Hawaiian Lodge F. & A.M.

2006 OfficersWWoorrsshhiippffuull MMaasstteerr | WB Froilan B. Domingo (Beverly) H-689-1676 C-230-409291-1016 Ikulani Street, Ewa Beach, HI 96706 e-mail: froilandomingo@aol.com

SSeenniioorr WWaarrddeenn | Eduardo L. Abutin (Alma) H-672-8942 C-781-936092-664 Aahualii Street, Kapolei, HI 96707 e-mail: shamankid_900@verizon.net

JJuunniioorr WWaarrddeenn | Orlando S. Ragudos (Edna) H-676-4218 O-365-6004 C-265-244894-1092 Nawele Street, Waipahu, HI 96797 e-mail: orlandozipman@verizon.net

TTrreeaassuurreerr | Alberto P. Alarcon (Emelina) H-626-9332 P-577-2888 C-722-9791P.O. BOX 237, Honolulu, HI 96809-0237 e-mail: frbert808@yahoo.com

SSeeccrreettaarryy | Oscar M. Jayme S.G.W. (Luci) H-689-3025 C-381-950891-959 Akaholo Street, Ewa Beach, HI 96706 e-mail: omjayme@yahoo.com

CChhaappllaaiinn | Donald K. Hall P.M. (Diane) H-685-559391-526 Kuhialoko St, Ewa Beach, HI 96706-4518 e-mail: dhall4u@att.net

SSeenniioorr DDeeaaccoonn | Alexander A. Escasa (Rexie) H-625-2179 C-551-614595-689 Makaiolani Street, Mililani, HI 96789 e-mail: escasaa001@hawaii.rr.com

SSeenniioorr SStteewwaarrdd | Eugene F. Asuncion

JJuunniioorr SStteewwaarrdd | Samuel B. Moyer

OOrrggaanniisstt | Bernard C. Baldueza

TTiilleerr | David N.E. Kaohelaulii P.M. O-949-7809 P.O. BOX 17592, Honolulu, HI 96817

A Note to the Brethren ...............................................................................................................2From the East ................................................................................................................................3From the West ..............................................................................................................................4From the South .............................................................................................................................5

feature articles on the military and Freemasonry:History of Military Lodges in Freemasonry..............................................................6National Sojourners: “Born in War, Nurtured in Peace”.....................................12American Masonic Roots in British Military Lodges...........................................16The Military and Freemasonry.................................................................................23

Lodge Matters:Grand Lodge News....................................................................................................25Secretary’s Table..........................................................................................................26

Photo Gallery: Memorial Day 2006 ................................................................................................27

General Interest Articles:So You Want to be a Lodge Officer, Eh?..................................................................31Masonic Manners.........................................................................................................32Maybe All of Us Should Become Dummies...........................................................36My Masonic Creed.....................................................................................................40

Poetry:If.......................................................................................................................................37The Faithful Few............................................................................................................38A Real Mason................................................................................................................39

Photo Gallery: Lodge Conferrals and other activities........................................................................41

Necrology......................................................................................................................................44

PPhhoottoo ccrreeddiittss:: Bros. Alex Escasa

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Vol 65 No. 2 2nd Quarter - July 2006

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A NOTE TO THE BRETHREN

Dear Brethren:

Welcome again to our latest issue of the Cable-Tow. As usual, the members of the Cable-

Tow committee hope that you will find this issue Masonically educative and inspiring.

We would like to welcome Bro. Alex Escasa as our new addition to the Cable-Tow commit-

tee. Bro. Alex will be our official photographer and circulation manager. We appreciate Bro.

Alex' willingness to share his time - in addition to his involvement in other lodge committees

- in helping out with the production of the Cable-Tow.

The theme for this issue is "The Military and Freemasonry." We felt this is an area worth

looking at - not only because we are at war, and recently celebrated Memorial Day - but

because American masonry owes much of its development to military lodges and many of our

Masonic leaders and brethren are from the ranks of the military. Featured in this issue are

four articles. One looks at the relationship between the military and freemasonry in general.

Another traces the history of military lodges in Freemasonry. A third examines American

masonic roots in British military lodges, and points out that the Royal Arch and Knight

Templar degrees were the nucleus from which the York Rite of Masonry in the United States

has been developed. The last looks at the National Sojourners, an organization composed of

masons from the uniformed services of the United States, and the work that they do.

We also have a couple of general interest articles that discuss what it takes to be a lodge offi-

cer and the importance of masonic manners. A couple of inspirational poems, including a

masonic creed, are also found within, together with picture galleries on several lodge activities.

I close this note with a big "thank you" to the members of the committee and other brethren

who contributed to the production of this issue, and with a call for more contributions - arti-

cles, pictures, etc. - for our forthcoming issues. Of course, we will be most appreciative of any

feedback from the brethren on this and previous issues.

Fraternally yours,

Serafin "Jun" Colmenares, PMChair, Cable-Tow Committee

Class in the Fast Class?

A story about an oak, which hung over the bank of a river was blown down by a violentstorm, and as it was carried along by the stream, some of its boughs brushed against areed which grew near the shore. This struck the oak with a thought of admiration, andhe could not forbear asking the reed how he came to stand so secure and unhurt, in atempest, which had been furious enough to tear up an oak by the roots. Why? Saysthe reed, "I secure myself the reverse of yours; instead of being stubborn and stiff, andconfiding in my strength, I yield and bend to the blast, and let go over me, knowinghow vain and fruitless it would be to resist.”

Maybe I have the attitude like that of the reed. Despite the many hardships, trials, sad-ness, disappointments and other calamities that I have gone through, yet I am still hereamong the brethren.

Take Ben Franklin for example. He became increasingly irritated by the deteriorationof his eyes. He thought it a nuisance to have to use two pairs of glasses: one for dis-tance, another for reading. Many had been similarly bothered. But Ben Franklininvented the bifocal lenses.

Many are similarly bothered with the Fast Class. Changing times, changing needs.Candidates opt to join the Fast Class for varied reasons - from too old to memorize, toconvenience. Still others are constantly being deployed. Many other have contemplatedon becoming a Mason but have not done so, until a brother mentions about an upcom-ing Fast Class. Is the candidate being recruited? How can we know whether or not hewill answer with sincerity the question "is this of your own free will and accord?" If theanswer is no, what right do we have to question their intent? Who are we to judge thefuture of these men? the future of our Fraternity?

Let us not be hypocrites, my brethren. I have not only joined Masonry because of theFast Class but also because it was on "SALE"!

FROM THE EASTFroilan B. DomingoWorshipful Master

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Aloha Brethren! I hope you have been having nothing but thebest so far, and that you continue to do so.

A lot of activities have happened in the Lodge during the first half of this currentMasonic Year. We initiated six brothers, and three of them have already been passedto the degree of Fellowcraft, and your corps of officers is eagerly anticipating theirraising to the sublime degree of Master Mason very shortly. All of this is of courseunder the good coaching of Worshipful Wilson Camagan, with the expert assistanceof Right Worshipful Dennis Ing and Worshipful Tony Ligaya. As I mentionedbefore, there is always room for improvement, so for all of us (officers) let us keep oncharging, and, I can assure you that we will be one day on that level again, that levelby which Hawaiian Lodge is known for. I have no doubt that we can do it.

What else had happened? The well-attended Sweethearts Ball in February, forstarters, and our recent annual Memorial Day observance at the Columbarium pro-vided welcome respite to the officers from their hectic practices for upcoming degreeconferrals. Sincere appreciation goes to Brother Matthew Rowe and those who spenttheir time sprucing up the Columbarium, to Worshipful Bob Schultz and SisterSusan for the refreshment, to Worshipful Wilson Camagan and Sister Maria wife forthe flowers, and to those ten or so brethren who attended the May 29th event.

Our Brother Junior Warden and Brother Stewards are now gearing up in preparationfor the next event -- our Annual Summer Picnic. Also lined up for thethird quarter is our traditional Military Night conferral of the EnteredApprentice degree. The Military Degree Conferral Team, primarily com-

posed of active duty military brethren from the columns, has been formedand is now preparing for their 'deployment' on July 26th. Thanks toBrother Drummond "Hooyah" Boord, for putting and leading this year's

team together and of course to all the volunteer team members; we salute youbrothers!

In the works, also, is the designing of Hawaiian Lodge's Past Master'sapron which is spearheaded by Right Worshipful Dennis Ing and

Brother Ron Kayano.

Brethren, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, as Imentioned in our monthly newsletters, I will say it

again and again that I miss you -- we all miss you.Please visit our Mother Lodge, say hello to yourbrothers if only to shoot the breeze with us.We all are anxiously expecting to see you back inLodge soon.

My family and I wish you all the best!

FROM THE WESTEduardo L. AbutinSenior Warden

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Greetings from the South, my brethren!

Our Stewards, Bros. Eugene "Spoon" Asuncion and Sam "the Man" Moyer, have beenpreparing good refreshment and continually provided excellent service.

I hope everyone shares my appreciation for their efforts and respecttheir dedication to their positions.

We wish Bro. Eugene fair winds and following seas as he pre-pares to deploy in harm's way for approximately six months, andhope while he is responding to his military duties' call his bride,Sister Mona, will comfort in the thought that we and our ladieswill be standing by to assist her however way we can as she goesthrough the early stages of her first pregnancy. Bro. Sam, who'sno stranger to military deployments (being a retired careerMarine) is standing by to assume Senior Steward duties onbehalf of Bro. Eugene.

Our next regular social event is our annual July Family Picnic atthe Shriners Beach Club in Waimanalo. Be on the lookout forfurther information in our monthly Newsletters!

Between practices and fine-tuning of our floor work, and degreeconferrals, we've been quite busy thus far, but more work stillneeds to be done. Such reasons, or, rather, excuses, such as "wedon't have time", "I can't make it to Lodge, because ... ", etc.,should not be in our vocabularies. The minimal time we spendin Lodge is just but one of the keys to ensure Hawaiian Lodgemaintains its excellent reputation in this Jurisdiction, and couldonly make our fellowship much more meaningful and enjoyable.Accordingly, we should all make time to support each other ... for,after all WE ARE 'THE' LODGE!!!

I hope to see all of you in Lodge . . .

FROM THE SOUTHOrlando S. RagudosJunior Warden

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HISTORY OF MILITARY LODGES IN FREEMASONRYby Bro. H. Lloyd WilkersonMajor General, U. S. Marine Corps (Ret)

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About twenty years ago the North CarolinaCollege, Societas Rosicruciana in CivitatibusFoederatis, asked me to present a paper aboutFreemasonry in the military services. Thisinvitation motivated me to explore the historyof Freemasonry for a better understanding ofthe Masonic communications available to themilitary service members throughout the cen-turies. I have reworked that research for thispresentation today.

The major portion of my adult life has beenspent as a career Marine in the service of mycountry. During that active duty career ofmore than 36 years, I was a Freemason for allbut the first four years. I often craved to knowmore of the relationships between our frater-nity and its military members in antiquity, butI had little time for such academic explo-ration. From my childhood I have heard sto-ries about brother Masons, serving in oppos-ing armies, who spared each other from deathupon being recognized as fraternity brothers.These stories are prevalent in the history ofthe American Revolution, the American CivilWar, and in World War I, but are decreasing-ly prevalent thereafter in World War II, theKorean War, and the Vietnam War.

General George Washington, theCommander-in-Chief of our forces in theAmerican Revolution, is reported to have vis-ited a lodge with his British adversaries whileunder a flag of truce. The nature of warfarehas changed so much over the centuries onecannot comprehend how such an act could bepossible. But modern armies fight so differ-ently! They do not go into winter quarters and

bivouac for months in a gentleman's agree-ment that it is too cold to fight. They do notcease fighting just because it becomes dark.

Let me share with you some of the highlightsof my research. I hope that those of you whohave served in other branches of our ArmedForces will forgive my Marine Corpsparochialism. I will begin with a discussion ofthe nature of Freemasonry prior to the estab-lishment of the Grand Lodge of England in1717, and of course, prior to the birth of ourcountry and the establishment of the U. S.Marine Corps about which I will commentlater.

To refresh your memories about Masonicaffairs before Grand Lodges were formed,there were no charters, no regularly electedofficers, and no regular lodges as we knowthem today. Seventeenth and early eighteenthcentury lodges were very informal and wereattended by any Freemason who happened tobe in the area. Since they often had no perma-nent officers, the oldest master in attendanceassumed the east. No dues were paid, and nodues cards were issued. Voluntary contribu-tions from those present were solicited to payfor food and drink consumed at the meeting.They did considerable drinking compared toour modern lodge meetings where completeabstinence is the law. Freemasons met when-ever and wherever they desired, had no lodgebuildings as such, but most frequently theymet in local taverns where food, drink, andlodging were available.1

At first, few if any records or minutes were

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kept. It is interesting to me that "The very firstrecord of the making of a Mason in England(but not in an English lodge) was in 1641when General Hamilton and certain Mastersand others from Lodge of Edinburgh met atNewcastle, England, and admitted the Rt.Hon. Robert Moray (Murray), GeneralQuarter Master of the Army of Scotland.This proceeding outside the boundaries of theKingdom was approved by the Lodge.”2 Itwas normal in the transition period betweenoperative and purely speculative Freemasonryto bring in high-ranking military and civilleaders. Some lodges were known as "Leg ofMutton" lodges and required the candidate toprovide food for the night of his initiation.When we consider that General Moray wasthe supplier of goods for the Army ofScotland, we might be suspicious about whythey traveled outside the Kingdom to makehim a Mason and what food and entertain-ment was required of him.

With the establishment of the Grand Lodgesof England, Ireland, and Scotland, all between1717 and 1736, Freemasonry quickly spreadthroughout Europe and the English Colonies.The nobility, the clergy, and men of greatinfluence sought to become part of theFraternity. Before the period of GrandLodges, the Colonies had many military andcivilian men who were made Masons prior todeparture from their homelands. According tothe practice of the time (that Freemasons hadthe immemorial right to meet together), theseFreemasons doubtless held Masonic commu-nications and initiated candidates just as wasbeing done in England and elsewhere.Additionally, they appeared to have continuedthis practice far beyond 1717 when the GrandLodge of England was established.

Along with the Grand Lodges came more

standardization of the ritual, more control oflodge affairs including chartering, meetings,and initiations. Technically, all lodges in theColonies became clandestine until theyreceived written charters. Some lodges actedpromptly and others rather slowly in obtain-ing charters. One that met at Tun Tavern inPhiladelphia boasts of having the first record-ed lodge meeting in America. It was deniedbeing known as the oldest authorized lodge inAmerica by its failure to submit a timelyrequest for a charter to some Grand Lodge.Our Brother General George Washingtonwas made a Freemason in the Fredericksburg(VA) Lodge [now Fredericksburg Lodge No.4] in 1752, technically a clandestine lodge, forit did not receive its charter until 1758. Butsuch was the nature of communications andattention to detail in those days. Who wouldfault them? They saw no immediate need toapply for a charter.

Members of military organizations may wellhave held their own Masonic communica-tions as their civilian brothers did in imme-morial or Saints John Lodges, but I have notbeen able to document such events. The mili-tary Freemasons did join their civilian broth-ers in the taverns for meetings. However, anaccommodation was made for the profession-al soldiers when Grand Lodges began issuingwarrants or charters for Regiments to haveMilitary (traveling) Lodges. The first suchauthorization appears to have been made bythe Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1743 when"at the recommendation of the Earl ofKilmarnock, Grand Master, the first MilitaryLodge (under the Grand Lodge) was erected,the petitioners all belonging to "Colonel Lees'regiment," afterwards the 55th foot."3 "Thefirst English Military Lodge was establishedin 1750, and attached to the 31st Foot."4 Ithad the distinction of providing the ten char-

8

ter members of the first stationary lodge inFlorida in 1771. The 31st Foot was departingFlorida and these members were local civil-ians who had joined the Regimental Lodge.

Regimental Lodges proliferated in the Forcesof England, Ireland, and Scotland during theeighteenth century. By 1760, because of thelengthy conflict with the French in whichmany Regiments from England participated,there were at least 50 Regimental Lodges inthe Colonies. "They were warranted by boththe Antient and the Modern Grand Lodges ofEngland, and the Grand Lodges of Scotland,Ireland, and the Provincial Grand Lodges ofMassachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York.At the time hostilities started in theRevolution, the number of military lodgeshad increased about 50 percent. At the closeof the French and Indian Wars there were, inaddition to the military lodges, about onehundred lodges warranted by the GrandLodges previously named. Military Lodgesgreatly accelerated the growth of ColonialFreemasonry."5 It is no wonder that so manyof the civil and military leaders of theRevolutionary War were Freemasons!

As the Revolutionary War approached, the U.S. Marine Corps was organized in that sameTun Tavern in Philadelphia where the firstrecorded meeting of Freemasons had takenplace in 1731. The Innkeeper of Tun Tavern,Samuel Nicholas, was a member of the Lodgeand later became its Junior Warden. He wascommissioned a Captain of Marines by thePresident of the Continental Congress in1775 and directed to recruit two battalions ofMarines. He set up his recruiting station inTun Tavern and he is recorded in our historyas the First Commandant of the MarineCorps with rank of Major.

The Regimental Military (traveling) Lodgesystem was perpetuated in the AmericanMilitary Forces, first by the Colonial GrandLodges, and finally by the State GrandLodges. Throughout the Revolution, theMexican War, the Civil War in both camps,and to a lesser degree in the Spanish-American War and World War I, the militaryFreemason could find his brothers in a travel-ing Military Lodge in his organization. Thestories of Freemasons saving life and propertyof their brothers in the opposing camps areprobably true. Dr. Joseph Newton in hisbook, The Builders, A Story and Study ofFreemasonry, tells that the Union ArmyCommander who attacked Little Rock,Arkansas, ordered a guard to be stationedaround the home of [Confederate] GeneralAlbert Pike to protect his library. What ablessing for Freemasonry! Dr. Newton alsoexpresses gratitude for the kindness of abrother Freemason in the Union Army whospared the life of his father, aprisoner of warfrom the Confederate Army and himself aFreemason. In the Final Foreword dated 1948,Dr. Newton makes some observations I can-not confirm or deny of my own experience.He states that the Fraternity was ill preparedto administer to the mobilized Masonicbrethren during World War I, but by theWorld War II timeframe, the MasonicService Association organized in 1919, andthe War Service Work of the Grand Lodgesof America were ready to serve and providedtremendous comfort and relief to militaryFreemasons away from their homes. I musthave fought in the wrong places in World WarII, Korea, and Vietnam, for these activitieshave never come to my attention.

But Military Lodges did exist in World War I.For instance, near the end of the War, a lodgeof particular interest to U.S. Soldiers and

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Marines was Overseas Lodge No. 40,Coblenz, Germany. This lodge was formed inan enemy country, and utilized lodge rooms inwhich Napoleon and his officers reportedlyheld Masonic communications more than acentury before.

Shortly after the American Army enteredGermany in December 1918, a small group ofbrothers organized a Masonic Club inCoblenz. This Club met regularly in theKaiser’s Gymnasium Hall and in six monthshad become a body of some 3,200 souls.Overseas Lodge No. 40 was the outgrowth ofthis Masonic Club with a dispensation grant-ed by the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island. TheLodge did not hold its Masonic communica-tions in the Kaiser’s Gymnasium, but beganconferring degrees utilizing the GermanMasonic Temple, home of Johannis Lodge,Frederick Zur Vater-land, originally an ArmyLodge during the Napoleonic Wars. Thislodge was first organized in 1812 as a fieldlodge during Napoleon’s Campaign in Russia.

Three future Commandants of the U. S.Marine Corps became Freemasons inOverseas Lodge No. 40 during its short exis-tence: General John A. Lejeune, probably themost outstanding Marine of the TwentiethCentury for whom Marine Corps Base, CampLejeune NC, and John A Lejeune Lodge No.350, Quantico, VA, were named; GeneralWendell C. Neville; and General Lemuel C.Shepherd, under whom I have often servedand from whom I have taken this story.General Shepherd tells this story of GeneralLejeune’s initiation as it originated with fellowU S. Army officers in the second ArmyDivision when General Lejeune commandedit. “General Lejeune is reported to have calledhis driver and told him he was going toCoblenz. When he named the hour of depar-

ture, the driver’s face fell. ‘I was going to ask ifI could get off this afternoon, sir,’ he said. ‘No,you had better come along,’ the Generalreplied, ‘You will have plenty of time to your-self in Coblenz.’ ‘Yes sir,’ said the driver,although he was not wholly cheerful. ‘Whereto , sir?’ he asked as he was entering Coblenzabout three o’clock that afternoon. The drivergave his chief a peculiar look as he noddedthat he understood.“At the gate in front of theTemple, General Lejeune tarried a moment totell the driver to be back promptly at seveno’clock. ‘But, sir,’ was the smiling reply, ‘I alsohave been notified to report here this after-noon,’ and together they entered the Templeto take their First Degrees.”

Generals Lejeune and Shepherd were raise inthis same Lodge on the same night. WhenGeneral Shepherd, then a company com-mander, submitted his petition, he was spon-sored and coached by the company gunnerysergeant of his company. He elaborated andevaluated much later saying

“Thus did Overseas Lodge develop and strengthen afellowship between men of all ranks in the Armyand the Marine Corps. Upon its return to America,Overseas Lodge was established at Providence,Rhode Island, where it continues active at this time.In order to be eligible for admission an applicantmust have served in one of the armed services. Thework continues to be conducted in the same manneras in Germany, the officers of the Lodge wearingtheir service uniforms and carrying out the ritualwith military precision.” “An interesting souvenirpossessed by the Lodge is a Masonic diploma pre-sented by a descendant of the French Lodge stationedin Coblenz during the Napoleonic War, which wasissued by the Great Orient of France in 1816 andbears the signature of both Napoleon and MarshallNey.”6

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If there were any Military Lodges travelingwith U. S. Forces subsequent to World War, Ihave overlooked the records about them.Some writers say there were none. Thisinquiry would not be complete without inves-tigation of activities in the Orient.Freemasonry was established in thePhilippines in 1898 by the Field Lodge thataccompanied the North Dakota Regiment ofVolunteer Infantry. This Lodge was estab-lished by a dispensation granted by the GrandLodge of the State of North Dakota, and itscharter members consisted of both officersand enlisted men of the regiment. In a shorttime it had received 100 petitions and had torefuse to receive more. I have read of no otherlodge that has had the ceremony of obligationof a candidate interrupted by rifle fire! Itdeparted the Philippines with its regimentabout a year later.7

Shortly after departure of the North DakotaRegiment with its Military Lodge, ASojourners Club was formed in Manila. It wascomposed of Freemasons who were in goodstanding and who wished to promote goodfellowship and contribute to the welfare oftheir less fortunate brothers. By 1901 thisgroup of Sojourners had obtained a dispensa-tion from the Grand Lodge of California toform a permanent Lodge in Manila. As themembers of the Sojourners Club were chartermembers of the newly formed Manila Lodge,the Club was disestablished. But in 1907, theSojourners Club was again formed in Manila,this time to provide a way for militaryFreemasons to know each other better and tobe of assistance to those in distress.8 Thesemilitary Freemasons, officers and enlistedmen, returned home throughout the periodpreceding World War I with good feelingabout the Club and its function.

In the months immediately following WorldWar I, a group of commissioned officers of allthe Military Services who were Freemasonsheld meetings in Chicago, Illinois, and formedthe organization now known as The NationalSojourners, Inc.9 It is now composed ofFreemasons who are commissioned officers,warrant officers, or senior noncommissionedofficers, past and present, of the ArmedServices of the United States, the U. S. CoastGuard, the Public Health Service, or Coastand Geodetic Survey. Commissioned officersin any armed services of a nation allied withthe United States in time of war may also bequalified for membership. NationalSojourners, Inc., is organized into chapterswith the objective of strengthening ournational defenses, promoting patriotic ideals,and providing good fellowship among itsmembers. It has served its purposes well. Itwas created in an era when there was extremeclass-consciousness between officers andenlisted men. I am a member and have beensince World War II. But I found it difficult tosway the membership to change the rules evento allow career staff noncommissioned officersto become members. We have persevered!The National Sojourners, Inc., has recentlyoffered membership to senior noncommis-sioned officers of the Armed Forces. This hasgreatly increased the potential to enrich thelives of military Freemasons who are servingtheir country in far off lands where MasonicLodges are not readily available.

In modern warfare, combat is often continu-ous and intense for the span of time of anentire campaign. Armies must keep on themove to avoid destruction by the enemy. Nowinter bivouacs are possible, nor is there anopportunity for much rest for the troops.Rather, personnel are replaced in the combatzone on a periodic basis and returned to their

11

homeland for recuperation from wounds orsickness, and for reorientation and retraining.The combat zone is hardly a place to conferdegrees! The North Dakota Regiment discov-ered that in 1898! Nor is man capable of eval-uating the true qualifications of a petitioner inthe combat environment. Emotions for sur-vival run too high and "loyalties of necessity"are too strong for one to make an accurateassessment of the overall moral character ofhis fighting companions.

Even if time were available to conduct regularlodge communications in military travelinglodges, the experiences of the North DakotaLodge would be repeated, for men of manyvaried moral persuasions tend to fraternizeunder the pressures of common dangers.Joining the Masons might become the "thingto do at the moment" and the ballot boxwould be too timid to be effective. I would notsubscribe to the establishment of travelinglodges in our Armed Forces today. TheMasonic Services Association, sponsored byour Grand Lodges in the United States, isnow the proper organization to provide assis-tance to Freemasons in combat overseas.

In the final analysis, except in the combatzone, military Freemasons are seldom sta-tioned beyond easy commuting distances ofregular lodges where their presence would behonored.

11 Henry Wilson Coil, Sr., Freemasonry Through Six

Centuries, Vol. I, (Richmond: Macoy Publishing and

Masonic Supply Company, Inc: 1967), p. 10622 Ibid., p. 109.33 Robert Freke Gould, A Concise History of

Freemasonry, (London: Gale & Polden, Ltd. 1904), p.

356.44 Ibid., p. 420.55 William H. Knutz, Colonial Freemasonry, (Chicago:

Committee on Education, Grand Lodge of the Stateof

Illinois), p. 11-12.66 General Lemuel C. Shepherd, USMC (Ret), An

Address to the Members of John A. Lejeune Lodge No.

350, A. F. & A. M., Quantico, Va. 16Oct61. ( John A.

Lejeune Lodge Bul. Nov. '61).77 LaVon Parker Linn, Fifty Years of National Sojourners

(Washington, D. C.: National Sojourners, Inc. 1970), p.

13-14.88 Ibid., p. 15-19.99 Ibid., p. 26.

Bibliography:

1. Castells, The Rev. F. deP. Our Ancient Brethren, theOriginators of Freemasonry. London: A Lewis (MasonicPublishers) Limited, 30/32 Fleet St.2. Coil, Henry Wilson, P.M., 32o KCCH AComprehensive View ofFreemasonry. Richmond: MacoyPublishing and Masonic Supply Company, Inc. 19733. Coil, Henry Wilson, Sr. Freemasonry Through SixCenturies, Volumes I & II. Richmond: Macoy Publishingand Masonic Supply Company, Inc. 19674. Cole, Robert Glenn. Masonic Gleanings. Chicago:Kable Printing Co. 19545. Gould, Robert Freke. A Concise History ofFreemasonry. London: Gale & Polden, Ltd. 19046. Knutz, William H. Colonial Freemasonry. Chicago:Committee on Education, Grand Lodge of the State ofIllinois.7. Linn, LaVon Parker, Fifty Years of NationalSojourners. Washington, D.C. National Sojourners, Inc.19708. Newton, Joseph Fort, Litt.D. The Men’s House.Richmond: Macoy Publishing and Masonic SupplyCompany, Inc. 1969

9. Newton, Joseph Fort, Litt.D. The Builders. Richmond:

Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company. Inc.

1951

10. Shepherd, Lemuel A. General, USMC (ret). An

Address to the Members of John A. Lejeune Lodge No.

350, A. F. & A. M., Quantico, Va. 16 Oct 61. John A.

LejeuneLodge Bul. Nov 61

11. Ward, J. S. An Outline History of Freemasonry, The

Masonic Handbook Series, Studies in the Growth of the

Order. No 4. London: The Basketville Press, Ltd. 1924

12

NATIONAL SOJOURNERS:“BORN IN WAR,NURTURED IN PEACE”From MasonicWorld.comContributed by WBro. Jun Colmenares, PM

We have had numerous requestsfor information about TheNational Sojourners; therefore,we have made this organiza-tionthe text of this month’s ShortTalk. We would like to acknowl-edge the work of IheSojourners Bridge ofLight com-mittee,particularly JohnHenderson, forpreparing thetext for thisShort Talk.

We are all famil-iar with the term“ S o j o u r n i n gMason”, but didyou know that aformal, recognizedMasonic organizationnamed “National Sojourners”actually exists?

The group had its beginning over90 years ago in August 1898 in thePhilippines, upon the arrival thereof a North Dakota Regiment ofVolunteer Infantry. The GrandLodge of North Dakota hadgranted this Regiment a dispensa-tion for a field lodge and it con-

ducted its first meeting upon itsarrival.

Meetings were held regularlythereafter—once even whileunder hostile fire at the Culi Culi

Church with the officers ofthe lodge wearing

sidearms while bul-lets splattered

through theroof !

Early in 1900,the NorthD a k o t aRegiment of

V o l u n t e e rInfantry left the

Philippines, tak-ing with it the Field

Dispensation. TheAmerican Masons who

were left behind quickly filled thisMasonic void by forming the firstinformal “Sojourners Club.” In1901, these “Sojourners” providedthe impetus, funds and parapher-nalia to charter Manila Lodgeunder the Grand Lodge ofCalifornia, and the “SojournersClub,” was temporarily disbanded.One of the original members of

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the informal “Sojourners Club”,Surgeon Captain Harry EugeneStafford, was Charter Master ofManila Lodge No. 342, GrandLodge of California (later ManilaLodge No. I) and, in 1913,became the first Grand Master ofthe newlycreated Grand Lodge ofthe Philippines.

The Philippine “Sojourner Club”resurfaced in 1907, open toMasons who were not members oflocal lodges, and soon had nearly200 members from every Stateand Territory of the United Statesand eight foreign countries. Astime went by, most of thePhilippine Sojourners scatteredthroughout the United States. Agroup of these Masonic militaryofficers, meeting in Chicago,Illinois in 1917, recognized thehighly transient life of MasterMason military Officers and for-mally organized the “ChicagoSojourners Club.” AdditionalClubs quickly formed at armyposts and naval bases around thenation and overseas. In 1927, theword “Club” was dropped and theNational Sojourners were incor-porated in 1931 as a formal partof the Masonic Fraternity.

Since its inception, the purpose ofthe National Sojourners has

steadfastly been to affirm theunique responsibilities militaryofficers have to their brothers-in-arms, the Masonic Fraternity, andto our Nation. Thus, NationalSojourners to this day organizecommissioned officers and war-rant officers of the uniformedservices of the United States (pastand present), who are recognizedMaster Masons, into chapters toactively provide good fellowshipamong its members, to assistthose who may be overtaken byadversity or affliction, to cultivateMasonic ideals, to support patri-otic activities in Masonry and todevelop true patriotism andAmericanism throughout thenation. National Sojourners, Inc.,formally brings together Masonicleaders of the uniformed servicesof the United States into a unitedeffort to further the NationalDefense, and work to oppose anyinfluence calculated to weakenour National Security.

Members of National Sojournersare reminded of their primaryobligations to the symbolic lodgesand the Grand Lodges underwhich they work. The organiza-tion’s “Bridge of Light” programprovides the bridge for Sojournersto cross more easily into activeparticipation in local symbolic

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lodges and appendant body activi-ties. By this “bridge,” many mili-tary Master Masons have becomeaffiliated with local lodges, andmany have become leaders of thefraternity.

National Sojourners willingly andproudly assist local Masonicauthorities through presentationswhich reinforce and promotepatriotism and Americanism,both with the fraternity and thecommunity. Its Heros of ‘76 mem-bers, (an invitational organizationwithin the National SojournersInc.), attired in colorfulRevolutionary War uniforms, pro-vide “ Toast To The Flag”,“Building The Flag”, “HistoricFlags, “Service Flags”, flag dona-tions, flag raisings and numerousother patriotic programs for thebenefit of Masonic and communi-ty gatherings.

Heroes of ‘76, are composed ofselected, worthy members ofNational Sojourners who havebeen recognized for outstandingservice to the fraternity. Heroes of‘76 Camps (named after promi-nent American heroes and battles)have been organized in nearly allof the Chapters. These Heroes of‘76 Camps form an enjoyable partof the Chapter activities and pro-

vide colorful patriotic groups forMasonic and community pro-grams.

In 1976, The Declaration ofIndependence Bicentennial Year,National Sojourners acquired thatpart of Brother GeorgeWashington’s “River Farm” knownas “Collingwood”. A new head-quarters was established on thishistoric property, and areknowned Library and Museumof Americanism has since beencreated that daily serves theMasonic fraternity and a publicconstituency.

This Headquarters, Library andMuseum on Americanism nowforms part of aMasonicallyimportant triangle inour Nations’s Capital area; TheGeorge Washington Monumentto the east in the city ofWashington, D.C.; the GeorgeWashington Masonic NationalMemorial on “Shooters Hill” tothe west of Alexandria, Virginiaand the National SojournersHeadquarters, CollingwoodLibrary and Museum onAmericanism to the south on thePotomac River near MountVernon.

National Sojourners, Inc., now

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organized in some 150 chapters in44 states, Germany and Panama,is an important, highly visible andintegral part of the fraternity ofFreemasons that cements the tiesthat bind military Master Masonscloser together for the good of all.It has ever championed theMasonic principles that political,economic and social problems aresubsidiary to and separate from asteadfast belief in God as theSupreme Architect of theUniverse. National Sojournersmaintain that God must motivateman if present day problems areto be solved and urges active par-ticipation of all patrioticAmericans in maintaining thatgovernment for which our forefa-thers fought.

National Sojourners rememberthat George Washington oncesaid:

“When we assumed the soldier we didnot lay aside the citizen!”

TOAST TO THF, FLAG byJohn J. Daly

Here’s to the red of it—There’s not a thread of it,No, nor a shred of itIn all the spread of it

From foot to head.But heroes bled for it,Faced steel and lead for it,Precious blood shed for it,Bathing it Red!Here’s to the white of it—Thrilled by the sight of it,Who knows the right of it,But feels the might of itThrough day and night?Womanhood’s care tor itMade manhood dare for it,Purity’s prayer for itKeeps it so white!Here’s to the blue of it—Beauteous view of it,Heavenly hue of it,Star-spangled dew of itConstant and true;Diadems gleam for it,States stand supreme for it,Liberty’s beam for itBrightens the blue!Here’s to the whole of it—Stars, stripes and pole of it,Body and soul of it,0, and the roll of it,Sun shining through;Hearts in accord for it,Swear by the sword for it,Thanking the Lord for it,Red White and Blue!

It is not at all unusual in the States to hearexpressions from a Freemason which indicatethat the speaker seems to have an idea that theprogression of degrees known there as the"York Rite" originated in its present form withthe Mother Grand Lodge of England. Thevery term "York Rite" is a misnomer, so muchso that many prefer to speak of the "AmericanRite". We might better say "American System"when we refer to the series of degrees con-ferred in the lodge, chapter, council and com-mandery, in which we find carried along thestory of the Temple and the mystery of theWord.

The United Grand Lodge of England did notcome into being until 1813, almost a centuryafter a Grand Lodge was organized at Londonand began to assert some control over lodgeswithin the city, in the Provinces and abroad inthe world. But it "mothered" little of theFreemasonry brought into the western hemi-sphere.

The Grand Lodge at London and the GrandLodge of Scotland named provincial GrandMasters for North America, or parts thereof.Lodges chartered by the Grand Lodge ofIreland worked in America, and the "Atholl"Grand Lodge or the Ancients issued a war-rant under which the Grand Lodge ofPennsylvania was organized in 1764, and aGrand Lodge in New York City in 1783.There was no single source of Freemasonry inNorth America. The short-lived GrandLodge of All England at York did nothing forAmerican Freemasonry except to bequeaththe name of York.

Lodges held in the British regiments played

an important part in spreading interest in theCraft, particularly in introducing the degreesof Royal Arch Mason and Knight Templar,which are now the principal ornaments in theAmerican system raised on the foundation ofthe "Blue Lodge" degrees.

No British regular army units were sent toNorth America until the occupation ofLouisbourg in 1746, when the 29th, 30th and45th regiments came from Gibraltar. Therehad been several independent or separatecompanies raised, and the 40th regiment hadbeen established here and stationed in NovaScotia. There was a lodge at Annapolis Royalfor which a dispensation was granted by St.Johns Provincial Grand Lodge at Boston(Modern in origin) in 1738, and also char-tered by the Ancient Grand Lodge of Irelandin 1755, as No. 399.

Although Lodge Number 83, under IrishConstitution, did exist in the 30th regiment atGibraltar, it cannot be conclusively proventhat it worked at Louisbourg between 1746-49, during the occupation. But there were adozen or more officers from New Hampshire,Massachusetts and Connecticut who camehome from a tour of duty in the garrison atLouisbourg and then appeared as Masons.Since the records of the lodges then sitting atBoston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire arefairly complete, we assume those Masons whoshowed up after a visit to Cape Breton weremade at Louisbourg. This supposition is sup-ported by tradition in some cases. It is almostcertain that among the charter members ofthe lodges at New Haven and Middletown,Connecticut, formed in 1750 and 1754respectively, there were men who were made

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AMERICAN MASONIC ROOTS IN BRITISH MILITARY LODGESBy: WBro. James R. Case, Master, American Lodge of Research, New York City (Researched and Edited by: WBro. Antonio M. Ligaya, PM)

Masons at Louisbourg, because in tracingtheir movements they could not have beenmade anywhere else.

The situation in the garrison at Louisbourg in1746-49 could not have been much differentthan it was after the recapture in 1758, whena British officer of the 43rd Foot recorded inhis diary, "When the calendar does not fur-nish us with a loyal excuse for assembling inthe evening, we have recourse to a FreemasonsLodge, where we work so hard that it is incon-ceivable to think what a quantity of businessof great importance is transacted in a veryshort time".

Grand strategy for the campaign of 1755 to beconducted against the French in Americaincluded an expedition into the upper Ohioriver valley from a base in Virginia, the primetarget being Fort Duquesne, which stood on aspot in the very center of the present dayPittsburgh. General Braddock was in com-mand of this force, which included battalionsof the 44th and 48th regiments, but the timeelement and the disaster, which befell thearmy, precluded any Masonic activity thatyear.

For obvious reasons when the army is in thefield there is no opportunity for work or fes-tivity by the Craft. When in garrison or win-ter quarters it is a different matter. Under suc-cessive command of Forbes and Bouquet,parts of the regular forces spent the winters inPhiladelphia, and there in 1767 we find evi-dence of the Royal Arch and Knight Templardegrees being worked. They could only havebeen introduced by lodges under Irish consti-tution, which were with the several regimentsquartered in the city. In 1758 the GrandLodge of Ancients warranted Royal ArchLodge Number 3 in Philadelphia. It no doubtwas formed by men in an army lodge workingunder Irish warrant, but it was more conven-

ient perhaps to obtain a warrant from Londonthan from Ireland. However, I do not know ofany civilian lodge in America warranted bythe Grand Lodge of Ireland,* except one sec-ond hand which is mentioned later. In 1767the Royal Irish regiment was in Philadelphiaand had with it Lodge No. 351 I.C.Applicants from among the officers of thatregiment were refused consideration by thecity lodges for the very reason that the regi-mental lodge was present and working. Boththe Royal Arch degree and the KnightTemplar degree, having been introduced byAncient Masons, appear to have been retainedunder Grand Lodge control in Pennsylvaniaand were conferred under sanction of a lodgewarrant until well into the 1800s. Apparentlythe early influence of the Grand Lodge ofLondon was swept away by the introductionof the Ancient system when the "Atholl"Grand Lodge warranted a Grand Lodge inPennsylvania. In that state today the ritualand practice is quite different from what theother states follow.

There is evidence of a military lodge atPittsburgh in 1759, which also worked theRoyal Arch degree. Farther west at just aboutthis time, Masonry was introduced into thesettlements surrounding the forts at Detroitand the straits at Mackinaw. Those develop-ments will not be discussed as they belong inpart at least to the history of Freemasonry inthe 60th regiment, one raised in America.

An incident at Albany has often been cited,but is so pertinent it will bear repetition here.The 2nd Battalion Royal had been quarteredin the city for some time, and had madeMasons from among the townsmen, when achange of station was ordered in 1759. Themilitary brethren then had made an exactcopy of their warrant and endorsed it as fol-lows;

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"We, The Master, Wardens and Brethren of aLodge of Free and Accepted Masons, No. 74,Registry of Ireland, held in the SecondBattalion Royal, adorned with all the honors,and assembled in due form, do hereby declare,certify and attest, that whereas, our body isvery numerous by the addition of many newmembers, merchants and inhabitants of theCity of Albany, they having earnestly request-ed and besought us to enable them to hold aLodge during our absence from them, and weknowing them to be men of undoubted repu-tations and skill and ability in Masonry, anddesirous to promote the welfare of the Craft.We have, therefore, by unanimous consentand agreement, given them an exact and truecopy of our Warrant as above, and have prop-erly installed Mr. Richard Cartwright, Mr.Henry Bostwick and Mr. Wm. Ferguson, asAssistant Master and Wardens of our body,allowing them to sit and act during ourabsence, or until they, by our assistance, canprocure a separate warrant for themselvesfrom the Grand Lodge of Ireland.

*Brother Milborne has called my attention toLodge No. 399 I.C. chartered in New YorkCity 1763, of which little more is known,Given under our hands and seal of our Lodgein the City of Albany, the eleventh day ofApril, in the year of Masonry 5759, and in theyear of our Lord 1759.

Signed: John Steadman, Secretary; AniasSutherland, Master; Charles Calder, SeniorWarden; Thos. Parker, Junior Warden; No.74, of Ireland."

This 1737 warrant, copied in 1759, was con-firmed in 1763 by the Provincial GrandMaster of New York, and in 1765 reconfirmedby his successor, Sir John Johnson, laterGrand Master of Quebec. Under the nameUnion, this lodge flourished for 37 years withthe same Master. Having been reconfirmed in"all precedents and other privileges as they

may or ought to claim", they did claim prece-dence from 1737 and all privileges that wentwith it. Disaffection with the Grand Lodge,which had been organized in New York City,forestalled their acknowledgement of itsauthority until 1806, when they submittedand are now Mt. Vernon Lodge (3). Perhapsthey inherited the fighting spirit of the 2ndBattalion Royal but this looks like somethingother than "noble contention" for precedence.

In the garrison at Crown Point in 1762,among others, Lodge Number 7 P.G.L.N.Y.was at work in the 55th Regiment of Foot andmade Masons among the colonial officers onduty there. Three Master Masons by nameand "nine other Masons" were recommendedto the Grand Lodge at Boston as "highly wor-thy . . . for holding a Lodge . . . in the Colonyof Connecticut". Two years later they werewarranted by St. Johns Provincial GrandLodge (Modern), but twenty years later andafter the war, under the same leadership, theyapplied to the Massachusetts Grand Lodge(Ancient) for a charter. When the GrandLodge of Connecticut was organized a smallgroup continued to work in Norwich undertheir old charter, while others organized athird lodge in the same community under aConnecticut charter.

The creation of an assistant master and assis-tant wardens at Albany was an ingeniousdevice and perhaps unique. But I am remind-ed of what happened at Alexandria, Virginiawhen the lodge there surrendered theirPennsylvania charter in exchange for one fromthe Grand Lodge of Virginia. The first nameamong the four grantees was that of GeorgeWashington, but the second name was that ofa man who was chosen Deputy Master andwho functioned as the working head of thelodge while Washington held the title ofMaster. Washington was chosen Master atthe next election but it has never been conclu-

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sively proven that he ever actually presidedover, that lodge or any other.

At Boston in 1752 a group of Masons whodid not find themselves in complete accordwith the high-toned or "silk stocking"Masonry of St. Johns Provincial Grand Lodge(Modern), organized a more democraticgroup which was chartered under date of1756 by the Grand Lodge of Scotland as theLodge of St. Andrew.

In 1769 three regiments came to garrison theforts at Boston as a deterrent to the risingopposition in the city against tariff and tradecontrol measures which the Boston mer-chants and shipping interests consideredoppressive. The 14th regiment had with itLodge Number 58 chartered by the "Atholl"Grand Lodge of England; the 29th regimenthad Lodge Number 322 under IrishConstitution; and the 64th regiment hadLodge Number 106 under Scottish registry.These lodges cooperated with the Lodge ofSt. Andrew in the organization of theMassachusetts Grand Lodge (Ancient).

Here in Boston the earliest record of conferralof the Royal Arch and the Knight Templardegrees was in August 1769 under sanction ofSt. Andrews Royal Arch Lodge. During thatsame month four members of army LodgeNo. 322 are on record as visitors to the Lodgeof St. Andrew and unquestionably broughtthose degrees with them. The evolution of theRoyal Arch chapters and Knight Templarcommanderies some 25 years later is a storywhich merits separate treatment and will beleft to someone else.

A curious commentary on the increase ofinterest in the fraternity in America at thattime may be found in the diary of Ezra Stiles,a strict Congregational parson, and later pres-ident of Yale. Rather than the military, he

credits the Church of England for the spreadof Freemasonry, saying, "We see this spirit ofEpiscopal Intrigue already working with greatcunning. It has set up and recommended theFraternity of Free Masons & is pressing themapace into a Subservience & Subordination tothe great End of increasing the Church . . .The Free Masons have already within about adozen years increased from three to 13 or 14Lodges".

When a state of war developed in theAmerican colonies, Masons in theContinental army followed the practice,which they knew was common in royal regi-ments, since many of them had been partici-pants. No less than ten military lodges werechartered to be held in the patriot forces, andothers are known to have been active. Themost notable was American Union Lodge,organized at the siege of Boston in February1776, which worked in Connecticut, NewYork and New Jersey as well. The records, stillextant, record the names of more than 450Masons who after the war scattered all overthe young nation and carried their Masonrywith them. No one can doubt that the systemof work and lectures in American Union wasthe pattern followed in many jurisdictions.The minutes, however, contain no hint of anydegrees other than the usual three of the sym-bolic lodge. The lodge sat only while theConnecticut brigade, in which it was held, wasin cantonment or winter quarters.

New York city was the headquarters of theroyal army all during the Revolutionary War,from the summer of 1776 when it was occu-pied by the British, after driving out the colo-nials, until evacuated belatedly on November3rd 1783 when the last units boarded shipand sailed for Halifax. The city was not onlyheadquarters for the high command, it was agarrison town for a large reserve, a base fornaval operations and a sanctuary for the loyal-

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ists. Masonry flourished and a half dozen ormore regimental lodges were exceedinglyactive whenever not in the field. I will not listthem in detail.

Interest was so high that it was determined toorganize a grand lodge and accordingly a war-rant was obtained from the "Atholl" GrandLodge of Ancients in London. How the tran-sition from military and loyalist, to civilianand republican makeup was effected is a storyin itself and time will not permit me to drawout that chapter tonight. Suffice it to say thatthe present Grand Lodge of New York is indirect succession to the one organized by andfrom the British military lodges in New YorkCity during the Revolution.

During 1783, when it was generally knownthat negotiations had been concluded to settlethe terms under which the American colonieswere to be recognized as independent, therewas relatively free intercourse between the stilloccupied New York City and outside territo-ry. But it was largely one sided, that is, theAmericans were admitted freely, especiallywith country produce, but the garrison wasrestricted. During this time AmericanMasons visited lodges in the city and acquiredthe Royal Arch and Knight Templar degrees.The Mark degree and the Royal Arch appearto have been disseminated quite freely. TheKnight Templar degree may not have beenconferred so liberally, but as early as 1785there were a sufficient number in New YorkCity so that they had a place as escort in aMasonic procession.But a most unusual development took place inConnecticut. Representatives of a dozen ormore lodges met in convention to considerorganization of a grand lodge, but there wasno agreement on how to proceed. Somefavored an independent grand lodge to beorganized by a simple declaration of the fact,an action such as was taken by four lodges in

London in 1717, and had been done in sever-al of the colonies. Another group favored theestablishment of a National Grand Lodgewith George Washington as General GrandMaster, by whom the grand lodge inConnecticut would be authorized, empow-ered and constituted. A third group favoredobtaining a charter from London as had beendone in New York city, and a delegation wassent down to learn how it could be done.

The emissary was Samuel Holden Parsons, aformer brigadier general in the Continentalarmy, and a Past Master of American UnionLodge. The Grand Master in New York Citywas Rev. William Walter, a loyalist and achaplain in the royal establishment, but, as ithappened, a classmate of Parsons at Harvard.However, Walter was about to relinquish thechair of Grand Master and remove to Halifax.The committee appointed by the GrandLodge of New York offered their fraternalassistance to Connecticut in obtaining a char-ter from London. But they loftily included anoffer to qualify and instruct the officers whomConnecticut might choose pending the arrivalof a warrant. This condescension, and practi-cal obstacles to Masonic intercourse betweenNew York and London, partly accounts for apostponement of six years before the lodges inConnecticut, chartered from three differentsources, finally went ahead and formed theirown grand lodge without outside help, as theyshould have done to begin with.

Meanwhile mention of the Knight Templardegree had shown up in the development ofMasonic activity in Charleston, SouthCarolina. St. Andrews Lodge in Pensacola,Florida had been chartered by James Grant,Provincial Grand Master for the SouthernDistrict of North America, and appears tohave moved with the military forces andaccompanying civilians when Pensacola wasevacuated. The move was made to Charleston,

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then in British control. A certificate issued inMarch 1782 evidences conferral of the KnightTemplar degree, and another issued in August1783 mentions both the Royal Arch and theKnight Templar degrees. There was also an"Atholl" Lodge No. 190 in Charleston, but theloss of all Masonic records for theRevolutionary period leaves us with no morethan the information we deduce from thesesurviving certificates. They show, however,that the British army influence was strong andthat during the occupation the Royal Archand Knight Templar degrees were introduced.

The last episode related here took place inConnecticut where the first Royal ArchChapter in America, to be organized as such,came into being through the initiative of aprisoner of war. Taken off a British transportby a colonial privateer and brought in to beinterned at Middletown, Connecticut was anofficer in the Hanoverian auxiliaries of theBritish forces, John Lewis DeKoven.

He must have been an enthusiastic Mason,and a persuasive fellow, as soon after hisarrival in 1783 the lodge at Middletown wasresuscitated from its war time dormancy, andDeKoven took the initiative in organizing a"Grand" Royal Arch Chapter, that is, a chap-ter which was self constituted and independ-ent, although it was formed under sanction ofthe local lodge. This was an unusual thing todo in Connecticut, and St. Johns Lodge inMiddletown is the only one, and there were adozen in the state at that time, to lend itssanction to a Royal Arch chapter. It almostlooks as though it was revived for that pur-pose.

The earliest mention of the conferral of theMark degree yet found in the western hemi-sphere, is on September 13, 1783 antedatingby a few months the record Brother Harrisuncovered in Nova Scotia. The minutes for

the Mark Lodge, the Most Excellent Lodgeand the Royal Arch Chapter were kept in sep-arate books for nearly thirty years, and havebeen reproduced in photocopy. The originalmembers of the chapter had been archedeither in the army, or in one case in Carolina,obviously in Charleston.

DeKoven's enthusiasm was not confined toMasonry. Although he contracted a perfectlyrespectable marriage, apparently his Europeangallantry did not fit into the mores of theLand of Steady Habits. He began to wanderfrom the straight and narrow path, and whenhe was caught chasing a neighbor's wife, theirate husband chased him out of town. On theway out, he sold his mark, the anchor of hope,and he is said to have fled to Canada.

In the last decade of the 18th centuryMasonry began to become more or less stabi-lized in the several states with the recognitionof the Mark and Royal Arch and Templardegrees as "higher" grades. Then came theorganizers and improvers. Thomas SmithWebb is generally credited with being themoving spirit in organization and develop-ment of the General Grand Chapter of RoyalArch Masons, and the Grand Encampment ofKnights Templar, more or less what we havein the States today, where generally they areviewed as something to advance to, orthrough. The Grand Lodges, however, werestrong enough to resist an overall, national orsupreme grand lodge.

This superstructure on the blue lodge was notaccepted enthusiastically by all the Craft andwe find in New Hampshire grand lodgerecords a caustic comment on its popularity.Thomas Thompson, Grand Master, whenretiring from the chair of King Solomon in1808, warned the grand lodge against "innova-tions", saying among other things "the GrandLodge of New Hampshire was founded on

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the true ancient York Masonic principles . . .and has hitherto proved the center of union .. . But this harmony is in danger of being dis-turbed by the introduction of Royal ArchMasonry, and other fanciful degrees, assum-ing a power independent of the Grand Lodge. . . Some respectable Brethren who stood onhigh Masonic ground, impatient to distin-guish themselves above their Brothers and fel-lows, and move in a more exalted sphere, haveinconsiderately introduced and established . . .Royal Arch Chapters under self-created for-eign authorities. Others, attracted by thepomp and show of those fanciful degrees,have joined them, to the prejudice and neglectof true Masonry. But of all the Masonic titlesthere is none so truly ridiculous in America asthat of Knight Templars; a compound ofenthusiasm and folly, generated in the brainsof pilgrims and military madmen; as oppositeto the benevolent spirit of true Masonry asblack aprons are to pure white ones. The his-tory of these degrees is very obscure. Theywere adopted in England . . . by some disaf-fected Lodges of Ancient (not York) Masons,and conferred by them in opposition to theGrand Lodge in London. About forty yearsago, I passed through all the degrees thenknown in England, to my great disappoint-ment. . . . . Men of fancy may continue toinvent, and vanity may promote new, fancifuland mock degrees, but observation and expe-rience have confirmed me in the opinion thatthey are useless; made up of pomp, pageantryand show, with lofty, high sounding titles ofKings, High Priests, Scribes etc.; all unma-sonic and imposing. I am convinced that thethree first and original degrees alone areUniversal Masonry. They have, and foreverwill stand the test of time. They inculcate allthe religious duties, all the social and moralvirtues, and every good that can be practicedbetween man and man. They illustrate andexplain all the useful arts and sciences. . . .Webb makes thirteen degrees, and ranks the

Royal Arch as the seventh. In England theyformerly conferred but five degrees, and theRoyal Arch was then added . . . . I must enjoinit upon you . . . that you do invariably pursuethe true ancient system of Masonry, whichalone can insure union, harmony and fellow-ship

This research is admittedly far from exhaus-tive and it is hoped this presentation has notbeen too casual for those who delight in thecitation of chapter and verse. Attempts weremade to point up the fact that wherever theBritish army lodge traveled and worked, therewas always some spread of influence, or somemissionary work done, and that Masonryremained when the military lodge departed.Further, that we owe the introduction of theRoyal Arch and Knight Templar degrees tothe army lodges, which thus furnished us withthe nucleus from which the "York Rite" orAmerican system, followed in the UnitedStates today, has been developed.

But this thesis may be wrong. You willremember that Stiles quoted earlier, who gavecredit to "Episcopal intrigue" for the spread ofMasonry in the American colonies. He nevermentioned the army at all, but in 1780 he hadquite a different idea. His diary then reads"Masonry bad....... declined at the beginningof George I reign - when being . . . joined by.....some of the Scots . . . the fraternity hathspread and multiplied its lodges. It is well suit-ed to introduce that traveling nation into allthe world. It gives them a respectable accesseverywhere. When they, like the Jesuits, beginto make this fraternity to lose its generalityand Universal benevolence in sinister andnational illiberal views, a storm will arise. Butat present the fraternity will flourish."

I repeat his last sentence - "But at present thefraternity will flourish" - and I fervently prayhe was right!

Freemasonry is a fraternity - the oldest andlargest organization for men in the world.There are nearly two million Masons in theU.S. alone.

The chances are that your father, grandfather,or uncle was a member. You may have seenhim wearing a ring or a lapel pin with theMasonic Square and Compasses design.

No one knows when Freemasonry was start-ed. It was probably during the Middle Ages,among the craftsmen who built the cathe-drals, castles, and fortifications in Europe.The Master Masons of the day worked withthe fighting men to design stronger and betterfortifications and strongholds.

By the time Freemasonry came to theAmerican Colonies, around 1670, it hadevolved into a Fraternity, composed of menfrom every walk of life, every profession, andevery social class. In Europe, its membershipincluded scientists, philosophers, merchants,farmers, musicians, and men in public life, butespecially the great military leaders.

It was no different in the Americas.

George Washington, the first Commander inChief of the American Forces, was a memberof the Fraternity. Thirty-three of the menWashington picked to serve as General

Officers under him were Freemasons, as weresuch Founding Fathers as AlexanderHamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere,and John Hancock.

Commodore John Paul Jones, the father of theUnited States Navy, was a Mason.

Baron Friedrich von Steuben, a PrussianFreemason who joined Washington at ValleyForge, is considered by many to be thefounder of the U.S. Army as an effective anddisciplined fighting force.

Samuel Nicholas, who created the U.S.Marine Corps, was a Freemason.

Captains Meriwether Lewis and WilliamClark were Brother Masons, as well as explor-ers of the great American Northwest.

William F. Reynolds, the first officer of theU.S. Coast Guard to become an Admiral, wasa Freemason.

General "Hap" Arnold, CommandingGeneral of the U.S. Army Air Forces inWWII and the architect of U.S. airpower,was a Mason.

Many Masons have had outstanding militaryrecords. To list only a few:General Omar Bradley

THE MILITARY AND FREEMASONRYWe've Traveled a Long Road TogetherFound on the web and digested by WBro. Antonio "Tony" Ligaya, PM(This article was originally produced by the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, and is here reprinted from the December2003 Scottish Rite Journal of Freemasonry)

Bro. George Washington crossing the Delaware onhis way to fight at Trenton

Bro. John Paul Jones salutes from the deck of theSerapis (which he had just captured), as his ownship--the valiant Bonhomme Richard--sinks.

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Admiral Arleigh A. BurkeAdmiral Richard ByrdGeneral Mark Wayne ClarkGeneral Jimmy DoolittleGeneral George V. MarshallGeneral Douglas MacArthurAudie Murphy - the most decorated soldier ofthe Second World WarEddie Rickenbacker - the leading AmericanAce of the First World WarGeneral John Joseph PershingJohn H. GlennBuzz Aldrin (and 11 other astronauts) General Walter Boomer.

A total of 224 of the men who have beenawarded the Congressional Medal of Honor

have beenMasons.

Masons careabout ourveterans, too.In 1918,M a s o n i cleaders fromacross thenation met toform the

Masonic Service Association (MSA). Thepurpose was to create a central clearinghousefor contributions of time and money to helpAmerica's veterans. The MSA HospitalVisitation Program is in more than 15Veterans Administration Medical Centers, 26state-operated Veterans Homes, and a num-ber of military hospitals. Hundreds ofMasonic volunteers give more than a quarter-million hours each year to help America's vet-erans, regardless of whether the veteran is aMason.

Sir Winston Churchill, President Franklin D.Roosevelt, and President Harry S. Trumanwere all Freemasons. During the height of theSecond World War, Truman made a specialappearance in the newsreels being shown inmovie theatres all over America. He said, inpart: "At this very moment, in foxholes and onshipboard, beneath the sea and in the air,countless hands are being clasped in fraternalrecognition of each other in the darkness aswell as in the daylight. And countless fathers,bravely wishing God-speed to their departingsons, are saying 'Boy, when your hour of dark-

ness and lonelinesscomes, find aFreemason, andtell him you are theson of aFreemason, andyou'll find a friend."

General DouglasMacArthur oncesaid: "Freemasonryembraces the high-est moral laws andwill bear the test of any system of ethics orphilosophy ever promulgated for the uplift ofman."

So many youngmen wanted to jointhe Fraternitybefore going over-seas that Lodges inthe larger citiesoften worked 24hours a day, sixdays a week con-ferring the threeDegrees of theFraternity.

Why was it so important to these men to joinbefore they went into battle? For one thing,they knew if they were killed, there would behelp for their widows and children. Masonstake care of their wives, widows, and orphans.But they also knew it was just as Brother andPresident Harry S. Truman, 33rd Degree, saidabove; anywhere in the world they might be,even in a hostile country, they would findfriends and Brothers. That is still true.

It's also true that you'll find in Freemasonrysomething else that's found in the military -men you can trust; men who will back you, nomatter what; men who understand what itmeans to live lives of honor and integrity; menwho won't leave you to face the enemy, or theworld, by yourself.

It's been a long time since warriors went intobattle on horseback, armed with lance andbattle-axe, and it's been a long time sincemasons built castles. The tools of both havechanged - but the spirit hasn't.

Bro. Richard E. Byrd, Jr., Medal ofHonor winner, on polar expedition. Bro. "Buzz" Aldrin walks on

the moon.

Bro. Douglas MacArthur,returning as promised to lib-erate the Philippines fromJapanese occupation duringWWII.

Fast Class July 21, 22. MW BruceBonnell announced that the first oftwo planned Grand Master's FastClasses will be held at the ScottishRite Cathedral on July 21 and 22. TheFirst Degree will be conferred onFriday evening, beginning at 5:00p.m., although candidates are asked toreport by 4:30 p.m. The SecondDegree will be conferred on Saturdaymorning, and the Third Degree onSaturday afternoon. A GrandMaster's decision allows petitionsfrom Fast Class candidates to be readand voted on at any stated or specialmeeting prior to July 17, but all candi-dates must be properly investigated.The Grand Master subsequently clar-ified that if balloting on Fast Classcandidates is to be conducted at a spe-cial meeting, such special meetingmust be on the Third Degree, or theMaster Mason Degree. Registrationforms for the Fast Class must bereceived by the Grand Lodge no laterthan July 17. Contact the GrandLodge or your Lodge secretary formore information.

Newsletter revived. Lodges andappendant bodies are being asked tosubmit articles for the quarterlyGrand Lodge newsletter, which is

being published by editor MartyAlexander, JGW. The first issue ofthe newsletter is expected sometimein late July or early August. "We wanteveryone to know what the othermembers of our Masonic family aredoing," says the Grand Master. "We'retrying to build a database of emailaddresses so we can save on postage,and send out news in color."

GL Degree teams. The Grand Lodgewill be choosing the best ritualistsfrom constituent Lodges for teams toconfer all three Degrees. SGWDennis Ing, who is chairing theupcoming Fast Class, is assisting theGrand Lecturer, Don Wilson, PGM,in formulating the selection process.The teams will perform at schools ofinstruction and at Fast Classes, andwill work directly under the GrandLecturer and the Inspectors. Theteams will be comprised of PM's, offi-cers and even non-officers - whoeverappears to be the best in a particularposition - with a number of under-studies who must be ready to fill inwhen necessary. Interested membersshould contact the Grand Secretary,indicating their Lodge and whatDegree they would like to perform.

GRAND LODGE NEWSby RWBro. Dennis Ing, SGW

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February 81st Degree-Initiation Mr. Rolando C. Resurreccion

February 11Hawaiian Lodges' Sweethearts' Ball (Hale Koa Hotel )

February 151st Degree - Initiation Mr. Michael H. Perez

February 22 1st Degree - Initiation Mr. Menandro S. Nones

March 151st Degree - Initiation Mr. Zay Ya Phoe

April 121st Degree - Proficiency Brother Michael H. Perez2nd Degree - Passing Brother Michael H. Perez

April 21/22Grand Lodge of Hawaii Annual Communication

( Scottish Rite Cathedral )

April 262nd Degree - Passing Brother Rolando C. Resurreccion2nd Degree - Proficiency Brother Michael H. Perez

May 101st Degree - Initiation Mr. Michael S. Mollohan 1st Degree - Proficiency Brother Menandro S. Nones

May 172nd Degree- Passing Brother Menandro S. Nones2nd Degree - Proficiency Brother Rolando C. Resurreccion

May 29 Memorial Day Observance(Hawaiian Lodge Columbarium)

May 312nd Degree - Proficiency Brother Menandro S. Nones

SECRETARY'S TABLEby RWBro. Oscar M. Jayme, DGM

PHOTO GALLERYMemorial Day 2006: To Brethren Gone But Not Forgotten.

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Brothers enjoying the shade prior to the ceremony

Brothers pose for a shot before the ceremony

Ladies in attendance

Bro. Matthew Rowe, event coordinator, during Memorial Day Observance.

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Bro. Orly Ragudos, Junior Warden of the lodge during the Memorial Dayceremony.

Bro. Ed Abutin, Senior Warden of the lodge, performs his part in theMemorial Day observance.

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Participants in front of the lodge’s columbarium after the Memorial Dayobservance.

WBro. Froilan Domingo, Master of the lodge for 2006, adds his remarksduring the ceremony

"There is more to running a Masonic Lodge thanjust remembering your catechism"

- Bryce's Law

So you have been asked to sit as a Steward orsome other appointed office in the Lodge.Before you say yes, there are a few things youshould know. First, there is really no suchthing as a trivial office in a Masonic Lodge.But there is more to it than dressing up in atuxedo and marching around in the Lodgeroom, there are certain duties and responsibil-ities associated with each chair which you willbe expected to perform. In other words, thereis more to being a Masonic officer thanpomp and circumstance, you will be expect-ed to work. If you are agreeing to become anofficer simply as an excuse to buy a tux or tohave some sort of Masonic title, than you aregetting into it for the wrong reasons. Lodgesneed working officers, not facade.

Becoming a Lodge officer requires consider-able commitment. It means attending addi-tional meetings, classes, workshops, and morememorization work. Further, once you are inthe chairs (aka "in line") it will be expectedthat you stay in the rotation until you havebecome Worshipful Master, and this can takeas long as seven years depending on where youenter the line. Although I am not necessarily afan of our custom of rotating through thechairs, I do concede each chair teaches us adifferent set of responsibilities and skills. (Asfar as I am concerned, the Senior Deacon isthe best seat in the house). If you are willingto accept the commitment and have some-thing to offer the Lodge, great; if not, forget it.

Too often I see smaller lodges, which are des-

perate to fill chairs, raise new Brothers andimmediately appoint them as officers (some-times on the same night). The newbies are, ofcourse, flattered and accept the position with-out question. Only later do they realize thecommitment expected of them and balk atadvancing through the line. Yes, we need to getour newly raised Brothers active in the Lodge,but this should not include putting them inthe officers' line right away. Instead, theyshould be allowed to sit on the sidelines,observe what is going on, and then allow themto make a conscious decision to go into theline. By going in with both eyes wide open,they are more likely to accept the commit-ment required to properly serve as a Lodgeofficer.

I am most definitely not pooh-poohingbecoming a Lodge officer. Masonry teachesus a lot of lessons in life, becoming a Lodgeofficer kicks it up a notch and teaches ussome basic management, administrative, andpeople skills, which are invaluable in both ourpersonal and professional development. I justbelieve people should know what they are get-ting into, and are getting into it for the rightreasons. Specifically, there are those shallowindividuals who are only interested in having aMasonic title, and accomplish nothing for theLodge. It especially chafes me to see a "pup-pet" Worshipful Master who is led by his offi-cers as opposed to the other way around. Ifthey are only interested in chasing a PastMaster's apron, I say let's give them the apronand get them the heck out of the way.

Keep the Faith.

SO YOU WANT TO BE A LODGE OFFICER, EH? By WBro. Tim Bryce, PM, MPS(Researched, Contributed, and Updated by WBro. Antonio "Tony" Ligaya, PM)

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Much conduct in lodge is governed by tradi-tion, Custom, and usage, with no force of lawto enforce or penalty for infringement.Masonic manners, like those of civilized soci-ety, are rooted in the dictum that conductwhich makes for the comfort and pleasure ofothers is good.

Manners differ in different countries, States,Grand Lodges. What is customary in one maybe strange to another. As no laws govern man-ners, there is only a consensus behind them;no legal penalty accrues to the man. So it iswith Masonic manners; they are a body ofhabit grown up through the years for the gen-eral good of all, "rules" without penalty forbreaking, yet observances which make for dig-nity and comfort in, and respect for, theAncient Craft.

This article is neither a pronouncement ofauthority, nor an attempt to be the Emily Postof Freemasonry. It but recounts some of thecourtesies and etiquette of lodge life as gener-ally not necessarily universally practiced.

Addressing lodge. Salute is made to theMaster and speech begins only after his recog-nition. Actually a brother addresses theMaster, but in practice may turn from himand towards the lodge if what is said takesmore than a sentence or two. He who secondsa motion rises and salutes when doing so.The Secretary will want to record both theproposer and the seconder of a motion andcannot easily do the latter if the seconderspeaks from his seat.

Advancement. If an officer is absent, the offi-cers below his station do not necessarily moveup, each a chair. There is no "advancement by

right" for any office except that of Master. TheMaster fills any vacancy by temporaryappointment. In the absence of the Masterthe Senior Warden presides. In some jurisdic-tions it is Customary for a Master to ask aPast Master to fill a temporarily vacant chair;in others, he may ask any brother he believesqualified.

Altar and East. It is practically universal thatbrethren do not pass between the Altar andthe East in a lodge, except in procession dur-ing a degree. This courtesy is rooted in thethought that the Master should have theGreat Lights always in view. In jurisdictions inwhich the Lesser Lights are placed in a trian-gular form about the Altar, it is customary notto walk between the Altar and a light. Thetheory is that the Altar and the three lightsabout it represent the Sanctum Sanctorum,or Holy of Holies of the original tabernacle inthe wilderness. Into this the High Priest couldgo, but only to return the same way. Brethrenenter this symbolic representation of theSanctum in a lodge room, but do not use it asa passageway by passing through it.

The Altar may be draped as a mark of respectto a dead brother, if so the draping is of blackcloth which is beneath the three Great Lights.The Altar should not be draped in any flag; itis disrespectful to the flag to place anythingupon it, and not even a flag should cover theAltar.

The ballot box should be placed on the Altar,not on the three Great Lights, obscuringthem. Nothing but the square and compassshould rest upon the open Book of the SacredLaws.

MASONIC MANNERSCompiled by WBro. Antonio M. Ligaya, PM

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Anterooms. The preparation room should bekept for the purposes of candidates only; thepractice of brethren "slipping in" to the lodgeroom through this room is a deviation fromusual Masonic etiquette. The preparationroom, being a part of the halls devoted toMasonic usage, should reflect the hospitalityof the lodge room by being clean and neatwhen a candidate enters it for the purposes ofpreparation. A host does not willingly take aguest into a home which is in disorder; heconsiders that courtesy requires his home tobe properly arranged that it may express itsown welcome. A Masonic lodge room is thefraternal home of brethren; those who cometo knock upon the door are guests as well ascandidates.

The anteroom used by the Tiler is symbolical-ly in his charge, his sword an emblem ofauthority over it and those who are in it. Hewill not be required to use that authority ifbrethren in the Tiler's room conduct them-selves with the decorum essential to present-ing a fair view to candidates who pass throughhis quarters to the preparation room.

Apron: That all brethren entering a lodge beproperly clothed is at once their desire and theTiler's duty to ensure. Even when, as some-times happens upon "big nights", there are notenough aprons, a handkerchief may be tuckedin the belt to take its place. Aprons should beput on before entering the lodge room. Thespectacle of a late brother hurriedly enteringthe lodge room at the last moment, tying onhis apron as he approaches the Altar, is muchon a par with a member of church entering itwhile putting on his collar and tie.

It is a courtesy much appreciated by all Tilersif brethren leaving the lodge room lay theiraprons neatly, in a pile or in the apron box,instead of dropping them anywhere for theTiler to pick up and put away.

Ballot: The etiquette which surrounds theballot is a reflection of Masonic thought uponits value and importance. Brethren ballot oneat a time in most lodges after a salute to theMaster. It is the consensus that no one shouldleave or enter a lodge room during the takingof a ballot, with the exception of the Tiler, ifhe is a member of the lodge. It is customary topresent the box first to the Master for hisinspection then to the Wardens. The threeprincipal officers ballot without leaving theirseats. In some lodges the box is passed also toall officers, in some to all officers and PastMasters. What is customary is good manners.A Master may, and many think he should,require all members to ballot. Most jurisdic-tions have a law forbidding any brother to dis-close how he intends to or has balloted, or toattempt to ascertain how another will or hasballoted. In many lodges it is mandatory, inothers customary, for this law to be read fol-lowing any negative ballot. It is a general cour-tesy, for the Master to ask the Tiler to enterand vote, his place being taken by anothermeanwhile. This is properly done after all butthe Tiler have voted.

Discussions: These are regulated by GrandLodge law, lodge by-laws, the Old Charges,the democratic principles of Freemasonry andby Masonic give-and-take. In general, discus-sions of sectarian religion, partisan politics,race or any subject which divides men intoopposed schools of thought are prohibited bylaw. In many lodges, speaking for or againstany candidate prior to election is forbidden;good manners would seem to demand nosuch discussion even when permitted. Theutterance of personalities, the showing of bit-terness, ill will, criticism of officers or GrandOfficers are of course discourteous. Flippancyis out of place. A lodge open is a lodge atwork. The work of Masonry is serious, to theextent that it should be so regarded by allpresent, which does not preclude some good-natured laughter if occasion warrants. In no

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case is it good manners for two brethren tospeak at once or for one to interrupt another;interruption is the sole privilege of theMaster.

Dress. In some lodges, formal eveningclothes, in others, dinner jackets and black tiesconstitute formal dress. Some lodges do nothave any formal dress. Local custom here gov-erns good manners. In hot weather a Mastermay substitute informal but uniform dress forthe heavier winter clothes; where uniformdress is customary it is the uniformity, ratherthan the actual style, which makes for lodgedignity. Dress for funerals should uniformlybe dark clothing, a requirement by GrandLodge pronouncement in most Grand juris-dictions.

The Master is not required to wear a hat. Heis permitted to do so, as a sign that he alonemay remain covered, just as a king wearing hiscrown has the only head covered in the assem-blage. A Master has but three superiors, God,death and the Grand Master (or his Deputy).Masters, therefore, remove their hats duringprayer, in the presence of death, whichincludes announcements, and of the GrandMaster (or his Deputy). Some Masters, withthe most courteous of intentions, become "hatsnatchers" and remove the hat wheneverspeaking in lodge, which seems to minimizethe importance of the hat as a symbol ofpower. The Master's hat should match hisdress; formal (silk) hat for full dress orTuxedo, ordinary hat for ordinary dress; a cap(unless, during a war, a military man isMaster) never.

Entering lodge: In many jurisdictions severalbrethren enter together, form a line before theAltar, salute and then are seated. In othersthey approach the Altar one at a time, saluteand seat themselves. What is Important isthat local custom be followed and thatbrethren do not approach the Altar with bun-

dles or papers in hand. Some lodges permitsmoking during a business meeting; even here,however, a brother is not too respectful whomakes a solemn salute to the Master beforethe Altar with a cigar either in his mouth or inhis hand.

Flag: The rules concerning the flag of ourcountry are promulgated by the government.As far as lodge is concerned they are suffi-ciently simple. Flag on a staff is to be atMaster's right, if based on the platform. Ifbased on the lodge floor, at the Master's left,which is right hand for the brethren. If morethan one flag is present, lodges on or near theborder sometimes display the Canadian flagwhen having visitors from Canada, it shouldbe displayed either at Master's left, when Starsand Stripes are at his right, or at Master'sright (left of the brethren) when Stars andStripes are based upon the floor. The Starsand Stripes are never to be used as a drape, adecoration, or an Altar covering. The flag isnever dipped in salute to anyone. In giving thepledge of allegiance brethren face the flag andstand at the sign of fidelity.

Grand Honors are usually given the GrandMaster, his Deputy when representing theGrand Master, in some jurisdictions to a PastGrand Master. Grand Honors are not cus-tomary to any lesser-rank brother after beinggiven to him who has the greatest rank; thus,if a Grand Master has honored a lodge by avisit and received the Grand Honors, they arenot again given to any other Grand Lodgeofficer or Past Grand Master unless by per-mission of the Grand Master.

Past Masters. The pretty courtesy of offeringa seat in the East to Past Masters is observedin many lodges. It is a matter of custom andthe absence of the practice is not a discourtesywhere it is seldom or never done. But if doneat all it should be also done for the late com-ing Past Master as well as for those present

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when the courtesy is first offered. GrandOfficers or Past Grand Officers already seatedin the East are sufficient excuse for not offer-ing the same kindness to Past Masters.

Punctuality. Gentlemen asked to come to aprivate home for dinner at seven P. M. do notarrive at eight. Brethren asked to come tolodge at a specified hour exhibit the best man-ners if they are on time. A Master who opensexactly on time and closes early has a right toexpect the courtesy of punctuality; the Masterwho opens and closes late cannot. The workof a lodge is that of many brethren. If fifty arepresent and ten minutes are wasted, a total ofmore than eight hours time has been lost.Punctuality in the business meeting is valuedby the audience which may be looking for-ward to a degree, a speaker, and entertain-ment.

Dawdling through business is as poor man-ners from officers as is exhibited by the late-comers who put their convenience above thecomfort of the brethren they disturb.

Sign of fidelity. In some lodges all use the signduring opening and closing. In others it isused only as a salute to the Master in place ofother actions. In still others it is customary,only during flag ceremonies or pledge of alle-giance. What is customary is good manners.

Speakers. Courtesy to invited speakers is longremembered and poor manners to them areseldom forgotten. A speaker appreciates beingintroduced at the time he was invited tospeak. If he is from out of town he is happy ifhe is met and escorted either to lodge or to hishotel. If his journey involves payment of hisexpenses by the lodge his check should beready for him before he leaves. If his addresshas been the principal event of an evening, histalk should close the program. No anti-cli-maxes of "a few remarks" should then be askedby Master of any brother,

except a Grand Master or his Deputy whomay have graced the occasion with his pres-ence.

Visitors who come to a lodge expecting a fra-ternal welcome never forget either its offeringor its refusal. The visitor from another juris-diction is happy when the brother who intro-duces with him sits with him and makes himfeel at home. A perfunctory welcome from theEast and neglect for the rest of the evening arenot characteristics of that jewel of Masonry,the belief of every traveling brother that hecan find "a home away from home" in anyMasonic Temple in the land.

The most cursory reading of these thoughtson Masonic manners will disclose that goodmanners in Masonry, like those in civil life, arerooted in kindness and flower in good will.

No phrases in closing seem more fitting thanthe following by RWBro. Henry G.Meacham, Grand Lecturer, Grand Lodge ofNew York: "There is a certain grave beauty in thepractice of Masonic etiquette. The Masonic life as itis lived out in our assemblies is a conscious work ofart, with each and every part coordinated to everyother, and instinct with the feeling of the whole; if aman enters into that system without preparation orforethought, and trusting only his instincts, his man-ner will strike an awkward note, like a discord jan-gling across a strain of music; but if he has trainedhimself in his part and caught the spirit of the whole,the genius of Freemasonry will shine through: hisactions, will express itself through ritual, symbol,law, philosophy, fellowship and daily deed. To haveone's self thus become a part of a great and livingwhole is a kind of satisfying pleasure nothing else cangive, a participation in the very life of beauty, appre-ciated as much by the beholders as by the actor. Thisability to confer pleasure upon one's fellows whengathered in communication or in ceremony is not theleast of etiquette's rewards."

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MAYBE ALL OF US SHOULD BECOME DUMMIESAA BBOOOOKK RREEVVIIEEWW OONN ““FFRREEEEMMAASSOONNSS FFOORR DDUUMMMMIIEESS””By RWBro Dennis Ing, SGW

Most of us recognize those yellow and blackpaperbacks you can get at Borders or Barnesand Noble which teach us how to do every-thing from yoga to operating a computer.Late last year Wiley Publishing finally includ-ed us among the people of the world whenthey released Freemasons for Dummies.

It's written by Christopher Hodapp, a PastMaster of two Lodges in the state of Indiana,and a member of the York Rite, Scottish Riteand the Shrine. He is also a member of anumber of Masonic research organizations,among them the Southern CaliforniaResearch Lodge and the Philalethes Society.

Like all publications in the "Dummies" series,this book is intended "for beginners". SoHodapp says although he wrote it for a prettywide audience, it is aimed at "the Masonicallyclueless", "the new or wannabe Mason, aMason's wife or significant other, and thosewho might be suspicious of Masonry but are"open to finding out the truth". Well, thesepeople will certainly learn a lot by reading thistreatise, but I think there is far too muchinformation in its pages to hold their atten-tion for long.

My opinion is that every Mason would bene-fit from reading Freemasons for Dummies.Rather than an introduction, it is more like anencyclopedia of Masonry. It covers our histo-ry, myths and legends, our customs and prac-tices, how we are organized, our appendantand concordant bodies, even what we wearand why. He also traces the history of PrinceHall Lodges, the Illuminati, clandestine bod-ies and women in Freemasonry.

What is most surprising is Hodapp's fairlydetailed description of our symbols and cere-monies. He discusses the significance of thethree Degrees, of Hiram Abif, of initiation,passing and raising. He expounds on not onlyour primary symbols - the lambskin apron,square, compass, level and plumb - but alsoour more esoteric devices: from the hourglassand scythe to the pot of incense and the set-ting maul. He marks out the different pointsof a Lodge room, from the pillars at theentrance to the stations of the officers and thelights at the altar.

Hodapp freely admits that some conservativeMasons will criticize his disclosure of theseitems. However, he points out that "…theofficial secrets of Freemasonry are mostly themethods Freemasons use to identify eachother (passwords, gestures, and secret hand-shakes), and a few of the details of the thirdand final ceremony ritual of the lodge." Hemakes reference to monitors and ritual booksthat have been available on library shelves andbookstores for decades.

This is an excellent book. It is written inplain, easy to understand language, and issprinkled with humor, illustrations and inter-esting sidebars. That it contains so muchinformation is the only reason that one mightfind it difficult to plow through its pagesquickly. But it's certainly nice to have "all youwould ever need to know about Masonry" inone book. This is one volume to include inyour Masonic library, right alongside The DaVinci Code.

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

IFBy: Bro. Rudyard KiplingThe Lodge of Hope and Perseverance 782, E. C., Lahore, India(Researched and contributed by, and of particular significance and inspiration to, WBro. Tony Ligaya)

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When the meeting's called to order and you look about the room,

you're sure to see to some faces that from out the shadows loom,

that are always at the meetings, and stay until it is through;

the ones that I would mention are the Always Faithful Few.

They fill the vacant offices as they are always on the spot.

No matter what the weather, though it may be awful hot;

it may be dark and rainy, but, they are tried and true;

The ones that you rely on are always the Faithful Few.

There's lot of worthy members who will come when in the mood;

when everything's convenient, they can do a little good;

They're a factor in the Order, and are necessary, too,

but ones who never fail us are always the Faithful Few.

If it were not for these faithful whose shoulders at the wheel

keep the order moving onward without a halt or reel,

What would be the fate of Orders, who have so much to do?

They surely would go under but for the Faithful Few!

(Every member of the Lodge appreciates the work of every brother!!!)

THE FAITHFUL FEW(Author Unknown)Contributed by WBro. Antonio M. Ligaya, PM

My Brother, Masonry means more than just to wear a pin,or carrying a dues receipt so the Lodge will let you in.

You wear an emblem on your coat and on your hand a ring.But if you're not sincere at heart this doesn't mean a thing.

It's just an outward sign to show the world that you belong to this Fraternal Brotherhood that teaches right from wrong.What really counts lies buried deep within the human breast;

Masonic teaching brings it out and puts it to the test.

If you can do outside the Lodge the things you learn within,be just and upright to yourself and to your fellow men;

Console a Brother when he's sick, or help him when in need without a thought of a reward for any act or deed.

Conduct yourself in such a way the world without can see none but the best can meet the test laid down by Masonry.Respect and live up to your trust and do the best you can;then you can tell the world you are a Mason and a Man!

A REAL MASONBy Bro. Frank F. Baer

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As a Master Mason, I bel ievein the Fatherhood of God andBrotherhood of Man. I wi l l dounto others , as I would havethem do unto me. I pledge myloyalty to the United States ofAmerica , a government of thepeople, by the people and forthe people, and wi l l not coun-tenance di sloyalty on the partof othe rs . I b e l i e veFreemasonry shares thi s sameprinciple, and , I wi l l use myutmost effort to preserve i t forposter ity.

As a ret ired profess ional mi l i -t a r y m a n , I fou nd i nFre e m a s on r y the ve nu e a ndopportunity to experience anden joy fe l lowship wi th otherswhi le modestly contr ibuting tothe betterment of my fe l lowcit izens .

I asked , sought , and knockedfor admission into this venera-ble fraternity, and the door ofFre e m a s on r y wa s i nd e e dopened to me. To be a memberof this dignified and esteemed

i n st i tut i on - a s a Fre e a ndAcce p te d Ma s on , I s t rong lybel ieve that I have made truefr iends whom I can count andrely on through the best andworst o f t i m e s , a ny whe rearound the world - brotherswho could s imilarly count onme.

The t ra i n i ng , te ach i ng s , fe l -l owsh i p, a nd c a m a rad e r i e Ie n j oye d du r i ng my m i l i t a r ycareer are some of the things Iwi l l be proud of for the rest ofmy l i fe . Howe ve r, s om e ofthese would have diminished ,and I would have been j usta no th e r ord i n a r y m a n i f i twere not for the Brother whovouched for me to be a part ofthis prest ig ious Fraternity andfor a l l the Bre th re n whoaccepted me.

Ind e e d , I d e c l a re th a t , a s aMason, I have found and I amamong true fr iends - for I am am e mb e r of the T RU EBROTHERHO OD OF MEN.

MY MASONIC CREEDBy Bro. Orlando Ragudos, Junior Warden

PHOTO GALLERYLodge Conferrals and Other Activities

Bro. Mike Mollahan poses with Bro. Orly Ragudos (Master, pro-temporé) fol-lowing his initiation as an Entered Apprentice

WBro. Froilan Domingo congratulating newly-passed Fellowcraft Bro. EdNones

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Master Pro-Temporé Bro. Ed Abutin, with newly-initiated Entered ApprenticeBro. Jim Corley

Bro. Roland Resurrecion after being passed to Fellowcraft, with Bro. EdAbutin (Master, pro-temporé)

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WBro. Tony Ligaya and his lady Fé at the recent Grand Lodge InstallationBanquet at the Ala Moana Hotel.

WBro. Tony Ligaya - Master, 2005, (center) after being presented with hisPast Master apron by WBros. Rick Huston (Master - 2004) and currentMaster WBro. Froilan Domingo

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NECROLOGY

John O. SpenglerBorn: June 19, 1916 Raised: April 15, 1944

Died: July 25, 2003

Robert Yun Pung ChunBorn: July 21, 1922 Raised: April 7, 1967

Died: June 22, 2006

"Almighty Father Into Thy Hands WeCommend The Soul Of Our Beloved Brother"

2006 LODGE COMMITTEESAuditing Ernie Alegre - Chair

Alex EscasaNestor MuyotWB Don Hall

Cable-Tow WB Jun Colmenares - ChairWB Tony LigayaRWB Oscar JaymeDale PalileoAlex Escasa

Charity WB Froilan Domingo - ChairEd AbutinOrly Ragudos

Coaches, Candidates RWB Oscar Jayme - ChairWB David Kaohelaulii

Coaches, Officers WB Wilson Camagan - ChairRWB Oscar Jayme

Constitutional Observance Greg Pentecost - ChairMatthew Rowe

Delinquent Dues RWB Oscar Jayme - ChairBert Alarcon

Hiram Award WB Froilan Domingo - ChairEd AbutinOrly Ragudos

Masonic Education WB Froilan Domingo - ChairEd AbutinOrly Ragudos

Masonic Temple Association WB Rick Huston - ChairRWB Oscar Jayme

Necrology WB David Kaohelaulii - ChairRWB Oscar Jayme

Past Masters Association WB Kwanlin Wong - ChairAll Hawaiian Lodge Past Masters

Public Schools Alex Escasa - ChairOrly RagudosMatthew Rowe

Scholarship MW Ernie Yamane - ChairMW Randy ChangWB Kwanlin WongWB Bill DresserWB Wilson CamaganWB Tony LigayaVernon South

Sunshine Orly Ragudos - ChairAlex EscasaGreg Pentecost

Youth Groups WB Dennis Ing - ChairAlex EscasaOrly Ragudos

Haw

aiian Lodge,F.&

A.M

.1227 M

akiki StreetH

onolulu,HI 96814-1332

Non-Profit

Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Honolulu, H

awaii

Permit N

o. 74