Fraternal Review 2015 02
Content
In this Issue of the Fraternal Review
Master’s New Year Message
Reflections on Change
The Reflecting Pool
One Mason’s Perspective
Be the Revolution
The Start of a Masonic Academy
Short Talk Bulletin
Freemasonry and Technology
Address to a Third Degree Candidate
Wisdom from the year 1927
The Mysteries of King Solomon’s Temple
The need for water and how a 19th-century
engineer found clues to a possible source
“To learn to subdue my passions, to improve myself in Masonry”
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
SCRL Fraternal Review
February 2015
The Master’s Message: Reflections on Change
This issue of Fraternal Review marks the beginning of our new year. We don’t publish in January, as we’re
dark in December. The lodge just passed through its own dark time of loss and change, as three brothers gave
up their leadership roles after years of dedicated service, each for their own reasons. They’re still with us,
helping with the transition, but a new secretary, treasurer and editor had to get up to speed on short notice.
Through all these changes, I’ve been thinking of the stereotype that Masons don't like change. We
especially want our landmarks, symbols and allegories to remain as they have been for hundreds of years.
And yet, the promise of a new year is that change can be positive; that the darkest days of the year are
followed by increasing light, producing the new growth of spring. This issue of the Review affirms that we
can change creatively. We can bring new aspects of light and love into this world while remaining true to
our traditions.
SCRL continues to disseminate contemporary writings from grand lodges and research lodges, showcasing
that good kind of change: the steady expansion of Masonic knowledge. In this issue, there’s a report on a
new approach to Masonic education in Massachusetts – just one of many education initiatives in the U.S. in
recent years. There are glimpses into our history. One memorializes Masons who were present at the
sinking of the Titanic. The other describes the 19th century discovery of an ingenious water supply system in
King Solomon's Temple. The archeologist who found it eventually became a Freemason and the founding
Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, the premier lodge of research in the world.
The images in this issue tell their own story. I’m touched by the strikingly
beautiful night photo of the reflecting pool at the base of the Washington
Monument in our nation's capital. It reminds me of the great Seal of Solomon
pictured at right: two interlaced triangles formed by the God of Light and the
God of Reflections. Masonic ritual invites us to reflect and remember: that we are
children of one Almighty Parent; that we can improve our human nature and
become more and more a reflection of the Divine nature, Divine Love. Our
Masonic labors are not only about increasing the light of knowledge, but also
about growth in love. The ceremonies and traditions of Freemasonry foster the
kind of self-improvement that strengthens the bonds of love in our personal
relationships and supports us in giving ever more generously to our communities.
SCRL invites you to join us in our quest to spread more light and love, in the fraternity and around the world.
If you are in our area, please come to one of our gatherings. Wherever you are, send us emails and letters to
the editor. Let us know what topics interest you, and let us see your own writings. Some will be published
here, or online. Help us explore how we might better serve your needs, and the growth of Freemasonry.
C. Douglas Russell
Worshipful Master, SCRL
"By the exercise of Brotherly Love we are taught to regard the whole human species as one family."
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Southern California Research Lodge
FRATERNAL REVIEW
Editor—Adam Kevorkian
February 2015
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Q: How many Freemasons were aboard the RMS Titanic when it sank on April 15, 1912?
A: According to the Spring 2012 issue of the Ohio Beacon, 19 Freemasons have been identified. At
least 8 were members of American lodges. One of them was Elmer Zebley Taylor, who invented the paper
cup. Bro. Taylor survived the sinking and died in 1949. Another 8 Brothers belonged to a lodge with the
United Grand Lodge of England. One was a member of a South African lodge; lodge memberships of two
are unknown.
Eight hundred thirty-two passengers and six hundred eight-five crew members perished when
the “unsinkable” Titanic sank. [Taken from Masonic Messenger, December 2012]
GOOD OF THE ORDER
C. Douglas Russell, Master
Membership applications and book orders:
Jim Lockridge, Secretary
P.O. Box 4153
Fullerton, CA 92834
[email protected]
Send newsletters and articles to:
Fraternal Review Editor
P.O. Box 4153
Fullerton, CA 92834
[email protected]
Stated Meetings are on the third Wednesday of each quarter in Gateway Lodge No. 339
at 500 East Imperial Highway, Brea. The next Stated Meeting is on April 15, 2015.
SCRL also meets monthly at 8:00 a.m. on the third Saturday to prepare the Fraternal Review
for mailing, followed by an educational talk and discussion.. Coffee and snacks provided.
Fraternal Review is published monthly, February through December.
When you choose to receive our monthly mailing by email, you now get it in
color, and it is easier for you to read and store. Let the Secretary know if you
would like to receive Fraternal Review by email.
See our website at http://www.theresearchlodge.org to pay dues online, for
officer contact information, and for a book list.
Masonic Education: information and knowledge that promote individual growth.
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
From The Editor
Brethren, a new year represents a new beginning. No matter the course we set for our travels, let
us keep our Masonic roots alive. We have listed here a few choice symbols that seem appropriate
for the new beginnings represented by a new year. May you all enjoy a safe passage through
2015, filled with hope, faith, charity, and plenty.
Anchor and Ark – Symbols of hope. Both anchor and ark are ancient symbols of safety
and a passage from this life to another, the ark as a means of safety from storm and stress.
Epictetus, stoic philosopher, born about 50 B.C., wrote, “We ought neither to fasten our ship to
one small anchor nor our life to a single hope.”
Cornucopia – Symbol of plenty. Usually the jewel of the
Stewards, whose early functions were to provide “plenty” of
refreshment. The Greek god Zeus was nourished from the horn of a
goat. In gratitude the horn was placed as a constellation to forever
pour what was desired. The “horn of plenty,” or the cornucopia is
thus a symbol of abundance.
Jacobs Ladder – Symbol of hope, faith and charity in most
rituals. The use of a ladder or steps is a symbol of a climb towards
perfection in another and better land is older than the Bible.
Lion of the Tribe of Judah – Symbol of the Messiah, which can have different names
for brethren of different religions. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah is considered as signifying a
coming redeemer who would spring from the tribe, or meaning the King of Israel who built the
Temple, or symbolizing the Christ.
[More detailed explanations may be found in the Pocket Encyclopedia of Masonic Symbols,
The Masonic Service Association, 2011]
THOUGHTS ON CHANGE
I believe it was George Bernard Shaw who said, “Some men see things as they are and say why;
I dream of things that never were and say why not.” Interestingly enough, I recently read that
Shaw was a Mason. I like this quote because of how it defines change. Change, it seems to me,
requires faith. All men of faith have courage, and so having the courage to have the faith to
accept change is the point I want to make.
[Exerpted from the Virginia Masonic Herald, Right Worshipful B. William C. Phillips, Jr.]
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WHY IS RITUAL OFTEN REPETITIOUS?
Several “word pairs” in Masonic ritual make interesting studies, such as “duly and truly,”
“worthy and well-qualified,” free will and accord,” “parts and points,” “hele and conceal.”
At first glance, it may seem that these are so arranged only for emphasis.
In Middle Age English writing, especially in the 13th and 14th Centuries, when Freemasonry
was in the process of formation, England had two languages. One was Norman French; the other
Anglo-Saxon. To make sure of understanding, word pairs were much in use – a word of similar
meaning being taken from each language.
The apparent redundancy of expression in a number of places in Masonic ritual may be
traced back to these Middle Ages. The perpetuation of such usage now, when clarity of thought
and understanding might be served as well with one word, is only one of the many proofs that
Freemasonry delights to embrace that which is venerated and ancient.
[From One Hundred One Questions About Freemasonry,
published by the Masonic Service Association of North America.]
“DUE” DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO A MASON
The word “due” shows up in a number of Masonic expressions, such as “due form” and “due
guard.”
Both express responsibilities of the officers and members of a Lodge and are admonishments
as to their conduct.
According to Mackey’s Encyclopedia, “due form” comes from the French expression, “en du
forme,” with the “du” coming from “devoir,” or “to owe.” In subordinate Lodges, the officers
and members “owe” it to their brothers to perform their actions properly and with attention to the
established usages and customs.
The “due guard” is a mode of recognition referring to the act of duly guarding a member’s
obligations and in reminding him of a penalty should he violate such obligations. Mackey reports
that this expression is not found in English or continental Masonry, and is fairly recent within the
Americas.
In a similar manner, “due examination” is a test procedure in correct form, as prescribed by
Masonic laws.
In addition, “due” is associated with direction and indicates what is “proper.” When found on
a map, “due east” is precisely east, with no variation north or south.
Thus, the expectation imparted with the word “due,” is a strict adherence and effort toward
Truth and Light.
[From a biweekly Masonic newsletter, edited by W.B. Lance Rommerdahl)
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THE REFLECTING POOL
Masonry is a system of thought that inspires balance between the spiritual aspects of the self
and the mind of rationality and logic. Masonry expresses the ideals of the enlightenment
movement that faith and science are both ends of the same truth, so masonry can be interpreted
as the reconciler between these two, liberating the mind of the initiate from the superstition and
fear inspired by these polar opposites.
Masonry at its heart operates to give man the knowledge of himself that can be inspired only
by self-reflection and understanding of his personal connection to God, free of religious dogma
and set with the allegory of its system…. Masonry realizes that Man is born in the darkness of
ignorance, but has the capability for greater understanding of the light. Of his own free will and
accord an initiate must seek the door of knowledge and knock to receive its virtues. The initiate
must have a mind capable of wisdom, a heart capable of feeling, and a hand eager to pick up the
working tools of life toward the greater work of evolving society.
[Excerpted from an article by Brother James E. Frey, Crete Lodge No. 763, Crete IL, in
Masonic Temple Topics, June 2014]
As longs the deer for cooling streams in parched and barren ways,
So longs my soul, O God, for Thy refreshing grace.
[From New Version of the Psalms of David (1696), inspired by Psalm 42]
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Address to the Candidate on Receiving the Third Degree
By Elwood C. Wilder, Past Master, Hawaiian Lodge No. 21 (1927)
My Brother,
Now that you have been raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason, it is proper that you
be informed of the significance of the work, of the workings of the Lodge and of Masonry in
general. This is known as the Blue Lodge and it is the parent or mother Lodge of Masonry. In
it are conferred the Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason degrees.
You were told Masonry is a moral science, which implies that in it are to be found great
moral precepts. The Blue Lodge ritualistic work is symbolical of man’s transition through this
life, which is exemplified, in beautiful allegory and great moral lessons. The First Degree
illustrates birth from an outer oblivion or darkness into the light of life and the great lesson
which it teaches is that, no man should ever enter upon any great or important undertaking
without first invoking the blessing of God. The Second Degree illustrates the period of vigor
and action of man’s life, his instruction in the useful arts and sciences and his application of
the same in the construction of works of worth and beauty. The great lesson of this degree is
so to live that innocence, purity and things that are sacred will be held in the highest
reverence. The Third Degree illustrates the end of a useful and beautiful life and its transition
from earth’s fleeting and uncertain pleasures to the lasting glories of a brighter and better
land, and is the Masonic answer to the question, “Whither are you traveling?” In it is taught
the greatest of all Masonic lessons: That when human strength and wisdom fail, we should
ever remember that Divine assistance is vouchsafed us through the medium of prayer. That,
my brother, is the keystone in the beautiful arch of Masonry. Do your duty as manfully and as
faithfully as you can, and when you have reached the limit of your ability, ask God in the
secret precincts of your heart for strength and courage to carry on. The great lesson, which
runs through all of Masonry, is to seek Divine assistance and guidance through prayer, that we
may live cleaner and kinder lives, and leave the world a little better for our having had the
privilege of passing through it. Masonry, however, is like life, in that you cannot get any more
out of it than you put into it. The mere ceremony of becoming a Master Mason makes no man
any better than he was before, but the earnest endeavor to live up to the beautiful teachings of
Masonry cannot help but make any man better. It is all beautifully summed up in a verse of
“The Cotter’s Saturday Night” by Robert Burns:
And mind your duty, duly, morn and night;
Lest in temptation’s path ye gang astray,
Implore His counsel and assisting might:,
They never sought in vain that sought the Lord aright.
It is fitting, that on such a momentous occasion as this, the candidate be presented with a
token to commemorate it, and there is certainly no more fitting token than a copy of the Great
Light of Masonry, the Holy Bible. This is the Holy Bible upon which you were obligated. It is
a beautiful Masonic Edition of the standard King James Version with interesting illustrations,
references and allusions to Masonic history. It is hoped that as the years roll by, you will find
it an ever-increasing source of faith and of hope and a happy reminder of this occasion and of
the brotherly love in which it is given.
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BE THE REVOLUTION
THE START OF A MASONIC ACADEMY
By Right Worshipful Michael Jarzabek, District Deputy Grand Master
for the 28th District, Grand Lodge of Massachusetts
I often hear comments that we do not spend enough time in Freemasonry on education. Many
new members come to us with a preconceived notion that this is a large part of who we are.
Officers try to educate, but struggle due to the restraints of time and ability. Grand Lodge
provides some excellent sources, but this is not their exclusive right or responsibility.
In the 28th District, a few us decided to do something about it. We started what we like to call
the Academy.
We all remember the debt Masonry owes to the Greeks. In around 287 BC, Plato formed the
Academy in Athens. The Academy had no official curriculum or teachers in the traditional sense.
Instead, members would solve problems posed by one of the group. Usually, they would do this
by employing dialectic reasoning.
As I said earlier, in 2012 several Masons in the 28th District revived this ancient tradition. We
gathered in the Brigham Lodge dining room around several round tables. We came prepared to
discuss the point within a circle. We chose as our format the literature circle. A literature circle is
an educational method where several individuals discuss a common text. Each comes to the
circle ready to discuss a different aspect of the text.
In accordance with the agreed format, we divided the research into several approaches. selected
members, in the weeks preceding the event, researched the topic from either a Masonic, historic,
graphic, or esoteric point of view. In addition to the researchers, the group chooses a moderator.
His duty was to pay loose attention to the flow of discussion and, when necessary, to ask questions to reignite it. Before beginning, everyone agreed that there would be no wrong answers.
The Brothers present willingly discussed the point within a circle for over three hours.
Furthermore, the discussion continued in the parking lot. Thomas Lodge recently hosted another
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of these evenings in a similar format and the results were mostly the same. At this event, we
limited the discussion to one hour but, once again, the discussion continued, this time over
collation.
This format has proven to be a very effective way to provide educational opportunities in the
lodge on a small scale.
The Harvard Lodge employs a similar approach in what they call their Philosophy Meeting. Past
topics have included, “Dark Side of the Craft and Ourselves,” and “Precision and Truth in
Masonic Ritual.” Interestingly, the lodge allows remote participation by either phone or Skype
video conferencing. This use of technology keeps Masons, who have moved away or are
traveling on business, connected to the lodge. Using video conferencing also provides remote
participants a multi-sensory experience.
The Harvard Lodge is an academic lodge. The 28th District is largely blue collar. Still, both
groups have many men who would like education to be a part of their Masonic experience. The
two groups could not be more demographically different, but their desire is the same: There is a
strong undercurrent of intellectual curiosity within our membership. It is our job to provide
opportunities, such as those provided by the Academy and the Harvard Lodge Philosophy
Meeting, to our membership.
Another way to provide these opportunities to our Brothers is a technique best illustrated in Cliff
Porter’s book A Traditional Observance Lodge. In Bro. Porter’s lodge, they have festive boards.
During these events, a moderator will make a statement, which cannot be answered with a simple
yes or no.
An example would be, “The progressive line is the best way to select lodge officers.” Each
brother receives a card either with a plus or minus written on it. These brothers must “argue”
their point for or against the statement based on their card rather than by their personal feelings.
Plus and minus assignments can also be by table, side of room, or officer roles in larger groups.
This method is effective with little to no preparation. For this reason, if you have a few minutes
left at the end of a business meeting you might want to consider it.
Many lodges use a traditional lecture approach to education. This method, by its nature, is
authoritarian. The methods I described employ a more active or democratic participation. If we
truly “meet on the level,” which method should we use?
If you have questions or would like help starting your own education program, feel free to
contact me at [email protected]. My Brothers, Be the Revolution. That is what we came here
to do.
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THE MYSTERIES OF KING SOLOMON’S TEMPLE
THE NEED FOR WATER—PART I
By
Worshipful Brother Stephan Marshall, The Wayfarers Lodge 389
My story begins on a hot summer’s day in 1865. British Baroness Angela Burdett Coutts, on
pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem was thirsty. When her guide drew up a bucket of stinking
water from a courtyard cistern, Coutts though tot herself, would Jesus have drunk such smell water
and what about King David? When she returned to England, Baroness Coutts donated 500 pounds
to help establish the Palestine Exploration Fund and convinced her friend and neighbor Queen
Victoria to become the patron of this new organization.
The goal of the Palestine Exploration Fund was to promote research into the archaeology and
history, manners and customs, culture, topography, geology and natural sciences of biblical
Palestine and the Near East. Two years later, the Palestine Exploration Fund sent 27-year-old
Lieutenant (later General, Sir) Charles Warren of the British Royal Engineers Corps to Jerusalem.
His instructions were to investigate the site of the Temple, the line of fortifications, the City of
David and the authenticity of the traditional Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Warren had previously
made a name for himself by perilously scaling and charting the Rock of Gibraltar. In February
1867, Warren, a buddy from the Gibraltar climb named Corporal Henry Birtles, two other
Corporals, a photographer, a surveyor and 8 mule-loads of equipment including crowbars, ropes,
jacks, handspikes, blocks and wheels, arrived in Jerusalem.
At the time, the Ottoman Turks ruled the holy land and holy city. As the firman (permit) to dig
hand not yet arrived from Constantinople, Warren insisted that the British Consul arrange a meeting
for him with the Pasha, the Turkish ruler of Jerusalem. To the consul’s surprise, Warren convinced
the Pasha to approve digging around (but not inside) the Haram al-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary,
known to us as the Temple Mount. A Moslem ruler would not allow an excavation inside the
Haram, as it was the third holiest site to Islam, containing the Dome of the Rock and the
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Al-Aqsa Mosque. Warren, however, was not deterred. He hired local diggers and at a distance from
the outer walls of the Temple Mount, he dug a number of shafts and then began to tunnel towards
the Temple area. The people of Jerusalem noted he was always underground and nicknamed him
“The Mole.” When the firman finally arrived from Constantinople, Warren was startled to read that
the expedition was permitted to dig everywhere, except for Christian and Moslem religious sites.
Well, that was exactly where he intended to excavate. Warren decided to wave the firman around
and say, “I got it,” but [was] sure to show it to no one.
For the next few months, he and his team sank shafts around the Temple Mount, digging down
through more than 130 feet of rubble to reach bedrock. The task was difficult and dangerous, as the
mountain of debris above their heads tended to shift. They had a procession of “lucky escapes,”
when falling stones nearly crushed them to death. Warren’s greatest contribution was his suggestion
that Jerusalem D.C. (David’s Capital) laid outside the medieval walls of the Old City. At that time,
everyone believed that the “Old City” was the old city; meaning fortifications from the days of
David were located somewhere under present city walls. However, at the bottom of one of Warren’s
shafts outside the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount, Warren found the walls of the Old
City. As Warren tunneled alongside this wall for some 700 feet, he noted that it went way beyond
the limits of the city. The wall itself later proved to be fifth century AD, but the possibility, never
before considered, arose that the earlier city could have been located south of the Temple Mount
and the city walls, close to the city’s source of water, the Gihon Spring.
At the end of October 1867, Warren and his team explored a man-made conduit, leading away
from Gihon Spring, Where the tunnel began at the spring, Warren noticed that the water first
collected in an underground, cave-like chamber. With the help of his team and local Arab workers,
Warren cleaned out the cave and found the entrance to a tunnel. He followed it for 40 feet, where it
ended in a curious shaft, which rose into the darkness above his head. A few days later, Warren and
Birtles returned to climb the shaft. They climbed up to find another tunnel at the top of the shaft and
a series of caves leading up towards a blocked entrance. Slowly, it dawned on Warren that he had
unearthed a hidden water system leading to the spring from somewhere on the southeastern ridge.
This, coupled with the ancient wall and the tunnel leading to the Pool of Siloam, had striking implications. It meant that there had definitely been a settlement outside the medieval walls of the city.
Warren and his team went on to discover an array of underground cisterns and caverns, which
had been put to many different uses over the centuries. Although Warren could not excavate within
the Haram compound itself, his good relations with the guards enabled him to make a thorough
examination of the structure of the Dome of the Rock and the network of cisterns within the area.
Warren found and surveyed some 34 rock-hewn reservoirs of different shapes and sizes, the largest
of them 43 feet deep with a capacity of over two million gallons. They were deliberately positioned
in height and interconnected in series to supply flowing water to the Temple.
As far as we know, Charles Warren was the first and last person to survey beneath the Temple
Mount. The shaft discovered by Warren is today called “Warren’s Shaft” in his memory, and forms
part of a tunnel-way walk popular with tourists to Jerusalem. Charles Warren dug in Jerusalem for
only three years. In 1870 a new firman arrived from Constantinople forbidding all excavation.
Warren packed his bags and returned to England at the age of 30.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
[From a publication by United Masters Lodge No. 167, Auckland, New Zealand]
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NEW MASON’S FIRST STEP
As the old saying goes "Life is a journey, and the journey of a thousand miles begins with
one step.” For myself, my first step to Masonry began in the summer of 2013 when I took the
initiative to fill out the form on the Illinois Grand Lodge website to receive information on this
wonderful fraternity. My name is Richard Cozad, and I am one of the newest Master Masons of
Crete Lodge #763. I was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason in a beautiful and moving
ceremony on February 22, 2014. This day is familiar to our members as the date of birth of one
of our greatest forebears, George Washington, Master Mason and the first President of the
United States. For a newly raised Brother, the ceremony was awe inspiring and quite emotional. I
have been interested in Masonry for quite a few years. I was introduced to the fraternity as a
child by my mother while I was looking at a catalogue and saw a collection of Masonic rings.
She knew nothing of the fraternity other than the Masonic Ring and the Square and Compass. As
a lover of history at a very tender age, I was fascinated when I began to read stories of how the
Freemasons held a more than significant place in the formation of our country. As a twenty
something, I was drawn to various books on the Craft with essays on the tools of the fraternity
and how to use them to better oneself and make perfect the rough
ashlar. As I went through my twenties, my youthful idealism changed
to the realities of supporting and making a life for myself.
Flash forward to a few years ago. I was drifting in rough seas
having lost my mother a short time before due to heart disease and
cancer. I was without solid direction. Though I have a wonderful and
loving wife who is always at my side, I felt I needed a path to help
myself reach for something more, something to provide a purpose for
myself. I was always fond of saying that the story of my life could be
summed up succinctly in the title of a song by the rock band U2: I Still
Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. Poets and philosophers like to
wax on the length and breadth of the life of a man. The average life
span of a man can be significant in terms of X amount of years or as
fleeting as a nanosecond in terms of geologic time, but one thing that most can agree on is the
need to leave something of yourself after your time has passed. Something that can be long
remembered by those whom you hold dear as the fog of time passes over and shrouds for most
all but the most famous and infamous.
After I was initiated as an Entered Apprentice, I was introduced to the concept of “fitting our
minds as living stones for that spiritual building, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
This struck me as something in which to strive, to live a life that that those who follow can
remember as a life that was well lived. To me, living well means having the ability to touch
another person, to make their day or other time period better than what was before. It can be as
small as opening a door for another person, or buying a meal for someone down on their luck. As
I progressed, I learned the tools of a Master Mason present us a symbolic guide to living well,
squaring our actions with the square of virtue, meeting a Brother Master Mason on the level, and
acting by the plumb. As my knowledge in Masonry grows, I hope to one day make the rough
ashlar into a perfect stone."
[Excerpted from an article in Masonic Temple Topics, June 2014]
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THE SHORT TALK BULLETIN
November 2014
FREEMASONRY AND TECHNOLOGY
By George Fairbairn
R. W. Brother Fairbairn is a Past Master and Past Secretary of Perfection Lodge #616 in St.
Catharines, in the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario. He is a Past District
Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Quebec.
--S.T.B. Editor
There are several things that bother me about technology; or perhaps more specifically, the way
that we are using it.
When I studied computer programming back in 1969, my fellow students and I would visualize
the impact that technology would have on our future. I remember one of my classmates saying:
"By the time we're 35, we will probably only be working 15 hours per week — computers will
be doing most of the work for us."
I spent 37 years working in the software technology field. In the first few years I worked about
35 hours per week (summer hours) and had time to play 9 holes of golf before dinner; in the last
few years, prior to retirement, I worked 50-60 hours per week, and played little or no golf.
Instead of technology reducing our work hours, it has increased them — there is no longer any
downtime — everything is moving faster. Everything and everyone is available, and is expected
to be available, all of the time.
I once served as Lodge Secretary to a young Master who was up-to-date with the latest
technology. He would demonstrate how easy and convenient it was to run MS Office
applications from his Blackberry tablet for example. Although he had the latest technology, it
was necessary to remind him every month for his message for the summons. It seemed like he
didn't plan, but worked in a "reactive" mode — if you wanted to get his attention, you needed to
put yourself in his high-priority queue — then he would react.
He once told me that he was away from work for 3 days and when he returned he had over 600
emails. One has to question – how many of these 600 emails were important? And is the time
spent sorting/prioritizing/filing and cleaning up these emails an effective use of time? Another
important question is: if we are continuously reacting to outside events, to the priorities of others,
how can we ourselves be creative, let alone productive?
We are in effect living our lives reacting to others. Whatever happened to planning our day? It
has been my experience that organizations provide training on how to use technology, but they
provide little guidance on technology etiquette. Who needs to be copied on an email? What is the
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cost of disturbing someone unnecessarily? By the way, if you wish to reduce the amount of email
you receive, there is one rule of thumb — send out fewer emails.
I recently viewed a short video titled, "Irrelevance." It was put out by AFA, the Association of
Fraternity Advisors and was being viewed in Masonic circles. It stated, for example, that mimes
are irrelevant, because of clowns (clowns talk, and thus are better).
The video concluded that if we want the attention of the younger generation we must be relevant
to them, and in order for our organization to survive we must adapt and change with the world.
The younger generation has access to so much information, but less and less time to make sense
of all those options. Therefore, to be relevant, we must act quickly to provide sensible answers to
their questions.
This video made me think: does Freemasonry need to change in order to be relevant in today's
high-tech, fast track world? I believe NOT — in fact I believe that we are relevant because we
are different.
I think that it's OK to use a responsible level of Social Media - to perhaps locate and foster new
potential members, or network professionally or learn from a community of Masons. But our
beliefs, our ritual and our practices are fine the way they are, and have always been.
It is generally accepted that the pace of life and its stresses will get even more hectic than at
present. Although people may be able to cope with this intellectually, I question if many can
cope with it emotionally, with the Internet bombarding us with a mass of ethical and unethical
information in the privacy of our own homes.
Brother Michael Yaxley, President of the Board of General Purposes of the Grand Lodge of
Tasmania, wrote: "Society does have a need for a body such as Freemasonry. I believe that this
need will increase rather than decrease. In the next century the work place will not offer
fellowship and camaraderie sufficient to satisfy the social instincts that people have. Many
people will work at home, linked to the office by computer and telephone. Others will work in an
office with complex but nevertheless inanimate equipment. The irony of the Age of
Communication is that people spend, and will spend, more time by themselves."
When I became a Freemason, one of my first impressions was that attending lodge was like
being in a different world, and that was more than 40 years ago. When I was hectically working
in the last years of my career, I would be better rested in the morning if I attended lodge the night
before, even if I arrived home late. I believe that chatting in chat rooms, engaging on Facebook,
or tweeting on Twitter does not provide the emotional experience that is needed, and that our
lodges provide.
Brethren, may our lodges remain a safe haven and be that emotional connection that the younger
generation needs, and may our Brotherhood continue to be relevant until time shall be no more.
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
Master’s New Year Message
Reflections on Change
The Reflecting Pool
One Mason’s Perspective
Be the Revolution
The Start of a Masonic Academy
Short Talk Bulletin
Freemasonry and Technology
Address to a Third Degree Candidate
Wisdom from the year 1927
The Mysteries of King Solomon’s Temple
The need for water and how a 19th-century
engineer found clues to a possible source
“To learn to subdue my passions, to improve myself in Masonry”
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
SCRL Fraternal Review
February 2015
The Master’s Message: Reflections on Change
This issue of Fraternal Review marks the beginning of our new year. We don’t publish in January, as we’re
dark in December. The lodge just passed through its own dark time of loss and change, as three brothers gave
up their leadership roles after years of dedicated service, each for their own reasons. They’re still with us,
helping with the transition, but a new secretary, treasurer and editor had to get up to speed on short notice.
Through all these changes, I’ve been thinking of the stereotype that Masons don't like change. We
especially want our landmarks, symbols and allegories to remain as they have been for hundreds of years.
And yet, the promise of a new year is that change can be positive; that the darkest days of the year are
followed by increasing light, producing the new growth of spring. This issue of the Review affirms that we
can change creatively. We can bring new aspects of light and love into this world while remaining true to
our traditions.
SCRL continues to disseminate contemporary writings from grand lodges and research lodges, showcasing
that good kind of change: the steady expansion of Masonic knowledge. In this issue, there’s a report on a
new approach to Masonic education in Massachusetts – just one of many education initiatives in the U.S. in
recent years. There are glimpses into our history. One memorializes Masons who were present at the
sinking of the Titanic. The other describes the 19th century discovery of an ingenious water supply system in
King Solomon's Temple. The archeologist who found it eventually became a Freemason and the founding
Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, the premier lodge of research in the world.
The images in this issue tell their own story. I’m touched by the strikingly
beautiful night photo of the reflecting pool at the base of the Washington
Monument in our nation's capital. It reminds me of the great Seal of Solomon
pictured at right: two interlaced triangles formed by the God of Light and the
God of Reflections. Masonic ritual invites us to reflect and remember: that we are
children of one Almighty Parent; that we can improve our human nature and
become more and more a reflection of the Divine nature, Divine Love. Our
Masonic labors are not only about increasing the light of knowledge, but also
about growth in love. The ceremonies and traditions of Freemasonry foster the
kind of self-improvement that strengthens the bonds of love in our personal
relationships and supports us in giving ever more generously to our communities.
SCRL invites you to join us in our quest to spread more light and love, in the fraternity and around the world.
If you are in our area, please come to one of our gatherings. Wherever you are, send us emails and letters to
the editor. Let us know what topics interest you, and let us see your own writings. Some will be published
here, or online. Help us explore how we might better serve your needs, and the growth of Freemasonry.
C. Douglas Russell
Worshipful Master, SCRL
"By the exercise of Brotherly Love we are taught to regard the whole human species as one family."
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
Southern California Research Lodge
FRATERNAL REVIEW
Editor—Adam Kevorkian
February 2015
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Q: How many Freemasons were aboard the RMS Titanic when it sank on April 15, 1912?
A: According to the Spring 2012 issue of the Ohio Beacon, 19 Freemasons have been identified. At
least 8 were members of American lodges. One of them was Elmer Zebley Taylor, who invented the paper
cup. Bro. Taylor survived the sinking and died in 1949. Another 8 Brothers belonged to a lodge with the
United Grand Lodge of England. One was a member of a South African lodge; lodge memberships of two
are unknown.
Eight hundred thirty-two passengers and six hundred eight-five crew members perished when
the “unsinkable” Titanic sank. [Taken from Masonic Messenger, December 2012]
GOOD OF THE ORDER
C. Douglas Russell, Master
Membership applications and book orders:
Jim Lockridge, Secretary
P.O. Box 4153
Fullerton, CA 92834
[email protected]
Send newsletters and articles to:
Fraternal Review Editor
P.O. Box 4153
Fullerton, CA 92834
[email protected]
Stated Meetings are on the third Wednesday of each quarter in Gateway Lodge No. 339
at 500 East Imperial Highway, Brea. The next Stated Meeting is on April 15, 2015.
SCRL also meets monthly at 8:00 a.m. on the third Saturday to prepare the Fraternal Review
for mailing, followed by an educational talk and discussion.. Coffee and snacks provided.
Fraternal Review is published monthly, February through December.
When you choose to receive our monthly mailing by email, you now get it in
color, and it is easier for you to read and store. Let the Secretary know if you
would like to receive Fraternal Review by email.
See our website at http://www.theresearchlodge.org to pay dues online, for
officer contact information, and for a book list.
Masonic Education: information and knowledge that promote individual growth.
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
From The Editor
Brethren, a new year represents a new beginning. No matter the course we set for our travels, let
us keep our Masonic roots alive. We have listed here a few choice symbols that seem appropriate
for the new beginnings represented by a new year. May you all enjoy a safe passage through
2015, filled with hope, faith, charity, and plenty.
Anchor and Ark – Symbols of hope. Both anchor and ark are ancient symbols of safety
and a passage from this life to another, the ark as a means of safety from storm and stress.
Epictetus, stoic philosopher, born about 50 B.C., wrote, “We ought neither to fasten our ship to
one small anchor nor our life to a single hope.”
Cornucopia – Symbol of plenty. Usually the jewel of the
Stewards, whose early functions were to provide “plenty” of
refreshment. The Greek god Zeus was nourished from the horn of a
goat. In gratitude the horn was placed as a constellation to forever
pour what was desired. The “horn of plenty,” or the cornucopia is
thus a symbol of abundance.
Jacobs Ladder – Symbol of hope, faith and charity in most
rituals. The use of a ladder or steps is a symbol of a climb towards
perfection in another and better land is older than the Bible.
Lion of the Tribe of Judah – Symbol of the Messiah, which can have different names
for brethren of different religions. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah is considered as signifying a
coming redeemer who would spring from the tribe, or meaning the King of Israel who built the
Temple, or symbolizing the Christ.
[More detailed explanations may be found in the Pocket Encyclopedia of Masonic Symbols,
The Masonic Service Association, 2011]
THOUGHTS ON CHANGE
I believe it was George Bernard Shaw who said, “Some men see things as they are and say why;
I dream of things that never were and say why not.” Interestingly enough, I recently read that
Shaw was a Mason. I like this quote because of how it defines change. Change, it seems to me,
requires faith. All men of faith have courage, and so having the courage to have the faith to
accept change is the point I want to make.
[Exerpted from the Virginia Masonic Herald, Right Worshipful B. William C. Phillips, Jr.]
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
WHY IS RITUAL OFTEN REPETITIOUS?
Several “word pairs” in Masonic ritual make interesting studies, such as “duly and truly,”
“worthy and well-qualified,” free will and accord,” “parts and points,” “hele and conceal.”
At first glance, it may seem that these are so arranged only for emphasis.
In Middle Age English writing, especially in the 13th and 14th Centuries, when Freemasonry
was in the process of formation, England had two languages. One was Norman French; the other
Anglo-Saxon. To make sure of understanding, word pairs were much in use – a word of similar
meaning being taken from each language.
The apparent redundancy of expression in a number of places in Masonic ritual may be
traced back to these Middle Ages. The perpetuation of such usage now, when clarity of thought
and understanding might be served as well with one word, is only one of the many proofs that
Freemasonry delights to embrace that which is venerated and ancient.
[From One Hundred One Questions About Freemasonry,
published by the Masonic Service Association of North America.]
“DUE” DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO A MASON
The word “due” shows up in a number of Masonic expressions, such as “due form” and “due
guard.”
Both express responsibilities of the officers and members of a Lodge and are admonishments
as to their conduct.
According to Mackey’s Encyclopedia, “due form” comes from the French expression, “en du
forme,” with the “du” coming from “devoir,” or “to owe.” In subordinate Lodges, the officers
and members “owe” it to their brothers to perform their actions properly and with attention to the
established usages and customs.
The “due guard” is a mode of recognition referring to the act of duly guarding a member’s
obligations and in reminding him of a penalty should he violate such obligations. Mackey reports
that this expression is not found in English or continental Masonry, and is fairly recent within the
Americas.
In a similar manner, “due examination” is a test procedure in correct form, as prescribed by
Masonic laws.
In addition, “due” is associated with direction and indicates what is “proper.” When found on
a map, “due east” is precisely east, with no variation north or south.
Thus, the expectation imparted with the word “due,” is a strict adherence and effort toward
Truth and Light.
[From a biweekly Masonic newsletter, edited by W.B. Lance Rommerdahl)
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THE REFLECTING POOL
Masonry is a system of thought that inspires balance between the spiritual aspects of the self
and the mind of rationality and logic. Masonry expresses the ideals of the enlightenment
movement that faith and science are both ends of the same truth, so masonry can be interpreted
as the reconciler between these two, liberating the mind of the initiate from the superstition and
fear inspired by these polar opposites.
Masonry at its heart operates to give man the knowledge of himself that can be inspired only
by self-reflection and understanding of his personal connection to God, free of religious dogma
and set with the allegory of its system…. Masonry realizes that Man is born in the darkness of
ignorance, but has the capability for greater understanding of the light. Of his own free will and
accord an initiate must seek the door of knowledge and knock to receive its virtues. The initiate
must have a mind capable of wisdom, a heart capable of feeling, and a hand eager to pick up the
working tools of life toward the greater work of evolving society.
[Excerpted from an article by Brother James E. Frey, Crete Lodge No. 763, Crete IL, in
Masonic Temple Topics, June 2014]
As longs the deer for cooling streams in parched and barren ways,
So longs my soul, O God, for Thy refreshing grace.
[From New Version of the Psalms of David (1696), inspired by Psalm 42]
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
Address to the Candidate on Receiving the Third Degree
By Elwood C. Wilder, Past Master, Hawaiian Lodge No. 21 (1927)
My Brother,
Now that you have been raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason, it is proper that you
be informed of the significance of the work, of the workings of the Lodge and of Masonry in
general. This is known as the Blue Lodge and it is the parent or mother Lodge of Masonry. In
it are conferred the Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason degrees.
You were told Masonry is a moral science, which implies that in it are to be found great
moral precepts. The Blue Lodge ritualistic work is symbolical of man’s transition through this
life, which is exemplified, in beautiful allegory and great moral lessons. The First Degree
illustrates birth from an outer oblivion or darkness into the light of life and the great lesson
which it teaches is that, no man should ever enter upon any great or important undertaking
without first invoking the blessing of God. The Second Degree illustrates the period of vigor
and action of man’s life, his instruction in the useful arts and sciences and his application of
the same in the construction of works of worth and beauty. The great lesson of this degree is
so to live that innocence, purity and things that are sacred will be held in the highest
reverence. The Third Degree illustrates the end of a useful and beautiful life and its transition
from earth’s fleeting and uncertain pleasures to the lasting glories of a brighter and better
land, and is the Masonic answer to the question, “Whither are you traveling?” In it is taught
the greatest of all Masonic lessons: That when human strength and wisdom fail, we should
ever remember that Divine assistance is vouchsafed us through the medium of prayer. That,
my brother, is the keystone in the beautiful arch of Masonry. Do your duty as manfully and as
faithfully as you can, and when you have reached the limit of your ability, ask God in the
secret precincts of your heart for strength and courage to carry on. The great lesson, which
runs through all of Masonry, is to seek Divine assistance and guidance through prayer, that we
may live cleaner and kinder lives, and leave the world a little better for our having had the
privilege of passing through it. Masonry, however, is like life, in that you cannot get any more
out of it than you put into it. The mere ceremony of becoming a Master Mason makes no man
any better than he was before, but the earnest endeavor to live up to the beautiful teachings of
Masonry cannot help but make any man better. It is all beautifully summed up in a verse of
“The Cotter’s Saturday Night” by Robert Burns:
And mind your duty, duly, morn and night;
Lest in temptation’s path ye gang astray,
Implore His counsel and assisting might:,
They never sought in vain that sought the Lord aright.
It is fitting, that on such a momentous occasion as this, the candidate be presented with a
token to commemorate it, and there is certainly no more fitting token than a copy of the Great
Light of Masonry, the Holy Bible. This is the Holy Bible upon which you were obligated. It is
a beautiful Masonic Edition of the standard King James Version with interesting illustrations,
references and allusions to Masonic history. It is hoped that as the years roll by, you will find
it an ever-increasing source of faith and of hope and a happy reminder of this occasion and of
the brotherly love in which it is given.
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
BE THE REVOLUTION
THE START OF A MASONIC ACADEMY
By Right Worshipful Michael Jarzabek, District Deputy Grand Master
for the 28th District, Grand Lodge of Massachusetts
I often hear comments that we do not spend enough time in Freemasonry on education. Many
new members come to us with a preconceived notion that this is a large part of who we are.
Officers try to educate, but struggle due to the restraints of time and ability. Grand Lodge
provides some excellent sources, but this is not their exclusive right or responsibility.
In the 28th District, a few us decided to do something about it. We started what we like to call
the Academy.
We all remember the debt Masonry owes to the Greeks. In around 287 BC, Plato formed the
Academy in Athens. The Academy had no official curriculum or teachers in the traditional sense.
Instead, members would solve problems posed by one of the group. Usually, they would do this
by employing dialectic reasoning.
As I said earlier, in 2012 several Masons in the 28th District revived this ancient tradition. We
gathered in the Brigham Lodge dining room around several round tables. We came prepared to
discuss the point within a circle. We chose as our format the literature circle. A literature circle is
an educational method where several individuals discuss a common text. Each comes to the
circle ready to discuss a different aspect of the text.
In accordance with the agreed format, we divided the research into several approaches. selected
members, in the weeks preceding the event, researched the topic from either a Masonic, historic,
graphic, or esoteric point of view. In addition to the researchers, the group chooses a moderator.
His duty was to pay loose attention to the flow of discussion and, when necessary, to ask questions to reignite it. Before beginning, everyone agreed that there would be no wrong answers.
The Brothers present willingly discussed the point within a circle for over three hours.
Furthermore, the discussion continued in the parking lot. Thomas Lodge recently hosted another
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of these evenings in a similar format and the results were mostly the same. At this event, we
limited the discussion to one hour but, once again, the discussion continued, this time over
collation.
This format has proven to be a very effective way to provide educational opportunities in the
lodge on a small scale.
The Harvard Lodge employs a similar approach in what they call their Philosophy Meeting. Past
topics have included, “Dark Side of the Craft and Ourselves,” and “Precision and Truth in
Masonic Ritual.” Interestingly, the lodge allows remote participation by either phone or Skype
video conferencing. This use of technology keeps Masons, who have moved away or are
traveling on business, connected to the lodge. Using video conferencing also provides remote
participants a multi-sensory experience.
The Harvard Lodge is an academic lodge. The 28th District is largely blue collar. Still, both
groups have many men who would like education to be a part of their Masonic experience. The
two groups could not be more demographically different, but their desire is the same: There is a
strong undercurrent of intellectual curiosity within our membership. It is our job to provide
opportunities, such as those provided by the Academy and the Harvard Lodge Philosophy
Meeting, to our membership.
Another way to provide these opportunities to our Brothers is a technique best illustrated in Cliff
Porter’s book A Traditional Observance Lodge. In Bro. Porter’s lodge, they have festive boards.
During these events, a moderator will make a statement, which cannot be answered with a simple
yes or no.
An example would be, “The progressive line is the best way to select lodge officers.” Each
brother receives a card either with a plus or minus written on it. These brothers must “argue”
their point for or against the statement based on their card rather than by their personal feelings.
Plus and minus assignments can also be by table, side of room, or officer roles in larger groups.
This method is effective with little to no preparation. For this reason, if you have a few minutes
left at the end of a business meeting you might want to consider it.
Many lodges use a traditional lecture approach to education. This method, by its nature, is
authoritarian. The methods I described employ a more active or democratic participation. If we
truly “meet on the level,” which method should we use?
If you have questions or would like help starting your own education program, feel free to
contact me at [email protected]. My Brothers, Be the Revolution. That is what we came here
to do.
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
THE MYSTERIES OF KING SOLOMON’S TEMPLE
THE NEED FOR WATER—PART I
By
Worshipful Brother Stephan Marshall, The Wayfarers Lodge 389
My story begins on a hot summer’s day in 1865. British Baroness Angela Burdett Coutts, on
pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem was thirsty. When her guide drew up a bucket of stinking
water from a courtyard cistern, Coutts though tot herself, would Jesus have drunk such smell water
and what about King David? When she returned to England, Baroness Coutts donated 500 pounds
to help establish the Palestine Exploration Fund and convinced her friend and neighbor Queen
Victoria to become the patron of this new organization.
The goal of the Palestine Exploration Fund was to promote research into the archaeology and
history, manners and customs, culture, topography, geology and natural sciences of biblical
Palestine and the Near East. Two years later, the Palestine Exploration Fund sent 27-year-old
Lieutenant (later General, Sir) Charles Warren of the British Royal Engineers Corps to Jerusalem.
His instructions were to investigate the site of the Temple, the line of fortifications, the City of
David and the authenticity of the traditional Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Warren had previously
made a name for himself by perilously scaling and charting the Rock of Gibraltar. In February
1867, Warren, a buddy from the Gibraltar climb named Corporal Henry Birtles, two other
Corporals, a photographer, a surveyor and 8 mule-loads of equipment including crowbars, ropes,
jacks, handspikes, blocks and wheels, arrived in Jerusalem.
At the time, the Ottoman Turks ruled the holy land and holy city. As the firman (permit) to dig
hand not yet arrived from Constantinople, Warren insisted that the British Consul arrange a meeting
for him with the Pasha, the Turkish ruler of Jerusalem. To the consul’s surprise, Warren convinced
the Pasha to approve digging around (but not inside) the Haram al-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary,
known to us as the Temple Mount. A Moslem ruler would not allow an excavation inside the
Haram, as it was the third holiest site to Islam, containing the Dome of the Rock and the
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
Al-Aqsa Mosque. Warren, however, was not deterred. He hired local diggers and at a distance from
the outer walls of the Temple Mount, he dug a number of shafts and then began to tunnel towards
the Temple area. The people of Jerusalem noted he was always underground and nicknamed him
“The Mole.” When the firman finally arrived from Constantinople, Warren was startled to read that
the expedition was permitted to dig everywhere, except for Christian and Moslem religious sites.
Well, that was exactly where he intended to excavate. Warren decided to wave the firman around
and say, “I got it,” but [was] sure to show it to no one.
For the next few months, he and his team sank shafts around the Temple Mount, digging down
through more than 130 feet of rubble to reach bedrock. The task was difficult and dangerous, as the
mountain of debris above their heads tended to shift. They had a procession of “lucky escapes,”
when falling stones nearly crushed them to death. Warren’s greatest contribution was his suggestion
that Jerusalem D.C. (David’s Capital) laid outside the medieval walls of the Old City. At that time,
everyone believed that the “Old City” was the old city; meaning fortifications from the days of
David were located somewhere under present city walls. However, at the bottom of one of Warren’s
shafts outside the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount, Warren found the walls of the Old
City. As Warren tunneled alongside this wall for some 700 feet, he noted that it went way beyond
the limits of the city. The wall itself later proved to be fifth century AD, but the possibility, never
before considered, arose that the earlier city could have been located south of the Temple Mount
and the city walls, close to the city’s source of water, the Gihon Spring.
At the end of October 1867, Warren and his team explored a man-made conduit, leading away
from Gihon Spring, Where the tunnel began at the spring, Warren noticed that the water first
collected in an underground, cave-like chamber. With the help of his team and local Arab workers,
Warren cleaned out the cave and found the entrance to a tunnel. He followed it for 40 feet, where it
ended in a curious shaft, which rose into the darkness above his head. A few days later, Warren and
Birtles returned to climb the shaft. They climbed up to find another tunnel at the top of the shaft and
a series of caves leading up towards a blocked entrance. Slowly, it dawned on Warren that he had
unearthed a hidden water system leading to the spring from somewhere on the southeastern ridge.
This, coupled with the ancient wall and the tunnel leading to the Pool of Siloam, had striking implications. It meant that there had definitely been a settlement outside the medieval walls of the city.
Warren and his team went on to discover an array of underground cisterns and caverns, which
had been put to many different uses over the centuries. Although Warren could not excavate within
the Haram compound itself, his good relations with the guards enabled him to make a thorough
examination of the structure of the Dome of the Rock and the network of cisterns within the area.
Warren found and surveyed some 34 rock-hewn reservoirs of different shapes and sizes, the largest
of them 43 feet deep with a capacity of over two million gallons. They were deliberately positioned
in height and interconnected in series to supply flowing water to the Temple.
As far as we know, Charles Warren was the first and last person to survey beneath the Temple
Mount. The shaft discovered by Warren is today called “Warren’s Shaft” in his memory, and forms
part of a tunnel-way walk popular with tourists to Jerusalem. Charles Warren dug in Jerusalem for
only three years. In 1870 a new firman arrived from Constantinople forbidding all excavation.
Warren packed his bags and returned to England at the age of 30.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
[From a publication by United Masters Lodge No. 167, Auckland, New Zealand]
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SCRL Fraternal Review--February 2015
NEW MASON’S FIRST STEP
As the old saying goes "Life is a journey, and the journey of a thousand miles begins with
one step.” For myself, my first step to Masonry began in the summer of 2013 when I took the
initiative to fill out the form on the Illinois Grand Lodge website to receive information on this
wonderful fraternity. My name is Richard Cozad, and I am one of the newest Master Masons of
Crete Lodge #763. I was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason in a beautiful and moving
ceremony on February 22, 2014. This day is familiar to our members as the date of birth of one
of our greatest forebears, George Washington, Master Mason and the first President of the
United States. For a newly raised Brother, the ceremony was awe inspiring and quite emotional. I
have been interested in Masonry for quite a few years. I was introduced to the fraternity as a
child by my mother while I was looking at a catalogue and saw a collection of Masonic rings.
She knew nothing of the fraternity other than the Masonic Ring and the Square and Compass. As
a lover of history at a very tender age, I was fascinated when I began to read stories of how the
Freemasons held a more than significant place in the formation of our country. As a twenty
something, I was drawn to various books on the Craft with essays on the tools of the fraternity
and how to use them to better oneself and make perfect the rough
ashlar. As I went through my twenties, my youthful idealism changed
to the realities of supporting and making a life for myself.
Flash forward to a few years ago. I was drifting in rough seas
having lost my mother a short time before due to heart disease and
cancer. I was without solid direction. Though I have a wonderful and
loving wife who is always at my side, I felt I needed a path to help
myself reach for something more, something to provide a purpose for
myself. I was always fond of saying that the story of my life could be
summed up succinctly in the title of a song by the rock band U2: I Still
Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. Poets and philosophers like to
wax on the length and breadth of the life of a man. The average life
span of a man can be significant in terms of X amount of years or as
fleeting as a nanosecond in terms of geologic time, but one thing that most can agree on is the
need to leave something of yourself after your time has passed. Something that can be long
remembered by those whom you hold dear as the fog of time passes over and shrouds for most
all but the most famous and infamous.
After I was initiated as an Entered Apprentice, I was introduced to the concept of “fitting our
minds as living stones for that spiritual building, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
This struck me as something in which to strive, to live a life that that those who follow can
remember as a life that was well lived. To me, living well means having the ability to touch
another person, to make their day or other time period better than what was before. It can be as
small as opening a door for another person, or buying a meal for someone down on their luck. As
I progressed, I learned the tools of a Master Mason present us a symbolic guide to living well,
squaring our actions with the square of virtue, meeting a Brother Master Mason on the level, and
acting by the plumb. As my knowledge in Masonry grows, I hope to one day make the rough
ashlar into a perfect stone."
[Excerpted from an article in Masonic Temple Topics, June 2014]
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THE SHORT TALK BULLETIN
November 2014
FREEMASONRY AND TECHNOLOGY
By George Fairbairn
R. W. Brother Fairbairn is a Past Master and Past Secretary of Perfection Lodge #616 in St.
Catharines, in the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario. He is a Past District
Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Quebec.
--S.T.B. Editor
There are several things that bother me about technology; or perhaps more specifically, the way
that we are using it.
When I studied computer programming back in 1969, my fellow students and I would visualize
the impact that technology would have on our future. I remember one of my classmates saying:
"By the time we're 35, we will probably only be working 15 hours per week — computers will
be doing most of the work for us."
I spent 37 years working in the software technology field. In the first few years I worked about
35 hours per week (summer hours) and had time to play 9 holes of golf before dinner; in the last
few years, prior to retirement, I worked 50-60 hours per week, and played little or no golf.
Instead of technology reducing our work hours, it has increased them — there is no longer any
downtime — everything is moving faster. Everything and everyone is available, and is expected
to be available, all of the time.
I once served as Lodge Secretary to a young Master who was up-to-date with the latest
technology. He would demonstrate how easy and convenient it was to run MS Office
applications from his Blackberry tablet for example. Although he had the latest technology, it
was necessary to remind him every month for his message for the summons. It seemed like he
didn't plan, but worked in a "reactive" mode — if you wanted to get his attention, you needed to
put yourself in his high-priority queue — then he would react.
He once told me that he was away from work for 3 days and when he returned he had over 600
emails. One has to question – how many of these 600 emails were important? And is the time
spent sorting/prioritizing/filing and cleaning up these emails an effective use of time? Another
important question is: if we are continuously reacting to outside events, to the priorities of others,
how can we ourselves be creative, let alone productive?
We are in effect living our lives reacting to others. Whatever happened to planning our day? It
has been my experience that organizations provide training on how to use technology, but they
provide little guidance on technology etiquette. Who needs to be copied on an email? What is the
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cost of disturbing someone unnecessarily? By the way, if you wish to reduce the amount of email
you receive, there is one rule of thumb — send out fewer emails.
I recently viewed a short video titled, "Irrelevance." It was put out by AFA, the Association of
Fraternity Advisors and was being viewed in Masonic circles. It stated, for example, that mimes
are irrelevant, because of clowns (clowns talk, and thus are better).
The video concluded that if we want the attention of the younger generation we must be relevant
to them, and in order for our organization to survive we must adapt and change with the world.
The younger generation has access to so much information, but less and less time to make sense
of all those options. Therefore, to be relevant, we must act quickly to provide sensible answers to
their questions.
This video made me think: does Freemasonry need to change in order to be relevant in today's
high-tech, fast track world? I believe NOT — in fact I believe that we are relevant because we
are different.
I think that it's OK to use a responsible level of Social Media - to perhaps locate and foster new
potential members, or network professionally or learn from a community of Masons. But our
beliefs, our ritual and our practices are fine the way they are, and have always been.
It is generally accepted that the pace of life and its stresses will get even more hectic than at
present. Although people may be able to cope with this intellectually, I question if many can
cope with it emotionally, with the Internet bombarding us with a mass of ethical and unethical
information in the privacy of our own homes.
Brother Michael Yaxley, President of the Board of General Purposes of the Grand Lodge of
Tasmania, wrote: "Society does have a need for a body such as Freemasonry. I believe that this
need will increase rather than decrease. In the next century the work place will not offer
fellowship and camaraderie sufficient to satisfy the social instincts that people have. Many
people will work at home, linked to the office by computer and telephone. Others will work in an
office with complex but nevertheless inanimate equipment. The irony of the Age of
Communication is that people spend, and will spend, more time by themselves."
When I became a Freemason, one of my first impressions was that attending lodge was like
being in a different world, and that was more than 40 years ago. When I was hectically working
in the last years of my career, I would be better rested in the morning if I attended lodge the night
before, even if I arrived home late. I believe that chatting in chat rooms, engaging on Facebook,
or tweeting on Twitter does not provide the emotional experience that is needed, and that our
lodges provide.
Brethren, may our lodges remain a safe haven and be that emotional connection that the younger
generation needs, and may our Brotherhood continue to be relevant until time shall be no more.
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