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Jim Tresner, 33°, G.C.
P.O. Box 70,Guthrie, Oklahoma 73044–0070
Book Reviews Editor, The Scottish Rite Journal
This issue of the Journal contains many stories
of heroes who were Masons. I always enjoy reading such biographical
accounts not only because I find them inspiring but also because
the men whose lives are chronicled deserve both praise and recognition.
But there is another important aspect. While these heroes are
or were Masons, Freemasonry itself is heroic.
Think, for a moment, of what Freemasonry teaches as its fundamentals
for being a fully developed human being: a belief that death is
better than dishonor; the importance of acting for good whatever
the personal consequence; having concern for the welfare of others
before your own; being the personal guardian of the honor of your
nation; keeping a sense of the sacred and of history; unending
opposition to tyranny in any form-political, religious, or intellectual;
dedication to civilization and to civilized behavior; understanding
that friendship is sacred; taking responsibility for your actions;
a belief that truth matters.
And this is naming just a few of Freemasonry's tenets.
Now compare that list with the actions of the people who have
been hailed as heroes and heroines over the centuries. Sound familiar?
R. William Weisberger, Wallace McLeod, S. Brent
Morris, eds., Freemasonry on Both Sides of the Atlantic,
950+ pages, $85.00, Columbia University Press. Members of the
Scottish Rite Research Society (SRRS) are eligible for a prepublication
price of $30.00; $33.33 to non-SRRS Members.
This special price includes the standard 10% SRRS
member discount. Non-SRRS members may purchase this book at a
prepublication cost of $33.33. All books are mailed from the Supreme
Council, and U.S. mailing is free ($23 additional per book if
foreign), but orders must be placed by no later than April 15,
2002. To join the Society ($30 Annual Membership; $500 Life Membership
for individuals only), send checks payable to Scottish Rite Research
Society to: Scottish Rite Research Society, 1733 16th Street,
NW, Washington, DC 20009-3103. Books will be shipped six to eight
weeks after the ordering date deadline.
In many ways, this remarkable book fits into the
theme of the heroic nature of Freemasonry. The names of the editors
are too well known in Masonry for comment here, except to remark
that they are some of the best Masonic scholars in the world.
The book begins with a series of essays, and then moves to a remarkably
comprehensive history of the Fraternity. It is a collection of
32 articles by first-rate scholars. Part I deals with Freemasonry
in Scotland and England. Part II discusses key aspects
of the Craft in Europe. Part III views Masonry and anti-Masonry
in the United States. Part IV surveys major themes relevant
to Freemasonry in Mexico. Part V deals with Masonic Libraries
and Bibliography.
Let me tempt you with a few of the titles of individual
articles: Canongate Kilwinning Lodge; Freemasonry and Music in
Eighteenth Century Edinburgh; UNESCO of the Eighteenth Century,
La Loge des Neuf Soeurs and Its Venerable Master, Benjamin
Franklin; The Masonic Revival in Russia, The Poet Pushkin at Issue;
Inventing Tradition and Freemasonry, The Craft and the Arabs.
There is much more.
This is a costly book and will retail for $85 when
it is published by Columbia University Press. However, it will
be worth this price, and it is a virtual give-away at the prepublication
cost of $30 for SRRS members and $33.33 for non-SRRS members if
ordered during this prepublication promotion. See information
above. I have already asked my Grand Lodge Library (Oklahoma)
to order a copy. It's worth joining the Scottish Rite Research
Society just to get the discount, let alone the other great benefits
of Research Society membership! But to receive the book at the
prepublication price, the order must be received by April 15,
2002.
It's a great book and a great deal. Highly recommended.
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