C. James Graham, 32°, K.C.C.H.
5315 Timber Creek Circle, North Little Rock, Arkansas 72116
jamesgraham@comcast.net

The commitment of speculative Masons today should match the dedication of the operative masons who built St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Interior of St. Paul's Cathedral, London; Photo: Bro. C. James Graham, 32°, K.C.C.H.

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting London, and while there I returned to St. Paul's Cathedral. I had visited the cathedral on previous occasions, but I am always drawn back to this beautiful structure. It is a place of striking beauty and reverence. The first St. Paul's Cathedral was built in 604 A.D. on the site of the present structure. The Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed the early building. After the Great Fire, Sir Christopher Wren, a noted architect and Freemason, was commissioned to design a new edifice. The first service was held in the new church on December 2, 1697, but the entire structure was not completed until 1710.

St. Paul's is of particular significance to Freemasons. The visiting Brother will immediately note the black-and-white marble squares forming a checkered pavement on the ground floor of the cathedral. Also, as an American, I was impressed by the American Memorial Chapel in the apse, a memorial to the Americans who died in World War II. But, the most extraordinary part of St. Paul's Cathedral is surely the magnificent dome in the center of the cross-shaped edifice. One of the largest cathedral domes in the world, it rises 365 feet above the floor and weighs 65,000 metric tons. You can climb the almost 700 steps to the top of the dome for a magnificent view of London.

On the day of my recent visit, I was walking down London's busy streets toward the cathedral. A couple of blocks away from the church, I noticed a large crane at work moving steel beams and erecting a new building. A few minutes later, standing inside the cathedral and looking up at the dome, I was awestruck by the commitment of the operative masons who built that structure. I suddenly realized they had no crane. The stones which form the enormous, impressive dome were all shaped appropriately and then carried by hand the almost 40 stories to the top. The commitment of those stonemasons to their work is obvious to this day.

That visit has certainly made me reflect on our commitment as speculative Masons. Our work doesn't involve the construction of buildings but, instead, centers of self-improvement and charity for others. Albert Pike, in Morals and Dogma, said it this way: "The practical object of Masonry is the physical and moral amelioration and the intellectual and spiritual improvement of individuals and society." (M&D, p. 218) Our speculative Masonic work isn't as obvious as building a cathedral, but the work is perhaps even more important. The stonemason who carried the stone 700 steps to the top of the dome of St. Paul's was dedicated to his work. Let us be as committed to our important speculative work as our ancestors were to their operative work. If we are committed and dedicated to our Masonic mission today, we will leave a legacy that will extend beyond the limits of our lives, just as St. Paul's stands today as evidence of the commitment of the operative Mason of yesteryear.

C. James Graham is a pediatric emergency medicine physician and the Associate Medical Director of the emergency department at Arkansas Children's Hospital. He is a Past Master of Albert Pike Lodge No. 714, Little Rock, Arkansas, and currently serves as High Priest of Fay Hempstead Chapter No. 144, Royal Arch Masons, in Little Rock. He is a member of the Valley of Little Rock, Arkansas, where he serves as chairman of the Eagle Scout committee.