Free and Accepted Masons Dover, N. H. October 2016 Organized Under Dispensation December 20, 1889 Chartered May 21, 1890

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1 MOSES PAUL LODGE #96 DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE Free and Accepted Masons Dover, N. H. October 2016 Organized Under Dispensation December 20, 1889 Chartered May 21, 1890

2 October Calendar Event: Square and Compass Date and Time: Thursday October 6 th 6:30 pm at the Lodge Dress Code: Casual Cost: Usually less than $10.00 Description: Monthly fellowship dinner. Spaghetti Dinner Who can attend: All Masons and Guests Event: State Wide Masonic Open House Date and Time: Saturday October 15 th, 9 am- 3 pm Dress Code: Jacket and tie for Guides Cost: Usually N/A Description: Masonic Open House, tours and introduce the public to Masonry Who can attend: Public event All are welcome! Event: Visitation to St John s Lodge #51 in South Berwick Maine Date and Time: Monday October 17 th Dinner at 6:30 Lodge opens at 7:30 pm Dress Code: For all jacket and ties and aprons Cost: Usually less than $10.00 Description: Special invitation to attend St John s Lodge #51 Official DDGM Visitation and Inspection. A MM degree will be done that night. Who can attend: All Master Masons Event: Stated Meeting Date and Time: Thursday October 20 th Lodge opens at 7:30 pm Dress Code: For all jacket and ties and aprons Cost: Donation for collation Description: Monthly business meeting and program Who can attend: EA s and above

3 District 5 Calendar Event: Visitation Unity Lodge #62 Union NH Date and Time: Tuesday October 4 th Lodge opens at 6:15 pm Dinner at 6:30 pm, Work resumes at 7:30 pm Dress Code: For all jacket and ties and aprons Cost: Usually less than $10.00 Description: Official DDGM Visitation Who can attend: All Master Masons Event: Winnipesaukee Lodge Breakfast Buffet Date and Time: Sunday October 16th 7:30 am-11:00 am at Winnipesaukee Lodge in Alton NH Dress Code: Casual Cost: $10.00 Description: Famous Breakfast Buffet Who can attend: Public event All are welcome! Event: Visitation Winnipesaukee Lodge #75 Alton NH Date and Time: Tuesday October 18 th Lodge opens at 6:15 pm Dinner at 6:30 pm, Work resumes at 7:30 pm Dress Code: For all jacket and ties and aprons Cost: Usually less than $10.00 Description: Official DDGM Visitation Who can attend: All Master Masons Event: Visitation Humane Lodge #21 Rochester NH Date and Time: Monday October 24 th Lodge opens at 6:15 pm Dinner at 6:30 pm, Work resumes at 7:30 pm Dress Code: For all jacket and ties and aprons Cost: Usually less than $10.00 Description: Official DDGM Visitation Who can attend: All Master Masons Event: Masters and Wardens/ Masters Class Date and Time: Tuesday October 25 th 6:30 pm-8:30 pm at Moses Paul Lodge #96 Dover, NH Dress Code: Casual Cost: $5.00 for refreshments Description: Masters and Wardens monthly meeting and Masters Class- Topic TBD Who can attend: All Master Masons

4 Grand Lodge Calendar Event: Masters Mason Seminar Date and Time: Saturday October 22 nd 9:00 am -3:30 pm Nashua NH. Dress Code: Jacket and tie and aprons Cost: $25.00 Description: Master Mason Seminar. Who can attend: All Master Masons

5 Moses Paul Lodge #96, Dover, NH Officers & Appointments for 2016 Worshipful Master: David Akridge Senior Warden: John T. Pond, Jr Junior Warden: Wor. George McGee Treasurer: Adam M. Hughes Deputy Treasurer: Secretary: David Martinelli Deputy Secretary: Representative to Grand Lodge: Richard Lapointe Chaplain Wor. Kristopher G. Furtney Asst. Chaplain Wor. James S. Miller Senior Deacon: Robert P. Johnson Jr Junior Deacon: James E. Lewis Marshall: Wor. Donald Meserve Senior Steward: Brett Cossaboon Junior Steward: Michael P. Couturier Tyler: Richard Lapointe Organist: Lodge Ambassador: Historian: David Akridge Finance Committee: Jean L. LaBrack Trustees of Charity Fund Wor Kristopher Furtney 2016 Wor. James S. Miller 2016, & 2017 John T. Pond, Jr. 2016, 2017, &2018 Widow s Program Chairman: Vincent R. Puleo John T. Pond, Jr Gates: #1-, Richard Lapointe #2-, #3-Wor. Donald Meserve Representative to Evergreen Place: Kevin M. Schultz Building Assoc. Representatives: Richard Lapointe Adam M. Hughes Robert P. Johnson Wor. Robert Corsetti Public Affairs Officer: Wor. Kristopher G. Furtney Lodge Care Taker: Richard Lapointe Web Master : John T Pond, III

6 MASTER S MESSAGE As expected our fall is in full swing. Worshipful Furtney, Brother LaPointe and I were in attendance at the District 5 Lodge of Instruction. Notwithstanding the fact that these are usually scheduled for a Friday or Saturday night the program put on by the District and Grand Lodge officers was a good one. We had a great outing to Worshipful Furtney s Farm and it was well attended for a Saturday. Thanks to Worshipful Furtney for hosting this great event. Most of you may have heard that Rt. Worshipful Brother Lee Fisher passed away in early September. Many of us knew him and he was certainly a pillar of Strafford Lodge and the William Pitt Tavern. He will certainly be missed by not just Strafford Lodge but all New Hampshire Masons. Worshipful Miller, Brother Lapointe, our Senior Warden John Pond Jr, and I were all able to attend the Strafford Lodge Visitation where Rt. Worshipful David Cumming provided a remembrance of Rt. Worshipful Fisher. It will not be the same for me in going to Strafford Lodge and not seeing Lee at his Secretary s desk organizing and keeping all Lodge officers square and true. Finally, Rt. Worshipful David Spiller, Brother Dick LaPointe and I were able to represent Moses Paul Lodge #96 at the re-dedication

7 of the cornerstone at the NH State House on Saturday September 24 th, I would guess that 300 Masons from all over the State of New Hampshire were able to take part in the exact ceremony performed by Masons 200 years ago. There will likely be photos of this event on the Grand Lodge Website. All of these events have had at least one moment or time where the true cornerstones on Masonry are evident. At the LOI we had a great presentation about the symbolism in degrees. At Worshipful Furtney s farm, all we were able to experience our fraternal relationships over a meal in a tranquil setting. During the Strafford Lodge Visitation, we were able to reflect on the passing of a good Mason and receive more light by our DEO, Worshipful Dennis Tuttle, Jr. about the difference between a rod and a staff as well as the biblical references in the Bible to our Ritual. And finally, Rt. Worshipful Cumming was able to provide a memorial to Rt. Worshipful Fisher. At the Cornerstone Ceremony, we were once again treated to the dedication of a public building in the very same service that dedicated our countries Capitol and thousands of public buildings throughout our country. I hope that in the coming months that we might see more of each of you at a Square and Compass, Stated meeting or one of the many Visitations coming up in the District between now and the end of the year. I promise you the opportunity for further Light.

8 A Masonic Thought My Masonic Ring by Ed Halpaus Grand Lodge Education Officer Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of Minnesota My Masonic Ring By Worshipful Brother Quentin M. Blackstone From a not remembered source "What lodge are you from," the man behind the counter queried? I had said nothing to indicate my affiliation with the Masonic order. "Oh, you're a Mason! a young man exclaimed, "My father is a Mason." Again I had made no mention of my belonging to the Fraternity. The tell-tale culprit, I knew, was the Masonic ring on my right hand ring finger. Wearing my Masonic ring has for me become as much a statement of pride as of fashion; it is also, a source of inspiration for others and myself. I received this Masonic ring from my Lady as a Valentine's Day gift. Mine is a simple ring. Made of yellow gold, it has a red oblong stone inlaid with the square and compasses with the letter "G". A trowel and plumb adorn alternate sides of the ring. It's quite distinctive. I have seen the beautiful and elaborate settings of diamonds, birth stones, and other precious gemstones. For my fashion sense, I like the quiet elegance of my Masonic ring. I wear my Masonic ring daily. I wear the ring with a sense of pride because I am proud to be a Mason.

9 As the above examples indicate, people see my ring and ask about it. Usually the individual already knows about Masonry, recognizes the emblem, and makes a comment. As a nurse, I work in nursing home facilities. I have been amazed at how a Masonic ring inspires memories of Masonry in the elderly. Residents will recognize my ring and spontaneously recount their experiences. I met one man, who rarely spoke to anyone, and he eyed me suspiciously as I approached him with his scheduled pills. Suddenly a smile came to his face as the man sat up in bed and pointed to my new Masonic ring. Then, he pointed to his Masonic ring which was worn smooth with age. He began a conversation about attending lodge meetings. His smile showed that he took great joy and pleasure in being a Mason. At another nursing home, there was the man who, upon finding that we were fraternal brothers, looked for me daily, at 2:45 pm as I came on duty. He would always wave and say hello. And he and I would talk Masonry. Almost every time that I passed his doorway he would have something to say about Masonry. I would have to pull myself away from the discussion to do my work. One particular woman, I was told, did not like men. It was expected that she might not take her pills from me. Standing at her doorway, I could see her lying on her bed facing the opposite wall. I knocked on her door and announced that I had her scheduled pills. The woman made no attempt to move. Out of habit, I reached over her prone position to show her the pills in the small paper cup. "Oh, you're a Mason!" the woman exclaimed with as much pleasure as surprise. She turned and looked me in the eye with a smile, saying, "My husband was a Mason." I was in Eastern Star, of course," she said matter-of-factly. The tone of her voice changed to a softness and friendliness that led me to believe that she felt safe. Even though she did not know me, she did know that I was a Mason.

10 In one facility, a young man working as a nursing aide simply stated "You're a Mason, I see." pointing to my ring finger. I gave him a "What is Masonry" brochure. He was inspired by my ring to make comment which inspired me to spread the word about Masonry. In this manner, my fashionable ring is, also, my appropriate advertisement for the fraternity. Finally, in a fast food restaurant, a young male worker said to me, "You're a Mason, I'm a DeMolay." That statement immediately launched us into a discussion that concluded with his admission that his desire was to join the Masons as soon as he comes of age. It is this kind of recognition between Masons and DeMolays that fosters these young men to enter our fraternity. I like wearing a Masonic ring for the combined effect of a fashion statement and my pride as a member of this fraternity. I also, enjoy the unexpected fellowship derived from memories of Masonry elicited by my ring in the elderly at nursing facilities. To non- Masons my ring encourages the interest in Freemasonry. This is how Masonry unites all mankind in fellowship. This is how Masonry advances the fraternity. This is how we are identified as Masons. This is my Masonic ring.

11 Greetings Brethren A Word from the West. Brother John T. Pond Jr. The Fall season is shaping up to be as busy as ever! We have many important events in the coming months and your Lodge needs your support. There are inspections, and Visitations, Veterans night, Halloween, Dine around club, and the annual meeting for election of officers and the Lodge of Sorrows, as well as meetings to discuss changes to our bylaws to bring us in line with the revised Grand Lodge Constitution that will be adopted in November If you missed our September Stated you missed a great time of fellowship as we who were there were given a chance to say what masonry has meant to each of us and what was the most memorable event we had in Masonry. Every mason in the Lodge including visitors gave their thoughts. It was a time to behold! So what are your thoughts about masonry and how has it affected your life? As you can see by the event calendars there are lots of events for you to attend! Come out and support your Lodge and your brothers! Fraternally John T. Pond, Jr. bears123@comcast.net

12 The Trowel WHAT IS... Freemasonry is the oldest and largest world wide fraternity dedicated to the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of a Supreme Being. Although Freemasonry is not a religion, it urges its members, however, to be faithful and devoted to their own religious beliefs. Masons, when asked such a question, will give different answers, in their own words, based on their own perceptions, experience and education. The most common answer is "a peculiar system of morality, based on allegory and illustrated with symbols". The lessons Freemasonry teaches through its ceremonies are to do with moral values (governing relations between people) and its acknowledgement, without in any way crossing the boundaries of religion. All Freemasons are taught that any duties which they have as a Freemason come only after their duties to family, work, and faith. In no circumstances should their membership interfere with these aspects of their lives. Freemasons feel that these lessons apply just as much today as they did when it took its modern form at the turn of the 17th century. Another way of explaining, What Freemasonry is, is to detail what it is not.

13 FREEMASONRY AND RELIGION: Freemasonry is not a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion, and it does not allow religion to be discussed at its meetings. Its essential qualification opens it to men of many religions, and it expects them to continue to follow their own faith. All Freemasons are required to profess and continue in a belief in a Supreme Being. It has no theology, nor sacraments, and it does not claim to lead to or offers no answers on matters of salvation, as these are the preserve of churches. All Freemasons are encouraged to find answers to such questions through their own faith, religion and church. Members are urged to respect the teaching of their own faith and not to allow Freemasonry to infringe, in any way, on the member's duty to their mosque, church, synagogue, etc. For this reason Lodges in Christian countries do not meet on Sundays. Lodges within Jewish communities do not meet on Saturdays and Lodges with a predominately Muslin membership will respect the Holy Days of that faith. FREEMASONRY AND POLITICS: Freemasonry is not a political organization, and it will not comment on, nor offer, opinions as to competing forms of Government. Freemasonry is non-political, and the discussion of politics at Masonic meetings is forbidden. The reason for religion and the discussion of politics at Masonic meetings are expressly forbidden stem from Freemasonry's aims to encourage its members to discover what people from all different backgrounds have in common. SECRECY: Freemasonry is not in any way a secret society despite what many people claim. Freemasonry's so-called secrets are solely used as a

14 ceremonial way of demonstrating that one is a Freemason when in Lodge meetings; that is, its traditional modes of recognition. Like many other societies, it regards some of its internal affairs as private matters for its members. Other reasons why Freemasonry cannot be called a secret society are that Freemasons do not promise to keep their membership secret. All members are free to acknowledge their membership, where and when Freemasons meet are matters of public record (you can look up Masonic centers in telephone directories) and our Constitutions, rules, principles and our aims are readily available to the public. It is ironic that because Freemasons used to be reticent about their membership, as they were and still are taught never to use it to advance their own interests, critics have taken this the wrong way and think that there is something secretive going on. Nothing could be further from the truth. FREEMASONRY AND SOCIETY: Freemasonry demands from its members a respect for the law of the country in which a man works and lives. Its principles do not in any way conflict with its members' duties as citizens, but should strengthen them in fulfilling their private and public responsibilities. The use by a Freemason of his membership to promote his own or anyone else's business, professional or personal interests is condemned, and is contrary to the conditions on which he sought admission to Freemasonry. His duty as a citizen must always prevail over any obligation to other Freemasons, and any attempt to shield a Freemason who has acted dishonorably or unlawfully is contrary to this prime duty.

15 Secretary s Desk Thank you to all who have paid their dues on time! There are still 12 that have not paid to date! Please make every effort to pay these quickly as the Lodge depends on this money to be able maintain our building and pay the bills. If you can t afford your dues or have other issues preventing you from paying them please contact me or any officer, we may be able to work out a solution. When was the last time you came to a meeting? We as your officers know that your time is valuable and should not be wasted! The meetings are fun and informative. Can t remember the signs or you don t feel you know anyone, don t worry, we are all brothers and will greet you with open arms. This month s education article is The Sponsor/Mentor and don t miss the Trowel Article What is... Please visit our website for upcoming events. The District 5 Calendar at: %40gmail.com NH Grand Lodge Web site at: Webmaster: dovermasons@nhfreemasons.org Facebook: NOT RECEIVING THE TRESTLE BOARD BY ??? If you would like to get it as soon as it comes out and save the Lodge a stamp send your address to bears123@comcast.net

16 MASONIC EDUCATION THE SPONSOR/MENTOR his duties and obligations to his candidate and, ultimately, the craft by W. Bro. Donald M. Scandrett All too often a newly made Mason, usually at the Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft stages in his Masonic career, drops out and eventually demits or receives a non-payment of dues suspension. Is it his fault??? No, it is yours!!! You, as his sponsor and mentor, began ignoring him the minute the ink from your signature had dried on his petition for initiation. You were not there for his initiation, passing or raising. You failed to assist him with his memory work. You failed to introduce him throughout your jurisdiction by not inviting him out to visit other lodges with you. You failed to phone him on a regular basis or visit him, to ensure he is not having any difficulties with his memory work. You failed to invite him and his wife out to a ladies night, to ensure his wife felt part of the Masonic community. He probably does not know the protocol for these types of social functions as of yet and never assume he does. Basically, you left him standing alone, thus leaving him with the feeling he is not part of the Masonic fraternity, subsequently losing interest in his lodge and never returning. This, my brethren, is OUR fault, not the members who lose interest. They lose interest because they are not stimulated in lodge, their sponsors forget their obligations and most of all, they are being ignored/disregarded amongst the lodge members who should be taking these new members under their wing and making him feel welcomed and part of the circle. It is estimated that there is an alarming rate of approximately 20% of new members, usually EA or FC, who have lost interest in the lodge and have demitted, or not returned. It is your duty as a sponsor/mentor to ensure, once you petition someone, that you strive to stay with him throughout the entire process. You should be ensuring that the new member is cared for, support and directed throughout the process. This must continue until such time he is either accepted into the circle, which should be automatic, considering our purpose, or until they are comfortable enough on their own to build their own friendships amongst the brethren.

17 Don't just assume that because he receives his monthly summons he should feel welcome to attend the stated meetings. Ensure you remind him of the meetings and offer to drive him there for the first few. Be there from his entering the lodge, signing the porch book, introducing him to members he has not yet met and sit with him. After the close of the lodge, sit with him at the festive board until it is time to leave. I have heard of an incident. A friend of mine moved from one province to another. When he visited a lodge in that jurisdiction, he was surprised to see one of his sponsors from his mother lodge, who also moved away. His sponsor did not recognize him at first and asked him if he would have a problem with a board of trial. Another friend of mine was sponsored a few years ago and one of his sponsors lived across the street from him. Not once did his sponsor visit or phone him to see how his memory work was or if he required assistance. Luckily, this newly made Mason was a fast learner, a keen member and went though all the degrees by himself, without any assistance from his sponsors at all. In closing brethren, if you are going to sponsor someone, be there for him after the ink on his petition dries, from start to finish. I realize that many of us, due to family and work commitments, cannot be there all of the time. But there is always that second person who affixed his signature on that petition and has the same obligation as you do. Just remember that every new member we lose, we are also losing the possibility of the ten people he may of sponsored throughout his Masonic career and so on. If we, as a fraternity, are to survive, we must remember the duties and obligations owed to our new members. Just remember before you sponsor someone - will you be there for him?

18 A Masonic Poem A Master Mason's Wife From active Masons, resolute, Our wives and fam'lies we salute We surely know the price you pay, Who sit alone while we're away No high degrees on you conferred, In Lodge, your name is seldom heard You serve our cause though out of sight, While sitting home alone tonight Masonic papers list our names, Awards are given, fit to frame But yours is absent...you who strive, To keep our fortitude alive You're part of every helpful deed, On your encouragement we feed Without your blessings, how could we, Continue acts of charity? And so, this poem, we dedicate, To every Master Mason's mate And offer our undying love, Rewards await in Heaven above. Author unknown

19 The Old Past Master Speaks THE MASONRY YOU MAKE "Well, I know you'll be glad to hear I am through learning the Work!" announced a young brother to the Old Past Master, "One more lesson and I'll know all about Masonry!" "That's fine, son. I congratulate you!" answered the Old Past Master. "Some conceit!" murmured another brother, as the satisfied young brother moved away. "I've been studying Masonry many years and I don't think I know all about it, by a long chalk!" "Of course you don't, and neither does he. But we all have to learn of the Masonry we make for ourselves." "Oh, do you think so? I thought we learned of the Masonry our ancient brethren had made for us!" "That, too, of course. But the Masonry they made for us is the Masonry which can be written down, or put in symbols, or taught by word of mouth. It is a concrete thing; a thing of words and phrases, of symbols and figures, of stone and wood and temple and rough ashler and square and compasses. But the inner Masonry... that we make for ourselves.

20 "Do you ever read Ingersoll? Somewhere he says 'an honest God is the noblest work of man' and thousands of people have shuddered away from the sentence and calls it blasphemy. But they fail to understand what the great agnostic meant. Our modern conception of the Great Architect of course falls infinitely short of reality, but at least we do not do him the injustice of confining Him within the limits of our human frailties. But up through the ages man has limited his gods and his God, according to himself. The gods of Greece and Rome (to go no further back) were gods and goddesses who felt jealousy, anger, revenge. They interfered in the affairs of men for their own pleasures. They were made in the image of men who made them! Later, God was a cruel tyrant, who sanctioned the torments of the Inquisition and loved those who were wicked in his name... at least, such was the middle ages' conception of Deity. Only within a few hundred years has the world as a whole come to consider God as the all-wise, all-loving, all-merciful, all-tender Father of us all. This was what Ingersoll meant when he spoke of the honest God as the noblest work of men; and honest conception of a God infinitely wonderful and beautiful, is a noble conception. "Masonry is a conception. After one gets through learning the ritual, the mere words and phrases, he begins to absorb the philosophy and moral system of Masonry. Still later he begins to carry Masonry in his daily life and live by it. Later on... but wait a minute. We have word Masons to whom the ritual is the whole. We have Masons to whom the symbolism is the whole thing, and who see nothing beyond the inner meanings to squares and compasses and stones and angles. We have others who add to this, philosophy of Masonry, but to whom Masonry is yet a perfect system which can be learned in its entirety by those who apply themselves. "But there are others... more every year, thank God!... who make their own Masonry, beyond that of the books and the lodge, the word and the symbol. To these, Ingersoll might have said that 'an honest Masonry is the noblest work of the Craft' with no more irreverence than he intended in his famous epigram. "Masonry, to such thinking men, is illimitable. It has no end. It is as infinite as space, as unending as time, as distant in boundary as the faintest nebula. It is not a thing of earth only; it encompasses the universe, and joins man's hands with God. This is the Masonry

21 we make for ourselves, and, could what we make be measured, its proportions would be exactly the proportions which are our own. For the hidden Masonry we make is large or small, wide or cramped, beautiful or ugly, grave or gay, useful or ornamental, fine or doss, exactly as are we. "In each of us is an idea conception of all we would attain. We have our ideal man, our ideal woman, our ideal job, our ideal position, our ideal happiness. Some of us are so inarticulate we cannot express them; some of us are so inchoate in our thinking we cannot clearly visualize them, but they are there, these ideals, each and every one a measure of what we are. "And we have, also our ideal of Masonry, the hidden Masonry we make, each man for himself. Your inner temple is not like mine and mine is not like yours, though each may be beautiful and perfect; two faces may be equally lovely, you know, yet totally unlike. "To my way of thinking, we are better Masons as we grow our inner Masonry for ourselves, as we perfect it and polish it, and raise it higher and higher. It is sadly true that no man may teach another how to build this hidden temple, but it is beautifully true that all of us may build the better by getting for ourselves better working tools. And the working tools with which we as Craftsmen build our own inner, hidden temple of Masonry, into which none may ever step but ourselves and God; the rough and perfect ashlar, square and plumb, trowel and compasses, by which we build this edifice, are available for us all. Our young friend has one, when he secures a perfect working knowledge of the ritual. The student has another, when he has mastered most of the symbolism. The doctor has a third, when he understands and can formulate the philosophy of Masonry, and all of us get a new edge to our tools as we live according to Masonic light and gain in Masonic experience." "The Old Past Master stopped and looked off, as if he saw a vision. The brother to whom he spoke sighed. "I wish," he said, "I might have the inspiration of looking at your temple of Masonry, that I might make mine better.

22 LEARNING THE WORK "It seems to me," began the New Brother, offering a cigar to the Old Tiler, "that we make unnecessary demands on a candidate." "Thanks," answered the Old Tiler. "Such as what, for instance?" "A candidate who has received the Entered Apprentice degree must perfect himself in it before he gets his Fellowcraft. After he is a Fellowcraft he must learn that ritual before he can become a Master Mason. I can see the reason why all brethren must understand them and be able to tell about degrees, but I don't see why we must learn word for word and letter for letter. Last meeting we turned back a young fellow because he had not learned his Entered Apprentice degree. If he didn't learn it because he didn't want to he wasn't worth having, but it seems he just couldn't. Refusing him was an injustice. He's only one-third a Mason, and not likely to get any farther." "You sure think of a lot of things Masonic to find fault with!" countered the Old Tiler. "But we would get along faster if you didn't mix your questions." "How do you mean, mix them?" "In one breath you want to know why Masonry requires learning degrees by heart, and don't I think it was an injustice to a certain young fellow because we wouldn't admit him to full membership when he couldn't or didn't, only you don't think it an injustice but a righteousness if he could and didn't. You agree that one of the

23 safeguards of Masonry which keep it pure is what we call the ancient landmarks?" "I agree." "And you know one of the landmarks is that Masonry is secret?" "Of course." "If we printed the work would it be secret?" "Certainly not. But you don't have to print it." "No? But if we can't print it and won't learn it, how are we to give it to our sons?" "Oh!" The New Brother saw a great light. "We all learn the work and so know when mistakes are made and correct them in the workers, and our sons hear the same work we did and learn it and transmit it. But wouldn't it be enough if only a few men learned the work- those well qualified and with good memories? How would that do?" "It is good Masonry and good Americanism that the majority rules. Masonry is not a despotism but a democracy. If a favored few were the custodians of the work would not the favored few soon become the rulers of Masonry, just as the favored few have always ruled the lazy, the ignorant, and the stupid?" "If that happened we'd just put them out of office." "And put in men who didn't know the work? Then what becomes of your landmark?" "You are too many for me," laughed the New Brother. "I guess there is a reason why we have to learn the work. But I still think we might make an occasional exception when a man just can't memorize." "If you read the Bible, you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. One bad egg will spoil an omelette. The man who won't learn is not fit to be a Mason, since he is not willing to tread the path all his brethren have trod. The man who can't learn the work hasn't control enough of his brain to enable him to appreciate Masonic blessings. This is no question of education. A brother of this lodge has had so little education that he barely reads and write. His grammar is fearful and his knowledge of science so full of things that are not so that it is funny when it isn't pathetic. But he is a good Mason for all that, and bright as a dollar at learning the work. It's only the stupid, the lazy, the indifferent and dull-witted, the selfish and foolish man who can't learn or won't learn Masonry.

24 They add nothing to it; it is better they are kept out. To make an exception merely would be to leaven our lump with sour leaven." "But, Old Tiler, many who learned it once have forgotten it now." "Of course they have! You can't do a quadratic equation or tell me the principle cities in Greenland, or bound Poland, or do a Latin declination. You learned it and forgot it. But you had the mental training. If I told you a quadratic was worked with an adding machine, that Poland was in china, or that hocus-pocus meant Caesar's lives, you'd know I was wrong. Same way with ritual; leaning it is Masonic training, and though we often forget it we never lose it entirely, and through the whole of us it is preserved to posterity." "Oh, all right! I learned mine, any way. Have another cigar, won't you?" "Thanks," answered the Old Tiler. "You have learned rather well, I'll admit, that I like your cigars!" A Masonic Thought The importance of improvement, setting an example, and shouldering responsibility for the future are our Masonic goals. And where will it all end? In brotherhood. What we build today will endure. That is our hope and our faith. -Stanley F. Maxwell

25 OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHERS Robert Adams David Bailey Ronald Bartlett Duane Bean David Dickson Jay Edgerly Gilbert Hartman Jr. Gilbert Hartman III Jean Lebrack Richard Lapointe Donald Lynch Larry Upton David Martinelli Christopher Piehler John Pond Sr. John Pond III Donald Purdy Gordon Smith David Spiller Michael Stacy Douglas Steele Robert Steward Brothers Fred and Barney enjoy their Lodge! How about you?

26 Moses Paul Lodge #96 Living Past Masters Gerald E. Brown Ronald C. Bartlett Donald S. Meserve Raymond E. Allen William H. Carswell, II 1976, 77, 78 David R. Spiller..1984, 85 Edwin F. Mitchell, Jr Anthony Zizos. 1989, 90 James S. Miller , 98, 01, 02, 03, 04 John F. Torr.1993, 94, 99, 00 Stephen E Wawrzkiewicz Robert H. Stewart Jay A. Edgerly 1997 William C. Hill, HPM.2003 Michael J. Mawson George M. McGee III Christopher Piehler 2007, 2008 Robert D. Berry Kristopher G. Furtney 2010, 2011 Vincent R. Puleo , 2013 Robert J. Corsetti , 2015

27 How Good and How Pleasant By Giles Fonda Yates Behold, how pleasant and how good For brothers such as we In this united Brotherhood To dwell in unity. Tis like the oil on Aaron s head Which to his feet distills Like Hermon s dew so richly shed On Zion s sacred hills. For there the Lord of light and love A blessing sent with power, O, may we all this blessing prove, Even life for evermore. On friendship s altar, rising here, Our hands now plighted be, To live in love, with hearts sincere, In peace and unity.