Masons in the Line

[Dale Beasley]

Re: Masons in the Line

Brothers,
I have wanted to add my thoughts on proper-period wearing of tokens.....I am....... by no means an expert on this subject....however I believe Brother Pat Craddock has done homework on this ....If he would.......give us proper guidelines on proper wearing of our tokens....... I am of,

J. M. Wesson Lodge #0317

[BrianHicks]

Re: Masons in the Line

No I think what Brian is saying that you did a comparison of annual reports from the Grand Lodges of each State, that maintained suitable records for his study.

You are correct sir.

[Bushrod Carter]

Re: Masons in the Line

Bro. Beasley,

I will be happy to post that again...but will have to pull out all the old notes. Too many other things going through the old noggin right now.

This is my new favorite topic of authentic discussions.

Also, all Brothers will be interested in a very special announcement that I hope to make within the next few weeks...something none of you will want to miss!

Patrick Craddock

[Bushrod Carter]

Re: Masons in the Line

Wish I had that thread we had on the old AC site...some good info there.

Patrick Craddock
Me, just to lasy (or without enough time) to rewrite

[BrianHicks]

Re: Masons in the Line

Bro. Patrick,

I concur sir. If memory serves me correctly, that thread had grown to about 7 pages in length, and had an enormous amount of information pertaining to Brethren in the ranks.

Is it possible for Mr. Calloway to recover selective threads from the old forums?

[Barry Smithson]

Re: Masons in the Line

Bro. Beasley,

I will be happy to post that again...but will have to pull out all the old notes. Too many other things going through the old noggin right now.

This is my new favorite topic of authentic discussions.

Also, all Brothers will be interested in a very special announcement that I hope to make within the next few weeks...something none of you will want to miss!

Patrick Craddock

Brother Patrick,

Now I feel like I waiting for the 11 o'clock news after this tease! I anxiously await your announcement!

Nathaniel Greene Lodge No. 45, F. & A.M.

[Matthew.Rector]

Re: Masons in the Line

Bro. Beasley,

I will be happy to post that again...but will have to pull out all the old notes. Too many other things going through the old noggin right now.

This is my new favorite topic of authentic discussions.

Also, all Brothers will be interested in a very special announcement that I hope to make within the next few weeks...something none of you will want to miss!

Patrick Craddock

Pat,

Did that research get posted again? I wanted to make sure I didn't miss it in another thread or link! I'm very interested in reading it!

Morrison Lodge #76

[Possum Skinner]

Re: Masons in the Line

Gentlemen,

I am not a member, but I have been considering it for a while. I have my grandfather's, great-grandfather's, and great-great-grandfather's aprons, rings, and other such items tucked away in a little cedar chest, including dues slips paid all the way back to 1883. (Dues were $2.00 a year that year.)

I also ran across an interesting account in Confederate Echoes by Albert T. Goodloe. ISBN 0-89201-105-x Originally copywritten in 1893.

This incident occurred when capturing a company of the Ninth Ohio Cavalry near Decatur, Alabama in April of 1864.

" It seemed that in our hurry to get back across the river we were about to go away without the captain, when Col. Ives learned that he and one or two other officers were quartered in the family residence. Taking a small guard with him, Col. Ives, lantern in hand, rushed into the room where they were, finding them still asleep, notwithstanding what had just transpired in the barn lot. He aroused them from their slumbers and dreams of conquest and Rebel scalps to the wakeful consciousness of the fact that they were in the gentle grasp of chivalrous Southrons. The captain made the Masonic sign of distress, thinking that his life was in immediate peril. Col. Ives answered that he was in no danger of personal violence, but that his prescence was needed instanter within the Rebel lines.
While in Northern Alabama, quite a number of us were members of the Buford Lodge of Masons, for which a special army dispensation had been granted, took the Chapter and several degrees at Courtland, where the chapter was of which Mr. Baker was High Priest. We regarded this as a rare opportunity of advancing in Masonry, and Mr. Baker, a very thorough Mason, in assisting us in our preparation for the several degrees, which had to be taken in unusually quick succession, as we were not long in Courtland. Besides taking the Chapter degrees myself, I also took the following side degrees offered by Mr. Baker: Monitor, Knight of Constantine, and Holy Virgin. These last were taken April 19. The Chapter degrees- Mark Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and Royal Arch- were taken April 21 and 22.
We enjoyed out army Masonry very much, and frequently had meetings of our Lodge. Capt. Martin was our Worshipful Master, and could conduct the work of the Lodge as well as anyone I ever saw. We could always get the use of a Masonic Hall when we were camped near where one was, and the local members took special delight in meeting with us; the war, however, had scattered most of the Lodge members.
It was a very frequent occurence with wounded soldiers on both sides, who were Masons, to give the signal of distress, and doubtless it often secured help when it could not have been otherwise obtained. Yankees and Rebels were on common ground when they met as Masons. Of the Yankees, we heard that a great many of them joined the Masons upon their enlistment in the army, for the protection and attention it might afford them when taken prisoners by us, or when left wounded on the battlefield after their line had been driven back. If their were Southern soldiers who were thus moved to become Masons, it never came to my knowledge."

Goodloe was 1st Lt. of Company D, 35th Alabama Infantry.

He wrote these memoirs after the war and he has a very decided Southern bias on many things, and his book tends to be very choppy, but I thought you might be interested in that section.

[Bushrod Carter]

Re: Masons in the Line

Brothers and interested parties,

Here are a few passages from "House Undivided" about how and where Masons wore identifying badges:

Pg 49: “…he pointed to a Masonic pin in Colonel Raynor’s shirt-bosom.”

Pg. 54: “…observed a Masonic pin on the bosom of Colonel Wood….” This I am assuming to also mean on his shirt, as the colonel had been wounded and was being treated by a “enemy” doctor.

Pg 58: “…the coat-sleeve of one of them was torn during the struggle, and her eyes fell upon a breast-pin that he had fastened upon his shirt sleeve, perhaps for concealment and safety.” This is an interesting story about a young lady who, while struggling with Federal soldiers in an attempt to protect her recently captured brother, say the token and then gave the grand hailing sign! The account continues, “During the early part of the evening, there was a meeting of the Masonic members of the company at the captain’s quarters. Where the girl was examined, and found to have passed all the degrees in masonry, to that of Master Mason. Where or how she had acquired these degrees, she declined to say. She and her brother had been in the United States but about ten weeks, having come from Ireland for the purpose of purchasing a farm, intending when they had done so, to send for their mother and younger brother. The boy did not know that his sister was a mason, and only knew that his father, when living, was a Master of a lodge in their native town in Ireland.” Sounds like a poorly tiled Lodge to me!

Pg. 79: “I wore on the lapel of my coat, a small Masonic breast-pin, merely to be fashionable with (other) Masons.…”

Pg. 105. The Major of the 3rd R.I. Infantry, while meeting a Confederate officer under flag of truce, noticed something on the “enemy’s” uniform that caused him to remark, “I suppose by the tools you carry I have the honor of meeting a Craftsman, as well as an enemy in war?”

Pg. 118: “While adding him he noticed a Masonic emblem on the shirt of…”

Pg 125: After the fighting at Antietam, a picket from the 5th N.H. Infantry was called by a wounded Confederate soldier just outside his post. The wounded soldier was “handed a little slip of paper, on which he had evidently with great difficulty, succeeded in marking some mystic sign with a bit of stick wet in blood. The soldier begged to hand the paper to some Freemason as soon as possible, and he took it to….”

And these from “Befriend and Relieve every Brother: Freemasonry during Wartime” by Richard E. Shields, Jr.

Pg. 13: “…he saw that he wore a Masonic emblem on his coat.”

Pg. 24: “The major wore a small Masonic breast-pin which was the fashion of the Masons in the Northern Army at that time.”

Pg. 38: “The Mason spied the square and compass emblem on his attackers breast.”

Pg. 41: “,,,after awhile one of them noticed Bosang’s Masonic ring.”

Pg 43: “…he noticed the Masonic square and compasses on his watch chain.”

Pg 48: “Early in his Masonic career the patient had had painted (tattooed?) on his arm the square and compasses designating his Masonic affiliation.”

Pg. 51: “…noticed a Masonic ring on a portrait of the plantation’s owner’s son.…”

[CaptainUCSB]

Re: Masons in the Line

Maybe this has already been posted and I missed it, but what exactly DO the Masons do? All we ever hear are the bad things they are accused of and the arguements that these were conspiracies.

I want to know, what positive things did Masons do in the 19th Century and what positive things do they do now? Do they raise money for charities? Do they help society in any way other than a bunch of guys getting together to have fun?

Nobody ever seems to talk about what the Masons really do or really did during the 19th Century. Maybe some of you can shed some life on it for me.

Thanks.

[BrianHicks]

Re: Masons in the Line

Let us start with a quote...
"To relieve the distressed is a duty incumbent on all men, but particularly on Freemasons, who are linked together by an indissoluble chain of sincere affection. To soothe the unhappy, to sympathize with their misfortunes, to compassionate their miseries, and to restore peace to their troubled minds, is the great aim we have in view. On this basis we form our friendships and establish our connections."
- from Illustrations of Masonry, p. 72, William Preston, (1772)

Grasping the subtle nuances of the interlocking relationships of Masonic organizations is a simple task compared to cataloging their expenditures. As Professor Lipson observed, "Masonic charity was secret unlike civic charity whose administration made the entire town privy to the needs of each recipient." Thus a researcher can only capture the data from formally organized and public Masonic activities, but even this doesn't tell the whole story.

For example, the Masonic Service Association quietly oversees a Hospital Visitation Program with a goal that every V.A. Hospital in the United States have a Masonic volunteer working with patients. How can a value be placed on the more than 500,000 hours a year spent on this work? It just can't be done! The best that can be achieved is to catalog that fraction of Masonic philanthropy that happens to be administered on a formal basis and to rest content in the knowledge that Masons today, as always, are seeking to provide relief for suffering humanity.

In 1990 American Masonic Philanthropy was $525 million or $1.4 million per day. It has been estimated that for 2000, formal American Masonic Philanthropy will probably exceed $2.00 million per day!

In finishing the list below, I find myself overwhelmed with the size of the list, so I will summarize it first. If you need help or knowledge in any of the following areas, then consult the list below for the location of the place to help you.

Childhood language disorders
Treatment for birth defects
Scholarship and direct grants to children and grandchildren of Scottish Rite Masons as well as to members of DeMolay, Job's Daughters, Rainbow for Girls, and other Masonic youth groups
Research on diabetes
A summer camp for underprivileged children
Arteriosclerosis research
Christmas Day Dinner for the Des Moines community
Cancer research
Training awards for religious leadership and those making religious work their career
A museum and monument to our first President (a Mason,by the way)
Grants to students at in Schools of Government and Business
Administration and International Affairs
Dental care for handicapped children
Scholarship assistance to nursing students
Geriatric research
Child development for good citizenship and sound character for boys and girls
Out-patient services for cancer treatment
Low cost education loans
Eye surgery and prescription glasses
Treatment for cancer patients and cancer research support
Masonic Hospital Visitation Program for V.A. Hospital volunteers
Research in heart disease, cancer, aging, hypertension, and blood substitutes
Meeting and performance facilities at the International Peace Garden
A clearing house on Masonic information
Education of youth about drugs and alcohol
Ohio Special Olympics
A non-denominational chapel for mediation and religious services
at the International Peace Garden
Research into the causes and treatment of schizophrenia and related disorders
Research into auditory perception disorders in children
A Georgia children's medical Center
A museum and library focusing on our American heritage as well as Freemasonry's role in the history of our country
The first public library in the District of Columbia
Scholarships and fellowships for Ph.D. candidates in Public School Administration
Support for students seeking degrees in fields associated with service to country and humanity Orthopedic services to children through a network of 22 hospitals and treatment for burns victims at four burns centers
Support for the Muscular Dystrophy Association
A provider of new shoes for needy Tennessee and Alabama children
An orthopedic, neuralgic, and child development hospital in Texas
Operates a clinic for dyslexic and aphasia disorders in children
Provides needy homeless children in the school district with clothing and toiletries

The following is a listing of these American Masonic Charities included in the above:

Abbott Scottish Rite Scholarship Program
Provides direct grants to children and grandchildren of Scottish
Rite masons, as well as members of DeMolay, Job's Daughters, Rainbow Girls,
and other Masonic youth groups.

Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, N.M.J.
P.O. Box 519
33 Marrett Road
Lexington, Massachusetts 02173
(617) 862-4410


Amaranth Diabetes Foundation
(Supports research on diabetes)
The Supreme Council, Order of the Amaranth
Mrs. Ethel B. Fry, Supreme Secretary
2303 Murdoch Avenue
Parkersburg, West Virginia 26101
(304) 485-0423 or (304) 428-1565


Camp Chicota
A summer camp for underprivileged children
Grand Lodge of Louisiana, Prince Hall Affiliation
1335-37 North Boulevard
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821
(504) 387-0996


Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation
Supports arteriosclerosis research
Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation
Marion K. Crum, Executive Secretary
Route 4, Box 301
Nashville, Indiana 47448
(812) 988-8655


Des Moines Masonic Christmas Day Dinner
Provides Christmas Day Dinner for the community
Masonic Christmas Day Dinner
Masonic Temple
1011 Locus Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
(515) 244-6011


Eastern Star Cancer Research Project
Supports cancer research
General Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star
1618 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009-2578
(202) 667-4737


Eastern Star Training Awards for Religious Leadership
Supports those who are making religious work their career
General Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star
1618 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009-2578
(202) 667-4737


General Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star
Supports the Peace Chapel at the International Peace Garden which
provides a non-denominational chapel for meditation and religious
services
General Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star
1618 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009-2578
(202) 667-4737


George Washington Masonic National Memorial
A museum and monument to our first President (and a Mason)
George Washington Masonic National Memorial
101 Calahan Drive
Alexandria, Virginia 22301
(703) 683-2007

George Washington University Grants
Provides grants to students in the Schools of Government and
Business Administration and International Affairs and matching
grants for graduate students
Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Southern Jurisdiction
1733 Sixteenth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009-3199
1-800-SR MASON

Grotto Dentistry for the Handicapped Program
Provides dental care to handicapped children
Supreme Council, M.O.V.P.E.R.
34 N. Fourth Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 463-9193

Illinois Scottish Rite Nursing Scholarships
Provides scholarship assistance to nursing students throughout
the State of Illinois
Illinois Scottish Rite Fund
Illinois Council of Deliberation
915 N. Dearborn Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
(312) 787-7605

Indiana Masonic Home Foundation
An endowment which supports the Indiana Masonic Home, a retirement
and convalescence center. Located on 360 acres, is home for over
400 residents.
P. O. Box 44210
525 North Illinois Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46224-0210
(800) 277-4643

Indianapolis Scottish Rite Foundation
Supports geriatric research at the University of Indiana Medical School
Indianapolis Scottish Rite Bodies
650 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-1294
(317) 635-2301

International Order of Job's Daughters
A organization for girls between the ages of eleven and twenty who
are relatives of Master Masons
Supreme Guardian Council, International Order of Job's Daughters
233 West 6th Street
Papillion, Nebraska 68046
(402) 592-7987

International Order of Rainbow for Girls
A organization for girls between the ages of eleven and eighteen
who are daughters of Masonicor Eastern Star families
or friends of such girls
International Order of Rainbow for Girls
P.O. Box 788
McAlester, Oklahoma 74502
(918) 423-1328

Kansas Masonic Oncology Center
Provides out-patient services for cancer treatment
Kansas Masonic Foundation
320 West 8th Street
P.O. Box 1217
Topeka, Kansas 66601-1217
(913) 357-7646

Knights Templar Educational Foundation
Provides students with low-cost education loans
5097 Elston Ave, Suite 101
Chicago, Illinois 60630-2460
(312) 427-5670

Knights Templar Eye Foundation
Supports eye surgery and prescription glasses
P.O. Box 579
Springfield, Illinois 62705-0579
(217) 523-3838

Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center
Provides treatment for cancer patients and supports research
Masonic Cancer Center Fund, Inc.
1700 West Highway 36, Suite 120
Roseville, Minnesota 55113
(612)639-8433

Masonic Hospital Visitation Program
Provides Masonic volunteers to work with patients at Veterans
Administration and military hospitals
Masonic Services Association of the United States
8120 Fenton Street
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
(301) 588-4010

Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, Utica, New York
Supports research in heart disease, cancer, aging, hypertension,
and blood substitutes
2150 Bleeker Street
Utica, New York 13501-1787
(315) 735-2217
(website)

Masonic Memorial Auditorium, International Peace Garden
Provides meeting and performance facilities for visitors
Grand Lodge of North Dakota
201 14th Avenue North
Fargo, North Dakota 58102
(701) 235-8321

Masonic Services Association of the United States
Serves as a clearing house for Masonic information

National Masonic Foundation for the Prevention of Drug and Alcohol
Abuse Among Children
Supports education for youth about drugs and alcohol
1629 K Street N.W., Suite 606
Washington, D.C. 20006
(202) 331-1933

Ohio Special Olympics
The Masonic Grand Lodge of Ohio sponsors every Ohio Special Olympian at these games
Grand Lodge of Ohio
P.O. Box 629
Worthington, Ohio 43085-0629
(614) 885-5318

Order of DeMolay
A fraternal organization for boys between the ages of thirteen and
twenty-one; its purpose is the encouragement and development of good
citizenship and sound character
International Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay
10200 N. Executive Hills Boulevard
P.O. Box 901342
Kansas City, Missouri 64190-1342
(816) 891-8333

Research In Schizophrenia
Supports research into the causes and treatment of schizophrenia and related disorders
Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, N.M.J.
P.O. Box 519
33 Marrett Road
Lexington, Massachusetts 02173
(617) 862-4410

Royal Arch Research Assistance Program
Supports research into auditory perception disorders in children
General Grand Chapter, Royal Arch Masons International
111 South 4th Street
Danville, Kentucky 40423-0489
(606) 236-0757

Scottish Rite Children's Medical Center in Georgia
Provides generalized and specialized services to children
Scottish Rites Children's Medical Center
1001 Johnson Ferry Road, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30363
(404) 256-5252

Scottish Rite Museum of Our National Heritage
A museum and library focusing on our American heritage as well as
Freemasonry's role in the history of our country
Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, N.M.J.
P.O. Box 519
33 Marrett Road
Lexington, Massachusetts 02173
(617) 862-4410

Scottish Rite Supreme Council Library
The first public library in the District of Columbia which today
serves the general public as well as international Masonic scholars
Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Southern Jurisdiction
1733 Sixteenth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009-3199
1-800-SR MASON

Shepherd Scholarship
Supports students seeking degrees in fields associated with service
to country and humanity

Shriners Hospitals for Children and Shriners Burn Institutes
Provides orthopedic services to children through a network of 22
hospitals and treatment for burns victims at three burns centers,
also provides specialized medical services for spinal cord injuries,
and cleft palates.
Direct phone to Shriners Hospitals for Children (USA) 800-237-5055
Shriner Headquarters
2900 Rocky Point Drive
Tampa, Florida 33607
[USA - (800) 282-9161 ] [Canada - (800) 361-7256] [All other areas
call collect - (813) 281-0300]

Tall Cedar Foundation
Supports the Muscular Dystrophy Association
Supreme Forest, Tall Cedars of Lebanon
2609 N. Front Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110
(717) 232-5991

Tennessee and Alabama Scottish Rite Shoe Program
Provides new shoes for need Tennessee and Alabama children
Chattanooga Scottish Rite Bodies
510 Uptain Building
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37411-4031
(615) 855-0175

Birmingham Scottish Rite Bodies
400 Valley Avenue
Birmingham, Alabama 35209-3899
(205) 942-2687

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
Provides orthopedic, neuralgic, and child development services to
children in Texas
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
2222 Welborn Street
Dallas, Texas 75219-9982
(214) 521-3168

Masons Assisting Children (MAC)
Provides needy homeless children in the school district with
clothing and toiletries
Masons Assisting Children
2200 West Mesquite
Las Vegas, Nevada 89106

Scottish Rite Foundation
Operates a clinic for dyslexic and aphasia disorders in children
Scottish Rite Foundation
2200 West Mesquite
Las Vegas, Nevada 89106

[BishopLynch]

Re: Masons in the Line

Mr. Hicks,
I was wondering if you had any information about the Alta Vendita. Since you are a 32nd Degree Mason, I was just curious.

[BrianHicks]

Re: Masons in the Line

The previous post didn't even mention the Shriners and their many Hospitals.

As one Shriner put it, "We can't put a price on what we do for these children so we do it for free!"

For those living in Mexico, the US or Canadian, these hospitals are pretty well known. What is not always known is that all Shriners are Masons! There are 22 hospitals throughout the United States: three for treatment of burns and 19 which address crippled children's medical problems.

The first Shriners Hospital opened in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1922 and the first Burns Institute opened in Galveston, Texas in 1966. To date, the Shriners have spent over $3 billion dollars on hospital operating costs and over $7 million on construction and renovation.

The number of children helped to date is nearing 550,000 and all care is free! The one department which is never found in a Shrine Hospital is a billing department. Funds for this come from gifts, bequests, income from the endowment fund, hospital fund-raising events, and the annual hospital assessment paid by every Shriner (of which there are approximately 600,000).

[BrianHicks]

Re: Masons in the Line

Re: the Alta Vendita:

All I know of it, is what I just found via a quick on-lin search. Prior to this, I'd never heard of it before. At first glance, it appears to be yet another of the several documents that appeared in that era, which obviously discredit Freemasonry.

Another quick search through the Anit-Masonic web sites and I found a few other referances to it.

I give little credence to such items, as I consider myself to be a rather diligent Christian, and in my Masonic experiances I have never encountered anything that has given me reason to pause, nor have I ever encountered anything Masonic that is in opposition to my Christian upbringing, and my personal Christian beliefs.

Contrary to what some say, Freemasonry is not a Religion. It does not teach any religious doctrine, and certainly doesn't have anything within it that is in opposition to Christianity.

Now... there are many nay-sayers and anit-masonic people out there. Their websites are easy to find, and they can be very persuasive. But as one who is involved in Masonry, I can only tell you from my personal experiances, I have never seen, heard, learned or encountered any of the anti-Christian stuff attirbuted to Masonry by many of its critics.

[Tenthtexas]

Re: Masons in the Line

Brother Hicks,
one of the questions asked was what significance did the Masons provide to the 19th Century. Everything given so far is all of their recent and current activities. This being a historical forum, would yoiu please offer some history to the forum on Mason of the 19th Century, particularly during the War of Northern Arrogance.
On the forum we want to maintain its historical integrity and the focus of this forum.

Thank you.

Art Milbert
Co. G, 10th Texas

https://www.westernindependentgrays.org