The Independent Masonic Magazine – Bringing the best information to
Mason’s worldwide.
Issue 16, April 2007
In the Northeast corner stands the
Entered Apprentice
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Contents
Masons in the News - Pg 8
For the Newly Raised Brethren – Pg.17
Symbols of an E.A. – Pg.20
Music – Pg.22
Ask a 33rd Brother w/Bill – Pg.23
Grammar — Pg.26
Publications – Pg.28
What Comes to Mind w/Lance — Pg.29
Astronomy w/Rod— Pg. 32
An Entered Apprentice’s Journey— Pg.34
MSANA– The 24 Inch Gauge— Pg.36
Mark Twain Award/Madison Lodge– Pg. 42
Masonic Fun– Pg. 48

Editor & Publisher– Cory Sigler

Featured Columnist— Bill Larson 33°, Lance V. Ten Eyck, Rod Kennedy,
Keith Stockley

Parody Pictures– Billy Wilson
The Working Tools is published monthly by Corsig Publishing & Cory Sigler, It is not affiliated with any Grand
Lodge. Letters or inquiries should be directed to Cory Sigler, Editor, at E-mail: Corsig3@yahoo.com ; Fax: 201825-1603. All letters become the property of the Working Tools. Photographs and articles should be sent to the
attention of the Editor. Every effort will be made to return photographs but this cannot be guaranteed. Please include
a self-addressed stamped envelope. The Editor reserves the right to edit all materials received. The deadline for the
next issue is April 26, 2007.
Sign up to be on the Mailing List @ TWT.com
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http://www.masonicartbook.com/
First prize: One (1) All Seeing Eye limited edition fine art print
Second prize: $20.00 Saving Coupon for any purchase from MasonicArtBook.com
Third prize: $10.00 Saving Coupon for any purchase from MasonicArtBook.com
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Letter From the Editor
Hello Brothers
I guess you can tell by this month‘s cover that we will be concentrating
on the young E.A. who stands in the North East corner. Try to consider
this a study guide or a primer to give you the basics. If you‘re a Master
Mason you can use this as a refresher course in case you may need
some brushing up.
Also you may notice that I made some more changes to the magazine to spruce
it up a little. Let me know how you like it.
I bought a new computer finally and was all excited to have the new power to
produce a bigger better publication and now I find out Vista has more compatibility problems than I bargained for.
I had numerous emails telling me that you couldn‘t open up the PDF file, the
trick is (until there is a patch) to Right Click and ―Save As‖ the file to your desktop and then open it instead of left clicking and opening directly from the website.
I have to also say that I owe a huge thanks to the TWT crew that has once
again stepped up and helped me a creating what I think is the best issue yet.
Without them I couldn‘t get all of this done.
Anyways, I look forward to continuing my quest in bringing you the best in
Masonic education and fun.
Your Brother– Cory
Until next time…
S&F
Cory Sigler
Corsig3@yahoo.com
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Letter‘s From The Readers
Bro. Cory,
Bro. Cory,
You deserve a big Masonic pat on
the back for your fine efforts in
producing
"TWT."
I have forwarded your site to my
Lodge brother for their review.
Something seems wrong with the March
2007 TWT download. I get an Adobe Acrobat error and I'm have the latest software
version (running on Microsoft XP). Feb
2007 downloads OK.
Keep up the good work!
Not sure if anyone else is having the problem, but thought I'd prompt you about what's
happening. Since I can get Feb & not Mar I
assume something is different with the
March file.
Bro. Stu Shear, PWM, Warren Lodge
#24 F&AM of Ohio
I certainly enjoy your magazine - keep up
the good work!
Fraternally, Norm Sanford
Brother Cory,
Thanks for ANOTHER great issue of "The Working
Tools". Your hard work and dedication to the Craft are
greatly appreciated.
Hi Bro Norm—yes it appears that Vista is
not compatible with all my software yet. In
the meantime just right click and “Save As”
the file and then open it that way. It should
work fine.
Steven K Miller
Pennsgrove Excelsior # 54 NJ
LETTER OF THE MONTH
Bro Cory
I love you emag! When I first started researching the Craft in my search to decide if it was right for me, and
if I thought I was right for the Craft I found your site and read every edition, several times! I'm very happy to
say that it helped me decided to petition to join and Ill be getting my EA on 16 Mar! I, as many other new
brothers, have been writing what we are going through and our thoughts in the blog community. Mine is located at http://seekerolight.blogspot.com/ I have links to many of the other 'new' guys blogs also. Thank
you for your hard work I just wanted to know that it does pay off in ways you may not know.
Wyndell Ferguson
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This Month in History
April


7th 1891: Died, Brother P.T. Barnum.

25th 1897: On this day, Leo Taxil published his
confession
in ―La
Frondeur‖.
His real
name was
Gabriel
Jogand
pages and
he cause
untold
damage to
the image
of Freemasonry in the
late 1800’s that continues to the present.
In the end he recanted his story and confessed that it was all made up.

18th 1775: On this day Bro Paul Revere
took his famous ride from Boston to
Lexington warning the countryside that
―The British Are Coming‖

17th 1789: On this day the presidential
Oath of Office in the USA was sworn for
the first time when Brother George
Washington took office as the 1st President.

17th 1790: Brother Benjamin Franklin
dies.

10th 1827: Born, Bro
Lewis Wallace. Famous
author of ―Ben Hur‖.
Member of Fountain
Lodge No. 60.

21st 1910: Died, Brother Mark Twain
(Samuel Clemens).
7th 1847: Died, Brother Henry Ford,
Motor Car mogul at age 83.

12th 1945: Died, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt while in office. He was
succeeded by Masonic Brother Harry S
Truman.


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28th 1738: Pope Clement XII issued the
first Papal Bull against Freemasonry
15th 1865: President Abraham Lincoln
dies and Brother Andrew Jackson becomes the US President.
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Mason‘s in the News
Bytes & Pieces
# of hits for Freemason in
Yahoo—889,000
1st website listed is Wikipedia
Masons ready to reveal (almost) all
By East Lothian Newsroom
Freemasons in Haddington are, for the first time, opening their doors to the
public in an effort to dispel the myths about their ancient society.
They say books like The Da Vinci Code have intensified public interest and
intrigue in their organisation.
A display on the history of their men-only Lodge in Hardgate is planned,
while the public will get a glimpse of what goes on at one of the masons’
twice monthly meetings at an upcoming open evening.
Callum Colquhoun, the right worshipful master of Haddington Masonic
Lodge, says men and women aged 18-plus will be welcome to attend the
event.
―We want to show people that we are not as secretive as we are made out to
be,‖ he said.
―The idea is to have the Lodge laid out as it would be for a meeting and let
people see what it’s like.
We’ll have the office bearers in the right positions in their regalia.
―We’ll talk about the Lodge, a kind of open forum really. We can answer just
about any question, without giving everything away.‖
The Haddington masons have a roll of more than 100 people, although 35-40
people typically attend meetings between September and April.
The organisation is open to law-abiding men aged 21 and over, unless they
happen to be the son of a master mason – when they can join at 18.
The 2nd- Freemasonrywatch.org (That means if
someone does a search more
people will see an Anti site
than a positive informative
one)
•
# of hits for Anti Mason
brings up 4.2 million sites.
That is almost 5 times as
many
Some conspiracies we are
linked to:
9/11
The New World Order
Jack the Ripper
And my favorite– Crop Circles
•
# of items up for bid on Ebay
under ―Masonic‖ - 4,131
Most Expensive item—$6,000
for a Stamped 14KT Yellow/White Gold Man‘s Cast
Masonic Ring .
# of bids - 0
Among the ranks locally is a student in his 20s, builders ,and police officers.
―People I believe are interested in what goes on, mainly because of books and
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films like The Da Vinci Code,‖ added Mr Colquhoun.
―This open evening is in the planning stages really, but we want people to sit
down with us and have pie or beans, or whatever. There’ll be joke telling and
some singing – much like what we have at a Masonic meeting.
―We’ve raised lots of money for charity and are part of the community here.
That’s what we’re looking to demonstrate.‖
The Courier last week reported how the masons are to be allowed to join
Haddington’s Armistice parade.
Mr. Colquhoun, 45, a police support worker, was disappointed that some concerns had been raised over whether the move would be appropriate.
―We did actually take part in the parade in 1999,‖ he explained.
―But this will be the first time since then. Many of our members are exservicemen and for that reason, we want to lay a wreath.
―I’m pleased we’re getting to take part, but disappointed that there were some
concerns raised about it.‖
It’s hoped the open evening will be held on May 28.
Copyrighteastlothiancourier.com
Local lodge holds induction for new Prince Hall Freemasons By LAINE M. RUTHERFORD, Correspondent © March 10, 2007
Kareem Davis stood, nervous and excited, outside
the white brick building on
Potter Road.
He talked quietly with four
men standing with him,
none of whom knew what
waited inside the nearly windowless, two-story structure
on a Saturday in February.
Average review for
―Freemason for Dummies‖
4.5 out 5. One dude didn‘t like
it apparently.
―The Freemasons: An Illustrated Book of An Ancient
Brotherhood‖ by Michael
Johnston is listed as # 32,896
in Sales Ranking which is the
#1 Masonic Book on Amazon.com
•
The first recorded Prince Hall
Masons: C. Cyrus Johnbus,
Benton Slinger, Thomas Sanderson, Prince Taylor, Cato
Spear, Boston Smith, Peter
Benjamin Tiber, Buff Bufrom,
Richard Lilly.
# of hits for Prince Hall brings
up 14.6 Million hits.
# of GL‘s that recognize P.H.
Mason‘s - 40
The first Prince Hall charter
was given by the Grand Lodge
of England
The men, ages 24 to 51 and spanning careers from restaurant consultant to Navy
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chief, were at the site of Oceana Lodge No. 69 f or their official "raising."
After a year of study and community service, they were poised to become official
Master Masons in the international fraternal organization known as the Prince Hall
Freemasons.
"I don't have a clue as to what's coming, but I've been waiting a long time to be a
part of this. For all of us out here, it's an honor and a privilege," said Davis, 25, a
full-time student and Kempsville Rescue Squad volunteer.
Davis, who grew up in Virginia Beach, said the legacy of the Prince Hall Masons
is ever present.
"If you look at the history, it's all about brotherhood throughout, regardless of what
the color of your skin is," Davis said. "We're all one, and we all have the responsibility to live right, build up our community and make it strong."
A proud past
The predominantly black organization has a lengthy history.
How can you help TWT
Send me a page or two about
your lodge and why you think
it‘s special. Describe what you
are doing to make a difference
, if there is any special history
or brothers associated to it.
Include some pictures and
show the whole world why
you are proud of your lodge
•
Have you recently gone
through a degree and want to
share your experience?
•
The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia Web site, www.mwphgl-va.org/
princehall.html, traces the group's start to 1775, when a man named Prince Hall
and 14 other black men were initiated into a Masonic lodge in Boston.
In 1784, the first African lodge received its charter from England. The group eventually adopted the name, Prince Hall Freemasons.
Oceana, the first Prince Hall Masonic lodge in Virginia Beach, received its charter
in 1892. Within 18 years, three other lodges had formed: Ruth, Unity and Washington, making up District No. 33 of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge
of Virginia.
See an interesting news story
regarding the craft– send it
over.
•
Read a new book– send over
a review.
•
Write an original article about
anything you think the readers
of TWT would enjoy
District Grand Master Ronald L. Carte r said that the lodges were set up from
Creeds to Shore Drive to serve the pockets of black citizens living in Virginia
Beach and, at the time, Princess Anne County.
Seatack residents joined Oceana Lodge, while Creeds residents were members
of Ruth Lodge. Unity Lodge had men who lived in the Burton Station area, and
Washing0ton Lodge's members came from the Shell Road and Grace Town areas.
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"At that time, there was nothing to do but work and go to church. The lodge was the only thing that could get
the men together, " Carter said.
Black leaders, including those who broke color barriers in the century that followed, came from among Virginia Beach's Prince Hall Masons..
"The black lifesaving group, the first black sheriff and police officer, they were all Masons," said Carter, 63.
"They were looked up to as role models, and it's still that way."
Unlike other fraternal organizations with aging populations, the Virginia Beach Prince Hall Masons continue to
attract young members such as Kareem Davis.
"Young people and family members could see what Masons do for each other and for the community and so,
naturally, they want to be part of something that stands for something positive," said Carter, a Mason since
1975.
Upholding the tradition
The district's 250 members continue the tradition of giving to the community.
Included in their activities are volunteering in the Seatack Elementary School mentoring program, holding an
annual coat and sock drive, providing scholarships for college students and joining the Adopt-a-Street program.
The Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission took note of the group's contributions and honored it with the
Daniel M. Stone Humanitarian Award in February.
More than 100 Prince Hall Masons, their female associates from the Order of the Eastern Star and guest s
attended the awards banquet.
"Of whom much is given, much is required. We want to say, to the citizens of Virginia Beach, 'We are here to
stay,' " Carter told the attendees.
As the Rev. William Dyson, Human Rights Commission chairman, watched the tuxedo-clad men gather for a
group photo, he applauded their work. He too, grew up aware of the Prince Hall Masons in his community and
the positive image they projected.
"They are everywhere," Dyson said, "but unlike other groups, they're just silent and quiet about what they do.
They don't raise the flag and shout, 'Look at what we've done!' They just do. "
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Open Sesame
Conspiracy buffs tour the lavish Washington, D.C. temple of the Freemasons, one of the world's most mysterious fraternities- By David A. Taylor
Mammoth sphinxes guard the House of the Temple of the Scottish Rite, a
formidable neo-Classical building in the heart of Washington, D.C. Inside,
Egyptian hieroglyphics adorn a soaring atrium. The building's nine-footthick walls hold human remains. Bronze coiling snakes flank a large
wooden throne, canopied in purple velvet, in a second-floor inner sanctum
called the Temple Room, where men from around the world gather behind
closed doors every two years. Over the centuries the select membership has
included signers of the Declaration of Independence; George Washington,
Theodore Roosevelt, Gerald Ford and 13 other presidents; Senators Charles
Schumer and Robert Dole; Chief Justice Earl Warren and other Supreme
Court justices. Formally they are known as Freemasons, but most people
know them simply as Masons. And this artfully forbidding edifice, a mile
from the White House, is their southern headquarters.
Long viewed by outsiders as a mysterious society and one of the world's
most powerful fraternities, Masons have recently become the object of even more curiosity as filmmakers and novelists
mine Masonic legends and symbols for the stuff of conspiracy. In the 2004 thriller National Treasure, Nicolas Cage followed Masonic clues and invisible writing on the Declaration of Independence in search of a hidden cache of gold. Dan
Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, has said his next novel would involve Masonic architecture in Washington, D.C. His
Web site challenges readers to find Masonic clues on the dust jacket of The Da Vinci Code. Perhaps because of such intrigue, the number of visitors to the temple has tripled over the past two years to 12,000.
Which shows that Masons have nothing to hide, says retired Maj. Gen. Armen Garabedian, a Mason for 49 years. "This
secret thing stems from way back," he says. "If we were a secret organization, tours would not be offered." The temple has
always been open to the public.
Masons, who number 1.3 million in the United States (down from the 1959 peak of 4 million), maintain that their organization is dedicated to philanthropy. The organization donates more than two million dollars a day to healthcare, education and other causes, according to its spokesperson. Still, even Masons acknowledge that the group's origins are murky,
though the fraternity probably emerged from a 15th-century medieval guild of master cathedral builders in Europe and
evolved into an elite gentlemen's club. Freemasonry arrived in the United States in the early 18th century. Originally an
all-male, white organization, today's Masons are ethnically diverse and some chapters include women.
By the early 1800s, actual tools of masonry, such as the compass and surveyor's square, had come to symbolize building
one's own spiritual temple through virtue and discipline. The House of the Temple abounds in
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ancient, if not always interpretable, symbols, from the 17-ton sphinxes flanking the entrance to nine-point stars, twoheaded eagles and images of the Greek god Hermes. A stained-glass window bears the ancient Egyptian "all-seeing eye,"
which, theorists of Freemason conspiracies like to note, also appears on the Great Seal of the United States, designed in
1782, and the dollar bill, which acquired the ocular icon in 1935, thanks to FDR, a Mason.
Completed in 1915, the House of the Temple was designed by James Russell Pope, architect of other notable Washington
buildings,
including the National Gallery of Art (1941) and the Jefferson Memorial (1943). "The temple launched Pope's career in
Washington," says Paul Dolinsky, head of the Historic American Buildings Survey. "It became one of the most respected
classical designs in the world at the time." Dolinsky says the Temple Room's gilded serpents and velvet drapings remind
him of the set of the 1934 epic Cleopatra. "Cecil B. DeMille meets Freemasonry," he says. "It's really a larger-than-life
Hollywood set."
Modeled on a Greek-style temple, the building contains no metal girders—just stone, as the ancients would have constructed it. The massive limestone facade is ringed with 33 Ionic columns. The number 33 proliferates in Masonic ritual,
but the group's historians say they don't know what it symbolized originally. The dark green marble floors of the atrium
lead to a grand staircase and a bust of Scottish Rite leader Albert Pike, a former Confederate general who spent 32 years
developing Masonic rituals. Pike remains a controversial figure, with detractors alleging that he was a member of the Ku
Klux Klan and a Satanist. In 1944 the Masons, by an act of Congress, gained permission to dig up Pike's remains from a
local cemetery and bury them in the temple.
Among the artifacts on display is a Masonic membership certificate signed by Paul Revere. The silversmith reportedly
recruited some brethren for the Boston Tea Party, in 1773. A large painting of George Washington laying the cornerstone
for the Capitol and wearing a Masonic apron hangs in the banquet hall. Scores of portraits line a curving mahogany corridor in a sort of I-didn't-know-he-was-a-Mason gallery: Sam Ervin, John Glenn, Harry Truman, Arnold Palmer, John
Wayne and Will Rogers among them. On the first floor is the reconstructed office of FBI director and Mason J. Edgar
Hoover.
With its roster of power brokers, Masons have long been accused of political chicanery and undue influence, says Lynn
Dumenil, history professor at Occidental College and author of Freemasonry and American Culture, 1880-1930. "Today,
it's all pomp and circumstance. There are no deep dark secrets in the Scottish Rite building."
Yet visitors to the Washington temple pepper tour guides with skeptical questions. Were Masons involved in the Salem
witch trials? Is there a secret tunnel connecting the building to the White House? During one recent tour, a guide pressed
on a smudged spot on a stone wall just outside the sumptuous Temple Room. The wall gave way, revealing a spiral stairway that snaked up into darkness. A few visitors cautiously stepped forward. Surely, this is a secret passageway to some
treasure! Indeed, the stairs lead to the loft for the great pipe organ.
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Monthly Poll
Last month I asked “Is your lodge doing anything to actively create a positive Lodge experience?” The overwhelming majority was a positive “YES”. I followed up with asking for some
reasons for either way you answered.

On the second Saturday of each month an EA Lodge is opened up after breakfast so all EAs and
FCs in attendance can sit in stations and places to gain experience, learn the work, and have fellowship. A guest speaker is always invited to speak or give a short program as well. This has
been well received and the Grand Lodge is also supporting it with pleasure as well.

I am the Master of Hays Lodge #195, Hays, Kansas. We are struggling with attendance and
membership like everyone else. We have had good luck with the Friends of Mason's nights. Last
year we took in 5 new Masons after they attended the program. I like to schedule Degree Work
on our stated meeting nights (to the displeasure of some) because it gives us something to do
instead of just reading the minutes. We started a study club, where we meet 1 night a month to
work on becoming more proficient and to help the new men. I would like to be more involved in
community projects. This will be easier if/when we are able to increase our attendance. Dennis

I belong to Washington and Henry Lodge #344, Mechanicsville Va. On our stated night we always have at least 40-50 brethren gathered. It is a friendly lodge, where there is much love for
each other, great respect for each other and a clear love for God and country.
Often many at our meetings are visiting Brethren. Who come I believe for the good times and
companionship. Our lodge accepts you as you are, while most come to lodge well dressed, some
come casual, and either way all are welcome.
Our meeting usually comes with a speaker to either entertain, or teach, or both. I can’t say that
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in the six years there was once that I was not content to have been present. Especially the year
that I was Master. 04.
We have an annual teacher of the year for our Hanover schools. Last year we had our first
“Honor our local officers and firemen” evening.
It is my belief that the fact our lodge is bringing a positive number of new members each year
both affiliating and receiving the degrees, this shows a positive experience must exist.
I am glad to be a part of this great fraternity. A member of such a large brotherhood, and able
to say that God is in here, as God should be out there ...everywhere and that it is up to us to
make it so. So brother, lets keep working on it.
Bill Wichelman PM Washington and Henry Lodge #344 2004

I'm the low man on the line in my lodge: the lodge musician, but I am in on the planning and
stuff. Our new Worshipful Master has a great deal of enthusiasm for growth and change, and
this is predicated on a better lodge experience. I believe that our whole line is on board with
this, including the older guys and Past Masters.
Our first step was to ask each officer to come up with one project that we should work on, either
short term or long term, and these are beginning to be implemented: things as simple as a volleyball court and a basketball goal in the short run, and implementing a Masonic Education program, as an example of a long term project. Our first lecture will be on March 22. In addition,
there will be a member outreach program, to turn over the stones, and let people know what's
going on, and invite them to share. Every other month we're having a picnic for the officers and
family, to cement that relationship, and anyone they care to bring. Every member will be encouraged to attend, and when our phone tree is ready, we'll be going an extra mile to invite everyone.
These are some of the ways we hope to make our meetings more than just business meetings
for a few people, and turn them into growth opportunities for our whole family.
Steve Brettell Birmingham #188 Grand Lodge of Maryland
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www.Masonicdiscussion.com
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For The Newly Raised Brethren
FOR NEWLY RAISED BRETHREN
edited by:
Robert H. Starr
to your feet, but she forces you neither to use the key nor
travel the path. She beckons; you may follow or not as
you please. If you follow, you will travel strange ways,
but you will find them increasingly pleasant the further
you go.
Samuel Gompers-Benjamin Franklin Lodge No. 45
This paper is limited to providing information about
some of the courtesies and etiquette of lodge life as generally, although not necessarily universally, practiced.
Masonry has developed its own conventions, governed
by tradition, custom and usage, by which its members act
You have now received the three Symbolic degrees of
in lodge and in the anteroom and live together with the
Ancient Craft Masonry and, I hope soon, such instrucleast friction. Not to proceed according to their dictates
tion in the work of those degrees as will enable you to
is not a Masonic offense; it is merely a lack of Mapass a creditable examination therein—
sonic manners. Unless you belong to a most unwhenever you should visit lodges in this or
usual lodge, or had a most wise brother for an inother jurisdictions throughout the world
structor, it is doubtful if you were told much about
where you are unknown and cannot be
―Your Lodge these little niceties of lodge conduct. You are supvouched for as a Master Mason.
needs your help posed to attend your lodge and learn by observaYou have also received, I hope, through the
tion.
Lodge System of Masonic Education prein these and
scribed by our Grand Lodge an appreciamany other A. Entering or retiring from lodge at labor or at
tion of the lessons we are trying to teach
refreshment by use of the due guard - symbol of
and are versed, at least to some extent, in
ways‖
a Mason’s obligations.
the history, traditions, laws, customs and
One of the prerogatives of a W.M. is to control the
usages of the Craft. As a part of the Maadmission and retirement of both members and
sonic Education program, you have been
visitors to his lodge. Masons, entering a lodge give
told of your privileges, your duties and your responsithe
due-guard
to salute the W.M. at the Altar, if the lodge
bilities as a member of your Masonic Lodge. Some of
is
at
labor.
This
practice assures the W.M. that the
these may be enumerated briefly as follows:
brother knows on which degree the lodge is open. A
brother making a wrong sign can be instructed immedi(a) To hold membership in some lodge.
ately. He can readily determine this before giving the
(b) To pay regularly and promptly such dues and
due-guard by observing how the square and compasses
assessments as your Lodge may levy. To attend the
are placed upon the Holy Bible on the Altar. The salute
communications of your Lodge, to join in its deliberainforms the W.M. that the brother is a Mason of the detions, to have a voice in its decisions and to assist in
gree on which the lodge is open; if he makes an inferior
discharging its responsibilities, among which are:
sign and cannot, on request, give the right one, the W.M.
can then use other means to ascertain that no E.A. or F.C.
is present in a Master Mason’s lodge. The salute is a
1. Volunteer service on committees.
silent assurance to the W.M. and through him to the
2. Donations to the Masonic Blood Bank, if eligible.
brethren: ―I remember my obligations.‖
3. Assistance in conferring degrees.
4. Attendance and assistance at Masonic funeral serNo one can enter or leave a lodge room while a lodge is
vices when summoned.
at labor without permission. If the W.M. does not wish
the brother who salutes to retire, he tells him so, instead
of responding to the salute.
Your Lodge needs your help in these and many other
ways. Masonry makes no demands; she provides opporAt refreshment the lodge is in charge of the J.W. in the
tunities, she gives you the key to a door, she opens a path
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Washington, D.C.
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South, which thus becomes, for the time being, constructively the East. The J.W.’s pillar is raised and the pillar
of the S.W. is lowered. The same salutes are given to the
J.W, as are usually given to the W.M. and for the same
reasons, in the event a brother wishes to enter or retire.
over, the spectacle of two brethren on their feet at the
same time, arguing over a motion, facing each other and
ignoring the W.M. is not one which any W.M. should
permit. But it is also one which no W.M. should have to
prevent!
Failure to obey the gavel at once is a grave discourtesy.
The W.M. is all powerful in the lodge. He can put or refuse to put any motion. He can rule any brother out of
order on any subject at any time. He can say what he will
and will not permit to be discussed. Brethren who think
him unfair, arbitrary, unjust, or acting illegally have redress; the Grand Lodge can be appealed to on any such
matter. But in the lodge, the gavel, emblem of authority,
is supreme. When a brother is rapped down, he should at
once obey, without further discussion. It is very bad manners to do otherwise; indeed, it is close to the line between
bad manners and a Masonic offense.
The W.M. in the East occupies the most exalted position
in the gift of the lodge. A lodge which does not honor its
W.M., not because of what he himself may be, but on
account of the honor given him, is lacking in Masonic
courtesy. The position he occupies, not the man himself,
must be given the utmost respect, if the traditions of the
Fraternity are to be observed. It is, therefore, to the
W,M., not to John Smith who happens to be the W.M.,
that you offer a salute when you enter or retire from
lodge. Like any other salute, this may be done
courteously and as if you meant it or perfunctorily as if you did not care. The man who
C.
Advancement
puts one finger to his hat brim when he speaks
to a woman on the street compares poorly
―No one can enter If an officer is absent, the officers below
his station do not necessarily each move up
with his well-bred neighbor who lifts his hat.
or
leave
a
lodge
a chair. There is no ―advancement by
Taking the hat off is the modern remains of
room while a lodge right‖ for any office except that of W.M.
the ancient custom of Knights who removed
their helmets in the presence of those they felt is at labor without The W.M. fills any vacancy by temporary
appointment. In the absence of the W.M.,
their friends and thus, before those they
the S.W. presides. In the absence of both
permission.‖
wished to honor by showing that they trusted
the W.M. and the S.W., the J.W. presides.
them. A man removes his hat before a woman
The W.M. may ask a P.M. or any brother
to show his respect. Touching the brim is but
he believes qualified to fill a temporarily
a perfunctory salute. Similarly, the salute to
vacant chair.
the W.M. is your renewed pledge of fealty and
service, your recognition before all your assembled
brethren of your obligations. It is performed before the
D. Altar and East
W.M. and the Altar to show him your veneration for his
Except in procession during a degree, it is practically uniauthority, your respect for all of that, for which he stands. versal that brethren do not pass between the Altar and the
To offer your salute as if you were in a hurry, too lazy
East in a lodge at labor. Why? This courtesy is rooted in
properly to make it, or bored with its offering, is to be,
the thought that the W.M. should have the Great Lights
Masonically a boor. Moreover, brethren should not apconstantly in view. In theory, the Holy Bible, Square and
proach the Altar with bundles or papers in hand. Some
Compasses on the Altar are dedicated to God, the Master
lodges permit smoking during a business meeting. Even
and the Craft and are in the charge of the Master. He
here, however, a brother is not too respectful who makes draws inspiration from the Great Lights on the Altar to
a solemn salute to the W.M. before the Altar with a ciga- preside over the lodge and, therefore, at no time should his
rette or cigar either in his mouth or in his hand.
view of them be interrupted. This custom is but a pretty
B.
Addressing Lodge
In addressing the lodge for any purpose, a brother speaks
to the W.M. The W.M. is the lodge. A brother stands to
order when addressing the chair, gives salute (due-guard
and penal sign) and begins speech only after the W.M.’s
recognition. A brother does not turn his back on the
W.M. to address the lodge without permission from him.
He who seconds a motion rises and salutes when doing
so. No brother should ever sit while speaking. More18
courtesy, but it is rooted in a fundamental conception of
the Craft - that the Altar is the center of Masonry and that
from it and the Great Lights it bears, flow all that there is
of Masonic inspiration, truth and light.
E.
Altar and Lesser Lights
You have observed that, in our jurisdiction, the Lesser
Lights are placed in a triangular form about the Altar.
It is customary not to walk between the Altar and a
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(Continued on page 19)
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(Continued from page 18)
light. The theory is that the Altar and the three lights
about it represent the Sanctum Sanctorum, or Holy of
Holies, of the original tabernacle in the wilderness.
Into this the High Priest could go, but only to return the
same way. Brethren enter this symbolic representation
in the lodge room, but do not use it as a passageway by
passing through it.
F. Altar and West
In passing from the South to the North side of the
lodge at labor, or vice versa, between the Altar and
the S.W. in the West, a brother should look to the
East and give the penal sign of the degree on which
the lodge is open.
G. Aprons
Brethren who respect the formalities of their lodge
will not enter it undressed; that is, without their
apron or while putting on that apron. Aprons should
be put on before entering the lodge room. When, as
sometimes happens on ―big nights‖, there are not
enough aprons, a handkerchief may be tucked in the
belt to take its place. The spectacle of a late brother
hurriedly entering the lodge room at the last moment, tying on his apron as he approaches the Altar
is much on a par with a member of church entering it
while putting on his collar and tie.
As you have already learned, the use of the apron is
extremely old, not, as with the operative Masons, as
a protector of clothing and body against tools and
stone, but as a badge of honor. In all times and
climes, it has been a badge of distinction. It is as
such that a Mason wears it. The material of the Masonic apron - lambskin - is a symbol of innocence, as
the lamb has always been. It is a courtesy much appreciated by all Tilers if brethren leaving the lodge
room lay their aprons neatly in a pile or in the apron
box, instead of dropping them anywhere for the Tiler
to pick up and put away.
H. Balloting
The etiquette which surrounds the ballot is a reflection of Masonic thought upon its value and importance. Brethren ballot one at a time after a salute to
the W.M. No one should leave or enter a lodge
room during the taking of a ballot, with the exception of the Tyler, if he is a member of the lodge. It
is customary to present the box first to the W.M. for
his inspection, then to the Wardens. The three principal officers ballot without leaving their seats. In
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some lodges the box is passed also to all officers and
P.M.’s. What is customary is good manners. It is a
gentle courtesy for the Master to ask the Tyler to
enter and vote, his place being taken by another
meanwhile. This is properly done after all but the
Tyler have voted.
In all Grand Jurisdictions the ballot on candidates is
secret and inviolable. It is considered un-Masonic
for a brother to divulge how he intends to or has balloted or to attempt to ascertain how another will or
has balloted. Peace and harmony are the foundations of all Masonic meetings. For Brother A to
learn that Brother B has balloted or will ballot
against his friend would disrupt that peace and harmony.
The rejection of a candidate is a blow to him who
has applied. If everyone knew who had cast the
black cube, the rejected man might speedily learn
and cause of friction in the profane world would
then have come out of a Masonic Lodge.
It is the duty of every
member present to
vote and the W.M.
―Brethren do not
may oblige him to do
pass between the
so. A Brother who
does not vote, beAltar and the East in
cause too lazy, or too
indifferent, or for any
a lodge at labor.‖
other reason, is discourteous because he
injures the ballot, its
secrecy, its importance and its value.
I. Conclusion
The thoughts above outlined will disclose that good
manners in Masonry, like those in civil life, are
rooted in kindness and flower in good will. They oil
the Masonic wheels and enable them to revolve
without creaking. They smooth the path of all in the
lodge and prove to all the truth of the ritualistic explanation of that ―more noble and glorious purpose‖
to which we are taught to put the trowel.
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Symbols of an E.A.
Symbols of the Entered Apprentice Degree
by Bro. Aslan Sarkissian St. Alban’s Lodge No. 106
The symbols, emblems and allegorical ceremonies of the First Degree each have a meaning; taken together, these meanings comprise the teaching of the Degree.
Our purpose here is to give you some of the information which will
show that every detail of the ritual is filled with a definite significance which each Mason can learn if he applies himself.
The Hoodwink represents the darkness in which an uninitiated
man stands as regards his Masonic life; for this reason it is removed at the moment of enlightenment.
The Cable Tow is a symbol of all those external restraints by which a
man is controlled by others, or by forces outside himself.
If a man does not keep the law of his own free will, he must be compelled to keep it by compulsion.
The Lodge is a symbol of the world, initiation means birth, and
the Great Pillars signify entrance into a new kind of life.
The Sharp Instrument means, among other things, that which
is the only real penalty for violating the Obligation.
The Rite of Circumambulation means that the Masonic life is a
progressive journey, from station to station of attainment, and
that a Mason will always be in search of more light.
The Altar is the most important article of furniture in a Lodge room
and a symbol of that place which the worship of God holds in Masonry - a place at the center, around which all else revolves.
The Obligations have in them many literal meanings and as such are
the foundations of our disciplinary law.
But over and above this, they signify the nature and place of obligation in human life.
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The Great Lights are the Holy Bible, the Square, and the Compasses .
As a Great Light, the Holy Bible represents the will of God as man
understands it; the Square is the physical life of man under his human conditions; the Compasses signify the moral and spiritual life.
The Rite of Salutation in which the candidate salutes each station in turn is, in addition to its function as a portion of the ceremonies, also a symbol of a Mason's respect for and obedience to
all duly constituted authorities.
The Old Charges state this is a single sentence: "A Mason is a
peaceable subject to the Civil Powers wherever he resides or
works."
The same significance is had by the office of Worshipful Master,
who is a symbol as well as the executive officers of the Lodge.
As the sun rules the day, he rules and governs his Lodge.
The Apron is at once the emblem of purity and the badge of a Mason.
The Working Tools represent those moral and spiritual virtues
which should govern our conduct.
The Lesson of Charity is to impress upon the candidate the importance of showing compassion toward his fellow man.
The Northeast Corner is traditionally the place where the cornerstone of a building is laid.
When the Apprentice is made to stand there, it is because he is
the cornerstone of the future Craft.
The Entered Apprentice is himself a symbol, one of the noblest
in the whole emblematic system of the Craft.
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Music
The Entered Apprentice's Song
1.--Solo:
Come, let us prepare; We Brothers that are
Chorus:
And ne'er been ashamed to hear themselves named
Met together on merry Occasion;
With a Free or an Accepted Mason.
Let's drink, laugh and sing; Our Wine has a Spring,
Here's a health to an Accepted Mason.
5.--Solo :
Chorus:
Antiquity's pride We have on our side,
Let's drink, laugh and sing; Our Wine has a Spring,
It makes each man just in his station;
Here's a health to an Accepted Mason.
There's nought but what's good to be understood
2.--Solo:
By a Free or an Accepted Mason.
The world is in pain our secrets to gain,
Chorus:
But still let them wonder and gaze on;
There's nought but what's good to be understood
'Til they're shown the Light; They'll ne'er know the
Right
By a Free or an Accepted Mason.
6.--Solo :
Word or Sign of an Accepted Mason.
We're true and sincere, We're just to the Fair;
Chorus:
They'll trust us on any occasion;
„Til they're shown the Light; They'll ne'er know the
Right
No mortal can more The Ladies adore
Word or Sign of an Accepted Mason.
Than a Free and an Accepted Mason.
3.--Solo:
Chorus:
Tis this and 'tis that, They cannot tell what,
No mortal can more The Ladies adore
Why so many great Men of the Nation,
Than a Free and an Accepted Mason.
Should Aprons put on, To make themselves one.
All standing and joining hand, right over left
With a Free or an Accepted Mason.
7.--Solo :
Chorus:
Then joyn hand in hand, T'each other firm stand;
Should Aprons put on, To make themselves one.
Let's be merry and put a bright face on:
With a Free or an Accepted Mason.
What mortal can boast so noble a toast
4.--Solo:
As a Free or an Accepted Mason.
Great Kings Dukes and Lords have laid by their
swords,
Chorus:
This our Mist'ry to put a good grace on;
What mortal can boast so noble a toast
And ne'er been ashamed to hear themselves named
As a Free or an Accepted Mason
With a Free or an Accepted Mason.
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Ask a 33° w/ Bro. Bill Larson
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Grammar Pertaining to an EA
Appertaining
belonging to, or connected with, as a rightful part or attribute; relating to
Archives
a place in which records and historical documents and items are preserved
Bade
told; ordered; requested; directed
Cable's Length
a maritime unit of length; about 100 fathoms or 600 feet
Cable Tow
Cardinal
a twisted rope, usually of cotton or synthetic material, used symbolically to bind or
make fast; originally a particularly strong rope
of basic importance; main; primary; essential; principal
Circumscribe
to draw a line around; to limit in range of activity definitely and clearly
Circumspection
carefulness in considering all circumstances and possible consequences
Clad
covered or clothed
Conduce
to lead or tend to a particular and desirable result
Corporeal
having, consisting or, or relating to, a physical material body; not intangible
Divested
Due
to deprive or take away from; to undress or remove clothing, ornaments or equipment
proper; according to accepted standards or procedures
Engrave
to cut figures or letters into wood or metal
Equivocation
Guttural
to avoid committing oneself to what one says; uncertainty; uncertain or questioning
disposition or mind
to produce as a pattern on a hard service by eating into the material's surface as
with acid or a laser beam
a member of a group having common characteristics; an associate; an equal in
rank or power or character
strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger, or bear pain or adversity, with courage
of, or having to do with, or involving the throat
Hail, Hele, Hale
to hide or conceal; to cover; to keep out of view
Hoodwink
a blindfold
Hoodwinked
blindfolded
House Not
Made With
Hands, Eternal
in the Heavens
Immemorial
that which lies beyond death; heaven
(II Corinthians 5:1)
Impart
to give; to communicate knowledge of something; to make known; tell; relate
Indite
to write down; to put down in writing
Intrinsic
Invest
belonging to a thing by its very nature; the essential nature or constitution of a
thing; inherent; in and of itself
to give; to furnish; to clothe
Inviolate
not broken or disregarded; not told to others; respected
Etch
Fellow
Fortitude
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extending or existing since beyond the reach of memory, record or tradition
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Light
knowledge or understanding
Manual
of, or having to do with, or involving the hands
Mystery
Pectoral
the secret or specialized practices or ritual peculiar
to an occupation or a body of people; rites or secrets known only to those initiated
great emotion; the emotions as distinguished from
reason; powerful or compelling feelings or desires
in, on, or of the chest
Pedal
of, or relating to, the foot or feet
Precepts
a principal or instruction intended especially as a
general rule of action
the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the
use of reason; skill and good judgment in the
management of affairs or the use of resources;
caution or circumspection as to danger or risk
Passions
Prudence
Saints John
Shod
Steady
Subdue
Superfluity
Superfluous
Temperance
Tongue of Good Report
Usual Vocation
Vouch
Vouchsafe
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Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist, the two ancient patron saints of Freemasonry
wearing footgear, with shoes on
constant in feeling, principle, purpose or attachment; dependable; firm in intent showing little
variation or fluctuation; unwavering; resolute
to bring under control especially by an exertion of
the will; to reduce the intensity or degree of; tone
down
excess; unnecessary; immoderate, especially living habits or desires
exceeding what is needed; excess; extra; not
needed; unnecessary
moderation in action, thought or feeling; selfrestraint; a habitual moderation in the indulgence
of the appetites or passions; moderation in, or abstinence from, the use of intoxicating substances
having a good reputation; those who know you
report that you are a good man; a credit to yourself and to society
your job; the manner in which you make your living
assert; affirm; attest; to verify; to supply supporting testimony; to support as being true
to grant or furnish; to give by way of reply
Warden
an official having care or charge of some administrative aspect or an organization or some special
supervisory duties; a British term used in the Episcopal Church and at various colleges and in government functions
Worshipful
notable; distinguished; worthy of respect; a British
term used as a title for various persons or groups
of rank or distinction
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Publications
http://www.masonicdiscussion.com/magazine.php
A brand new (and very welcomed) addition to the expanding universe of Masonic news and publications
comes a fantastic E-zine of all original content from the fine brothers at The Masonic Discussion Message
board (www.masonicdiscussion.com).
While it is in it‘s 2nd issue the content and layout has
impressed me immensely. A very professional look
like a newsstand magazine and articles by a crew of
brothers who I have the pleasure of calling my
friends for the last 4+ years (except for Errol) make
me proud to share this with you.
Download it , print it out and sit back for a very
enlightened look at the craft.
March issue includes:
The Due Medium
The Magic Flute
The Working Tools of an EA
Darkness...and Light
The Reflective Mind
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What Comes To Mind w/ Lansing V. Ten Eyck, III
What was Your Experience?
All through my youth I‟d seen The Square and Compasses on car bumpers, on
buildings and on men‟s fingers‟ but never knew what it meant. However, there
was certain strength and a constant to our lives, somehow. Was it something I
could be a part of or was it only for certain men, was it hard to be a part of?
During my years of most exuberance, I tended to be extremely busy whether it was in fact or
just to avoid the pain of the times but, I still wondered about that signet of whoever, I never
knew who or what it stood for. Then one day someone said it stood for The Masons. Wow,
working with stone must be a very special and protective part of the workforce that has been
overlooked by me. Maybe I should change my line of work and become a Stonemason.
Then for a time it disappeared from my gaze of life.
It was later in my life after being hospitalized in a diabetic coma and had returned home when
I received a nice note from a friend asking me a question. His question was of how I was related to the person whose bust adorned the entrance of his Masonic Temple. I looked about
my families‟ history in my library of books dealing with my families‟ various connections with
those who‟d gone before.
Not too much was mentioned regarding his Masonic background but, it did say that he was
very active in the Masonic fraternity.
I relayed that information to my friend and I returned that question with a few of my own. Is it
possible to join and how do I, if I can? Am I to old to be a member? Do I have to show that I
had relatives who were or are Masons? Where do I go? Before I knew it, as if it were in the
stars, my local newspaper published an article on a Masonic event happening in many states
on one day. Then, the very next day, my friend called and said he was sending me information and a petition for membership. He also, mentioned the “One Day” event that was coming
within a couple months. This “One Day” event had never been done before in New York State
and was going to be a huge undertaking. Never before had New York ever conferred all three
degree in one day to such a huge number of men over a large area, the entire state. That day
would be, to some Brothers, called the day of the “Shake and Bakes.”
After my petition had been acted upon by the lodge, I was visited by a committee for an interview. All this was taking place soon after I‟d been in the hospital and they were concerned
that I may not have wished the meeting with them so soon after. I was too excited to not let
them come. As a matter of fact, their visit empowered me that day into feeling better for that
time. I‟d told them that the weeks preceding their visit I‟d been searching the web for any and
(Continued on page 30)
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(Continued from page 29)
all information regarding Freemasonry.
Soon after their visit, I was assigned a mentor, who called a day or two later and we setup a
date to meet for lunch when I got stronger. I might mention, to this day my mentor and I still
meet for lunch at least once a month and attend may Scottish Game events throughout the
northeast.
Well, the day arrived and I was very nervous to say the least. I was to be at the Temple at 7:00
AM for registration and meet my mentor there. I‟d not slept to well the night before and was
dressed and ready to go by 5:00 AM. I decided to get there very early to get an easy parking
spot; I arrived at 6:00 AM to only a handful of gentlemen. About 6:30 AM, my mentor arrived
and was looking for me. I was standing in front of him but, he didn‟t recognize me. Since the
last time I‟d seen him, I‟d gotten a hair cut and shaved my beard, just leaving a moustache.
He was very surprised at the change and then we proceeded to the registration area.
The building was filling quickly with candidates, mentors and Masons, leaving me in a state
of awe at the draw this day brought. My mentor suggested we go downstairs and get a coffee
and something to eat while waiting for the appointed hour.
At 8:00 AM we were all assembled in the main lobby listening to the instructions regarding
our day. Then we all proceeded to a great lodge room on the second floor of the four story
building. Before me lay a cavernous space oozing history and stateliness, there was an organ
playing as we all found seats. There were some opening remarks and then our long day began.
I would love to tell you of the day but, I would be committing myself to a novel. Those of you,
who have gone through the highly riveting journey to becoming a Freemason, know of its historic and the beauty in the ceremony of each degree.
Your first degree is just as beautiful and informative as those that will follow but, nothing will
ever be as heartfelt as your first step into the lodge of your first steps into your journey of becoming a Freemason. It will be the best thing you‟ve ever done, becoming one of a fraternity
of men which has been in existence for thousands of years and has seen the fraternity of
many notable men in history.
I think I can say honestly say that I‟ve only one regret about my journey in The Craft and that
is that I‟d wished I‟d joined earlier in my life. However, if you join when you‟re young or old
your excitement is the same. You are a part of a great fraternity dedicated to making good
men even better for themselves, their families, their communities and mankind as a whole.
Take the step to the rest of your life, you won‟t regret it.
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Astronomy w/ Rod Kennedy
Masonry is a fraternity that is filled with many sublime layers of symbolism. These
layers range from the obvious to the subtle. When we are first initiated as Entered Apprentices we are almost invariable overwhelmed by the symbols, allegories and metaphors presented in the degree. Only when we reach the Sublime
degree of Master Mason do we have the opportunity to look back with an objective eye and closely study the symbols presented at each place of our journey.
We also tend to look at things slightly differently. In this case, two years after my own initiation I look back
at many of the symbols of the Entered Apprentice degree and examine them in light of my own previous experiences. So when Brother Cory suggested an entire issue with an EA theme, I began to look at this column
from that perspective, and I discovered a number of interesting things that I had never considered before.
I will first admit that I am no expert in symbolism, Masonic or otherwise. But as a Mason who makes his living through astronomy, I discovered that several aspects of the EA ritual have astronomical significance.
These may be coincidental, but coincidental or not they are interesting.
Let us begin with the end of the degree, with the new brother being placed in the north-east corner, as the
‗cornerstone of the lodge‘. An Entered Apprentice is the youngest member of the lodge (in terms of membership). Anciently this was a young boy, learning a trade at the Masters side. Yet this boy did not come to
the Master as a child, he is an adolescent, just beginning the working part of his life. From an astronomical
standpoint, the sun rises in the northeast in the summer, the time of year when the fields have been prepared and the work officially begins. The boy has been prepared throughout his childhood and is ready to
begin his apprenticeship.
If we carry the sun analogy a bit further we come to the candidates journey around the lodge room, which
begins in the north (the place of darkness) and travels from east, through the south to the west and back to
darkness. Just as the sun takes this journey day after day and year after year so too have men of all ages
taken this journey for century after century. The order of the universe is reflected in the ritual of the lodge.
Finally there is the symbolism of the working tools of the Entered Apprentice, specifically the 24 inch gauge.
It may be hard for many of us to imagine a measuring tool that is two feet in length (for those of us here in
the U.S.) when one foot or a yard are more commonly used units. Yet our ancient brethren used the 24
inch gauge because it reflected the fact that there are 24 hours in a day. However, the length of a day on
Earth is not exactly 24 hours, it is 23 hours and 56 minutes. But for the purpose of dividing our time, we
may excuse our ancient brethren for opting not shorten the gauge by such a small fraction.
If there are Brothers out there that have heard similar references to astronomical relationships in the EA degree I‘d love to hear them. Even though I am considered a Master Mason, I always feel there is more for me
to learn and it is always interesting to hear from brothers in other lodges. Until next time Brothers, may
your road be level and your work square.
You can reach Brother Rod at rodk@tribcsp.com
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http://www.gordonsmasonicrings.com/index.html
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An Entered Apprentice‘s Journey
An Entered Apprentice‟s Journey
By Bro. Wyndell Fergurson
Saint John's Masonic Lodge #51
McKinney, TX 75070-0417
http://www.saintjohnslodge51.com/
For many years I‟ve felt there has to be something more. “This” cant be all there is to it. I‟ve always
had a sense that something was missing, that I needed more. During my 21 years in the U.S. Air Force I
always had a sense of belonging, camaraderie, friendship, and maybe most important of all – a feeling of
accomplishment only known by those that know what they do matters! Since I retired there has just been
an emptiness that‟s hard to explain or understand.
I‟ve known many military retirees that have had issues coping with „being on the outside‟. I‟ve seen
and heard of marriages failing and even a few people that went into a deep depression and took their own
life‟s, including my best friend. While researching markings on tombstones and cataloging all the different
symbols I found many a Square and Compass and other Masonic symbols. I noticed I was seeing these
on the tombstones of the founders and pioneers of our area. The more I researched the symbols, the
more I got interested in Freemasonry.
As far as I know there haven‟t been any Freemasons in my family. During my lifetime, I‟ve only known
a few Masons. So I‟m a Masonic Virgin, I didn‟t have a base of reference or for that matter even a working
knowledge of the Craft. The more I read the more I wanted to know. The more I got to know the more I
wondered if Freemasonry was right for me.
I have to admit I had some concerns. I‟d heard the anti-Masonic propaganda about taking over the
world, satanic worship and all the other junk on the web. I had to research to reconcile what I thought and
what I was hearing about the Fraternity before I committed.
I started asking my friends and co-workers if any of them were Masons, or if they knew any Masons.
After discovering a friend of mine was a Mason I asked him a lot of questions and spent a lot of time looking for answers online and in the public library. Once I was satisfied in my heart I knew it was time to actually start looking for some lodges in my area!
The first step on my Journey was finding a lodge and getting a petition. I contacted many of the local
lodges, went to their websites and finally picked the lodge I thought would be right for me. Saint John‟s
#51 in McKinney, TX is one of the oldest lodges in Texas, the charter was granted January 24, 1850. I
contacted the Lodge Secretary and asked him when I could come talk to someone about Masonry.
I was told there was a Commandery meeting the next night, and I was more than welcome to come
up, eat dinner and talk with the Brothers about Masonry. Before dinner was over, I knew I wanted to petition this lodge!
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After several months my ballot was completed and on 6 Mar I was accepted. I don‟t think I have the
words to describe how excited I was! I got choked up when I got the news that I had been accepted. My
poor loving wife has been hearing Bro. Frank Williams singing "Brother Mason" over and over and I think
it‟s starting to get on her nerves but she hasn‟t complained.
On 16 Mar I had my Entered Apprentice initiation. I was filled with a variety of emotions the week before the ceremony. The closer it got the worse it got! I was excited, anxious, nervous, and euphoric all at
the same time! I was about to become a member of the oldest fraternity in the world and humbled by the
fact that I‟d been accepted.
I had been given a lot of advise about the ceremony, but the best was to not read about it and to trust
in my Brothers. They were not going to do anything to hurt or embarrass me and they had all been
through it. I was also told if at all possible, since we were doing a double ceremony to try to go first so I
could sit in Lodge and watch the next initiate. Oh and to wear clean underwear and watch out for the
goat.
It was finally time to leave to go to Lodge. The drive to town was a blur; I don‟t remember a thing
about it! The Senior Steward made a wonderful dinner that I was too nervous to eat. Everyone was talking to me but it was like I was in a well and everyone was far away talking to me. I do believe I was actually looking from outside my body and watching what was going on! I got lucky and won the coin toss and
got to go first.
I wont go into any details on the ceremony other than to say it was a wonderful experience! Just before being hoodwinked I was told to listen to every sound, to concentrate on what was being said and to
try to remember what was happening. My heart was in my throat the entire time! The Brothers did a wonderful job!
Since I went first I had the honor of sitting in Lodge and watching my fellow candidate go through his
initiation. Seeing his, while the emotions and feelings were so very fresh in my mind really drove home
the entire ceremony. Seeing the things I couldn‟t see at the time. Having concentrated on the words being said while I was hoodwinked then hearing them again was amazing beyond words!
Even though Saint John‟s #51 is an old lodge, it is also a growing lodge! Just this weekend we had 4
EA initiations, and in the last month I believe we have had 4 others! The night the ballot was taken for my
petition there were two more petitions turned in! The next morning after my initiation we had two more
degrees so I was there at 6:30 am to watch!
While I know my journey in Masonry is just beginning and I have a lot to learn and experience I am
looking forward to every step along the way. Every Brother I have met has welcomed me with open arms,
a friendly smile, a firm handshake and when I hear them say “Welcome Brother! Its great to see you!” I
know without any reservation that they are sincere. I know I feel the same way when I see them! I believe I was right; there is something more and I‟ve found it thanks to my new Brothers!
…The lessons come from the journey... So Mote It Be!
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Masonic Service Association of North America
TWENTY-FOUR INCH GAUGE
SHORT TALK BULLETIN
Vol.XI September, 1933 No.9
In the early editions of his Monitor (1797 and on) Thomas Smith Webb wrote:
“The twenty-four inch gauge is an instrument made us of my operative Masons, to measure and lay out their
work; but Free and Accepted Masons are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of
dividing their time; it being divided into twenty-four equal parts, is emblematical of the twenty-four hours of the
day, which they are taught to divide into three equal parts; whereby are found eight hours for the service of God
and a distressed worthy brother; eight hours for their usual avocations; and eight for refreshment and sleep.”
Time and the often witless tinkering of well-meaning but uninformed brethren have altered here a word and
there a phrase; in some Jurisdictions it is now “Vocations,” in others it is “we” instead of “they” and so on.
“Like most Masonic symbols,
it conceals far more than it
reveals.”
But in essentials most American Jurisdictions use the paragraph as the great
ritualist phrased it for us a century and a third ago. Unfortunately, he did not
go deeply into the symbolism of the gauge, leaving it to us to dig out for ourselves its concealed meanings, and learn from it, as we are able to learn;
thinking through it, as we are able to think.
Like most Masonic symbols, it conceals far more than it reveals. Like many,
the Monitorial explanation deals only with the obvious meaning, leaving the
inner symbolism for the delver in the rubbish of the Temple’s verbiage who
seeks the hidden truths Freemasonry discloses to all who look.
Among the oldest of man’s beginnings of civilization, measures seem to have originated among all
peoples with parts of the human body - the foot, the hand, the palm, the digit, the cubit (elbow to tip
of the middle finger) etc. The word inch comes (as does ounce) from the Latin “unciae,” a unit divided into twelve parts. Some contend that origin of an inch was in the thumb joint. Both foot and
Roman “unciae” are very old and our ancient brethren of the
Gothic Cathedral building age must surely have known both. But what is important is not the name
of the measure but the division of the gauge into units than its total, and their applicability to time.
The relation of twenty-four inches to twenty-four hours is plain enough, but when we examine just
what it is that is divided into twenty-four parts, the explanation becomes difficult.
What is time? To most of us it is the duration between two noons; the elapsed interval between any
two events; the passage of a certain fraction of life. To the philosopher, time is an unknown quantity. Like space, it appears to be a conception of the mind, without objective existence. Modern
mathematicians contend that time and space are but two faces of the same idea, like the two sides of
a shield. While we can comprehend one without reference to the other, we cannot “use” one without
the other. Every material thing occupies space for a certain time; every material thing existing for a
specified time, occupies space.
We pass through space in three directions - up and down, right and left, forward and back. We pass through
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time, apparently, continuously in one direction from birth to death.
We cannot go back for even the smallest fraction of an instant. Omar wrote:
“The moving finger writes; and having writ, Moves on; nor all Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your tears wash out a Word of it.”
The operative workman measures his stone with his gauge; if the ashlar is too
long, he shortens it. If it is to broad, he narrows it. If it too crooked to make
square, he casts it on the rubbish heap and begins anew with a rough ashlar.
But the Speculative Mason, measuring his time with the twenty-four inch gauge, has no such latitude. The ruined minute is forever away; the crooked hour can never be made straight. The day unfit for the Building Not
Made With Hands can never be set in the Eternal Wall, nor can the workman find in any quarry a new day to
mould.
Thinking of it thus, could any symbol cry a more clarion call for accuracy of labor? For skill with which to work?
For care and pains in building?
“Eight hours for the service of God and a worthy distressed brother, eight hours for their usual avocation, and
eight for refreshment and sleep.”
There is no time to waste. There is not time to be lost. There is no time for idleness. Thomas Smith Webb
builded better than he knew when with so sparing a hand he laid out the Speculative Mason’s time for the
lighter side of life. In his conception, all such must be taken from the eight hours allotted to refreshment and
sleep. He who would “pass the time away” - he who would indulge in “pastimes,” must, according to the Monitor, take these hours from bed!
To divide our twenty-four hours into three equal parts is a very practical, everyday admonition. Here is no erudite philosophy such as “laborer est orare” - tov labor is to pray. Nor is there any suggestion that even refreshment may be in the “service of God.” Again, the old ritualist knew his audience. His instructions are simple;
their profundity is only for those who wish to look beneath the surface.
For these, indeed, the whole twenty-four hours may be literally “in the service of God” since labor and sleep are
necessary for life as we have to live it, and it is a poor theology which does not teach the common lot to be the
Will of God.
In 1784 Sir William Jones wrote:
“Seven hours to law, to soothing slumber seven, Ten to the world allot, and all to heaven.”
Webb does not so put it, but if the eight hours for labor us also to be “in the service of God,” it must be labor
which results in good work, true work, square work. Refreshment of mind and body which is an offering to
heaven must be clean and wholesome, if on the morrow the laborer is to be wholesome and clean for new labor,
and prayer and service.
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The Mason interested in a further interpretation of the three-fold division of twenty-four hours need look no
further than the Great Light upon his Altar - indeed, he need only turn back from Ecclesiastes XII to Ecclesiastes
III to find the inspiration of this Monitorial admonition that there is a time for everything. We read: “To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to
plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a
time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away
stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a
time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence,
and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
But nowhere in the wise counsel of prophet or patriot, preacher or teacher, is there set forth a time to waste
time.
Time is the very substance of life, its golden minutes the only stones we have with which to build. Every accomplishment of man, be it Temple of marble or Temple of character, act of selfishness or selfless giving to others,
building a nation or building a house, must be accomplished with “Time.” Without time nothing is ever done.
Hence he who wastes either his time or another’s, squanders that which he cannot replace; which comes from
we know not whither, to go we know not whence, which once gone, is gone forever.
About us are many varieties of men with as many ideas of how time should be spent. Every human being has the
same number of minutes in an hour, of hours in a day, of days in a year. Some have little or nothing to show for
their thirty, forty, or fifty years. Others have great accomplishments to exhibit as the product of their time.
Lincoln used all the time he did not need to devote to his usual avocation to mastering geometry, learning politics, understanding the question of slavery. Albert Pike made himself a learned scholar by constant use of spare
time. These men knew what the twenty-four inch gauge really meant, how profound a symbol it is - aye, Lincoln
knew, though he was a Freemason only “in his heart” and not a member of any Lodge.
It provokes sober thought to apply the Masonic rule to a determination of how long we really have. Our days are
allotted as three score and ten. We rarely start on our life work before we are twenty. Of the fifty years of actual
time for labor, we are admonished to spend a third of in the service of God and a distressed worthy brother, a
third in refreshment and sleep, and but a third in labor - not quite seventeen years in which to accomplish all we
have to do! No wonder so few of us leave behind a monument which will stand long enough to be seen by the
coming generation, still less one which will last through the ages.
“But the harder the task, the greater the joy of accomplishment!” Much has been made of the amount of time
spent in the “service of God and a distressed worthy brother” by enemies of the Craft, who have tried to read
into this admonition the thought that the other sixteen hours are to be used without service to God, and that
only a distressed “brother” is to share in our labors.
This, of course , is pure casuistry. If we instruct a workman to build a wall, we mean that he is to carry the brick,
make the mortar, lay the courses, level the whole, leave an opening for the gate, point up the joints - do the
whole job!
“Service to God,” then, does not mean merely spending time upon ones knees in prayer, but living life acceptable
to the Great Architect. By “worthy distressed brother” we have no reason to assume that Masonry means only
“brother of the Mystic Tie.” Masons are repeatedly bidden to turn to the Great Light as the rule and guide of
faith and practice. Here we find “inasmuch as ye do it into the least of these . . . “ And all men who own to a common Father are brothers.
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The attentive Freemason quickly notes how frequently are the Masonic allusions to work, and how few to refreshment. Our twenty-four inch gauge gives us - almost grudgingly, it seems - eight hours for two occupations
of which we know one needs the greater part - eight hours for refreshment and sleep. The other sixteen are for
labor, work, effort, doing.
To him who finds labor irksome, the twenty-four inch gauge must be a painful symbol. Alas, all symbols are
painful for the idle! But for those who have learned life’s greatest lesson, that the most lasting joy comes from
accomplishment, the symbol is beautiful. Fortunate is the man who is happy at his daily task; discontented he
who has not found his work. For him who likes his job, sixteen hours a day are scarce enough. Find the carpenter who carves wood in his spare hours, the bookkeeper who spends his evenings doing mathematics, the doctor
whose leisure is spent teaching his healing art, and you hear men singing at their labors; men who curse the
clocks which go too fast!
Find the Mason interested in the Ancient Craft, prompt to offer his services for visiting the sick, doing committee work, helping the tiler, laboring on Fellowcraft or Degree Team, and you see one happy in his lodge.
Such men have no time to waste - all have some division of their gauge of time which makes every minute count
with “sixty seconds worth of distance run.”
Time - substance of life! Time - gift of the Great Architect! Time - building stone for the spiritual temple! Time man’s greatest mystery, bitterest enemy, truest friend! Its care, conservation, employment, is the secret of the
twenty-four inch gauge - its waste and aimless spending is the sin against which this symbolic working tool unalterably aligns the Ancient Craft.
The Scythe, emblem of Time, wins in the end. We can race with Father Time for but a little while.
“But we can win while we are permitted to race.”
And at the end, the great ruler of our lives is merciful! As you think of the
twenty-four inch gauge and its three divisions, think also of these tender and
beautiful words written of the mighty servant, mightier master, Time:
I bring you woe and scalding tears and all life holds of sadness, Because I am
remorseless, your heart in torture pays In bitter coin of memories of times
when time was madness, “I am the passing hours; I am your march of days.”
Enemy and best of friends am I to those who sorrow; Pitiless in passing, yet
Oh, so slow, so slow. . . I hurry to the sleeping the greyness of tomorrow; Sluggard in my sun-down, I never
seem to go . . . Little bit by even less, all pain I can diminish, Slowly win the smile to eyes that now know but to
weep. I began your race with life, and I shall see its finish; My arms, and none but mine, shall in the end give
sleep. I linger not for anyone, yet I may not be hastened; You must bear your agony until I bid it cease . . . But
when your head is in the dust, and all your pride is chastened,
“At long last, I promise you, I bring the gift of peace.”
- Source: Short Talk Bulletin - Sep. 1933
Masonic Service Association of North America
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Books
Congratulations to Brother Chris Hodapp for landing on the Amazon.com ―Top
10‖ list for Masonic Books not once but Twice!!!
#2 ―Freemasons For Dummies‖
#7 ―Solomon‘s Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C.
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The Northeast Corner
By Walter Cook, Past Master Apollo-King Solomon's Lodge#13 GL of NY Troy, NY
Who can not remember their initiation into the Craft? Unable to see, dressed funny, walking around guided by
someone, all the time wondering what was next. Being brought to light and then once again walking around and
receiving instructions. Being placed in the NE corner of the Lodge and solemnly addressed by the Master. Brings
back memories doesn’t it? At a recent initiation in my Lodge (the one postponed do to the death of a Past Master),
I was approached by the new Entered Apprentice. He is a rather bright young man, a Junior at RPI here in Troy
and he had a puzzled look on his face. ―Why was I left standing alone in the corner of the Lodge?‖ he asked. Well
since we were going to go over the Questions and Answers we would start there… it really didn’t say! I pull out
my cipher and thumbed through it quickly… there really wasn’t any good explanation… ―That there I stood an
upright….‖ This kid really wanted more. The following is in brief what I told him:
But what is the significance of the Northeast Corner? In New York we are taught that in the erection of any magnificent building, particularly one of Masonic interest, the first stone placed is erected in the Northeast corner. No
further explanation is given! What a shame for there is great symbolism here that should not only impact the new
brother but EVERY brother in the Lodge. Please bear with me as I turn to the ―Random House Dictionary of the
English Language‖ unabridged, for some help:
―Cornerstone:
1) a stone uniting two masonry wall at an intersection.
2) A stone representing the nominal starting place in the construction of a
Monumental building.
3) Something that is essential, indispensable or basic.
4) The chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed.
Now let’s examine the Masonic significance step by step:
1)
Placed in the Northeast corner the new Entered Apprentice represents a cornerstone uniting and revealing the
physical (profane) and the spiritual. As we know the North represents darkness (physical) and the East light
(enlightenment, wisdom). The Entered Apprentice at this time does not know this but through the rituals to come
(and with some instruction) the significance should become apparent. Also, the position of the new brother should
represent to the Master Masons present that this new stone is the foundation for the Lodge and the Craft’s future.
And we should unite with that new brother to erect a Lodge of true brotherhood, a true reflection of the harmony
and enrichment of the heavens.
2) The placement of the Entered Apprentice also represents the starting point of his Masonic journey, a journey
where he will be charged to prefect himself as
a ―living stone for that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.‖ But he, also to the Brethren present,
should again represent the future and continuation of that monumental building called Freemasonry, which like the
Cathedrals of old took generations to construct and still stand after many generations, a thing of beauty.
3)
It must never be forgotten by the Brethren of the Lodge that the new Entered Apprentice is truly essential,
indispensable, and basic to the Lodge and Craft. That what Freemasonry is and will be is now standing in the
Northeast Corner.
4)
Now that the Cornerstone is in the Northeast Corner it is the DUTY of all Master Masons to use all their tools
to assist in the construction and development of this new Entered Apprentice to learn, savor, appreciate, and one
day govern the Lodge. Isn’t that the least we can do?
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Mark Twain Award for Excellence
MADISON LODGE (NJ) RECEIVES MARK TWAIN AWARD FOR INCREASING
COMMUNITY AWARENESS OF FREEMASONRY
Contact: Richard Fletcher, Executive Secretary, Masonic Information Center
301-588-4010, msana@ix.netcom.com
Silver Spring, MD, DATE, 2007 – Madison Lodge #93, Madison, NJ has been awarded the Masonic Information
Center‘s prestigious Mark Twain Masonic Awareness Award in recognition for its exemplary work in constructing a positive Masonic identity within the lodge and throughout the local community.
Lodges nationwide participated in the 2006 Twain Award competition as part of the growing network of lodges
that are working together brother by brother, lodge by lodge to achieve the goals expressed in the report, It’s
About Time; Moving Masonry into the 21st Century. The network includes a dedicated Website, listserv, blog, and
teamboard.
―The Mark Twain Award celebrates a new enthusiasm among Masonic lodges to reclaim our prominent place
within our communities,‖ says Richard E. Fletcher, Executive Secretary of the Masonic Information Center,
―Members of Madison Lodge are to be applauded for raising their own personal standards of performance and
for reaching out into the Madison community to broaden and strengthen the identity of Freemasons. Their activities and energy demonstrate a new commitment to self-improvement and education that is sweeping
through lodges across the country.‖
―The ‗It‘s About Time! Moving Masonry into the 21st Century‘ report is a hard hitting reality check for the fraternity,‖ says Robert J. Giudice, presiding officer of Madison Lodge. ―It is Freemasonry‘s version of Thomas
Paine‘s Common Sense. Since receiving the report we‘ve placed a strong emphasis on generating energy and visibility in the community.‖
―As we demonstrate the relevance of Masonic values to ourselves and our community, we just naturally create
a positive environment for personal growth, ―says Fletcher. ―It‘s an exciting time for us.‖
Most historians believe Freemasonry arose from stonemasons‘ guilds in the Middle Ages and began to flourish
in the 1700‘s in Europe and the American Colonies. Many of our nation‘s founders were Masons including
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere. They helped spread the ideals of the Enlightenment
such as the dignity of the individual and public education. Today North America‘s Masonic Fraternity provides
fellowship for over 1.5 million members. Masons are known throughout their communities for their work with
schools, hospitals and speech and language clinics.
Find out more by visiting the Masonic Service Association of North America (MSANA) at http://
www.msana.com
Turn the page to see what Madison Lodge accomplished to get this award
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I sat down with WM Robert Giudice for a lengthy phone call to discuss what his lodge has done
in the past year to win the MSANA Mark Twain Award which recognizes Masonic awareness.
Robert gave me the letter that was submitted to the MSANA that outlined all of the wonderful
work they did. I hope everyone reads this and takes away with them the energy and enthusiasm that these brothers all share.
“What if everyone in our great fraternity settled for average? What if nobody ever raised the bar?
What if the brethren decided to let Grand Lodge figure everything out? Well at Madison Lodge No.
93 we recently came to the conclusion that we never want to find out the answers to those questions.
As a result, this year we decided not only to find new sources of obtaining membership and visibility,
but also to definitively establish our lodge as the premiere forward thinking lodge in the Grand Jurisdiction of New Jersey.
Our initiative this year started with the article, “It’s About Time”, from the MSA. I gave it out to my
officer line, and it really hit home for us. So under its guidance we developed and implemented a
marketing campaign called, Taking it to the streets, and even a lodge slogan, Fellowship Starts Here.
Of course as Worshipful Master I was lucky because I brought to the lodge strong sales, marketing
and administrative skills. I also was surrounded by brothers who fully realized that we needed to
change with the times and be open-minded with new ideas and programs. So we decided to turn
things around in one year by making Madison Lodge active like no other
lodge has ever been. I told my officers that it is now the time to be pro“ The first questions that
active, and they responded by helping me develop a marketing plan
needed to be asked were,
which laid out achievable goals and events that we needed to have to
“How do you jump start a
promote visibility and growth.
lodge and bring it back
into the public eye?”
Inevitably, the first questions that needed to be asked were, “How do
you jump start a lodge and bring it back into the public eye?”, “How do
you encourage current members to attend?”, “How can we start a proactive membership growth program?” and “How can the lodge move
forward to meet the changes in today’s world?” The objectives for the marketing plan we developed
materialized from the questions above. In a nutshell, it was to show the public and the brethren that
Freemasonry is as relevant today as it always was, and that it especially has purpose, and an important part to play in modern society.
Accordingly, the lodge set twelve goals to keep the brethren forward thinking and constantly remind
them about their place in the community. They were: 1) Getting the lodge on the National Registry
of Historic Places, 2) Expanding the Masonic Angel Fund into the neighboring school districts, 3)
Developing a Family Night program, 4) Developing a Role Call Night program, 5) Having five blood
drives that would collect us one hundred fifty pints of blood, 6) Starting a Masonic Toy Drive, 7)
Starting a Thanksgiving Food Drive, 8) Overall clean up of the building and grounds, 9) Bringing our
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Grand Lodge’s new Child I.D. program to our lodge, 10) Initiating ten new members, 11) Constantly
striving for the Eleventh Masonic District’s Lodge of the Year Award and 12) Increased Masonic visibility in the community.
The marketing plan with the above goals all collaborated to give us greater visibility for the lodge.
Each of the goals helped with outreach into the community, and all the events could be advertised
both within the fraternity and publicly in the local newspapers, church bulletins and community calendars. This meant that the lodge’s geographic area of potential prospective members including,
Madison, Chatham Boro, Chatham Twp., Florham Park, East Hanover and Convent Station could be
fully saturated for each and every event.
I then used the internet to look up all the civic calendars in our geographic area. By doing this I was
able to see all the other organizations and township activities in these municipalities and I started
planning my events accordingly to get the maximum attendance and visibility. We also joined the
local Chamber of Commerce to see what activities they had planned so that we could have greater
involvement in the community and plan our programs in conjunction with theirs for greater exposure.
Then it was time to get the lodge prepared for guests. The brethren participated in giving the lodge
building a good cleaning from top to bottom, and the lodge also ordered linen table clothes and centerpieces for public events. We then turned our attention to the surrounding grounds which had become a bit run down over the years and tended to detract from the beauty of our building. We were
very fortunate to have a brother’s son in the local Boy Scout Troop who undertook the large endeavor
to restore the grounds of the lodge as his Eagle Scout project. The lodge received a great deal from
this project including increased community awareness and the opportunity to host the conferring of
the Eagle Scout award in the winter of 2007, but most importantly, the lodge now has a new curb appeal.
Our next step was to develop marketing tools that would help us be more noticed in the community. The fruits of this effort were the Madison Masonic
“We are making a
Exhibit, a Masonic Power Point presentation, prospective membership packlasting professional
ets, new Madison Lodge literature and larger, more durable signs to advertise our blood drives. We have brought the Madison Masonic Exhibit out
impression and
into the public at least three times this year including, Fishawack Day in
showing that we are a
Chatham Boro, Bottle Hill day in Madison and even to the 219th Annual
serious and active
Communication of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey in Atlantic City where it
received quite a few accolades from both present and past Grand Staff.
fraternal
When we bring these tools into the public eye at street festivals and other
organization”
public events, we are making a lasting professional impression and showing
that we are a serious and active fraternal organization.
Also starting in January 2006 we began advertising all our public events in the local newspapers.
We have something running in the newspapers at least two to three times every month demonstrating our constant activity to the public. In addition, we have instituted many open events to get the
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public into our building such as Installation of Officers, lodge tours, hosting our Grand Lodge’s Child
I.D. program, a barbeque for the Little League team we sponsor, an award honoring the Educator of
the Year, a charity night, a family night with participation from the local Demolay Chapter and five
blood drives. Multiple times each month we are bringing the public into our lodge to spread Masonic light.
By far the most successful program this year has been the blood drive program. In 2005 we got sixty
-five pints donated. In 2006 we received two hundred fifty pints donated, and we are still posting
increasing numbers and growing with each drive. We can attribute the success with our drives to an
intensive promotional campaign. The blood drives are advertised in the Elementary Schools, and
children weekly take home folders that go to over 1500 homes in Madison. Direct mail is also used
to send blood drive announcements to the civic organizations and to our database of two hundred
thirty blood donors. After each blood drive we send thank you cards to each donor with an insert announcing the date of our next drive. Flyers are also placed in highly trafficked areas of the community on the day of the event and three large professionally designed blood drive signs are placed at
the corners of the three major intersections on Main Street. We also have numerous smaller signs
that are stationed at all the key volume points in the town. There is also a barbeque, a juice bar and
movies playing at every drive. These have been fruitful in that they keep our regular donors coming
back and, in addition, have been getting us ten to fifteen first time donors at each subsequent drive.
The blood drives are scheduled fifty-six days apart so the donors are placed on the donation cycle
with the lodge. This in turn makes the lodge an essential, vibrant part of the community.
With each visit to the lodge the public gets immersed with upcoming lodge activities through three
bulletin boards with event flyers and photos. The Madison Masonic Exhibit is always set up in the
banquet hall where we have all our public events, and lodge literature and tours are always readily
available. Finally, we make sure that the lodge is always decorated for every public event and every
national holiday with numerous little American flags on the front lawn and a beautiful larger American flag hanging from our road sign.
Applying the model used for the blood drives to the other goals and programs in our list we have
even been able to modify or revamp many of our lodge’s long standing programs and initiatives so
that they fall in line with our new outlook. As a result, the Masonic Angle Fund has been expanded
into yet another school district, our charity night and Award for the Educator of the Year are better
attended and more parents of the Little League team we sponsor are asking for lodge tours during
our annual barbeque. I can now truly say, without a doubt, that we are finally demonstrating to the
members of the community what a vital role we play in their lives.
Looking back at this blockbuster year, I am proud to say that the lodge has hit all the goals we set for
ourselves except one, but we are only one petition away from a clean sweep. I believe we will ultimately achieve this as well, and when we do, I will be the proudest Master any lodge could ask for.
What I find most satisfying is that the brethren of the lodge have determined that we are no longer
your typical Masonic lodge, not by a long shot. We march to our own new beat, and have found a
new sense of pride in spreading light to our community in ways that only a forward thinking lodge
can. There is no doubt that the lodge has moved extremely fast in a short amount of time, but as a
result of this change we have been able to tap into each brother’s true talents and demonstrate to
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them what unique value they each bring to the lodge. It has also helped with the activation of the
membership, both old and new, and had brought many formally estranged members back into the
fold. Most importantly, the members have found new pride in their lodge and that pride continues
to grow exponentially every day.
The presentation binder that accompanies this letter contains a full list of programs, event photos,
and Masonic marketing peripherals that are currently in use at Madison Lodge. We hope the fraternity can utilize our ideas for the betterment of the craft.”
More about the award
As found at http://www.msana.com/twainaward/
ENERGY * INNOVATION * CREATIVITY
GOAL: Based on the Masonic Information Center‟s (MIC) commitment to improving Masonic public awareness, MIC introduces The Mark Twain Masonic Awareness Award to recognize lodges that have demonstrated exemplary work in constructing a positive Masonic identity within the lodge and for the local community.
BROTHER BY BROTHER, LODGE BY LODGE…
WHO: Regular lodges throughout North America are invited to participate in a competition that evaluates initiatives and activities that create a positive Masonic identity in the community.
WHAT: The Mark Twain Masonic Awareness Awards are presented annually to the lodges that demonstrate
exceptional commitment to Freemasonry's philosophy of self-improvement and enlightenment.
WHY: Awards are made to the participating lodges that, in the evaluation of the MIC Task Force, have successfully addressed the challenges of improving Masonic Awareness within both the lodge and the community and that the brothers have done so with exemplary skill, creativity, and resourcefulness.
WHEN: The MIC announces the winners of the Mark Twain Award once a year at the Grand Master‟s Conference.
HOW: The Masonic Information Center uses the opportunity of the Twain Award to establish a participant forum to improve the flow of educational information and success strategies among brothers.
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Cory needs your help
“Hi this is Gabe Kaplan the official
spokesperson for The Working Tools
Magazine.*** For the price of one
text book you could help Cory purchase the software he needs to make
this publication look as good as possible. Won’t you please lend a hand”
*** Ok so Gabe really isn’t the official spokesperson or a Freemason and I bet he never heard of TWT but your donations are appreciated. Please go to www.twtmag.com and help out if you can.
Donations will go to the cost associated with:
Publishing software (Adobe InDesign) & Web hosting features
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In keeping with this month’s theme we present you with.
Masonic Fun
On his famous solo flight across the Atlantic, Charles Lindbergh wore a square and compasses on his jacket as a good
luck piece. He was a mason.
Richard E. Byrd and his pilot Bernt Balchen, both brothers,
dropped Masonic flags over the north and south poles.
Brother Balchen also tossed his shrine fez on the South pole.
Gordon Cooper, in his Mercury capsule, carried a Masonic coin
and a blue Masonic flag on his 22 orbit flight, which he later
presented to his mother lodge.
Andrew McNair, a Philadelphia Mason, rang the Liberty bell in Independence
Hall of July 8, 1776 to call the people together to hearing the reading of the
Declaration of Independence.The bell developed a crack when it was rung
for the death of Chief Justice Marshall, Past Grand Master of Virginia
Grand Masters generally have the power to make "Masons at sight," which
means the Master can do away with the formalities such as filing of petitions,
waiting periods, etc. Some famous Masons who were made include: William
H. Taft, General George Marshall, and General Douglas MacArthur & John
Wayne
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York Rite Masonry
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http://notweird.com/bugsport/
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Brothers, You‟ve ask me for it and the printed version of
The Working Tools Magazine is now available. (YES,
you can still download it for free)
For $5.50 (shipping Incl.) you will receive a printed staple bound copy. Now you can read all the Masonic news
and info away from your computer screen.
Order online or send a check with your Name, Address,
and Issue Month to:
Cory Sigler
30 Armour Rd
Mahwah, NJ 07430
Check payable to: Cory Sigler
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The Independent Masonic Magazine – Bringing the best
information to Mason’s worldwide.
Keep on Traveling
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