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Editor-in-Chief
Ronald A. Seale, 33°
Managing Editor
S. Brent Morris, 33°, GC
Publications Committee
Gary W. Kuney, 33°, Chairman
John L. Farmer, 33°
David O. Martinez, 33°
Charles I. Ottem, 33°
C. James Graham, 33°
Staff Writer/Editor
Gregory S. Kearse, 33°
creative director
Elizabeth A. W. McCarthy
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The Scottish Rite Journal (ISSN 1076–8572) is
published bimonthly by the Supreme Council, 33°,
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry,
Southern Jurisdiction, USA.
The views expressed in the Journal (formerly
titled The New Age Magazine, 1903–1989) do not
necessarily reflect those of the Supreme Council
or its officers. The Scottish Rite Journal® holds a
registered trademark with the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office.
© 2017 by the Supreme Council, 33°
A&ASR, SJ, USA. All rights reserved.
VOL. CXXV
NUMBER 2
ARTICLES
An Invitation to the 2017
Biennial Session of the
Supreme Council, 33°, SJ, USA. . . . . . 3
Esotericism Is a Matter of Degrees
Arturo de Hoyos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Pillars of Freemasonry
W. Howard Coop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Whence and Whither Our
Masonic Landmarks
Mark C. Phillips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Four Cardinal Virtues and
How Freemasonry Came to
Influence the Tarot
P. D. Newman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Twitter
COVER CREDITS:
Page 1: Illustrations by E. B.
MacGrotty, 33°, from A. de
Hoyos, Albert Pike’s Esoterika
(Washington, DC , 2008),
except lower right, from J.
Stöffler, Künstlicher Abmessung
aller Grösse (Frankfurt am
Main, 1536); Page 2: Affinity
Marketing Assoc., Devon, PA;
Page 3: S.R. Online Store
Page 4: Development Office
Freemason
Network
Emily Vitacolonna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
DeMolay Founder’s Portrait
Unveiled at the House of the
Temple Emily Vitacolonna. . . . . . . . . . 21
Jack the Ripper: A Freemason?
Maynard Edwards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Look Familiar?
Anoka Lodge’s First-Day Cover
Reveals Masonic Symbolism
John A. Freeburg
& Gregory S. Kearse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Worth Its Salt
Kelly Manno. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12
13
FEATURES
Facebook
Recognizing Russell H. Ashton, 33°:
Fifty-Year Member Receives
Posthumous Honors
10
Follow us
(Scottish Rite (@TheScottishRite)
Freemasonry)
Calling All Members:
A CTC Success Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
10
Four Cardinal Virtues: (l. to. r) Temperance,
Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice
From J. L. Cross, The True Masonic Chart, or Hieroglyphic
Monitor (New York: A. S. Barnes & Co., 1854), pl. 10.
Grand Commander’s Message
Book Reviews
The Class and the Reunion, Pt. 2
Strengthening the Center
Ronald A. Seale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
James T. Tresner II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chips from the Quarry
Golden Age Actors
RTC Update
Getting Up to Speed with Your
Gregory S. Kearse & Ted Bastien. . . . . 14
Museum Joshua Aaron Poole. . . . . . 28
Current Interest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Notes from the Northern Light . . . . 18
Is your Valley or Orient doing
something exciting? Let us know!
The deadline for the May/June
Scottish Rite Journal is Mar. 15, 2017!
SUBSCRIPTIONS & ADDRESS CHANGES: Tel. 202–777–3115; tfannin@scottishrite.org. Pricing: Domestic—$15 for 1 year; $40 for 3 years; Foreign—$37 for
1 year; $105 for 3 years; Single copies—$3 each (domestic checks only). SUBMISSIONS & GENERAL INQUIRIES: Scottish Rite Journal, 1733 16th Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20009–3103; Fax 202–464–0487; journal@scottishrite.org. Submitted articles should be 700 to 1,400 words, and whenever possible, relevant
high-resolution images with proper usage permissions and credits should be included. Articles are subject to editing and, if published, become the property
of the Supreme Council, 33°. No compensation is given for any articles, photographs, or other materials submitted or published.
March/April 2017
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
1
GRAND COMMANDER’S MESSAGE
The Class and the Reunion, Pt. 2
Take a look at the photograph very closely. . . . Each face there is an individual,
a man whose name or story will never be known to us.
D
ecorators and professional designers amaze me
with their creative gifts. One of the popular trends is
to decorate things “new” with things “old,” a gesture to
years gone by. Not just valuable and
rare antiques but common things of
years past. Some might call it junk,
others treasure. This is true not just
in homes. Consider some restaurant
décor where the walls are adorned
with vestiges of the past—you’ve
seen those places. Steak and family
restaurants come to mind. Roadside
“old country store” emporiums are
Ronald A. Seale, 33°
common stops along any interstate
highway. There you find affixed to the walls old coffee cans, coffee
grinders, advertisements for 5-cent motor oil or gasoline, automotive tags from a distant state in a bygone year, shaving cream signs,
patent medicine remedies, and the like. And old photographs, daguerreotypes on down. I suppose they are to give the impression
that we are now in the past as reflected in simpler times, a way of
living now lost to history. And while waiting for the food to bake
(or fry!), we can also bake in a wave of nostalgia. Commonly, “Oh,
I remember that!” is often heard from table to table.
It was in such a place that I found myself a few weeks back
in the course of an automobile trip. Stopping for lunch we
were in just the place as described and the wall adornments
took us down memory lanes not traveled in many years. And
then I saw it—THE CLASS. Looks to me for all the world like
a Scottish Rite class in years gone by. In fact, inscribed upon
the photo is the year 1921. Somebody’s class and if not one of
ours it could have been. Should have been. So impressed was I
that I took a picture to share with you in these pages.
2
Undoubtedly, many of our Scottish Rite facilities around
the country have similar photos adorning their walls. The
Class of a distant age and time when many men, some of
whom were very prominent in the community, would gather
and affiliate with the Scottish Rite. I wonder why. What did we
offer then—do we now? Where is the class of yesteryear and
where is the class of tomorrow?
Take a good look at the photo. Who were these men? What
compelled them to show up on a Saturday morning and hear
the wise old lessons in a darkened auditorium, espousing
immortal truths of right thinking and right acting? What happened to these men thereafter? Did they wear their Scottish
Rite membership as a badge of honor throughout a long life
and become known in their community as embracing and
actively participating with the Freemasons? Did they find and
encourage other eligible men to join their ranks. Was becoming a Thirty-second Degree Mason a seminal moment in their
lives? One can only wonder.
Take a look at the photograph very closely, maybe with a
magnifying glass. Each face there is an individual, a man whose
name or story will never be known to us. Who was he? What did
he do? Wife and kids? Good husband, father, employee? What
compelled him—specifically him—to join the class? What was in
his life’s story that brought him to that Saturday morning? What
was he searching for? Did he find it? Again, we can only wonder.
But the greater question, I submit, is who is going to be in the
next class photo and what are we prepared to offer him? Years
after we are gone, our Scottish Rite will be preserved in old records, minutes and photos. They will reflect the present age and
time—our time. What will those future historians find when
they look at our record, our activities, and our Masonic story?
We are writing that story now. The past is always present.
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
THE SUPREME COUNCIL, 33°
(Mother Council of the World)
of the Thirty-third and Last Degree
of the A\ & A\ Scottish Rite of Freemasonry
of the Southern Jurisdiction of the USA
To All Scottish Rite Brethren of the
Southern Jurisdiction,
Y
ou are cordially invited to attend the 2017 Biennial
Session of our Supreme Council, which will be held
at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC, with the formal
opening on Monday the twenty-first of August, two thousand
seventeen, at nine o’clock in the morning in the International
Ballroom. The conferral of the 33°, Inspector General, will be held
on Tuesday, the twenty-second of August at three o’clock in the
afternoon at the Valley of Washington, DC, 2800 16th Street NW,
Washington, DC, in the auditorium.
Early registration is available before June 1 and is $310 for members and $75 for
spouses. Regular registration begins June 1 and is $360 for members and $100 for
spouses. To register or for more information, go to www.ScottishRite.org or call
202–232–3579. A 15% cancellation will apply from April 1. Please note that no refunds
will be given after July 27.
Cordially and Fraternally,
Grand Secretary General
& Sovereign Grand Inspector General
in Iowa
Sovereign Grand Commander
SCOTTISH RITE FUNDAMENTALS
All graphics courtesy the Archives of the Supreme Council, 33°, SJ USA.
ESOTERICISM
is a Matter of
I
DEGREES
Arturo de Hoyos , Grand Archivist & Grand Historian
Since 1717 there have been over 1,000 symbolism or (quasi-)historical themes. In
s Freemasonry esoteric, or not? The
“Masonic”
degrees created. The most popu- something like the Scottish Rite, the same
short answer is “Yes, no, maybe.” Esotericism is any topic “intended for or likely lar survived and are included in many of the degree may have dramatically different
to be understood by only a small number of rites, orders, and systems we know today. rituals, depending upon the jurisdiction
people with a specialized knowledge or in- Like a meal, each degree is only as good as (compare, for example, the Southern Jurisits creator. A recipe diction with the Northern Masonic Juristerest.” This certainly
may include many diction: the 20th Degrees are nothing alike).
applies to Masonry.
Some people consider
When someone describes himself as
of
the same ingrediBut on a deeper level,
Freemasonry inherently
ents as other meals, an “esoteric Mason” it often means that he
and in a Masonic conesoteric, while others think yet taste completely perceives, and embraces, what appear to
text, the word esoteric is
the Craft is a fraternity
different. Similarly, be aspects of the “Western Esoteric Tradiusually taken to mean
that our ceremonies
celebrating friendship and we may see many of tion” in our rituals; i.e., some affinity to the
the same “ingredi- symbolism of Hermeticism, Gnosticism,
and rituals allude to
mutual support.
ents”
(features) in a Neoplatonism, Kabbalah, etc. Freemasonry
realities and/or truths
not generally understood, or which may have number of degrees which teach completely is an eclectic organization and, at various
different things. The predilections of a de- times, we have borrowed the language and
a spiritual component to them.
The term is tainted to some people, and gree’s author affect the content as much as symbols of these and other traditions. The
acceptable to others; hence, it may not be the taste buds of a chef. Anyone who has question is, do our rituals really teach these
things as realities or do
easy to wholly accept or discard the term traveled a bit can tell
we use them to stimu“esoteric Masonry.” Like an onion, each you that even the “flalate thought—or both?
esoteric layer successively builds upon the vor” of the foundationAs
we are told in the
al
degrees
(Craft/Blue
other. We can all agree that Masonry is in30°, Knight Kadosh,
tended to be understood by few, and that Lodge Masonry) can
we should not misdiffer immensely from
it’s a kind of specialized knowledge.
take a symbol for the
But the questions are, “What kind of state to state, and more
thing symbolized. In
so
if
you
compare
these
specialized knowledge?” and “Are they real
some cases, I believe
secrets?” Depending upon one’s inclinations, degrees across the
that is what has hapthe Master Masons Degree has been inter- Scottish Rite, York Rite,
pened, while in others,
preted in a variety of different ways by differ- Swedish Rite, R.E.R.,
I
believe we do indeed
or
something
else.
In
ent persons. For some, it’s a story of fidelity;
have vestiges of other
for others, it teaches hope in the immortality the “higher degrees,”
traditions. But even
of the soul; for still others, it’s a lesson in al- the differences are even
when they are there,
chemy; and yet for still others, it alludes to more dramatic and
they may be only one
the discovery of entheogens. Some see it as pronounced: some are
Serva Modum, “Keep in Measure”
layer thick on our Mamulti-faceted, or a combination of various philosophical, others
(Square your actions). From Choice
sonic onion.
things. But, as I have written elsewhere, we practical; some presEmblems, Divine and Moral, Antient
The problem is twoshould avoid trying to enshrine our preferred ent allegory, and othand Modern (London: 1732).
fold: some deny any
ers offer discourses on
interpretations as the “true” one.
4
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
used and abused in Hollywood and elsewhere
because it looks “cool.”
Well, I’m willing to bet
that at least some of our
symbols migrated into
the fraternity the same
way. An unknown degree maker in the 1700s
saw something he liked
and dropped it into the
ritual. Not necessarily
bad, but 225 years later
his personal predilection
turns into a debate (and,
by the way, the All-Seeing Eye in a triangle was
a well-known symbol
of the Christian Trinity,
long before it was associated with Freemasonry).
Certainly, there are
clear examples of “borrowings” from “esoteric”
texts. A version of the
14°, Grand Elect Perfect
and Sublime Mason (as
it was then called), used
by the Supreme CounA page from a version of the 14°, Grand Elect Perfect and
cil of Charleston from
Sublime Mason (as it was then called), used by the Supreme
about 1801–22, includes
Council of Charleston from about 1801–22.
a portion of a lecture on
I sometimes speak about “historical reHebrew numerology, or gematria, extracted
from Cornelius Agrippa’s De Occulta Phi- cords” versus “hysterical documents.” Before
losophia (1531–33). If asked if that degree you buy into such fantasies as “Freemasonry
were esoteric, I would say “yes,” while to its descended from the ancient Egyptians,” get
counterpart in a later version or in another a quick education. Here are three books
to give you a reality check: (1) Harry Carr,
Supreme Council, I would say, “no.”
My point is to quit quibbling over such World of Freemasonry; (2) Bernard E. Jones,
things, and find the common ground where Freemasons Guide and Compendium; (3)
Ordini dritto e giusto, “Ordered Right and
we “can best work and best agree.” If esoteri- David Stevenson, The Origins of FreemaJust.” From Cesare Ripa, Nova Iconologia
cism interests you, that’s fine; if not, that’s sonry: Scotland’s Century 1590–1710. When
(Padua: 1618).
also fine. My personal library is well-stocked you can speak intelligently about the Old
with
enough material on both sides to make Charges (Gothic Constitutions), early Freesymbolism of these working tools is something which was gradually introduced into anyone think in favor of, or against, virtu- masonry in Scotland, the formation of the
Masonic ritual. Books like these would have ally any position. The important thing is to first Grand Lodge, and how and when the
been familiar to the educated members of be well-educated, and understand what we degrees developed, people may be inclined
the Premiere Grand Lodge, and they might know first. Before you reach for the stars, to listen to you, when you start to talk about
have inspired some of our symbolism. As make sure your feet are firmly planted on more exotic things. Educate yourself well
I said, we’re an eclectic organization. Ask the ground. Make yourself into someone enough to argue both sides of the argument.
Take due notice thereof and govern
yourself how many times you’ve seen the who can be taken seriously. Learn the facts
Square and Compasses or All-Seeing Eye about our origins based upon what we know. yourselves accordingly.
esoteric influences at all (or assert they are
just used symbolically), while others claim
it’s the main part of the onion. If the matter
is open to interpretation (not defined by the
ritual itself), who has the “right” to decide?
This much we know: many of Freemasonry’s symbols were used before the modern
fraternity existed (1717), and they appeared
in a variety of books. Some were in educational and philosophical texts, and others in
Hermetic or alchemical works. Consider, for
example, a 1615 engraving by Gabriel Rollenhagen, in which a woman holds a square,
accompanied by the motto Serva Modum,
“Keep in Measure” (i.e., square your actions).
The image was redrawn and appeared in
Choice Emblems, Divine and Moral, Antient
and Modern (London: 1732).
Another example is Cesare Ripa’s Nova
Iconologia (Padua: 1618), which depicts a
man holding a level and a square with the
motto Ordini dritto e giusto, “Ordered Right
and Just.” In the same book is another image
of a woman holding a square and compasses
as a symbol of “perfect work.” The moral
March/April 2017
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
5
REFLECTIONS
a profound meaning: “Wisdom (is) to
contrive; Strength (is) to support; and
Beauty (is) to adorn.” But there is more.
Wisdom is used to conduct the Mason in
y association with Freemaall of his undertakings; Strength is used
sonry began on December 23,
to support him in all of his difficulties;
1952 when, at the age of twentyand Beauty is used to adorn the inward
three, I became an apprentice in Lancaster
man. It is written that “The universe is
Lodge No. 104 in Lancaster, Kentucky.
the temple of the Deity whom (the MaAfter sixty-three years, I have come to a
son serves)­
—Wisdom, Strength and
deep appreciation for every aspect of FreeBeauty are about his throne as Pillars of
masonry and that for which the fraternity
his works; for his wisdom is infinite, his
stands. The fraternity of Freemasonry has
strength omnipotent, and
blessed my life immeasurably,
beauty
shines through the
and over the years, it has led
In the case of Freemasonry, the
whole
of
his creation.”
to many valuable relationships
pillars are those basic principles
During their Masonic jourand experiences.
upon which the fraternity is erected,
neys Masons are taught nuLike any structure erectthat is, the pillars are the solid
merous lessons. Some of those
ed on earth by man, the
foundation stones upon which the
lessons involve, in one way or
fraternity of Freemasonry
structure of Freemasonry rests.
another, the construction of
is what it is because of the
King Solomon’s Temple on
pillars that support it, that is,
the foundation upon which it rests. For When I was in college, I took note of the the summit of Mount Moriah in Jerusalem
two thousand years, it has been axiom- fact that numerous buildings on the cam- between 958 B.C. and 951 B.C. That Tematic that a structure of any kind that is pus were adorned with Doric, Ionic, and ple was the most magnificent structure in
the world at the time it was erected.
built upon the sand cannot withstand Corinthian columns.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, dependLater, as my Masonic journey led me
the raging storms. If it is to withstand
those storms, it must have a firm foun- in search of more light, I had the good ing upon how one looks at it—you and I
dation. Freemasonry has survived for fortune to peruse through that old Gen- were not there; that was long before our
centuries because it is erected upon eral History, Cyclopedia, and Dictionary time. Therefore, we were unable to work
of Freemasonry that dates back to 1868. day after day on that magnificent strucstrong and substantial pillars!
A pillar can be defined in two ways. During that perusal, I learned something ture along with, Jubala, Jubalo, and JubIt may be a column standing alone as a important. Those three columns from alum under the direction of Grandmaster
monument that has been erected to me- ancient Greek architecture became sym- Hiram Abif. But as Master Masons, we
morialize something of significance, or it bolic of the pillars of Freemasonry—wis- are workmen who are engaged in a most
significant occupation. Robert Macoy,
may be a strong vertical column that is dom, strength, and beauty.
After further perusal of the Kentucky the Masonic scholar, wrote that “the title
used to support a superstructure. As a
fourteen year-old boy I was introduced Monitor, I learned more about the pil- of Masons was adopted from architecture,
to a class of world history about the lars of Freemasonry and their signifi- one of the most ancient and most honourGreek culture that existed many centu- cance. I learned that those pillars have able occupations of mankind.”
W. Howard Coop, KCCH
M
6
ries ago. While I have forgotten much
that was taught to us in that class, I do remember one thing—the three columns:
the Doric, the Ionic, and the Corinthian,
symbols of Greek architecture. The Doric column was strong and simple with
a plain capital; the Ionic column was
more elaborate with an inverted scroll
as a capital; and the Corinthian column,
the most elaborate of the three, had a
larger and more ornate capital on which
acanthus leaves were artistically carved.
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
From J. L. Cross, The True Masonic Chart, or Hieroglyphic Monitor (New York: A. S. Barnes & Co., 1854), pl. 20.
laborer” and his “daily
toil” will have become
“a joy instead of a task,”
and his life will have
become “a blessing and
inspiration to (all of)
those who (came) in
contact with him.”
The old house on
Hegira Ridge in the
southeastern corner of
Cumberland County
in southeastern Kentucky in which I spent
my childhood wasn’t
much; it shook when
the wind blew. But
in 1932, in the fourth
summer of my life, my
father decided to make
a needed improvement
by adding a chimney on
the west side of that old
The pillars of Freemasonry topped by three kings: (l. to r)
house. I was just a little
Solomon, Hiram Abif, and Hiram of Tyre—representing
Wisdom, Beauty, and Strength, respectively.
boy and I don’t remember much about that exAlthough we, members of the fraterni- perience. But I do remember watching
ty of Freemasonry, no longer build tem- my father work day after day throughout
ples and cathedrals of stone, we do “build that summer.
He drew designs, gathered necessary
spiritual temples of character, temples of
upright manhood and integrity.” So, we material, and prepared a solid foundaare engaged in an honorable occupation tion. Then, with the ordinary tools of a
that “is never in (our) future Masonic mason, some of which still hang on the
life to be discontinued.” Therefore, day wall in my garage—a hammer, a chisel, a
after day and year after year without ceas- ruler or twenty-four inch gauge, a square,
ing, Masons expend their labors for one a plumb bob, and a trowel—he began the
purpose only: to “raise a superstructure slow process of erecting that chimney.
First, he took an irregularly shaped
perfect in all its parts and honorable to its
builder” supported by wisdom, strength, piece of stone bought from the quarand beauty, the durable and reliable pil- ry to the site—a rough ashlar—and
shaped that crude piece of stone into
lars of Freemasonry.”
The result of that Masonic labor is a perfect ashlar. When the task was
the construction of “a temple more glo- finished to his satisfaction, he used a
rious than that of Solomon—a temple square, a plumb bob, a trowel, and some
of honor, of justice, of purity, of knowl- mortar to place that perfect ashlar in
edge, and of truth.” That glorious tem- the appropriate place. After much hard
ple “shall exist when earth’s proudest work, the end result was a chimney unmonumental piles shall have crumbled like all other chimneys I observed in the
in dust, and the glory and greatness of neighborhood. After eighty-four years,
earth have been forgotten.” Then, that that old house is gone and another
Mason who worked upon that temple one, more substantial has been erected
will have become “an artist instead of a where it stood, and my father has been
March/April 2017
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
gone for almost fifty-five years. But that
chimney still stands as my father built it,
a tribute to his labor. The mortar joints
are smooth, the corners are square, and
the upright walls are perpendicular.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, the New
England poet may not have been a Mason; however, he wrote some things that
sound quite Masonic to me. In “The
Chambered Nautilus,” one of his betterknown poems, Holmes wrote:
Build thee more stately mansions, O my
soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s un
resting sea!
In order to build a more stately mansion—an indestructible temple more noble than the magnificent temple of King
Solomon—it is necessary to follow four
simple rules: Always remember—and
do—one of the first things taught to every Mason in his Masonic journey:
1. Before any undertaking, large or
small, pause and invoke the aid
of Deity.
2. After that humbling experience,
rise and discern—and faithfully
follow—the designs written
upon life’s trestle board for you
by the Supreme Architect of
the Universe.
3. To the best of your ability, use
the tools of Master Mason to
shape rough ashlars into perfect
ashlars and lay those perfect
stones in place with care.
4. Then, always, build your temple
on the solid foundations of, wisdom, strength, and beauty—the
age-old pillars of Freemasonry!
The above originally was presented as a lecture to
the William O. Ware Lodge of Research meeting
in Lancaster Lodge No. 104 on April 29, 2015.
7
1st Pl
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REFLECTIONS
Mark C. Phillips, 32°
Introduction
I
f you want to start a spirited
discussion amongst Freemasons,
ask them what they think of our Fraternity’s landmarks. If you want to squash
that discussion, ask them what qualifies something to be a landmark. This
is because, as Bro. Andrew Somerville
McBride noted a century ago: “Among
masons, there is no word more common,
and less understood, than that of ‘landmarks.’ The importance of knowing them
is acknowledged by all; a knowledge of
them is held but by a few.”1
Let us not get caught up in merely
reciting someone’s list of landmarks.
That task has been performed admirably
many times over the years. Some Grand
Lodges have adopted Ill. Albert Mackey’s
famous list of twenty-five landmarks,2
while others heed Ill. Albert Pike’s admonition that landmarks are very special,
hence very few.3 Our nostrils might flare
over a particular list so long as we admit
our shortcomings, like Bro. Potter Stewart, a former Associate Justice of the U.S.
Supreme Court who opined acerbically
that he could not define obscenity, but
he knew it when he saw it.4
The issue of landmarks is a critical one:
unless we define them, how do we know
Freemasonry’s core doctrines and practices? Landmarks are often intangible yet
point to a hidden reality; without them,
our fraternal identity is debatable and
subject to irregularity. The answer lies in
knowing what truly distinguishes Freemasonry from other fine organizations.
Because Rev. Bro. George Oliver stated
that landmarks may be modified as expediency dictates,5 we should heed our her8
itage but apply its lessons in the context
of our Twenty-First Century experience.
Whence our Landmarks?
Our Fraternity gives great deference to
the Volume of Sacred Law, and the Bible
plays a significant role for many American
Freemasons. The Jewish historian Josephus records that the ancient Israelites
erected stone landmarks to delineate the
boundaries between family parcels and
tribal territories.6 These monuments were
man-made but revered for their divine
inspiration: “Thou shalt not remove thy
neighbor’s landmarks, which they of old
time have set in thine inheritance, which
thou shall inherit in the land that the
Lord thy God giveth thee to
possess it.”7
Similar stone markers were erected
throughout the ancient world, from
the Appian Way to
Scandinavia. Other tangible things
served anciently as
landmarks too, from the
Rubicon which separated
Italia from Cisalpine Gaul to the
ancient oak trees which the Domesday
Book recorded as boundary points in
Anglo-Norman estates. These examples
teach us that landmarks have an inherent
resilience that enables them to point reliably to what they represent, in order to
delineate what is ours from what is theirs.
It is difficult to know when the term
“landmark” entered Freemasonry’s lexicon because the earliest known reference
is found only in Bro. George Payne’s General Regulations of 1721. Bro. Payne was
well-versed in Masonic tradition because
he was twice the Grand Master of the
Premier Grand
Lodge, once in
1718 and again in 1720.
Presumably he was nodding to that
tradition when he wrote that the Grand
Lodge “has the inherent power and authority to make new Regulations, or to
alter these, for the real Benefit of this ancient Fraternity; Provided always that the
old Land-Marks be carefully preserv’d.”8
Bro. Payne did not coin the term or
define it, but apparently both he and
his audience knew what the “old LandMarks” were. Landmarks might have
been depicted on tracing boards or discussed in lectures which have not survived, and Bro. Payne would not have
mentioned them had his audience not understood his
reference. Referring to
other old texts allows
us to make educated
guesses as to what
eighteenth-century
Freemasons thought
they were.
If we consider the
Old Charges,9 beginning
with the Regius Poem (1390),
we find common themes throughout Scotland, England, and the Continent
that describe character traits which made
Operative Masonry unique for centuries.
Those same virtues should ring true to
us today. They include being wise, strong,
mannered, reverent, well-read, and honestly employed. Every lodge should be
free from strife. Taking pay without murmuring, being a caring mentor, not coveting a brother’s wife or daughter, dealing
uprightly with others, and being honest,
faithful and diligent—all are examples
of acting upon the square. Arguably they
should be considered landmarks, not be-
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
cause they are the essence of Freemasonry,
but because they point to the raison d’être
of Freemasonry throughout history.
It is disappointing that eighteenth-century Freemasons did not discuss landmarks
more openly, unless their texts remain hidden in dusty libraries waiting to be discovered. For example, Bro. William Preston, a
leading ritualist of his day, commented only
that landmarks are found within the Master
Mason’s obligation.10 Perhaps the reticence
of our eighteenth-century forebears to be
more forthright can be explained by the
internecine warfare between Antients and
Moderns which made any effort at fraternal
consensus unbearable at best.
Enter the unifying encyclopedic efforts
of such mid-nineteenth-century Masonic
scholars as Bro. Albert Mackey in the
United States, Rev. Bro. George Oliver in
England, and others who thought it was
important to enumerate landmarks as a
way to underpin a Masonic world-view.
Bro. Mackey, a medical diagnostician,
specified landmarks as a way to develop a
clear and readily understandable jurisprudence that could explain Freemasonry’s
existence to the rest of society;11 his list
of twenty-five individual landmarks was
itself a collectively singular landmark that
distinguished Freemasonry from other
Victorian groups. Rev. Bro. Oliver, an Anglican cleric, couched his list of landmarks
in Biblical imagery in order to give spiritual impetus to the Fraternity’s purposes.12
As highly respected as these men were,
and as laudatory their efforts, their enumerated lists have restricted value for
twenty-first-century Freemasons. Many of
the nineteenth-century lists were derived
from romanticized allegories and their
authors’ subjective biases, and were not
grounded in rigorous historical analysis.
While these lists still help to form the bedrock of our fraternal upbringing, they do
not assist us in fully defining Freemasonry
for our day because of an intellectual starting-point which is different than ours.
This article will continue in our next issue. You
can read the full paper now at scottishrite.org.
Look for “Featured Article” on the homepage.
March/April 2017
Endnotes
1. A. S. McBride, Speculative Masonry: Its Mission,
Its Evolution, and Its Landmarks (Glasgow: D. Gillan &
Co., 1914), 188.
2. Albert G. Mackey, “The Foundations of Masonic Law,” The American Quarterly Review of Freemasonry
and Its Kindred Sciences, ed. Albert G. Mackey (New
York: Robert Macoy, 1858–59): 230–43.
3. Albert Pike and Theodore S. Parvin, “The
So-Called Antient Landmarks,” Proceedings of the
Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the District of
Columbia for the Year 1983: Eighty-Third Annual Report
(Washington, D.C.: John F. Shelby, 1894), 61.
4. Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 184, 197 (1964),
concurring opinion.
5. George Oliver, The Freemason’s Treasury: FifthTwo Short Lectures on the Theory and Practice of Symbolic
Masonry (London: Bro. R. Spencer, 1863), 19–20.
The Landmarks, or the Unwritten Law
Albert G. Mackey, 1858
1. The modes of recognition.
2. The division of symbolic masonry
into three degrees.
3. The legend of the third degree.
4. The government of the fraternity by a
presiding officer called a Grand Master.
5. The prerogative of the Grand Master to
preside over every assembly of
the Craft.
6. The prerogative of the Grand Master
to grant dispensations for conferring
degrees at irregular times.
7. The prerogative of the Grand Master
to give dispensations for opening and
holding Lodges.
8. The prerogative of the Grand Master to
make masons at sight.
9. The necessity of masons to congregate
in lodges.
10. The government of the craft, when so
congregated in a lodge by a Master and
two Wardens.
11. The necessity that every lodge, when
congregated, should be duly tiled.
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
6. Flavius Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews,
Book IV, Chapter VII, in William Whiston, The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus, the Jewish Historian, Vol. I
(New York: William Borradaile, rev. 1823), 249.
7. The Holy Bible (KJV), Deuteronomy 19:14.
8. James Anderson, The Constitutions of the FreeMasons (London: William Hunter) 1723), 70.
9. See, e.g., William James Hughan, The Old
Charges of British Freemasons (London: Simpkin, Marshall and Co., 1872).
10. William Preston, Illustrations of Masonry (London: J. Williams, 1772), 203–8.
11. Mackey, The Principles of Masonic Law: A Treatise
on the Constitutional Laws, Usages and Landmarks of Freemasonry (New York: Jonathan R. Neill, 1859), ix.
12. Oliver, The Historical Landmarks and Other Evidences of Freemasonry, Explained, Vol. I (New York: John
W. Leonard & Company, 1846), 384–88.
12. The right of every mason to be
represented in all general meetings
of the craft and to instruct his
representatives.
13. The right of every mason to appeal
from the decision of his brethren in
lodge convened, to the Grand Lodge or
General Assembly of Masons.
14. The right of every mason to visit and sit
in every regular lodge.
15. No visitor, unknown as a Mason, can
enter a lodge without first passing an
examination according to
ancient usage
16. No lodge can interfere in the business
of another Lodge, nor give degrees
to brethren who are members of
other Lodges.
17. Every freemason is amenable to the
laws and regulations of the masonic
jurisdiction in which he resides.
18. Qualifications of a candidate: that he
shall be a man, unmutilated, free born,
and of mature age.
19. A belief in the existence of God.
20. Subsidiary to this belief in God, is the
belief in a resurrection to a future life.
21. A “Book of the Law” shall constitute an
indispensable part of the furniture of
every lodge.
22. The equality of all masons.
23. The secrecy of the institution.
24. The foundation of a speculative
science, for purposes of religious or
moral teaching
25. These landmarks can never be changed
From the American Quarterly Review
of Freemasonry.
9
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MASONIC SYMBOLISM
“M
odern Tarot arises in
France in the mid-17th century, whereas modern Freemasonry arises in England in the early 18th.
Neither knows of the other and the two are
not seen in any manner as related or as connected.” With this statement Jean-Michael
David opens his study of the relation between Freemasonry and the cryptic deck of
cards called Tarot. Many
commentators on the
subject before him have
sought to somehow link
Freemasonry with this
enigmatic deck of cards.
His predecessors have at
times gone through great
pains to make connections between them. The
origins of both Tarot and
Freemasonry are shrouded in mystery, and both
have since their earliest
inception been associated with the mystique
and mysteries of the
10
ancient Egyptian religion.
Similarly, both speak to us
via rich and curious symbols that seem to resonate
with the deepest aspect of
our psyches. However, in
spite of one’s sincerest intuition, Freemasonry and
Tarot do not seem to share
a common origin. Yet, as
we shall see, with the help
of a few eccentric and innovative Fellows of the
Craft, Masonic symbolism
surely did come to influence the means by which
certain Tarot cards are interpreted.
The first person to posit the notion
that Tarot was a repository of the ancient
Egyptian religion was former Protestant
pastor and Freemason Antoine Court de
Gebelin (1725–1784). In his 1781 book
The Primeval World, Analyzed and Compared to the Modern World, Gebelin wrote
that upon first laying eyes on what is now
known as the Tarot of Marseilles, his immediate impression was
that the Fool and twenty-one trumps related
somehow to the ancient
Egyptian mysteries. For
example, in the Priestess
card Gebelin saw nothing short of the goddess
Isis, wife and sister of
Osiris and mother of the
falcon-headed Horus,
who with the help of the
god Thoth was able to
raise Osiris from his watery demise. Gebelin believed that the Fool and
trump cards contained
the wisdom of a fictional
Egyptian papyrus called
The Book of Thot, that this
fact was known to the
popes in Rome, and that
the latter were responsible for transporting the
images to Avignon in the
14th century. Thence, Gebelin imagined, the Tarot
finally found its way into
France. In addition to the
aleph-beth and the Egyptian pantheon, Gebelin
detected within the Tarot
hints at another concept,
one more familiar to him than either of the
others: the four cardinal virtues.
Having their origin in Plato’s The Republic, the four cardinal virtues were not known
as such until their inclusion in the Christian
tradition by St. Ambrose, St. Augustine,
and others around the late 300s. Sometime
after the mid-18th century, lectures pertaining to the cardinal virtues became a regular
part of Masonic ritual. Gebelin being an active Freemason in the latter part of the 18th
century, these lectures and thus the cardinal
virtues would have naturally been quite familiar to him. It is therefore a concept that
would doubtless have been fresh on Gebelin’s mind at the time that he encountered
the deck. The cards wherein he saw an indication of the cardinal virtues were those labeled Temperance, Force (strength in English
and suggestive of fortitude), and Justice. However, much to his dismay he did not find a
card titled Prudence. On the other hand,
one thing did jump out at him as being odd.
The figure on the Hanged Man card was, erroneously, Gebelin believed, inverted. If the
hanging man was to be turned right side
up, Gebelin reasoned, the impression given
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
Tarot card images from the Rider-Waite deck (1909) from Stefan Stenudd, Tarot Card Meanings, http://www.tarotcardmeanings.net/.
P. D. Newman, 32°
would be one of a man,
hands hidden behind his
back, standing on one foot.
For Gebelin, such an image, with its subtle indications of graceful poise and
wise reserve, was perfectly
fitting to represent the
missing virtue.
A few short years following the publication
of Gebelin’s book a professional fortune teller
calling himself Etteilla
(1738–1791), also a dedicated Freemason, issued
a volume titled How to Entertain Yourself
with the Deck of Cards Called Tarot. In it,
while claiming to have invented the art of
cartomancy some thirty years prior to the
publication of Gebelin’s book, Etteilla offered for the first time a means by which
the Tarot might be employed for divinatory
purposes. Whether or not Etteilla was being truthful in his claims as the father of cartomancy, Gebelin’s book obviously made
an impression on him. Following Gebelin’s
lead, Etteilla not only showcased the presence of the cardinal virtues in the Tarot by
reordering the trumps and placing the cards
in question together in chronological order,
he even went so far as to invert the figure
on the Hanged Man card before renaming
it as Prudence. He also changed the title of
the Force card to Fortitude. From that moment on the four cardinal virtues would
forever be cemented as an integral part of
the Tarot’s composition. Freemasonry had
made its mark!
There is arguably no other figure who
had a greater influence on occult literature and the 19th century occult revival
than Eliphas Levi (1810­–1875). His work
was seminal in the development of subsequent magical and occult orders and societies such as the Theosophical Society, the
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the
Ordo Templi Orientis, and others. Levi’s
influence may even be felt in the Southern
Jurisdiction of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite, where his writings inspired
portions of Albert Pike’s elaborate lectures.
March/April 2017
Levi was also an avid and
knowledgeable Brother
Mason.
Between 1854 and
1856 Levi published his
two part magnum opus The
Dogma and Ritual of High
Magic wherein for the first
time a sort of unified theory of occultism was offered,
linking ceremonial magic
with astrology, Alchemy,
Kabbalah, etc. Taking center stage in Levi’s dizzying
display was none other
than our infamous and
enigmatic Tarot deck. Unlike Etteilla, however, Levi was something of a purist when
it came to Tarot and he was not content to
reorder the trumps or invert cards the way
Etteilla and Gebelin had done before him.
He therefore returned to the original names
and arrangement of the Tarot of Marseilles.
Additionally, Levi saw in the original version of the Hanged Man card something
that both Gebelin and Etteilla had previously missed: an allusion to the doctrine of
the World Savior. Reluctant to attribute the
virtue of prudence to the Hanged Man card,
Levi returned the figure to his original, upside down, hanging position and began the
search anew for a card that might represent
the virtue of prudence. That search ended
when he settled on the Hermit. Prudence is
defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
as “the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason.” How fitting then
to choose the Hermit, a figure cloaked with
reserve and supported by discipline, whose
path is illuminated by the singular lamp of
reason. Yes, the Hermit for all practical purposes is a perfect fit for the virtue prudence.
Our four cardinal virtues within Tarot had
been found!
Since the publication of Levi’s book the
analysis has been virtually uniform. From
Waite to Wirth, almost every commentator following Levi has adopted the reading
of the Hermit card as prudence and has
seen in the Temperance, Strength, Hermit,
and Justice cards as allusion to Freemasonry’s four cardinal virtues: temperance,
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
fortitude, prudence, and justice. It is now
the universally accepted reading among
the vast majority of Tarot enthusiasts. Gebelin, Etteilla, and Levi’s Masonic hunches
have now become Tarot law, so to speak,
and the influence of Freemasonry will
forever be felt, in the strange and fascinating world of the Tarot. For, anything less
at this point just wouldn’t seem prudent.
REFERENCES
Alliette, Jean-Baptiste How to Entertain Yourself
with the Deck of Cards Called Tarot
Ambrose, Saint Commentary on Luke
Augustine, Saint De moribus eccl.
Burkle, William S., Masonic Allusion and Symbolism In the Figures and Interpretations of the Major Arcana of the Tarot by Arthur Edward Waite
David, Jean-Michael, Tarot and Freemasonry: an
Amorous Chasm
Decker, Ronald, A Wicked Pack of Cards: the Origins of the Occult Tarot
De Gebelin, Antoine Court, The Primeval World,
Analyzed and Compared to the Modern World
de Hoyos, Arturo, Albert Pike’s Esoterika
de Hoyos, Arturo, Albert Pike’s Morals and Dogma
http://www.themasonictrowel.com/ (The Four
Cardinal Virtues)
Howard, Michael S., Etteilla’s Trumps as Interpreted by Him and His Followers
Levi, Eliphas Transcendental Magic
Mathers, S.L. MacGregor, The Tarot
Mississippi Blue Lodge Text Book
Place, Robert M., The Fool’s Journey: the History,
Art, and Symbolism of the Tarot
Plato, The Republic
Regardie, Israel, The Golden Dawn
Waite, Arthur E., The Pictoral Key to the Tarot
Wirth, Oswald, Tarot of the Magicians
11
Museum
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MASONIC SYMBOLISM
lists no end of ailments against which the
wonder drug has “never been known to
fail,” including back pain, kidney problems, and “female diseases.”
For our purposes, the cachet provides three different levels of meaning.
First is the obvious relationship of a
skeleton to a typical Halloween scene.
Second is the advertisement of a man
fighting off death using Hunt’s Remedy.
The third—for those who have eyes to
see—are the many images and symbols
of the Master Mason’s Degree. The latter perhaps was intended by William E.
Clarke, particularly if he were a brother.
If not, the unnamed artist quite possibly
was or was at least familiar with Freemasonry. Note the unusual grip death has
Hunt’s Remedy postage stamp with
on his intended victim and the position
an illustration of a man with a bottle
of the Hunt’s Remedy bottle raised to
about to hit a skeleton reaching for him.
strike a fatal blow as well as the hourglass
and scythe . . .
John A. Freeburg, KCCH & Gregory S. Kearse, 33º
ge’s
d
o
L
a
Anok
ay
First-D
ls
a
e
v
e
R
Cover
ic
Mason
ism
Symbol
O
n September 29, 2016, in typically taxed in such a way were matchThe cover is available for sale from
Anoka, Minnesota, a small cer- es and over-the-counter medicines. The
Anoka Lodge’s website for $6.00 with
emony and first-day cover com- particular stamp shown here was issued
a single stamp or $10.00 for a cover with
memorated the unveiling of a new series in the mid-1880s by Wm. E. Clarke. For
all four stamps. The prices include shipof four Jack-O-Lantern “forever” postage decades, William E. Clarke of Providence,
ping and handling.”
stamps. A first-day cover, usually pro- Rhode Island, produced and marketed
Hunt’s Remedy, a
duced in connection
The cachet’s imagery
widely sold nostrum
with such a release, is
for kidney complaints.
an envelope with an
comes from an old
From 1872–1881, his
image on the left side,
Hunt’s Remedy, which
company manufaccalled a “cachet,” that
tured and sold the
relates in some way to shows a man wielding the
product, a cure-all
the postage stamp on
“wonder drug” against
“wonder drug” known
the envelope, or “covDeath, who is personified
in New York and New
er.” These can origias a skeleton with his
England since at least
nate from the United
1850. He used colorStates Postal Service
scythe and hourglass
ful, dramatic trade
or anyone else who
cast aside.
cards to advertise his
wants to create one,
in this case the brethren of Anoka Lodge product, including one that inspired a
No. 30. These covers then usually are match and medicine stamp long popular
cancelled with a special mark from the among revenue collectors.
The image on the front of the card
issuing post office stating, “First Day of
(and subsequent cachet) shows a hale
Issue.”
Take a close look at the first-day cov- and hearty male patient wielding a bottle Above: Anoka Lodge No. 30 created a firster’s cachet is what is known as a revenue of Hunt’s Remedy against Death, per- day cover to commemorate the release
stamp, which was issued in the past as a sonified as a skeleton with his scythe and of these four Jack-O-Lantern “forever”
sort of country-wide sales tax. Two items hourglass cast aside. The card’s reverse postage stamps.
12
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
T
Kelly Manno, House of the Temple Museum Intern
he Scottish Rite headquar- Salt is a preservative, allowing humans to hourglass, paper, ink and pen, a wooden
ters at the House of the Temple is store excess meat for when fresh meat is stool, wall paintings of a rooster and
steadily working to catalogue and unattainable. It was not uncommon to be sickle, the acronym V.IT.R.I.O.L.(U.M.),
documents its vast collection of Masonic paid in salt, spawning the phrase “worth and three alchemical elements: sulphur,
memorabilia. In addition to United States your salt” and forming the basis of the salt, and mercury. Sulphur represents
word salary. Salt was the spirit and masculinity, mercury repFreemason pieces, we
also used medicinally. resents light and femininity, and salt repare discovering inSalt is essential for
Ancient Romans used resents wisdom and gender neutrality.
teresting and unique
human life, and it
the mineral as an anti- While these are the traditional objects,
objects belonging to
appears as a symbol in septic to clean wounds. lodges may choose to modify them in
international bodies.
The mineral naturally some way.
These objects have
several Masonic rites.
And while we know much in general
became imbued with
histories that shed
The unique vial of salt
perceived power. Sym- about how salt was used in Masonry,
light on the dynamic
below is from Temple’s bolic elements were this vial in particular remains a mystery
nature of Freemasonintroduced to Masonic (among many) in our collection. It is part
ry through the years.
the collections.
rituals in the 18th cen- of Masonic tradition, but we don’t know
We recently found a
small glass vial filled with salt among the tury. The Grand Orient of France began from what country or what rite it came.
large collection of medals, badges, pins, placing vials of salt in their Chamber of We don’t know its owner or when it was
and jewels at the Temple. It is ceremoni- Reflection in 1785 because of its associa- used. It remains a mysterious and beautiful artifact of the Craft, awaiting the disously wrapped in red, pink, and gold silk tion with purification.
The Scottish Rite, French Rite, and covery of some identifying information
ribbons. There are four small brass bells
while it silently tantalizes us.
tied to the ribbons. It is a unique piece Brazilian Rite call for their pounlike anything we have previously come tential members to spend
across in our cataloging. Deeper research time in a room known as
was required to understand how it relates the Chamber of Reflection.
This room, often small
to Freemasonry.
The history of humans and salt is a long and painted with black
one. It is theorized that the earliest human walls, is where petitioning
cites were determined in part by the prox- members are asked to reimity of natural salt deposits; this essential flect on their character and
nutrient that had been obtained from a intentions prior to their initiation.
meat-heavy diet was lacking in the do- Traditional Chambers of Reflection
mesticated grain-based diet of settlements. can house ceremonial objects including
Immediately, salt was a valuable commod- a skull on crossbones, a piece of bread, a
Courtesy the Archives of the
ity, and the demand for it was insatiable. pitcher of water, a candle or lantern, an
Supreme Council, 33°, SJ, USA
March/April 2017
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
13
Salt shaker on a white background. Dubravko Sorić, Flickr, no changes made, https://www.flickr.com/photos/11939863@N08/3793288383/in/photostream/
MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES
14
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
CURRENT INTEREST
Scottish Rite Journal Essay
Contest Winners Announced
The Scottish Rite Journal Essay Contest winners have been chosen.
FIRST PLACE
Mark C. Phillips, 32° (Portland, OR)
“Whence and Whither
Our Masonic Landmarks?”
SECOND PLACE
David R. Sandy, 32° (Baltimore, MD)
“Ancient Metallurgy & Masonic Symbolism”
A
Following Up with Flat Stanley
s reported in the January-February 2017 Scottish Rite Journal, Flat Stanley visited the House of the Temple. This was part of a class project by Mrs.
Abbey Spaulding’s 2nd-grade class at Fredstrom Elementary School in Lincoln,
Nebraska. Flat Stanley was sent by Aislynn (front row, far left) to the House of
the Temple, and he had a great time exploring our magnificent building. When
he went back to Nebraska he took with him biennial session medallions for each
student plus booklets explaining the Scottish Rite. We look forward to further
visits from Flat Stanley and his friends!
M
The essays by Bros. Phillips and Newman appear in this issue, and Bro. Sandy’s
essay was published in the May/June
2016 issue. Fourteen essays were submitted, covering all aspects of Freemasonry,
from history to symbolism to artwork.
The three winning essays stood out for
their excellence, and we are pleased to
share them with our readers.
Valley of El Paso, Texas Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
embers of the Scottish Rite
Valley of El Paso, Texas, underwent CERT Training in January 2017
and have established a Scottish Rite
Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT) in El Paso which will
work with the local Office of Emergency Management (OEM). CERT Teams
operate under the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) which
is an agency of the United States
Department of Homeland Security.
CERT’s primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has
occurred in the United States and that
overwhelms the resources of local and
state authorities.
CERT educates individuals about disaster preparedness for hazards that may
impact their area and trains them in basic
March/April 2017
THIRD PLACE
P. D. Newman, 32° (Corinth, MS)
“The Four Cardinal Virtues & How Freemasonry Came to Influence the Tarot”
disaster response skills, such as fire safety,
light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using training learned in the classroom and
during exercises, CERT volunteers can
assist others in their community following a disaster when professional respond-
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
ers are not immediately available to help.
CERT volunteers are also encouraged to
support emergency response agencies by
taking an active role in emergency preparedness projects.
—Submitted by Larry V. Kane, 33°,
General Secretary
15
CURRENT INTEREST
Valley of Savannah Supports Local RiteCare
Scottish Rite Childhood Language Program
50 Years at 103!
J
MW Clyde Griffin, 33°, PGM Georgia, Past General Secretary,
presents a $10,000 check to Dr. Donna Brooks, Associate
Provost for Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies, for the
RiteCare program at Armstrong State University, Savannah, GA.
ohn A. Reynolds, 33°, Personal Representative the Valley
of Salina, Kansas, and Donald Hamilton, 33°, Personal Representative Emeritus, present a fifty-year pin to Harry Huber,
33°. Ill. Huber celebrated his 103rd birthday on January 17,
2017, and played the organ at Valley of Salina Reunions for
more than 50 years! He also played the organ at the University United Methodist Church and was a Professor of Music
at Kansas Wesleyan University. Congratulations, Brother, and
Happy Birthday!
—Submitted by James R. Winn, KCCH
Executive Secretary, Valley of Salina, KS
Welcome, Brother Nil! }}}}
Relief in Louisiana
W
e are thrilled to introduce you to
our newest museum employee at the
House of the Temple in Washington, DC—
Nilfisk GM 80—a HEPA vacuum we were
able to purchase thanks to the generous support of our 2016 #GivingTuesday donors!
“Bro. Nil” already has been hard at work the
past couple of months cleaning dust, mold,
and other particulates off books from different collections throughout the building.
Check out an example of his handywork (below) after less than 60 seconds!
A
Photography: Elizabeth A. W. McCarthy
fter the flooding in Louisiana last summer, there was a
fraternal outpouring of support for our
brothers and Masonic bodies there.
Some lost all they had; many suffered
devastating losses. The aid that poured
in from various sources, including the
Supreme Council, 33°, NMJ, and the
Masonic Service Association of North
America, represents Freemasonry at
its finest. It reminds us that we were
induced to become Master Masons to
help all poor distressed brother Master
Masons and their widows and orphans
wheresoever dispersed. It is our prayer
that there be no other such disasters,
but we stand ready to provide aid and
assistance when needed. To those who
have so generously helped the Craft in
Louisiana we offer our sincere thanks.
Ill. Burl Ives’s yearbook The Warbler before (l.) and after (r.) using the new HEPA vacuum.
16
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
CURRENT INTEREST
Celebrating the Bard of Ayrshire, Brother “Rabbie” Burns
in the Valleys of Denver, Colorado and Lincoln, Nebraska
B
ro. Robert Burns was never in the
Scottish Rite (he died in 1796, five
years before the Scottish Rite was created in 1801), but he is arguably the most
famous Scottish Mason the world has
known. His birthday is January 25 and
provides an excellent excuse for fans of
the Ploughman Poet to celebrate his life,
his poetry, and all things Scottish. The
Valleys of Denver, CO, and Lincoln, NE,
held outstanding celebrations this year.
Valley of Denver, Co
medley of United States Armed Forces
songs, and then the “Parade of the Haggis” and the reciting of the Robert Burns
poem of 1786 “Address to the Haggis.”
Dinner consisted of Sweet Corn
Chowder, Salad, Herb Roasted Cornish
Game Hen, Potato Gratin, Braised Red
Cabbage & Beetroot, with Sticky Toffee Pudding for desert. Of course, there
was Haggis for the hearty souls who
were brave enough to give it a try!
After dinner there was a reading of
several Robert Burns poems among
which were “To a Mouse” and “The Mason’s Apron.” Several Scottish songs were
performed as well as a “Toast to the Lads”
by a Lassie and the response by a Lad.
The evening concluded with a traditional Scottish Quaich Circle, accompanied by the Pipers of El Jebel Shrine
Pipe Band.
—Submitted by Matt Raia, 33°
Denver Secretary
Valley of Lincoln, NE
Bro. Gordon Bell addressing
the Haggis in Denver
The Knights of Saint Andrew of Denver Consistory presented the 17th Annual Burns Night Celebration at Denver
Consistory January 21, 2017. The snapshot of Scottish traditions was enjoyed
by 170 Scottish Rite Masons and nonMasons. The Annual Robert Burns Celebration is a fund raising event for the
benefit of the Scottish Rite Foundation
of Denver, and the Denver Consistory
Scottish Rite Masonic Center, both
501(c)(3) organizations.
The evening began with entertainment
by the El Jebel Shrine Pipe Band with the
playing of traditional Scottish tunes, a
March/April 2017
Valley of Lincoln celebrated the life
and works of the Ploughman Poet on
January 27th with a traditional Robert Burns Celebration! Burns Dinner
chairs Hersh, KCCH, and Betty Talley and the Knights of St. Andrew welcomed 100 Scottish Rite Masons, their
ladies, and guests for a great evening.
The dinner began with cocktails in the
lounge, and harp music performed by
Heidi Beran. Guests mingled in the
newly refurbished museum. Silent auctions
were available for bidding, with items including an autographed Star
Wars print by Carrie
Fisher, Harrison Ford,
and Mark Hamill, autographed photographs
from John Glenn, Buzz
Aldrin, and Leonard
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
Nimoy, and much more. The auction
raised over $1,500 for the RiteCare
Scottish Rite Childhood Language
Program and the Lincoln Scottish Rite
Preservation Foundation.
At 6:30, Jerry Pigsley, 32°, Venerable
Master for the Lodge of Perfection, welcomed guests in the grand ballroom. Fr.
Steve Lahey of St. Matthew’s Episcopal
Church gave the Selkirk Grace and invocation. The Knights of St. Andrew, led
by bagpiper Jimmy Shelbourn, led in the
guest of honor—the haggis. Fr. Lahey
read Burns immortal “Ode to a Haggis,”
which ends dramatically with the stabbing of “Great chieftain o’ the puddingrace” as the sausagey innards spurt out,
followed by a toast to the haggis.
After the wonderful dinner of Castle
Mey steak, cauliflower with a cheese
and whiskey sauce, and shortbread
with strawberries and Drambuie sauce,
Blair and Amanda Talley gave the
“Toast to the Lassies” and the reply . . .
to much laughter. Lincoln entertainer
Chris Sayre closed the evening with
several songs written by or inspired by
Robert’s Poems and traditional Scottish songs. Afterward, guests joined
Chris in singing Auld Lang Syne. The
Robert Burns Celebration definitely
sets a high water mark for great evenings and entertainment.
—Submitted by Micah Evans, 33°
Development Director, Scottish Rite
Foundations of Nebraska
Knights of St. Andrew of Lincoln
17
Notes from
A Publication of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction
THE POETRY OF A GOOD DRIVE
I
n 1954, Gene Littler, a pro golfer and member of the
World Golf Hall of Fame, was asked by reporters who the
young man was “that was cracking balls on the practice tee.”
Littler replied “That’s Arnold Palmer. When he hits the ball
the earth shakes.” Indeed it did. For the next seven decades Ill.
Arnold D. Palmer, 33°, was the sport’s dominant figure, both as
a player and as an ambassador.
Bro Palmer was a man who transcended his sport, but then
brought it along with him. He was the first superstar in the
television age. His working-class background in his home town
steel mill community of Latrobe, PA, helped him democratize
the sport and allow the masses to take part.
Bro. Palmer also had his Masonic life. In 1958 he joined
the fraternity in Loyalhanna Lodge No. 275 in Latrobe. In
November 1995 he joined the Scottish Rite and received the 33°,
in 1998. On July 8, 2010, Sovereign Grand Commander John
Wm. McNaughton visited Latrobe where a special ceremony
was held to present Bro. Palmer with the Gourgas Medal.
He was one of the rare people whose actions changed the
course of history. His athletic ability propelled him to the top
Ill. Arnold D. Palmer, 33°
of his sport. His personality helped modernize an ancient
game and bring it to the masses. His expertise allowed him to design courses, carrying his legacy far into the future. As
a young man making the life choice that would define him, he was asked what it was about golf that headed him down
this path. He responded “What other people find in poetry, I find in the flight of a good drive.”
Helping Our Brothers in Louisiana
L
ast August the Scottish Rite pledged more than $1 million in disaster relief to help Freemasons affected
by the massive flooding in Louisiana. The crisis was described by the American Red Cross as “one of the worst
natural disasters in the United States since Hurricane Sandy” in 2012.
In response to the crisis the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction issued $100,000 in debit cards that were distributed
immediately to Freemasons with urgent needs, such as food and clothing. The jurisdiction also organized a large
shipment of bottled water and other supplies to be sent to the ravaged area. Several tractor trailers loaded
with drywall have also been delivered. William J. Mollere, First Grand Equerry S.G.I.G., Louisiana said “The
building materials have been a godsend. It allows us to put boots on the ground and help people actually rebuild
their homes.”
18
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
CELEBRATIN G THE CRAFT
Calling All Members!
A CTC Success Story
Last year, during Celebrating the Craft (CTC), Ill. Ross M. Laver, 33°, secretary for the Valley of Atlanta, sat down and
personally called active members in his Valley to donate to their local RiteCare Scottish Rite Childhood Language Programs and
the House of the Temple Historic Preservation Foundation, Inc. Of all of the calls that he made, almost every brother agreed to
give! This year, we hope that you will follow the example of your brother in Atlanta and host a local phone bank from your Valley!
Create Your Own Success Story!
✓✓ Start informing brethren that you
will be participating in CTC at
your next meeting or gathering.
✓✓ Designate several brethren to make
phone calls to your members during
Celebrating the Craft. Provide them
with contact information for active
members in your Valley.
✓✓ We will provide you with CTC
Donation Forms to take down
donation information. Contact Jess
Blossfeld at jblossfeld@scottishrite.
org for more info!
✓✓ Call your members between 6 PM
and Midnight EST on Saturday,
May 20 and remind them to tune
in to the show and to donate to our
two great causes!!
First-Annual Annual RiteCare Art Contest
A
t the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, we are continually looking for new ways to
make the RiteCare Scottish Rite Childhood Language Program (SRCLP) a bigger
part of our CTC initiatives. This year, we reached out to RiteCare centers nationwide
and asked them to participate in a creative contest that would ultimately provide
the artwork for this year’s Celebrating the Craft posters and flyers. The winner’s
artwork will be prominently displayed in clinics and Valleys across the nation to help
raise awareness about the event and to encourage clinics, members, and families to
tune in. We received dozens of
submissions and are happy to
announce our 2016 winner!
Can’t make the calls the night of the show?
Why not have your phone banks beforehand? Then, be sure to have someone call
in during Celebrating the Craft and let us
know how much you raised!
Congratulations to Atlanta and thank
you for leading the way in innovat ive
Valley part icipat ion!
March/April 2017
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
**Congratulations to Radon
Holt, of McAlester, Oklahoma
for being the winner of the 1st
Annual RiteCare Art Contest!**
His artwork, titled “The Caring
Hands of RiteCare”, shows us
what the RiteCare SRCLP means
to him. The McAlester RiteCare
Clinic will also be awarded $250
for their participation and winning
submission. Our sincerest thanks
go out to all who participated!
We look forward to continuing
this tradition and building our
relationship with RiteCare.
19
GIVING & DEVELOPMENT
Recognizing
Russell H. Ashton, 33°
Fifty-Year Member Receives Posthumous Honors
A
Emily Vitacolonna, Development Gift Coordinator
very special event of the
Jacksonville, FL, Valley took
place on Friday, January 6, 2017,
at the yearly Installation of Valley officers.
A “Founders Certificate” was presented
to honor the memory of a deceased Valley member for his generosity, and that
of his wife and family. Brother Russell
H. Ashton, 32°, of Jacksonville, who was
a fifty-year member of the Valley at the
time of his death in 2012, was honored
by a donation to the House of the Temple
Foundation made by his wife, Mrs. Lottie
Pictured above at the Founders Certificate presentation are: (l. to r.) David
Ashton in the form of real property. RusYarborough, 33°, General Secretary for the Valley of Jacksonville; Robert K. Beaty,
sell Ashton was a very successful business33°, Valley Personal Representative; Dale I. Goehrig, SGIG in Florida; Chuck Morgan,
33°, Major Donor Officer (Southeast); and from Mandarin Lodge No. 343—WM
man and property owner in Jacksonville,
David Gilpin; Eddie E. Bides, KCCH; Jeffrey W. Starke, 32°; WBro. Larry M. Rogers,
where he owned and operated Hawkins
KCCH; and SW Todd Connor.
Battery Company. He and Mrs. Lottie
Ashton had been married for 61 years at
the time of his death. He served his coun- on the status of the Rebuilding the Tem- ers Certificate presented in honor of Ill.
try in both WWII and the Korean Con- ple Campaign. Ill. Morgan and Goehrig Ashton recognizes donations of $100,000
flict in the United States Navy. Ill. Ashton reminded the brethren and guests of the or more to the campaign. In addition to
importance of the cur- the beautifully framed hand-calligraphy
joined the Jacksonville
rent
capital campaign certificate, his name will be listed on a
Scottish Rite Bodies
Brother Ashton joined
to restore and pre- bronze plaque to hang prominently in the
in 1962, and was a
the Jacksonville Scottish serve the House of the House of the Temple.
very active member
Rite Bodies in 1962,
On hand to accept the certificate for
Temple, headquarters
for many years. He
the
Ashton family were members of the
of
the
Southern
Juriswas a volunteer fireand was a very active
diction in Washington, Mandarin Lodge No. 343 in Jacksonville,
man, Sunday School
member for many years. DC. The goal of the where Ill. Russell Ashton was a Charter
Teacher and lifelong
He was a volunteer
campaign is to ensure member and the first treasurer. Worshipful
supporter of Masonic
youth groups.
fireman, Sunday School that this magnificent Master David Gilpin also received a “Susstructure will con- taining Member Medallion” for Mandarin
Ill. Brother James
Teacher and lifelong
tinue as a historical Lodge, recognizing its participation in the
H. “Chuck” Morgan,
supporter of Masonic
landmark and beacon ceremony. The House of the Temple is imIII, 33°, Major Doof Masonic Light for mensely grateful to Brother Ashton and all
nor Officer for the six
Youth groups.
future generations of supporters of our beautiful building. May
southeastern Orients
of the Southern Jurisdiction, presented masons everywhere. In order to gratefully the generosity of the Ashtons in support
the Ashton family with a Founders Certifi- acknowledge generous contributions at of our “Rebuilding the Temple Campaign”
cate in recognition of that gift. He was as- all levels of giving in support of that cam- be an inspiration to others to join in this
sisted by Ill. Brother Dale I. Goehrig, 33°, paign, the Scottish Rite has established a important work of preserving and restorSGIG in Florida, who also gave an update Donor Recognition Program. The Found- ing the House of the Temple.
20
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
GIVING & DEVELOPMENT
DeMolay Founder’s Portrait
Unveiled at House of the Temple
Emily Vitacolonna, Development Gift Coordinator
March/April 2017
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
21
Photography: Emily Vitacolonna, Development Gift Coordinator
o
n Saturday, December active members of DeMolay sit in the front, the George Washington Memorial Ban10, 2016, roughly 125 peo- in the seats traditionally filled by members quet Hall for a barbeque buffet lunch caple gathered in the Temple of the Supreme Council during session. tered by Rocklands Real Barbeque.
All in all, the event was a successful
Room of the House of the Temple and The reason for this came clear as Grand
Commander Ronald A celebration of the life of one of Freemawatched as a portrait
Seale, 33°, himself a for- sonry’s most important members. Frank
of Ill. Frank S. Land,
DeMolay International mer member of DeMo- S. Land founded the Order of DeMolay
33°, Grand Cross, was
and the Scottish Rite, lay, gave his welcoming in 1919 with the goal of creating a place
unveiled. Land was a
remarks. He explained where young men and boys could conmember of the Scottish
SJ, formed a joint
that as the current active nect with each other, share common
Rite and founder of the
campaign in 2014 to
members of the Order interests, and learn important skills
Order of DeMolay. The
raise $1 million to
of
DeMolay, he viewed which would enable them to grow into
event was the celebrahonor “Dad” Land
the boys as the future of the best men that they could be. Thanks
tion of the completion
with this portrait.
the Scottish Rite and of to the vision of Frank S. Land, DeMoof a joint fundraising
Freemasonry. He wanted lay is now an international organization
effort by the Scottish
Rite and DeMolay that began in 2014. the ceremony to reflect that it was their ef- and has benefitted the lives of millions
The campaign was called the Frank S. forts that made the campaign so success- of young men. The Scottish Rite is honLand Pillars of Charity Campaign and ful, and commented that this was exactly ored to have played a role in the creation
had the goal of raising $1 million in how “Dad” Land would have wanted it. of DeMolay and continues to support
honor of Frank S. Land. The money Frank Land was known for stepping back DeMolay to this day.
raised will be divided evenly between and letting the boys of DeMolay run meetings, only
the two organizations.
The Order of DeMolay and the Scot- stepping in when guidance
tish Rite have long been interlinked. The was needed.
Others who spoke durvery first meeting of DeMolay organized
by Land took place in the Kansas City ing the ceremony includScottish Rite Temple where Land was ed William M. Sardone,
employed, and the Scottish Rite Adoni- Grand Master of DeMoram Lodge of Perfection was DeMo- lay, Chandler R. Gordon,
lay’s first sponsoring organization and Past International Master
appointed the first Advisory Council. Councilor of DeMolay InTeaming up for this campaign therefore ternational, and Ill. Curtis
L. Gimlin, 33°, President of
was a natural partnership.
The event began with a tour of the the DeMolay Foundation.
After the speeches were
House of the Temple at 9 am, led by Ill.
Matthew T. Szramoski, 33°, Director of given, Chandler Gordon
Pictured with the Land painting in the Temple
Development at the Supreme Council. and Austin Willis, MasRoom are: William M. Sardone, Grand Master,
After the tour, attendees gathered in the ter Councilor of WoodDeMolay; Ronald A. Seale, 33°, Grand Commander
Atrium and the Temple Room to mingle lawn Chapter of Springof the Scottish Rite, SJ; Chandler R. Gordon, Past
before the ceremony began. The prelude field, VA, completed the
International Master Councilor of DeMolay
to the ceremony was played on the organ ceremony by unveiling
International; Curtis L. Gimlin, 33°, President,
by Ill. Paul Dolinsky, 33°, Grand Organist. the portrait. After a brief
DeMolay Foundation, and Austin Wills, Master
Prior to the ceremony beginning, Illustri- pause for photos, the
Councilor of Woodlawn Chapter in Springfield, VA.
ous Brother Szramoski requested that all gathering moved down to
PODCAST SPOTLIGHT
Jack the Ripper:
A FREEMASON?
From The Tyler’s Place Studio, House of the Temple, Washington, DC
On The Tyler’s Place podcast, we love to investigate Masonic mysteries and stories from all over the
globe. Recently, we heard rumblings of a possible link between Freemasons and the most famous serial
killer of all time: Jack the Ripper. My good friend Ed Norris is a former NYC homicide detective and the
man who conceived of the NYC Cold Case squad. He also happens to have personally investigated the
Ripper murders for the Discovery Channel, and in our October 2016 Tyler’s Place podcast, we spoke with
Ed regarding this link between Masons and the Ripper. Below is a transcript of the interview, originally
published on the international crime blog CrimeTraveller.org.
British Museum via Wikimedia Commons.
Left: This newspaper broadsheet referring to the Whitechapel
murderer (later “Jack the Ripper”) as “Leather Apron,” was published
immediately after the murder of Annie Chapman.
that we keep hidden from cabal somewhere, I want to know about it
plain view, it’s also true more than you.
that nearly every other
One of the most famous alleged Mafraternity in the world has sonic conspiracies surrounds one of the
similar “secrets.” And as greatest unsolved murder mysteries of all
is true of the Freemasons, time. Since he spilled his last drop of blood
those little enigmas are in 1891, it has been whispered that Jack the
entirely benign.
Ripper was a Freemason, perhaps even a
But no one believes member of the British royal family, and the
that. It’s easier, and per- brotherhood used its considerable connechaps more fun for the tions to keep Jack’s wicked secret safe. This
uninitiated, to believe that idea was explored and pushed further into
there’s a secret Masonic the public consciousness by the 2001 film
cabal meeting in dark- From Hell starring Johnny Depp.
ened corners of the globe,
Proof of this supposed Masonic connecquietly pulling strings tion to Saucy Jack is said to be found in the
to insure either order or so-called Goulston Street Graffito. This grafchaos. To be clear, most fito was found on a door jamb not far from
Freemason Lodges have one of the crime scenes, and directly above a
trouble deciding whether bloodied piece of apron torn from one of the
to have green beans or evening’s victims. The white chalk letters said
carrots for dinner, so secretly running the “The Juwes are not the men who will be blamed
Maynard Edwards, 32°
world is a little outside of our ability.
for nothing.” A casual observer might dismiss
or as long as there have been
As a 32° Freemason and the host of The this as anti-Semitic graffiti, which was comsupposed criminal conspiracies, Tyler’s Place (the official podcast of the Su- monplace at the time. However, to FreemaFreemasons have been alleged to preme Council of the Scotbe behind those conspiracies. The thinking tish Rite of Freemasonry),
For as long as there have been supposed
goes that a secret society such as the Ma- I have made it my goal to
criminal conspiracies, Freemasons
sons must have something to hide. Why else debunk some of the long
would they want to remain secret?
held Masonic conspiracy
have been alleged to be behind those
First of all, we Masons don’t consider beliefs by simply speaking
conspiracies. The thinking goes that a
ourselves as part of a “secret society.” We are with experts, and looking
secret society such as the Masons must
a simply a fraternity; a fraternity dedicated objectively at the facts. Beto brotherly love, relief, and truth. While it’s lieve me when I tell you if
have something to hide.
true that Freemasons have rituals and ideas there is a secret Masonic
F
22
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
John Frost Newspapers / Alamy Stock Photo
1888 Illustrated Police News front page reporting the murders by Jack the Ripper in the East End of London
March/April 2017
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
23
Home Office archive HO 144.221 A49301C.8c
via Wikimedia Commons.
your thought on that clue and supposed
Freemason influence?
Ed: Actually none. I am aware of it, I
read about it, but it never came into play
in our investigation. It was never even a red
herring in our case where we were looking
for somebody who was a Freemason. It was
never part of the case.
Copy of attachment to a police report from
Chief Commissioner Sir Charles Warren of
the Metropolitan Police to the Home Office
sons the spelling of “Juwes” with a J-U might
allude to three characters in Masonic ritual
named Jubela, Jubelo, and Jubelum.
The relation of the graffito to the Ripper
murders has been long debated, and most
investigators have concluded the two are
not connected. One of those investigators
is former New York City Homicide Detective, and former Baltimore City Police
Commissioner Ed Norris, who led an investigation for the Discovery Channel show
Jack the Ripper in America. Ed believes he’s
solved the crime, so I spoke with him about
his theories and about any alleged Masonic
connection to the Jack the Ripper Murders.
Q: For those who don’t know, give me a
few details of the Jack the Ripper murders.
Ed: Basically they were a series of prostitute
murders in the Whitechapel area of London
beginning in 1888, and they were done in a
very unusual fashion. They were eviscerated,
organs were thrown about the room, and [it]
looks like he spent a lot of time with the bodies and did a lot of awful things to them. They
were exceptionally brutal killings and they just
suddenly stopped and they have never been
solved. There have been all kinds of crazy suspects: friends of the royal family, members of
the royal family, Oscar Wilde had a connection
somehow, celebrities from the turn of the 19th
to the 20th century … a whole bunch of suspects, yet they remained unsolved.
Q: Freemasons have been alleged
to be on that list of suspects, and the
Goulston Graffito is pointed to as evidence of Masonic connection. What was
24
Q: So as an investigator, you’re comfortable saying Jack the Ripper was not a
Freemason?
Ed: Yes. I believe the guy we have identified,
James Kelly, is a really strong suspect. If I were
going to investigate and prosecute this case and
try it in a court now, obviously he’s long dead,
he’d be the guy. And there was no indication he
was ever a Mason. So as far as I’m concerned
there was no Freemasonry involved.
like any modern case folder there were mistakes. Not intentional, just like a detective
got transferred, somebody retired; the case
was passed to someone else. Some guys did
great jobs, some guys did sub-par, so there
were mistakes made. [ James Kelly] was a
suspect at the time originally, and they visited his home. Of course it was [his wife’s]
parent’s house, so he’s not going to go to
the scene of the murder with her parents
at home. So that was silly. And they never
continued to pursue him. We did a lot of
other things to actually verify his account.
He claimed that he went back and forth
between Europe and America, so we verified the shipping records. There was a suspect description of him, so we had a police
sketch artist draw the suspect from the description. You know how they age children
on milk cartons after they’ve been missing
for a number of years? We had some one
take a photo of James Kelly from 1927 and
de-age it in that same way, and its resemblance to the police sketch was uncanny.
We did handwriting analysis; I visited the
crime scenes in Whitechapel and crime
scenes in New York and compared them.
I just feel all in all, James Kelly is a really
solid suspect, and they may have whiffed
on this by not following up way, way back.
Q: Why is Kelly your guy?
Ed: James Kelly killed his wife in a way that
was somewhat similar to the Ripper murders.
He had stabbed her in the throat, and murdered her in their home. He was sentenced
to death but avoided the gallows because he
was deemed to be psychologically unfit. So
they put him into Broadmoor, which was a
mental hospital at the time. Several years later,
he fashioned a key out of a piece of lead and
escaped the mental hospital. So he escapes
Q: Once and for all, Freemasons are off
from Broadmoor and the murders take place
and then stop at some point. Kelly appears the hook in the Jack the Ripper Murders?
Ed: As far as I am concerned you are.
back at Broadmoor in 1927, as an old man.
He shows up and says, “I want to come home.”
Conspiracy theorists from far and wide
They ask him where he’s been and he writes
out this long manifesto saying that he went to can now turn their attentions elsewhere.
the United States, on the war path in America.
Ed Norris (pictured
So we overlaid all the cities he claimed to
left with Bro.
work in while he was in the US and ran the
Maynard) is a former
newspaper articles at the time, and there were
NYPD Homicide
similar killings to Jack the Ripper. And the
detective, formerNYPD-Deputymedia was questioning at the time had Jack
Commissioner, and
the Ripper come to America. So we did that
because of his recount of his forty-two years former Baltimore City Police Commissioner. He
is currently a radio talk show host in Baltimore.
there [the states].
We were the first people to get [the
To hear the entire interview, download The Tyler’s
manifesto]; because of mental hygiene
Place app in your preferred store and listen to the
laws they weren’t allowed to release [it] for
October 2016 episode. We are always looking
for great Masonic stories and mysteries to delve
a certain amount of years. We then went
into. If you have one, send it our way! The e-mail
through a series of basic investigative steps.
address is podcast@scottishrite.org.
I got to read the original case folder, and
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
BOOK REVIEWS
Strengthening the Center
•
•
•
•
ritics consider him one of the most important poets of the
20th Century. The passage above is the first stanza of his poem
The Second Coming, written in 1918. Yeats was describing the
chaos following the First World War. But it feels as if he were describing
the social and political upheavals of the last several months. Things come
apart, the Center cannot hold.
Fads in society are dangerous.
Compassion is an essential virtue.
Death is not evil.
It is important to understand
the past if we wish to avoid
repeating mistakes.
• Order is better than chaos.
• Lack of civility is inexcusable.
• Being a man is much more than
being a male homo sapiens.
Freemasonry teaches morals, ethics,
and values, and by so doing it strengthens our sense of the Center. But where
are those morals, ethics, and values
found, and how are they communicated? That is the topic of this column.
Many of the books here are not new, but
they are important. Let us start with a
couple of overviews.
active part of the mind, but in a sense of
solidity and stability.
My own very partial list of views and
ideas which comprise the Center is here. I
need not say that anyone can disagree and
list others which should be been included.
• I am not the center of the
universe, and what I want is
not more important than what
others want.
• The family is of great importance and must be protected at
all costs.
• Honor and integrity
are important in and of
themselves.
• Respect is earned, not
demanded, and where it is
earned it should be freely
given. It may be earned by
a willingness to serve and
protect the nation, by service in law enforcement,
by accumulated wisdom,
and many other ways.
Davis, Robert G. 33°, Grand Cross,
Understanding Manhood in America,
Anchor Communications, 2006,
softbound. 192 pages, ISBN-13: 9780935633375, available on the Internet,
new and used, from about $12.00.
Bob Davis and I have been good
friends for decades. He recently retired
after 30 years as the General Secretary
of the Valley of Guthrie, where I serve
as Director of the Work. He has been
fascinated for many years with the question of manhood—what does it mean to
be a man, how do we
learn, how does Freemasonry play into that
role? We’ve had many
hours of enjoyable
conversation on the
topic. The result of his
thought, study, and
research is this book.
He does not speak of
the Center, but does
speak, persuasively, of
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer,
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold,
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
—William Butler Yeats
C
It has always seemed to me that one of
the great benefits Freemasonry confers
both upon the individual and upon society is a strengthening of the Center.
The Center is a shared set of ideals, values, views of the world, that cuts
across all separations of age, race, gender,
religion, economic status, social status,
or education. No
one agrees with all of
them and they evolve
with time, but almost
everyone agrees with
enough of them that
they form a common
James T.
Tresner II, 33°, basis for understandGrand Cross ing, an anchor, a
Book Review
place of concord in
Editor
the eye of the storm.
It supports a family
dealing with grief for a loved one, an athlete facing a defeat, a nation in transition
from one government to another, a man
or woman confronting their own old age
and mortality—not consciously in the
March/April 2017
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
25
the elements of manhood which, in fact,
form and strengthen that Center. The
book has received excellent reviews. To
quote from one by Edward Berry:
The modern American male has few
worthwhile role models today, and
fewer cheerleaders. We live in a time
of predominantly negative messages
about men. Young men refer to themselves as “dog”, self-proclaimed gurus
say men are from “Mars” and, worse yet,
some organizations and educational
institutions consider every man to be a
potential rapist.
ateur magician, and he has pulled off
magic in the book. He has just about
Fortunately, men have found a cheer- every Masonic award and honor there is
leader in Robert G. Davis. Davis’s new for scholarship, and he is the Managing
book Understanding Manhood in America Editor of the magazine you are reading.
delves into what it means to be a man in This book is one of the best overviews of
21st–century America. This book is im- Freemasonry you can find, although with
portant reading for all men. Understand- much more depth than one usually finds
ing Manhood shows men where we might in an overview. It is great book to give
find proper role models and—more new Masons, but it is also a worthy reimportantly—how we can be good role minder to those who have been Masons
for years of just how rich our Fraternity
models for others. . . .
In the book’s second half, Davis is. Both these books form an excellent
makes the case that in order to become background for the study of the Center,
men, in the true and traditional sense and how the Fraternity helps us to hold it
of the word, they must learn to work against the forces of “mere anarchy.”
together and socialize with other men.
This is no “grab your drum and head out Anderson, Rev. James, The History
into the woods” sort of advice. Davis’s and Constitutions of the Most Ancient
ideas are straightforward and pragmatic. and Honorable Fraternity of Free
His “Seven Pillars of Success in Man- and Accepted Masons [also known
hood” are a very focused list of actions as Anderson’s Constitutions of 1738,]
that men can take in their daily lives to (available in many editions) Kissenger
Legacy Reprints, 2010, softbound
become better men.
This is a great book, and one which sets 256 pages, (also available hardbound)
the stage for the consideration of Mason- ISBN-13: 978-1162583006, this
ry’s role in helping the Center to hold.
Morris, S. Brent, Ph.D., 33°, Grand
Cross, The Complete Idiot’s Guide
to Freemasonry, 2nd edition, Idiot’s
Guides, 2013, paperbound, 352 pages,
ISBN-13: 978­151642373, Available on
the Internet, new and used, from about
$6.00, Kindle edition, $12.99.
Dr. Morris is one of the best (and
best-known) writers and editors in the
Masonic world. Not as well known
is that he is also an outstanding am26
edition available on the Internet, new
and used, from about $22.00.
Reverend Anderson was an ordained
minister of the Church of Scotland, who
was asked to compile a history of Freemasonry. The first edition is known as the
1723 edition; the edition of 1738 was considerably expanded. Much of the history
recorded in the book has been called into
question, but the section known as The
Old Charges outlines the behavior expected from Brethren, and those expectations
remain largely unchanged. If there is a
core to Masonic ethics, it is probably here.
Pike, Albert, Morals and Dogma of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of
Freemasonry. Very wide range of prices,
from a few dollars to several hundred.
Paperback editions and Kindle
editions are available.
The only “official” versions are published by the Supreme Council. Shop
around, carefully. And, for a very useful
edition, go to the Supreme Council website and buy the annotated edition by
Arturo de Hoyos, 33° Grand Cross, it is a
fine and helpful text.
Here is the center of Scottish Rite
Freemasonry, and the great lessons which
have served so many of us so well. I know
there is a general opinion that the book is
almost impossible to read. That is true, if
you try to read it as you would a novel. Understand that it is going to take time and
effort, but that it repays that effort many
fold. HINT—read the book out loud to
yourself. Pike was recognized as one of the
greatest orators of the South. His is an oral
style. If you read Morals and Dogma out
loud, you will soon find yourself falling
naturally in Pike’s rhythms, and suddenly
much which was difficult becomes clear.
Daniel, Ian, Virtus Junxit: Scottish Rite
Ethics for Daily Life, Kindle edition,
2016, 69 pages, $4.99
Lamentably, this book seems only available in a Kindle edition—but that is far
better than no edition at all. Brother Daniel
has produced a remarkable work, brief, but
very rich. It is a sort of “Cliffs Notes” to the
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
available on the Internet, new and
used, from about $21.00 from Macoy.
Kyle is another good friend, and an active student of the Scottish Rite. If Brother
Daniel’s book can be referred to as a “Cliffs
Notes” to the Degrees, Brother Ferleman’s
book could be called a “teacher’s guide.”
He divides Freemasonry into three general areas—Ceremonial Arts, Tenets of
Freedom, and Esoteric Studies. He has
served as Education Officer for his Valley,
and that experience helped to inform the
book. I enjoy reading it and have done so
Scottish Rite, but nothing in any way dis- several times.
paraging is intended by the comparison.
No one speaks “officially” for Ma- Dunning, Jr., KCCH, C. R.,
sonry, of course, and such utterances are Contemplative Masonry: Basic
opinion, but Brother Daniel has some Applications of Mindfulness, Meditation,
excellent material here. The title gives a and Imagery for the Craft, Stone Guild
good idea of the nature of the book—the Publishing, 2016, paperbound, 232
author has boiled down the ethical teach- pages, illustrations, ISBN-13: 978ing of each Degree to practical lessons for 1605320755, Available on the Internet
productive living. After a brief discussion from about $12.95.
Brother Dunning (Chuck, to his
of the 4 Degree, he suggests “the following thoughts are at the core of the Fourth friends) is another friend of long standDegree—Be real. Be responsible. Be ing. He is one of the wisest and most
discreet.” He then goes on to discuss gentle men I know. I was honored when
those thoughts, and show their immedi- he asked me to write a foreword for this
ate and practical application in daily life. book. He is a psychologist. In addition
And he does the same thing for all the to being a Class Director for the Valley
Degrees. The lessons lead straight to the of Fort Worth he is the Director of EduCenter. I really like this book, and plan cation for the Guthrie Valley, and the
driving creative force behind the Acadon plagiarizing it at the next Reunion.
emy of Reflection in Guthrie as well.
This is a really good book, based on the
Ferlemann, Kyle G., The Bridge
knowledge that if you cannot hold your
Builder’s Guide, 2nd Edition, Macoy
own Center, it is hard to hold the CenPublishing, 2015, paperbound, 148
ter of Society.
pages, ISBN-13: 978-0880531092,
Much nonsense has been written
about many spiritual exercises, God wot,
and some of the most nonsensical has
been written about Freemasonry—what
one of my friends calls “ugga-bugga” Masonry. This book is not that at all. It is an
immensely practical guide to developing
your own spiritual awareness. It is probably poor form to quote from one’s own
writing, but let me share some of what I
wrote in the Foreword:
As Brother Dunning so clearly demonstrates, the Degrees of the Blue Lodge
March/April 2017
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
are chock-full of references to the fact
that man is a spiritual being with spiritual talents and abilities which can be
awakened and developed.
This book is not a tour though the
vague mists of Avalon. It is a practical,
reasonable guide to development. In
many ways it is like a video on muscular development. Follow the exercises
and you will see results. Leave it on
the shelf
And if it is true that Masonry takes
good men and makes them better, how
does it do it? You are about to find out.
If it is true that the essence of Masonry is a quest to discover your own
true nature, how do you make that discovery? You are about to find out.
If it is true that contemplation is a
talent which can be grown and developed, how do you do it? You are about
to find out.
If intuition is not just a vague hunch
or a lucky guess, what is it? You are
about to find out.
And if you are ever bothered in the
still small watches of the night by the
question “Who or what I am?” You will
at least have a good chance of finding out.
This is an important book, and there
could hardly be a better time for it.
Reading this column over before sending it in, I realized how many of the authors are good friends of long standing.
Inadvertently, it turned into a sort of “old
home week.” But that is good. If we are to
set about the task of helping the Center
to hold, there is no better way than in the
company of friends and Brothers.
27
Forging Freemasonry’s Next Working Tool
Rebuilding the Temple Campaign
The Rebuilding the
Temple Campaign
(RTC) was launched
to support the
growing needs of the
House of the Temple
Historic Preservation
Foundation, Inc.
Funds raised through
the RTC go toward
crucial, multi-million
dollar rehabilitation
objectives and
renovation projects
that will help to better
preserve the history
of Freemasonry and
communicate its
legacy to visitors.
Getting Up to Speed with Your Museum
By Joshua A. Poole, 32°, MA
Museum Curator & Archival Assoc.
M
Y, IT IS AMAZING HOW
TIMES FLIES! It is so hard
to believe that we are
already three months into 2017
and that I am coming up on my
second year as being the House of
the Temple Museum Curator. A lot
has happened in the past year, and
I thought I would take the time to
bring you up to speed on what is
taking place in the museum.
C OLL
EC
MUSEUM INTERNSHIP
TI
ON
S
One of the challenging aspects of
my job when I started was creating
digital records for all of the Temple’s
artifacts. Luckily, there were
some handwritten files
on artifacts that my
predecessors left behind
and a cataloging software
known as PastPerfect;
however, it still was a difficult
task for one person to create
digital records for such a massive
number of artifacts. That is why in
early 2016 I created a proposal for
establishing a museum internship.
In April 2016, the executive staff
approved my proposal (this has
become one of my rewarding
achievements here and my pride
and joy). Since then, I have
}} INTERN PICKS
We recently asked two of our museum interns,
Monica Varner and Kelly Manno, to pick their
favorite artifacts catalogued to date. For Monica
(top right), it was Bro. Walter Fox’s collection of
Masonic jewels. For Kelly, it was this Mecca Shrine
membership token (right) belonging to Bro. Benno
Loewy of New York.
hired five interns who currently are
completing their master’s program
in Museum Studies at The George
Washington University in DC: Kelly
Manno, Monica Varner, Abigail
Turner, Rachel McBrayer, and Andrea
Marshall. Thanks to their help, the
House of the Temple museum now
has over 1,000 digital records (!)
in PastPerfect,
and these artifacts
are now properly
labeled and stored.
Along with
cataloging, three
of these interns
have researched
and written articles
for The Scottish Rite
Journal.*
MUSEUM
ASSESSMENT
PROGRAM
Historic Houses in New Orleans,
visited the House of the Temple and
reviewed the things we are doing right
and wrong in regards to collections
stewardship. Our involvement
with this program really opened
my eyes about what I should begin
to implement now and about the
things I should begin working on
Photography: Elizabeth A. W. McCarthy
Last year I wrote an article about
the House of the Temple Museum’s
involvement with the Museum
Assessment Program (MAP).† This
is a peer-review program that is
supported by an agreement between
the American Alliance of Museums
(AAM) and the Institute of Museum
and Library Services (IMLS). In August,
Morgan Pierce, the chief curator
for the Hermann-Grima and Gallier
in order to implement them in the
future. I am very grateful for the MAP
program and that I got the chance to
sit and gather advice from a seasoned
museum professional. Not only
did the Temple’s involvement with
the program help us improve the
museum operations and collections
stewardship, but also it helped grow
me as a museum professional so that
I may better serve the House of the
Temple Museum and the Scottish Rite.
2016 was great year for the
Museum, and I am excited to see what
2017 holds. If you have never been
to the House of the Temple, I hope
you please plan on making a trip to
see the building, our collection, and
the inside workings of the museum.
Who knows ... you may even get lucky
and get a tour from yours truly. Then
you will really be up to speed on the
House of the Temple Museum.
* See Kelly Manno and Abigail Turner, “Caring for Antique Ceramics” in the November/December 2016 Scottish Rite Journal, 12; Monica
Varner, “Walter Caughey Fox: From English Dentist to Alaskan Miner,” in the January/February 2017 Journal, 21–23; and Kelly Manno,
“Worth Its Salt” in this issue, 13.
† See “Making a Good Museum Better” in the March/April 2016 Scottish Rite Journal, 20.
28
THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL
March/April 2017
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WASHINGTON, DC 20009–3103
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