven co-founders of the Scottish Rite), Simon Bolivar, (Freemason and Liberator of Columbia, Panama, Peru, and Bolivia), and a Haitian who would become the first President of a United and Free Haiti, by the name of Jean Pierre Boyer.

Estienne Morin, who had been involved in high degree Masonry in Bordeaux, France since 1744, founded an "Ecossais" lodge (Scots Masters Lodge) in the city of Le Cap Francais, on the north coast of the French colony of Saint-Domingue (Haiti) in 1747. Around 1763 Morin compiled a Masonic Rite consisting of twenty-five degrees known as "The Rite of the Royal Secret," or "Morin's Rite." This Rite became quite popular in the New World and its Degrees would be incorporated into the 33 Degree Scottish Rite in 1801.

Jean Baptiste Delahogue, a French Plantation owner in Haiti, who would become Comte de Grasse’s father-in-law, and Haitian born Jean Pierre Boyer were practitioners of the Morin Rite.

De Grasse, arrived in Haiti in 1789 just in time to witness the opening battles of the Haitian revolution. Both he and his family, including Delahogue, were forced to flee the island for Charleston, S.Carolina four years later in 1793. For the next few years he was forced to bide his time while he waited for an opportunity to rejoin the battle.

By 1799 news of the arrival from France of General Hedouville in Haiti reached de Grasse and he volunteered his services and immediately set sail for the island. Upon his arrival in Santo Domingo he was informed that the General had been driven off the island and de Grasse was taken captive and cast into prison shackled hand and foot. Only the intervention of the American Consul prevented his death and he was released on the condition he return directly to Charleston.

The next year the French Schooner, la Vengeance arrived in Norwich from Haiti. An 1856 article written in the Magazine of American History Vol. 13, entitled “An Old Masonic Charter”, describes the Masonic regalia and documents found on a young prisoner on board. The following is a short except from that article.

“Among the prisoners sent to Norwich was a mulatto who had been a lieutenant under Rigaud. His name was Jean Pierre Boyer, a native of Port-au-Prince . . . In his possession, at the time of his capture, were found a complete set of the regalia and jewels of a Masonic Lodge and a variety of Masonic documents, such as forms for admission to the Fraternity, catechisms of the various degrees from an Entered Apprentice up to Perfect Master, communications from the Grand Orient at Paris, and a Warrant, or Charter, (for the Morin Rite) signed by none other than Estienne Morin . . . Boyer made his way to France, where he was well received by Napoleon, then First Consul, and from whom he obtained a commission in General LeClerc's expedition, which sailed for St. Domingo in January, 1802.”

In February 1802, General Charles Leclerc arrived with tens of warships and 12,000 French troops to bring Saint-Domingue under more control. Gens de couleur Petion, Boyer and Rigaud returned with him in the hope of securing power in the colony.

At the same time, de Grasse was appointed the Grand Inspector General and Grand Commander of the French West Indies for the Scottish Rite with his father-in-law serving as Deputy. Within 30 days de Grasse, now under orders from General LeClerc, sailed for Haiti once more.

For about eight months Boyer and de Grasse fought along side each other but in October, Petion, Boyer, and Rigaurd, joined with the nationalist forces. In 1803 the few remaining French were forced to surrender and de Grasse was again facing death. However, someone in the Petion regime spared his life and allowed him free passage to France. The candidates for granting such clemency in Haiti in 1803 are few indeed and the most likely would have been Boyer.

In 1804 Haiti was actually a divided country with two presidents. Six years later however, most of the country was loyal to Petion with Boyer as his aid and heir.

Enter Simon Bolivar, Freemason and freedom fighter.

On July 5, 1810 Civil War broke out in Venezuela; the long awaited fight for freedom was underway. It would eventually cost Bolivar his family’s fortune and his life. When the revolt failed, Bolivar was forced to take to the jungle to avoid capture by the royalists. He made his way to London and pleaded for help from the British but had to settle for vague promises. Undaunted he returned home and took command of the revolutionary forces for a year. He held on to Caracas only to be ousted once more by the Royalists. This time he reversed his direction and followed the rivers into Columbia and captured Bogota. By now he was low on men and arms and had to flee to the coast and take refuge in Haiti. By now Boyer was the Vice President under Petion and it was undoubtedly his influence which resulted in Bolivar obtaining the supplies and men he needed on nothing more than a promise to set free any slaves he encountered.

This was the turning point of the campaign. He landed in Venezuela in 1816, and took Angostura (now Ciudad Bolivar). There he was named President of Venezuela. Events continued to unfold in his favor and three years later he marched into Columbia and defeated the Spaniards in the city of Boyar, liberating the territory of Colombia. He then returned to Angostura and led the congress that organized the original republic of Colombia.

On February 16, 1812, New York Prince Hall Freemasons named both their first Lodge (and later a Grand Lodge) after the very popular Jean Pierre Boyer. In 1818 Petion died and two years later the self-styled King Henry Christopher in the north committed suicide leaving Boyer as the first President of a unified Haiti. One can only wonder what might, or might not, have happened if de Grasse and Bolivar had not run into Boyer when they did.

What Does Dan Brown Really Say About Freemasonry? by S.K. Daniel Hanttula (Part 3)

admin@freemasonacademy.com — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:00:00 GMT

There’s been plenty of controversy about what has been dubbed “The Dan Brown Effect;” caused when readers are misinformed about the actual intent or history of an organization when it is placed in the fictional plot of one of Mr. Brown’s novels. But, consider the alternative. If Batman weren’t a gadget-toting millionaire and the effects of a radioactive spider didn’t give Spiderman his amazing abilities, something would be lost. Perhaps it is even worse today, where Dan Brown’s novels have to compete with the re-imagined characters of a boxing Sherlock Holmes and an Iron Man that both have the rugged good looks of Robert Downey Jr. But just as these superheroes are given amazing abilities and sex appeal, there is a natural necessity to use the artistic license that every author of fictional has, to ignite our imaginations and encourage us to turn page after page of his novels.

The Lost Symbol is no different. Mr. Brown uses a mixture of history and imagination to talk about the Masonic organization and while doing so, he is speaking to a massive audience that includes Masons and non-Masons. Admittedly, most of his exaggerations are to enhance the seriousness of the plot. However, Mr. Brown also sneaks in some very valid points about the Fraternity that could be easily glossed over while being engaged in his page-turning novel. While I mentioned in a previous article that I would never refute Mr. Brown’s work, I would like to examine some of the information that is presented in the Lost Symbol and provide my own commentary.

For the sake of not revealing any spoilers I will not cover any specifically fictional points that related to the “Lost Symbol” and (with one intentional placement to help the reader), I have ordered the information below differently than as it appears in the novel. Footnotes will indicate the location of each quote, should you wish to see it in the full context. Finally, in several points of the book, Mr. Brown dispels the common myths (for example, how the Masons supposedly concealed secrets in the layout of Washington DC) and, for the sake of space, I will not cover those in this article, since he already addresses them directly.

1. “It was no secret that D.C. had a rich Masonic history.”
I would like to suggest that many US cities have a rich Masonic history. In fact, as civilization moved westward, Masons brought lodges with them. In the early days, Masonic lodge buildings sometimes also served as a church, post office or general store(a). In fact, one of my favorite quotes relating to the expansion of Masonry is from the Grand Lodge where I’m a member:
“As towns were established along the railroad in Oklahoma, Masonry went there, too. Often the trains had lodges on board, meeting in boxcars as the engines steamed through the Oklahoma night.” (b).

2. “Masons are among the most trustworthy men you could ever hope to meet.” One of the most commonly used mottos for Masonry is that takes “good men and makes them better.” So, while I appreciate the compliment that Mr. Brown pays to all Masons, my personal belief is that this is also partially due to the fact that men, whom are good at their very foundation, join Masonry. (The next quote also touches on this.)

3. “Many of these men [Freemasons] held powerful stations in life…”
This is only one of many references Mr. Brown makes in The Lost Symbol to Masons being prominent men. But even within our own organization, each person assigns his own weight to the validity that some of the greatest men of all times have been drawn to seek membership in Freemasonry. When put into context with the earlier quote, it is my personal belief that famous or successful men do not need Masonry, but it is that men who thrive in live find that Masonry suits them.

4. “Langdon was now sure how powerful the Masons really were anymore, and he was not going to go down that road; perceptions of the modern Mason ranged from their being a group of harmless old men who liked to play dress up . . . all the way to an underground cabal of power brokers who ran the world. The truth, no doubt, was somewhere in the middle.”
Like the prior quote, this is subject to personal opinion. But there’s an old joke amongst Masons in response to the people who suggest we are trying to run the world; “How would we ever control the world when we can’t even agree on what to eat before lodge?” While I do not like to use the term “powerful,” Masons around the world are working very hard to contribute millions of dollars, and countless hours of manpower to improve the quality of life for everyone. I do not believe that is “power” in the influential sense, but it is my sincere hope that our organization has a positive effect on the society in which we live.

Chances are, if you read The Lost Symbol, you might have glossed over some or even all of these quotes. But from these simple statements, the characters (and thus, the readers) are presented with some rather juicy facts about Freemasons. But there’s plenty more to uncover (especially related to the plot of the book) and my next article will discuss the Masonic locations that are explored in The Lost Symbol, giving you a virtual tour of the places you can (and cannot) visit in real life!

Daniel

Footnotes:
1. Chapter 6 - Page 26
A. Fact from: Correspondence Course II – The M.W. Grand Lodge of Oklahoma
B. Quote from: Supplemental Reading for Correspondence Course #2 – The M.W. Grand Lodge of Oklahoma

2. Chapter 22 – Page 99

3. Prologue - Page 3

4. Chapter 6 - Page 31

Are we acting as Pallbearers instead of Seekers of Light?

admin@freemasonacademy.com — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:00:00 GMT

A recent email I received stopped me cold.

It came from a Brother in Europe who I have known for almost a decade. He is a very knowledgeable and respected Masonic researcher and someone who will shortly become one of our mentors for the Freemason Academy. I had emailed him asking how things were going on that side of the pond. His answer was to say the least, very dramatic.

“Our Masonic Academy is a great success and takes a lot of my time. As you remember it's totally different from what you call by the same name in the USA. There you tend to consider the "traditional" type of Masonic research as mostly related to studying the past, a post-mortem of Freemasonry as if it were a dead body.

“We are concentrating on an aspect of the Craft which has mostly been neglected. Carefully and intentionally and coyly neglected, I'm afraid. We consider Freemasonry as a living, developing, changing body endowed with a soul, with a philosophy, with a future. It's that soul, that philosophy that we're studying, that development that we're trying to understand and, if possible, to help.”

Well, perhaps my European Brother is painting a bleaker picture than the situation warrants. Freemasonry isn’t dead in North America it’s merely sleeping. However, it is long past the time when it should awake and go back to work.

What I have never understood is how we got in this situation in the first place, and now that we are here why aren’t we doing more about it? It is baffling to think about everything Freemasonry has to offer especially in these trying times and yet we are asleep at the switch. This is a time for people of honor and integrity to stand up and be counted. It is a time to be accountable for all our actions and to lead by example, not by exhorting others to do the work but by rolling up our sleeves and doing the heavy lifting ourselves. It is a time to serve not only our brothers but also our neighbors.

Brotherly love, relief and truth are not just clever catchwords we use in the Fraternity but the foundation upon which we have built for over 300 years. It still exists out there but it is harder to see when we are sleepwalking. No, Freemasonry is not dead. This is not a time for pallbearers but it is time for a wake-up call.

Have you ever wondered why so many of our founding fathers were Freemasons?

The men who first came to this country were seeking a better life for themselves, free of religious persecution and servitude to tyrants and despots. They fought and died for one country under God; not a Christian God or a Jewish or Muslim God but the one true God, the Supreme Being, the one universal creative force in the entire universe.

It is the belief in this Supreme Being that is the one common thread, which unites all of the people. It is the source of all our moral codes and laws including the Golden Rule; the Five Precepts and the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism; the ancient Egyptian code of Ma’at; the Hammurabi code of ancient Babylon; the ten commandments of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; the yamas and niyama of the Hindu scriptures; and the ten Indian commandments. It allows us to determine the difference between right or wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral. It is the code of Freemasonry.

For hundreds of years anti-Masons have depicted Freemasonry as a secret cult out to take over the world. Obviously that is not true. However when I think about it, returning to the same precepts on which our nation was founded, it sounds very appealing. Freemasons have been the driving force in many struggles for freedom in every part of the world during the last few centuries. The citizens of South and North America, the Caribbean, and Italy to name a few, all owe their freedom to men who lived and died by the Masonic code.

True, as my European Brother pointed out, over here Freemasonry is in a self-induced coma. We continue to slumber while the nation searches to regain its moral compass, while our elected leaders spend more time pointing fingers than serving their constituents and while our youth die in wars that could have been avoided. It is well past the time to awake.

How do we awake and if we awake, what can we do?

I would defer to Mark Twain once more for his sage advice: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. . . Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” We need to stop deluding ourselves that the young men in this country are too busy to learn the secrets of Freemasonry when in reality we are just too lazy to teach them. My European Brother correctly identified Freemasonry as a living evolving body “endowed with a soul, with a philosophy, with a future. It's that soul, that philosophy that we're studying, that development that we're trying to understand”. Just one hundred years ago in North America, Freemasonry was where men learned how to become leaders, motivators and negotiators. It was Freemasonry which gave birth to almost every fraternal organization in America. Freemasonry gave us the public school system and the trade union movement at a time when workers were being abused by their employers.

Do we no longer need leaders who can inspire us to reclaim the higher moral ground?

We have become a nation of spectators who would rather watch other people perform than participate in the activity ourselves. Is it any wonder that we use just 10% of our brain?

Now scientists tell us as we become more specialized, our brains have also shrunk 10% so that we are actually even less of our gray matter. It is a classic example of “use it or lose it”.

Today we spend 3 hours a day watching television and another 2 hours a day connected to the internet, either texting, tweeting, or gaming. That’s 35 hours a week; almost as much time as we spend earning a living. Imagine what we could achieve if we spent just 10% of that “spectator” time improving our life skills.

Where can you learn these life skills?

Why right here at the Freemason Academy, of course!

If you are already a Freemason, then it is time you learned about the Fraternity you have joined. If you are not a Freemason, this is a great opportunity to learn what Freemasonry is all about. Knock and the door will be opened, seek and you will find, ask and your questions will be answered.

Finally, in answer to my Brother who stated that Freemasonry is dead in this country, I will close with this final quote from Mark Twain: “The report of my death is an exaggeration”.