‘Celebrate World Logic Day!’

    

CIPSH

Logic teaches us to guide our reason discretionally in the general knowledge of things, and to direct our inquiries after truth, as well for the instruction of others as our own improvement. It consists of a regular train of argument, whence we infer, deduce, and conclude, according to certain premises laid down, admitted, or granted. In it are employed the faculties of conceiving, judging, reasoning, and disposing; all of which are naturally led on from one gradation to another, till the point in question is finally determined.

William Preston

Illustrations of Masonry

1775

Logic. The art of reasoning, and one of the seven liberal arts and sciences, whose uses are insulated in the second degree. The power of right reasoning, which distinguishes the man of sane mind from the madman and the idiot, is deemed essential to the Mason, that he may comprehend both his rights and his duties. And hence the unfortunate beings just named, who are without the necessary mental quality, are denied admission to the Order. The Old Constitutions define logic to be the art “that teacheth to discern truth from falsehood.”

Albert Mackey

An Encyclopædia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences

1874

Logic is that science which directs us how to form clear and distinct ideas of things, and thereby prevents us from being misled by their similitude or resemblance. Of all the human sciences, that concerning man is certainly most worthy of the human mind, and the proper manner of conducting its several powers in the attainment of truth and knowledge. This science ought to be cultivated as the foundation or groundwork of our inquiries; particularly, in the pursuit of those sublime principles which claim our attention as Masons.

Middle Chamber Lecture

Standard Work and Lectures

Grand Lodge of New York

Looking around the world today, evidence of logic might not be obvious, but today is World Logic Day nevertheless. Most regular Freemasons in the United States are instructed, to some extent, in Logic during the lecture of the Fellow Craft Degree. Maybe your lodge employs the New York version above or something similar, or perhaps something closer to the Preston quotation at top. They suffice. Logic is essential in understanding Geometry. In understanding anything, really. With logic, for example, one studying Masonic history is immune to silly Templar nonsense notions. But what of the history of logic? As far as we know, this dates back about 2,500 years to Aristotle. Sure, many philosophers have defined logic since Aristotle’s time, but he was the first. Or at least his writings are the earliest still extant, so we have to start with him.

H. Cart de Lafontaine

In “The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences,” his Prestonian Lecture for 1930, Henry Philip Cart de Lafontaine (fascinating man!), while Master of QC2076, writes:

Logic is the name given to one of the four main departments of philosophy. It is the science of the processes of inference. There are three types of inference: the first being from particular to particular, which is called analogical inference; the second is from particular to universal, which is inductive inference; the third is from universal to particular, which is deductive inference.

We will illustrate these three types in order to give a clearer meaning, and we will employ the names of three Greek cities in the illustrations, though any others might quite as well be substituted.

Suppose I say, “Border war between Thebes and Phocis is evil,” and then make the further statement that “Border war between Thebes and Athens is similar to that between Thebes and Phocis.” From these two, I draw the analogical inference that “Border war between Thebes and Athens is evil.”

Again, I may say that “Border war between Thebes and Phocis is evil,” and follow up that assertion with the assertion that “All border war is like that between Thebes and Phocis.” From these two statements I draw the inductive inference that “All border war is evil.”

I now start with this inductive inference that “All border war is evil,” and I follow on with the statement that “Border war between Thebes and Phocis is border war,” and draw the conclusion by deductive or syllogistic inference that “Border war between Thebes and Athens is evil.”

You will see that this is rather like an algebraical problem; by eliminating certain factors, you arrive at a definite conclusion of analogy, induction, and deduction. We owe to Aristotle this triple distinction.

World Logic Day is the creation of the sometimes illogical and detestable UNESCO, which proclaimed the first such observance for this date in 2019. That proclamation says, in part:

The ability to think is one of the most defining features of humankind. In different cultures, the definition of humanity is associated with concepts such as consciousness, knowledge and reason. According to the classic Western tradition, human beings are defined as “rational” or “logical animals.” Logic, as the investigation on the principles of reasoning, has been studied by many civilizations throughout history and, since its earliest formulations, logic has played an important role in the development of philosophy and the sciences.

Despite its undeniable relevance to the development of knowledge, sciences and technologies, there is little public awareness on the importance of logic. The proclamation of World Logic Day by UNESCO, in association with the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH), intends to bring the intellectual history, conceptual significance and practical implications of logic to the attention of interdisciplinary science communities and the broader public.

A dynamic and global annual celebration of World Logic Day aims at fostering international cooperation, promoting the development of logic, in both research and teaching, supporting the activities of associations, universities and other institutions involved with logic, and enhancing public understanding of logic and its implications for science, technology and innovation. Furthermore, the celebration of World Logic Day can also contribute to the promotion of a culture of peace, dialogue and mutual understanding, based on the advancement of education and science.

So, if your lodge meets today, be sure to rise when permitted and tell the brethren about World Logic Day, and maybe even toast this occasion during the Festive Board—especially if you work Logic ritual.

     

'Maritime Festive Board and Beefsteak Banquet’

    

Magpie file photo

At the 2020 Beefsteak Banquet.

It’s been a year since Mariners 67 hosted one of its world famous Beefsteak Banquets, so we’re due. I cannot recommend this occasion strongly enough. I attended one six years ago (photos here), and had a truly incredibly enjoyable experience. This is less than three weeks away, so don’t delay. From the publicity:

Mariners Lodge 67

Maritime Festive Board

and Beefsteak Banquet

Saturday, January 31

Seating at 5 p.m. & gavel at six

Grand Lodge Room, Masonic Hall

This event is part of the International Grand Lecturer’s Convention, and the convention delegates will receive a sizeable allocation of tickets. Purchase now if you don’t want to miss out!

The apron.

Tuxedo (preferred) or Business Formal; everyone gets a Butcher’s Apron. This event is open to Masons and male guests only. Tickets are transferable, but not refundable. We regret that we are unable to provide complimentary tickets. Kindly forward this email to anyone in your Masonic circle who might have an interest in attending.

Five Course Menu

First Course

Iced Shrimp, The Ancient Mariner’s Cured Salmon, House Pickles

Second Course

Pastrami with Rye Toast, Roast Pork with Rolls, Tomato-Braised Lamb Meatballs

Third Course

Memphis-Style Dry-Rubbed Pork Ribs, Braised Beef Short Ribs, Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Fourth Course

Strip Steak, Lamb Chops, Potato Medley

Fifth Course

Assorted Dessert Platters

Draft Beer from the legendary Bronx Beer Hall.

The Festive Board is a feature of Masonry that extends back to our beginnings. Operative stonemasons would gather on important occasions around tables laden with food and drink to celebrate in fellowship with the tangible fruits of their labor. Most common were feasts on St. John the Baptist’s Day and St. John the Evangelist’s Day, which were not coincidentally right around the time of the Summer and Winter solstices. These traditions have been part of our Craft ever since. Indeed, one of the reasons given for forming the first Grand Lodge in 1717 was to hold an annual feast.

In the days before Masons had their beautiful purpose-built Masonic Temples and Lodge Rooms, members of the Craft often convened their Lodges in taverns and restaurants. The tables were pushed back and Square and Compasses might be scratched out in the sawdust covering the floor while the Brethren performed their Masonic Work. Before too long, the idea arose of taking advantage of what the tavern had to offer, and a practice was born whereby the Brethren would take food and drink on a Masonic form and while conducting the Work of the Lodge.

Over time, various ritual practices of the Festive Board evolved, especially among military officers, who incorporated various elements from their formal dining traditions. These historic rituals and traditions have been resurrected in the modern day, and the Masonic Festive Board with its multiple courses of food, toasts, responses, and giving of “Masonic Fire” has become one of the most popular special events among Masons.

The Mariners Lodge Maritime Festive Board is a unique form of these table ceremonies, which invokes certain early Masonic legends and incorporates elements of historical naval practice and seafaring tradition. The Mariners Lodge Maritime Festive Board and Beefsteak Banquet incorporates elements from the rich New York tradition of the Beefsteak Banquet—those famous celebrations of gluttony where men gathered to eat massive amounts of aged steak, lamb chops, shrimp cocktail, pork belly and mini-burgers washed down with bottomless schooners of beer. Forks and knives are strictly prohibited in those days, but you will be provided with cutlery as well as a butcher’s apron.

Come for Fellowship! Come for Masonic Tradition! Come for a 19th Century Experience! Come for All You Can Eat!

April 15, 1939 issue.

When promoting these events, I always like to share the magnificent magazine article “All You Can Hold for Five Bucks” by Joseph Mitchell, writing for The New Yorker in 1939. Click here. Enjoy.

     

‘Mokannas Cigar Aficionados headed to Richmond’

    

‘William’ Churchill: cigar lover.

In the name of William Churchill (they’ll explain when you get there), Mokannas Cigar Aficionados’ Winter Retreat is on for next month in Virginia. MCA, of course, is the cigar lovers’ auxiliary of the MOVPER, a.k.a. the Grotto. There is a moving initiatory rite you’ll never forget! Or maybe you will. How should I know? From the publicity:

Winter Retreat 2026

Richmond, Virginia

February 27-28

Friday, February 27

5:30 p.m. — Private tour of historic Masons’ Hall

6:30 p.m. — Dinner & Cocktails & Cigars at Havana 59 (tabs on your own)

Saturday, February 28

Breakfast at the hotel (on your own)

12:30 p.m. — Lunch at a location TBD (tabs on your own)

2 p.m. — Black Iris Social Club

Premium spirits available. Snack menu available. (tabs on your own)

Dinner at Black Iris (meal TBD)

$20 Registration fee. Click here.

Cigars available for purchase at both locations. BYO cigars recommended. Nearby cigar shops: Havana Connections, Griffin Cigar, and Cigar Realm.

     

‘Lecture: The Work of Hilma af Klint’

    

Altarpiece No. 1 by Hilma af Klint, 1907.

The Livingston Library’s lecture series is back, resuming later this month with a discussion on fine arts by an artist. From the publicity:

The Spiritual in Art:

A Guide to the Unseen Forces

Behind Matter

The Work of Hilma af Klint

Presented by Milosz Jeziorski

Thursday, January 29 at 6 p.m.

Masonic Hall, 14th floor

The spiritual message of Hilma’s Paintings for the Temple series. What esoteric traditions inspired Hilma af Klint? And how do we understand the intersection between spirituality and art? That is the ambitious purpose of this presentation.

Milosz Jeziorski

Milosz Jeziorski, a Past Master of Compact Lodge 402, is a multidisciplinary artist and creator of the podcast Creative Codex, where he crafts sonic portraits of history’s great creative minds. He holds a Master’s in Film Scoring from NYU and won Best Original Score at VisionFest for Ontologica.

RSVP here.

There will be priority seating for Friends of the Library, a new membership program created to support the educational mission of the Livingston Masonic Library. Annual membership costs $50 and includes priority seating at lectures and access to an exclusive Friends reception before each program.

Photo ID is required to enter Masonic Hall, located at 71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.

     

‘Mid-Hudson Masonicon in four weeks’

    

Tickets are on sale for the Mid-Hudson Masonicon to be hosted at Rip Van Winkle Lodge 468 up in Cairo in just four weeks! (Not to be confused with the Hudson Valley Masonicon, which usually is for June.) These graphics give all the info:

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

     

‘California conference in March’

    

If you can get to UC-Berkeley on March 14, you’ll want to attend the 2026 International Conference on Freemasonry, where five speakers, quarterbacked by Susan Mitchell Sommers, will discuss “Freemasonry in Popular Culture: 1700 to Yesterday.” From the publicity:

Join with Masons and scholars from around the world at the 2026 International Conference on Freemasonry on March 14, as we dive into the fraternity’s relationship to film, politics, and propaganda. From Nazi-era signage to Illuminati scares, this year’s conference is going deep on supposed Masonic plots throughout history—and the cultural ephemera associated with exposing them.

Register today to secure your spot at this can’t-miss Masonic education event, being held at UC-Berkeley’s Krutch Theatre at Clark Kerr Campus. 

Event Organizer

Dr. Susan Mitchell Sommers, Chair

International Conference

on Freemasonry

After earning a Ph.D in British history at Washington University, Susan Mitchell Sommers joined the faculty at Saint Vincent College in Pennsylvania, where she is a professor of history. Sommers has been a fellow of the Royal Historical Society since 2014 and has been involved in editing the Journal for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism as well as Zeitschrift für Internationale Freimaurer-Forschung.

Speakers

Amanda Brown-Peroy

Professor of English

University of Bordeaux

“The Judeo-Masonic Conspiracy and the Use of Propaganda in the WWII Period: Film, Radio, Pamphlet, and Exhibition.”

The Judeo-Masonic conspiracy is a well-known theory associating Jews and Freemasons in their supposed alliance to achieve world domination. Although this alleged scheme still circulates today among certain conspiracy circles, the turn of the 20th century and the years leading up to the Second World War constitute its heyday. In this paper, we’ll explore the alleged links between the Jewish community and Freemasonry, and the use of this association by Nazi Germany through a multi-faceted propaganda targeting the civil populations of the invaded and enemy countries of the Reich.

Dr. Brown-Peroy completed her Ph.D in English Studies in 2016. Her doctoral thesis was titled: “Freemasonry and the Notion of Secrecy in 20th Century England: From World War II to the 2000s.” Brown-Peroy has published numerous academic articles dealing with aspects of 20th century English Freemasonry. Her many presentations include one at the 2014 meeting of this conference, titled “Secrecy as a Universal Factor of Both Inclusion and Exclusion.”

Dr. Felipe Côrte Real de Camargo

Ph.D candidate

Iowa State University

“Masonic Secrets on the Silver Screen: Representations of the Craft in the Seventh Art.”

Since its invention, cinema has become one of the most powerful and popular tools for transmitting ideas and shaping ideologies. Although modern Freemasonry was already nearly two centuries old when the Lumière brothers held their first public screening, it was through cinema that many people first encountered an image—often inaccurate—of what Freemasonry was. These portrayals, while rarely faithful, fueled the popular imagination and helped embed Freemasonry into 20th century pop culture. This paper explores how Freemasonry has been represented in film across different countries and genres, examining the purposes these portrayals served in their specific historical and political contexts.

Felipe Côrte Real de Camargo is a historian at the University of Bristol, where he obtained a Ph.D in historical studies. His research focuses on the material culture of Freemasonry, secrecy, moral philosophy, and emblematic traditions in the 18th century. He has taught at both Cardiff and Bristol universities, contributed to international journals, and presented his work at major conferences across Europe and the Americas.

Erich Morgan Huhn

Ph.D candidate

Drew University

“Illuminati, Illuminism, Illuminatus: The Making of Modern Conspiracy.”

As conspiracy theories become increasingly mainstream, what can we learn from two classic conspiracy tales? In 1797 John Robison published Proofs of a Conspiracy and set off Illuminism, a frenzy of conspiracy thinking. In 1975, Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson published The Illuminatus! Trilogy, which revived popular culture’s obsession with the Illuminati. Although these two publications were separated by more than 175 years, the impact they had on spurring conspiracy theories were similar.

Erich Morgan Huhn’s research focuses on the way Freemasonry and fraternal organizations helped reinforce middle-class values and were used as tools of social “placing” throughout the long 19th century. In 2019, he published New Jersey’s Masonic Lodges (Arcadia Publishing), which examined the way the fraternity used architecture to connect with the organization’s foundation myth and present an air of authority and legitimacy. He has contributed reviews, chapters, and entries to several Masonic and academic works.

B. Chris Ruli

Lecturer, History Department

California State University, San Marcos

“Brother Lafayette: Freemasonry During the Marquis de Lafayette’s American Tour (1824-1825).”

The year 2024-25 marked the bicentennial anniversary of Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette’s, public and final visit to the United States. This presentation examines the often-overlooked Masonic activities associated with Lafayette’s tour, his relationship with the fraternity, and how the nation’s Freemasons engaged, wrote, and talked about the famous Founding Father and Freemason.

Chris Ruli is a historian and researcher on early American Freemasonry. He is the author of The White House & The Freemasons, Brother Lafayette, and other publications that explore the often-overlooked relationship between Freemasonry, politics, economics, and culture. Ruli’s work has appeared in academic publications, popular print, television, and digital works including The Washington Post, History Channel, and dozens of history-focused podcasts. Ruli currently serves as the assistant grand historian of the Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, S.J.; and a grand superintendent of the Grand Council of Allied Masonic Degrees of the United States. He is also involved in the Scottish Rite Research Society and the Philalethes Society. Ruli is a contributing fellow of the Philalethes Society and serves as their third vice president. He is also a contributing member of the Historical Society of Washington D.C.

Timothy Sheils

Informatics scientist

and software developer

“Magic Lantern Slides: an Early Masonic Adoption of Technology.”

Magic Lanterns represent one of the first steps away from the traditional tracing board or master’s carpet. Initially powered by candles or kerosene lanterns, a glass slide was inserted into a slot and projected through a lens onto an opposing surface. These slides were manually changed during the various lectures, allowing emphasis on different symbols. Through the late 1800 to mid-1900s, various manufacturers of both lanterns and slides produced materials for Masonic lodges, among other organizations, and eventually contributed to the standardization of the presentation of Masonic symbolism. These slides were used throughout Masonic degrees, at no small cost to the lodges.

Timothy Sheils works with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, where he serves as an informatics scientist and software developer. He has published a number of papers on the intersection of chemistry and pharmaceuticals with new technologies. He has a special interest in developing therapies for rare diseases. Sheils has degrees in philosophy and sociology and computer science.

     

‘Happy World Introvert Day’

    

First, Happy New Year! Second, Happy World Introvert Day! It’s still January 2 here for a few more minutes, so I’ll squeeze in this note celebrating this day of post-holiday recovery and refocusing.

Dr. Heyne’s book

World Introvert Day was hatched by psychologist Felicitas Heyne only fifteen years ago, so don’t feel cheated if you didn’t get the day off from school growing up.

On her website, Heyne says: “introverts are a misunderstood minority. We live in an extrovert world, and introverts often appear to be arrogant and strange, which they aren’t. Introverts just work differently. And let’s not forget that although introverts might be a minority, they are a majority in the gifted population. Most famous scientists, philosophers, artists, and thinkers are introverted. Introverts shape the world we live in. But they also have to face specific health risks, job-related problems and often difficult relationships.”

Dr. Jung

The concepts of Introversion and Extraversion (note the “a”) come from C.G. Jung, who devised the two categories as personality types. Writing in Psychology Today in 2012, psychologist Stephen A. Diamond explains:

“For Jung, there were essentially two types of people: introverts and extraverts. These were Jung’s terms, for which he gives specific definitions. While his term introversion is today widely used as a synonym for shyness, introversion is not necessarily shyness. But there is a close relationship between shyness and introversion, which Jung felt (and I fully agree) is largely an innate tendency…

Introversion is a turning inward toward the interior world of ideas, feelings, fantasies, intuitions, sensations, and other facets of subjective experience. The introverted type finds most of his or her meaning and satisfaction not in the outer world of people, objects, things, accomplishments, but rather in the interior life, the inner world. Extraverts, on the other hand, live almost exclusively in and for the exterior world, deriving fulfillment from regular interaction with outer reality. Introverts tend to have difficulty dealing with the outer world in general. Extraverts have equal trouble attending to the inner world. And both resist doing so, in what frequently becomes a chronic, habitual pattern of avoidant behavior… 

What is so astounding is how fundamentally and diametrically different extraverted and introverted types truly are! By their very nature, these are radically divergent modes of being-in-the-world, antithetical attitudes toward life.

Of course, no person is totally introverted or extraverted. These are two extreme poles on a continuum which we all occupy. A majority of us lean toward the extraverted orientation, placing true introverted types in the statistical minority in most westernized cultures. Indeed, introversion tends to be stigmatized in our culture, pathologized, and deemed abnormal. When introversion is extremely one-sided, it can turn into pathological shyness, social phobia, schizoid personality, autism or even psychosis: a total detachment or dissociation from outer reality. Extreme extraversion can manifest in compulsive activity, workaholism, mania and addictive behaviors (e.g., sex addiction) serving the purpose of avoiding introversion or self-reflection at any cost. Some rhythmic balance between introversion and extraversion is essential for mental health. Introversion and extraversion appear to be innate temperaments or personality traits which can be and are, however, influenced by environment.”

Jung thought everyone would be healthiest by balancing the two poles.

If you have any experience in Freemasonry, you likely noted how the Order is almost entirely by and for the extraverts. One of my first observations about the fraternity during my early years in the 1990s (in New Jersey) was the disorder revealed by the disconnect between what the rituals and orations clearly intend and what the consistently convivial calendar delivered. Jung and I would have appreciated a balance. Each of us is a Brother—an individual—but one cannot be a Brother separate; there must be at least one other. (And, hopefully, both smoke pipes!)

As we New Yorkers phrase it through our First Degree Charge:

There are three great duties which, as a Mason, you are obliged to inculcate—to God, your neighbor, and yourself. To God, in never mentioning His Name, save with that reverential awe which is due from a creature to his Creator, imploring His aid in all your undertakings, and esteeming Him as the chief good; to your neighbor, in acting upon the square, and doing unto him as you wish he should do unto you; and to yourself, in avoiding all irregularity and intemperance which may impair your faculties, or debase the dignity of your profession. A zealous attachment to these duties will insure public and private esteem.

And also:

Preston: the source.

➤ “In your outward demeanor, be particularly careful to avoid censure or reproach.”

➤ “During your leisure hours, that you may improve in Masonic knowledge, you are to converse with well informed brethren, who will always be as ready to give, as you will be to receive, instruction.”

➤ “If, in the circle of your acquaintance, you find a person desirous of being initiated into Masonry, be particularly careful not to recommend him, unless…”

Balancing the severities is harmony in who we are and what we do.

     

‘That History Chick visits Scottish Rite museum’

    

Happy St. John’s Day! I hope you enjoyed a Saturday of Masonic thought and activity during this hectic holiday season. Me? I’m toiling away trying to finish the Autumn(!) issue of the Masonic Library and Museum Association’s newsletter during which I discovered this.

A few days ago, YouTube’s That History Chick published her video chronicling her first visit to the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library. Located inside the headquarters of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the USA, the fifty-year-old educational and cultural institution currently offers its Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington exhibit.

Click the image above to see her 41-minute video.

     

‘Grotto New Year’

    

Azim will start the 2026 Grotto year with a gathering in Queens. From the publicity:

Azim Grotto

The Handsomest Grotto

in the Realm

Trivia League

Wednesday, January 7 at 7 p.m.

Focal Point

43-50 12th Street

Long Island City

You are cordially invited to join Potent Monarch Joseph McMillen and the Prophets of Azim Grotto 7 at our first of many Lucky No. 7 Socials. We’ll kick off the new year in style as we display our trivia and imbibing expertise at Focal Point in Long Island City. Trivia starts at 7:30 p.m., so please be there by seven, at the latest, to make teams. Also, be sure to wear your fez!

RSVP on our Facebook page.

The Lucky No. 7 Socials will continue every month on the seventh. Subsequent locations to be announced. For example, February’s will be on the first Saturday at “Somewhere Warm. Or At Least Indoors.”

In recent news, we had our annual elections and installation of officers on December 7 at Tipsy Nomad on East 28th Street. Our new leadership is:

Monarch McMillen

➣ Potent Monarch Joseph McMillen

➣ Chief Justice Andrew Christopher Haight

➣ Master of Ceremonies Jason Cohen

➣ Venerable Prophet Victor Marshall

➣ Treasurer Steven J. Baker, PM

➣ Secretary Zachary N. Ostrow, PM

Congratulations all (especially to longtime Magpie reader Haight)!

There are appointed positions that are going unstaffed, I think because one must be present to be appointed, and getting to the annual meeting on a Sunday in December appears to be difficult for many. Attendance at these things often seems to be sparse. But I’m confident 2026 will be a grea…well, it’ll be a year!

It’s Christmas Eve! If you celebrate, I hope you can be with those who mean the most to you. Enjoy!

     

‘Inside the new Philalethes’

    

The new issue of Philalethes (Vol. 78, No. 2 for those keeping count) is reaching mailboxes. It’s a good one! The three feature articles cover architecture, philosophy, and the term “free-born,” respectively.

I began my reading with that last one. W. Bro. Matthew Parker, of Craftsmen Lodge 314 in Nebraska, does us the service of clarifying a modern misconception concerning what it means to be “free-born.” Perhaps it’s a moot point now that nearly all of the fifty-one grand lodges (fifty states plus the District of Columbia) have established relations with Prince Hall Affiliated Masonry but, in the not distant past, a dishonest notion of being free-born kept black men from our lodges. The gist of it was neither a slave nor a descendant of a slave is free-born, and therefore is incapable of coming of his own free will, and ultimately is ineligible for the mysteries of Freemasonry. That actually persisted until recent decades.

Bro. Parker begins at the beginning, noting how the Halliwell (a.k.a. Regius) Manuscript from the 1400s introduces to the Masonic mind the condition of being free-born. It’s not philosophical, but is more of a practical way to run your business. That is, don’t apprentice someone who isn’t free because his owner might turn up at any time and drag him home. The idea was preserved in Anderson’s Constitutions, at which time the Trans-Atlantic slave trade thrived, and it lives in the verbiage we use in our lodges today.

But what is its value in these modern times? Parker says:

Why is it that the initiate (and indeed then the Apprentice and Fellow Craft as well) are esoterically asked as to their qualifications and birth status at each step, but are only exoterically asked once whether they’re doing so to gain anything? A man may become less worthy and well qualified as time passes, and his motives may certainly change, yet the answer to the question of being free-born is the only one that presumably cannot change between the degrees. We must consider that what we are asking—what we have always been asking—when we are asking if someone is free-born in our ritual is whether or not their motives remain pure. Our degrees are an initiatory experience, understood to philosophically reflect upon a man’s journey from life to death. We ask them before they are reborn not as a candidate but as a brother both esoterically and exoterically if they are seeking this rebirth for the correct reasons—whether they are controlled by another or are seeking only the mundane gains of the physical world.

W. Bro. Patrick Dey, of Nevada Lodge 4 in Colorado, looks into “The Primitive Hut: Architectural Theory in the Masonic Lectures.” In this essay, Bro. Dey quotes that line from the Middle Chamber Lecture (sorry, Pennsylvanians, but you’re not acquainted with this) about man first contriving shelter from inclemencies. This rude habitat sparked what became architecture. Dey’s point is this idea from the lecture originates in Marc-Antoine Laugier’s Essay on Architecture from 1753. Excerpted:

He begins [the Essay] with a romance on how all arts, and in particular architecture, are originally inspired by nature, and the original precedent always dictates what is good and right. He then examines a primitive man “without any aid or guidance other than his natural instincts” — a character that resembled Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Émile, which is a clear opposition to the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. (In general, the primitive hut as thought experiment is in opposition to Hobbesian philosophy). This “noble savage” first rests on a grassy bank beside a stream, which is at first comfortable until the noonday sun becomes too hot for him and he seeks shelter from the sun. He then finds shelter in the shade of a nearby forest and is then content until it begins to rain. Next, he seeks refuge from the storm in a cave, but this too proves uncomfortable owing to its darkness and foul air. Now fed up: “He . . . is resolved to make good by his ingenuity the careless neglect of nature. He wants to make himself a dwelling that protects but does not bury him. Some fallen branches in the forest are right material for his purpose; he chooses four of the strongest, raises them upright and arranged them in a square; across their top he lays four other branches; on these he hoists from two sides yet another row of branches which, inclining towards each other, meet at the highest point. He then covers this kind of roof with leaves so closely packed that neither sun nor rain can penetrate. Thus man is housed. [...] Such is the course of simple nature; by imitating the natural process, art was born. All the splendors of architecture ever conceived have been modeled on the little rustic hut I have just described.”

In conclusion, Dey says: “Though Masonry takes ‘first principle’ architecture from the Bible as its forms for the Lodge (the Temple or Tabernacle), the adoption of Laugier’s narrative in the Masonic lecture system endows the primitive hut as another form of ‘first principles’ in Masonry.”

Bro. Kyle Gamache, of Harmony Lodge 9 in Rhode Island, gives us “The Unity of Knowledge: Exploring Consilience in the Context of Masonic Philosophy.” He, inspired by Edward O. Wilson’s The Unity of Knowledge, a treatise that “describes consilience as the synthesis of knowledge,” wants us to see how Masonic thought is one system of organizing human knowledge “to connect with a universal truth about our world.” The Liberal Arts and Sciences are our guide into this process. Maybe you, like me, see it similarly, but didn’t know it had a name.

There is more to this issue of Philalethes, of course. A fitting tribute to the late Dick Fletcher, a review of Chris Ruli’s Brother Lafayette, and a notice encouraging us to seek the Early Texts of Freemasonry Seminar Series flesh out these pages.

In local matters, I remain interested in reviving Knickerbocker Chapter, the Philalethes Society’s New York City guild that went dormant years ago. Sorry to say I have been unsuccessful in finding another Mason who thinks this is a good idea, but a new opportunity has come up: Grand Lodge is compiling a directory of Masonic clubs.

Grand Lodge of New York

Although Knickerbocker is theoretical, I’ll submit an entry with the hope that others will see it and want to be involved. It is not necessary to be a member of the Philalethes Society to take part in this chapter. We’ll see how it goes.

     

‘Sommers is 2026 Sankey Lecturer’

    

Click to enlarge.

This just in: Next year’s Charles A. Sankey Lecture at Brock University will bring Dr. Susan Mitchell Sommers back to the lectern.

I won’t bother typing all the information you see in this graphic, but instead will encourage you to attend, whether in person or by streaming.

I assume this lecture will be similar to what Professor Sommers presented this year at the John Skene Masonic Conference in New Jersey. (I’ll tell ya, if ever you want to feel comically redundant on the Masonic lecture circuit, feel free to insinuate yourself, with your average—at best—research and speaking skills, into a program alongside Professor Sommers and Bro. Bob Cooper. That’s what I did four months ago. Mortifying. I’ll recap the Skene Conference before the end of the month in my continuing “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” blogging.) She rendered quite a biography of James Anderson—you think you know a guy!—linking the mortal, fallible man to a dispassionate understanding of his Constitutions. This was excerpted from her upcoming book on Anderson.

From the publicity:

This annual lecture series is named in honor of RW Bro. Charles A. Sankey (1905-2009) and is part of the partnership between the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario and Brock University.

This partnership began with the initiative of Heritage Lodge 730 to support and maintain the Masonic collection in the James A. Gibson Library, and continuing with the posting online of the Proceedings of Grand Lodge from 1855 to 2010.

Dr. Sankey served as Chancellor of Brock University from 1969 to 1974. A renowned Masonic scholar, he was active in all the concordant bodies of Masonry including the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, the Royal Order of Scotland, and Royal Arch Masonry. His extensive collection of rare Masonic books and papers is in the Special Collections of the James Gibson Library at Brock, providing a rich resource for research scholars.

So, we have three months advance notice to set aside a little time on a Sunday afternoon but, if you miss it, catch it on YouTube later.

     

‘Patria, Honor y Gloria’

    

You know Dia de Duarte is January 26, the birthday in 1813 of Bro. Juan Pablo Duarte, founding father of the Dominican Republic, and now you’ll know how Juan Pablo Duarte Lodge 1195 has a great evening planned for next month, just two days before the holiday. From the publicity:

Juan Pablo Duarte:

Patria, Honor y Gloria

Saturday, January 24

Masonic Hall

$65/person here

It is with great pride that the Brethren of Juan Pablo Duarte Lodge 1195 extend to you a heartfelt invitation to join us for a historic evening of culture, reflection, and brotherhood. On Saturday, January 24, we will host “Juan Pablo Duarte: Patria, Honor y Gloria,” a tribute to the founder of the Dominican Republic and a celebration of the ideals of freedom and dignity that unite us all.

🇩🇴 Location: Masonic Hall (71 West 23rd Street), French Ionic Room on the tenth floor.

🇩🇴 Featuring: a dramatic monologue by the acclaimed Angel Candido, plus historical readings, folk dancing, food, raffles, and more.

🇩🇴 Contribution: $65 per person (a portion of which will support our charitable works).

🇩🇴 Attire: Formal.

The next time you’re down by Canal and Sixth, make a point of visiting our historic brother at Duarte Square, where stands a 10-foot, 6-inch bronze of this hero of the Americas. Donated by the Dominican government and erected January 26, 1978, Nicola Arrighini’s sculpture depicts Duarte seemingly vigilant at the beginning of the Avenue of the Americas.