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Jim Tresner, Grand Cross
In the introduction to Volume 12 of Heredom, editor
Ill. Brent Morris, Ph.D., 33°, GC, writes, “Freemasonry
does not exist in a vacuum. Too often we find writings about
our fraternity that treat it as if it were something separate
from the rest of the culture in which it exists. This is like
studying an insect in a glass jar and thinking you understand
it. This volume of Heredom has some exciting papers that study
Freemasonry as part of larger Society.”
Indeed it does. If you are not familiar with Heredom,
it is the hardback book issued annually, containing papers submitted
to
the Scottish Rite Research Society. It is, quite simply, the
best Masonic research being done and printed on a consistent
level. You get it FREE with a membership, and the membership
costs next to nothing––certainly less than you would
pay for the book, not to mention the annual bonus book you also
get free. Here is a quick overview of the articles in
this volume.
“David Bernard’s Light
on Masonry:
An ‘Anti-Masonic
Bible’” by Ill. Arturo de Hoyos, 33°, Grand Archivist
and Grand Historian of the Supreme Council, 33°. Those who
know the writing of Ill. de Hoyos know they are in for a treat.
Light on Masonry is an exposure from 1829—one of those
curious books that printed Masonic ritual in plain text and was
sold to the general public as a way of attacking the fraternity.
They generally have footnotes decrying some word or phrase as
pagan or—at least—unchristian. It’s a practice
rather like quoting the line “An apple a day keeps the
doctor away,” with a note that the line proves the person
who said it is a witch practicing herbalism.
But Bernard’s book reached a large audience and did some
damage to the Fraternity. This article does an excellent job
of painting a picture of Bernard’s world with the events
both inside and outside the Craft, that set the stage for the
publication.
“The Supreme Council’s Library & Museum: 1801–1939” by
Heather K. Calloway. Ms. Calloway is Coordinator of Library and
Museum Services and Director of Internships at the Supreme Council,
33°, S.J. She recounts the story of the growth of our library
and museum from the status of unloved stepchild to crown jewel,
including the story of our first really great Librarian, Ill.
William Llewellen Boyden, 33°. You get a fascinating look
behind the scenes. Space limitations make me give this article
short shrift here, but I promise you will enjoy reading it.
“Theatrical Interpretations of the Indispensable
Degrees” by
Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett. This article is laden with great illustrations,
several in color. This is the fascinating story of how the presentation
of the Scottish Rite degrees evolved from a lodge room to a stage,
using all the modern theatre techniques of the 1800s. More than
one serious writer has suggested that a major reason for the
growth and strength of the Scottish Rite was the use of theatre.
This compelling article recounts some of the doubts and tensions,
the enthusiasm and cries of treason that accompanied the transition
of the degrees to the stage. It is highly informative and a lot
of fun to read. And it is a very good example of Dr. Morris’s
opening point about the interaction between the fraternity and
society at large.
This image from Wendy
Waszut-Barrett’s article “Theatrical
Interpretations of the Indispensable Degrees,” from Heredom,
vol. 12, depicts scenery used in the 32° to represent the
voyage to the Holy Land by crusaders. “Business and the Brethren: The Influence
of Regalia Houses on Fraternalism” by Harriet W. McBride. This is, in a sense, a companion piece to Mrs. Waszut-Barrett’s
article, for the two major elements of staging the Degrees were
the scenery
and the costumes. In addition to costumes, of course, some regalia
houses specialized in the haberdashery of the Fraternity, including
Knights Templar uniforms and fittings. There are some interesting
illustrations of theatre props from the 1800s, but the real story
is the organization of the companies selling Masonic regalia
and how they fared. It is a fascinating story.
“The Esoteric Rosicrucians: The Beginnings
of the O.T.O. in North America” by Ill. Martin P. Starr,
33°. Speaking of
fascinating stories, this has all the excitement of a spy thriller,
added to a witch (or warlock) hunt. In the late 1800s and early
1900s a strange fusion of Masonic tradition (but not Masonry),
Theosophy, Eastern religion, and the assumed sexual magic of
the gnostics produced some unique hybrids in both England and
America. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was one, and O.T.O.
(Ordo Templi Orientis––Order of the Temple of the
Orient) was another. These organizations for men and women flourished
for a time and produced some remarkable characters. If you think
that Masonic titles are sometimes a bit grandiose, consider Aleister
Crowley, who styled himself “Baphomet XI°, Supreme
and Holy King of Ireland, Ionia, and all the Britains that are
in the Sanctuary of the Gnosis.” Ill. Starr has done a
fine job of unraveling the many strands of the net that caught
some of the most prominent people of its time.
“Tales From a Trunk: Edwin A. Sherman, A
Masonic Whirlwind” by
Bro. Jay M. Kinney, 32°. Bro. Kinney is one of my favorite
writers, and this article is a treat. Speaking yet again of fascinating
characters, Ill. Edwin A. Sherman, 33°, GC, has to be near
the top of the list. The article begins: “For decades,
an old trunk full of crumbling letters, clippings, certificates,
and other ephemera sat unnoticed in the back of a closet in the
office of the Library at Oakland Scottish Rite.... Although he
is little known at present, in the nineteenth century Sherman
cut a wide swath, helping to found numerous Scottish Rite Bodies
along the Pacific coast, authoring several books on Masonic history
and allying himself with a notorious defrocked Catholic priest
who alleged that the Jesuits were behind Abraham Lincoln’s
assassination. And most peculiarly, Sherman ended up sharing
his gravesite with another man’s wife and the preserved
heart of a Mexican Masonic ‘martyr.’ ” Surely
that is enough of a tease to make you want to read this remarkable
article. You won’t be disappointed.
“Rediscovered Recollections on the Life of
Albert Pike” by
Ill. Bros. Dick E. Browning, 33°, & James Graham, 33°. Our Arkansas Brethren have been doing a truly remarkable job
of restoring and decorating the Albert Pike Temple in Little
Rock. One unexpected benefit was the discovery of past issues
of The Masonic Trowel, the newspaper of Arkansas Masonry from
1887 to about 1918. This article contains a history of the library
and of Ill. George Thornburg, 33°, who edited the paper for
33 years. It makes a great story, but, even more, The Masonic
Trowel contained memories of Albert Pike written by the people
who had known him best. Some of the material is reproduced here
and confirms all the positive things later generations have said
about this great Mason. I hope the Brethren turn the article
into a book. I’ll be one of the first to buy it.
“In Search
of an Identity: The 1877 Convent of the Grand Orient of France” by
Ill. Michel L. Brodsky, 33°. This article
perfectly illustrated the editor’s opening comment about
the importance of seeing Masonry in its social context. Most
of us find discussions of regularity between Grand Lodges about
as engrossing as yesterday’s newspaper, but this is a rip-snorter
of a saga. The author takes us into the incredible convolutions
of French society as it goes from a kingdom, through the horrors
of the Revolution, through the Empire of Napoleon, and into the
chaos following. Imagine a Grand Lodge, in constant threat of
being declared an illegal organization, having to adjust its
ruling documents to everything from a monarchy to a republic
to an empire and back again. The Grand Orient of France has paid
a high price for survival, and this article shows us the twists
and turns that it has had to negotiate. This is a really great
and insightful piece.
“Knights and Heroines of Jericho, Good Templars,
and True Kindred” by
Bro. Paul Rich, 32°. Depending on where you live, you never
may have heard of these organizations, or you may belong to one.
It’s possible to make the case that the smaller Degree
systems are even more influenced by change in society than is
Freemasonry itself. Bro. Rich traces the history and development
of the degrees in the title but, as he points out, the trail
often turns into myth as you look. But it is an important story,
connected with prohibition, the Temperance movement, and the
continual pressure to create Masonic organizations in which women
can participate. These share a common basis in the “Jericho” stories,
and the article sheds a lot of light on what had been obscure.
Even if you know nothing about the organizations involved, I
think you will find the article well worth reading. Almost everyone
loves a puzzle.
“An Encapsulated Look at the Development
of Freemasonry in the United States of America,” by Ill.
Richard W. Van Doren, 33°. Like most of us, I knew that Masonry
came to this continent while we were still colonies and that
Washington and his friends
were Masons. I knew that Masonry moved west along with the settlers.
That was about it. I hadn’t thought much about how Masonry
actually spread and developed in the United States, until I read
this article. Ill. Van Doren tells us up front that a full discussion
would have to be much longer, but this is the best overview I’ve
seen on the ways in which the Fraternity spread across the land,
following the migrations of people and serving as a sort of informal
binding that helped keep things together. This article will give
you food for thought for a long time.
 David
Lee “Tex” Hill, 33°,
and Major Reagan Schaupp, USAF, Tex Hill: Flying Tiger, foreword
by Brigadier General Robert L. Scott, Jr., USAF
(Ret.) San Antonio: Universal Bookbindery, 2003, hardcover, 322 pages, numerous
photographs and illustrations, available at Amazon.com for $19.77
Ill. Bro. Hill is one of the great heroes of the
Second World War. (See the related article.) His autobiography,
as related by his grandson, is engrossing for the typical reader;
for the military buff, it is meat and
drink. Enhanced by numerous photographs and personal memories,
the story unfolds across
various branches of the service and theatres of war. Aerial combat was still
in its technological infancy when the Flying Tigers hurled their aircraft into
battles that would determine the fate of nations. The author is modest in his
writing, but the fact is Ill. Hill was an enormously important factor in the
war, not just because of his combat and leadership skills, but because he inspired
morale in the Allies. Here is the story of the Flying Tigers by the man who
made it happen. You’ll find the book hard to put down.
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Jim Tresner,
Valley of Guthrie, Okla., is the Director of the Masonic
Leadership Institute; Editor of The Oklahoma Mason,
Member of the Steering Committee, Masonic Information Center;
Director of Work in Guthrie; and author, among other books,
of Albert Pike: The Man Beyond the Monument and
Vested in Glory: The Regalia of the Scottish
Rite.
Contacts: Grand
Lodge of Oklahoma, P.O. Box 1019, Guthrie OK 73044; Tel.
405-282-3212; Fax 405-282-3244;
okmasonmag@hotmail.com |
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