Freemasonry is a post-collegiate mostly-all male fraternity dedicated to the social development of the member to form a broader sense of the self and their community.
The third day of the Phylaxis Society Convention in Arkansas was one of much celebration and fellowship but also one of some very interesting presentations.
A paper was delivered on A Black History Moment: A Phillip Randolph and the Sleeping Car Porters. Ah, the memories of those early railroad years brought back to real life in the story of sleeping car porters was fascinating and nostalgic.
Another paper was “The Reciprocal Effects of Illinois Abolitionists on Society.”
The paper which I will comment on in detail was The Masonic and French Connection of the American Mystery Tradition by Dr. Robert Uzzel.
Brother Robert L. Uzzel is a very interesting Mason. He possesses a BA in Religion and Sociology, a Masters in Church-State Studies, a PHD in World Religions along with graduate work in Political Science. He teaches college courses in Religion, History and Political Science while at the same time he is Pastor of an A.M.E. Church – college professor, ordained minister, active Freemason and also a noted author. He is a Fellow of the Phylaxis Society, holder of the Dr. Charles H. Wesley Medal of History and a Blue Friar. Just the sort of fellow I like to pick the brain of.
His presentation was based on his book “Eliphas Levi and the Kabbalah” which I got an autographed copy of after the lecture.
Uzzel says that he chose to write about Levi because it all starts and ends with him. Uzzel tells us Levi was a major source of Albert Pike’s “Morals & Dogma.” He also explained that Levi drew a comparison between Tarot Cards & the Kabballah.
But Levi’s influenced stretched much further and wider according to Uzzel. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in Great Britain claimed Levi as its inspiration. Crowley also claimed kinship with Levi.
Theosopohical Society founder Madam Blavatsky admitted to being influenced by Levi, Uzzel expounds. And the Levi also was a big influence on the Rosicrucians.
All this and more made a fascinating lecture on a subject I needed to know more about.
Noon time saw us gather for a Phylaxis Society Luncheon with all the Phyllis Chapters with us. It was a mini awards luncheon with the big awards coming that night at dinner. Presentations were made to winners of the 4B awards – Books, Business, Ballots and Brotherhood.
After lunch we were all honored with a Grand Master’s Forum where presiding Grand Masters took the hot seat and we peppered them with any and all questions.
Late in the afternoon we all retired to our hotels to freshen up and then return for the Annual Awards Banquet. The major awards given out were the Chapter of the Year, Man of the Year, Brice E. Simmons Award and the John. G. Lewis Medal of Excellence. The keynote speaker was Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe.
After all the ceremonies were over many of us gathered in groups and took pictures, exchanged contact information and parted with that embrace of fellowship that so endears the heart.
There are many aspects of the Derek Gordon story that deserve to be exposed and laid out on the table for all to see. There are also far reaching ramifications as to what the Grand Lodge of Arkansas is doing to American Freemasonry.
As to the former, the failure of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas to state specifically to Gordon how he violated Grand Lodge statues, to leave it as an enigma that he is supposed to figure out is far from playing a straight hand. The fact that they would much rather spring it on him at the time of trial means they revel in toying with their accused. Is this the high moral standard that is supposed to guide Freemasonry?
And shouldn’t the punishment fit the crime? It is not glaringly obvious what Gordon even did. It sounds as if it could be some minor infraction. To not only expel Gordon but to come in and pull the charter of his Lodge and close it down is over kill. Doesn’t Arkansas ever use suspension or other forms of discipline?
The Grand Lodge of Arkansas has a despicable track record of expelling Brothers and closing Lodges. It has done this many times over. Gordon won’t be the first nor the last. And the sad part of it all is that Good American Freemasons and good American Grand Lodges have done absolutely nothing to put an end to such shenanigans.
Oh no, say all the Good Masons, we can’t interfere in the workings of another Grand Lodge. That’s their business. So we let Arkansas do whatever it wants. We let Ohio do whatever it wants. We let New Jersey do whatever it wants. We let Alabama do whatever it wants. We let Georgia do whatever it wants. We let West Virginia do whatever it wants. No matter how grave the injustice we turn a blind’s eye.
While all of Mainstream Masonry supports the absolute right of any other Grand Lodge in the U.S.A. to have absolute power to do anything within its jurisdiction, it even goes so far as to enforce the decisions of one Grand Lodge in all the other Grand Lodges. This is what is known as the Good Old Boys Network. So if Gordon is expelled from the Grand Lodge of Arkansas, no matter how odious and wrongful the process and the final decision, all the Grand Lodges across the entire country are going to also join in and support that ruling. Not only will Gordon be expelled from Arkansas but he will be blackballed from joining any other Grand Lodge jurisdiction.
This policy can, as it may in this case, sanctify injustice and it does nothing to dissuade rogue Grand Lodges from operating in the same evil manner over and over again. There is no mechanism in place to discipline a rogue Grand Lodge. No matter what it does it will be blessed by the rest of the Grand Lodges across the country. This drives a lot of good men into clandestine Masonry.
American Mainstream Freemasonry is out of control and the lack of any common standards agreed upon across the board only emboldens those who abuse power to do so repeatedly with impunity. This leads some Grand Lodges to make up crazy rules and regulations precisely because there is no one who will tell them they cannot nor anyone who will even comment on what is obviously wrong never mind take any action like withdrawing recognition. So you have Grand Lodges limiting Masonic discourse (especially with Prince Hall Masons) or prohibiting the use of electronic media in their jurisdiction, even E-Mail, shaking hands with other obediences, visiting Lodges out of state who permit other visitors who are not recognized by that Grand Lodge, admitting any person with an unapproved religion like Wicca, allowing Rainbow and DeMolay to meet at Masonic buildings, openly disagreeing with the policies of a Grand Master whether verbally or in print, joining an internet Masonic forum and a whole host of other regulations that should be no part of Freemasonry.
The sad part of all this is that what one jurisdiction does has a bearing on all jurisdictions. The American public and the non Mason do not distinguish between California Freemasons and Arkansas Freemasons. To them Freemasons are Freemasons no matter from what state they hail. So in essence a few un-Masonic Grand Lodges can give the whole fraternity a black eye.
That being said it would seem that it would behoove all Grand Lodges to come together with some sort of agreement as to proper conduct and certain standards. This would have no bearing on ritual or any ceremonial practice. Neither would it involve a National Grand Lodge but rather a written compact of common principles and methods of operations. However, somewhere along the line in order for the agreement to work there has to be some teeth in it. United States Grand Lodges would have to agree to pull recognition from those who don’t want to go along or those who operate in an un-Masonic manner.
This is not without precedent for when Minnesota decided to recognize the Grand Lodge of France it was met with other Grand Lodges who pulled recognition. If any United States Grand Lodge were to pull the requirement for a belief in deity I dare say you would see a host of American Grand Lodges pulling recognition. While God is important race and civil rights doesn’t seem to count for much. But if American Freemasonry hopes to flourish it needs to pay more attention to how Black men are treated and how to fairly mettle out justice.
If American Mainstream Masonry fails to police itself then it will severely stunt its growth. Gen X and the Millenials are color blind and they will not join an organization which is discriminatory nor one that is a hiding place for KKK who have gone underground nor one that fails to protect them from the abuses of tyrannical power and the absence of common decency.
Lastly it is high time that American Freemasonry took on an American identity. Few Americans are born and die in the same town in the same state anymore. We are a highly mobile society and state distinctions are increasingly of diminishing importance. American Freemasonry grew with the formation of this country. Its method of government followed the civil model of strong states rights but stopped there, where the civil government proceeded to a stronger national federal presence. Without that strong federal presence those school doors in Little Rock would never have been opened to Black children to this day. The progress that the United States has made in the field of civil rights, gender rights, sexual rights, rights of the handicapped have come from the insistence of federally mandated across the board uniform codes of conduct and human rights. The fact that Freemasonry does not have the same accomplishment in those fields that are applicable is its failure to operate in some fashion in a manner that seeks common compliance in basic codes of conduct and methods of governance in all jurisdictions. That is the challenge which awaits 21st century Mainstream Freemasonry. Meeting that challenge may well decided whether it lives or dies.
An updated version of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen
Once upon a time there was a Worshipful Master who was so fond of his Lodge that he spent most of his time rehearsing degrees and attending meetings. There was plenty of fun going on in the Lodge where the Master lived. Bills and minutes were read time and again, and the Brethren thrived on hot pasta dishes.
Visitors occasionally visited the Lodge. One day there came two representatives from Grand Lodge. They said they wanted to help the Lodge, but first the Master would have to hold fundraisers for the Grand Master’s charity and support his agenda. The Master found the GL representatives hypnotic, especially when they promised to increase membership, offset the Lodge’s growing financial burdens, and simplify the operation of the Lodge. Not only were their promises unusually attractive, but their programs had the peculiarity of being invisible to anyone who was not fit for his post or who was hopelessly stupid.
“I say! These must be wonderful ideas,” the Master thought. “If they are true, I would have the best Lodge in the jurisdiction. Yes, I must implement these programs all at once.” And he set the Craft to work under the guidance of the GL representatives.
And so it came to pass that the programs were implemented immediately. Spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts, and fish fries became the norm. The Lodge dug into their pockets and produced handsome sums of money for the Grand Master’s charity. Lodge delegates attended Grand Lodge functions and followed the party line unquestioningly.
“Well, now, I wonder how everything is going?” the Worshipful Master said to himself. But there was one point that made him feel rather anxious, namely, that a man who was stupid or quite unfit for his post would never be able to see the benefits that had been produced. Not that he, the Master, need have any fears for himself – he was quite confident about that – but all the same, it might be better to send someone else first, to find out how things were going.
“I’ll send my honest old Secretary to check on the results as promised by the Grand Lodge representatives,” the Master thought. “He’s the best one to see what is going on, for he has plenty of sense and experience, and nobody fills his post better than he does.” So off went the honest old Secretary to a meeting with the Grand Lodge representatives who assured him that everything was going well. “Lord, bless my soul!” thought the Secretary, with eyes staring out of his head.
“Why, I can’t see any improvements in the Lodge.” But he was careful not to say so.
The two Grand Lodge representatives begged him to take a closer look – wasn’t the Lodge running just fine? Although the poor old Secretary opened his eyes wider and wider, he couldn’t see a thing, for there wasn’t a thing to see. “Good Lord!” he thought, “Is it possible that I’m stupid? I never suspected that, and not a soul must hear of it.”“Well, what do you think of it?” one of the representatives asked.
“Oh, it’s excellent! Things couldn’t be better!” the old Secretary said, looking through his spectacles. “I shall certainly tell the Worshipful Master how pleased I am with it.”
By and by, the Worshipful Master sent another honest Brother to see how the Lodge was running. The representatives accompanied him on his journey. As they traveled throughout the Lodge, the representatives made sure that the Brother saw only what they wanted him to see. He saw the Craft working on obscure projects, money being collected for the Grand Master’s Charity, and attendance at Grand Lodge workshops. “But our membership is still in decline, apathy among the Brethren is getting worse, and our financial situation is becoming dangerous,” the Brother thought to himself. And then he praised the programs, which he knew were compounding problems for the Lodge. “Yes, it’s quite sophisticated,” he said to the Worshipful Master when he got back.
The splendid programs became the talk of the district. And now the Worshipful Master himself said that he would check into the new programs himself. Quite a throng of select people, including the two honest old Brothers, went with him to where the Grand Lodge representatives were overseeing the programs.
“Look, isn’t it magnificent!” the two honest Brothers said. “What’s this?” the Worshipful Master thought. “I don’t understand a thing – this is appalling! Am I stupid? Am I not fit to be Master? This is the most terrible thing that could happen to me…”
“Oh, it’s quite wonderful,” he said to them. “It has our most gracious approval.” And he gave a satisfied nod. All the courtiers who had come with him looked and looked, but they made no more of it than the rest. Still, they all said just what the Worshipful Master said, and they advised him to discuss the programs for the first time at the next Lodge communications that was to take place shortly.
On the eve of the meeting, the Grand Lodge representatives sat up all night preparing a report for the Worshipful Master to read on the results of the programs.
Then the Worshipful Master went to the communications with the representatives and explained the programs to the Craft. Not wanting to appear unfit for their positions or to seem stupid, they all praised the Worshipful Master for the programs. “Marvelous! Sensational!” they all said. Never had the Worshipful Master’s programs been such a success.
“But you still haven’t solved your problems!” a young Entered Apprentice said. “Our membership is in decline, Brothers are staying away from the Lodge, and our finances are diminishing rapidly. At this rate, we’ll have to close our doors soon.”
“Goodness gracious, do you hear what he is saying?” the Craft whispered from one to the other. Then they all shouted, “But you still haven’t solved our problems!” And the Worshipful Master felt most uncomfortable, for it seemed to him that the Craft was right. But somehow he thought to himself, “I must go through with it now. I have too much invested in it already.” And so he drew himself up still more proudly, while the Grand Lodge representatives chased after him with him with more new ideas, even in spite of the obvious.
Keep the Faith.
Freemasonry From the Edge
by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS timb001@phmainstreet.com
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
“A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry” Originally published in 2008.
NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any Grand Masonic jurisdiction or any other Masonic related body. As with all of my Masonic articles herein, please feel free to reuse them in Masonic publications or re-post them on Masonic web sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add the following:
The true story about “un-Masonic conduct*” of a respectful brother.
By: Brother Derek Gordon Last updated on: April 5, 2010.
“After much reflection, I have concluded that the true crime for which the Grand Master wishes to accuse me has come to light. And it is a violation that I take no shame in committing.”
“As my brethren around the world have now seen, I did not provide secret information on the Sebastian Lodge website but used information from other Arkansas lodges and as well as the Grand Lodge itself. The Grand Master’s claim has been defeated by the massive trove of evidence gathered by many Masonic brethren in support of me.”
“As I was denied my right to due process, I am left to my own devices to determine why on this great earth and in this great country I would considered for expulsion. And then it occurred to me…what my violation will be. In a conversation with Grand Master Warren Martin I spoke of attending lodges in the presence of Black Masons. I openly shared my reflection of the warm conversations we had. The lodges were not in Arkansas but rather in 2 other states as well as overseas. All were mainstream lodges. I have not been invited to a Prince Hall Lodge; however, because of this process I can say that I would be honored to do so.”
“I realize now that I overlooked one of the most obvious arguments. I gave the Masonic handshake (and another common sign of brotherly affection) to well over twenty Black Masons. I have sat in lodge with at least thirty Black Masons. I have spoken with a Prior Grand Master of a Prince Hall jurisdiction. I have long-running Masonic relations with several Black Masons who served with me in the United States Air Force. They are some of my dearest friends and brothers.”
“The sole accusation poised is based upon entry 4.0.61 in the digest. That states: “The…use of cipher rituals of the three Symbolic Degrees of Masonry is forbidden; and ANY Mason who shall hereafter…use anything purporting to be a cipher ritual or written, printed or otherwise delineated ritual or exposition of Masonry shall be expelled from Masonry.”
“There is only one possible way to accuse me of violating the above quote from my Notice of Trial letter. Simply put, I would have to be accused of knowingly sitting in a lodge, mainstream aside, with Black Masons. And, being that the brothers were Black Masons, it is reasonable in the eyes of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas to assume those men must be Prince Hall. I must humbly point out to the Arkansas leadership that Black men can be Mainstream or Prince Hall; Arkansas tends to frown upon certain races, religions, or origins, yet this does not mean that all other Mainstream jurisdictions must act as a unified bigot. “
“These United States have stood in solidarity against tyranny for greater than nearly 250 years. The Civil War and great Abraham Lincoln brought emancipation to all nearly 150 years ago. Just over 50 years ago, Arkansas was at the epicenter of the death of segregation when “the Little Rock 9” entered a high school for white students supported by the 101st Airborne Division. How can it be that Arkansas is one of the three states that still forces segregation of the brotherhood? Why is this tolerated? Who will stand up to such hatred? “
“Let your voices be heard along with mine. Tell Grand Master Martin Warren and Grand Secretary James Weatherall what is truly “for the good of the Masonry**.” As the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called out “Let Freedom Ring” and this time let it ring from the capital of Little Rock, Arkansas. “
“Whether the Grand Master still believes that my expulsion is “for the good of the Masonry” is for him to determine. In my heart and with a clear conscience, I can say that I will always hold the values of the Free Masons… the truly “free” Masons.”
* I stand accused of “un-Masonic conduct” for reasons that the Grand Lodge of Arkansas refused to delineate. The Grand Inquisitor (Chairmen, Grand Lodge Trial Commission), John Penrod, was kind enough to inform me that I must determine the causes of action the Grand Lodge of Arkansas has against me. And, the Inquisitor refused to provide materials that might shed light on such issues.
** The Grand Master assured the Worshipful Master and other brethren of Sebastian Lodge that revoking its charter, and my expulsion, was “for the good of Masonry.” I would disagree with that statement; but, I’m unworthy in their eyes of being a Mason.
Added note: The phone call discussing Prince Hall Masonry with the Grand Master of Arkansas took place on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 8:23P.M. CST.
Join us in this episode, recorded on April 4, 2009, as Greg and Dean welcomes brothers Beaux Pettys and Mike Bjelajac of Gate City Lodge No 2. from the beautiful city of Atlanta, in the state of Georgia. In the episode, we dig into the antebellum origins of the lodge and its present-day revival in a city known for its diversity of population in one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in America. In the show we talk about what makes a lodge successful?
What makes a lodge successful? Is it the energy behind the lodge, the people that create it? And, does that energy come at a cost? Is there a social capital that is bartered in an invisible exchange that at times reflects a huge value where at others it challenges its very existence.
One such lodge happens to be a nexus for this very question, and has had a year to barter and trade on its own social capital building a reputation amongst its community and amongst its peers. And this development has not been free of cost. Gate City Lodge in Atlanta Georgia has had a dynamic year, from a public forum on Catholicism and Masonry to a feature article about them in the New York Times. All in all, Gate city is not unaccustomed to controversy or at least some growing pains since its founding in 1887.
Since then, Gate City has suffered war, fire, growth and decline, all of which are no strangers to lodges of this age, yet Gate City has re-awoken as a cosmopolitan styled lodge, progressive in its ideas (even if they do not see themselves as such) and yet still as traditional as the day they fought to become the 4th lodges in the already crowded Georgian capital.
I can’t help but make some comment about the latest in the line of SNAFU‘s, this time taking place in Arkansas. I don’t want to make any particular comment on what’s going, its my hope that all involved are true and acting above board and that the situation will resolve it self int he best way possible for the fraternity. But for now, a SNAFU is what it is indeed.
With this situation in Arkansas, and those of the past including West Virginia, Ohio, Alabama, and across orders with the Jesters, it begs the question what is our responsibility as a member of the order?
The easy answer is to say the things to which we take the obligations over, and further, the things that we sign on and linked to our states Masonic constitution. But that covers the physical or tangible things to do or not to do. What about the less obvious? And, from the other side of the fence, how do our own actions carry out the principals that we espouse. Really, there are four, Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude, and Justice. Maybe your jurisdiction has others, maybe none of these, but by and large, these 4 tenets are the foundation of our being.
Masons are Temperate: In their consumption, in their excesses, in their sensibilities. Masons are not excessive, not marked or driven by passion.
Masons are Prudent: They make sound and carefully weighed decisions, their mind is on the greater good over the individual end. Masons are CAREFUL of their management.
Masons have Fortitude: Where others will crumble or compromise their morals, Freemasons have the Moral Fortitude to stand upright in the light, rather than hide in its shadow. Still human, Masons try harder to just and upright. Masons have the ability to face adversity with cool connectedness and courage.
Masons believe in Justice: Not in the strict sense of an eye for an eye, but rather the dispensation of the moral law, the divine mercy that even the Great Architect of the Universe gives to all of us in our weakest failings. Masons have a rightness and rectitude in all things, and an integrity in our dealings.
So, in the wake of these minor incursions in these remote places of American Masonry (not some far away place, but your fraternity in the next state over, your neighbors, your brothers), is this YOUR Masonry? Are you a Mason to practice the Royal Art whilst those who claim governance (see leadership) re-write what the moral value is to fit their actions?
Is that what the fraternity has de-evolved into? Would we better off without a centralized governance, where lodges govern and maintain their own members, where they interact with the community spreading the word of Masonry? Is it because of a lack of professional Masons (see paid), except at the Grand Lodge level, that like a Robber Baron Mob Boss, the future of the fraternity is being ground into dust for the gain of a few fancy jewels, a title or two, and a pay check.
Would we be better of incorporating the whole thing and making every member a single share holder responsible for a part of the whole?
Or, maybe Masonry just isn’t important to its members anymore with thinking that because its not happening in your own back yard, it has no overall effect to your membership. Is the system safe from a philosophical chain reaction with each instance triggering an invisible event somewhere else down the line?
This isn’t an indictment to the system of Grand Lodges, or those who staff them per-se, but a question as to what value they bring to the system overall. Is it a necessary layer of governance to a system that is otherwise set up to do it itself at the lodge level?
Could it be done without the leadership of a Grand Lodge, or does a Grand Lodge make YOUR individual Masonry more valuable? Somehow this period of SNAFU’s has got to come to a head, the question is what are you doing to help point it where you want it to go?
What follows is the story of a young Mason who is caught in the middle between a Grand Master who is stuck in the past, in pre Civil War Masonry and those of us who have an improved 21st century view of life and practice Masonry accordingly. Far from being some firebrand, screaming reformer, Derek Gordon is a mild mannered, respectful Mason who has no ax to grind. He only wished to present his Lodge as favorable towards the civil rights of all citizens regardless of color. For that he is going to pay the ultimate price for being a human being.
This is his story as he told it to me:
You are secretary and webmaster of your Lodge, Sebastian Lodge #706, Grand Lodge of Arkansas F & AM.. You are a 23 year old student studying law in the neighboring state hundreds of miles from your Lodge. You have decided to volunteer to help Peruvians caught in northern Chile in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. As you stand in line to board your international flight to Peru your cell phone rings. It is the Worshipful Master of your Lodge with an important message – the Grand Master wants an immediate meeting with you. You convey to the Worshipful Master that will not be possible for a number of weeks, but that when you return you would be most happy to accommodate the Grand Master. The Worshipful Master is unable to tell you what this request is all about.
You immediately call the Grand Secretary and apprise him of the situation. He tells you that the Grand Master is in a meeting but that he will pass on to him your information and travel itinerary.
You make your trip to Peru and in your time there you make numerous phone calls back to Arkansas, leaving messages with the Grand Master’s wife at his residence and the Grand Secretary. None of your phone calls are ever returned.
You learn that while you were away that the Grand Master did not wait for your return but proceeded ahead all guns blazing! With just two days notice the Grand Master came to Sebastian Lodge to pull its charter and announce formal charges against you.
You can’t understand how this could all happen. What’s the beef? Friends notify you that the problem was the posting on the Lodge website of the Grand Master’s request that Arkansas Masonic license plates not be purchased by members of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas AF & AM. Other Lodges in the state made similar postings on their websites and their charters are still intact and their webmasters still honored members. Perhaps it was the sentence at the end that this was not necessarily the view of the Lodge. But you complied with the Grand Master’s edict that all members of the Lodge be notified of his ruling.
Other members get in touch with you to tell you that the Grand Master said in his visit to Sebastian Lodge to pull its charter that there were thousands of complaints received by the Grand Lodge about the website of Sebastian Lodge. They tell you that you are being charged with placing Grand Lodge and Masonic information on a public website in violation of a recent Grand Lodge ruling. You are also charged with posting Grand Lodge Resolutions to the Grand Lodge publicly.
You find this hard to believe. You have taken whatever Masonic information is posted on Sebastian’s website from three other Arkansas Lodge websites. A 1700’s lecture is really a historical document not an expose of Masonic secrets & ritual and other Arkansas Lodges have considered it so much a part of their Arkansas Masonic tradition that they have also posted it on their websites. None of them are having their charters pulled. Huntsville Lodge has ten times the Masonic information publicly displayed on its website. You had picked just a few interesting posts from this Lodge to include on Sebastian’s website. Boone Lodge, among others, has posted publicly on its website the Grand Master’s ban on license plates.
Huntsville has posted much more Masonic information publicly for a longer period of time. While you created Sebastian’s website in May of 2009, Huntsville and other Lodges have had posted Masonic information for up to 10 years. Your sources from which you copied the material you posted on Sebastian Lodge’s website included Crossett Masonic Lodge #576 F & AM and The Carroll County Mason, both of which were hosted by the now defunct Geocities. Another source was Key Lodge #7. None of these other Lodges are under indictment.
If the Grand Lodge is so concerned about electronic transmission of Masonic material why has it posted a link to Huntsville Lodge on the Grand Lodge website for years?
This makes no sense to you. The recent ruling on not posting any Masonic matter on a public website nor the use of the internet for any Masonic matters, including E-Mails was just passed at last month’s Grand Session. It was a little known resolution that received no debate and was passed with a vote made with it grouped with other matters. As secretary of the Lodge you have never received official notification of this ruling in the mail as is the usual custom. You also have not received any written notification of any charges preferred against you.
Perhaps the problem also stems from the fact that you tried to form a committee for Prince Hall recognition. But the Grand Master told you that Prince Hall did not desire to have anything to do with the Grand Lodge of Arkansas AF & AM. Recognition is ten years away if at all, you remember the Grand Master saying.
Later you are notified that the Lodge on 3/24/10 has finally received the letter of charges against you and the date for a Masonic trial. You are now back from Peru. This document should have been sent to you personally and you should have been the first person to read it. Along with the document of charges in the mail comes the official Grand Lodge notification of the ban on any and all Masonic electronic transmissions. You check with other Secretaries in other Arkansas Lodges. They have just received the same official notice of the new ruling and this is the first time they have heard of it. So it seems that you will be prosecuted for violating a ruling before it was officially put into place.
You are told the date for your Masonic trial is a date you will be on maneuvers with the Arkansas National Guard. You feel that the Grand Lodge knows that you are a member of the National Guard, knows that it is holding weekend maneuvers which require compulsory attendance and has thus scheduled your Masonic trial on the Saturday of these maneuvers deliberately. But the document is still not in your hands. Your information is second hand.
Finally the document of charges comes into your possession:
As a parting gesture you post this parting message on Sebastian’s website.
UPDATED: 27 March 2010.
SebastianLodge.Com is down for the foreseeable future.
Thank you for visiting.
We have had well over 20,000 visitors in our one year in operation. We hope that we can return and provide one of the most-visited Masonic website on the net.
Our charter was revoked for being un-Masonic as to our website. I, Derek Gordon, apologize for mentioning the order to not purchase license plates. As the order said, all members must be notified. This seemed to be a great way to get it there as many members visited.
I, being secretary, webmaster, legal domain owner, and creator of this website, never meant to upset Grand Lodge. Rather, I sought to protect our lodge because so many saw the letter as racist. I realize it was not meant to taken that way, but its poor penmanship didn’t get the proper message across. Other Arkansas lodges have the same kind of post, yet they still have their charter. Some Arkansas lodges and members have posted the entire letter from the Grand Secretary online and those two have yet to see punishment.
*REGARDING other information supplied and provided on the Sebastian Lodge website, it was all found on other Arkansas lodge websites. Some of those were created as far back as 2001; this site was created in May of 2009. I never typed a single word regarding the lectures and Masonic history. The page source-code made light of that. I posted the Masonic informatoin because it had been written by and posted on other Arkansas lodge websites for years; I thought it must be acceptable by precedent. As a Mason of 2.5 years, I was foolish to believe that if other lodges are allowed to do something (created by Masons who have been in much longer than I have), it would be acceptable for our lodge to display as well.
To my former brethren of Sebastian Lodge, I apologize to you for this instance. I felt that we were safe after finding the post on so many other sites. There’s much more to the story, but out of respect for Masonry and for the title of Grand Master and the Grand Lodge I will humbly refrain.
I further urge all Masons to support Sebastian Lodge in reobtaining its charter. By this I outline that I was doing what was seen as acceptable by precedent. The lodge itself was not involved in this directly. I am ashamed at the outcome.
Currently, I’m awaiting a Masonic trial for expulsion that I cannot make it to. It is scheduled for the weekend of April 17th, 2010 when the Military has summoned me to work. The Grand Lodge will not return my phone calls and one can only imagine the desired outcome.
Should you wish to contact me, it is possible by emailing webmaster706 @ sebastianlodge.com. I’d suggest removing the spaces around the @.
“Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.” – George Washington
Fraternally,
Derek Gordon
Former Secretary, 706
Thanks.
All this was told to me by Brother Derek Gordon whose Lodge Sebastian Lodge #706 is no more and who awaits expulsion at a very young age from the Craft he loves. This is his story in his words.
But our observations are really questions. We are perplexed. What was the rush? Why could this whole affair have not waited until Gordon returned from his trip? Why would the Grand Master not wait for a personal meeting before proceeding unilaterally? Why prosecute a Brother for posting material that was already published 300 years ago and as recently as last month on other Arkansas Lodge’s websites? Why schedule Gordon’s Masonic trial on a weekend when you (GL) were told he was on maneuvers and why have you yet to make arrangements to reschedule? WHY HAS THE GRAND LODGE OF ARKANSAS’ WEBSITE BEEN SHUT DOWN?
To those who would like to support Brother Derek Gordon we urge you not only to get in touch with him but also to voice your opinion with the Grand Master of Arkansas.
The Banks of the Euphrates–The First Year e-Book is now available!
It is finally here! I have finished putting together the free e-book that I promised to create which celebrates the first year of the Banks of the Euphrates on Freemason Information Magazine. This book features the best of the articles which were featured on the Euphrates over the past year. I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing the articles and selecting some of my favorites for this e-book and I hope that you will enjoy revisiting some of the moments from the past twelve months as well.
The book is available for download in .pdf form by clicking on the link above. Thanks for reading and I hope that there are many more years of articles to come!
Like what you are reading at the Euphrates? Email the author at euphratesblog@gmail.com to join the Banks of the Euphrates mailing list.
The second day of the Phylaxis National convention saw us get right down to work. This day and the next we were primarily devoted to presentations of papers written by learned members of a certain field. Out of all the presentations made I will feature three.
The first paper was Masonic Jurisprudence by our National President, John B. Williams, FPS. He told us that because most Grand Lodges have incorporated there has been imposed on them civil rules, regulations and restrictions that were never previously considered. Prior to incorporation Grand Lodges were restricted only by the rules that they imposed on themselves. Civil courts generally do not meddle into private concerns.
But once a Grand Lodge incorporates it is no longer a private society and is governed as the state incorporation statues specify and to which the Grand Lodge who incorporates agrees to when it signs the article of incorporation.
So what’s the big deal?
Well let’s take the common practice of Grand Masters to rule and govern by edict when the Grand Lodge is not in Session. Most Grand Lodge by-laws stipulate that the Grand Master rules in absentia. This is a Masonic tradition and how most Grand Lodges have been governed for centuries. However, in most cases, depending on the state, this is not legally correct. Most state’s corporation rules state that the corporation is governed by a Board of Directors when the Grand Lodge is not in session. Corporate rules supersede any organization’s by-laws. This means that the Grand Master cannot decide matters at all, he must refer all business over to the Board.
Some states require all corporations be governed by a Board of Directors at all times and the President (Grand Master) acts under the powers granted to it by that Board but whether that Board can delegate its fiduciary responsibilities is open to question. If so interpreted the Grand Master could, then, in some states be nothing more than a ceremonial figure head.
Secondly Williams also informed us that incorporated Grand Lodges are then subjected to corporate tax laws as applies to tax exempt corporations.
This means that there can be restrictions on fund raising
That using funds for purposes other than purposes stated could be in violation of tax law
That polling Board members by E-Mail could be a problem as the absence of a signature in corporate matters can sometimes be illegal.
In summary if a Grand Lodge is incorporated then it is now Government Protected. Final say rests with a Board of Directors and not with the President (GM). This contradicts traditional Masonic practice where the Grand Master and only the Grand Master is all powerful. Grand Lodge by-laws must conform to the state corporation laws that issued that GL’s corporate status. In essence by incorporating a Lodge or Grand Lodge is no longer a private society but becomes a public one much more readily sued.
It is good to remember that corporate law is state and (corporate) tax law is federal. The bottom line is that if a GL is incorporated it is now civilly regulated.
When we broke for lunch we all went to the Phyllis luncheon in the banquet hall. A catered lunch was followed by some presentations, recognitions and awards from our OES sisters.
The other presentation for the day which I will report on was “Prince Hall Freemasonry and the National Grand Lodge” by Alton G. Roundtree, FPS. This is a subject that is mostly of interest to just Prince Hall Freemasons and can be a very contentious sore spot.
Roundtree has done extensive research on the subject spending many weeks at the Iowa Masonic Library which houses much of Prince Hall Masonry’s archives. He wrote the book “Out of the Shadows” in collaboration with Paul Bessel. His latest book The National Grand Lodge and Prince Hall Freemasonry is the same title as his Phylaxis presentation and should be out and available in April.
Roundtree tells us that in 1847 all existing regular Negro Lodges formed a National Grand Lodge or National Compact. The controversy comes in because it is alleged that the National Grand Lodge shut down and disbanded itself, some say in 1877, others say in 1878. Later, according to the accusations Lodges and Grand Lodges who did not dissolve or who suddenly appeared claimed to be the continuation of Compact Negro Freemasonry. Some Prince Hall scholars and officials say that any restart was bogus and illegal and the Compact Lodges of today are clandestine and are not legally chartered.
Roundtree disputes these claims in a systematic point by point refutation. He asserts that the National Grand Lodge never dissolved or disbanded. At the Phylaxis Society National Convention his presentation was a power point quiz question and answer format projected on a large screen. He pointed out that many of today’s PHA Grand Lodges were formed by the Compact PHO and thus their point of origin is the National Grand Lodge. PHA, Prince Hall Affiliated,
Grand Lodges are those that broke away from the National Compact and became independent or were formed without Compact assistance after 1878. Today’s PHO, Prince Hall Origin, Grand Lodges of the Compact still exist in many states but are not as numerous as PHA. Today traditional Black Masonry is concentrated in state PHA Grand Lodges just as its Mainstream counterparts. But the few National Compact Lodges still around practice regular Freemasonry and according to Roundtree have a legitimate claim to be equal and recognized Brothers.
Before adjourning for the day a special award was presented to Dr. Robert L. Uzzel who will be the third paper presentation featured in The Third Day. He received the prestigious Harry A. Williamson Masonic Hall of Fame Award.
The Phylaxis Society’s Hall of Fame is named for Harry A. Williamson, the founder of the Harry A. Williamson Collection on Black Masonry at the Schombug Center for Research on Black Culture, the Harlem branch of the New York Public Library.
Bro. Williamson was born in New York in 1873. He was raised as a Master Mason in Mount Olive Lodge #2 in New York on March 5, 1904. He served the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York in the following capacities: Deputy Grand Lecturer, Grand Secretary, Grand Senior Warden, Deputy Grand Master, Chairman of the Diamond Jubilee Celebration, Grand Historian, and Grand Lecturer.
Bro. Williamson was a member of the Manchester Association for Masonic Research in Manchester, England; Dorsett Master’s Lodge #3366 in Poole, England; and the National Masonic Research Society of the U. S. A.
Bro. Williamson was the author of:
Freemasonry among the American Negroes (1920),
The Negro in Masonic literature (1922), Men of Mark in Prince Hall Freemasonry (1943),
and Prince Hall Primer (1956)
Uzzel is an ordained minister, a professor and PHD and a prolific Masonic writer and researcher. His record includes:
MEMBERSHIPS
Pride of Ennis Lodge #420, Free and Accepted Masons (Prince Hall Affiliation), Ennis, Texas
Dale Consistory#31, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Dallas, Texas
Zakat Temple #164, Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Dallas, Texas
AWARDS
Actual Fellow of the Phylaxis Society (1985)
1985 Phylaxis Certificate of Literature
Dr. Charles H. Wesley Medal of History
Blue Friar #92 (2003)
Founding Fellow of the Masonic Society (2008)
Harry A. Williamson Hall of Fame (2010)
After adjourning for the day and freshening up at our hotels we returned for the hospitality of the MWPHGL of Arkansas – libation, epicurean delights and fellowship. Another great day in the annuals of Masonic fraternalism.
In the wake of the most turbulent period of American History stories about the intersection of Freemasonry and the Civil War have been many and profound – fact and fiction have become impossibly merged until now. In an eloquent narrative story telling, Michael Halleran‘s new book The Better Angels of Our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War separates the dime store novel and after dinner yarns from the real and verifiable stories of the American Civil War.
Listen to the Masonic Central Podcast with Michael Halleran on his book Better Angels of Our Nature.
The reality of the The Better Angels of Our Nature could perhaps be summed to say that when looking at the past, we strive to see it in the best light we can; reality and myth blurring together becoming one. We remember what we want to remember. And as this idea filters down from those who so daringly attempt to assimilate and speak about it, the line between what really happened and its retelling becomes even further blurred. The myth of the story takes a life of its own over the reality of what happened which is lost to the memory of time. We see it in the news, in the origins of religion, and in the annals of history – the stories of the past evolving and taking on a life of their own giving them greater depth, and consequently meaning, to the both the story tellers and their audience. But truth is liberating when it comes to the fraternity and the Civil War and Halleran’s new work The Better Angels of Our Nature is a welcome does of reality from a sea of historical myth.
The Better Angels of Our Nature dissects the war in its many facets into a sensible approach to the myths of Freemasonry and its part in the Civil War, from the very top in correspondence of Grand Lodges, first about preserving the union and later to sovereignty of action, to the rank and file interaction of soldiers on the lines spared by a token, a word, or a gesture, and to the gewgaws made by prisoners of war while being held in some of the harshest of p.o.w. camps. What Halleran captures in his work is not so much the acts of mercy between soldiers (of which he details many), but the agent of that mercy – Freemasonry.
Underlying the details of the book is the idea that the power of the fraternity and its ability to transcend lines acting in a way greater than that of organized religions, such that in times where even local denominations avoided helping those in desperate need, the bonds on Freemasonry, and the invisible connection between brothers, would prevail. In one instance, Halleran details the delivery of food and necessities to prisoners, not out of the compassion of similar religion, but out of the brotherhood in the craft all on the simple sign of a gewgaw. But, as much as the Better Nature leans on the leverage of membership, it almost equally illustrates the aversion brothers had to leverage it for their benefit. And for those such as Union prisoner John L. Ransom who witnessed Masonry in action noted in his diary the things to do following the war to include: “…visit all the foreign countries that prisoners told me about…wear silk under clothing, join the masons.”
The Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial monument located in the annex of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
One of the prime examples that Halleran uses to dissect the problem of the past and illustrate the point of the layers of mis-telling is the exchange between General Armistead and Captain Bingham, to which Halleran says
“…the legend of Armistead’s dramatic Masonic death scene simply did not happen.” “There was no Masonic huddle with Doctor Bingham, ho hand-off of a Masonic bible, and no meeting with Hancock.”
General Lewis A. Armistead
All of which may come as a shock to the system to any armchair historian, but in painstaking detail, Halleran pieces together Armistead’s wounding, those closest to him, and what they said about those moments on the battlefield and the events immediately following his demise several days later.
Despite the retelling of the greatest Masonic tale of the Civil War, what Halleran does uncover are an even greater number of instances where brotherhood works to save wounded soldiers, save a family from starvation, and in one instance where the war stops for a day to bury a fallen brother in a Masonic service attended by both sides of the conflict. The Better Angels of Our Nature illustrates the profundity of the fraternity to its practitioner of the age, leaving us with the question if the modern soldier of Masonic affiliation encountered a brother across the lines, would it have the same ability to lay down hostilities to appeal to their fraternal bonds?
Halleran tells a compelling story about the fraternity and the Civil War and how The Better Angels of Our Nature have retold the stories over and over to make them more appealing and sympathetic to the ears of the audiences they were being told to, and by dissecting the facts from the years of fictionalized beliefs, the truth is much richer and comforting once the haze of time is cleared away. Truly it was the Better Angels of the Our Nature, as a fraternity, that prevailed.
The Better Angels of Our Nature by Michael Halleran is published by Alabama University Press and is Available on Amazon.
The third day of the Phylaxis Society Convention in Arkansas was one of much celebration and fellowship but also one of some very interesting presentations.
Brother Robert L. Uzzel is a very interesting Mason. He possesses a BA in Religion and Sociology, a Masters in Church-State Studies, a PHD in World Religions along with graduate work in Political Science. He teaches college courses in Religion, History and Political Science while at the same time he is Pastor of an A.M.E. Church – college professor, ordained minister, active Freemason and also a noted author. He is a Fellow of the Phylaxis Society, holder of the Dr. Charles H. Wesley Medal of History and a Blue Friar. Just the sort of fellow I like to pick the brain of.
separates the dime store novel and after dinner yarns from the real and verifiable stories of the American Civil War.
