‘Naval Lodge 4 at the U.S. Capitol’

     

Naval Lodge 4

Worshipful Master Peter Rogers with the brethren

of Naval Lodge 4, FAAM, at the U.S. Capitol last night.

 
As reluctant as I am to inflame the Tinfoil Hat Crowd, I want to salute Naval Lodge 4 in the District of Columbia for hosting a meeting inside the U.S. Capitol last night.

You probably are wondering how, but it takes a personal connection to arrange such a thing.

(These photos are on social media, so I’m not betraying secrets in this edition of The Magpie Mason.)

Naval Lodge 4

Naval 4 typically meets in a building on Pennsylvania Avenue, about half a mile east of Capitol Hill, so they didn’t even have to leave the neighborhood.

For this special occasion, the lodge hosted Bro. Chris Ruli, author of the new book Brother Lafayette, a chronicle of the French freedom fighter’s tour of the United States in 1824-25.

As an aside, yesterday was the 200th anniversary of Lafayette’s visit to George Washington’s grave. On Mount Vernon’s website, we read:

When Lafayette returned for his grand tour of the United States in 1824 at the invitation of President Monroe, he briefly stopped at Mount Vernon again to pay his respects. It was later recounted that Lafayette visited Washington’s tomb alone and returned to his party with tears in his eyes.

Naval Lodge 4

The brethren in the Rotunda beneath John Trumbull’s General George Washington Resigning His Commission, the 12x18 oil on canvas painted 1822-24.

Well done, brethren! Excellent.

     

‘Lafayette hath come to us now in his fulness of fame’

    

Réunion des musées nationaux

Two hundred years ago today—and at this very minute—New York’s Freemasons were hosting and toasting their historic Brother, the Marquis de Lafayette. The last surviving general of the American Revolution was invited to the United States by the Masonic Order to be a “Guest of the Nation” for a valedictory tour in the autumn of his life.

He had landed at New York the previous month and traveled New York and New England, enthralling cheering crowds all throughout. He returned to Manhattan before continuing travels that would extend well into 1825 and would encompass all twenty-four states.

Bro. Chris Ruli released his second book last month; Brother Lafayette recounts the Masonic details of the historic tour. I haven’t seen it yet, but I aim to buy a copy next Thursday when Chris comes to the Livingston Library for a talk. But, on Monday, September 20, 1824, a grand banquet of more than 500 Freemasons was hosted at a place named Washington Hall, located on Broadway at Reade Street. In lieu of Chris’ book, I turn to Lafayette: Guest of the Nation, which consists of contemporaneous local newspaper reportage, and was compiled and edited by Edgar Ewing Brandon and published in 1957. Quoting the September 21, 1824 edition of The Evening Post, the book says:

Masonic Dinner to La Fayette

Yesterday afternoon in consequence of previous arrangements, General La Fayette partook of a dinner at Washington Hall, to which he had been invited by the Grand Lodge of this State. From 5 to 600 of the Craft, decorated with their sacred symbols, were present.

Language is inadequate to give a correct description of the scene. On entering the room, we found ourselves in the midst of a magnificent temple, at the upper end of which was raised a vaulted pavilion, the canopy supported by marble columns, the front arch decorated with laurel and flowers; at the center of which was a brilliant illuminated star.

In the rear of the pavilion, and immediately behind the General, was a beautiful transparency, emblematic of Masonry. The floor was here raised about two feet from the level of the room, on which was placed a circular table, extending from column to column, and garnished in the most splendid style with temples and candle branches of great magnitude and exquisite beauty. At this table was seated the General, and the Right Worshipful Grand Masters and Wardens.

Immediately opposite, and at the other end of the room, was a splendid alcove, having in the center a fine transparent painting, representing the Genius of America, elevated on a pedestal, and holding in each hand a wreath. On one side of the pedestal was a fine and well executed full length likeness of WASHINGTON, and on the other a similar likeness of LA FAYETTE, both in Masonic costume, and joining their hands in brotherly friendship. On the front was inscribed “Veritas et Lux”—Truth and Light. At the bottom was a plow, sheaf of wheat, &c.

The whole of this group was placed within a circular colonnade of thirteen columns, and around the columns were entwined the names of 76 distinguished patriots of the Revolution. On the top of each column was a letter, the combination of which formed the motto “E Pluribus Unum.”

The front of the alcove presented two columns supporting an arch, at the center of which was a star of variegated lamps. At the piers opposite the door of entrance, was hung full length likenesses of Washington and Hamilton, both looking towards the pavilion, painted in oil, and in elegant carved and gilt frames, ornamented by appropriate trophies. Over these two pictures was a transparent rainbow.

Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library, GLNY

Between the columns of the pavilion and the alcove were four other columns, supporting hemispheres, and uniting at the head of the room, where was fixed a large resplendent sun, its center formed of convex looking-glass, which reflected the different objects below in all directions, and produced a very sublime effect. Eight immense chandeliers of cut glass were suspended from the ceiling, and a vast number of lamps and candles were distributed throughout the temple, which sent forth an inconceivable blaze of light.

Over the door of the entrance was an extensive bower of evergreens, suspended to the branches of which was a transparent atmosphere with the words “Lafayette, the Friend of Freedom, and Benefactor of Mankind.” Within this bower were seated the musicians, entirely hid from the view of the company.

Down the interior of this immense temple, a space of about 80 feet in length, were placed six tables, besides the two at the top and bottom, which were laid out in the most splendid style and loaded with all the delicacies and elegancies that could be procured, and arranged in a manner which reflects great credit on Mr. McIntyre, the keeper of the House, who appears to have exerted himself, particularly on this interesting occasion, to give entire satisfaction to the brotherhood.

The decorations under the general superintendence of the Committee were got up by Mr. Andrews; the transparencies, by Mr. Reinagale and Mr. Herring; the oil paintings by Stewart and Trumbull; and the joiner work by Mr. Newcomb.

During the dinner, several appropriate toasts were given, a list of which we have not yet received. The following song, written for the occasion by a well known native bard at the special request of the Committee of Arrangements, was sung by Mr. Keene, and received with great applause.

FAYETTE’S RETURN

TUNE: “Anacreon in Heaven”

The hero hath come in the eve of his day,

To the land where he planted the tree of his glory,

And warmly that land doth her gratitude pay,

And long shall she cherish his name in her story;

Each heart springs to meet him In triumph he moves Midst the men who adore him,

The men whom he loves

And the stars of our banner in darkness shall set,

Ere oblivion gather the wreath of FAYETTE.

He hath come to us now in his fulness of fame,

And proudly we claim him our friend and our brother,

For he guarded the altar of freedom whose flame

Oppressions fierce minions all vainly would smother;

He bled in our cause

With our fathers of old,

When their flag of defiance

They sternly unrolled—

And ne’er shall the sons of such heroes forget

The friend of their fathers, the gallant FAYETTE.

Following the reprint of this description of the Masonic banquet, the Commercial Advertiser in the issue of September 23, printed also the address of the Worshipful Master of the Grand Lodge. No newspaper consulted published a list of the toasts. The following is the address of the M.W. Grand Master, Martin Hoffman, to Gen. La Fayette, on his entering the Grand Lodge:

This book’s title page.

BROTHER LA FAYETTE—Your return to the United States has rekindled the recollections of the surviving warriors and patriots of our revolution, and the joy which pervades every heart evinces the deep gratitude of all our citizens. Permit us, your Masonic Brethren, to join the general voice of gladness, to offer you the hand of friendship, to welcome you among us, and to express the warmest sentiments of brotherly love. We receive you with pride and exultation; we hail you as a BROTHER and PHILANTHROPIST; we cherish you in our hearts as a patron of our order.

To the names of WASHINGTON, LIVINGSTON, CLINTON, and other distinguished Masons of our country who have shed a luster on our institution, who have presided over our labors, who have patronized our assemblies, we now, with heartfelt gratification, record in our annals, the presence and name of LA FAYETTE.

To which the General made the following reply:

Most Worshipful Grand Master, and beloved Brethren—I am happy in your affectionate welcome; I am proud of the high confidential honors you have conferred, and purpose farther to confer upon me. Our Masonic institution owes a double luster to those who have cherished, and to those who have persecuted it. Let both glories, equal in my opinion, be the pride of every member of our fraternity, until universal freedom insures to us universal justice.

As already noted, Lafayette was eager to reach the Federal Capital—“the seat of government.” He had been apprized that extensive preparations were making in Philadelphia and Baltimore for his reception in those cities which would consume many days. He had been detained in New York by the repeated postponements of the Castle Garden Fête, and this, in turn, necessitated a delay in the trip up the Hudson and undue haste in the receptions in the several towns along the river that had invited him to make them a visit. Even this excursion was so hurried that his short stay in various towns was a disappointment to the inhabitants and an embarrassment to himself.

Visit the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library of the Grand Lodge of New York here to see all thirty toasts.

I assume this banquet took place at this very hour two centuries ago because they would want to make greatest use of the daylight, and because the night did not end when the feast concluded. After the festivities, Lafayette and entourage took in a show.

Royal Shakespeare Company

From this summer’s production
of The School for Scandal.

They adjourned to the Park Theatre to see The School for Scandal, starring a Mr. Barnes as Sir Peter Teazel. This theater was a major venue in its day. Built in 1798, it stood for fifty years at 23 Park Row, right outside City Hall Park, with its 2,000 seats. It burned down December 16, 1848, by which time the theater district had migrated uptown to the Washington Square area.

Amazingly, the Royal Shakespeare Company staged The School for Scandal at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon this summer! It closed two weeks ago. The RSC says:

RSC

After Shakespeare but long before Bridgerton, there was The School for Scandal, Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s brilliantly biting comedy of manners in five acts. This new production—styled to the nines with period flair—promises an exuberant feast of big wigs and even bigger laughs. 1770s London, where the aristocracy’s morals have plunged lower than the necklines on the women’s gowns. The vicious Lady Sneerwell enjoys ruining reputations for pleasure, and her latest target is the young bachelor Charles Surface—why should this pretentious little rake inherit his uncle’s fortune? Together with Charles’ conniving brother Joseph, Sneerwell orchestrates an elaborate scheme of intrigue and infidelity that’s sure to ruffle all the right feathers—hopefully.

My original plan for tonight was to bring The American Lodge of Research to host an anniversary dinner either in that neighborhood or maybe half a mile north at Le Coucou on Lafayette Street. It was too difficult to plan, frankly. It’s a busy time, particularly with fêtes Lafayette. Maybe in 2074, eh?

Click here to keep track of New York Freemasonry’s many celebrations of the Lafayette Bicentenary.

Bon week-end!

     

‘Our “cult of the Enlightenment”’

    

Historia Ecclesiastica

Can you imagine going through life thinking the Enlightenment was a period of darkness? That must be like having a perpetual headache. I picture a Gumby from Monty Python. Yet this is the psychology revealed, without any hesitation, mental reservation, etc. on YouTube’s Historia Ecclesiastica channel, which lately has been commenting on Freemasonry in the same exasperating way and manner we would expect from those blinded by their dogma.

Python (Monty) Pictures

From the podcast’s name, we can deduce Historia Ecclesiastica purports to present the history of the Roman Catholic Church (I’ll guess the title comes from Eusebius), but without watching all of its videos, I am going to surmise that it, in fact, does not candidly explore the entire history of the Church. And I’ll let that go at that.

Historia Ecclesiastica

On Freemasonry, the allegations in one slog of a video are formed by the usual sloppy errors and ignorance, but with this difference: Supposedly there is something called “The Alta Vendita” that host Daniel Sute claims is some kind of movement of Freemasons working toward “the final destruction of Catholicism and even of the Christian idea.” Have you ever heard of this? I’ve never heard of it, and I’ve been reading and writing about Freemasonry with some regularity for more than a quarter of a century. That doesn’t mean I know everything about Freemasonry, but if there existed a Masonic plot to destroy Catholicism and all Christianity, I think I might have heard of it by now. Yes, I checked my spam folder. Besides, there are fewer than two million Freemasons in the world versus one billion Catholics, so I think they’re safe. (You neo-Templars out there should pay attention to this.)

Here are several of the lame mistakes Sute provides his gullible audience:

✔︎ He thinks stonemason guilds of medieval times were bricklayers. He has no understanding of ashlar masonry and consequently does not know Freemasonry’s moral building metaphor based on the squaring of stones. Without this most basic grasp of what Freemasonry is about, he is unqualified to run his mouth about us.

✔︎ He repeatedly says Freemasonry is a religion. He ignores the overall purpose of post-1717 Freemasonry is to unite men of all kinds of religious backgrounds which, in 1717, was a completely new idea in the West. And everywhere else.

✔︎ He can’t even pronounce “Augustine,” mistakenly saying it the way one gives the name of the Florida city! He cannot pronounce “Desaguliers,” but I’ll grant him that.

✔︎ He mistakes “affront” for “a front.”

✔︎ In discussing “Jewish world domination,” which he graciously concedes is without evidence, he gives the title of the notorious book as “Protocols of the Elder Zion.”

William Blake’s The Ancient of Days is the frontispiece of his book Europe, a Prophecy from 1794. The British Museum says it depicts ‘a bearded nude male (probably Urizen) crouching in a heavenly sphere, its light partially covered by clouds; his left arm holding a pair of compasses and reaching down with them, measuring the surrounding darkness.’

✔︎ Very stupidly, he displays William Blake’s The Ancient of Days, and says it is “kind of a disturbing image—a weird image—this is a Masonic depiction of their vision of god.”

✔︎ He thinks Albert Mackey’s name is “Mackley” and Manly Hall’s name is “Manley.”

✔︎ He says “lodges typically have thirty-three degrees.” He calls the Royal Arch Degree the “Royal Arch Decree.”

✔︎ He mispronounces “Weishaupt” as something like “wash up,” but I’ll grant him that one too.

✔︎ He—yawn—dredges up the old Pike/Lucifer thing.

Decades ago in journalism, I was told—and it was said only once—that if you cannot get names correct, then your reader has no reason to trust anything else you say. This is something Mr. Sute needs to understand. He is a fifth grade teacher at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School in Farmington, Michigan, and he probably should stick to that. He can propagandize ten-year-olds with impunity, but showing off to the public his ignorance and inability to undertake basic research does him no favors. Then again, reading the comments on this video reveals who his audience is.

His real failure is evident in “The Greatest Danger of the Freemasons,” where the biggest canard in a one-hour clown show is Sute’s citing of the Carbonari as a Masonic group. It is in the final minutes that Alta Vendita finally is addressed. What was the Carbonari? Writing in 1908 as chairman of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario’s Correspondence Committee, MW Henry Robertson, who had served as Grand Master in 1886-88, explains:

While there is no doubt that societies of the same name existed in Europe in the eighteenth century, the Carbonari proper first came into prominence about the year 1808. The Carbonari (Italian: Carbonaro, charcoal maker) had no direct connection with Masonry, but a large number of its forms were borrowed from that source. It was in Italy, toward the close of the Napoleonic wars, that this society first began to assume importance. In 1808, the Republicans, disgusted alike with the Bourbons and Napoleonists, retired to the mountain resorts of the Abruzzi and Calabria. In this latter region, charcoal burning was the chief industry of the poorer classes, and these Republicans, forming themselves into a secret society, borrowed their phraseology in numerous instances. Thus a lodge was called a baracca (a hut), an ordinary meeting a vendita (or sale), while an important meeting was alta vendita, all well known terms in the charcoal burning industry. The Carbonari were Christian, but anti-Papal, and borrowed their rites from that religion; thus Christ the Lamb, as the victim of tyranny, put to death by the wolf, gave them their watchword. There were four grades of the Carbonari, with Alta Vendita at Naples and Salermo. These two latter lodges tried to exercise authority over the rest, but failed in their efforts.

Coaxed to join the Bourbons, the Carbonari were driven back to their mountain fastnesses by King Murat, and their leader, Capobianco, was treacherously betrayed and put to death. A few years later they helped to overthrow the French power in Naples, but Ferdinand, when once in power, proved false to them and refused them permission to establish their lodges in Naples, as they had previously done in Sicily under English supremacy. Enraged at this treachery, they conspired against the Bourbon Government, and rapidly formed lodges all over Italy. They were the prime movers in several rebellions that took place about this time. The Neapolitan revolution of 1820, the disturbances in the Papal States the same year, and the Piedmontese revolution in 1821 can all be traced to them. Originally composed of members of the lower classes, about this time they obtained thousands of recruits from all classes of society. Army officers, students, artists, and even priests flocked to their standard, and their numbers are said to have reached 700,000. So strong did they become that, at last, Austria became alarmed and the military power of this nation was called in to crush them. Though still remaining active until 1831, they never fully recovered from this setback, and most of their numbers were swallowed up by the society of “Young Italy,” founded by Mazzini.

In 1820, the Carbonari took root in France, where their organization was much more perfect. A Supreme Council, presided over by the great Lafayette, and a complete hierarchy of societies, by which the will of the Chief was handed on from the highest to the most remote lodge. Attempting to raise an insurrection in 1821 at Belfort, LaRochelle, and other places, they were promptly suppressed and suffered terribly, but owing to the wonderful fidelity of the members, only those immediately connected with the revolution could be punished. The Carbonari still continued to take an active part in all revolutionary matters till 1831, when, after helping in the July revolution of that year, the majority of its members associated themselves with the government of Louis Philippe. Dating from this time the society became practically extinct.

So you see why the Catholic Church wouldn’t like the Carbonari, but to claim the Carbonari is Freemasonry and to blame Freemasonry today for what the Carbonari thought, said, and did two centuries ago is a totalitarian method of accusing and convicting.

Python (Monty) Pictures

I guess we should expect the Spanish Inquisition.

He calls on Freemasonry to end its secrecy by disclosing to the public all of its rituals and meeting minutes. Sure thing. Right after the Vatican does likewise.

Actually, Mr. Sute, I don’t like the idea of you teaching young children (or anyone else). You are an ignoramus, and your contrived libels against Freemasonry work only on your fellow idiots. I’d recommend authors like Joseph Fort Newton and Carl Claudy to you, but you wear blinders on your brain, which is what fanaticism is all about.

Historia Ecclesiastica

To his credit, Sute does state that Freemasonry is not Christian. Freemasonry is not aligned with any religion (except the Scandinavian grand lodges, which have a different idea).

His other videos include “How Modern Art Caused World War I” and “Mother Was a Red.”

     

‘Lafayette at the Livingston Library’

    

If you are active at all in New York Freemasonry, you have at least heard about our celebration of the bicentenary of Bro. Lafayette’s history-making tour of the United States, a lengthy visit to all twenty-four states that was prompted by our fraternity to honor the last surviving general of the Revolutionary War. In fact, celebrations are happening around the country now, plus a book by Chris Ruli, published just this week, chronicles Lafayette’s progress from east to west, and from north to south, and back again.

Chris will be the Livingston Library’s guest lecturer, presenting his findings one night next month. From the publicity:

Chancellor Robert R. Livingston

Masonic Library

Live Lecture Series

Thursday, September 26 at 7:30 p.m.

“Lafayette & The Mystic Tie”

RSVP here

Join Chris Ruli as we examine the Marquis de Lafayette’s legacy with Freemasonry and his fraternal activities during his final American tour. 

The presentation is based on Ruli’s new book Brother Lafayette, copies of which will be available at the presentation.

Chris Ruli is a historian and researcher on early American Freemasonry and its often-overlooked relationship with politics and culture. He is an associate director of the Scottish Rite Research Society, Third Vice-President of the Philalethes Society, and a researcher at the House of the Temple in Washington, DC.

The Library will host this discussion in Masonic Hall’s Ionic Room on the sixth floor. Photo ID is required to enter the building.

     

‘Brother Lafayette is coming!’

    

UPDATE: The book will ship August 19.

Okay, it’s getting close, so now is the right time to order a copy of Chris Ruli’s new book Brother Lafayette.

Macoy Masonic Supply Co. is the publisher, so click here. Or click here to obtain a copy signed by the author. Inscribed even!

(Mine will read: To the Magpie Mason—America’s third best Masonic blogger!)

The bicentennial celebration of Bro. Lafayette’s farewell tour of the United States is near, so having a single compendium chronicling the legend’s travels, from his landing at New York and through his sojourns across the then twenty-four states, is vital to understanding this thankful nation’s and our panegyric fraternity’s heartfelt honors.

Disclosure: I have not read Brother Lafayette yet, but I will because I want to know the bases for this anniversary bash that is almost upon us.

Bro. Chris will be busy with speaking engagements this fall and into 2025. Be sure to catch him. He’ll be with us at The American Lodge of Research next March on Monday the 31st.

     

‘Lafayette arrive’

    

Lafayette is coming.

More accurately, the celebration of the bicentennial of Marquis de La Fayette’s farewell tour of the United States is coming to fruition, as tangible plans are on paper to guide us through multiple events around the State of New York.

He was a Freemason, as you know—that’s why we’re going to party—but if you don’t know, be on the lookout for Chris Ruli’s book Brother Lafayette this summer.

In the meantime, bookmark this Craftsmen Online page for current information on the upcoming events from Manhattan to Schenectady.

     

‘Jerusalem Amity’s 225th anniversary’

    

Happy 225th anniversary to Jerusalem Amity Chapter 8 of Royal Arch Masons in New York City!

It was on this date in 1799 when Jerusalem Chapter was set to labor downtown in a tavern at the corner of today’s Hanover and Beaver streets. Jerusalem Chapter was where Lafayette was made a Royal Arch Mason during his 1824 visit to the city. We’ll hear a lot more about that come September.

(Plans are being drawn upon the trestleboard for a statewide celebration of that bicentenary. The plotters enjoyed an amazing Zoom conference last night.)

Click on the video uploaded to YouTube several hours ago, and join EHP Anthony for a celebratory libation.

     

‘Fête Lafayette’

    

Chuck Schwam, Executive Director of The American Friends of Lafayette.

YouTube was abuzz last night with talk of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. Bro. Lafayette, as you and I might know him.

First, on the American Revolution Institute’s channel, Mr. Chuck Schwam, Executive Director of The American Friends of Lafayette, discusses Lafayette’s farewell tour of America of 1824-25, and of the American Friends’ plans to celebrate the bicentenary nationwide with multiple events, including a banquet at the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia. The partying will begin in August here in New York City. Click here.

“The Masons and the Society of the Cincinnati were important because they came out in droves when Lafayette came around,” he says. “In fact, I don’t know if Lafayette would have come to America if he wasn’t a Mason, so the Masons are very much involved with our bicentennial events.”

Eye-popping history from Bro. Ruli.

Also, Bro. Chris Ruli, author of the upcoming Brother Lafayette, due out in August, appeared on the Masonic Roundtable podcast to reveal some of the research that comprises his book, some of which will surprise you, such as Lafayette not being welcome to participate in Paris’ official mourning of George Washington’s death—plain political snubbing of the hero.

Budget a couple of hours to enjoy both videos.

     

‘Festive Board at Lafayette’s Royal Arch chapter’

    

Another Royal Arch “Bring-a-Brother Night” is coming! Jerusalem Amity Chapter 8, where Lafayette was made a Royal Arch Mason, is planning one for later this month. From the publicity:

On Tuesday, February 13, Jerusalem Amity Chapter 8 invites all Master Masons and Royal Arch Companions to join us for our 225th Anniversary “Companion Bring a Friend Night.” This will be a chapter-style festive board at 8:30 p.m. in Masonic Hall’s Jacobean Room on the eighth floor. Dress Code: Masonic.

The night will consist of toasts, talks, feasting, Light, and fellowship. If you are interested in joining us, please RSVP here.

For close to 225 years, JA8 has been actively involved in New York City Masonic, and in the larger, global, community. An example is demonstrated by the Holy Royal Arch ceremony with Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette almost 200 years ago, an event we intend to celebrate in September.

     

‘The Hero of Two Worlds’

    

I can’t remember where in Masonic Hall this hangs. Corinthian?

“Insurrection is the most sacred of rights and the most indispensable of duties.”

— Lafayette

On this date in 1834, Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier Marquis de La Fayette died in Paris at age 76. His remains are interred in the city at Cimetiere de Picpus—beneath soil shipped from Bunker Hill, such was the import of his role in the American War of Independence and vice versa.

That he championed the American cause, not only to smite the enemy British Empire, but to make manifest the Americans’ philosophy of individual liberty and national freedom was extremely counterintuitive for a French nobleman, if you think about his station in life. And his fighting for the Continental Army didn’t even put him in good standing when revolution, originally in the name of republicanism, was unleashed in his homeland, although it at least saved his life. In fact he lived to see various leaders and different forms of French government rise and fall, until the July Monarchy. Government troops slaughtered a crowd of civilians in April 1834. Lafayette was dead a month later. He is remembered as “The Hero of Two Worlds.”

Outside, appropriately, Colonial on 10.

Masonic historians are frustrated by the absence of a record of his initiation into the fraternity, but when he arrived in America in 1777, his Masonic membership was a given. I would say he is France’s most celebrated Freemason, at least in the eyes of American Masons. He was a Royal Arch Companion in Jerusalem Chapter 8 in New York City, as well as a Cerneau Scottish Rite 33rd Degree Mason.

(I’m assuming it’s pure coincidence, but the New York City Parks Department chose today to power wash Union Square Park’s Lafayette statue, titled “Lafayette Arriving in America,” made by Bro. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, of Statue of Liberty fame, and dedicated in 1873.)

His famous return to the United States in 1824 consisted of a tour of all the states in the country, with Masonic celebrations along the route. The Grand Lodge of Delaware received him in 1824 and made him an Honorary Member the following year. Also in ’24, Lafayette visited the brethren in Maine and New Jersey and Maryland (another Honorary Membership there). In 1825, he was feted in South Carolina, Louisiana, Illinois, and, with another Honorary Membership, in Tennessee. Many lodges around the United States have been named in his honor.

Lafayette Lodge 27 photo

Last month Grand Master Richard Kessler led a party to a neighboring jurisdiction where its Lafayette Lodge held a ceremony to unveil a marker on The Lafayette Trail, which denotes the path of his historic tour. The New Yorkers brought with them an apron affiliated with the French hero for display that day.

Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Library photo

Click here for more on his Masonic history.

     

‘Tuesday morning news’

     
Magpie coverage of the stellar lecture on Plato’s Divided Line at the School of Practical Philosophy Saturday night is still to come, but in the meantime I just want to throw out some news briefs from the past few days.

First up, let’s all congratulate Adam Kendall on his election to membership in Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076! Amazing! (This isn’t the Correspondence Circle. This is the actual lodge—“the premiere lodge of Masonic research in the world,” etc., etc.)

I bet he doesn’t even read The Magpie Mason anymore, but that’s okay. Once you attain such exalted heights, everything changes. So I am told.

Courtesy @davisshaver

‘The Bond’

On Saturday, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania unveiled a pair of bronze statues of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin on the sidewalk outside its headquarters Masonic Temple in Philadelphia. Named “The Bond,” they depict Washington showing his Masonic apron, that he received as a gift from Lafayette, to Franklin. The actual apron is exhibited inside the building, in the museum. The statues themselves are a gift from Shekinah-Fernwood Lodge 246, which meets in the Temple. They are the creation of James West. Check out his most impressive website here.

Courtesy Ashmolean Museum

Sunday night I wrote a short essay on the early history of Freemasonry that might be published somewhere, and I included not only the inevitable mention of Elias Ashmole and his initiation into the fraternity in 1646, but also mentioned his bequest that created Oxford University’s museum of art and archaeology, the Ashmolean. And just by coincidence, today is the anniversary of its opening day in 1683. It is the first university museum. Happy anniversary!


I have been writing here about Henry David Thoreau several times of late in this bicentennial year of his birth. Last Friday, the Morgan Library and Museum—a stunning place to visit—opened its exhibition “This Ever New Self: Thoreau and His Journal.” This collection of unpublished writings dwarfs his published work in volume, and gives far more insight into Thoreau the man. More than 100 items have been assembled for this exhibit. It will close September 10. Click here.


Next week, on Thursday the 15th, the Spiridon Arkouzis Lecture Series in Masonic Studies will continue with Iván Boluarte being hosted by the Tenth Manhattan District to present “Pre-Columbian Builders.” Seven o’clock at Masonic Hall in 1530. Photo ID to enter the building, etc.


And finally, and returning to the School of Practical Philosophy (12 East 79th Street), it is having a book sale, and some recordings have been added to the inventory on sale. From the publicity:

Courtesy School of Practical Philosophy

JUST ADDED: Select recorded-lecture titles on sale at a 20 percent discount in our wonderful Get Ready for Summer Sale.

Plan ahead and stock up to make your summer an enlightening and enjoyable break. Consider books and CDs as treasured gifts to pass on to friends and family.

During this event, a large portion of our inventory is sale priced at a 20 percent discount and recorded lectures have just been added. Subject areas included: scripture, philosophy, history, language, government, literature, and economics.

Discounted titles will be sold as long as inventory remains, but we suggest you make your choices early since availability may be limited.

Note: Items cannot be put on hold or reserved by anyone for purchase. Sale applies only to the Bookstore in our New York City location.
     

‘l’Hermione aux U.S.A., Part II’

     
Last night was the highly anticipated lecture at Masonic Hall by Bro. Alain de Keghel of France, who spoke on the friendship and camaraderie between two eminent Freemasons of centuries past: Lafayette and Washington. Bro. Alain is one of the organizers of the visit of the Hermione replica to the United States and Canada underway now. The ship will arrive in New York City in about ten days.

Alain de Keghel, Martin Kanter, and Misha at Alain’s lecture last night, in conjunction with the arrival July 1 of the replica ship Hermione to New York City, of which Alain is one of the organizers.

It was an eagerly received talk, and it was great to see friendly faces in the audience. It all came about last month, when Bro. Marty Kanter attended the World Conference on Fraternalism, Freemasonry, and History in Paris, and met Bro. Alain, one of the presenters. The event last night concluded and we exited the Ionic Room at about 7:30, at which time I took a short walk to 12th Street to catch a movie. A French movie titled In the Name of My Daughter. Long story short: It is a drama based on real people and events concerning a shady business deal and the apparent murder of an heiress on the French Riviera. In one scene, the sketchy lawyer who would become the murder suspect is asked how he knows the local mafia boss. “He is a Freemason,” he says, “from a different lodge.”

It’s important to network.

Much of the audience at the lecture last night.

The Summer Solstice is here! Saint John’s Day is near. Have a great one.
     

‘l’Hermione aux U.S.A.’

     

You didn’t think the Hermione would visit New York City without some Masonic commemoration, did you?

It’s a replica of Lafayette’s ship actually, making the voyage from Port des Barques, whence Lafayette came in the spring of 1780, to the New World, making twelve stops along the East Coast—from Yorktown to Nova Scotia—today through July 18, including a July 1-4 stay at the South Street Seaport. Click here for the New York schedule of events.

Courtesy hermione2015.com

One of the organizers of this celebration of Franco-American history is a Freemason from France, who will be a guest speaker at Masonic Hall later this month. From the publicity:

A Lecture by Ill. Alain de Keghel, 33°

Saturday, June 20

Six O’Clock

Masonic Hall, Ionic Room

71 West 23rd Street

New York City

Alain de Keghel

Ill. Keghel will give a talk on Franco-American relations, focusing on Washington, Lafayette, and other historical figures who helped America win independence. Keghel is a well-known and highly respected author and speaker. He also is instrumental in the upcoming visit of the replica of the Hermione, the ship that brought Lafayette to the United States in 1780. Space is limited.


Bro. Keghel is the author of Two Centuries of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in France, 1804-2004; Freemasonry in North America; and the newly published The Challenge of American Masonry: A Strong Tradition Facing Changes, among other titles.

You may be interested in an exhibit now open through December of next year at Fraunces Tavern Museum titled Lafayette, which features twenty Lafayette-related historical objects owned by the museum, including the Marquis’ pistols and the general’s sash he wore, and bled on, at the Battle of Brandywine.

Courtesy Fraunces Tavern Museum