Masonic Thought for the week of

"Behold how good and pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity."

"My ashlar still has too much roughness left on it to smoothen, before I feel
compelled to perfect others."

What is Masonry? BY Bro. Walter H. Bonn, Victor, Iowa It's not a sign or handshake, a hall where tilers sit, It's not a guarded building, where passwords will admit, It's not a place of symbols, which Wardens oft display, It's not a lodge of members, who meet in white array. It is the home of justice, of liberty and truth, Of loyalty to country, of sympathy for youth, Of succor for a brother, of gentleness and cheer, Of tolerance for neighbors, whose life is often drear.

Just a quiet little lodge-room,
But a mighty force for good;
With its loyal band of members
Learning more of brotherhood;
Striving, stumbling, but progressing
Down a pathway toward the right;
Just a humble bunch of plain folks,
Reaching, seeking for the light.

I was born in antiquity in the ancient days when men first dreamed of God.
I have been tried through the ages and found true. The crossroads of the
world bear the imprint of my feet and the cathedrals of all nations mark
the skill of my hands. I strive for beauty and for symmetry. In my heart
is wisdom and strength and courage for those who ask. Upon my altars
is the Book of Holy Writ, and my prayers are to the One Omnipotent God.

My sons work and pray together, without rank or discord, in the public
mart and in the inner chamber. By signs and symbols I teach the lessons
of life and of death and the relationship of man with God and of man
with man. My arms are widespread to receive those of lawful age and
good report who seek me of their own free will. I accept them and
teach them to use my tools in the building of men, and thereafter,
find direction in their own quest for perfection so much desired and
so difficult to attain.

I lift up the fallen and shelter the sick. I hark to the orphan's cry,
the widow's tears, the pain of the old and destitute. I am not church
nor party nor school, yet my sons bear a full share of responsibility to God,
to country, to neighbor and to themselves. They are freemen, tenacious
of their liberties and alert to lurking danger. At the end I commit them
as each one undertakes the journey beyond the vale into the glory of
everlasting life. I ponder the sand within the glass and think how
small is a single life in the eternal universe. Always have I taught
immortality, and even as I raise men from darkness into light, I am a way of life.

The ideals that have lighted my way and, time after time, have given
me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth.

I am proud to be a Mason and proud to be able to call myself one. We are all brothers in this great Fraternity; we are all equal to one another. Take note in what you say and always remember don't put off telling a brother or loved one today just how much you appreciate them for tomorrow never comes.

The mural depicts King Solomon and some of the most famous Freemasons
of all time: President and Brother George Washington,
Brother Benjamin Franklin, Confederate General and Brother Lewis A. Armistead
being aided by Union Captain and Brother Henry H. Bingham
(as depicted by the Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial at Gettysburg),
President and Brother Franklin D. Roosevelt, President and
Brother Harry S. Truman, U.S. General and Brother Douglas MacArthur,
and U.S. Lunar Astronaut and Brother Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin.

A MASONS WISH

I WISH THERE WERE WORDS, 
I COULD MAKE RHYME,
TO SOOTHE THE HEARTS,
 AND OPEN THE MIND.

OF NON-MASON MEN, 
IN THEIR EVER DAY LIFE,
TO SEE A SMALL GLIMMER, 
OF MASONIC LIGHT.

IT WOULD TAKE JUST A SPARK,
AND A WELCOME RIGHT HAND,
TO MAKE A GOOD FELLOW, 
A MUCH BETTER MAN.

TO ANSWER HIS QUESTIONS, 
AND CALM HIS FEARS,
OF THINGS HE HEARD, 
OVER THE YEARS.

THERE ARE NO CULTS,
 IN OUR LODGES OF BLUE,
WE BELIEVE IN GOD, 
HE BELIEVES IN US TOO.

EDUCATION IS THE WAY,
TO OPEN MEN'S EYES,
SO THEY CAN SEE THROUGH,
ALL THE VICIOUS LIES.

CREATED BY THOSE, 
WITH NOT ENOUGH GOOD,
TO WEAR A WHITE APRON, 
AND STAND WHERE WE STOOD.

TO LEAD HIM FROM DARKNESS, 
AS WE TRAVELED ONE NIGHT,
AND INSTILL IN HIS HEART,
THE DESIRE FOR MORE LIGHT.

TO WALK IN THE SHOES, 
OF HIRAM ABIFF,
AND FEEL THE COMPASSION, 
OF A BROTHER'S STRONG GRIP.

EACH TIME WE APPROACH, 
THE ALTAR TO PRAY,
MEMORIES FLOOD BACK,
OF THAT SPECIAL DAY.

WHEN THE EARTH WAS VOID, 
AND DARK ABOUND,
THERE WERE NO BIRDS, 
NO BEAUTIFUL SOUNDS.

SLOWLY THERE CAME, 
LIGHT FROM THE EAST,
THE HEAVENS OPENED UP, 
LIGHT WAS UNLEASHED.

SHAFTS OF LIGHT, 
STREAK THROUGH THE SKY,
AS THE MASTER APPROACHED, 
MY BROTHERS STOOD BY.

A TRIANGULAR FORM, 
STATIONED IN PLACE,
LIGHT FROM THE EAST, 
TO SHINE ON MY FACE.

BY MY RIGHT HAND, 
HE ASKED ME ARISE,
WORDS FROM THE MASTER, 
WERE TRUE AND WISE.

EVER SO EAGER, 
TO NEVER LOSE SIGHT,
ALWAYS IN SEARCH, 
OF MASONIC LIGHT.

ASCENDING THE STAIRS, 
BY THREE, FIVE AND SEVEN,
LIGHTING MY WAY, 
TO THE GATES OF HEAVEN.

IF I PRACTISE MY TENETS,
WITH NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS,
JUST BY MY ACTIONS,
THEY MAY WANT TO COME IN.
Ben Steen Copyright 2002

Man-Making

We are blind until we see
That in the human plan
Nothing is worth the making if
It does not make the man.

Why build these cities glorious
If man unbuilded goes?
In vain we build the work unless
The builder also grows.

Edwin Markham

This article has been developed from an address presented to the executive Councils of DeMolay of North America on March 1, 1991. Il was prepared hy Thomas W Jackson, Grand Secretary of The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Editor DEMOLAY'S RELATIONSHIP TO FREEMASONRY by Thomas W Jackson It was my privilege to recently address the executive officers of the Order of DeMolay on the subject "What Does Freemasonry Expect from DeMolay?" When preparing to address this subject, I found it to be an interesting and intriguing question but one without a recognized and clear-cut answer. Many times we hear expressed what DeMolay expects from Freemasonry, but I had never before considered what Freemasonry expected from DeMolay. As a boy I did not have the opportunity to be a member of the Order of DeMolay. In fact, I never heard of DeMolay until I became a Freemason. I was, however, active in the Boy Scouts of America for a period of 27 years and found the basic principles of both organizations to be the same although the modes of operation are quite different. I would have loved, however, to have had the opportunity to work with the ritualism of DeMolay. Freemasonry does, indeed, have a right to expect something, from not only the Order of DeMolay as a Body, but also from each individual member of that Body. Simply defined, we have the right to expect a performance from the members of DeMolay that reflects the purpose of the organization. Many of our Members, however, fail to recognize that purpose. Brother Frank Land, when asked to define the Order of DeMolay, stated: "Literally speaking, I would say the Order Or DeMolay is a youth organization for young men whose purpose is the building of better citizens." In trying to define what Freemasonry expects from DeMolay, we should look to the seven cardinal virtues and the vows of a DeMolay. They are, after all, reflective of what it takes to become a better citizen. They also represent what is required as a commitment to DeMolay. The systematics within the Order to build that better citizen lies within the keeping of the vows and the practice of the seven car- dinal virtues. Freemasonry has every right to expect that purpose to be carried out by each individual member of the Chapter, as well as the Order in general! One of the unique facets of DeMolay which has made it so different from other youth organizations has been the emphasis on the first cardinal virtue, Filial Love. This is a quality never specifically stressed in any other organization with which I am famil- iar. We have the right, as a Masonic Frater- nity, therefore, to expect the members of the Order of DeMolay to display a respect for their parents and to acknowledge their parents contributions in their lives. We have every reason to expect a member of the Order to display reverence for sacred things. A genuine belief in a Supreme Being is a fundamental philosophical principle of Freemasonry, and we can accept no less from the Order of DeMolay. Courtesy as a virtue seems to be a lost ingredient in present day society and is an attribute which contributes to the exem- plary quality of the Order. Freemasonry has every reason to expect courtesy in every way from our young men. The ability of man to relate to man may well determine the future of the world. Indeed, I would suspect the virtue of com- radeship would be one that will become more valuable in the life of a young man with each passing year. We have every right to expect the development and practice of this virtue by members of the Order. We have every reason to expect a display of fidelity on the part of each young man who belongs to the Order. Perhaps this is one of the least emphasized virtues in socie- ty today, yet one of the most valuable. Cleanliness in thought, word and deed becomes more unique to general society yearly! The last two decades have evidenced a remarkable change in sociological attitude toward this virtue. Indeed it seems almost nonexistent in our permissive society. What was once an accepted standard is now almost the exception. We have however every right to expect cleanliness as a virtue within the members of DeMolay. Finally, above all, we should expect no less than an absolute dedication to the con- cept and display of patriotism. The Masonic Fraternity, itself, emphasizes the need for the commitment of each of us to his country, and we should never expect less from members of the Order of DeMolay. In addition, the vows of DeMolay require each member to uphold and aid the public school system, and to honor and protect every woman. Freemasonry has a right to expect to see these vows practiced. To see a more specific aspect of what Freemasonry expects we would have to look at the reaction of our Members to specific stimuli and the image that they expect to see in the organization they support. It may not be fair and, indeed probably is not, to expect the members of DeMolay to respond to the image some of our Members expect. However, as an active Advisor of a Chapter, I heard, and I am certain all of you have heard, some of our Members complaining about the actions of individuals within the Order of DeMolay. These actions can be as minor as simple misconduct in a Lodge Hall to major misconduct which can reflect upon the organization as a whole. Many of our Members who have never been exposed to the Order of DeMolay, or for that matter to the actions of current young people in general, have a much greater tendency to look with disdain upon the Order of DeMolay because the young men of the Order do not always create the image which is expected of them. Appear- ance and acts of individual DeMolays can and do impact the opinion of Masons about the Order. I personally do not disagree with the right of anyone to express themselves, this is part of their inherent right as an American citizen. I do, however, as a Freemason, feel that there is an assumed obligation by a member of the Order of DeMolay to display a mode of conduct which reflects positively upon the Order. Many Masons who are in a position to greatly influence the future of DeMolay express concern with images created by individual members of the Order. The fact remains that simple and unintentional misconduct or poor appear- ance by one individual member of the Order can and does create an impact on the Body as a whole. We as Masons assumed an obligation that whatever we did would reflect positive- ly upon the Fraternity. The members of the Order of DeMolay assumed that same obligation ! Because the majority of society accepts a certain set of values does not mean that Freemasonry or the Order of DeMolay are obligated to comply with this same set of values! What is considered wrong in accor- dance with Masonic Law and Masonic values does not have to fall to the level of the values of todays society. This higher value system applies also to the Order of DeMolay. Therefore, what Freemasonry expects specifically from the young men compris- ing the Order of DeMolay is that they pre- sent themselves in appearance and conduct on a level higher than that expected from society in general. Much of the "sale" of DeMolay to Freemasons is based upon their future membership in Freemasonry, and it certain- ly serves as a selling point for Masonic sup- port for the Order. However, Masonic membership is not the purpose for the existence of the Order of DeMolay. Brother Land stated that its pur- pose was to develop better citizens. If those "better citizens" then choose to affiliate with the Masonic Fraternity, that should be regarded as a side benefit. But, it certainly should never be the expected end result to justify the support of Freemasonry! Inasmuch as our Fraternity is devoted to developing a better world, if we can develop a better citizen, we are accomplishing that purpose whether they are a Member of the Craft or not. There is a universal problem today in securing leadership in the form of Advisors to our Chapters. This lack of leadership is alarming to all of us. However, it would behoove us to recognize that it is not a pro- blem limited to the Order of DeMolay. It is a problem basic to our Lodges and to just about every other organization in existence. When I affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America in 1948, 1 joined a troop which was being re-organized because they were able to secure a Scout Master. In the 27 years I was active in that organization, lack of leadership was always a problem. Whatever decisions we make today to solve this problem should be based on a thorough analysis of what the end results will be over a period of time! We, as leaders of DeMolay, must take the initiative to expose the Order to the Masonic Fraternity. We cannot sit back and expect the Fraternity to invite us to be a par- ticipant in their activities. It is important that we educate our Masonic membership to realize that the purposes of DeMolay justify all the support we can provide, but Masons must know that purpose. It, therefore, is extremely important not only to let the Order of DeMolay know what Freemasonry expects from it, but also to let Freemasons know what Freemasonry expects from DeMolay. We must educate our Masonic membership so that they realize that the purpose of their support for DeMolay should be to produce better citizens, through the teachings of the Order of DeMolay. It is the responsibility of members of the Order to become better citizens. This im- proved citizenship should be revealed by the practice of the seven cardinal virtues and vows of the Order. Freemasonry has every right to expect to see this end achieved. The understanding by both members of the Craft and the Order DeMolay of what is expected from DeMolay cannot help but improve the relationship between the two organizations!

SHORT TALK BULLETIN - Vol.XI June, 1933 No.6 THE LETTER “G” by: Unknown The Short Talk Bulletin of July, 1927, bears the title “G”. This popular exposition of the meaning and symbolism of the letter so precious to Freemasons is long out of print, although preserved in many sets of bound volumes and in libraries. This present paper is intended to be supplementary to, and not a recapitulation of, that printed as Number 7, of Volume V of these Bulletins. “It is merely an accident of the English language that God and Geometry begin with the same letter; no matter what the language or he ritual, the initial of the Ineffable Name and that of the first and noblest of sciences are Masonicaly the same. “But that is a secret! cries some newly made brother who has examined his printed monitor and finds that the ritual concerning the further significance of the letter “G” is represented only by stars. Aye, the “ritual” is secret, but the “fact,” is the most gloriously public that Freemasonry may herald to the world. One can no more keep secret the idea that God is the very warp and woof of Freemasonry than that he is the essence of all life. Take God out of Freemasonry, and there is, literally, nothing left; it is a pricked balloon, an empty vessel, a bubble which has burst.” (Introduction to Freemasonry.) That the Letter “G” is not a secret symbol is attested by hundreds of Masonic writers, each of whom has written of it from a different standpoint. Mackey has much to say of it - too much to quote at length, but space may be found for an extract: “G. The seventh letter of the English, Latin and Romanic alphabets. In the Greek and many other alphabets it is in third place; in the Russian, Wallachian, and some others, it is in fourth; in the Arabic the fifth, and in the Ethiopian the twentieth. In Hebrew it is called Gheemel, is of the numerical value of three, and its significance is “camel.” It is associated with the third sacred name of God, in Hebrew, Ghadol, or in Latin, Magnus, the Mighty. In Freemasonry it is given as the initial of the word God.” Hutchinson, in his Spirit of Masonry” (1776), says of the sacred letter: “It is now incumbent on me to demonstrate to you the great significance of the letter “G”, wherewith Lodges and the medals of Masons are ornamented. To apply its significance to the name of God only is depriving it of part of its Masonic import; although I have already shown that the symbols used in the Lodges are expressive of the Divinity’s being the great object of Masonry, as Architect of the World. This significant letter denotes Geometry, which, to artificers, is the science by which all their labours are calculated and formed; and to Masons, contains the determination, definition and proof of the order, beauty and wonderful wisdom of the power of God in His Creation.” Dr. Frederick Dalcho wrote (1801) as follows: “The Letter “G,” which ornaments the Mason’s Lodge, is not only expressive of the name of the Grand Architect of the Universe, but also denotes the science of Geometry, so necessary to artists. But the adoption of it by Masons implies no more than their respect for those inventions which demonstrate to the world the power, the wisdom and the beneficence of the Almighty Builder in the works of creation.” Various attempts have been made to place the date when the Letter “G” first came into the ritual of Speculative Freemasonry. Pichard’s expose, originally published in 1730, does not contain any reference to it. Later editions do include a curious doggerel which is worth repeating here. It is in the usual Question and Answer, or Examiner and Response, form so popular in all ritualistic work in the early days.: Resp. In the midst of Solomon’s Temple there stands a “G,” A letter for all to read and see; but few there be that understand what means the Letter “G.” Exam. My Friend, if you pretend to be of this Fraternity, you can forthwith and rightly tell, what means that Letter “G.” Resp. By sciences are brought to light, bodies of various kinds. Which do appear to perfect sight; but none but males shall know my mind. Exam. The Right shall. Resp. If Worshipful. Exam. Both Right and Worshipful I am, to hail you I have command, that you forthwith let me know, as I you may understand. Resp. By letters four and science five, this “G” aright doth stand, in due Art and Proportion; you have your answer friend.” While authorities differ as to just when the letter “G” came into the ritual, all are agreed that the date is not later than 1768; very probably it was earlier. Authorities are, however, by no means at one on the origin of the symbol then adopted into Speculative Masonry. The choice is wide and the fancy free; if we are willing to admit presumptive testimony, even if it will not satisfy a legal mind as evidence, then the introduction of the symbol into our system is as old as Speculative Masonry - however old that may be! The Letter “G” as we know it, the Roman “G”, is not a geometrical figure. It is part circle, part oval, part horizontal and vertical lines. It bears internal evidence of being a conventionalizing of a much more severe design. In the Greek, Gamma, or “G”, the third letter, is a square standing on end with the horizontal arm extending to the right, like a plain block letter “T,” with the left extension of the cross piece omitted. In Hebrew the “G” is a square with the right side omitted; two right angles joined, the horizontal arms extending to the right. Refer to the doggerel again; “By letter four and science five, this “G” aright doth stand.” “Letters four” properly refers to J H V H, the tetragrammaton or four-letter word, the Hebrew designation of deity, which we call Jehovah, for want of a more likely rendition of the vowels (omitted in early Hebrew writing). “Science Five,” of course, is Geometry. The Pythagoreans reverenced numbers as sacred; geometry was to them the sacred science. It initial letter, Gamma, a square, was especially revered. The Gamma looks like a square used by builders; it was the symbol of the actual, four-sided, or geometrical square, the first whole number square, and therefore, the representative of deity, the four-letter word, the tetragrammaton. Symbols are easily converted the one into the other and back again. If the Gamma, which appeared like a workman’s square, was a symbol of the geometrical square, which in turn was a symbol of Deity, then, by a simple reconversion looked like Gamma, which in one position looked like the square of the workman, soon came to symbolize the tetragrammaton or four-letter word. The Greek Gamma was rounded into the Latin “C.” For a while it stood for both the sounds of “g” and “k.” Later (third century B.C.), a slight change was made in the Latin “c” which stood for the soft, or “j” sound - and behold, our modern Roman “G.” Hence, by a path straight to any but mind demanding documentary proof, we place the origin of our “G,” as representing both God and Geometry, as far back as the Pyrhogoreans (sixth century, B.C.). Another interesting hypothesis - it is hardly more - calls attention to the fact that three geometrical forms appear in the Greek alphabet, as we have seen; Gamma (G) is a square standing on end, the horizontal arm extended to the right. Omicron (O) is a circle, Delta (D) is a triangle. Writing one letter on top of another to form a monogram is very old. The three Greek letters, Gamma, Omicron and Delta may be combined in a monogram to form a very fair conventionalizing of our letter “G” inside a triangle which looks not unlike our modern square and compasses! Here is further testimony that the letter “G” and the ancient square, the Greek Gamma, or the Greek monogram of Gamma, Omicron, and Delta, which make a conventional Roman “G” inside a triangle, were connected in ancient Masonic minds. This is credited in the “Bulletin” of the Grand Lodge of Iowa (September, 1932) to Brother John A. Cockburn, noted Masonic writer. “If further proof of the former identity of the letter “G” and the square were needed, it is to be found in the text of a ritual no longer in use among us. Therein it is recorded that in an attack on our Master a second blow was struck with a square across his breast, “and that on an exhumation a faint resemblance to the letter “G” marked on his left breast was discovered.” (Italics ours - Ed.) The combination of square and circle, or cross and circle (a cross forms two right angles, or squares) appears in a hundred guises in as many religious rites. The interested may recall the “hot cross bun” and the association of the egg, marked with crosses, with Easter; in Yorkshire, the brides cake at weddings was formerly cut into small squares and passed through a wedding ring, as a form of prayer for fertility; circle and square are combined in the wearing of a wedding ring on the fourth finger; the very number “4” itself was originally a circle, being changed to the present conventionalized square and upright after the fifteenth century; children still play the ancient game of noughts and crosses, or “tit-tat-toe,” a combination of circles and squares. That Freemasonry has in her letter “G” and its connotations a relationship with this ancient association of “letters four and science five -“ that is, of Deity and science or knowledge - is not remarkable - rather it would extraordinary if she had not. In all ages and all religions, man has interwoven together his thought of spirit and matter, his ideas of relative and absolute. Freemasonry’s “G” is but another of these conceptions, expressed in a symbol. If the symbol now used - a Roman “G” - is less fitting for an art concerned especially with squares than was the original Gamma, it at least should receive the reverence due a respectable age. Even those whose ideas of the fitness of things would be better satisfied if our “G” were Gamma, would hardly subscribe to an effort to change now. Mackey, the great Masonic authority, regretted that the Roman “g” ever found its way into our symbolism, and read the “G” as a substitute for the Hebrew Yod, which in turn is a symbol of the tetragrammaton, or four-letter word. Unquestionably the “Lost Word,” the very heart of the Masonic system, is represented by the Yod, but it is a far cry to include also Geometry in that representation. The Greek Gamma, (of which our roman “G” is a substitute) however, did represent both the ineffable Name and the greatest of the sciences. Three Greek letters which spell our name for Deity can be monogrammed to make a modern Roman “G” inside a square and compasses. However corrupt the geometrical form of the Roman “G”, and however much more illuminating it might have been had we continued to use the Greek Gamma of Pythagoras, what we have adopted and made so integral a part of our Masonry that it is in every English speaking Lodge in the world, is far to sacred and familiar ever to change. Of course Mackey is not lightly to be set aside, yet modern scholarship so differs with the great authority on this point that even those who revere him most, agree that here his genius led him astray. Sufficient has been said to indicate that the Letter “G” is far more than a mere letter. A symbol of Deity and His Own science, Geometry, it carries us back to the childhood of knowledge; it combines and associates other symbols from which it sprang and the ideas for which they stand. As a symbol “G” is particularly Freemasonry’s own. To the inquiring mind it calls insistently, if always softly, for better understanding and appreciation from Craftsmen.