‘Warren Lodge’s festive board in July’

    

Magpie file photo

As promised, Warren Lodge 32 will host its Second Annual Festive Board on the last Saturday of July. This is the one I told you about last summer: an outdoor convivial meal, with all the toasts, and by lantern light too.

The lanterns are a nod to Warren 32 being New York’s last “moon lodge,” meaning the brethren meet monthly on or about the full moon. This time, the full moon—a Sturgeon Moon supermoon, like last time—won’t come until August 1, but Warren Lodge will host this feast on July 29.

Click to enlarge.

The flier above has all the details, and the flier below gives you the option of purchasing your own lantern to use during the festivities and to take home.

Click to enlarge.

It’s a great time. Get’s the Magpie Seal of Approval and all that. I plan to be there, but there’s a chance my own lodge might seize that day to host its annual summer cook-out. Although there’s no reason why I couldn’t attend both, I guess.

4Noggins

Warren is a historic lodge with a beautiful ancestral home that is worth visiting in its own right. I’m bringing a pipe or three, with some Harvest Moon mixture (unless someone markets a Sturgeon Moon tobacco in the meantime!).

     

‘Where Men Build Meaning’

   

It’s been available in a limited way online since Grand Lodge met two weeks ago, but last Wednesday the Where Men Build Meaning video was uploaded to YouTube. This advertisement on Grand Lodge’s Our Quarry channel aims to encapsulate—to borrow from Wilmshurst—the meaning of Masonry. Not easily done in two minutes.

The title is too opaque for my tastes. Freemasonry is a very specific and highly stylized thing. Then again, two minutes isn’t a lot of time, and a promotional video isn’t necessarily the place to venture too deep.

But it’s okay.

My problem with any such video is in how it speaks to existing Freemasons at least as much as it does to the public we want to meet. Still, this one surpasses the “Scottish Rite NMJ” message, which is self-congratulatory pap.

“Honey? Look at this. See? I’m not just a man. I’m a Mason!” “Congratulations. Now take out the garbage.”

So maybe there will be future videos from Our Quarry that might speak to more than making friends with a nod to the Principal Tenets. It’s hard. I understand. (I’ve always scoffed at the “elevator pitch.”) And I’m not knocking the making friends part, knowing that study after study documents how men, young and middle aged alike, are meandering through life friendless, with the predictable consequences. But the apt messaging exists. We have the Standard Work and Lectures. We have centuries of literature to mine.

Check out what Vermont recently produced.

     

‘The Mother Lodge’

    

Via Twitter

It’s Mother’s Day here in the United States, so I thought I’d share with you Bro. Rudyard Kipling’s “The Mother Lodge.” (Copied and pasted from the Kipling Society website. Click here for the poem’s context and history.) Kipling was from Lodge Hope and Perseverance 782 (EC) in Punjab, India.

The Mother Lodge

There was Rundle, Station Master,

An’ Beazeley of the Rail,

An’ ’Ackman, Commissariat,

An’ Donkin’ o’ the Jail;

An’ Blake, Conductor-Sergeant,

Our Master twice was ’e,

With im that kept the Europe-shop,

Old Framjee Eduljee.

Outside - “Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!”

Inside - “Brother,” an’ it doesn’t do no ’arm.

We met upon the Level an’ we parted on the Square,

An’ I was Junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!

We’d Bola Nath, Accountant,

An’ Saul the Aden Jew,

An’ Din Mohammed, draughtsman

Of the Survey Office too;

There was Babu Chuckerbutty,

An’ Amir Singh the Sikh,

An’ Castro from the fittin’-sheds,

The Roman Catholick!

We ’adn’t good regalia,

An’ our Lodge was old an’ bare,

But we knew the Ancient Landmarks,

An’ we kep’ ’em to a hair;

An’ lookin’ on it backwards

It often strikes me thus,

There ain’t such things as infidels,

Excep’, per’aps, it’s us.

For monthly, after Labour,

We’d all sit down and smoke

(We dursn’t give no banquets,

Lest a Brother’s caste were broke),

An’ man on man got talkin’

Religion an’ the rest,

An’ every man comparin’

Of the God ’e knew the best.

So man on man got talkin’,

An’ not a Brother stirred

Till mornin’ waked the parrots

An’ that dam’ brain-fever-bird.

We’d say ’twas ’ighly curious,

An’ we’d all ride ’ome to bed,

With Mo’ammed, God, an’ Shiva

Changin’ pickets in our ’ead.

Full oft on Guv’ment service

This rovin’ foot ’ath pressed,

An’ bore fraternal greetin’s

To the Lodges east an’ west,

Accordin’ as commanded.

From Kohat to Singapore,

But I wish that I might see them

In my Mother-Lodge once more!

I wish that I might see them,

My Brethren black an’ brown,

With the trichies smellin’ pleasant

An’ the hog-darn passin’ down;

An’ the old khansamah snorin’

On the bottle-khana floor,

Like a Master in good standing

With my Mother-Lodge once more.

Outside - “Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!”

Inside - “Brother,” an’ it doesn’t do no ’arm.

We met upon the Level an’ we parted on the Square,

An’ I was Junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!

     

‘What’s the deal with…?’

    

Castle Rock Entertainment

‘What’s the deal with…?’ 

“I also present you with a new name; it is Caution; it teaches you that as you are barely instructed in the rudiments of Masonry, that you should be cautious over all your words and actions, particularly when before the enemies of Masonry.”

Illustrations of Masonry

“First Degree Initiation”

William Preston

That bit of wisdom lives on today in our New York Ritual of Initiation. It is phrased slightly differently, but the point still stands. Not every grand lodge’s ritual includes it, so I wonder about the social media presence of lodges that publicize the identities of those who are newly initiated or passed or raised. What’s the deal with that?

When I was brought into the fraternity, this was not done. There was no social media or even much of an internet at that time, but the lodge would publicize things in the local newspapers—but never the names and faces of candidates.

And don’t get me started on the way people dress for their Masonic ceremonies either.

     

‘Thanks to The Square’

    

The Masonic blogosphere is a shadow of its formerly influential salad days. The websites that are kept updated with any regularity are few. Nevertheless, The Square magazine shows its appreciation for these efforts through its monthly feature Masonic Blogs, and The Magpie Mason was so recognized.

The magazine publicizes its articles via the usual social media platforms, and its posts last week promoted your favorite Masonic blog! No, not Dummies. This one!

It seems The Magpie Mason’s actual appearance in the magazine was more than a year ago. Somehow this eluded me despite my regularly perusing the website.

I’m in good company too. The current issue salutes Craftsmen Online as the highlight of Masonic podcasts.

The Square delivers solid content about Freemasonry, and does so free of charge. My thanks to Editor Philippa Lee for the generous recognition.

     

‘King Charles III: So help me God’

    

BBC

The coronation of the United Kingdom’s monarch took place today—you may have heard—and this edition of The Magpie Mason concerns King Charles III’s oath, which concludes with the words “So help me God” and a kiss of the Bible.

I have written more than once on the likelihood that George Washington added those four words to his first presidential oath of office in New York on April 30, 1789. My contention, which can be read here, basically is that Washington spoke those words because they were traditionally found in oaths, even if they are not in the text of the presidential oath as given in the U.S. Constitution. To bolster the convincing circumstantial evidence I cited, which includes several early Masonic oaths, I now share the king’s oath which has roots in medieval times.

BBC

“All this I promise to do. The things which I here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God.” He then kissed the Holy Bible.

That’s it. That’s the whole post.

     

‘Monk Tabaco and the Square & Compasses’

    

Monk Tabaco

An online discussion of rope tobaccos for the pipe led me to the existence of an Argentine tobacco company named Monk that, for reasons I cannot discover, employs the Square and Compasses for a logo. I thought I’d share some info here.

Monk Tabaco

I gather Monk adheres to the boutique approach, offering its mixtures in small quantities, so the oligarchy of pipe tobacco makers should fear no danger. Maybe success will produce growth. (I don’t find any distribution in the United States.)

Monk Tabaco

It uses ingredients with which we are familiar, and it makes pipe mixtures in the forms we know. There are ribbon, flake, and—impressively—the rope tobaccos. Monk sells aromatics and the usual traditional blends, so there’s something for just about everyone. They manufacture cigars also, but pipe mixtures seem to be Monk’s emphasis. Actually, I’m only assuming they make the goods.

Monk Tabaco

No hablo español, so I can’t decipher its website, but some of its Facebook posts are translated into English.

Monk Tabaco

When looking at the prices, don’t have a heart attack. The goods are valued in Argentine pesos, which is denominated with the same dollar sign we use. For example, the 100-gram tin of Mediterráneo Edición Especial retails for $3,450.00—and, in U.S. dollars, that’s $15.52. (If you think inflation here is debilitating, you won’t believe what’s happening in Argentina!)

The Grand Lodge of Argentina is among the recognized family comprised of most Freemasons. From what I’ve read, I would say our Argentine brethren practice the variety of Freemasonry favored by the Grand Orient of France, as opposed to the Anglo-American type. Click here and check it out.

     

‘Goodbye Bro. Hoot’

     

Bro. Harold ‘Hoot’ Fink.

Bro. Ted, down in the District of Columbia, shared the sad news today of the death in January of our good Brother Harold “Hoot” Fink—something Ted said he’d learned accidentally. I see obituaries online, but no details of what happened. He was 67.

Hoot was one of the mainstays of the old Masonic Light group on Yahoo! I believe I met him on the Philalethes first, but I remember him from ML for his impeccable manners, inexhaustible kindness and good cheer. (Okay, there was one time he posted a Red Cross of Constantine ritual, but he didn’t realize it still was an active group.) I met him only once in real life; that was during AMD Weekend at the old Hotel Washington in D.C. in February 2002. It was my first time there, so matching new faces to familiar names spiced up the convivial atmosphere. We sat at the lobby bar, enjoying afternoon cocktails and cigars (can you imagine?!) as I, a few feet away, listened to him talk and slowly realized who he was. I recall Bob Davis, puffing on an Excalibur III, and someone else was between us, but I bet Hoot was talking about riding his Harley through the open areas around Syracuse, which tipped me off.

The ML group offered several regular features every week to give some structure, one of which was “Mackey A to Z,” which Hoot inaugurated. As you probably guessed, one word from Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, always in alphabetical sequence, was chosen for discussion. It was more fun than it sounds because the membership was as eclectic as could be without including Masons from other planets. Tons of enlightening perspectives.

“Let’s see what Albert has to say this week,” Hoot would begin. After back-to-back trips from A to Z, Hoot passed this tradition to me; I traveled from A to Z a couple times, but it wasn’t the same.

Hoot was at labor in Konosioni Lodge 950 upstate. He would have made a wonderful Worshipful Master, but I don’t recall if he took that route.

My condolences to Hoot’s son, daughter, the grandchildren, and the brethren at lodge.

     

‘Past Grand Master conveys Stone of Scone to Westminster Abbey’

    

Reuters

Scottish Freemason Joseph J. Morrow, in his capacity as Lord Lyon King of Arms, brought the Stone of Scone from Edinburgh to London for the coronation of King Charles III Saturday. He is shown here at Westminster Abbey April 29.

No, I’m not surprised at all to see how a Freemason has conveyed the Stone of Scone from Edinburgh to London for the coronation of King Charles III. It is a stone, after all.

Joseph J. Morrow, who served the Grand Lodge of Scotland as its 108th Grand Master Mason in 2004-05, is serving in his capacity as Lord Lyon King of Arms, a position he has held since being appointed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014. The Stone of Scone, also called the Stone of Destiny, is a 336-pound block of sandstone that has been central to coronations of English kings since 1307, but naturally has a history long predating that.

According to legend, it was the stone pillow on which the Patriarch Jacob rested his head, so there is that connection to Craft ritual. In more modern times (about 700 BCE), it had reached Ireland, at the place where its kings were crowned. A Celtic conquest of Scotland resulted in its removal to that land, and eventually its deposit at Scone in the ninth century. Here the history becomes more reliable, as the stone was installed in the seat of the Scottish coronation chair. It’s last use there for that purpose was 1292; four years later, England invaded Scotland, and King Edward I had the Stone of Scone brought to London.

Reuters

The Stone of Scone, or Stone of Destiny.

Since 1307, the Stone of Destiny has been in the seat of the very same coronation chair on which Charles III will sit on Saturday. In 1996, the government returned it to Scotland, ergo the reason it was brought thence to Westminster Abbey. It will be returned to Edinburgh Castle afterward.

Past Grand Master Morrow has been involved in the current royal succession since the death of the Queen last September. His duties include overseeing state ceremonial in Scotland, granting new arms to individuals/organizations; confirming claims to existing arms; recognizing clan chiefs; and registering new clan tartans. It was he who read the proclamation of the new king in Edinburgh.

“He then declared ‘God save the King,’ and the crowd shouted the phrase back to him,” according to a public statement from the Grand Lodge then. “The national anthem was sung, and the Lord Lyon led three cheers, saying ‘Hip hip,’ to which the crowd replied with ‘Hooray!’ The proclamation was followed by a 21-gun salute from the city’s castle.”

Earlier this year, Morrow was dubbed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in recognition of his services in the wake of the Queen’s death.

Morrow was elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in November 2004, but rather than customarily seek annual re-election for five consecutive terms, he resigned the post after one year due to “a change in personal circumstances and for health reasons,” according to a story in The Scotsman at that time.

“Earlier in the month, a Sunday newspaper reported how the Labour councillor, advocate and Episcopalian priest was openly gay and was planning to remove some of the mystique traditionally surrounding the secretive organization,” the periodical also reported.

Morrow was made a Mason in 1981 in Lodge Camperdown 317. He was Exalted in Camperdown Royal Arch Chapter 271 the following year, where he served as First Principal in 1989. He also has sought Masonic Light in Royal Ark Mariner and Cryptic degrees.

He has served as M.E. First Grand Principal of the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland since 2018.

SGRAC of Scotland

I think it is to his great credit that when Elizabeth II invested Morrow with the Commander of the British Empire honor, he was attired in a kilt of the Royal Arch tartan!

The hour of the coronation will be 11 a.m. local time, so if you want to watch it live in New York, you will have to tune in at six in the morning.

     

‘Brandywine Battlefield Degree 2023’

    

Potomac Lodge 5, FAAM

George Washington wielded this gavel during the cornerstone ceremony

at the U.S. Capitol September 18, 1793.

It’s way too early to focus on an event coming in October, so please feel free to skip this edition of The Magpie Mason, but if you’re the type who plans ahead, maybe you would want to attend the Brandywine Battlefield Degree in Pennsylvania and book your seats now.

Kennett Lodge 475 and brethren from around the Fifth Masonic District will host the fourth annual degree. That will be Saturday, October 7 at 4:30 p.m. at Brandywine Battlefield Park. From the publicity:

Brother George Washington’s gavel, which was used at the cornerstone-laying ceremony of the United States Capitol, will be on display during the event. The gavel is provided courtesy of Potomac Lodge 5 in Washington, DC. Your ticket purchase entitles you to the following:

• opportunity to view and have your picture taken with the Washington gavel
• commemorative color ticket printed on thick stock
• commemorative coin with event details
• barbecue meal prepared on site with side dishes and dessert

The event begins at 4:30 with tours of the Visitor Center and Washington’s Headquarters for an additional cost of $8. Photos with Washington’s gavel will begin at five o’clock, with dinner at six. The Master Mason Degree will be conferred promptly at 7:30. There will be cigars to enjoy at an additional cost, or bring your own. The cost of the event remains at only $40 ($44.52 with fees).

This event is rain or shine and is open to Master Masons only. There will be seating provided.

Buy tickets here.

     

‘Whew! Thank God that’s over!’

     

It’s been six years, so I can’t remember all the specifics of why Grand Lodge withdrew its recognition of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, but the disagreement has been resolved, according to a proclamation from Grand Master Richard J. Kessler.

Grand Lodge is meeting today in Masonic Hall to tackle all kinds of business for the year. Questions of relations with other jurisdictions inevitably arise, but I think it’s unusual to see squabbles between some of the oldest grand lodges in the world. I don’t see a previous edition of The Magpie Mason that explains the New York-Scotland rift, but I think I recall an incident of three individuals being rejected for membership here, who then found a lodge in Scotland that accepted them. Correction: Three New York Masons were expelled. They later became members of a Scottish lodge in Lebanon, as Scotland wouldn’t honor the New York expulsions. There is more to the affair, exacerbating details involving grand lodges active in Lebanon, but it’s all over now.

That could sound trivial to the uninitiated ear, but it speaks to a couple of the fraternity’s integral principles. But they worked it out, which honors possibly the bedrock of our fundamentals.

The decision required a vote of the members of Grand Lodge, which evidently happened, since our Grand Secretary disseminated the proclamation moments ago.

Congratulations to all parties! What a regrettable circumstance to have materialized back in 2017.

(I see Oscar is in Edinburgh today; he’s free to visit a lodge there now. 😁) 

     

‘Peninsula’s 20th anniversary’

    

Magpie file photo

I close the Magpie month of April with happy anniversary wishes to my old lodge, Peninsula 99 over in New Jersey. It was on this date in 2003 when the “grand lodge of New Jersey” issued a warrant to the last of its remaining lodges in the City of Bayonne.

Peninsula was an amalgamation of Bayonne 99 and Menorah 249 (where I had been at labor). Masonic lodges have been active in the city, if I recall correctly, since 1857.

I had the tough job of presiding in the East in 2005. Didn’t have to be difficult. I could have upheld the practice of initiating every vaguely curious man who could fog a mirror and pay a nominal fee, but I recognized the futility of that, and tried to practice what the EA Charge said about considering prospective members. (I was NorthStar ages before the program.)

It didn’t go over well.

But, on the plus side, the “district deputy grand master” threatening me with eviction from the Solomonic Chair led to my induction into the Knights of the North, that unsung think tank that did so much to clear the head of this fraternity. And then KOTN became the Masonic Society, and the rest is Masonic history.

(True story: On the night my successor was installed, the “ddgm” was to present me some kind of certificate of congratulations from the “grand lodge.” Well, he did that, but as he and I stood before a large audience of Masons and families and friends, and as he explained to the crowd what the award was about, he crushed the bottom left quarter of the diploma so it would be crumpled if I framed it. I guess so I’d have something to remember him by. I don’t remember his name, and I didn’t keep the certificate.)

Magpie file photo

Great building. Dedicated in, I think, 1925, with thousands of Masons in procession, it stands prominently in the neighborhood.

Anyway, happy twentieth anniversary to Mighty Peninsula 99! I hope I made a positive contribution. (Something more than the “Mighty” nickname.)

     

‘Grand Lodge facts and figures’

    

The big day is tomorrow! On Monday at 9 a.m., the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York will assemble and open its 241st Annual Communication in Masonic Hall in Manhattan with Grand Master Richard J. Kessler presiding. Sorry to say I cannot attend, but someday I’ll be available on a weekday for these things.

I’ve been perusing reports and other documents that are circulated in preparation for the two-day meeting, and there are a few interesting points to share.

Total members as of January 1: 26,383

Number of lodges: 438

Number of research lodges: 4

That’s The American Lodge of Research, Infinity Lodge of Research, Justice Robert H. Jackson Lodge of Research, and Western Lodge of Research. Esoteric Lodge of Research UD is listed as dormant. (I don’t know what or where that was.) Speaking of The ALR, Worshipful Master Conor has his report to Grand Lodge included among all these documents.

In the history department, Grand Historian Gary Heinmiller says: “We have gone from zero lodges reporting lodge Historians appointed to now over 140. This will increase each year until each lodge has appointed an active Historian.” I didn’t know this was a thing until reading Gary’s report, but I did notice long ago that lodges here didn’t have Historians. As soon as I read this report (he and I go back about twenty years via the Masonic Light group), I emailed my lodge’s incoming Master to volunteer to serve as Historian for the ensuing year. Yeah, sure, he said. So make that 141 lodges.

(Click here for How to Serve as Lodge Historian.)

History is one of my favorite fields in Masonic doings, and effective, professional communication is another. There are a number of initiatives coming soon that will help Masons exchange ideas among themselves, and put forth information to the world outside.

You know about craftsmenonline, and in the works is a website for Masonic education named Hiram.

Something else I haven’t heard of previously is the job of District Public Relations Officer. Or maybe I was informed, but I forgot. Anyway, I’m on a Communications Subcommittee, and I’m writing a “how to” manual for publicizing Masonic activities. (I’m from Publicity Lodge, after all.) I don’t think there’s much those of us in Manhattan can do, but lodges in the smaller cities, the suburbs, and rural areas have local media they can leverage. You just have to know how to help them help you. I doubt I’ll finish this booklet before summer, but it’ll be useful.

The Communications Committee has four subgroups, according to the White Book. I really feel like I ought to be more aware of these things, but maybe I need to see it in print for it to sink in. Anyway, there are Social Media, Publications, Press Releases, and Speakers Bureau working groups.

Also coming our way is Our Quarry, described by Deputy Grand Master Steven Rubin as “a digital magazine, published by region, celebrating and promoting the programs, news, and events from around our Grand Jurisdiction.”

Looking abroad, there are some noteworthy happenings in Europe. Last year, a New York delegation visited Finland to join the centennial celebration of Suomi Lodge 1. It was New York Grand Master Arthur Tompkins who set the lodge to labor in 1922 and led a degree team to make twenty-seven men Master Masons, including Jean Sibelius. The centenary of the Grand Lodge of Finland comes next year, and the partying will continue. (Take a minute and google “Finnish jokes.”)

Meanwhile in Romania, they must think they’re French or something because a rebellious faction tried to dismiss the Grand Master, alleging corruption; the National Grand Lodge expelled the rebels; then everybody went to court. I don’t know where it all stands at this moment, but I have canceled my vacation plans. (No matter. They say Sammy’s Steakhouse, the deeply missed old school Roumanian place, will reopen soon on Orchard.)

There are tons more reports, statistics, speeches, and the like. Be sure to read the book of proceedings when it comes out.

     

‘A new look for Masonic Hall’

    

Masonic Hall has been behind scaffolding for so long—I really don’t recall how many years (six?)—that some of us may have forgotten what it looks like!

Bro. John Wayne quotation.

These scaffolding companies that blight the city leave their property on work sites long after the labors are completed because, basically, it’s just cheaper and easier to leave them, rather than deconstruct, truck off, stow away, and relocate & reassemble when needed next. There’s really nothing you can do about it.

Bro. Theodore Roosevelt quotation.

But it’s finally gone, and the coolest building straddling the Flatiron and Chelsea neighborhoods is unobstructed. To celebrate the return to normalcy, the Masonic Hall Trustees, acting through board member RW Michael Siegel and Ms. Nikole Kniesel, Director of Marketing and Special Events at Masonic Care-New Rochelle, have given the facade a new look. And in time for Grand Lodge’s 241st Annual Communication Monday too.

Grand Master Richard J. Kessler quotation.

Photos courtesy RW George Filippidis, Trustee.

Bro. Ray Robinson quotation.

      

‘For your Brotherly Love’

    

For Your Love, Bro. Francis Dumaurier’s biography of Bro. Giorgio Gomelsky, has been available in digital format for more than a year, but the high quality print versions are coming to market now. In fact, on Sunday, Dumaurier will launch his book in London with a celebration at the historic Crawdaddy Club, where the Rolling Stones got their start and the Yardbirds later served as the house band. (A New York City book launch is coming in June.)

Giorgio Gomelsky (1934-2016) was the impresario and record producer who figured significantly in the Swinging Sixties without himself becoming a household name. I mean he was a name in my household—or at least in my bedroom where my record collection was—but I don’t think he ascended into the stratosphere like Brian Epstein, George Martin, Andrew Oldham, et al.

But, did you know it was Gomelsky who introduced the Beatles to the Stones? Sure, they would have met eventually, but that encounter was sixty years ago last Friday at the Crawdaddy Club. Later in 1963, the Stones would have their first hit single with “I Wanna Be Your Man,” penned pretty much for them by Lennon and McCartney.

Born in Soviet Georgia and died in New York City, Gomelsky’s story has ups and downs, all of which are pretty amazing. He was at Masonic labor in l’Union Française 17 in the Tenth Manhattan District, as is Bro. Francis.

Francis Dumaurier

Tickets to the event Sunday can be had here. There will be a book-signing, live music, and more.

     

‘Washington inauguration on Sunday’

    

Have any plans for Sunday afternoon? The corrupt and deranged “president” of the United States just mumbled his plan to seek re-election, so treat yourself to a balm for the spirits by coming to Masonic Hall for a celebration of the greatest President in a family-friendly event that honors U.S. history, Manhattan history, and Masonic history all at once.

Sunday will be the 234th anniversary of George Washington’s first inauguration as President of the United States, which took place downtown on Wall Street at what we today call Federal Hall. The President-elect (not a member of any political party, by the way), placed his right hand on the altar bible (a KJV) of St. John’s Lodge, and was sworn by Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, our Grand Master. Feel free to read more about that here.

Anyway, on Sunday at noon, New York Freemasonry’s George Washington Inaugural Re-Enactment Committee will host its annual tribute to the world-changing event by, well, re-enacting it. Federal Hall is closed on Sundays, so the brethren will get together in Masonic Hall, appropriately, in the Colonial Room on 10.

MW Richard J. Kessler, Grand Master, will be there with an entourage of Grand Lodge officers. The Sons of the Revolution of New York and the Knickerbocker Greys will serve as Color Guard. Family and friends of Freemasonry are welcome, and refreshments will be served afterward. Photo ID is required to enter Masonic Hall.

Make it a family day in the city. Just wear your kevlar, keep your heads down, and run like hell. After the re-enactment, head down to Film Forum to see Bro. Harold Lloyd in his brilliant comedy Hot Water.

     

‘Lodge of Military History and Holocaust Studies’

    

Among the dynamics in English Freemasonry is the repurposing of lodges considered at risk of surrendering their warrants. One such lodge revivified is Stebonheath 5521 in London.

Warranted on December 5, 1934, and set to labor at Royal Adelaide Gallery Restaurant in the Strand, its founding was sponsored by Merchant Navy Lodge 781. Stebonheath relocated around London several times until settling at the Central London Masonic Centre (now closed) about a decade ago. I don’t know anything about its ups and downs since then, or during these past nine decades, but word has been getting into social media lately about its current ambitions, namely to become a lodge focused on historic studies. Here is a concise message from Bro. Vern yesterday:

It’s been a long time in the making, but the first real meeting of the Lodge of Military History and Holocaust Studies is here—complete with the installation of the first Worshipful Master, special lecture, and dining at the Connaught Rooms. Spaces will be limited, so don’t miss out.

I pitched a question to see if this will be considered a research lodge, and I’ll update this if I receive a response. In the meantime, best wishes to the brethren behind this. Oh, and feel free to follow them on the Twitter here.