‘Research lodge’s diamond anniversary in the emerald month’

    

May 9 has the potential to be an utterly entertaining, albeit exhausting, day.

That second Saturday of the emerald month will see The American Lodge of Research sojourn to Saugerties for a joint meeting with Ulster Lodge 193. I’ll be there. Later that afternoon, Connecticut’s Masonic Lodge of Research 401 will gather for a celebration that I want to attend also.

At about 100 miles apart, I’d have to drive like one of them new “California” truckers to reach New Haven on time, but I feel motivated. Maybe stay off the Thruway and 84 if you can.

Masonic Lodge of Research 401’s day is advertised in the March trestleboard of Quinta Essentia Lodge 500 as an awards ceremony and dinner. Both lodges meet at New Haven and, unsurprisingly, share some members in common. One of those is W. Bro. Martin Ede, the highly regarded local historian, scholar, perennial Worshipful Master, etc., who will be honored with the lodge’s wonderfully prestigious James Royal Case Fellowship that day. This research lodge was founded May 6, 1966, so I’m assuming this event also will be a sixtieth (diamond) anniversary bash.

Case (1895-1987) was a Past Master and a Fellow of The ALR, and that lures me too. He was one of those mid-twentieth century American scholars in Masonry prolific in authoring books and research papers. He studied and wrote of histories outside the Masonic Order also, such as the Revolutionary War in Connecticut. His book titles include: 

 ▸ Tryon’s Raid on Danbury, 1777: The Battle of Ridgefield and Gen. David Wooster’s Career

 ▸ Fifty Early American Military Freemasons

 ▸ The Case Collection: Biographies of Masonic Notables, Volumes I and II (for Missouri Lodge of Research)

 ▸ Freemasons at the First Inauguration of George Washington, April 30, 1789 (for the Masonic Service Association)

 ▸ Thank You, Mr. Edwards: A Bicentennial History of the Grand Lodge, AF&AM of Connecticut

 ▸ A History of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in Connecticut

And, unsurprisingly, recent James Royal Case Fellows include familiar Masons, such as Dick Fletcher, Chris Hodapp, Tim Hogan, Arturo de Hoyos, Brent Morris, Roy Wells, and a lot of local talent, including Ron Goldwyn.

Somewhere I had a photo of Case standing in The ALR from, maybe, the sixties. Can’t find it.

     

‘Thomas Smith Webb Chapter of Research to meet’

    

Thomas Smith Webb Chapter of Research 1798 will meet next Thursday during the Grand Chapter weekend in Binghamton. This convocation will open at 1:30 in the Carlton A room on the lower level of the hotel.

I haven’t attended one of these in ages, but they are busy affairs. Of course, the election and installation of officers is on the agenda. EHP Ken Stuczynski will present “Royal Arch as an Allegory of the Afterlife.” There may be other presentations. And, a new book of transactions will be released!

Covering 2014 to 2025, this volume features contributions from Oscar Alleyne, O’Neil G.D. Bryan, William Carter, Brett Laird Francis Doyle, Victor Escorbores, Christopher Fox, Mark D. Isaacs, Gregory D. MacLeod, Mark Z. Oldknow, Peter Pizzorno, Jeff Slattery, Ken Stuczynski, Michael D. Weisberg, Donald Williams, and Jeffrey M. Williamson.

Members of the chapter will receive a digital version of the book at no cost, and copies will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at this meeting for $10, and will be for sale for $19.99 afterward.

This chapter was warranted on August 2, 2002 by the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the State of New York for the purpose of encouraging research into Royal Arch Masonry for discussion. Click here for membership information.

Congratulations to everyone in the new officer line. Don’t forget to schedule a meeting or three downstate somewhere.

     

‘It’s National Grammar Day’

    

Winding Stairway of the Marietta Masonic Building, Ohio. Those five balusters at center are in the forms of the Five Orders of Architecture. American Union Lodge 1 and Harmar 390 meet here. The temple was constructed by Harmar in 1907-08.

Grammar teaches us the proper arrangement of words according to the idiom or dialect of any particular kingdom or people; and that excellency of pronunciation, which enables us to speak or write a language with accuracy and justness, agreeable to reason, authority, and the strict rules of literature.

William Preston

Illustrations of Masonry

1775

Grammar. One of the seven liberal arts and sciences, which forms, with Logic and Rhetoric, a triad dedicated to the cultivation of language. “God,” says Sanctius, “created man the participant of reason; and as He willed him to be a social being, He bestowed upon him the gift of language, in the perfecting of which there are three aids. The first is Grammar, which rejects from language all solecisms and barbarous expressions; the second is Logic, which is occupied with the truthfulness of language; and the third is Rhetoric, which seeks only the adornment of language.”

Albert G. Mackey

Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and its Kindred Sciences

1917

Arts and Sciences, Liberal. In the seventh century, and for many centuries afterwards, all learning was limited to and comprised in what were called the seven liberal arts and sciences, namely: grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. The epithet “liberal” is a fair translation of the Latin ingenuus, which means free-born; thus Cicero speaks of the artes ingenuae, or the arts befitting a free-born man; and Ovid says in the well-known lines: “To have studied carefully the liberal arts refines the manners, and prevents us from being brutish.”

And Phillips, in his New World of Words (1706), defines the liberal arts and sciences to be “such as are fit for gentlemen and scholars, as mechanic trades and handicrafts for meaner people.” As Freemasons are required by their landmarks to be free-born, we see the propriety of incorporating the arts of free-born men among their symbols. As the system of Masonry derived its present form and organization from the times when the study of these arts and sciences constituted the labors of the wisest men, they have very appropriately been adopted as the symbol of the completion of human learning.

Albert Mackey

The Symbolism of Freemasonry; Illustrating and Explaining its Science and Philosophy, its Legends, Myths, and Symbols

1867

Grammar is the key by which alone the door can be opened to the understanding of speech. It is Grammar which reveals the admirable art of language and unfolds its various constituent parts—its names, definitions and respective offices; it unravels, as it were, the thread of which the web of speech is composed. These reflections seldom occur to anyone before his acquaintance with the art; yet it is most certain that, without a knowledge of Grammar, it is very difficult to speak with propriety, precision, and purity.

The Standard Work and Lectures of Ancient Craft Masonry

Grand Lodge of New York

2019

Grammar. Is the key by which alone the door can be opened to the understanding of speech. It is Grammar which reveals the admirable art of language, and unfolds its various constituent parts—its names, definitions, and respective offices; it unravels, as it were, the thread of which the web of speech is composed. These reflections seldom occur to any one before their acquaintance with the art; yet it is most certain that, without a knowledge of Grammar, it is very difficult to speak with propriety, precision, and purity.

The General Ahiman Rezon and Freemason’s Guide

Daniel Sickels

1865

Today is March fourth, which is homophonous with “march forth,” which is a complete sentence, which is why today’s date was chosen to be National Grammar Day, so happy National Grammar Day! This occasion was devised by Martha Brockenbrough, founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, in 2008.

chicagocopshop.com

“So back to National Grammar Day, which is just one day,” says the University of Illinois. “You’ve heard of red-letter days. Well, National Grammar Day is a red-pen day, a day to correct other people’s grammar.”

     

‘Happy anniversary to our matinée lodge’

    

St. Cecile Lodge 568 will celebrate its 160th anniversary this month with a rededication ceremony on Sunday the 22nd, to be led by the Grand Master, with brunch to follow.

St. Cecile is the only lodge I can name with brunch in the same sentence! This historic lodge is a neighbor of my own lodge, Publicity 1000, in the Fourth Manhattan District. 

The lodge was warranted by the Grand Lodge of New York on June 28, 1865 after six months of meeting Under Dispensation. The brethren actually are meeting right now in the Empire Room of Masonic Hall for its March Stated Communication. They gather on the first Tuesday at 1 p.m., making St. Cecile what used to be called a “matinée lodge.” At the time of its launch, St. Cecile was believed to have been the first daytime lodge in the United States, tiling its meetings at three in the afternoon.

Writing in One Thousand Communications, the history of this lodge penned by its historian and published in 1907, Charles M. Williams explains: 

Those members of the fraternity usually employed nocturnally in the theatres and various newspaper offices had received their degrees from time to time as best they could, affixed their names to the rolls and were rarely seen again in lodge meetings. Thus the membership of night workers was divided among many lodges, assembling in places widely separated, and they seldom if ever met their business associates in the lodge room. Then again, as the chances of regular attendance were precarious, few night workers had the temerity to accept office and it was rarely indeed that any of them reached a position of prominence in the lodge to which he belonged. Peculiarly happy, therefore, was the idea of forming a “matinée” lodge for the accommodation of night workers. Conveniently meeting in the afternoon, a Masonic rendezvous was provided where the gregarious lychnobite could in his hour of leisure mingle with the brethren, enjoying in comfort the manifold advantages of fellowship…

In due time the application, properly endorsed by the requisite number of contemporary lodges, was forwarded to R. W. Robert D. Holmes, Deputy Grand Master. On January 25, 1865, he graciously granted St. Cecile, as the new lodge was called, permission to work Under Dispensation. Named in honor of St. Cecilia, patron of musicians, it was decided to give the word the French form, Cecile, as a compliment, it is said, to Mrs. Cecile Robir Holmes, the beautiful and accomplished wife of the Deputy Grand Master…

Inquiring minds find a fascination in getting back to the beginnings of things. Delight is found in tracing the great stream to the little rill, winding its devious way o'er grassy fields, through dark defiles, purling musically the while in its rocky course, until at length is found its source in the clear, limpid waters of the bubbling spring high up on the mountainside. In somewhat similar fashion are we conducted, my brethren, by the founders of St. Cecile Lodge to the very fountainhead of the highest ideals of Masonic tradition - the practice of charity and the cultivation of music. However short of the full measure of perfection the members may have been, it cannot truthfully be said that they have failed to observe faithfully the foregoing precepts.

For tickets to the March 22 festivities, click here.

     

‘Use Mallet, Chisel, Level, Plumb, and Square’

    

Go, work with utmost skill and loving care,

The Temple needs thy work, do all you can:

Use Mallet, Chisel, Level, Plumb, and Square,

And shape Earth’s dust to Heaven’s eternal plan.

“The Working Tools,” as found in the book Speculative Masonry by Andrew S. MacBride

My thanks to Eureka Chapter 7 in Orlando, Florida for hosting me last night via Zoom for a discussion titled “A Scottish Rite: The Mark Man, Mark Master, and Mark Master Mason Degrees.”

I received the MMM° in 1999 and am embarrassed to admit I hadn’t truly collated my perceptions, knowledge, opinions, speculations, etc. on this complicated ritual until I began preparing for this speaking engagement last year. Don’t get me wrong. Always loved the degree, but its origin and evolution, its symbols, and the ritual’s many moving parts have been compartmentalized in my mind all this time. If nothing else, I now possess a linear understanding of it. This is, after all, an elaborate degree. In my homework, I was reminded of important aspects I’d forgotten and I learned things too. Mark Man was conferred in a lodge of Fellow Crafts on Fellow Crafts. Mark Master was conferred on Master Masons. A Mark Man’s earnings were noticeably less than a Mark Master’s. Is that the source of the friction in the current ritual’s lesson on wages?

Excellent Franklin Suco and the companions at Eureka Chapter are kind to me. They flew me down for a talk on the RAM Degree two years ago and, despite that, they welcomed me back last night for this Zoom meeting. The Q&A was very brief, which could indicate I was making no sense.

Anyway, I tried to keep it all about Scotland. I began with the Schaw Statutes with their item on the book of marks; segued into the Mark Man and Mark Master degrees and what differentiated them; discussed Scottish ritual; contrasted the MMM Working Tools against Scottish EA Working Tools; examined the current MMM and FC obligations; and closed with a call for Florida Royal Arch Masons to charter their own lodges of Mark Master Masons. (I think that suggestion took root.) For context, I visited England by noting something is missing from the 1813 UGLE Articles of Union, but credited the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales; explained why so little is known of the early rituals; shared a little New Jersey history regarding Mark lodges in 1811; and occasionally got long-winded.

It may be reasonable to view the Mark Master Mason Degree as a basic working man’s degree—and I think Mark Man was—but, in its details, the MMM° is a refinement of important aspects of Craft Masonry theory. American Masons ought not think of it as a speed bump on the road toward Royal Arch. It is the entry point of what used to be called Keystone Masonry. We ought to resurrect that name.

I’ve never spoken so much on a Sunday night in my life. My voice actually grew hoarse.

(Joel, if you see this, I apologize. You had asked me to prepare something on the Mark Degree several years ago, but I couldn’t get it done at that time. If you need me, just let me know. And happy birthday!)

     

‘Grand Lodge to salute our Tilers’

    

The clothing of The ALR’s Tiler.

Our Grand Master just revealed his latest initiative—yeah, I’ve lost count too—for celebrating the meaning of Masonry. Our veteran, steadfast Tilers across the Grand Lodge of New York—meaning those who’ve served more than twenty years on the job—are to be recognized in a special tribute when Grand Lodge meets in May. From MW Steven A. Rubin’s letter to the Craft:

Brethren,

The role of the Lodge Tiler is vital to the safety, integrity, and dignity of Masonic work. A vigilant Tiler ensures that every Brother may labor in trust, security, and harmony.

In recognition of this important office, the Grand Lodge of New York will be honoring those Brothers who have served faithfully as Lodge Tiler for more than twenty years. These distinguished Brothers have given exemplary service to their Lodges and to the Craft, and their dedication merits special acknowledgment.

I ask each Worshipful Master to review their Lodge membership and identify any Brother who meets this criterion. Please submit their names to RW Lorenzo Cesare here by April 1, so that I may extend formal invitations.

Once identified, I will invite these special Brothers to join RW Don Gorham, Grand Tiler, on May 4, as he carries out his duties at the Grand Lodge Session, as well as properly recognize their contributions.

Your assistance in identifying these dedicated Brethren is greatly appreciated. Together, we can ensure that their long and faithful service is celebrated, and that the importance of the Tiler’s office continues to be honored throughout New York.

Having been Tiler of my Craft lodge for a number of years and current Tiler of The ALR, I am happy to see “The Master Mason Without” distinguished appropriately. His work is the first care of Masons, yet, by being outside the sacred retreat, he often goes undervalued.

Click here for a thoughtful explanation of this higher calling.

     

‘Freemasonry in the Haitian Imaginary’

    

Theion Publishing

A photography exhibit in New York City (click here) seven years ago preceded a book (click here) published four years ago, and now photographer Leah Gordon, editor Katherine Smith, and publisher Theion Publishing are reunited in presenting Freemasonry in the Haitian Imaginary due for release next month. From the publicity:

Freemasonry in the Haitian Imaginary

by Leah Gordon and Katherine Smith

Freemasonry in the Haitian Imaginary is a groundbreaking collaboration between scholar Katherine Smith (ed.) and photographer Leah Gordon, unveiling one of Haiti’s most intricate symbolic worlds. Bringing together rigorous research and revelatory imagery, the book shows how Freemasonry became woven into Haiti’s revolutionary origins, political imagination, and spiritual life—not as a European import, but as both a universal brotherhood and a tradition transformed and made distinctly Haitian.

Theion Publishing

Smith’s introduction traces how Enlightenment ideals traveled through the Caribbean and were reshaped by free people of color, political leaders, and ritual practitioners. She shows how Masonic symbols—columns, compasses, the all-seeing eye—became signs of belonging, aspiration, and spiritual potency. Gordon’s photographs deepen this understanding, revealing a living symbolic ecology: temple doors, embroidered aprons, carved emblems, and vernacular architecture where Masonic imagery appears in forms both familiar and wholly reimagined.

Additional contributions by Dr. Henrik Bogdan, Dr. Gaétan Mentor (introducing the concept of the “Black Janus”), and Smith’s intimate conversations with artist and Freemason Ernst Dominique expand the journey into the realms of history, Vodou, political struggle, visionary experience, and the craft of sacred objects.

Presented in an elegant, large 24×30 cm format, this volume stands as both a major scholarly contribution and a striking aesthetic object—essential for readers seeking to understand Haiti beyond familiar narratives, through the powerful symbols that continue to shape its community, history, and spirit.

Freemasonry in the Haitian Imaginary is published in two limited editions.

Theion Publishing

Bibliographic Details

 ▸ 320 pages, measuring 240 x 300 mm.

 ▸ Printed on premium 150gsm wood-free silk glossy paper for excellent photo reproduction.

 ▸ Features Peyer Surbalin endpapers, headbands and a ribbon marker.

 ▸ Includes more than 155 full-page color and black/white photographs and illustrations.

Fine Hardcover Edition (PRE-ORDER) – 85,- EUR + shipping (incl. VAT if applicable)

 ▸ Bound in high quality Peyer Comtesse fine cloth, manufactured in Germany.

 ▸ Features a printed and embossed cover, lettering on rounded spine.

 ▸ Limited to 735 copies.

 ▸ Ships March 11, 2026.

Auric Edition (PRE-ORDER) – 395,- EUR + shipping (incl. VAT if applicable)

 ▸ Fully hand-bound in luxurious full-aniline black leather, crafted in Germany from premium bull hides.

 ▸ Features a unique high quality photo print on the front, gold embossing and raised bands on rounded spine.

 ▸ Presented in a custom slipcase.

 ▸ Comes with an additional portfolio including three premium prints on fine art paper of photographs by Leah Gordon featured inside the book, including the Auric cover photo.

 ▸ Limited to 42 hand-numbered copies.

 ▸ Ships a few weeks after the Fine Hardcover Edition.

To order a copy, and for more information, with photos, click here.

     

‘Can you name ten most essential Masonic books?’

    

SCRL

Can you name ten most essential Masonic books? I no longer can. It’s been too long, have read too many, respected too many, and have reassessed the worth of too many others. Burned out. But if you can, Southern California Research Lodge wants to hear from you.

The lodge recently announced a poll, the results of which will be published in the September issue of its magazine Fraternal Review. From the publicity:

We are looking for the most essential Masonic books that have helped shape and influence the fraternity. The books that have opened your eyes to the depth and power of Masonic philosophy—or that inspired, moved, or encouraged you to seek further Light in Masonry. 

Please list the ten seminal books that you can think of as the most influential that you have owned. They can be both fiction and non-fiction, of any era, but they must be accessible in English. The only immutable requirement is that they must be about Freemasonry.

Other things to consider when making your nominations:

 ● Educational value: Do they shed light on Masonic philosophy, symbolism, ritual, traditions and/or practices?

 ● Historical significance: Are we still discussing or referencing the individual today?

 ● Esoteric or spiritual significance to Masonry: Do they open up the deeper levels of Masonic meanings?

 ● Inspirational value: Has the individual powerfully influenced Masons to a newfound appreciation toward our Craft?

 ● Cultural impact: Has it helped evolve Masonry or, perhaps, to diminish?

Click here for more information and to get started submitting your list.

     

‘Nepotism, patronage, and a Grand Master’

    

QCCC

Magpie coverage of the 250th anniversary celebration of American Union Lodge is forthcoming but, first, something in the mail.

Volume 138 of Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, the 2025 book of transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076, is reaching U.S. mailboxes. Bro. Ric Berman has a brief piece in the Notes & Queries section titled “The First Grand Master of and in New York.” This provides some intriguing biographical info and previously elusive context to the story of British Army Captain Richard Riggs, who was appointed Provincial Grand Master here on November 15, 1737.

(“In New York” is an allusion to Daniel Coxe, who was appointed Grand Master of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York—and who resided in New Jersey—in 1730.)

Riggs would serve until 1751 but, like Coxe before him, seems to have exercised no known Masonic authority. Except for several newspaper notices concerning a few meetings of a couple of lodges, there exists no information on the Craft’s existence in the Province of New York during his tenure.

Ric’s essay traces the nepotism and patronage that evidently fueled Riggs’ advancements in both the military and Masonry. (When the reader follows the connecting of those dots, he’ll be grateful for living in a society where no such naked inequity is possible!)

To receive AQC every year, simply join the QCCC ASAP.

     

‘Freemasonry “in” the Epstein Files’

    

The breathtaking lunacy of much anti-Masonry in social media generally should be avoided for health’s sake, but the typical “theories” I see prompted me to wonder if our Craft is mentioned in the scandalous “Epstein Files.”

I won’t waste your time with the common knowledge of who Jeffrey Epstein was or why his digital data are fodder for politics, law, media, and small talk. Suffice to say his notes, texts, emails, photos, videos, and other files are not only morbidly trendy, but they also speedily united a voyeuristic public in a manner that, in contrast, took the Kennedys many years.

The criminal Epstein was a generous benefactor to academia, particularly Harvard University. I imagine it’s possible he saw a chance of his name one day disgracing a building on The Yard. Fortunately, the only Epstein Library we’ll ever see is the so-named collection of his files as published here by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Among ethicists, there was reluctance to see these documents and images unveiled to the public because the average pitchfork-and-torch-wielding villager cannot grasp how a mere mention of someone’s name is not evidence of any crime. You being mentioned in an email, for example, does not mean you sent this email, received this email, were supposed to see it, or that you have any connection to any of the correspondents.

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, as you know, has been Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England since 1967. His name is mentioned in one February 2020 email that consists of several news articles, one of which, from a 2014 issue of the communist rag Morning Star, concerns allegations of pedophilia among Britain’s political leaders. At the bottom of the story is a non-sequitur about Freemasonry (“a shadowy organization full of men desperate for anonymity and forming a spider’s web of connections and mutual interests”) that suggests the Grand Master should launch an internal investigation to find child abusers.

For the kind of mentally confused X user who diurnally vents about the Freemasons, as alluded to above, this is direct evidence of whatever plot currently percolates in his limbic system. Meanwhile, the Grand Master has no idea what you’re talking about.

Plenty of other mentions of our fraternity in the government’s Epstein Library are redundant mentions in passing. The following benign excerpt appears in six Epstein Files:

Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, who founded osteopathy, was interested in phrenology, hypnotism, spiritism, magic. The reference book 10,000 Famous Freemasons (Vol. 4) outlines his Masonic career in Freemasonry. His writings include such Masonic phrases as “Great architect of the Universe.”

A March 2013 email sent to Epstein conveys an article in a Palestinian Authority periodical that says: “Our history is replete with lies, from lies about the corrupt [Caliph] Harun Al-Rashid, which ignore the sources indicating that he dedicated one year to pilgrimage [to Mecca] and one year to Jihad (i.e., he was a good Muslim), to the lie about Al-Qaeda and the Sept. 11 events, which asserted that Muslim terrorists committed it, and that it was not an internal American action by the Freemasons, which was mentioned in the Illuminati game cards ten years before it took place.”

An April 2014 email to Epstein from Terje Rød-Larsen, a Norwegian diplomat very much in the news in recent days, consists of a batch of nine news stories from The New York Times, The New Republic, The Daily Beast, and others. One, from The Washington Post, mentions how Freemasonry is named in the Hamas charter.

Another email, neither from nor to Epstein, and dating to a month before Epstein’s demise, delivers a variety of articles. Excerpted from one 2003 The News of the World story is:

A top Scottish Freemason, Former Grand Master Lord Burton, has said that Lord Cullen’s inquiry into the Dunblane massacre was a cover-up. Lord Burton says Cullen’s inquiry suppressed crucial information to protect high-profile legal figures. These high-profile legal figures may belong to a secretive ‘Super-Mason’ group called The Speculative Society. Lord Burton said: “I have learned of an apparent connection between prominent members of the legal establishment involved in the inquiry, and the secretive Speculative Society. The society was formed in Edinburgh University through Masonic connections so I accept that there might be a link by that route.”

I’m no lawyer, but I think we’re safe from the Epstein Files.

     

‘Tabbert tapped for MSA’

    

Somehow I knew Mark wouldn’t stay retired.

Congratulations to Mark Tabbert on being named the new Administrator of the Masonic Service Association of North America!

Mark left his longtime post at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial several years ago and relocated to his home state of Iowa. The MSANA left its longtime neighborhood in the District of Columbia a few years back for Cedar Rapids. Hell, maybe I’ll try the Hawkeye State too! Sounds like there’s something going on out there.

Originally the Masonic Service Association, it was established after the First World War to be the lone voice of Freemasonry in coordinating Masonic relief with the federal government for Masons in the military abroad. Not long thereafter, it became the publisher of the renowned educational periodical named the Short Talk Bulletin. In modern times, the MSANA is the locus of Masonic fundraising to aid victims of natural disasters. Learn more here, and be sure to scroll down to the Services menu at bottom.

Best wishes, Mark!

     

‘Academy to host Ric Berman in Philly’

    

Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge will bring Ric Berman to the lectern in April for a discussion of our fraternity and the founding of our nation—appropriately in Philadelphia! From the publicity:

Pennsylvania Academy

of Masonic Knowledge 

Saturday, April 25

Masonic Temple, Philadelphia

Dr. Richard “Ric” Berman

Freemasony’s Impact

on the Founding of America

Dr. Berman is a British historian who writes about the intersection of Freemasonry, politics and society. He has written four books on British and Irish Freemasonry, including The Foundations of Modern Freemasonry; Schism; and Espionage, Diplomacy & the Lodge; and three that explore American Freemasonry: Loyalists & Malcontents; From Roanoke to Raleigh; and The Grand Lodge of England & Colonial America – America’s Grand Masters.

Ric holds a Masters in Economics from the University of Cambridge and a Doctorate in History from the University of Exeter. His post-doctoral research was carried out at the University of Oxford’s Modern European History Research Centre and as a Visiting Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes. Born in London, Ric lives in Oxfordshire.

Following his presentation, a moderated panel discussion will be held with Dr. Berman, noted author B. Chris Ruli, and Tyler Vanice, Director of Collections at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.

     

‘Oscar nights: looking at early U.S. Masonic history’

    

Looks like Oscar’ll be busy on Thursdays.

In two weeks, Bro. Oscar Alleyne will attend Quatuor Coronati 2076 in London, where he is a lodge member, to present his paper “John Batt: Mercenary, Opportunist and Hero.” From the publicity:

Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076

Thursday, February 19 at 4 p.m.

“John Batt: Mercenary,

Opportunist and Hero”

Freemasons’ Hall, London

The paper explores the enigmatic personality of Sergeant John Batt, a member of military Lodge 441 under the Irish Constitution who is attributed with the creation of African Lodge 1. His initiation of Prince Hall and fourteen men of color enabled what is known today as Prince Hall Freemasonry. A comprehensive view of the facts surrounding John Batt and military Lodge 441 will be examined from the perspective of Batt’s actions as a mercenary, an opportunist and a “hero.” The research underlying this paper suggests that the currently accepted start date of African Lodge 1–and thus Prince Hall Freemasonry–is incorrect. Dr. Alleyne will provide evidence that will demonstrate that it was March 6, 1778, and not 1775, that was the trigger date. The paper is based on new research combined with a detailed examination of the early Prince Hall archives.

Oscar’s paper can be read in AQC 139 here. Please note that paper is in copyright.

If you were lucky, you heard Oscar present this a couple years ago at The ALR. A week later, he’ll be back at Masonic Hall to speak at the Livingston Library. From the publicity:

Chancellor Robert R. Livingston

Masonic Library

Thursday, February 26 at 6 p.m.

“Mark My Word! Building a New City”

Masonic Hall, Manhattan

A lesser-known, intriguing story of Masonic links to the establishment of the first city in the USA after the Revolutionary War for Independence. Brother Oscar Alleyne has been published in several widely distributed Masonic journals, participated as a keynote speaker in research and educational conferences on Freemasonry, and received multiple awards for his distinguished service to the Craft. He served as the Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of New York from 2018-21. He is the Senior Grand Warden for the Grand Council Allied Masonic Degrees of the United States of America and the President of the Grand Witan of the Masonic Order of Athelstan, USA. He was coroneted a 33º Scottish Rite Mason and is an Active Member of The American Lodge of Research, a member of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076, UGLE. He is a Fellow and First Vice President of the Philalethes Society as well as a past President and Fellow of the Masonic Society.

No cost for the lecture only. RSVP here! ​Priority seating for Friends of the Library!

     

‘Chris Ruli returns to New York’

    

Click to enlarge.

There is still time to buy your tickets to this event. Follow the instructions in the graphic above. You don’t want to miss Chris Ruli if you can get there.

     

‘The ALR on the road to Saugerties’

    

UPDATE: Due to snow in the forecast, our meeting is postponed to Saturday, May 9.

Ulster 193 is located at 19 Russell Street
in Saugerties.

The American Lodge of Research is going back on the road next month for a meeting way up in Ulster County.

We will meet jointly with Ulster Lodge 193 in Saugerties on Saturday, February 21. The details are being worked out, but anticipate a 10 a.m. opening. There probably will be two speakers presenting with a lunch break in-between.

The ALR has the freedom to travel about the State of New York for such purposes. In recent years, we’ve gone to West Point Lodge 877 and Dunwoodie Lodge 863. It’s a healthy tradition that I hope we continue. It’s hard to get everyone organized, so maybe it has to be a once-a-year effort, but it’s rewarding to get out of the city and meet new people. I’ve even been to Ulster Lodge before, not for a lodge meeting, but for a Cryptic Rite festival about four years ago. Hope to see you there.

     

‘Lost & Found: Robert Burns portrait’

    

The Scotsman

Dr. William Zachs, Director of Blackie House Library and Museum in Edinburgh, photographed with re-discovered portrait of Robert Burns by Henry Raeburn (left) and portrait of Robert Burns by Alexander Nasmyth, 1787 (right). Photo Credit Nick Mailer | NGS 

You’ve seen a like image practically every time you’ve read something about Scotland’s national poet and, just in time for the 267th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns today, news is breaking of the discovery of a copy—an elusive posthumously painted portrait of the poet.

In truth, this discovery occurred last year at an auction in England, where the contents of a house were sold off, when a Burns historian spotted it and wondered if it might be a long lost painting from more than two centuries ago. His bid of £68,000(!) proved to be a winning bet. The work underwent restoration; art historians confirmed its provenance; and, as of today, it hangs on display in the National Galleries of Scotland.

Ms. Jane Bradley, covering the arts and culture beat for The Scotsman, writes:

Commissioned in 1803—at a fee of 20 guineas—by the publishers Cadell & Davies, the painting was to be engraved for future editions of Burns’s books, but has not been seen since. In came up for auction in Wimbledon as part of a clearance of a house in Surrey… It has since been cleaned, and examined by experts, who confirm that it is, indeed, the lost [Sir Henry] Raeburn portrait.

James Holloway, former director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery from 1997 to 2012, said: “This is a once in a generation discovery: thrilling for lovers of both Burns and Raeburn.”

The original 1787 portrait of Burns was painted by the Edinburgh-born artist Alexander Nasmyth as part of a marketing strategy for the second edition of Burns’s breakthrough book, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. This painting, which is now recognised across the world, is part of Scotland’s national art collection. Painted seven years after Burns’ death aged 37, the newly-found portrait was to be based on the original painting by Nasmyth. Burns’s close friend Alexander Cunningham, the custodian of the Nasmyth painting, agreed to the project, with the condition that it was painted by Raeburn.

In 1924, T.C.F. Brotchie, the director of Glasgow Art Galleries and Museums, wrote that the painting’s discovery would be “an event bordering upon the sensational.” The two paintings will now be displayed alongside each other.

That twenty guineas? About five ounces of gold. Serious money.

     

‘How many Apprentices can dance on the head of a pin?’

    

Honestly, some guys look to be confounded.

This question was posed on Faceypage several weeks ago:

A good friend recently asked me the following great question: ‘Which is the correct reading? To learn to subdue my passions and improve myself in Masonry; or To learn, to subdue my passions, and improve myself in Masonry? One of my brothers brought this to my attention and I’m curious as to how different lodges put this into their ritual. It doesn’t change overall purpose, but is it two commands or three commands?’

You recognize the phrase from the Entered Apprentice Degree. In the Grand Lodge of New York, this appears in Part I of the Second Section. There is no ambiguity thanks to the absence of that first preposition, so it reads: “Learn to subdue my passions and improve myself in Masonry,” meaning there are two purposes, not three. In my previous grand lodge, the catechism does say “To learn to subdue my passions…” I’ve never seen a comma after “to learn” in any ritual text. I never knew this was a question anyone would ponder.

Sure, some of us came here to learn, but the Entered Apprentice is introduced to personal growth and new community, not formal education. Instruction in thinking, speaking, and understanding the world will come in the Second Degree.

Subduing the passions is not human nature; it must be cultivated through deliberation and diligent action. That’s why we, as Free and Accepted Masons, must learn to subdue our passions and improve ourselves. Instruction in subduing the passions is revealed in the discussion of the Four Cardinal Virtues and is symbolized by the Common Gavel working tool. Capisce?

From my initiation almost twenty-nine years ago, I understood “to learn to subdue my passions” to mean something like I must train to restrain the impulses of enmity and anger; to gain a victory over myself; to be not merely kind to men of virtue, but also be indulgent and reconcilable to the injurious. Thanks, Plutarch.

In his Parallel Lives, the second century biographer, writing of the ancient Greek philosopher Dion of Syracuse, puts these words in his mouth: “...by being long conversant in the academy, I have learned to subdue my passions, and to restrain the impulses of enmity and anger. To prove that I have really gained such a victory over myself, it is not sufficient merely to be kind to men of virtue, but to be indulgent and reconcilable to the injurious.” It is possible this 1770 translation is influenced by our ritual. And you see the Four Cardinal Virtues at work here.

As for a documented entry point of this idea into Masonic ritual, it helps to consult Masonry Dissected, that early ritual exposure from 1730, which gives us reliable insight into what the lectures of the degrees sounded like at that time. Please understand that a lecture in a degree back then was not the long monologue delivered from memory that most of us in America have today, but was in question-and-answer format, with the lodge Master asking the brethren in lodge, who took turns responding. (Also, you should know Q&A dialogue lives on in our candidate examinations and Opening and Closing ceremonies.)

Query three is: What do you come here to do? 

Answer:

Not to do my proper Will,

But to subdue my Passion still;

The Rules of Masonry in hand to take,

And daily Progress therein make.

It is safe to say Masonry Dissected reports how ritual worked during the 1720s, if not earlier, and I believe much of our thinking derives from Christian life in England, for which we’d delve further back for subduing the passions.

Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor (1613-67), the famous Anglican theologian, who wrote so poetically for the common man (he was called the Shakespeare of Divines), published The Worthy Communicant in 1660. This text instructs the faithful on receiving the Eucharist, and it ranks character and conduct over knowledge of the church’s laws.

He writes:

Thou givest thy self to be the food of our souls in the wonders of the Sacrament, in the faith of thy Word, in the blessings and graces of thy Spirit: Perform that in thy Servant, which thou hast prepared and effected in thy Son; strengthen my infirmities, heal my sicknesses; give me strength to subdue my passions, to mortifie my inordinations, to kill all my sin: increase thy Graces in my soul; enkindle a bright devotion; extinguish all the fires of hell, my lust and my pride, my envy, and all my spiritual wickednesses; pardon all my sins, and fill me with thy Spirit, that by thy Spirit thou maist dwell in me, and by obedience and love I may dwell in thee, and live in the life of grace till it pass on to glory and immensity, by the power and the blessings, by the passion and intercession of the Word incarnate; whom I adore, and whom I love, and whom I will serve for ever and ever.

This is too much for a reply to a Facebook post, but if Bro. Gilbert happens to see this, I hope it helps. Two commands, not three.