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Contents

Page 2, ‘Freemasonry under the Nazi Regime’ Lest we forget! This article traces the attitude towards Freemasonry and Masons in Germany during World War 2.

Page 5, ‘Famous Freesmasons.’

Charles A. Lindbergh, the story of this remarkable American hero.

Page 9, ‘Lodge St. Magdalene No. 100.’

The History of another old Scottish Lodge.

Page 12, ‘Shirley and Marcy.’ This little story will make you smile, I did! Page 13, ‘The Old Tiler Talks’,

“The dirty trick”, the fifteenth in the series from Carl Claudy’s ‘Old Tiler Talks.’

Page 15, ‘The Darkness in the North.’

An article explaining why there is no lights in the North of a Lodge.

Page 17, ‘The Mason who went down with the Titanic’. Read this great article about Bro. Oscar Scott Woody.

Page 19, ‘Coming to Terms with Freemasonry’ The Candidate’s Preparation.

In the Lectures website The article for this month is ‘The Tracing Board of the Second Degree’. [link] The front cover illustration of a poppy wreath is to commemorate all the masons who have lost their lives in conflict.

Freemasonry under the Nazi Regime

When the Nazis came to power, policy towards the Freemasons was equivocal. Efforts to eliminate the Freemason did not receive top priority. Those lodges that espoused tolerance and equality and had international connections or connections through their leaders to the Social Democrats or liberal democrats were subject to persecution and often pressured into “voluntary” dissolution. A few conservative German lodges that were willing to accommodate themselves to the regime were able to continue some form of existence for only a little longer. Nevertheless, the regime intended to exclude those who refused to give up their Masonic connections.

In early 1934, the chief of the Nazi Party Court System ruled that Masons who did not leave their lodges prior to January 30, 1933, could not join the Nazi party. That same month, Prussian Minister of the Interior Hermann Goering issued a decree calling upon the lodges to “voluntarily” dissolve, but requiring such voluntary actions to be submitted to him for approval. In addition, lodges and their branches in various cities throughout Germany were exposed to arbitrary violence from local SS and SA units, though this terror does not appear to have been centrally directed.

Increasing pressure in the public and professional sectors forced individuals to choose between remaining in their lodges or limiting their career

opportunities. Many former lodge members holding positions in the civil service were forced or harassed into retirement. In May 1934, the Ministry of Defense banned membership in lodges to all personnel -- soldiers and civilian employees. During the summer of 1934, after Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich completed their takeover and centralization of the Gestapo, the German police forcibly closed down many Masonic lodges and branch headquarters of the Masons and confiscated their assets, including their libraries and archives.

On October 28, 1934, Reich Minister of the Interior Wilhelm Frick issued a decree defining the lodges as “hostile to the state” and hence subject to having their assets confiscated. Finally, on August 17, 1935, citing the authority of the Reichstag Fire Decree, Frick ordered all remaining lodges and branches dissolved and their assets confiscated.

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Nazi propaganda continued to link Jews and Freemasons; Julius Streicher's virulent publication Der Stuermer (The Assault Trooper) repeatedly printed cartoons and articles that attempted to portray a “Jewish-Masonic” conspiracy. Freemasonry also became a particular obsession of the chief of Security Police and SD, Reinhard Heydrich, who counted the Masons, along with the Jews and the political clergy, as the “most implacable enemies of the German race.” In 1935 Heydrich argued for the need to eliminate not only the visible manifestations of these “enemies,” but to root out from every German the “indirect influence of the Jewish spirit” -- “a Jewish, liberal, and Masonic infectious residue that remains

in the unconscious of many, above all in the academic and intellectual world.”

Heydrich created a special section of the SS Security Service (Sicherheitsdienst--SD), Section II/111, to deal specifically with Freemasonry. The SD was particularly interested, as its personnel believed that Freemasonry exercised actual political power, shaped public opinion through control of the press, and was thus in a position to provoke war, subversion, and revolution. Later, Section VII B 1 of the Reich Security Main Office (Reichssicherheitshauptamt; RSHA), an amalgamation of the SD and the Security Police formed in 1939, took over the section devoted to investigating Freemasonry.

As Nazi Germany prepared for war in 1937-1938, the regime relaxed pressure on the rank and file of the dissolved lodges. Hitler amnestied members of the rank and file who renounced their former loyalties in April 1938 and efforts were made in the public sector to decide on continued employment of former lodge members on a case to case basis. Many civil servants who had been forced to retire due to their Masonic connections were recalled into service after the war began and the ban on former Masons serving in the Wehrmacht (German armed forces), even at the officer rank, was relaxed. The Nazi party continued to ban former Masons from membership, though exceptions were made after 1938 in both the Nazi party and even the SS.

As they conquered Europe, the Germans forcibly dissolved Masonic

organizations and confiscated their assets and documents wherever they established an occupation regime. After a lodge was closed, it was ransacked for membership lists, important library and archival items, furnishings, and other cultural artifacts. Items seized would be sent on to the appropriate German agency, primarily the SD and later, the RSHA.

As part of their propaganda campaign against Freemasonry, the Nazis and other local right-wing organizations mounted anti-Masonic exhibitions throughout occupied Europe. German-occupied Paris hosted an anti-Masonic exhibition in October 1940, as did German-occupied Brussels in February 1941. Displaying Masonic ritual and cultural artifacts stolen from lodges, such exhibitions aimed to ridicule and direct hatred towards Freemasons and to heighten fears of a Jewish-Masonic conspiracy. German wartime propaganda, particularly in the army, charged that the Jews and Masons had provoked World War II and were responsible for the policies of U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, who was identified as a Freemason.

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Some of Germany's Axis partners decreed police and discriminatory measures against Masons. In August 1940, the Vichy France regime issued a decree declaring Masons to be enemies of the state and authorizing police surveillance of them. The French wartime authorities even created a card file that identified all members of the Grand Orient of France, a leading French Masonic organization; the card file survived the war and was later microfilmed for the holdings of the

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives.

In 1942, Alfred Rosenberg was authorized by a Hitler decree to wage an “intellectual war” against the Jews and Freemasons. To that end, Hitler permitted Rosenberg's “Deployment Staff of Reich Leader Rosenberg (Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg; ERR) to seize and evaluate Masonic archives and libraries to best equip them to carry on the “methodical intellectual fight” that was “necessary to win the war.” The members of ERR were guaranteed the support of the High Command of the German Armed Forces (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht; OKW) in fulfilling their mission.

After the end of World War II, vast collections of Masonic archives and library collections that had been seized by German authorities were captured, in turn, by Allied and Soviet forces. For example, a significant Masonic archive was found in Silesia, in eastern Germany, by Soviet troops in the last days of World War II. The Soviet authorities shipped the records to Moscow, where they were held in secret archives. Other Masonic-related materials were recovered in Poland; some of this material has been microfilmed and stored in the archive of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Since the end of the Cold War, many Masonic-related collections have been returned to their countries of origin, while others continue to be held in foreign repositories.

Because many of the Freemasons who were arrested were also Jews and/or

members of the political opposition, it is not known how many individuals were placed in Nazi concentration camps and/or were targeted only because they were Freemasons. Some former lodge members, as individuals, participated in or were associated with German resistance circles; and some were arrested and murdered during World War II.

This fascinating article about Freemasonry and the Nazi’s came from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum web site.

Masonic War Memorials

An Appeal for Information

The assistance of Scottish Brethren is requested with a survey of Masonic War Memorials which is currently being undertaken. The survey will seek to record the location, type and date of the memorial, together with an accurate geographic location and a photographic record. The location of many of these memorials is not known and a lack of records of any kind is the principal reason for the survey.

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We are therefore making an appeal for information. Would any Lodge or Province which has a memorial, or any Brother was has any information about them, please contact us at www.grand-lodge.net or email; smmg@grand-lodge.net we would also welcome any Brother who wishes to assist with this research.

Famous Freemasons Charles A. Lindbergh

THOUSANDS in France watched breathlessly as the tiny speck in the sky grew larger and larger. They cheered wildly as the small monoplane made a perfect landing on the flying field in Paris, France. The lines of police and soldiers were shattered as the screaming spectators ran and stumbled to welcome the hero of the hour--"The Lone Eagle"--the man who had dared to fly solo from the new world to the old over the ever treacherous Atlantic Ocean. A dirt-streaked, weary, yet jubilant Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., grinned from the tiny cockpit of The Spirit of St.Louis. Part of the crowd of 25,000 lifted him from his single-engine plane. It represented the ultimate triumph and the culmination of months of determined effort. It was the fulfilment of Lindbergh's ambitious dream. The time was 10:24 P.M.; the date, May 21, 1927. "Well, I made it," beamed "Lucky Lindy" as the crowd at Le Bourget Field continued to give the exhausted flyer a hero's welcome. "My greatest job was to stay awake," he said. "It was an unusual experience..." An unusual experience, indeed! Without radio or parachute he had flown 3600 miles to become the first man to fly the Atlantic non-stop. And he did it in a small plane built especially for him in only 60 days by the Ryan Aeronautical Company of San Diego, California. He had proven the potential of the airplane as a practical means of transportation.

He also showed what a few suspected he was an aviation genius. Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 4, 1902. His early years were spent in Little Falls, Minnesota, where his father was a politician. There Charles attended school, but only spasmodically. Because of a peculiar law, he was able to receive his diploma in 1918. He wanted to enlist in the Army Air Corps, but at the insistence of mother, he enrolled in the University of Wisconsin. He stayed there just over a year. His interests concerned automobiles, machinery, guns, and motorcycles. He abhorred smoking, drinking, social activities, and girls. He said goodbye to his mother when he was 20 and on March 22, 1922, joined a flying school conducted by the Nebraska Aircraft Company in Lincoln. He invested $500 in flying lessons. He was a natural. After only seven hours of instruction, he was qualified enough to join a barnstorming and stunt team as a handyman, mechanic, wing walker, and pilot. He became known as "Daredevil Lindbergh," the man who was able to hang by his teeth from a wing. He enrolled as a flying cadet in the U.S. Army in 1924. Out of the class of 103, 18 passed the course, and Lindbergh was at the head of the graduates. He was commissioned a second lieutenant. Later he became an airmail pilot, and in this capacity he was forced to make four emergency parachute jumps. On April 15, 1926, Lindbergh made the first air mail flight from Chicago to St.

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Louis. Then he began dreaming of being the first to make a non-stop trans-Atlantic flight. Time was important. Others were planning the same thing. Among them was Admiral Richard E. Byrd, a member of Kane Lodge No. 454, F. &A.M., of New York. (Byrd did cross the Atlantic in 1927, after flying over the North Pole in 1926.) Lindbergh needed financial backing if he was to be able to enter the "race" for the $25,000 prize offered by Raymond Orteig. He sought help from Robertson Aircraft of St. Louis, and was hired as chief pilot. In St. Louis he was able to find supporters and there was formed "The Spirit of St. Louis Organization." In St. Louis Lindbergh found another "spirit." He applied to Keystone Lodge No. 243, A.F. &A.M. for the degrees in Freemasonry. His petition was approved. On June 9, 1926 he was Initiated an Entered Apprentice; Passed to the Degree Of Fellowcraft on October 20, 1926; and Raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on December 15, 1926. He later became a member of St. Louis Chapter No. 22, National Sojourners. As time went by, Lindbergh's frustration grew. It appeared others would beat him to the "prize." But a series of misfortunes plagued those who might have won. Finally, he found the Ryan Aeronautical Company willing to build a plane to his specifications. In February, 1927, he travelled to San Diego to personally supervise the building of "The Spirit of St. Louis." It was built. On May 10, 1927, Lindbergh left San Diego, stopped at St.

Louis, then landed at Curtis Field, Long Island, New York. He had established another record. He had flown from coast to coast in a mere 21 hours and 20 minutes. At 7:52 A.M. on May 20, 1927, The Spirit of St. Louis took off from Roosevelt Field, New York. Thirty-three and one-half hours later he landed near Paris, France. His average speed was a remarkable 107.5 miles per hour. His altitude varied from 10,000 feet to 10 feet above the water. This memorable saga of courage, ability, and faith has been recorded many times. It was retold many more times during the 50th Anniversary of Lindbergh's daring and skilful feat. There are stories not generally known, however. T. Claude Ryan designed "The Spirit of St. Louis." While with the Ryan Aeronautical Company, Ryan said he was handed a telegram that read: "Can you build airplane capable of flying New York to Paris non-stop with a whirlwind engine?" It was signed by the airmail contract firm for which Lindbergh worked. If Lindbergh had signed it, Ryan said he would have thrown it in the trash. Ryan needed the business, so he said he did some calculating. To his amazement he found by modifying a mail plane, and giving it longer wings, it could be done. He wired Lindbergh to tell him he could do it. Ryan said this about Lindbergh: "He was 25. Just a kid, full of enthusiasm”. He talked St. Louis bankers and businessmen into putting up the money,

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and he stayed and watched every move that was made." Lindbergh asked Ryan what his chances of flying the Atlantic were. "I figured he had less than a 50-50 chance of making it, but improved the percentage for his sake. I told him I thought he had 75 percent chance of making it. And Lindbergh replied: I figured.' He was perfectly willing to put his life on line on a 75-25 percent chance." Receptions and honours followed quickly. The French government acclaimed him. He was presented with civilian and military honours. He was cheered and honoured in Brussels. He was received by the King of England, decorated, then given a citywide welcome. Lindbergh was brought back to the United States aboard the U.S.S. Memphis. He was greeted by President Coolidge and presented with the Distinguished Flying Cross. Other citations were numerous. Miles of marching men, flying flags, and bands joined him in the most famous of New York's "confetti parades." The solo Atlantic crossing had made Lindbergh wealthy and famous, but he didn't rest on these laurels. He continued to work to build the image of aviation. He made a spectacular tour by air of 75 American cities. One of these cities was St. Louis. There he was greeted by the members of his Masonic Lodge. From the records of Keystone Lodge No. 243 comes the account of the "Lindbergh Night." It took place on February 15, 1928, and will long be

remembered by those Freemasons who were not yet born. Those who were there passed along to those who came later the triumph of that evening. More than 300 Masons were present, including Grand Master Anthony F. Ittner, when the Lodge opened at 7:30 P.M. Because it wasn't certain that Lindbergh could be present, the Master Mason Degree was conferred by "The Boosters," a highly acclaimed ritualistic team. Charles Lindbergh did make it and was escorted into the Lodge. The Master warmly greeted this distinguished member, related with pride many of Lindbergh's accomplishments, and praised him for his service to his fellowman. After the applause had diminished, the Grand Master added his welcome and presented Lindbergh with an engrossed Gold Card---Keystone Lodge No. 243 had made the hero of the occasion a Life Member. Then a short recess was called to allow those in attendance to greet their world-famous member. A Past Grand officer who was present on that occasion told John Black Vrooman that Lindbergh had one request to make. His hand was sore and he asked that they please touch him on the shoulder so his hand might have a rest. The men couldn't resist the temptation to shake his hand, so in desperation Lindbergh stepped behind the Secretary's desk for "protection." Soon after this reception, Lindbergh made an air tour of Central and South America. He must have been welcomed

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by Freemasons along the way, because Keystone Lodge received a letter from Lodge Libertad No. 20 of the Gran Logia de la Republica Dominicana dated April 10, 1928: "Dear Brothers: In this same mail we are sending a picture of the act of investing Brother CHARLES A. LINDBERGH, of that Lodge with the honour of Honorary Member of our Lodge Libertad No. 20.”The great miracle of approaching two worlds was reserved to the youthful son of that Lodge. But we are contemplating now the greater miracle of the permanent fraternal relations between Lodges of this country and those of the country from which the King of the Air came." Lindbergh became a consultant to the Guggenheim Aeronautical Foundation. Later he joined Pan Am. On May 27, 1929, Lindbergh married Anne Morrow. In an effort to protect their privacy, he built a home in Hopewell, New Jersey. It was from there that their 20 month old son, Charles, was kidnapped and murdered in March, 1932. This event changed their lives. To what extent no one will ever know. But it did cause them to flee to England in search of peace. Lindbergh, by invitation of the United States Embassy in Germany, visited that country in May, 1936. He had a first-hand look at the Nazi war machine, and understood its implications as perhaps few could. Two years later he suggested it wouldn't be wise for unprepared France and England to oppose the Hitlerites at this time." The resulting turmoil caused him to resign as colonel;

he won the anger of Franklin D. Roosevelt, another Freemason. After Pearl Harbour was bombed, Lindbergh offered his services to his country. Roosevelt turned him down, and put pressure on the aviation industry to keep him out. Henry Ford, a member of Palestine Lodge No. 357, Detroit, and who disliked Roosevelt, a member of Holland Lodge No. 8, New York City, gave Lindbergh a job as a technical consultant. In 1944, as a civilian, Lindbergh flew at least 50 combat missions in the Pacific theatre. After the war ended he stayed out of political controversies. He worked with the Army as a trouble-shooter, and would accept no pay. Later he turned to ecology. Late in 1973 Lindbergh learned he was suffering from terminal lymphatic cancer. He returned to Maui, Hawaii, where at 7:15 in the morning of August 26, 1974, he died. At the age of 72 he left this earth, but the accomplishments of Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr., Master Mason, aviator, scientist, husband and father will live on.

This Masonic Biography of Charles Lindbergh was written by Allen E. Robert sand sourced from the Northern Light Magazine.

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Lodge St. Magdalene No.100

Lodge St Magdalene No 100 received it’s Charter from the Grand lodge of Scotland held at lodge St Geils, Edinburgh, on 3rd February 1766. The number then allocated to the lodge was 127 but in 1816 the number was changed to 96 and in 1835 when the lodges under the Scottish constitution wee again renumbered St Magdalene became No 100. There is no documentary evidence of the existence of a Masonic Lodge in Lochmaben before 1766. It is claimed however that there were irregular meetings of Masons there as far back as 1727 and, according to tradition passed down from the first members of the lodge, meetings, even before then were held in a large dug-out on Corsua Moor. The Lodge’s Colours were originally Light Blue but a change was made in 1807 to Royal Blue with White edges and these have continued to be the Lodge’s Colours with the White being changed for Silver edging. The first regular meeting of the Lodge was held on 13th October 1766 when 38 brethren signed a copy of the Charter, which had been engrossed in the minute Book. The next meeting was held on 27th December 1766 (St John‘s Day). George Gray was elected the first Master of the lodge, and the Regulations for the conduct of the lodge’s business were adopted. Quarterly meetings were agreed to and the following Dues and Fees were fixed. Dues for Founder Members 3d, and for Future Members 1/- per quarter. Fees

for Initiation- Mechanics 5/-, Others 7/6, Fee for Passing 1/-, and Fee for Raising 12/-. James Dryden was the first Candidate and he was initiated on 2nd March 1767. No indication is given in the minutes as to the place of the lodge Meetings during the first 18 years of its history. In 1784 the lodge acquired a piece of ground “on the north end of the Schoolhouse” on which it erected a building and on 27th December of that year the Master and Brethren marched in procession to the place and “took infeftment from the Provost and Bailies of the Burgh of Lochmaben”. This building was never properly completed but it was used as the Lodge Room for the next 10 years, when in 1785 owing to financial difficulties it had to be sold. The lodge thus lost its lodge room and again it is not recorded where in Lochmaben the Lodge met during the next 15 years. More information however is vouchsafed thereafter. According to the minute of 22nd March 1810 it was decided “to remove the Lodge from brother Dickson’s house to Brother Smith’s”. The decision was carried into effect that night and the minute continues “The Brethren spent the night in Masonic conviviality”. After 4 years the Lodge was removed to Brother Mitchell’s house, then in november1827 to Brother Harkness’ and in November 1838 to Brother Craig’s. The next meeting place would seem to have been the Kings Arms Inn but there is no record as to when the Lodge was removed or how long it was held there. However it is clear from the minute of the Quarterly Meeting of 6th august 1849 that “The Lodge

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accompanied by Lochmaben Musical Band and amid great demonstration of joy removed from the Kings Arms inn to the town Hall and after regaling the Band most sumptuously it was dismissed with thanks”. Thereafter the Lodge continued to meet the Town Hall until 12th February 1877 when a let was obtained from Mr. Blacklock’s Office “until such time as a better place be prepared”. In December 1877 Mr. Blacklock offered to sell the “New Hall” to the lodge at the price of £240. A committee was appointed but the negotiations fell through, and in January 1883 the Lodge returned to the Town Hall. Six years later in February 1889, Mr. Blacklock let the Recreation Hall to the lodge, and this continued to be the Lodge room until 16th May 1921 when the Lodge purchased the present premises from Mrs., Blacklock at the price of £250. After so many wanderings the Lodge now had a place of it’s own and the Temple was consecrated by Brother J. Bryce Duncan, Provincial Grand Master of Dumfriesshire on 17th November 1923, in the presence of around 100 brethren with every lodge in the Province being represented. For the first thirty years of its existence the lodge was almost continuously on the verge of bankruptcy. Money was tight in those years and bills by Initiates were accepted for future payment of their Initiation Fees. In many cases these bills were never redeemed. Annual dues also fell into arrears and the Lodge itself was often in arrear with its dues to Grand Lodge. On one occasion Grand lodge actually threatened suspension of

the Charter. The fact that the Lodge was able to then surmount it’s financial and other difficulties and carry on is a tribute to the devotion, loyalty and courage of it’s harassed office bearers. The occasion often produces the man and at this anxious and crucial time in the history of the lodge St Magdalene the man that was found was in the person of doctor Robert Clapperton. There had been only one meeting of the Lodge in each of the years 1772 and 1773. no meetings are recorded as having been held during the next three years. Doctor Clapperton, who had then recently taken up residence in Lochmaben and who was a member of the Craft, was persuaded to join the Lodge and at the Annual Meeting on St John’s Day 27th /December 1777, he was affiliated and at the same meeting was elected and installed as Master other the lodge, an office he continued it hold until his death 20 years afterwards. He seemed to have been a forceful character and by his vigour and his high conception of Masonic principles and duties (there are two lengthy letters of his to Grand lodge engrossed in the minute Book) he must have instilled new life and enthusiasm into the lodge, and form that date the lodge, though having its occasional setbacks, has gone form strength to strength. On 27th December in every year during the earlier years of the Lodge’s history the Brethren seem to have put aside their cares and worries in the celebration of St john’s Festival which was invariably celebrated by the Lodge often with visiting Brethren as it’s guests by a Procession followed by a Ball. To illustrate the form the celebration took, one minute might be quoted, “The

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brethren 27 in number with 6 visiting brethren, after doing the business of the Lodge applicable to the occasion, walked in grand procession from the Lodge Room to the town Hall where they spent a few hours with concord and happiness by giving a Ball to a brilliant assembly of ladies invited on the occasion an where all was happiness and joy to the unanimous approbation of every brother and sister”. After a few hours thus agreeably spent with the sisterhood and brethren returned to the Lodge room, finished the business of the Lodge and the meeting concluded as it began in the greatest harmony and brotherly love after drinking a number of loyal and Masonic toasts- the “characteristic of the craft”. There have been two Masonic offspring’s from lodge St Magdalene, Lodge St Peters Mouswald and Lodge Quhytewoollen Lockerbie. The charter was granted to St Peters Lodge in 1810 an a Petition by the members of lodge ST Magdalene resident in Mouswald and supported by the Lodge ST Peters however is now defunct. Lodge Quhytewoollen received its charter in 1815 on a Petition by the members of lodge St Magdalene who lived in Lockerbie. This Petition was also cordially supported by the lodge, which had the gratification of joining in the celebration of its offspring’s 150th Anniversary in 1965. Prior to the First World War it was the custom for Masonic Lodges to lay the foundation Stones of important buildings and Lodge St Magdalene had its fair share in these ceremonies. The lodge performed or supported a neighbouring lodge in performing the laying of a great number of foundation Stones.

Owing to certain differences which had arisen with Lodge Quhytewoollen regarding the ceremonial procedure (which did not effect the inherent harmony that existed between the two lodges), Lodge St Magdalene did not attend the Laying of the Foundation Stone of the Shillahill Bridge over the River Anan in 1829, but 3 years later the Lodge did support Lodge Quhytewoollen at the Laying of the Foundation Stone over the River Milk. The first reference in the minutes to a Divine Service organized by the lodge is in the minute of the Lodge Meeting on St John’s Day (27th December) 1777, when a sermon was preached by MR. Henderson, Schoolmaster in Lochmaben and a Preacher of the gospel. The next reference is in the minute of 27th December (St John’s Day) 1796, where it is recorded that the brethren to the number of “70 marched in Procession in the church when a sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Henderson, of Dryfesdale, Lockerbie. Thereafter the brethren processed through different streets in the town, colour flying and music playing back to the lodge Room where they dined together and toasts were given and the proceedings concluded with a Ball in the evening”. There is no record of any other Divine Service until July 1915 when a service was held in the Parish Church, Lochmaben. The Preacher was the Rev. John McColl, minister of the Church, and who a few years later was Right Worshipful Master of the Lodge. So successful was this Service that it might be said to have inaugurated the Lodge’s Annual church Service that has been held more or less regularly until quite recently. For over 200 years harmony

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has existed between Lodge St Magdalene and it’s sister Lodges within and without the Province. Visitations have often been exchanged with one another, with various degrees being conferred during these visits. Visiting brethren have never failed to receive a cordial welcome at Lochmaben, which included the entertainment of French officers on parole who were stationed in the neighbourhood during the Napoleonic War. The Lodge does not appear to have celebrated its 100th Anniversary in 1866 although there was a suggestion on one minute that something should have been done in the summer of that year. No further action however seems to have been taken. In 1916, notwithstanding that the First World War was then waging- the Lodge paid due recognition to its 150th Anniversary. A special Meeting of the Lodge was held on 3rd February 1916 followed by a Dinner where Deputation's were welcomed from the Provincial Grand lodge of Dumfriesshire and the sister Lodges within the Province. In all 60 brethren were present. Throughout its long history the records bear out that the greatest harmony has prevailed in the Lodge. At the age of well over 200 years the Lodge is in good heart and still shows every sign of youthful vigour. Lodge St Magdalene has qualities, which will undoubtedly maintain its high standing.

This excellent history was sourced for the website of Lodge St. Magdalene No.100 and was edited by the editor for inclusion in the newsletter. My thanks go to Lodge100 for allowing me to publish it here. If your Lodge would like to have its history published in the newsletter, please contact the editor.

Shirley and Marcy

A mom was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school. He didn't want her to walk with him, and she wanted to give him a feeling of independence. But she also wanted know that he was safe. When she expressed her concern to her neighbour, Shirley offered to follow him to school in the mornings for a while, staying at a distance so he wouldn't notice. Shirley said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise. All week long, Shirley and her daughter followed Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbourhood girl. As the two children walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy's friend said, 'Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her? ‘Timmy replied, 'Yes, I know who she is. That's my mom's friend Shirley Goodnest and her little girl Marcy’. ‘Shirley Goodnest? Why is she following us?' 'Well,' Timmy explained, 'every night my mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, 'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life'. I guess I'll just have to get used to it!' The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

May Shirley Goodnest and Marcy be with you today and always.

Thanks to Bro. Stewart Thomson of 1408 for this.

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The Dirty Trick

0ld Tiler, what would you do about Jones?" "Give him what he needs, of course."

The New Brother sat down beside the Old Tiler in the anteroom. "Of course, he's a Mason, and all that, but -- but I don't like him. He did me a dirty, trick once. I don't mean I want to get even with him, but I don't think he's a good enough Mason to get relief from this lodge."

"Is he under charges? Suspended? Expelled?" asked the Old Tiler.

"No-o-o-o, but . . .”

"But nothing!" The Old Tiler was emphatic. "A man is innocent until proved guilty. If he is good enough for the lodge to accept his dues when he is

prosperous, he is good enough for us to relieve when he is in hard luck."

"But it was a filthy trick he played on me . . .”

"When I was a very little boy," interrupted the Old Tiler, "some fifteen years after the war between the States, my parents moved to a small town in the north. They brought with them a lot of Confederate money. Confederate notes were of no value after the war. My parents gave me some to play with. I thought it was real money, and no Midas had anything on me when I looked at my ten dollar bill!

"I trotted down to the country store and bought the biggest, most red and whitish stick of peppermint candy which ever delighted any small child's heart. The storekeeper wrapped it up for me, unsmiling. I handed him my ten dollar bill. He looked at it a moment, and then took from my hand the candy. He told me the money was no good and I couldn't have the candy.

"It was the greatest financial lesson I ever had. I didn't understand; I was terribly disappointed.

"Only when I grew up did I come to know that I had met a peculiarly mean specimen of he-thing -- a man who would hurt a baby for the sake of one cent. I grew up feeling rather contemptuous of that storekeeper. He was within his rights, but I didn't have much of an opinion of him.

"In later years I met him, a much older man. He was glad to see me. We chatted

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a while, and then he recalled my youth. So I told him I hadn't liked him for many years, and why. 'You tell me what you think of a chap who would take a stick of candy from a child for the sake of a penny.'

"He flushed.’I was just mean,' he said.’Will you forgive me?' Of course I did, and thought no more about it. But I still didn't like him.

"Several years later his wife appealed to me for aid. He was down and out. He had been so sharp a business man that people didn't like him, any more than I did. And he had failed. They were destitute."

"What did you do?" inquired the New Brother, as the Old Tiler paused.

"All I could, of course," answered the Old Tiler. "He was a brother of the Mystic Tie."

The New Brother sat silent for a minute.

"Something tells me I have been properly spanked!" he said at last. ''Of course I have no right to consider a personal matter in connection with a brotherly appeal to the lodge for relief. I shall vote for it. And I'll see if I can't do something personally. I still don't like him and I never will, but -- "

"But you have come to a Masonic viewpoint! -- interrupted the Old Tiler. "That's one of the hardest lessons to learn -- that there are two viewpoints. A man is a man, a neighbor, a friend or an enemy. But he is also a brother. When

he appeals to us for that brotherly aid and assistance we have all sworn to render, we have to remember only the brotherhood and not the man. I have never liked the man who took my stick of candy. The incident gave me in opinion of his character which I found unpleasant. But I couldn't vote against him in my, lodge because of it, and I couldn't deny him the relief the lodge should have given him, because of it. Jones may have done you an unbrotherly trick -- but that's no reason for you not to act like a brother to him."

"It is not, and I am going to, but I wish Masons wouldn't do dirty tricks!"

"So do I. But if all men were perfect, there would be no need of Masonry!" grinned the Old Tiler.

"If you were all grown up, you'd know all this without being told," answered the Old Tiler. "Go along with you, boy! You'll grow up soon enough. Especially if you show that hidden face."

"It's on exhibition from now on!" announced the New Brother.

This is the fifteenth article in this regular feature, ‘The Old Tiler Talks,’ each month we will publish in the newsletter one of these interesting and informative pieces by Carl Claudy

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The Darkness in the North

Although a Masonic Lodge is surely a house of the unusual, as we look about the inside we may be struck by a peculiar fact; there are lights everywhere except somewhere in particular: the North.

Why is this so? The famed Masonic writer Albert Mackey notes that in harmony with a Scandinavian superstition no Lodge of Masons lights the North, as "no light could relieve the gloom of that cardinal point". Albert Pike, prolific Masonic authority, wrote that "the northern realm of gloom was called "the place of the death and revival of Adonis... because to Greek imaginations (it was) the final bourne of all things, the abode of winter." It is of interest that Pike cites a mythical rebirth, which he parallels to the seasonal shift from winter to spring. Could it be the darkness before dawn, the death that presages birth? We observe in the Master Mason's degree that the unfortunate Grand Master, portrayed by a soon to be enlightened individual, is disposed of in the Northeast corner, and then conveyed West for the ensuing drama, which takes place in the vicinity of the North.

The Northeast, the birthplace of all Masons, is in the creative area between the North and East; thence to the East for the full birth of Light and to the mid-day sun in the South at meridian, or middle-age. In the West is the growing dimness of old age. The North, a place of darkness, may be the death before the

rebirth of the sun and the resurrection of man in the Northeast corner. But what in the North could bring about this miracle? Cold and darkness do not create life.

Perhaps the North is dark because, as Virginia's Mentor's Manual says "...it symbolizes ignorance of things Masonic," but since our rituals and symbols portray our understanding of life and immortality, perhaps the darkness in the North symbolizes the presence of a Force beyond our comprehension; the Force of creation and destruction. In the Hindu religion, this cycle of death and rebirth is explained by way of three distinct aspects of God, somewhat akin to the Christian concept of the Trinity. For Hindus the birth of the universe is the work of Brahma, the creator; all things are maintained by Vishnu, the sustainer, and the end of time occurs by the fiery dance of Siva, the destroyer. At that point everything is recreated by Brahma and the repeating pattern continues. It is a lovely and elegant belief that explains the mystery to millions of people. But where is our Masonic symbol for the Creator/Destroyer? The Masonic "G", wherever displayed? But if He ends the weary life of day and man in the West and ignites new life in the Northeast corner, then the transforming power of the Architect must reside in the North. But truly, there is no symbol in the North; or is there?

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During the Jewish Passover Seder, or dinner, a cup of wine is filled expressly for the prophet Elijah, who is believed to visit every Jewish home on that occasion; the Jewish writer Trachtenburg notes that in most

households "the front door is even left ajar for him to enter.” The idea of an unseen presence among us, and some physical representation of it to excite our reverence is thus not a new one. Instead of a tangible cup of wine, a pillar of fire, or a statue of a Hindu god made manifest, perhaps our Great Architect is conceived in more subtle and abstract format: darkness, mystery and the admission that our deepest reflections on His nature fall far short in understanding.

We learn from our ritual that "the sun in his progress through the ecliptic never reaches farther than 23 degrees at that point, the sun at meridian would only illuminate the south wall of the Temple of Solomon. Curiously, though, this cannot be construed as proving that the Temple had no light or ventilation which illuminated the north. Both the Hebrew Talmud and the ancient Jewish historian Josephus speak of the "Golden Window", an opening "framed with costly magnificence" and facing the north wall.

Masonic scholar William Adrian Brown has pointed out that the all seeing eye "at one time hung in the North of Masonic Lodges", and further observes that every religion and sect of ancient times believed that God resided in the North, and, by light of the sun rising on His left and setting on His right, observed beginnings and endings on the earth. He concludes that "from the earliest known structures built by man, we find cornerstones in the Northeast corner, this was done as an acknowledgment that the building might be used by men, but belonged to God".

Thus it may be that the North, far from being an unimportant place, might, by its emptiness, portray the deepest mystery of all: the nature of the Great Architect. If so, it provides the fourth side of the physical square of the Lodge and by its abstract nature excites our most serious consideration of the spiritual dimension of our lives. References

Article sourced from the 1996 Philalethes mag.

The Mason that went down with the Titanic

Bro Oscar Scott Woody lived in Clifton VA, and was one of five postal clerks on the RMS Titanic when after hitting an iceberg sank on 15 April 1912. He was a member of Acacia Lodge No. 16. "I urged them to leave their work. They shook their heads and continued at their work. It might have been an inrush of water later that cut off their escape, or it may have been the explosion. I saw them no more." Albert Theissinger Steward aboard RMS Titanic, and survivor. Oscar Scott Woody was happily celebrating the approach of his 44th birthday at the stern of the ship with his colleagues when it struck the iceberg. Woody died on his birthday. A native of Roxboro NC, Woody was ordered to travel to Europe aboard SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse which sailed from New York on 2 April. Upon arriving in Plymouth, Woody was instructed to make his way to Southampton.

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From there, Edwin Sands, Assistant Superintendent of Foreign Mails, ordered him to return to New York as a clerk in the sea post office on the RMS Titanic, sailing from Southampton, on 10 April. His body was recovered (#167) and buried at sea because of the poor state of his corpse. Oscar Scott Woody had been a postal clerk on trains between Greensboro NC and Washington DC prior to joining the crew of the RMS Titanic at the age of 44. On that fateful night of 14 April, Woody and four other postal clerks were among the first to suffer from the impact with the iceberg. These men refused to leave their post and struggled to save the mail in their charge. All five men perished in the line of duty. In November of 2003, Governor Mike Easley declared "Oscar Scott Woody Day." In addition, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences released a commemorative envelope with a cancellation stamp honouring Woody. Raleigh Democratic Congressman Brad Miller introduced a bill in the NC congress to give Woody a post office. All members of the congressional delegation have signed the bill. In a statement, the congressman said, "I

believe recognition of Oscar Scott Woody's heroic efforts is long overdue. This legislation named the Roxboro Post Office in honour of a native son who gave his life upholding his duties to the US Postal Service." Governor Mike Easley proclaimed 24 November 2003 as 'Oscar Scott Woody Day' in North Carolina. In addition, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences released a commemorative envelope with a cancellation stamp honouring Woody.

Bro Woody's original dues card to Acacia Lodge No. 16 that was recovered from his body. The water stains are evident. The original dues card is on display at The Grand Lodge of Virginia

museum in Richmond VA.

Above is a commemorative token, sadly sold out!

This article about Bro. Oscar Scott Woody was sourced from the newsletter of the Rural Lodge October 2008, many thanks to them for this.

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The Candidate’s Preparation

The physical preparation of a Candidate for Initiation is in accord with tradition, but some of the detailed meanings are not fully understood. In ceremonies connected with mysteries thousands of years ago, the preparation was as important as the Initiation that followed. In many – but not all – American Lodges as in early English Lodges, the Initiate is “neither naked nor clad” and may wear a special garment designed to give effect to that description. A few English and many American Lodges still provide special garments for Candidates. These have no pockets in which metal or metallic could be hidden, and the Candidate can truly be said to be without money. The reason for the Candidates form of presentation is thought to have been designed, (1) possibly to ensure that the Candidate has no concealed weapons of defence, - an idea conceived many hundred of years ago. (2) by uncovering the heart, to reveal sex, but more likely in view of the universal tradition that the heart is the seat of the soul suggesting the Candidate’s sincerity, and lastly, (3) as evidence of the Candidate’s humility, probably the greatest of all the qualities that freemasonry sets out to achieve. The circumambulations in all our ceremonies are to let the brethren see that he is ‘properly prepared’ and that the Wardens and senior brethren can satisfy themselves that he is qualified to take the degree. The Candidate is deprived of monies, metallic substances and of everything valuable before entering the Lodge, so that emblematically he is received into masonry “poor and penniless”, a symbolism that might be considered all sufficient. But – this item is traditionally an allusion to the building of King Solomon’s’ Temples where, “the house when it was being built was of stone made ready before it was brought here, so that neither hammer, axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house”. In Bristol working the Candidate is informed that part of the reason for being deprived of metallic substances is to prove that he has brought nothing offensive into the Lodge. Some Masonic writers have attempted to introduce some other doubtful reasons ranging from assurances of peace and harmony to preparation of the soul of man for a life hereafter, but I think we should discount these.

Sourced from Why? ‘Coming to Terms with Freemasonry’ by Bro. John Cane PPG Su

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pt Wks (Surrey)

Until next month, Keep the faith!

The Editor.