‘Cole’s Constitutions?’

    

Donald-Kern paper

Benjamin Cole’s Constitutions actually was printed in 1729, but was ‘prepared in advance of Lord Kingston’s installation as Grand Master in December 1728,’ according to Ian Donald’s and Marshall Kern’s paper. (Interestingly, Kingston would become Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ireland a few years later.)

I learned of something Sunday night during a Zoom meeting of the Masonic Library and Museum Association. It arose from a side comment during a discussion about, of all things, insurance.

My own role during the meeting was to reveal the embryonic flatplan of the newsletter I’ll start producing for the association this month. That took two minutes and then we continued through the agenda. It was during a conversation about having valuables professionally appraised and insured that this unexpected gift materialized.

Bro. Ian Donald, Grand Librarian of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, mentioned how his library could not arrange insurance on irreplaceable treasures, such as its copy of Cole’s Constitutions.

My senses heightened—as whenever I suddenly detect the aroma of a Cavendish pipe mixture.

Cole’s Constitutions?

An interrupting question about it would have been untimely, so I jotted the name in my notes to look it up later. One item we find through a simple Google search is the paper “Benjamin Cole’s 1728 Constitutions: a footnote to Masonic history” written by the same Ian Donald and Ontario Grand Historian Marshall Kern (also in the Zoom meeting), with additional material by Ric Berman.

Find that here on Quatuor Coronati 2076’s Inventing the Future website.

Donald-Kern paper

“Benjamin Cole is relatively well known,” say the authors. “He was almost certainly born in Oxford, and lived and worked in Oxford and London. He was the first of three generations of the Cole family to work not only as engravers and printers, but also as official engravers to the Grand Lodge of England.”

“Cole’s 1728/9 Constitutions were reprinted in 1731 but the book failed to achieve widespread acceptance,” they also report. “It is relatively easy to understand why. Cole’s Constitutions harks back to the medieval Old Charges, including a duty ‘to be true to the King and the Lord that they serve,’ and a recital of principally operative obligations. It is in many respects at some distance from the Enlightenment principles and enjoinments expounded by Desaguliers, Payne, and Anderson in the 1723 Constitutions, and almost a regression towards the past rather than a pivot on which Freemasonry turned to the future.”

Donald-Kern paper

I want to see the book if for no other reason than to have ‘The Fairy Elves Song.’

A terrific paper about what sounds like an absorbing oddity. Check it out and maybe win a drink in a bet at the bar after a meeting sometime.

My thanks to Bro. Ian for mentioning it the other night.

     

‘MLMA elects new leaders'

    

MLMA photo

The newly reorganized leadership team at the Masonic Library and Museum Association. From left: Secretary Tyler Vanice, Vice President Dirk Hughes, President Glenn Visscher, and Treasurer Eric Trosdahl. The association held its annual meeting Saturday at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.

A few of us in attendance at New Jersey’s research lodge Saturday (see post below) also very much wanted to be at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial for the annual meeting of the Masonic Library and Museum Association, but we haven’t the seniority in the fraternity to use the transporter, thus missing the peaceful transfer of power there.

Speaking of New Jersey, Glenn Visscher is the MLMA’s new president. Glenn and his family created the Museum of Masonic Culture at the Scottish Rite Valley of Northern New Jersey about twenty years ago. The museum was relocated to the Trenton Masonic Temple twelve years ago and it is a very well rounded repository of material culture with regalia and memorabilia from across the Masonic spectrum, plus artifacts from early New Jersey Masonry, and a lot more. There also is a library—not a research library, but a sizable collection of books that can help a history lover get going down the path.

Tyler Vanice, the now immediate past president, is the new secretary. Dirk Hughes, of the Michigan Masonic Museum and Library, is vice president. Eric Trosdahl remains as treasurer. I think he’s been treasurer for about fifteen years.

Congratulations to all! I’m looking forward to whatever might be in store in the coming year.

     

‘MLMA to talk Quarry Project’

    

UPDATE: September 2–Change of plans! Meeting will not be in person, but via Zoom. Details TBA.

The Masonic Library and Museum Association will convene in Phoenix for its annual meeting at the end of next month. Today, the host announced a tentative agenda for the weekend. Some details still need to be fleshed out, but members can plan to see each other from Thursday, September 29 through Sunday, October 2.

Accommodations have been arranged at the Hilton Garden Inn, and the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Arizona will host the business meeting and other functions, as well as a tour of its Roskruge & Casey Library and Museum.

Quarry Project III

Yes, it’s coming together. The third Quarry Project is being planned for the fall of 2023! It’s a top agenda item.

These conferences are devised jointly by the Masonic Society, the MLMA, and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial for the purpose of promoting the arts of researching, writing, publishing, collecting, curating, etc. in the Masonic fraternity. The MLMA contacted the Masonic Society last year, while I was El Presidente, to suggest a third forum, and it is taking shape.

We’ll do it at the GWMNM, which will enjoy a fruitful year in 2023. It’ll be the centennial celebration of the memorial’s cornerstone laying in February; the Anderson’s Constitutions tricentennial symposium in June; Quarry Project III in autumn; and other marquee happenings, I’m sure.

In the meantime, the MLMA’s meeting next month will feature tours of local museums, great meals, speakers at the lectern, some operative labor in the Masonic library, and even an optional table lodge at Scottsdale 43.

Phoenix is a bit beyond my usual orbit, so I won’t see everyone until Quarry Project III in Virginia, but the purpose of this edition of The Magpie Mason is to alert brethren in Arizona who appreciate the unsung undertakings of the happy few in Masonic archiving and exhibiting. Contact Bo Buchanan, president of your library and museum, to get involved.

     

‘MLMA-TV’

     

The Masonic Library and Museum Association is on YouTube!

Click here and subscribe.

Video of the annual meeting from Saturday is up, but I think the real draw will prove to be virtual tours and other insights into the various Masonic libraries, museums, historic sites, and other places of interest to the brethren wherever dispersed about the face of the earth.

And I just learned the MLMA will continue advertising in The Journal of the Masonic Society. Thanks for that!

In other news, the 2022 annual meeting will be hosted by the Grand Lodge of Arizona in Phoenix.

New officers:

President Tyler Vanice

George Washington Masonic National Memorial

Vice President Glenn Visscher

Museum of Masonic Culture, New Jersey

Treasurer Eric Trosdahl

St. Paul 3, Minnesota

Secretary Mark Tabbert

GWMNM

   

‘New term for MLMA’

    

The Masonic Library and Museum Association will hold its annual conference Saturday to choose new officers and prepare for the ensuing two-year term. As I’ll be engaged at a research lodge meeting, I take this opportunity to congratulate everyone there on a successful and productive time, especially President Brian Rountree, who completes a total of four years in office—and I don’t know how many total years previously as Secretary and Vice President.

Nice to see a five percent growth in membership. I hope the advertising in the pages of The Journal of the Masonic Society played some part in that.

No doubt Vice President Tyler Vanice will ascend to the top job. Best wishes for a fruitful tenure in office!

  

‘Congress as a Prince Hall research resource’

     

Of course the Library of Congress is a galaxy of opportunity for researchers pursuing any subject, including Freemasonry, but I want to share this note received Monday afternoon by the Masonic Library and Museum Association:

Good morning members of the Masonic Library and Museum Association. I wish to share the link to a LibGuide on Prince Hall Freemasonry:

Prince Hall Freemasonry: A Resource Guide

The Library of Congress’ collections contain a variety of material associated with Prince Hall Freemasonry, the oldest recognized and continuously active organization founded in 1775 by African-Americans, including manuscripts, photographs, and books.
Please note that these are selected resources, and the guide will be updated early next year. (We did not include items where the bibliographic record indicated “missing” or “being processed.” I would be most grateful if you would share with the members of the Masonic Library and Museum Association. Also, if members’ collections contain any manuscripts/collections relevant to Prince Hall Freemasonry, would you please let me know?

Thank you, and my warmest regards. Please remain safe and healthy.

Sibyl E. Moses, Ph.D.
Reference Specialist and Recommending Officer
(African American History and Culture)
Main Reading Room
Researcher and Reference Services Division
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20540-4660
202-707-0940
     

‘Masonic librarians to go electric for annual meeting’

     

The president of the Masonic Library and Museum Association announced today that a web-based virtual meeting will take the place of the physical annual meeting scheduled for September.

Who knows if it’s a premature decision? The announcement is to allow travelers ample opportunity to cancel flights and hotel bookings. The event had been planned for September 11 through 13 at Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“It is our plan to hold an electronic meeting to conduct the business of the organization,” said Brian Rountree in his April 4 letter to the membership. “At this time, it is hoped we can arrange to host a meeting on Saturday, September 12 at 3 p.m. Central time.”

Bro. Rountree, MLIS, is grand librarian of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba.
     

‘New website at the MLMA’

     

It looks like some modernizing changes are afoot at the Masonic Library and Museum Association, including a new website. Click here.
      

‘Caring for Your Masonic Treasures’

     

Somehow there still is a Masonic Museum and Library in Lexington, and the good people there have revised their old brochure Caring for Your Masonic Treasures, Jeff Croteau recently reported to the Masonic Library and Museum Association. Info includes:

• The kinds of materials you might encounter in your collection
• The ideal conditions in which to store your collections
• The types of storage enclosures (boxes, folders, etc.) to use when storing your collections
• How to contact and hire a professional conservator to repair damaged documents and books

The guidelines in this booklet will help you feel confident that you are doing what you can to help insure the long-term preservation of your documents, photographs, and books.


There is a PDF for download here, and there is a digital booklet format here.
     

‘MLMA Rhode Island plans’

     

The 2017 Annual Meeting of the Masonic Library and Museum Association is coming into focus. This will take place at the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island during the last weekend of September.

If you are a member of the MLMA, you’ll receive the registration information soon, if you haven’t already. If you are not a member of the MLMA, there is a registration fee of just $80.

Some of the offsite attractions awaiting us are tours of the Providence Athenaeum, John Hay Library (Brown University), Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport Tower, and various dinners. The library tours never disappoint. The hosts usually unearth from their archives most rare and amazing Masonic treasures and other historic artifacts. Cannot wait to see what will be revealed to us this time!

Check it out here, and be sure to scroll down to read the abstracts of the fascinating presentations planned. (I’m dying to hear about H.P. Lovecraft!)
     

‘This fall in Rhode Island’

     

Save the date: The Masonic Library and Museum Association will hold its annual meeting, including election of officers, September 27 through October 1 at the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island.

     

‘Masonic miscellany’

     
This edition of The Magpie Mind admittedly is a mess, but here are announcements of some great local events, so be sure to scroll all the way through.

Last weekend, I had the chance to enjoy some time in my alma mater’s main research library and, instead of doing something useful, I poked through a tiny bit of the thousands of unusual texts pertaining to Freemasonry. Here are just a few images:

• Tomorrow night, The American Lodge of Research will meet to hear Worshipful Master Michael Chaplin present his paper “Patron Saints of the Operatives.” Eight o’clock in the Colonial Room on 10 at Masonic Hall (71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan).

• Monday, November 9 is the deadline for booking your seat at the Scottish Rite Valley of Central Jersey’s Rose Croix celebration featuring Billy Koon:

Click to enlarge.

• Next Wednesday, Bro. Mohamad will speak at Livingston Masonic Lodge in New Jersey:

Click to enlarge.

• Congratulations to the new officers of the Masonic Library and Museum Association: President Aimee Newell, Vice President Brian Rountree, Secretary Cathy Giaimo, and, returning for another term, Treasurer Eric Trosdahl.

• The MLMA’s 2016 annual meeting is planned tentatively for October at the Lee Lockwood Scottish Rite Library and Museum in Waco, Texas.

• Speaking of Masonic libraries, the Grand Lodge of Nebraska dedicated its library and museum last month at the grand lodge headquarters in Lincoln.

• On Sunday, November 8, Cincinnati Masonic Lodge No. 3 in Morristown, New Jersey (39 Maple Avenue) will unveil the Morristown Masonic Center Museum and Library with an opening reception. Dignitaries to include the chairman of the New Jersey Historical Commission, the chairman of the Morristown Historic Preservation Commission, and RW Bro. Glenn Visscher of the Museum of Masonic Culture in Trenton (and a Past Master of the lodge). 

• Looking around the interwebs, I recently found the finest source of Masonic news: The Past Bastard. Click here and be amazed!

• Madison Masonic Lodge No. 93 in New Jersey has undertaken the project of replacing the headstone of Jepthah B. Munn, who was Grand Master of Masons for the State of New Jersey in the 1820s. Donations are welcome here.

I shot these photos Monday in the Presbyterian cemetery across the street from the lodge and, as you can see, this stone has seen better times.

Munn deserves the overdue attention. He was grand master during the age when grand masters were graaaand! A quick history:

In 1837, the Grand Lodge of New York expelled a number of Masons and closed a few lodges that were at labor in New York City. (I haven’t yet learned why they were expelled.) These brethren regrouped and called themselves St. John’s Grand Lodge. At that time, the Grand Lodge of New Jersey adopted a resolution voicing its support of New York’s authority to expel these Masons. This resolution was passed to make it clear from the start that all New Jersey lodges were prohibited from having communication with this clandestine grand lodge.

However, St. John’s Lodge No. 2 in Newark (it became No. 1 later) ignored the prohibition and other, less formal, requests from individual grand officers, and had Masonic intercourse with these New York guys, hosting them in their lodge, etc. For their role in this, Jepthah Munn and John Darcy, both past grand masters, were punished by Grand Lodge of New Jersey for defying grand lodge’s order to not interact with those expelled Masons.

During all of this, some New York lodges, in retaliation for the New Jersey past grand masters’ meddling in this episode, refused to allow New Jersey Masons to visit their lodges. This feuding continued for a number of years, even into the 1850s. What has to be remembered during all of this is that this period is the tail end of the anti-Masonic era that came in the wake of the “Morgan scandal” that nearly saw the fraternity in New York and New Jersey wiped out. For example, in 1842 New Jersey Freemasonry consisted of 162 Masons in eight lodges. So this bickering is kind of like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Also, this episode is not all that unusual in the 19th century history of New York Masonry. In the early years of the 1800s, a split between the “country lodges” and the “city lodges” took place that really caused problems. Two very real grand lodges coexisted until 1827, when they united.

Anyway, the clandestine grand lodge Munn aided is not unknown to New York scholars (there actually is a New York lodge named after Munn). He was an interesting man: Born in East Orange in 1780, where there is a Munn Avenue; a renowned medical doctor, who served as president of the Medical Society of New Jersey in 1828, and a co-founder and eventual president of the Morris District Medical Society; a respected member of the New Jersey General Assembly.

He was made a Mason in 1804 in Paterson Orange Lodge 13; affiliated with Cincinnati No. 3 in Morristown, serving as Master from 1809 to 1814; was warrant master of Chatham Lodge 33 (now Madison 93) from 1814 to 1819; and affiliated with St. John’s No. 1 in 1850. Was elected Senior Grand Warden of Grand Lodge in 1817, and served as Grand Master from 1820 to 1824.

Because of his activity in the New York episode, Munn—and this is why I’ve been crazy about him from the minute I learned of him about seven years ago—was subjected to charges of unmasonic conduct in 1842. Charges dropped the next year. Censure was imposed by Grand Lodge in 1850, but withdrawn in 1852. He continued to attend grand lodge communications through 1860, until ill health slowed him down. He died in 1863 in Chatham.
     

‘MLMA to meet next month’

     
The Masonic Library and Museum Association will hold its annual meeting September 17 at the Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana (and The Quarry Project will follow September 18-20 at the Grand Lodge of Indiana).

I strongly encourage membership in the MLMA. In addition to Masonic libraries, museums, other such institutions, and the people who manage them all, members of the MLMA include many individual Freemasons who appreciate the importance of there being Masonic centers of learning. It’s not just a matter of Masons wanting to preserve places that serve as repositories of Masonic culture for our own edification and enjoyment, but it also is important that all people have access to the stacks, the exhibits, and the knowledgeable professionals and volunteers who staff these treasured destinations. The MLMA provides mutual support in all manner of needs facing librarians, archivists, curators, and others engaged in the labors of preserving and making available the material riches of the Masonic Order. What is a museum but a place of the muses? You, as an individual, may enlist in membership; so can your local Masonic library or museum, your research lodge, book club, and, I suppose, anything else you can think of.

If you are a thinking Freemason—and you must be if you’re reading The Magpie!—click here for MLMA membership information. (Yes, I understand that for many it is yet another Masonic membership, but this one is for a larger good that, frankly, is a lot more important than some of those frivolous clubs with the goofy hats that some of us patronize.)
     

‘Quarry Project registration is open’

     
The Masonic Society, the Masonic Library and Museum Association, and the Masonic Information Center invite you to Phase II of the Quarry Project in September at Indianapolis. The webpages for event registration and hotel reservation are up.

The Quarry Project Phase II:

Masonic Conference

on Research and Preservation

September 18-20

Register for both the conference and the gala banquet here. Register for the conference no later than July 1, and benefit from the reduced fee of $225.

To reserve your hotel accommodations at Hilton Indianapolis Hotel & Suites, click here.

The schedule of events and the list of presenters will be shared soon.

About the Quarry Project:

The Quarry Project is a continuing effort designed to promote Masonic research and preservation by providing instruction and guidance to Masonic writers, researchers, and editors, both within and without the fraternity, and to Masonic librarians and museum curators on the display, preservation, and cataloging of Masonic archives. Phase II will feature a third track on Masonic public relations sponsored by the Masonic Information Center, an arm of the Masonic Service Association. The public relations track will feature presentations on the use of social media and other topics designed to improve communication between Masonic organizations, their members, and the public at large.

The format for Phase II will remain basically the same, with a few tweaks based on feedback from Phase I attendees. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will begin with a general session featuring a keynote speaker. Attendees will then break out to the instructional sessions of their choice on Friday and Saturday, with both days adjourning at approximately five. Lunch on Friday and Saturday will be included in the registration fee.

A banquet will be held on Saturday evening. Sunday will feature a roundtable discussion immediately after the morning keynote address, and the conference will adjourn by noon.

We invite anyone, Freemason or not, with an interest in these topics to attend the conference. The programs are currently being developed and will be made available as soon as they are complete.

You may register for the conference at this website only. Please note that you must register separately for the Saturday evening gala banquet. It is not included in the conference registration fee.

You may reserve a room at the Hilton Indianapolis Hotel and Suites by visiting this link, which is dedicated to The Quarry Project.

There are a limited number of rooms available at this rate. For those interested in sharing a room, please note that the King Bed Deluxe Room includes a king size bed and a sofa-bed. For more details, please visit the hotel website. Parking in the hotel parking garage is available at a reduced rate of $12 per day. There is no hotel shuttle to or from the airport. The airport is approximately eight miles from the hotel and a one-way cab ride averages about $25.

In conjunction with The Quarry Project, The Masonic Library and Museum Association will hold its annual meeting prior to this event on Thursday, September 17. Please contact the MLMA for further details on the meeting. MLMA members may reserve a room for September 16 at the conference rate by using the dedicated reservation website above.
     

‘The Quarry Project, Part II’

     

Exciting news from Bro. Jim Dillman, President of The Masonic Society:

The Masonic Society, the Masonic Library and Museum Association, and the Masonic Information Center are pleased to announce that Phase II of The Quarry Project will be held September 18-20 in Indianapolis. The conference will be held in a downtown hotel to be determined within a few weeks.

The Quarry Project is a continuing effort to promote Masonic research and preservation by providing instruction and guidance to Masonic writers, researchers, and editors both within and without the fraternity, and also to Masonic librarians and museum curators on the display, preservation, and cataloging of Masonic archives. Phase II will feature a third track on Masonic public relations sponsored by the Masonic Information Center, an arm of the Masonic Service Association of North America.

The format for Phase II will remain basically the same with a few tweaks based on feedback from Phase I attendees. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will begin with a general session featuring a keynote speaker. Attendees will then break out to the instructional sessions of their choice on Friday and Saturday with both days adjourning at approximately 5 p.m. Lunch on Friday and Saturday will be included in the registration fee. A banquet will be held on Saturday evening. Sunday will feature a roundtable discussion immediately after the morning keynote address and the conference will adjourn by noon.

We invite anyone, Freemason or not, with an interest in these topics to attend the conference. The programs are currently being developed and will be made available as soon as they are complete. Further information will be released as it becomes available. Registration will begin March 1.

In conjunction with The Quarry Project, The Masonic Library and Museum Association will hold its annual meeting prior to this event on Thursday, September 17. Please contact the MLMA for further details on that meeting.
     

‘Upcoming Events in Freemasonry’

     
I can’t get to any of these, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t.


Saturday, July 19 – A big day in New York Capitular Masonry indeed. At 9:30 a.m. a short ceremony in front of the RAM Medical Research wing on the Utica Campus will honor ME Edmund ‘Ted’ Harrison, the first General Grand High Priest from New York State in more than 50 years, by presenting a $100,000 check from the RAM Medical Research Foundation. The patio before the building will be dedicated to Ted. All are invited to attend this open ceremony. Royal Arch Masons may wear red jackets.


July 25-27 – A grand event held annually by the Nobles of Mecca Shrine in New York City: Florence Weekend. Actually it used to be Florence Day, but Mecca exhibits great panache and gung ho in its social doings. Friday night, starting at six, fraternal festivities at The Monarch Lounge on West 35th Street in Manhattan. Bring your own cigars. Saturday, the Yankee-Blue Jays game (sold out). Sunday is the day everyone gathers at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn at 12:30 to pay respects at the final resting place of Billy Florence, co-founder of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Click here to get a look at what this is like.

But that’s not all! After the visit to the gravesite, all are invited to the Annual Mecca Barbecue at the Bushwick Country Club (618 Grand Street), which you do not want to miss.


Monday, August 4 – Maryland Masonic Research Society to host its Annual Festive Board. To feature speakers S. Brent Morris and Arturo de Hoyos(!) on “The First Two Exposures of the High Degrees of Masonry.” Books for sale and signing after the program.

August 15-17 – The Masonic Restoration Foundation invites Master Masons to its Fifth Annual Symposium at the Cincinnati Masonic Center. Festive Board, workshops, lectures, a “Scotch Harmony,” and other attractions await. Registration: $100 per person. Click here to sign up.


Saturday, September 13 – A singular occurrence, as The Masonic Society and the Philalethes Society jointly sponsor a symposium at the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago, located in Bloomingdale, Illinois. Registration costs only $15. Attendance is capped at 100, so click here to book your seat.

Speakers: Alton Roundtree, editor of The Phylaxis; Shawn Eyer, editor of The Philalethes; Steven Harrison, editor of The Missouri Freemason; and Mark Robbins, Education Officer for the Grand Lodge of Minnesota. Andrew Hammer, author of Observing the Craft, will be the keynote speaker at the banquet, a separate event with a $35 dining fee.


Tuesday, September 16 – Second District Masonic Book Club to discuss A Traditional Observance Lodge by Cliff Porter. Dinner at 6:30. At Fidelity Lodge No. 113, 99 South Maple Avenue in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Saturday, September 20 – The First Masonic Educational Symposium hosted by Wilmington Lodge No. 804 in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. Four speakers lined up: Charles M. Harper, Sr., author of Freemasonry in Black and White; Juan Sepulveda, of The Winding Stairs podcast; Adam T. Osman, author of Earning Freemasonry; and Shawn M. Gorley, author of Freemasonry Defined.

Open to Apprentices and Fellows. Cost: only $30 per person, in advance only, which covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Only 100 seats are available. For information, contact Bro. Gorley at shawn(at)drivenbylight(dot)net

September 25-30 – Joint Triennial Session of both the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons International and the General Grand Council of Cryptic Masons International at Buffalo, New York. Click here for the registration info.

Saturday, October 11 – New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786 to meet at 10 a.m. in the Haddonfield Masonic Temple in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Agenda TBA.

Steve Burkle

Saturday, October 18 – Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge to host its Fall Session. Professor David G. Hackett will speak on topics from his book That Religion in Which All Men Agree: Freemasonry in American Culture. Steve Burkle will speak on “Early Adoption of Paracelsus’ Alchemical Catechism by the Craft.” Steve knows his alchemy, so check it out.

It’s a full-day affair, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Masonic Cultural Center on the Elizabethtown campus. No charge, but advance registration is required; do so by e-mailing to amksecretary(at)pagrandlodge(dot)org, including name, address, lodge name and number.


October 23-25 – The Masonic Library and Museum Association will hold its Annual Meeting at the Trenton Masonic Temple in Trenton, New Jersey. Here is all the information.
     

‘The Quarry Project’

    
For months throughout the Masonic world there was whispering of the initials T.Q.P. among the knowing and the curious alike.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know, but I want in!”

Then the Dummies blog broke the news last week and directed much traffic to the website of The Quarry Project, and as of today, registration for attending this groundbreaking conference and for the recommended hotel accommodations are accessible on our webpage. Click here to check out this singular occurrence scheduled for September 27 to 29.

The Quarry Project is a joint effort by The Masonic Society, the Masonic Library and Museum Association, and, our host, the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia, and will be three days of valuable instruction in all facets of research, education, writing, publishing, curating, organizing, archiving, displaying, and other ing’s that most of the Masonic world takes for granted, but that cultured Masons – like readers of The Magpie Mason – recognize as essential to preserving and sharing our heritage.

There’s no sense in copying information from the webpage, so to see the agenda, click here. For registration, click here.

This conference is not just for us eggheads, but is intended to educate everyone who wants to be productively engaged in the transmission of Freemasonry’s archives and material culture to future generations. Yes it’s true that Masons make Masons, but in addition to what can be imparted only by the grip and by mouth-to-ear instruction is a vast wealth of accumulated knowledge and wisdom, and amassed artifacts, records, and ephemera – and somebody has to keep it together!
    

'Quest 32: Renaissance'

    
I received an e-mail several weeks ago from a distressed brother from here in New Jersey who worried about the "state of the Craft," as it were. Having read various blogs that trumpet the awful news of assorted corruptions and abuses of power by the Grand Ones in "this" or "that" state, he genuinely was dismayed over the prospects that faced a Master Mason like himself.

Now advice is the last thing people like me should try to dispense, but since he asked, I did my best. I wrote back to remind him that primarily the purpose of Freemasonry concerns the enlightenment and improvement of oneself, so whatever disgraces happen to be smeared all over the web should not distract him at all (unless they're occurring in his own lodge), and that furthermore, we happen to be enjoying a golden age in Masonry now. I think our minds are trained to look for golden ages only in the past. Too often we are so thoroughly occupied by our daily needs and routines that we fail to recognize the "big picture" around us.

When I was initiated in 1997, this fraternity was flat on its back, wheezing, coughing, and almost trying to pull the sheet over its own head. I mean just trying to find someone to engage in an intelligent conversation about Freemasonry was nearly impossible. Today, there are more opportunities for the thinking Mason to find like-minded brethren and to share in labors of Masonic relevance than at any time since, I'd say, 1930, when there were quality magazines with national distribution; there were new research lodges; there were new research societies; the AMD was revived in its present form shortly thereafter. Things were moving, and would have improved further if not for the Great Depression.

Today, the thinking Mason has all that, and even more at his disposal, thanks to the marvels of modern communications. (As an aside, let me relate one experience in the discussion forum of the Masonic Library and Museum Association from Monday. A visiting professor at the history department of UCLA contacted the Henry Wilson Coil Masonic Library and Museum in San Francisco, seeking an article on Freemasonry in Mexico published in the October 1858 issue of Masonic Review magazine. Sixteen minutes(!) later, the archivist at the Grand Lodge of Louisiana's library and museum said she had the magazine, knew the professor, and would make contact shortly. Research was aided not in months, weeks, or days, but in minutes.)

I'm way off topic here. All I wanted to do was tell you about QUEST XXXII. Here's the info:

     

‘Conspiracy!’

     
The Masonic Book Club has begun the new year with an announcement of its 2009 book offering: Proofs of a Conspiracy: Against all the Religions and Governments of Europe, Carried on in the Secret Meetings of Freemasons, Illuminati and Reading Societies by Professor John Robison. Magpie readers, if you ever wondered exactly how the surreal fears and outlandish speculations that have surrounded our gentle Craft for centuries were conceived, this book answers your curiosity.

Archived within the restricted access Rare Book and Manuscript Library on the sixth floor of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, is this fourth edition of Proofs of a Conspiracy: Against all the Religions and Governments of Europe, Carried on in the Secret Meetings of Freemasons, Illuminati and Reading Societies by Professor John Robison. The Magpie Mason had the good fortune to peruse this archive’s Masonic (and anti-Masonic) contents during a visit in 2007 with the Masonic Library and Museum Association. Sorry for the blurred image.

The MBC describes it:

“This book represents a good synopsis of the events it describes. It shows the frame of mind of the time. It is surely worth reading by everyone interested in this topic.

“Interestingly by the time this book was first published, the organization of Bavarian Illuminati was gone. Robinson was very much an advocate of science and rationalism, in later life, disillusioned by the French Revolution, he became an ardent monarchist.

“Robinson traced the story of the 1776 founding of the Illuminati by Adam Weishaupt, a professor at Ingolstadt and the suppression of the order by the royal and church authorities of Bavaria in 1785. However, his preaching against it raised the specter of conspiracy, which still hangs over the Illuminati.

“Nonetheless, this book makes fascinating reading, and in conjunction with other historical accounts of the French Revolution, helps put into perspective this period of history.

“John Robison (1739-1805) was a Scottish scientist who wrote one of the definitive studies of the Bavarian Illuminati. He was a contemporary and collaborator with James Watt, with whom he worked on an early steam car; contributor to the 1797 Encyclopedia Britannica; professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh; and inventor of the siren.”

What concerns me is the back-to-back books from the MBC on matters Illuminati. I just don’t think it is that fascinating a subject, or even significant enough to Masonic studies, to justify two consecutive books that concern the Illuminati. The 2008 choice from the MBC was reviewed by The Magpie Mason here, and I’m just hoping the same individual who brought that text to the publisher’s attention is not involved with this one also. (But I was amused to see the tiny blurb on the MBC website that markets the 2008 book lifts phrases directly from my review of last February.)

There are positive changes at the MBC that should not go unappreciated. After many years of incommunicado management that left prospective subscribers wondering for months if they had become members, the MBC now has this website, replete with an on-line store, PayPal payment option, and some information on when to expect delivery. The inventory of previous years’ selections is listed for your perusal, with each title priced fairly to equal a year’s dues. And speaking of dues, you can pay yours on-line. The MBC is now affiliated with the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Library, which has been a vendor of Masonic books and has maintained a web presence for some time. This alone says a lot about the direction the MBC is taking, and I wish them well. I’ve been a reliable cheerleader for the club since I joined, and I hope to remain so.

Just get the books into the mail, okay guys? You mentioned an October ’09 delivery.


Magpie edit: I just wanted to provide this link to today’s Boston 1775 blog concerning this topic. It’s a great blog. Bookmark it, and check in often.
     

Magpie Mason on the road in MMX

“Merry New Year!”

The Magpie Mason’s speaking tour for 2010 is shaping up. Here are the dates for the first half of the new year. All are in New Jersey, unless noted otherwise.

Tuesday, January 19 - Northern New Jersey Council Princes of Jerusalem in Lincoln Park. Through the kind offices of SP Rajaram, I will help Scottish Rite Masons make sense of Dan Brown’s new bestseller “The Lost Symbol,” decoding the accuracies, the obvious inaccuracies, and the bizarre references.

Wednesday, January 27 - Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange. Through the kind offices of W. Bro. Kevin, I will discuss The Masonic Society as part of a kind of “show and tell” program on things Masonic.

Wednesday, February 10 - George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia. (Not speaking, but helping organize an amazing event that day. Details to come!)

Thursday, February 25 -  St. John’s Commandery No. 9 in Rahway. Through the kind offices of EC Franklin, I will speak on “What the Rule of Saint Benedict Means to Templars and Freemasons.”

Friday, March 5 - Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge No. 10 in Westfield. Through the kind offices of W. Bro. Mohamad, I will speak on “The Lessons of Atlas and Pythagoras.”

Monday, March 15 - Trinity Commandery No. 17 in Westfield. Through the kind offices of EC Mario, I will speak on “What the Rule of Saint Benedict Means to Templars and Freemasons.”

Wednesday, May 26 - Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange. Through the kind offices of W. Bro. Kevin, I will speak on “Death: Why I’m Looking Forward to It!”

Monday, June 14 - Kensington-Kadosh Commandery No. 54 in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. Through the kind offices of EC Makia, I will speak on “What the Rule of Saint Benedict Means to Templars and Freemasons.”

Saturday, July 10 - Annual Voorhis Ingathering in Freehold. Gronning Council No. 83 of Allied Masonic Degrees again hosts the Ingathering. Papers will be presented, and the Degree of St. Lawrence the Martyr will be conferred. More info to come later this year.

DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED - Nutley Lodge No. 25 in Nutley. Through the kind offices of W. Bro. Dalton, I will speak on a topic to be announced.

In addition, on the first Thursday of each month, I will endeavor to lead a class at Peninsula Lodge No. 99 in Bayonne. This study group, dubbed The Architects, will explore Masonic ritual and symbol by reading classic and contemporary texts, and discussing what the speculations therein mean to each of us.

Wait, there’s more! I certainly will do my best to support my research lodges, AMD council, etc. Let’s see how many innocent Masons I can bore to tears before they file charges!

I especially am looking forward to:

• Masonic Week in Virginia in February;
• The National Heritage Museum symposium in April on New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism;
• Scottish Rite Supreme Council in Philadelphia in August;
• Masonic Library and Museum Association in Virginia in October; and
• Rose Circle conference in Manhattan in October.
• Plus, Scott Council No. 1 reaches its sesquicentennial, and Columbian Council celebrates its bicentennial this year.
• And The Initiated Eye: Secrets, Symbols, Freemasonry, and the Architecture of Washington, D.C. is on exhibit at Lexington through January 2011.
• Furthermore, there is the Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge, the Joseph Campbell Foundation New York Chapter, and more!

I’m exhausted already.

2010 is going to be a wonderful year! I’ll see ya around.