‘You guys give your $3M today?’

    

According to the loathsome “United Nations,” today is International Day of Charity, so join me for a minute in the following discussion on Masonic charity. Obviously, there’s much that can be said, but I’ll skip the Rite of Destitution and the measured instructions to assist brethren, widows, and orphans, and I’ll challenge our orthodoxy on “giving to charity.”

You’ve heard it countless times: “Masons give $2 million a day to charity!” And there’s a high probability that you have repeated it yourself. From what I understand, that unquestioned figure is now $3 million. “Masons give $3 million a day to charity!”

Let’s be reasonable and think this over. That daily $3M factors to about $1.1 billion a year, so the implication is Freemasons in the United States annually dig into their pockets to that sum to help others, but I’m not buying it.

The $2M figure dates to mid twentieth century, when membership in America crested at four million in 1959–or, if not precisely then, it at least was from that era. Therefore it sounded plausible, believable, and logical enough to become the mantra we all came to know. However, today the nationwide membership is down 80 percent from 1959, and we are back in nineteenth century statistics with approximately 800,000 regular Master Masons in good standing—and that’s with inconsistent census-taking from grand lodge to grand lodge. Are 800,000 Master Masons donating $1.1 billion during Anno Lucis 6023?

Come on.

Due to the manipulations of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States—try deciphering those 6,900 pages!—the nature of charitable giving has been altered, forcibly, in recent decades, and today we have charitable corporations of the 501(c) variety. Some are big, like Shriners Hospitals for Children; some are modest, like your lodge’s square club’s charity fund. The square club’s checking account is where you find the actual cash from the pockets of Masons. The Shriners Hospitals, which always has been the engine that drove the “millions per day” claim, are endowed to the billions of dollars, and actually do not need the fraternity. The fraternity needs the hospitals to legitimize its existence. When the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine inevitably ceases to exist, the hospitals corporation will change its name and carry on.

I remember about fifteen years ago the expert consultants retained by the hospitals’ trustees to identify potential improvements to the system advised closing two of the then twenty-two hospitals that had gone disconcerting time without treating any patients. The trustees said no, so the two hospitals remained open, spending millions each year to maintain empty beds, and padding the famous “millions a day” boast.

Plus there are many other 501(c)(3) institutions at work: other hospitals, clinics, and care providers; medical research centers; homes for the elderly (which admit people who have no connection to the Masonic fraternity, thanks to Medicare regulations); special education schools; scholarship foundations; and who knows what else among the fifty-one grand jurisdictions in the mainstream of the Masonic society in America.

Maybe in the aggregate, and thanks to inflation, the corporate expenditures plus the local giving might total that $1.1 billion. I don’t have time to obtain the IRS 990s of all Masonic charities great and small. I just think it should be understood that:

a) bragging about charitable giving is self-aggrandizing and wrong;

b) the boast itself is misleading (if not myth); and

c) the boasting has skewed the identity and purpose of Freemasonry in this country irrevocably.

So try to defeat the lazy habit of leaning on funds donated decades ago to fashion an identity for yourself as we approach the second quarter of the twenty-first century. This edition of The Magpie Mason is dedicated to the Right Worshipful Grand Lecturer of the Grand Lodge of Kansas. Earl and I had a chat on Faceypage three months ago, during which I asked if he could explain his “more than $3 million a day” claim.

“There’s something called Google that was invented three days ago,” he replied charitably. “You should learn how to use it.” Eleemosynary Earl then blocked me, so I can’t tell him the internet actually is very limited in practical use to a researcher.

I was a Scottish Rite Mason as a younger man, and worked my way East in the local Rose Croix chapter (even before I reached the East of my lodge). I leave you with a snippet of Rose Croix Degree ritual (as it existed in the NMJ twenty years ago) that followed a reading from Corinthians 1:

“Charity means more—much more—than the giving of alms. It is respect for the personality of others; it is pity for the suffering; it is a sincere fraternal regard for all men—of every race and creed.”

It’s also hard as hell, and bragging about money, real or imagined, devalues us all.

     

‘Mark Tabbert in Morristown’

     

Northern New Jersey Chapter of Rose Croix will host its next meeting in Morristown on Tuesday, November 13, when Most Wise Master Moises I. Gomez welcomes Ill. Mark A. Tabbert, 33° to the podium as our honored guest speaker.

Mark A. Tabbert

We’ll start out at Cincinnati Lodge No. 3 for a catered meal before heading around the corner to the historic Ford Mansion for Mark’s talk on the Masonic life and times of George Washington. As you know, Mark is the Director of Collections at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Virginia, as well as the author of several thoughtful books on Freemasonry that you should have read by now.

This meeting commemorates the 260th anniversary of the Masonic raising of a young man named George Washington. Cincinnati Lodge is named for the Society of the Cincinnati, America’s oldest private society devoted to patriotic values. Founded in 1783 by American and French military officers of the American Revolution, it lives on today through its hereditary membership as a historical and educational foundation in the public service. The Ford Mansion is a mid-18th century residence that served as Gen. George Washington’s headquarters during the storied winter of 1779-80. It now is part of the National Parks Service.

So you see the theme here.

The program at Ford Mansion is open to Master Masons. Leave me a note (not for publication) with your e-mail address in the comments section if you want to attend, and I’ll get back to you.

     

‘Chapter and chorus’

Still playing catch-up with reporting recent events. It was two weeks ago that Northern New Jersey Chapter of Rose Croix met and hosted a concert by the Men's Chorus of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown. That's our Most Wise Master wearing the red bowtie.

Actually the meeting took place in Morristown too, while our building recovers from the recent flooding.

The choir was excellent. Dividing the concert into two sets, the singers first, and not surprisingly, performed a number of religious pieces before moving into the Masonic music, featuring works by Mozart, Sibelius, and others, including Ignatz Joseph Pleyel, who composed music you may recognize from the Master Mason Degree. The choir concluded the performance with more recent works, jazz standards and show tunes among them.

‘Scottish Rite, PHA style’

Tuesday night was a memorable one for Northern New Jersey Chapter of Rose Croix on the occasion of the visit of Ill. John Bettis, 33º, Grand Inspector General and 2nd Lt. Commander of the Council of Deliberation, Orient of New Jersey, A&ASR, PHA. But don’t let the lengthy titles fool you; John is one of the most down to earth men in Freemasonry.

He spoke for about 90 minutes on history, customs, usages, and other aspects of Prince Hall Scottish Rite Masonry. I wish it could have gone on a little bit longer because I wanted to ask him to describe his jurisdiction’s methods of working degrees. I think there is a lot that our PHA brethren can teach us. But what he did reveal was, I trust, enlightening to his audience. For example, the rituals and the degree structure of the Prince Hall United Supreme Council Northern Jurisdiction closely resemble those of the Mother Supreme Council. In fact, the PHA brethren are closer to the original model than we are.

And while this might be an apt time to quip about our Northern Masonic Jurisdiction’s “George Washington Degree,” and the often lamented absence of orthodoxy it represents, allow me to share Ill. Bettis’ explanation of his jurisdiction’s 20º, which he said includes a section titled “The Light of Patriotism,” with ritual that places Bro. Washington and Bro. Prince Hall together in discussion on the rights of free men of color to bear arms and fight in the Revolutionary War which, in turn, led to a historical point. In 1812, when British forces were preparing to assault Philadelphia, approximately 3,000 men of color assembled at the port to defend their city. A reporter asked if former slaves really were going to defend the nation, to which W. Bro. Richard Allen said “This land, which is made by our tears and our blood, is our mother land.”

Bettis opened some eyes with his talk of W. Allen. He is the father of the African Methodist Episcopal Church movement, as well as a founding father of Prince Hall Masonry. “In the African-American community, the two oldest institutions are the AME church and Prince Hall Masonry,” Bettis said. “Wherever an AME church was founded, a Masonic lodge went with it.”

He covered a lot in an hour and a half, more than can be repeated here. But he does want everyone to know that on May 13, the Prince Hall Conference of Grand Masters will meet in Boston, at which time the Prince Hall Monument at Cambridge Common will be dedicated, and where the original charter of African Lodge No. 459 will be temporarily removed from its home in a bank vault, and placed on display.

The Magpie News Service hopes to cover that event.

‘2010 at the George Washington Masonic Memorial’

At the meeting on Tuesday night of Northern New Jersey Chapter of Rose Croix, John S. Ryan, 33°, a member of the Board of Directors of the George Washington Masonic Memorial, will discuss the latest news from the Memorial, which celebrates its centennial next month.

Like the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library (see below), 2010 evidently is a year to bring a few new ideas to fruition. The following is a statement from Executive Director George Seghers:

On February 22, 1910, George Washington’s 178th birthday, Masonic leaders from across the nation met in Alexandria, Virginia and formed an association for the purpose of building a great memorial to honor America’s foremost Freemason. February 22, 2010, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association, will be a day of great festivities. In honor of the occasion, the Conference of Grand Masters of North America, hosted by the Grand Lodge of Virginia, will be held in nearby Arlington. Delegates will attend the Association’s Annual Meeting and celebrate the 100th anniversary and Washington’s 278th birthday at the Memorial.

At the Annual Meeting, a new portrait of George Washington as a Freemason will be unveiled. Painted by local artist Christopher Erney, the portrait will be a new interpretation of Washington. Prints of the portrait will be available at the meeting. Complementing the portrait is a new video presenting George Washington as the inspiration for the founding of America and explores the creation of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association. Underwritten by the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma, it will be available on DVD and as a download from the Memorial’s website for Masonic education.

The Memorial’s new logo to commemorate the occasion was also designed by Erney. Since its inception, the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association has used as its logo the Washington family crest with a Masonic square, compasses and “G,” with the motto “In Memoriam Perpetuam.” For a new century of service, a new logo has been created, keeping the same elements, it enhances the Association’s Masonic identity. Artist Christopher Erney began his design by enlarging the Washington family crest, making it the focus of the seal, and recreating the Masonic symbols carved into the Memorial’s cornerstone, laid in 1923. The cornerstone was laid by then president Calvin Coolidge, and every U.S. Grand Master, using the same trowel as used by Washington at the U.S. Capitol.

The new design replaces the foliage that surrounded the crest with tools, emblems and symbols of Freemasonry. On either side of the crest are pillars representing Jachin and Boaz, which are topped with terrestrial and celestial globes representing Freemasonry’s universality. Acacia vines of remembrance encircle the pillars. Complementing the globes is the sun in its glory above and the crescent moon below. Connecting the two lesser lights as the crest’s border is a cable tow. At the right, pomegranates represent abundance; on the left a sheaf of wheat represents wealth. Within the wheat are five of six working tools. The sixth, the Square of the Master, is found resting upon Washington’s crest. The new logo is now the Association’s trestleboard to labor “In Memoriam Perpetuam.”

Following the Annual Meeting, the International Order of DeMolay will rededicate the colossal bronze statue of George Washington in Memorial Hall and reaffirm the role of DeMolay young men in Freemasonry. The statue was a gift to the Memorial from the DeMolay, and 2010 marks the 60th anniversary of its unveiling by President and Past Grand Master Harry S. Truman.

On display during the celebration will be the trowel and gavel used at the 1793 Cornerstone Laying of the United States Capitol by George Washington, and the 1752 Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 Bible upon which the young Washington took his Masonic obligations.The new White House Stones Exhibit will be inaugurated at the celebration. Each stone in the exhibit is marked by one of the Scots Masons who helped build the White House in the 1790s. The stones were discovered during the restoration of the White House during the Truman presidency. Truman had the stones labeled, and one was sent to each Grand Lodge and other Masonic organizations. The exhibit reassembles nearly 50 stones, and includes minute books from Lodge No. 8 of Edinburgh recording the stonemasons’ marks, noting those who had “gone to America.” A matching minute book of Federal Lodge No. 1 will show those Scots masons forming the first lodge in 1793 on White House grounds. The exhibit is supported by the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, Valley of Washington, Orient of the District of Columbia, and by the Grand Lodge, F.A.A.M., of the District of Columbia.

The photo above shows the White House stone given to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, which was on display in Philadelphia in 2007.

2010 is a unique celebration year for the Memorial Association. Together we are celebrating 100 years of dedication to Freemasonry’s greatest brother and honoring the countless brothers who built and sustain the Memorial. Equally important, 2010 marks a pledge of rededicated service, trusting in God that the century ahead will be filled with success and achievement. The Association shines as a bright light of Masonry as it fulfills its mission: “To inspire humanity through education to emulate and promote the virtues, character and vision of George Washington, the Man, the Mason and Father of our Country.”