‘Through Fire and Fellowship’

    

The guest on The Masonic Roundtable podcast last week was W. Bro. Jimmy Densmore, Secretary of Dalton Lodge 105 in Georgia, who authored a history of the lodge to mark both its dodransbicentennial year and the centenary of the Masonic temple it calls home.

That book, titled Through Fire and Fellowship, is the product of the kind of Masonic research I wish was more common these days, namely the digging through archives Masonic and otherwise, and records public and private.

Dalton Lodge, chartered in 1849, lost much of its early records to fires, necessitating the deep investigation into its past to match documented facts to oral history. The lodge’s first building was dedicated in 1855, but was a casualty of Gen. William T. Sherman’s “March to the Sea” that included the devastation of Atlanta in 1864 during the Civil War. A second fire, during peacetime in 1911, again deprived the brethren of their building. For a number of years, the lodge moved around the neighborhood until the current Dalton Masonic Temple was dedicated in 1925.

Dalton Lodge 105

So, the lodge’s story twice suffered the loss of minutes and all the ephemera and other items Masons collect, leaving not only gaps in its narrative, but knowledge lost in the mists of time. Until now.

“History is one of the big draws that brought me to become a Mason,” Densmore tells his interviewers. “It was really a labor of love to want to do this, and dive into that, and be the sleuth and be the historian.”

His starting point was a framed document hanging on a wall inside the temple that renders a post-1911 history, and Densmore sought to prove its accuracy. From there, he shares a very inspiring account of seeking newspaper stories, digging into University of Georgia archives, and even the Library of Congress. Although this was mostly online searching, and not QC2076-style Masonic archaeology, it nevertheless required time and commitment, and is worth hearing about.

Through Fire and Fellowship is available for sale at $25 shipped or $20 picked up in person (the lodge will meet next Monday at 7:30). Click here.

Dalton 105 has a great plan on the trestleboard for its June 23 meeting, when three generations of the Laster family will open and close the lodge. W. Bro. Speedy Laster (second generation) will preside in the East; Bro. Josh Laster (third generation) will sit in the West; and W. Jack Laster (first generation) will serve as Junior Warden. Densmore will give a talk on generational Masonry.

The Masonic Roundtable Episode 512.

This episode of TMR runs fifty-six minutes, but feel free to skip to 6:00 to get into the conversation directly. Click here. My thanks to the show, for bringing this news to light, and congratulations to Bro. Densmore.

     

‘Roundtable discussion on research & writing’

    

Last week’s episode of The Masonic Roundtable podcast is of special interest to researchers and writers in the fraternity—We Happy Few—and stars Chris Ruli, who shares several important points on how to research and write. Feel free to skip the first six minutes and get right to the conversation.

(Be sure to get to The American Lodge of Research on Monday, March 31 to hear Chris discuss Lafayette. That’s seven o’clock in the Renaissance Room of Masonic Hall.)

     

‘Hudson Valley Masonicon coming in June’

    

The guys up in the Hudson Valley are doing it again. The 2024 Hudson Valley Masonicon is scheduled for Saturday, June 8 at Hoffman Lodge 412 in Middletown.

Joe Martinez, of The Masonic Roundtable podcast, will be the keynote speaker. (I read somewhere on the web that he is named after Martinez de Pasqually.)

I’m sure the rest of the roster will be engaging and entertaining. I’ll report those names when they are made available.

     

‘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.

     

‘Judaism and the lodge’

    

In previous editions of The Magpie Mason, I have explained why photos of the Arch of Titus, such as this one employed by the Masonic Roundtable brethren for promotional use, are best not used for a discussion of Judaism. (It’s okay if the topic is the Roman destruction of Jerusalem.) And I don’t know why someone’s face is superimposed on the figure second from left. Looks like Mel Brooks to me, but I don’t get it.

On the strength of his lecture last month at Masonic Con Kansas, W. Bro. Matthew Parker, Master of Nebraska Lodge 1 in Omaha, was the guest on yesterday’s Masonic Roundtable podcast to discuss “The Jewish Essentials of Freemasonry.”

For those keen on the meaning of Masonry, this is a must-see. If nothing else, take note of his explanation of why the degrees of the lodge are not necessarily based on the Hebrew Bible, but there is so much more to grok here. Enjoy.

     

‘Craft population drops below 900K’

   

For the first time since the nineteenth century, the number of regular Freemasons in the United States totals less than 900,000, according to the Masonic Service Association of North America’s 2020 data published this week.

The exact figure is said to be 898,433, albeit with several jurisdictions not reporting. In 1900, there were 851,970 Master Masons, according to the book Facts for Freemasons (1979) by Harold V.B. Voorhis of The American Lodge of Research.

Click here.

Bro. John Ruark, of The Masonic Roundtable, among other things, is a curious statistician when it comes to Masonic membership. This afternoon on Facebook, he shared that link to the MSANA’s new figures. The topic of discussion tonight on TMR will be membership retention.

But wait, there’s more!

The data come from the mainstream grand lodges, which vary in their counting methodologies. For example, Grand Lodge A might include Apprentices in its tabulation, while Grand Lodge B double counts dual memberships. And a Mason at labor in both of those grand jurisdictions is counted by both.

These new numbers do not include any Prince Hall Affiliation memberships. (In my experience, PHA Masons do not disclose such information.)

So, you can understand this 898K number probably is unduly high, being how it is not a snapshot of just individual Master Masons in good standing as of last year. Counts are missing from Alaska, Oklahoma, and South Carolina, but a look at their numbers from recent years strongly suggests their input for 2020 would not bolster the nationwide tally. Overall, the fraternity lost 61,417 since 2019.

I think you need to know this information. Too many of us pine for the four million myth that hasn’t been real since Eisenhower was president (if it was accurate then).

My lodge is doing well. Coming out of COVIDmania, we are poised to initiate a dozen petitioners in the coming weeks—all vetted, motivated, and ready to become real Freemasons. Statewide, the Grand Lodge of New York has thousands similarly in the queue. No gimmicks, no mass initiations, no tricks.

How’s by you?

     

‘Angel Millar speaking dates’

     

Angel Millar will be on the road this month. From the publicity:

I will be giving a couple of talks over the next couple of weekends. I believe both events are restricted to Freemasons only, but if you are a member, and you’re in the area, and interested to come along, it would be great to meet you.

The first of the two talks will be in Keyport, New Jersey, on Saturday, June 17. There, the Scottish Rite Knights of St. Andrew will be holding their statewide gathering. The subject of my talk will be “Freemasonry: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century.”

The following week, on Saturday, June 24, I will be speaking at the “300: Freemasonry’s Legacy, Freemasonry’s Future” event, hosted by The Masonic Roundtable podcast. The event will be held at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia. I will be talking about “Terrorism and Anti-Masonry” — and looking at some possibilities to overcome this, as well.

Other talks on the 24th will include “A Brief History of the UGLE” by Mike Hambrecht, “A Craftsman’s Journey” by Steven L. Harrison, and “Freemasonry’s Future” by Juan Sepúlveda. There will also be discussion group sessions and refreshments, among other things.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the events, especially meeting new friends, seeing some familiar faces, and getting to see a little of America that I may not have seen before, or, at least, much of before.