‘Emulation Ritual’s bicentenary’

    

emulationloi.org

I wanted to get to this last Monday, which was the actual 200th anniversary, but anyway I’ll note the landmark occasion of the start of Emulation Lodge of Improvement on October 2, 1823 thusly.

Emulation is a Masonic ritual under the English Constitution of Freemasonry. The United Grand Lodge of England has no official ritual; there are, if I understand correctly, approximately eighty rituals found in UGLE lodges around the world, but I’m told practically all of them are variations of Emulation.

What is Emulation?

Seal of the Ancients.

I would say Emulation was the ritual component of bringing together the Grand Lodge of England (the “Moderns” of 1717) and the Grand Lodge According to the Old Institutions (the “Ancients” of 1751). There was a lot more that went into the amalgamation of the grand lodges in 1813 than merely who was going to be in charge. Matters of ritual and regalia and a lot more required a meeting of the minds. To discuss the ritual department, I will defer to Brent Morris and Art de Hoyos, who co-wrote the Introduction to The Perfect Ceremonies of Craft Masonry and The Holy Royal Arch, published by the Masonic Book Club in 2021.

The two former rivals had ritual variances and, for the next two years, a Lodge of Reconciliation met to create a new form of ritual acceptable to all. They did not create an ‘authorized ritual’ which was to be enforced throughout the English Constitution, but rather created a satisfactory form of ritual. Lodges would be free to include variations so long as the essentials were included…

In 1823 the Emulation Lodge of Improvement was founded for Master Masons only. Several of its members had belonged to the Burlington and the Perseverance Lodges of Instruction. Burlington began working in 1810 under the Moderns Grand Lodge, while Perseverance started in 1818 under the United Grand Lodge. As Colin Dyer noted, ‘Among the Founders [of Emulation Lodge] were some who were very able ritualists and who had a great deal of experience and expertise in the working of the new forms according to the Grand Stewards’ Lodge system.’ The founders were almost equally split in membership among the former rival grand lodges.

Peter W. Gilkes

Peter William Gilkes (1765-1833) joined Emulation Lodge of Improvement in 1825. He was initiated at age twenty-one in British Lodge No. 4, a Moderns lodge, in 1786, and became a preeminent instructor of Masonic ritual. Although not a member of the Lodge of Reconciliation, he visited it about ten times. He was known for his strict adherence to verbal accuracy, which is still a characteristic of lodges using Emulation working. It is not known precisely when the lodge adopted its particular working, beyond the lectures, but we can narrow it down to a five-year period. In 1830 the lodge sent a petition, or “Memorial,” to the Grand Master, the Duke of Sussex, requesting a special warrant to continue its practice, and sometime between then [and] about 1835, it formalized its ritual working. The earliest notice of the Emulation working appeared in an article in The Freemasons Quarterly Review (1836):

About the year, 1823, several Brethren considered that the Masonic lectures were not worked in the Lodges upon a sufficiently regulated system, and that if those whose attainments as working Masons placed them as a prominent authority, were to meet together and to work efficiently, they might be the means of effecting much improvement. They accordingly met, we believe in Wardour Street, pursuant to a general notice in the public papers, which advertisement created a considerable sensation in the Craft. Some members of the Grand Stewards’ Lodge, hitherto the only authority for a recognized system, felt that it was necessary to watch the proceedings. Some Grand Officers, with Brother E. Harper, the Grand Secretary, also attended. The several chairs from the Master to the Outer Guard were all filled with the most practical and experienced Masons of the day; and we have the authority of a Grand Officer for stating,  that never was there so perfect an illustration of the ceremonies and lectures ever before manifested. The visitors separated, highly delighted; and among them, the lamented Peter Gilkes, who so highly approved of the proceedings, that, in about twelve months afterwards, he joined the Lodge, and supported it until the time of his death.

 

It was likely in 1836 that the first version of an “Emulation ritual” was printed, appearing under the title, The Whole of the Lodge Ceremonies, and Lectures in Craft Masonry; as taught by the late P. Gilkes. Although an imprint was absent from the publication, the printer may have been George Claret (1783-1850), a well-known ritualist and acquaintance of Gilkes. This work was the first post-Union plain text English ritual, printed as a fraternal aide-mémoire rather than as a public exposé.

I’m starting to ramble, but let me close with a few words from my copy of Emulation, a well used second edition from 1970 that I bought ages ago from Yasha.

The Emulation ritual MM tracing board from Lewis Masonic’s 1970 edition.

Emulation Working takes its name from the Emulation Lodge of Improvement whose committee are the custodians of this particular ritual.... The Emulation Lodge of Improvement for Master Masons first met on 2nd October 1823. The Lodge was formed for Master Masons only, and worked, in its earliest years, only the Masonic lectures. However by about 1830 in accordance with general practice the ceremonies were also being rehearsed—always with considerable attention to accuracy, so that no alteration might inadvertently become practice. The Lodge of Improvement has met uninterruptedly since those days, so soon after the settling of the ceremonies by Grand Lodge in 1816, for the purpose of demonstrating unchanged, so far as has been humanly possible, the Emulation Ritual in accordance with the original method. Since June 1965 the variations permitted by the Grand Lodge Resolution of December 1964, with consequential amendments, have also been periodically demonstrated.

None of this has anything to do with ritual in lodges in the United States. Our practices commenced in the 1700s and evolved on their own paths into what we have today, with all their differences from state to state. Emulation is perfectly comprehensible to the American eye and ear; the biggest difference, I’d say, is the absence of our Enlightenment-era Prestonian lectures. And they have Working Tools that we do not.

If I’m not mistaken, Emulation can be found in America, in certain lodges that adhere to either the Observant or European Concept models. I think Vitruvian 767 in Indianapolis works it. Many years ago, when Marco became Master of St. John’s 1 in Manhattan, he was installed by a Board of Installed Masters of the Emulation style. Needed dispensation for that.

One of many Emulation books.

Emulation Lodge of Improvement still exists and, in fact, hosted an anniversary celebration Friday night. (I tried to join its private Facebook group last week, but couldn’t pass the test questions!) If you are interested, you can purchase ritual books from Lewis Masonic here.

     

‘The Anti-Mason library’

    

Haaswurth Books

There are Masonic libraries (I have one), and there are Masonic libraries (my Grand Lodge has one). Then there is this. Haaswurth Books, way up in Binghamton, is offering a stunning trove of literature from the start of the Anti-Masonic hysteria of the 1820s and ’30s.

You’ve heard of some of these books, and you have read reprints of a few, but this amazing cache contains first editions. I imagine the tactile experience of turning these pages might transport readers back to the birth of the American fear of Freemasonry. It was an ugly time. Americans in some rural areas (the contagion didn’t impact the cities much) started to wonder if the Freemasons holding public offices and other powerful jobs were ruling the new republic according to some secret design. Of course we hear that kind of blather even today. You know the panic was detonated by the alleged murder of a man calling himself William Morgan in 1826, but what rocked the Northeast of the country was a not wholly irrational fear of Freemasonry. After seeing the preponderance of Masons involved in the trials of the accused killers, people began to take notice of the high ranking Masons in the pinnacle of political life.

Top officials of the era in Albany and Washington were prominent Freemasons: Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, Daniel Tompkins, DeWitt Clinton, and plenty others were not united in political views—nor even within their respective political parties—but were members of this one fraternity. And Freemasonry at this time was not quite the same as the Freemasonry of the Founding. Early American Freemasonry was a workshop in self-governance, with the man on the street attending lodge and casting ballots to elect leaders, choose how funds were disbursed, and make numerous decisions as needed. By 1830 or so, however, things were changing. The simple lodge was in competition with other Masonic groups, chiefly the Scottish Rite and Royal Arch, which offered its members grandiose titles that might tickle the public funny bone today, but weren’t considered amusing by some back then. Americans didn’t overthrow a monarchial colonial system and establish a republic with democratic elections so that the local mayor, banker, newspaper publisher, and other elites could address each other with royal, ecclesiastic, and other nicknames of pageantry.

Wariness of the Craft wasn’t exactly brand new. In the 1730s, a New York City newspaper expressed skepticism of an organization that exacted secret oaths from its members while sequestering itself in a private meeting room replete with an armed sentry outside the door. But suspicion didn’t grip society, birth a political movement, and cause the near disappearance of Freemasonry. All that would come in the 1830s, as documented in these books for sale here.

I have been meaning to post this for two years, but forgot somehow. At this point, the books are available for sale individually, so if you or your favorite Masonic institution seek to start or augment a collection of original anti-Masonic material, maybe this is the way to go.

     

’They came from the sixth floor (and Hong Kong & Italy)’

    

You promise that no Visitor shall be received into your Lodge without due examination, and producing proper Vouchers of his having been initiated in a regular Lodge.

Book of Constitutions

United Grand Lodge of England

The VIPs Monday night. From left: RW George, RW Tomas, RW Peter, WM Tom, the Most Worshipful Richard J. Kessler, Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York, RW Wayne, RW Philippe, and Bro. Marco in the red of the Grande Oriente d'Italia.

Our Communication Monday night was supposed to have been a pretty dry discussion and adoption of our operating budget for the year but, as is so ordinary in Freemasonry, things got exciting.

Publicity Lodge still tackled its budget, but we were blessed with the company of Grand Lodge top brass and sojourning Masons from distant locales. For the second time in seven months, Grand Master Richard Kessler joined us, even arriving early to socialize with the brethren. He was accompanied by Grand Secretary Richard Schulz, D.D. Grand Master Philippe Hiolle, and Grand Director of Ceremonies Tomas Hull. Their presence was prompted by the advance notice that two very special guests were coming.

Right Worshipful Brother Peter H.Y. Wong, Past District Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England’s District Grand Lodge of Hong Kong and the Far East, was accompanied by RW Wayne Ang, Past District Grand Standard Bearer. As Tiler, I was primed. (That DGL somehow remains in existence.)

In addition, we welcomed an unexpected visitor from Italy: Bro. Marco comes from La Pace (Peace) Lodge 76, under the Grand Orient of Italy in Padua. I know what you’re thinking: “Wait, the English guys can’t sit in lodge with GOI guys!” But that’s not true any longer. In March, the UGLE and the GOI resolved their decades of estrangement, re-establishing recognition, relations, and normalcy, so there was no risk of an international incident erupting in tranquil Publicity Lodge. The English now recognize both the Grand Orient and the Regular Grand Lodge there.

WM Tom, left, greets the delegation from James W. Husted-Fiat Lux Lodge 1068 who journeyed up two flights of stairs to be with us. That’s RW Ron at right.

It really livened things up, having all these eminent Masons with us. What’s more, the meeting of James W. Husted-Fiat Lux Lodge 1068 down on the sixth floor was canceled abruptly because principal officers could not attend, so RW Ron Sablosky brought seven of his lodge brothers upstairs to visit. Pretty good timing, I’d say. What was to have been a forgettable business meeting became a memorable Masonic night. (I, on behalf of the Education Committee, was scheduled to present a discussion on petitioner-interview techniques, but that will be done another time.)

WM Tom, left, and the three PDDGMs: Ron, Rich, and George, with the Grand Master at right.

An additional attraction arose when it became known that RW Sablosky, RW Schulz, and RW George (one of Publicity’s venerable Past Masters) were united in lodge for the first time in many years. The three served together as DDGMs during the 1996-98 term.

I publish a monthly digital magazine of about 25 pages for Publicity Lodge. The November issue will have this photo of the trowel presentation on the front cover. That’s RW Peter Wong on the left and Worshipful Master Tom on the right.

RW Bro. Wong presented our Worshipful Master the gift of a ceremonial trowel, the reverse of which he’d had engraved with a message to commemorate this occasion. Bro. Marco likewise bore gifts: a book, in Italian, about his Grand Orient’s 200+ years; and a reproduction of his lodge’s seal.

And yet, even more serendipitous, RW Sablosky, having no idea RW Wong was present, found himself reunited with his old acquaintance, they having known each other some thirty-five years. Ron invited Peter to his wedding ages ago, and Peter replied with a telegram(!) sending regrets that he couldn’t make the trip. Ron still has the telegram.

Master and Grand Master.

Of course the Grand Master is the last to speak, and MW Kessler praised the civility of our parliamentary budget haggling, segueing into a reminder that we Masons make certain promises to each other. (I’m not the paranoid type, but I wondered if he tailored those remarks for my edification in the wake of the recent Magpie post, about our mayor being made a Mason, that upset some.)

A meeting for the history book, and since I’m Publicity’s Historian, I’d better type this up formally for the permanent record. Can’t wait to see what happens next time.

     

‘Lecture: Hidden Within the Star’

    

This month’s lecture at the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library will bring Simone-Monet Wahls to the lectern to discuss something that I would call unexpected. From the publicity:

Hidden within the Star:

Sublime Symbolism

of the Order

of the Eastern Star

By Simone-Monet Wahls

Thursday, October 26

7:30 p.m.

Masonic Hall

Jacobean Room on 8

RSVP here

Simone-Monet Wahls

Searching for deeper meaning, Simone-Monet will share links and connections she has found relating to the Order of Eastern Star.

A writer and speaker across many genres, Simone-Monet Wahls is a Past Matron of Nassau Chapter 718 and currently an Associate Matron of Alpha Chapter 1. She has been an advisor in both Masonic youth groups, DeMolay and Rainbow, since 2016. She also has been facilitator of the AMORC of the Americas Reading Room sessions from 2020 to 2023. 

     

’Time to join/renew to receive next year’s AQC’

    

And speaking of research lodges’ dues and meetings (see post below), it is time to renew with QCCC for 2024. Quatuor Coronati Correspondence Circle is the corporate side of Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 in London. Membership in the lodge is limited to a small number of scholars who are elected, but guys like you and me may join QCCC, the principal benefit of which is possession of the treasury that is Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, the lodge’s annual book of transactions.

QC2076 will meet one more time this year for its installation of officers on November 9 at Great Queen Street. W. Bro. David Peck of Buckinghamshire will be seated in the Solomonic Chair. (Enjoy his recent paper here.)

For next year, the lodge has scheduled:

Thursday, February 15

The Masonic Allusions in James Joyce’s Ulysses

Tim Blakemore

Thursday, May 9

William Farquharson Lamonby,1839-1926, A Portrait of an Unknown Freemason

Brendan Kyne

Thursday, June 27

Provincial Grand Masters in the 18th Century

Prof. Aubrey Newman

At Leicester Masonic Hall. Details to come. 

Thursday, September 12

A Chequered and Colourful History: Freemasonry in North Wales 1727-1851

Rob Hammond

Thursday, November 14

Installation Meeting with Installation Paper

Someday I will visit, I keep telling myself. Click here to join QCCC or click here to renew your membership.

     

‘Research lodge 2024 dates’

    

Civil War Lodge of Research apron.

The call for 2024 dues for Civil War Lodge of Research 1865 has gone out, and the meeting schedule has been published. One of the Grand Lodge of Virginia’s five lodges of Masonic research, CWLR is the one that travels outside the Commonwealth to visit places significant to Civil War history.

There are two meetings to go in 2023: Saturday, October 21 at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; and Saturday, December 2 at Farmville, Virginia.

Next year, plans are being made for:

April 13 at Bennett Place in North Carolina;

July 13 at Fort Delaware in Delaware; and

October 12 at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.

The meetings are held in nearby lodges, and then the brethren regroup at the historical sites. Sometimes plans change—in fact, I’m hoping that October date could be reconsidered someway because that’ll be Yom Kippur—so keep watch on the website. I definitely will attend the Delaware meeting.

     

‘Ritual: script or oral history?’

     

Title page of Grand Lodge’s current book.

A Past Master in Kansas, a DDGM actually, regularly offers his views on things Masonic, kind of in blog format, on Faceypage. He posts in “A Past Master’s Thoughts” almost daily. About a month ago, in reflection on a lodge experience the day before, he wrote:

The topic of ritual came up. It seems there is a lodge that requires ‘word perfect’ ritual. Let me say I get that, but even Grand Lecturers stumble… It was brought up the difference between perfect and proficient. There is a difference. 

Do you know the work? Does it resonate with you? Ritual is energy. Can it be felt, or are we just spewing words? 

For those who say they cannot learn ritual, I have a few questions: Do you know your address without looking it up? Your phone number? If your favorite song came on the radio, but the volume turned off, could you sing it? If you said yes to any of those, you can be proficient, at least, in ritual.

At issue is rote memorization which, whatever your method might be, has been essential to preserving how we do things and passing it to our posterity. I believe that emphasis on letter perfect ritual has two origins:

1) The process of education, training, maturation, etc. in operative building involved the apprentice learning from the master mason without deviation. I can’t imagine there could have been interpretation by the pupil of the teacher’s instruction. Failure to learn The Way of Doing Things would terminate the apprenticeship in failure.

2) About a century ago, our grand lodges in the United States began publishing their own ritual books, resulting in a fundamentalism in which the memorization and flawless recitation of ritual became paramount.

From ‘A Past Master’s Thoughts.’

How many inept leaders have you seen win high office for no other reason than their demonstrated ritual skill? When the fraternity was larger (if you don’t know, the number of regular Master Masons in this country has returned to nineteenth century levels), obviously there was more talent to provide the ritual experts needed for continuity of the work. And having the book isn’t enough; we need the “actors” to bring the written word to life. This isn’t as easy today, thanks to changes in how the young are schooled. The rote memorization, aided by mnemonics, that older people, like myself, relied on appears to have been retired. (I don’t know if something else has replaced it.) So the task of studying, learning, and recalling Masonic oratory, which never was easy for most, looks today like an unduly difficult and outdated method to a thirty-year-old. Generally speaking. I always see exceptions.

But—finally arriving at my point—would it help to rethink ritual, changing our concept of it from a script to our oral history? This isn’t to allow any encroaching changes to the words—although our ancestors did okay without official ritual texts—but rather to dilute the intimidating pressure to memorize the printed page.

I consider myself an amateur historian. Part of the mental gymnastics in my own labors to learn ritual is my knowledge of ritual history. I don’t claim an all encompassing knowledge, but realizing how there have been huge and numerous changes in what we do, and being familiar with a number of the specifics, has proven very helpful to me. That knowledge demystifies what some may call the unapproachable, and with that barrier breached, one can take possession of the words. They become digestible facts.

The phrases, dialogues, etc. have evolved over the centuries and they likely will change in the future because they are written by men, so there is no reason to hesitate in studying and learning them. Our Past Master in Kansas likens the dynamic to knowing song lyrics but, for our purposes, maybe embracing Masonic ritual as oral history (there still are jurisdictions that employ the mouth-to-ear method) will change a chore into the enriching challenge it should be. I just envision greater intimacy this way.

The Oral History Association defines oral history as “a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events. Oral history is both the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word, and one of the most modern, initiated with tape recorders in the 1940s and now using 21st-century digital technologies.”

While ritual isn’t cited specifically, everything we do in life derives from custom, habit, observance, practice, procedure, etc. Change the Ritual Committee name to Oral History Teachers.

Speaking of ritual, tomorrow is the 200th anniversary of England’s Emulation Lodge of Improvement, and I hope to find time to delve into that then.

     

‘Masonic researchers to unite’

    

Thank you for reading The Magpie Mason. We have been together fifteen years now.

So I told you about The American Lodge of Research meeting jointly with Thomas Smith Webb Chapter of Research at the end of October, but before then, TSW will meet with Western New York Lodge of Research and Ohio Chapter of Research. From the publicity:

A joint meeting of Thomas Smith Webb Chapter of Research, Ohio Chapter of Research, and Western New York Lodge of Research will be convened on Friday, October 13 and Saturday, October 14 at Western Star Lodge (692 Ridge Road) in Lackawanna, New York.

Western Star Lodge 1185.

Friday evening, Holy Ark Chapter 304 will host dinner at 6:30. The supper will consist of baked Italian chicken with cold green bean salad, garlic salt potatoes, and “make-your-own sundaes.” Dining fee is $22 payable at the door, but reservations to Jeff Williamson here are necessary.

Following dinner, Thomas Smith Webb Chapter will open at 7:30 for the purpose of research and study. Several papers will be presented. Masons who are not Royal Arch Masons will be accommodated to listen and participate.

On Saturday morning, we will reconvene at nine o’clock and additional papers will be presented until noon, including RW Bruce Renner, who will discuss “A Lodge Walkabout for the Esoterically Inclined.”

Attire is sport coat & tie and Royal Arch regalia, if applicable. Brothers from WNY Lodge of Research, who are not Companions, will wear a white Masonic apron or symbolic lodge regalia.

     

     

‘Tomorrow night: Guarding the Arcane’

    

Sorry for the late notice, but Heather Calloway will be the speaker tomorrow night, being hosted by the Masonic Renewal Committee. She will present “Guarding the Arcane: The Quest to Preserve Fraternal History” via Zoom and courtesy of the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction. Click here to register. From the publicity:

Engage 2023

Masonic Renewal Committee

MRC Engage Conferences are exactly what the name implies: opportunities for the Masonic leader to engage with knowledgeable presenters on a range of topics important to the success of our fraternity. MRC Engage Conferences are delivered via Zoom. Each is one hour of information to make you a better, more informed leader.

Guarding the Arcane:

The Quest to Conserve

Fraternal History

with Dr. Heather Calloway

Thursday, September 28

8 p.m. Eastern

Heather K. Calloway, MTS, MLS, Ed.D., is Executive Director of University Collections, Indiana University; Director, Center for Fraternal Collections; Research Lecturer, IUB Curatorship, and IUPUI Museum Studies.

Dr. Heather Calloway

Drawing upon a professional background as an archivist spanning more than twenty years, Dr. Calloway has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the preservation of archival, museum, and library holdings. She will talk about strategies and best practices to preserve your fraternal history. Heather holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, where her dissertation focused on preserving Masonic grand lodge libraries, archives, and museums. Prior to moving to higher education, she spent fourteen years at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C.

     

‘NYC mayor is a Mason now’

    

The worst mayor the City of New York has suffered in living memory was made a Mason at sight by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge during the weekend, the New York Post reported last night.

The Post isn’t saying he’s the worst mayor—at least not in this reportage. I’m saying it because you have to reach back to the 1920s administration of Jimmy Walker to review the performance of a mayor as oblivious to the welfare of his constituents, and as corrupt. 

Mayor Eric Adams took a little time off from destroying America’s former greatest city to be made a Mason by the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York at the mayoral residence. That’s the legit grand lodge, the one up on 155th Street. Police Commissioner Ed Caban and NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey also were inducted or something.

“Kevin Wardally, the head of the NYPD’s office of intergovernmental affairs, is one of the lodge’s officers, a grand junior warden,” the Post says.

Read all about it here.

     

‘Azim and Shamaliu team up’

   

The Mystic Prophets in formation at Masonic Hall today. That’s the Shamaliu Prophets attired in Grotto black and red. I think we Aziminians need to reinvigorate our sartorial traditions! Grand Monarch Victor, front and center, in a superb sport jacket.

It was the High Holy Days Edition of Azim Grotto Ceremonials today, as the Prophets gathered at Masonic Hall to impart lessons in Sympathy and Good Fellowship upon Pilgrim Neophytes from New Jersey.

Some of the Shamaliu contingent
with Monarch Dave in front.

The Mystic Prophets of the newly chartered Shamaliu Grotto (I forgot to ask those guys what the name means) (I’m told it is the Arabic word meaning “northern”), which meets in the Shriner building in Morris County, outnumbered us! Some were actual candidates, receiving their fezzes as new Prophets, but most already had their black headgear, but had not been through the Ceremonial initiation. All that is corrected now, and I imagine the Shamaliu Prophets will tackle their own ritual work henceforth.

Shamaliu Monarch Dave gets a few pointers
on regalia from Azim Monarch Eric.

Theirs is the second Grotto during this revival of MOVPER in the Garden State. The first, Simba, was launched two years ago, but already is said to be near death. (Sorry, but I predicted that. The lodges in Jersey basically are Grottoes, so I don’t know what novelty MOVPER offers the Masons there. Plus they already have the Shrine, the Sciots, Tall Cedars, and Scottish Rite, and all are moribund.) But Shamaliu appears to be in good hands, and I certainly wish them the best, as we Prophets impart Sympathy and Good Fellowship in a Brotherly Way.

Dignitaries on hand included (Azim’s own) Grand Monarch Victor Mann, who generously steered me toward his Soho tailor for bespoke suits and jackets; and District Deputy Frank Sforza, who always looks like he was born with that million-dollar-suit thing mastered.

John Roberts, PM

Victor once again had the honor of fezzing the new Prophets; Frank returned to the stage to dazzle us anew with his ritual prowess. And Past Monarch John Roberts was back. The Maestro, I call him. No, not ironically!

Other Grottoes were represented today, including Monker in Norwalk, which sent a few Prophets, including Monarch Ray Roche. I haven’t seen him since he was installed MEGHP of the Royal Arch Grand Chapter of New York seven years ago! I think a few Tri Po Bed Prophets were with us too.

We were told Azim has one more event upcoming, either next month or in November, before the elections and installation of officers at year end. And the Empire State Grotto Association has a meeting next month at Niagara Falls. Cheers to Monarch Eric on an eventful 2023.

Today, at least, the G in the Jacobean Room stands for Grotto!

     

‘Capitol cornerstone commemoration Monday’

    

No red-blooded American Freemason needs to be told Monday is the 230th anniversary of the cornerstone-laying ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, and that Bro. Washington himself led the Masonic rites, but maybe you don’t know that a lodge in Delaware will commemorate the historic event with a re-enactment led by the Grand Master.

Doric Lodge 30 even garnered some media coverage already. Looks like fun, and it will be open to the public. Click here for details.

     

‘Advance one step…’

   

W. Matt Rancosky

The Master of Good Samaritan Lodge in Gettysburg will be out of town for a week and a half as he takes a hike across Pennsylvania to raise funds for several Masonic causes.

Matt Rancosky will advance one step, for starters, from Connellsville, not far from Ohio, and proceed to the Masonic Temple in Philly. From the publicity:

Walk My State

September 30 through October 9

Walking My State is a walk across the State of Pennsylvania to raise money for Masonic youth groups, the Masonic Widows Fund, and other charities of Good Samaritan Lodge 336. Brother Matt Rancosky, Worshipful Master, will walk 265 miles from the Pleasant Valley Masonic Center to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in a ten-day journey.

Matt will track his progress daily on our Facebook page. Please come and join him for a little bit when he is in your area. This walk is not just about raising money for great charitable causes, but also about meeting brothers across the state and maybe even a chance to explain Freemasonry to others.

The fundraising part is understood in three denominations: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Click here to learn more about that. Gifts of other generous amounts are welcome too, of course, so click here to contribute thusly. On Monday, Matt will be the guest on the Masonic Lite podcast, so we’ll learn more about this after the weekend.

Headshot courtesy Darryl Wheeler/Gettysburg Times.

     

‘The ALR & TSW to meet’

    

Portrait artist extraordinaire Travis Simpkins noted on Facebook this afternoon how today is the anniversary of the publication in 1797 of The Freemason’s Monitor; or Illustrations of Masonry by Thomas Smith Webb.

Thomas Smith Webb by Travis Simpkins.

Royal Arch Masonry’s newly revivified Thomas Smith Webb Chapter of Research in New York is maintaining an active schedule these days, including a special event next month.

Hope to see you there.

     

‘Research lodge headed to Harpers Ferry’

    

Civil War Lodge of Research 1865 will meet next month, this time traveling to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Logan Lodge 25 will host. Change of plans: Hamilton Thompson 37 will host. I don’t have a meeting agenda yet, but so far the weekend will look like:

Accommodations at Days Inn by Wyndham Charles Town.

Friday, October 20

Dinner at 6:30 at White Horse Tavern

Saturday, October 21

Hamilton Thompson Lodge 37:

Officer Practice at 8:30

Refreshments at nine o’clock

Meeting at ten

Lunch at the Rabbit Hole at 11:30

1 p.m. National Park Service special event at Historic Lower Town

NPS

Dinner at six at Alfredo’s Mediterranean Grille & Steakhouse

Evening libations at Abolitionist Ale Works at 9 p.m.

I’ve been planning to attend since our meeting at Gettysburg in July, but I’m not yet sure I’ll be free.

     

‘Traubenfest is near’

    

It is time for Traubenfest again! The Ninth Manhattan District’s autumnal celebration of German culture, with food, beer, music, and vendors, returns to the district’s own park on October 1–always the first Sunday of “Oktober.”

It’s a great time, and Tappan is a short, easy commute north of Manhattan.

     

‘Live, once again, from the Livingston Library’

    

The lecture series, live in person, at the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library is back. From the publicity:

From Gavel to Gigabyte:

Freemasonry’s Journey

Through 300 Years

of Technology

by Bro. Jason W. Short

Thursday, September 28

at 8 p.m.

Masonic Hall

Chapter Room on 12

Free & open to the public

Register here

Jason W. Short is a producer and craftsman of film and television in New York City. In 2020, he petitioned Aurora Grata-Day Star Lodge 647, where he was initiated the following year. On July 23, 2022 Jason was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason with a passion for continued study of the Craft. He is a Royal Arch Mason and a 32º Mason. He has had several guest appearances on the Craftsmen Online Podcast, and, as an avid reader, is a frequent visitor of the Livingston Library.

Masonic Hall photo

The Chapter Room.

Take note of the new start time and the meeting place. As always, photo ID is required to enter Masonic Hall.

     

‘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.

     

‘An encouraging word to spread the Light’

    

RW Bro. Rich was our lone presenter yesterday at New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786. He will be appointed Grand Historian in November.

A quick, but enjoyable, meeting of New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786 was the highlight of my yesterday. We had just one presenter, Bro. Rich, who is to become his grand lodge’s grand historian come November. His talk wasn’t a paper on history, however, it was what one would categorize as speculative. Titled “The Shammesh Candle and Freemasonry: How One Candle Can Illuminate the World,” his discussion was inspired by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen’s bestseller My Grandfather’s Blessings.

I’m not familiar with it, but the publisher says, in part:

Dr. Remen’s grandfather, an orthodox rabbi and scholar of the Kabbalah, saw life as a web of connection and knew that everyone belonged to him, and that he belonged to everyone. He taught her that blessing one another is what fills our emptiness, heals our loneliness, and connects us more deeply to life.

Rich applied the book’s concepts to Masonic thought, illustrating his points with the candles on a small menorah (after switching off the lights). The shammash (there are various English spellings of the word) candle is that center taper in the nine-branch menorah. The Chabad branch of Hasidim says:

Each of us has the potential to be a shammash. We all have a responsibility to become teachers and impact the lives of others. Just as the shammash is usually placed above the other candles, a person who serves others, a teacher, becomes great because he or she is using a set of superior skills to make others great too. Following the shammash, the path to elevation is not through pushing others down, but by sharing with them and coaxing out the flame they carry within.

There was a little post-meeting grumbling because the presentation was not a tried-by-the-square research paper, but this research lodge, per its by-laws, makes time for other than academic studies. I liked it. It’s ideal for lodge or AMD council. I hope Rich continues to bring it to the brethren.

A large group of us then retired to a local steakhouse. Somehow, I spent fifty bucks on lunch! A cheeseburger, two Oktoberfests, and the worst onion rings known to man. Well, it’s right around the corner, so…

The research lodge will meet next on Saturday, December 9, for which I am to arrange a visit by the author of a historical novel that tells of early Freemasonry. More on that to come.