Guarding the Gate

T.F.S.
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
Number 148 – June 01, 2009

“Freemasonry is not a fraternity of reformers; we do not take in men who are lacking in morals and values, and then reform them.” ERH

This publication, while it is printed with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of Minnesota, contains the writings and opinions of Ed Halpaus and is not in any way the opinion of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.

“The first step in successfully influencing someone to stop doing wrong and to begin to do good is to sincerely care about this person's well-being. When you have a profound concern for another person then regardless of exactly what you say, that person will experience your sincere caring. However you think and feel, that is the way you will talk. When you are motivated by sincere concern, what you say will be more conducive to effective results.” Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

Guarding the Gate!

Who’s Guarding the West Gate – is something heard in Freemasonry every once in a while; sometimes it’s not so easy to tell if it’s asked as a question we should answer, or if it’s said as a statement. Either way it’s a good phrase to ask ourselves and think about. I like what M.W. Brother Rex Hutchens says; ‘we should change our slogan to – we admit better men and make them really good men.’ In order to admit the ‘good’ or ‘better’ men of society every Freemason takes his turn in guarding the west gate; this is part of the responsibility we have to each other as Masons.

The subject of guarding the west gate generally comes up when a Mason is found to have committed some act of unmasonic conduct. The ways some will come up with to commit unmasonic conduct are too numerous to mention, so we’ll just call these acts, unmasonic.

Thinking of guarding the gate, some may wonder if the Lodge Brothers of our unmasonic Brother didn’t exercise due diligence in the selection process regarding petitions. Some might suggest that these same Brethren have a small stake in the responsibility for the act their Brother committed. This brings up something important about responsibility; we have responsibilities to each other, but not for each other.

While it may be true that some Masons don’t exercise due diligence in the selection process of a petitioner, it may also be possible that a Mason who has completed his degrees, and who was taught the lessons of Freemasonry, didn’t take them to heart. This might happen when men petition for the degrees for the wrong reasons. What seems to be true is that people change over the years, and the changes are not always for the better.

The Lodge can make a significant difference in a Mason’s life, and have a positive influence on his conduct. The responsibility we have to our Brethren and to Freemasonry to mentor, teach, advise, and warn, doesn’t end at the end of a third degree, nor is it in effect only when we’re in Lodge.

We as Masons and as members of our respective Lodges do have a responsibility ‘to’ each other; revisiting the charges and obligations of the degrees helps us in remembering this. Some Lodges in the U.S. will annually ask every member present to meet at the altar, where the obligation of the 3° is again repeated by every member. In the jurisdictions of some other countries the ‘Old Charge’ are read for the edification of everyone present at the end of every degree – both of these practices are very good customs. Our obligation does not end at the attainment of the third degree, or a ‘high’ office. Masons, the really good men, will live up to their obligation every day in every area of their life.

If we shirk our responsibility to ourselves, our Brethren, and to Freemasonry, then whatever Masonic related group we may speak of is at risk; the risk of the culture of the group changing for the worse: The group could begin to accept behavior that is not in keeping with Masonic values and ideals.

When we look at the obligations, and the degree charges, we can also look at the “Old Charges” from the premiere Grand Lodge as written by Brother Anderson, in particular article 6 [VI] ‘Of Behavior,’ and in the section #’s 2, 3, 4, 5, and the paragraph after the numbers. (The ‘Old Charges’ are available in many books and on the Internet.) #3 has to do with ‘Behavior when Brethren meet without strangers, but not in a Lodge formed.’

#3 says: “You are to salute one another in a courteous manner, as you will be instructed, calling each other Brother, freely giving mutual instruction as shall be thought expedient, without being overseen or overheard, and without encroaching upon each other, or derogating from that respect which is due to any Brother, were he not a Mason; for though all Masons are as Brethren upon the same level, yet Masonry takes no honor from a man that he had before; nay, rather it adds to his honor, especially if he has deserved well of the Brotherhood, who must give honor to whom it is due, and avoid all ill manners.” [Underlining is mine.] Freely giving mutual instruction also means to be supportive of laudable undertakings and to warn of approaching danger when a Brother is headed for unwholesome, dangerous, or unmasonic conduct.

#4 has to do with: ‘Behavior in presence of strangers not Masons,’ it says: “You shall be cautious in your words and carriage, that the most penetrating stranger shall not be able to discover or find out what is not proper to be intimated; and sometimes you shall divert a discourse and manage it prudently for the honor of the worshipful Fraternity.” [Underlining mine.]

There is much to ponder in these two passages in the ‘Old Charges.’ Regarding #4: We might at first be of the impression that this means we are to be watchful in our thoughts, words, and actions, so that none of the secrets of Masonry may be revealed or discovered, but I think there is much more to it than that: ‘Discourse’ has to do with communication of thought, this is generally thought to involve words, talk, conversation, and writing, but I submit that thoughts can also be conveyed through actions. If possible, Masons should divert unmasonic actions. ‘Intimate’ (in-ti-mate) means to make known or formally announce: Do we at times by our manifested thoughts, through words, and actions make known to the uninitiated a false impression of what Freemasonry stands for, and how Freemasons behave? When we hear of Masons who have behaved in an unmasonic manner, is this not exactly what they have been doing? – giving a false impression of Masons and Masonry.

In the fraternity of Freemasons, every member of a lodge is guarding the west gate. I’m convinced that we all want to guard it well. I’m also convinced that by living up to the obligations, charges of the degrees, and the ‘Old Charges,’ Freemasons can change for the better. Masons are expected to be more resistant to changes that lean toward the base, and unwholesome; we are also expected to encourage each other to stay away from such things. We warn each other of what we are about to do, so that we may ward off all approaching danger; There are many dangers that can ruin a Mason’s life; his family relationships, his health, his reputation, and our fraternity. As Freemasons we hold ourselves to a high standard.

Our responsibilities to our brethren don’t end at the attainment of the third degree, or at any other time; we have responsibilities to each other for as long as we are freemasons. ‘Once a Freemason always a Freemason!’

If we see a brother doing something, or about to do something that is unmasonic we know we should warn him about the danger. The question is; how seriously do we take our obligation? Do we whisper good council in his ear, and say as King Solomon does in Proverbs 6:20-35, to warn him of approaching danger, or does apathy or even acceptance take the lead?

Certain segments of society would like us to believe that what it puts forth is desirable and acceptable. A Masonic Lodge is not a microcosm of society; society and its influences should stop at the door of the Lodge, the Lodge is a respite from what society tells us. A good example of that is Brother Kipling’s poem called “The Mother Lodge;” if you don’t recall the poem, or if you haven’t read it lately, you might enjoy looking it up in a book, or on the Internet, and reading it again.

Freemasonry should be different from society because, what it stands for is not what society professes. It is in Lodge, and from a Brother that you should hear the truth; one who cares about you enough to tell you when you are making a mistake. A mistake we Masons will make at times is to allow a Brother to engage in what appears to be very pleasant, but could easily cause great discomfort later. Friends and Brothers are people who share values; Freemasons share values, and they care enough about one another to remind their brethren about Masonic values.

Masons are also the kind of men who will be vigilant in making certain that any change in the culture of a Lodge, or in any other Masonic affiliated group, will be in keeping with the values of Masonry.

Every freemason is a guard at the west gate: The design of the Masonic institution is that Masons take turns in guarding the west gate; (think of the charge of the first degree.) Masons, when not able to attend Lodge, trust that their Brethren, (who are in attendance,) will do the best they can in the selection process on petitions. Because we take turns we are all guarding the west gate. Here’s something to think about – we Masons who don’t ballot on petitions, because we can’t be at Lodge, or because we are not a member of the Lodge where the petition is presented, do ‘vote’ by having confidence in the Brethren who are eligible to ballot that they will cast a ballot that is good for the order.

Words to live by: Too many people confine their exercise to jumping to conclusions, running up bills, stretching the truth, bending over backward, lying down on the job, sidestepping responsibility, and pushing their luck.

“It is wrong to think that misfortunes come from the east or from the west; they originate within one's own mind. Therefore, it is foolish to guard against misfortunes from the external world and leave the inner mind uncontrolled.” Buddha

From the Great Light of Masonry: “He commanded them, saying, ‘this is what you are to do: You are in three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath – a third of you guarding the royal palace, a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple.” 2 Kings 11:5-6

Please remember: if you would like to participate in the latest Masonic Monday Question, please go to http://www.lodgebuilder.org and click on the Lodge Education forum. When you have an answer send it to masonicmonday@gmail.com the Masonic Monday Question for the week of 06/01/09 is: What does the title of ‘Master’ of the Lodge signify?

“Let the wise guard their thoughts, which are difficult to perceive, extremely subtle, and wander at will. Thought which is well guarded is the bearer of happiness.” Buddha
More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by Email at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to these publications just send an E-mail to erhmasonic@gmail.com with Subscribe in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publications.

“However much we guard ourselves against it, we tend to shape ourselves in the image others have of us. It is not so much the example of others we imitate, as the reflection of ourselves in their eyes and the echo of ourselves in their words.” Eric Hoffer

To read some past issues of Ed’s publications on the web go to: http://www.halpaus.net and click on the publication you would like to read.

With “Brotherly Love”,
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer

Seek to mentor a Brother Mason:
It’s good for him, it’s good for you, and it’s good for Freemasonry!

Masonic Law #13 - June 01, 2007

T.F.S.
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
By Ed Halpaus, Grand Lodge Education Officer.
Number 100 – June 01, 2007

This publication, while it is printed with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of Minnesota, contains the writings and opinions of Ed Halpaus and is not in any way the opinion of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.

“Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests; which interest each must maintain, as an agent and advocate, against other agents and advocates; but parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that is of the whole; where, not local purposes, not local prejudices ought to guide, but the general good, resulting from the general reason of the whole. You choose a member indeed; but when you have chosen him, he is not a member of Bristol, but he is a member of parliament.” Edmund Burke 1729-1797. [This quote from him is a good description of a Grand Lodge and its members too.]

Minnesota Masonic Law #13 says: “That the Master and Wardens of every Chartered Lodge are of right and inalienably representatives in, and members of, the Grand Lodge.”

This Masonic Law is similar to Brother Mackey’s listed Landmark #12: “The right of every Freemason to be represented in all general meetings of the craft, and to instruct his representatives, is a twelfth Landmark. Formerly, these general meetings, which were usually held once a year, were called general assemblies, and all the fraternity, even to the youngest entered apprentice, were permitted to be present. Now they are called Grand Lodges, and only Masters and Wardens of the subordinate Lodges are summoned. But this is simply the representatives of their members. Originally, each Freemason represented himself; now he is represented by his officers. This was a concession granted by the fraternity about 1717, and of course does not affect the integrity of the Landmark, for the principle of representation is still preserved. The concession was only made for the purpose of convenience.”

When it comes to the written law we see in the General Regulations of the Grand Lodge of England, which were adopted in 1721, and are sometimes called Anderson’s Constitutions, we read in X (10): “The majority of every particular Lodge, when congregated, shall have the privilege of giving instructions to their Master and Wardens, before the assembly of the Grand Chapter or Lodge, at the three Quarterly Communications hereafter mentioned, and of the Annual Grand Lodge too; because their Master and Wardens are their representatives, and are supposed to speak their mind.”

What is a Grand Lodge? A Lodge is a certain number Masons duly assembled with the Holy Bible Square and Compass and Charter or Warrant empowering them to work. But what makes a Grand Lodge Grand? Grand in this sense means first, principal, or most important; much in the way we use the term Grandfather, or Grand Total. It doesn’t mean Grand in the sense that the Lodge is grand being big, impressive, or beautiful.[i]

Every once-in-a-while when I’m speaking with a Brother Mason, the idea that the Grand Lodge is some separate thing way off in the big city, and detached from the average Mason will come up. One brother told me once that the Lodges in the far-flung regions of our jurisdiction feel disenfranchised by the Grand Lodge. That may sound familiar to something you may have heard.

This thinking about the Grand Lodge being a separate entity is not new it has been around for a long time. It was written about back in 1946 by Brother Elbert Bede in the Philalethes,[ii] he called it “A Mistaken Conception,” and he went on to offer two reasons for this “Mistaken Conception.”

One of the reasons Brother Bede cited for this line of thinking was that Grand Lodges for the most part called the Lodges in their jurisdiction “Subordinate Lodges,” which would indicate a subservient place for the Lodges. The Minnesota Grand Lodge, as well as in some other Grand Lodges, a number of years ago changed the wording from subordinate, because the Lodges in Minnesota, as in all Regular Grand Lodge Jurisdictions, control the Grand Lodge. So, instead of being subordinate they are in fact ‘Constituent’ Lodges. Every Grand Lodge Officer is first and foremost a member of a constituent Lodge; who meet on the level with their Lodge Brothers.

Every constituent Lodge is an important member of the Grand Lodge. In order to open a Lodge Communication there needs to be at least seven members of the Lodge present, and in order to open a Grand Lodge Communication there needs to be a majority of the member Lodges represented, or present. So if there are less then 7 members present a Lodge cannot open, and if there are less than a majority of the constituent Lodges present a Grand Lodge can’t open.[iii]

Since every Lodge in the Jurisdiction is a member of the Grand Lodge the Master and Wardens of each constituent Lodge are also members of the Grand Lodge. In fact, that is stipulated in the Masonic Law number 13 of the Masonic Laws adopted by the Grand Lodge of Minnesota on January 9, 1856.[iv] Here is what Masonic Law #13 says, “That the Master and Wardens of every chartered Lodge are of right and inalienably representatives in, and members of, the Grand Lodge.”

There are other members too, like those the Constituent Lodges elect as the elected officers of the Grand Lodge, and those who have been elected in the past, such as Past Grand Masters, and also the officers appointed by the Grand Master. These include the line officers, non line officers, Grand Lodge Representatives, and the like.

So here is the bottom line: No legislation may be enacted, no change in any law, rule, or regulation may be made, and no Grand Lodge Officer may be elected, and thus installed unless the representatives of a majority of the constituent Lodges are present to constitute a quorum. By the way, the number required for a quorum was set by the representatives of the Lodges while they were assembled as a Grand Lodge a long time ago.

The Grand Lodge Officers are powerless to proceed as a Grand Lodge unless the constituent Lodges make it possible for them to do so. As Brother Bede said in his article, “In my opinion, it might with more truth be said that Grand Lodge is subordinate to the constituent Lodges than the Lodges are subordinate to the Grand Lodge.”

The Second reason, cited by Brother Bede, that the Grand Lodge is perceived a separate entity, is that the representatives of the constituent Lodges have so frequently played such a small part in the proceedings of the Grand Lodge Annual Communications.

This is an easy thing to correct. It possibly comes from the fact that the representatives of the Lodges are unaccustomed to voicing their opinions in such a large assembly as a Grand Lodge Communication. So how do we correct this? It’s easy enough to do. For one thing, become familiar with the proposed amendments submitted prior to the Grand Lodge Communication, discuss them in your Lodge, find out what the members of your Lodge desire, write out something to say to contribute to the possibility of passing or defeating the motion, and be willing to let your fellow representatives of the constituent Lodges know what your opinion is. Another way to correct this is to become involved with the Grand Lodge in some way, and one way is to volunteer to serve on a committee.

Here is what the Minnesota Masonic Code says about Committees: “Those members of a constituent Lodge of the Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Minnesota who shall have attained the rank of Master shall be eligible for appointment on any committee. The aforementioned requirement shall be waived for Special Committees or Committees handling programs and projects set forth by the Grand Master or the Grand Lodge. The members of these committees shall be Master Masons of this jurisdiction.”

Also if there is something in the Masonic Code of our Jurisdiction, which a Grand Lodge member thinks should be corrected in some way he may draw up a piece of legislation, (the Resolutions Committee will help him with this if he would like it,[v] and our Grand Secretary will put him in touch with the committee,) and submit it so that it will be discussed and brought up for a vote at the Grand Lodge Communication.

When, and if, you see the only changes to legislation proposed are by Grand Lodge officers the reason is, no one else is doing it. The Masons we elect would prefer that the representatives of the Lodges take an active part in the workings of the Grand Lodge Communication. But as our elected representatives they also will do what we have asked them to do, and that is to continue to run our Grand Lodge effectively: If we don’t participate in the proposal process that is our choice.

The Master, and Wardens of the constituent Lodges, as well as the other Masons who are members of the Grand Lodge, control the acts of every session of our Grand Lodge. They have the power to propose, enact, or not to enact, by their approval or disapproval on any motion, or proposed legislation. We who are members of our Grand Lodge need to be active and informed on the workings of the Grand Lodge so that we may do the best job in representing our Lodge Brothers while we are in Grand Lodge convened.

Also we who are members of our Grand Lodge should know that any criticism offered by us on any action of the Grand Lodge is a criticism of ourselves,[vi] because we as Masters and Wardens of our Lodges, or having been elected as a Grand Lodge Officer, or having been appointed to a job for our Grand Lodge by our Grand Master, possibly have not done what we should have done as a member of our Grand Lodge.

One Grand Master has said at the beginning of the Grand Lodge Communication in his Jurisdiction, to the representatives of the Lodges assembled, as soon as the communication was opened, that they are the Grand Lodge. He urged them to participate and gave them every opportunity to do just that.[vii]

“Grand Lodge is not a separate entity. It is composed of constituent Lodges which, through their representatives are responsible for all its acts.” And I will add that when you as a member, or attendee, of Grand Lodge, participate as much as you are able you will enjoy the Grand Lodge Communication a whole lot more.

So who makes up our Grand Lodge, and what is the Grand Lodge? It is the governing body of Freemasonry within the Jurisdiction of Minnesota. It is composed of its officers, and its permanent members, (usually past Grand Lodge officers,) and the Masters and Wardens of the all the Lodges Chartered in the Jurisdiction, which are the Constituent Lodges of the Grand Lodge.

In the Minnesota Masonic Code, also called the Book of constitutions, the powers and duties of the Grand Lodge are listed, and it says; “The powers of the Grand Lodge are executive, legislative, and judicial; and the Grand Lodge is supreme in all Masonic matters, limited only by this constitution, which it may amend or change, as provided therein, and by the ancient landmarks. The executive powers are such as will make effective its legislation and enforce Masonic usage and custom, and shall be carried out by the Grand Master.” So all of the members of the Grand Lodge make up the group, which is the Grand Lodge, and the Grand Master carries out their wishes.

The communications of the Grand Lodge are of three types. The three types of Communications may be Annual, Special, or Occasional. I think we all know what the Annual Communication of a Grand Lodge is, because we have been talking about that.
The Grand Master may call a Special Communication at any time for the transaction of such business only as he may name in the call thereof, but no business affecting the constitution, the general regulations, or laws shall be transacted. And 30 days notice shall be given by mail of the Special Communication to each Lodge, and to each officer and past officer who is a member of Grand Lodge.[viii]

The Grand Master may open an Occasional Grand Lodge at any time or place, for the purpose of Masonic funerals, dedications, cornerstone layings, breaking ground for Masonic buildings, constitution of new Lodges, and other strictly Masonic ceremonial occasions.[ix]

So the Master, Wardens, and possibly other Brethren, of your Lodge and mine are members of the Grand Lodge, they together with all the other Masters and Wardens along with the other members of Grand Lodge work on our behalf to take care of the business of our Grand Lodge.

“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor; for we are members one of another.” Ephesians 4:25

More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title, or ‘all 3,’ in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.

“It is not the possessor of many things whom you will rightly call happy. The name of the happy man is claimed more justly by him who has learnt the art wisely to use what the gods give, and who can endure the hardships of poverty, who dreads disgrace as something worse than death.” Horace 65 - 8 B.C. E.

Exegi momentum sere perennius = [Latin] = My work is done, the memorial more enduring than brass. [Also a quote from Horace 65 – 8 B.C.E.]

From the Great Light of Masonry: “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.” Psalm 97:1 NIV

With “Brotherly Love”,
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer

To read this paper in Adobe PDF: http://www.halpaus.net/TFS100.pdf




[i] Minnesota Counselor’s Guide
[ii] Philalethes, a publication of the Philalethes Society 1946- Bro.Elbert Bede, M.P.S.
[iii] Minnesota Masonic Code
[iv] Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia 1995 edition
[v] The Secretary’s Handbook, the Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M. of MN
[vi] Philalethes, a publication of the Philalethes Society 1946 – Bro. Elbert Bebe, M.P.S.
[vii] Philalethes, a Publication of the Philalethes Society 1946 – Bro. Elbert Bede, M.P.S.
[viii] Minnesota Masonic Code
[ix] Minnesota Masonic Code

Masonic Law #9 - June 20, 2007

T.F.S.
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
By Ed Halpaus, Grand Lodge Education Officer.
Number 101 – June 20, 2007

This publication, while it is printed with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of Minnesota, contains the writings and opinions of Ed Halpaus and is not in any way the opinion of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.

“The true, strong, and sound mind is the mind that can embrace equally great things and small.” Samuel Johnson

Minnesota Masonic Law #9 says: “That a candidate for Masonry must be a man of mature age, free born, of good report, hale and sound, having no maim or defect in his body that may render him incapable of learning the art and physically able to conform substantially to what the several degrees of Masonry respectively require of him. If a candidate is unable to so comply with the physical requirements, he shall nevertheless be eligible to receive the degrees of Masonry, if, after favorable action by the Constituent Lodge, his petition for degrees, accompanied by a detailed report of the nature and extent of his disabilities, is approved by the Grand Master.”

This is comparable to Mackey’s Landmark #18 which says: “Certain Qualifications of Candidates for Initiation are derived from a Landmark of the order. These qualifications are that he shall be a man – shall be un-mutilated, free born and of mature age. That is to say a woman, a cripple, or a slave, or one born in slavery, is disqualified for initiation into the rites of Freemasonry. Statutes, it is true, have from time to time been enacted enforcing explaining these principles; but the qualifications really arise from the very nature of the Masonic Institution, and from it’s symbolic teachings, and have always existed as Landmarks.”

The ‘certain qualifications of candidates’ referred to by Brother Mackey in his Landmark 18 comes from the Antiquity Manuscript, which is dated 1686 in which the Charges for Masons allowed or accepted are listed: “Thirdly that he be made be able in all degrees freeborn of a good kindred true and no Bondsman and that he have his right limbes as a man ought to have.”

However, in the so-called Old Charges which were the charges collected by the Premier Grand Lodge and compiled by Brother Anderson in The Charges of a Freemason in article III “of Lodges,” it says: “The persons admitted members of a Lodge must be good and true Men, Free-born, and of mature and discreet Age, no Bondsman, no Women, no immoral or scandalous men, but of good report.” To me, it seems, the Minnesota Masonic Law #9 tends to go along with all of the above landmarks, but more especially with the Old Charges.

In reading some old articles of The Philalethes on the CD ROM of the First 50 years of The Philalethes: In the list of articles for 1971 I came across a very good article about this very Masonic Law written by Brother Julius W. Opheim, who, by the way, was a member of Rochester Lodge #21 and went to the Celestial Lodge Above on November 30, 1984. Brother Opheim’s article on this law is so good and detailed I thought I would reproduce it here for you to read instead of trying to report on it.

Physical Qualifications - Minnesota Concept
By Julius W. Opheim – published in The Philalethes in 1971

The problem arose because the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, when it adopted the constitution of 1856, included a clause having the effect of an ancient landmark which required that a man who wished to petition for degrees be whole and unblemished physically. This was a literal application to Speculative Masonry of the rules carried over from the world of operative Masonry. Except for a slight change in language which would make the paragraph more precise, the requirement remained unchanged in the Constitution until 1920. In the meantime, the rigid character of this provision began to bother the leaders of Minnesota Masonry who in 1915 adopted a General Regulation which would permit the acceptance of a man's petition provided that his blemishes did not interfere with his performing the physical acts called for in the ritual. This General Regulation specifically ruled out assistance by another person or the use of an artificial substitute for any member of the applicant's body. Further relaxation of the old rule was made by providing that a man who was maimed after initiation would be permitted to advance. Where a felt need for change was confronted by what was held to be immutable law, resort was made to interpretation, and this was in large part the function, over the years, of the passages in the General Regulations relative to physical qualifications. No such modification accompanied the constitutional provision as enacted in 1856 and finally, as will be seen, the Constitution would be so amended as to require no accompanying interpretative section in the General Regulations as published in the 1954 Code Book.

This survey covers in depth the years 1919 into 1969 and is based upon the Grand Masters' Addresses and the reports of committees, both ad hoc and the Committee on Jurisprudence. These are included in the annual volumes of the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge. Included within the time-span covered are the years of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War into 1969. World War I marks a kind of watershed in Minnesota Masonic history, bringing as it did war casualties who wished to become members of the Fraternity, but were barred by a clause in the Grand Lodge Constitution. Not all of the men reported in the proceedings were war victims, but the plight of those who were added an emotional impact and a heightened feeling of concern on the part of Grand Lodge members which in time led to successive modifications of the restrictive clauses in the Constitution and in the General Regulations. This survey covers a period of several years beyond the enactment of the 1951-52 amendment in order to reveal the results of the constitutional change.

In 1917 Grand Master Alfred G. Pinkham mentioned the fact that his attention had been called to physical disability. His remarks take no stand relative to the problem, and he quickly shifts his attention to his concern about mental and moral disability. No mention of the problem of disabled applicants occurs in the 1918 Proceedings.

In 1919 W.N. Kendrick was Grand Master. He was a physician and an army officer. He reported refusing a subordinate lodge permission to receive the petition of a man who had lost an arm, and then went on through three pages of fine print to criticize sharply what he felt were the irrelevance and the obsolescence of the Fraternity's barrier confronting the disabled. A few excerpts illustrate his thinking:

" - Over a quarter of a million of our boys have been wounded in a greater or less degree."

"Is the operation of our present law debarring them to be a sample of the gratitude with which we are to meet them?"

"There may have been a time in the 'operative days' when these regulations were necessary, but in the Speculative days of the science, not only are these regulations obsolete, but they are an absolute detriment to the Fraternity."

"We frankly inform our novitiate the internal and not the external qualifications of a man are what Masonry regards, and yet we have on our statute books a law debarring men for the most trivial defects."

"Not many months ago I heard M.W. Brother Louis Block, Past Grand Master of Iowa, say that he would rather see a member with a cork leg than a cork head, and I devoutly said, 'Amen"'.

M.W. Brother Kendrick’s' discussion of this problem is clear and eloquent and worth reading in its entirety. It is in the Proceedings for 1919, pages 39-42.

Grand Master Kendrick appointed a special committee of three: P.G.M. Albert Berg, Deputy Grand Master George M. Stowe, and Senior Grand Deacon Herman Held, who endorsed the Grand Master's proposal and submitted it as an amendment to the General Regulations:

"A man to be eligible for the degrees must be able to conform to all the ceremonies required in the work and practice of Masonry. The substitution of artificial parts, or limbs, for portions of his natural person shall not be a bar, provided such parts are under practical control of the petitioner. Deformities or blemishes of the natural person may or may not be disqualifications, depending upon the nature and extent of same.

"Masters and Lodges will be held strictly accountable for the observance of the Law. The Lodge has a discretion which must be exercised with care and prudence."

The Committee on Jurisprudence, in their report to this 1919 Communication said, "We have considered the report of the Special Committee on Physical Qualifications and find that as the Physical Qualifications of candidates for the degrees is a constitutional requirement, we recommend that paragraph 9 of Section 5, Article II of the Constitution be amended by adding after the word 'dismembered' in the last line thereof, the following words, 'Provided that the possession of an artificial limb or part under the practical control of the candidate shall not be considered a dismemberment'."

The proposed amendment was adopted by the Grand Lodge, and as required, laid over for final action at the next Annual Communication. As a rigid, impersonal legalism gave way to a more humane concern for man as against an institution, Masonic law was once more modified in Minnesota. The absolute requirement of 1856 had been softened slightly to admit a man with blemishes which were not related to ritualistic performance. Now a man who had mechanical parts which could enable him to take his full part in the drama was acceptable, but anything which would prevent his physically doing that which would be required of him still barred his entrance. An evolutionary process was at work, first in the thinking of Minnesota Masons and second, in their laws. The process would continue for another generation or more.

Grand Master George M. Stowe, in his address before the Grand Lodge in 1920 reported receiving several applications concerning physical disability and that in each instance he had cited the law and permitted no deviation there from. He also recalled the action of 1919, concurred with M.W. Brother Kendrick's remarks about disabled veterans, urged the Grand Lodge to proceed with caution, took a stand against amending the Constitution, and then recommended an amendment to the General Regulations which would permit, upon petition of five members of a subordinate lodge, an appeal to the Grand Master. The appeal would be accompanied by photographs of the maimed applicant and the Grand Master would have discretionary authority to issue a dispensation.

The Grand Lodge adopted the amendment which had been laid over from the Communication of 1919. Upon recommendation of the Committee on Jurisprudence, it also adopted Grand Master Stowe's suggested change in the General Regulations. Both of these actions would, at the next Annual Communication, bring about a strongly worded objection by Grand Master Stowe's successor, and would result in a change in the article in the General Regulations relative to physical qualifications.

In 1921 the Grand Master just referred to, E.A. Montgomery, reported refusing Sibley Lodge No. 209 permission to receive the petition of a man who had lost one foot. He then went on to indicate his dislike of having to view the pictures of maimed and dismembered men, and added that in his opinion the 1919-1920 amendment to the Constitution was an unwarranted change in an ancient landmark. Furthermore, he said, the General Regulation which was adopted in 1920 was inconsistent with the constitutional amendment. He suggested that the Committee on Jurisprudence clarify Section 5, Article II of the Constitution as to artificial limbs and parts, and reported that he had during the year rejected eighteen cases of dismemberment, holding them unqualified to petition for degrees.

The Committee on Jurisprudence agreed with that part of Grand Master Montgomery's address which pointed out the inconsistency just referred to, explained that the action of the previous year had been hasty, and submitted their own substitute for Article VII, Section 27 of the General Regulations. It was adopted:

"The requirements of the landmarks that a petitioner must be a man of mature age, of good report, hale and sound, not deformed or dismembered, may be deemed to be complied with if a petitioner is twenty-one years of age when he files his petition, of good character, physically and mentally sound, and if no physical defects exist which will disable him as a candidate from conforming to and meeting the requirements of the rites and ceremonies of all the degrees without assistance. Provided, that the possession of an artificial limb or part under the practical control of a candidate which enables him to take all of the positions and steps required in any of the degrees, shall not be considered dismemberment. Any impairment of the foregoing requirements occurring after a candidate's initiation shall not bar his advancement. No ruling of a Master of a Lodge nor decision or dispensation of the Grand Master can warrant any departure from the regulation laid down in this section."

The years 1919 through 1921 were a transitional period in which the Masonic leaders of Minnesota struggled to perfect a formula which would reinterpret what had long been considered an Ancient Landmark. The Grand Lodge of Minnesota, in the Constitution which was formulated in 1855 and adopted in 1856, spelled out a list of twenty-six items which were "enumerated as among the Ancient Constitutions having the force of Ancient Landmarks of the Fraternity, having as such been generally received and acknowledged by Masons." The late Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Iowa, Charles Clyde Hunt, in his treatise The Landmarks of Freemasonry, indicates that this may well have been the first compiled list of Ancient Landmarks. Whether a landmark can, by its very nature, be formally enacted into law is a moot question, and the reader who is interested may wish to consult the book just referred to as well as The History and Evolution of Freemasonry” by Delmar Duane Darrah, 33d, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois.

Be that as it may, the 1856 Constitution, Part I, Section 9 reads: "That men made Masons must be of mature age, freeborn, of good report, hale and sound, not deformed or dismembered, and no eunuch." To modify this rigid inheritance from operative Masonry so that in a more humane and productive way it might serve Speculative Masonry was the problem with which the Freemasons of Minnesota would continue to struggle for another three decades or more.

In 1922 the Grand Master makes no mention of physical disability, but the Committee on Jurisprudence is recorded as ruling ineligible a petitioner with a stiff right knee. In 1923 no cases were reported. In 1924 the Grand Master approved the candidacy of a petitioner with a severe hearing deficiency which could be corrected by the use of a hearing aid. In 1925 the Grand Master reported the instance of a petitioner who had lost his arm at the right shoulder, but who had an artificial limb with flexible fingers which could be positioned by use of the left hand. The Grand Master left the decision up to the Worshipful Master, but indicated that in his own judgment the candidate "hardly comes up to the requirements intended."

In 1927 a request for dispensation to confer the degrees on a tubercular patient in his own home was denied because of the requirement that a man be hale and sound. The Committee on Jurisprudence concurred. In 1928 the Grand Master ruled two men ineligible. One had his right arm amputated at the elbow. The other had lost the thumb of his right hand. In 1929 no cases were reported, and in 1930 there is a passing reference to "the usual number of cases regarding physical qualifications; - ".

Beginning with 1931 and continuing through 1945 there is during this fifteen-year depression and war period only one case - an amputee - reported. The Committee on Jurisprudence reported the situation and ruled that if the man had the necessary artificial arm he was, under the constitution, eligible.

The year 1947, with Judge Vernon Gates as Grand Master presiding over the Grand Lodge marked the beginning of another watershed in the history of Minnesota Masonry as the Grand Lodge struggled to reconcile the requirements of operative Masonry with the real character and purpose of Symbolic Masonry. His is the first really forceful statement as to the need for reinterpreting Freemasonry's law covering physical qualifications since Past Grand Master Kendrick made his eloquent appeal for change in 1919. Said M.W. Brother Gates in part:

"Our physical qualifications are ancient in their origin. No one was admitted to Lodges of operative Masons unless he was of mature age, good repute, hale and sound, and not deformed or dismembered. This was because operative Lodges were mutual help craft organizations. Physical qualifications were, therefore, of vital importance. Speculative Masonry, however, is a system of ethics and is concerned primarily with the inner qualifications of its candidates. "The Minnesota Grand Lodge long ago recognized this and attempted to put it into effect by providing that a candidate having an artificial limb under such control that he could take the traditional positions and steps required during initiation should not be considered dismembered. "When the provision was drafted, however, it was not anticipated that we would eventually be plunged into the most destructive war in history and that we would be sending eleven million of our finest young men to defend our way of life, and that thousands of them would come back with injuries that would disqualify them under this provision.

"As an illustration I will cite the case of a young man who suffered a severe knee injury while in service. Skillful medical care saved his leg but left him with a stiff knee. He had every qualification for Masonry except this one. Had the doctors amputated his leg and fitted him with an artificial one, he would have been admitted. I therefore recommend a revision of this section."

That is where Brother Opheim ended his article. The section regarding physical qualifications was revised into what we now have, as recorded in Minnesota Masonic Law #9.

More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title, or ‘all 3,’ in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.

“Ability is of little account without opportunity.” Napoleon

Facta sunt potentoria verbis = [Latin] = Deeds are more powerful than words.

From the Great Light of Masonry: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

To read this paper in PDF click here: http://www.halpaus.net/TFS101.pdf

With “Brotherly Love”,
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer

Masonic Law #9 - July 01, 2007

T.F.S.
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
By Ed Halpaus, Grand Lodge Education Officer.
Number 102 – July 01, 2007

This publication, while it is printed with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of Minnesota, contains the writings and opinions of Ed Halpaus and is not in any way the opinion of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.

“James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.” Galatians 2:9

This issue of 3, 5 & 7 has to do with Minnesota Masonic Law #9, as the last issue did, but this issue is not a duplicate of T.F.S. of June 20th. What I want to mention in this issue is another aspect, if you will, of that same Masonic law, and the Landmark it corresponds to. I hope you will, and I think you will, find these additional thoughts worthy of your time.

In the last issue of TFS I reported on Minnesota Masonic Law #9 and how this it was changed to accommodate men who had a physical maim or defect when they wanted to take the degrees of Freemasonry. I also included a paper written back in 1971, published in the Philalethes, written by Brother Julius Opheim explaining what led up to the change in law and why.

After the June 20th issue of 3, 5 & 7 appeared one Brother mentioned how someone he knew was granted dispensation from the Grand Master so he could take the degrees and what a good Mason he has been for his Lodge and also for the fraternity. This is the reason the law has been changed, so that Grand Masters can give a dispensation which will allow good men to become Masons. But the question will arise about whether the Master of a Lodge should ask the Grand Master for permission to confer degrees only if there is a petitioner who has an amputation or a maimed limb or would there be other times when permission should be asked for? What about when a petitioner for the degrees of Freemasonry has other physical limitations, such as a disease, illness or injury that might hamper his ability for physical activity? Some of the illnesses and injuries that come to mind could be heart disease, back problems, bad knees, paralysis of a limb, being deaf or mute.

The reason these questions might come to mind is because of a part of the wording in Masonic Law #9 and also in Landmark #18.

Masonic Law #9 of the GL of Minnesota

(9) That a candidate for Masonry must be a man of mature age, free born, of good report, hale and sound, having no maim or defect in his body that may render him incapable of learning the art and physically able to conform substantially to what the several degrees of Masonry respectively require of him. If a candidate is unable to so comply with the physical requirements, he shall nevertheless be eligible to receive the degrees of Masonry, if, after favorable action by the Constituent Lodge, his petition for degrees, accompanied by a
detailed report of the nature and extent of his disabilities is approved by the Grand Master.

When we take a closer look at the qualifications in Masonic Law #9 we will see the phrase; hale and sound, having no maim or defect in his body that may render him incapable of learning the art and physically able to conform substantially to what the several degrees of Masonry respectively require of him.

Hale and Sound has some interesting meanings: Hale, means being whole, but it also means being free from disease or bodily infirmity, being robust and / or vigorous. Of course, it also means being free from injury, which means being unhurt, or sound. Sound means being free from disease, bodily injury etc. By the way, Infirm, which was mentioned in the definition of ‘Hale’ means not firm, solid or strong. It also means being feeble in body or health; physically weak, enfeebled, or faltering. You will notice that Hale and Sound mean much the same thing; this is typical of Speculative Freemasonry where a couple of words are used that are different but have the same meaning; for instance, ‘to always hele and forever conceal.’

Some Masons think about that part of Minnesota’s Masonic Law #9 and how we mostly think about missing limbs and inability for a man’s limbs to work the way we would like them to. But it also seems to me that if a man has an illness that would prevent him from taking all three degrees in the usual way maybe we should ask the Grand Master for approval in that instance too. I have been at Lodges where candidates have had severe back problems and also real bad heart problems where accommodations were made in the degrees, and I often wonder if the Grand Master was informed and asked for approval as it says in Masonic Law #9. People get preferential parking permits to hang in their windshields for all sorts of reasons, both external and internal, so should we ask for permission to give a petitioner different or special accommodations when conferring degrees?

The Masons who bring this up and wonder about it mention this to stimulate thought about complying with the Masonic Laws, Rules, and Regulations that are contained in the Constitution of the various Grand Lodges, and hopefully to stimulate discussion about Freemasonry and some of the things it is concerned with. They also think Lodges should comply with the Laws etc. enacted by their Grand Lodge. An old rule in business is that if there is something in a contract that is meaningless or is going to be ignored it should be removed from the contract: By the same token if there is something in a Masonic Code, or Book of Constitutions, that Lodges think should be changed the Master or Wardens of the Lodge, who are inherently members of their Grand Lodge, could write a piece of legislation to present at their Grand Lodge annual communication and see if the other members of Grand Lodge would vote for it and thus change the Constitution.

It is being knowledgeable about the Book of Constitutions, and complying with all of the written and unwritten laws and customs of Freemasonry that adds to the enjoyment of our Fraternity. Also it is being willing, if you are a member of your Grand Lodge, to write a piece of legislation to add to or change a part of the Masonic Laws in the Book of Constitutions that will give the member a chance to be involved in his Grand Lodge, to have the opportunity to present his legislation and see if it passes or fails. This active participation by the members of Grand Lodge is the kind of thing that will make sure the Book of Constitutions continues to be relevant in the years to come.

“As we advance in life, we learn the limits of our abilities.”
Froude – Short studies on great subjects.

More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title, or ‘all 3,’ in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.

“Behind an able bodied man there are always other able men.” Chinese Proverb

Inest misericordia structor = [Latin] = Compassion belongs to the mason

From the Great Light of Masonry: “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees: Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”
Hebrews 12:12-13

To read this in PDF: http://www.halpaus.net/TFS102.pdf

Please remember: if you would like to participate in the latest Masonic Monday Question, please go to http://www.lodgebuilder.org and click on the Lodge Education forum. Past Masonic Monday Questions and the current one may also be read on the Web Site for the G.L. of MN at www.mn-masons.org under Masonic Monday Q&A When you have an answer send it to masonicmonday@gmail.com This weeks question is:
What is the symbolism of the fourth point of fellowship?

More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title, or ‘all 3,’ in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.

With “Brotherly Love”,
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer

Masonic Law #14 - July 20, 2007

T.F.S.
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
By Ed Halpaus, Grand Lodge Education Officer.
Number 103 – July 20, 2007

This publication, while it is printed with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of Minnesota, contains the writings and opinions of Ed Halpaus and is not in any way the opinion of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.

“When I say ‘think small’ I do not mean you to be small minded or petty or parochial. I mean that you should focus your ambitions on those things that you can do something about, namely, about yourself and the things over which you have some degree of control: Your temper, your manners, your morals, your habits, your soul.” Rev. Peter J. Gomes

Way back in November of 2005 our then Deputy Grand Master of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons of Minnesota asked me if I would write a series of articles on the Ancient Landmarks.” I was willing to do it, of course, and after our good Brother was elected and installed in the Grand East the articles began to appear in T.F.S., or 3, 5, & 7 as some prefer, and which T.F.S. stands for. This issue is a continuation of those articles on the Landmarks of Masonry and of the Minnesota Masonic Laws.

I’m very glad I was asked to do this, because it solidified the fact that I liked to study the rules, customs, laws, landmarks, and jurisprudence of Freemasonry; it really is interesting to study. I wasn’t surprised, because I always did enjoy reading in the Masonic Code, (Book of Constitutions,) and learning from all the information contained there.

Because of these articles and my interest in these subjects I really like it when a question comes my way that relates to them: So, I was quite fortunate when a question came up a while back that, to me, was really interesting.

The question had to do with, except in a new Lodge at its first election, a Mason cannot be elected to the office of Master of a Lodge until he has been elected and served as a Warden. The question was: “Can a Brother who was elected and served as a Warden in another jurisdiction be elected to the office of Master without holding the office of Warden in the jurisdiction of his current membership?”

This question has to do with Minnesota Masonic Law #14, which states: “That no one can be elected Master of a chartered Lodge, except at its first election, but a Master Mason who shall have served as warden.”

We have the question and we have the Masonic Law, we also have the rules, customs, Landmarks, and the old charges of Freemasonry to look to for the answer to the question. Unfortunately there is no Ancient Landmark, as enumerated by Mackey, which this particular Masonic Law can be compared to for more light on the question.

However, there is something similar in the "Old Charges," which had to do with the Lodges in London: In the Old Charges[i] approved in 1722 in Article IV "Of Masters, Wardens, Fellows, and Apprentices:" It says in part; "No Brother can be a Warden until he has passed the part of a Fellow Craft[ii]; nor a Master, until he has acted as a Warden; nor Grand Warden, until he has been Master of a Lodge; nor Grand Master, unless he has been a Fellow Craft before his election." Here, as in the Minnesota Masonic Law, the rule applies to being a Warden and subsequently a Master of a Lodge under a particular jurisdiction where the Lodge has its charter. The Premiere Grand Lodge, which was formed in 1717, set the rule, custom, and president, about a Mason serving first as a Warden before he can be elected to serve as Master.

Another part of Article IV of the Old Charges also says in part: “All preferment among Masons is grounded upon real worth and personal merit only; that so the lords may be well served, the brethren not put to shame, nor the royal craft despised; therefore no Master or Warden is chosen by seniority, but for his merit.” this might be another subject for a future issue of T.F.S., but it does reinforce in my mind that a Mason who is elected to the office of Master of his Lodge ought to have enough time as a Mason, and officer, in his Lodge and jurisdiction to become totally familiar with the ritual and ceremonies of his Grand Lodge jurisdiction as well as the Laws, Rules, and Customs of his Grand Lodge, so he can be the best he can be when serves as Master. Masons don’t expect the impossible from the Master of their Lodge, they just want him to do the best job he can do, with the able assistance of some learned Brethren.

“The chess board is the world; the pieces are the phenomena of the universe; the rules of the game are what we call the laws of nature. The player on the other side is hidden from us. We know that his play is always fair, just, and patient. But also we know, to our cost, that he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance.”
Thomas Henry Huxley

One more thing I’d like to mention on this general subject of Masonic Laws, Ancient Landmarks, Customs, and Rules, is that here in Minnesota during the installation of the Master of a Lodge he is told by the installing officer that “the Book of Constitutions [the Masonic Code] you are to search at all times. Cause it to be read in your Lodge, that none may pretend ignorance of the excellent precepts it enjoins.” The reason this is included in that part of the ceremony of the installation of the Lodge officers, it seems to me, is to make certain that no one does something that will violate the Masonic Code in the jurisdiction because of ignorance of what the code contains. It is a duty of the Master to have it read in his Lodge regularly, because there is a lot of good information contained in the Masonic Code that make a lot of sense and it is very helpful to know.

A very good way for this to be accomplished by the Master is to delegate the responsibility of this task to the Lodge Education Officer and his Lodge Education Committee. It seems to me that there must be at least one brother in a Lodge who is interested in the Masonic Code or Jurisprudence enough to be willing to perform this small duty to help his Lodge and his Brethren; the LEO should seek him out and ask him to help and then put him on the education committee.

More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title, or ‘all 3,’ in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.

“Living a life is like constructing a building: If you start wrong, you’ll end wrong.”
Willie Bady Jr.

Consuetudo pro lege servatur = [Latin] = Custom is observed as law

From the Great Light of Masonry: “One and the same Law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is native-born Israelite or an alien.” Numbers 15:29 NIV

Please remember: if you would like to participate in the latest Masonic Monday Question, please go to http://www.lodgebuilder.org and click on the Lodge Education forum. Past Masonic Monday Questions and the current one may also be read on the Web Site for the G.L. of MN at www.mn-masons.org under Masonic Monday Q&A When you have an answer send it to masonicmonday@gmail.com This weeks question is:
What does the word Libertine signify? Why cannot a Libertine become a Mason?

More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title, or ‘all 3,’ in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.

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With “Brotherly Love”,
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer
[i] Also at times referred to as Anderson’s Constitutions.
[ii] Our Worshipful Brother Laurence Dermott, of the ‘Anctient Grand Lodge’ wrote regarding this: “The Wardens are chosen from among the Master Masons.” Dermott also made considerable and important changes in this Old Charge, as did Worshipful Brother Anderson, himself, in his 1738 edition of the Charges, or Anderson’s Constitutions of 1738: The changes referred to bring forward that Master Masons constitute the craft, that the Master Mason degree is a requirement for office.