THE BUILDER JANUARY 1915

THE NATIONAL MASONIC RESEARCH SOCIETY - A FOREWORD - BY JOSEPH FORT
NEWTON

UNDER the sign of the Square and Compasses--emblems as eloquent as
they are ancient --"The Builder" takes up its labors for the
advancement of Freemasonry, with malice toward no man, no party, no
church, but with a sincere and hearty good will toward all its
fellow-workers in the search for truth and the service of humanity.
Obviously it is fitting, in this initial issue, that a statement be
made as to the Society of which this journal is a spokesman, its
purpose, its spirit, its ideals, and the designs on its
Trestle-Board.

So enthusiastic, so remarkable indeed has been the response from
all over the country to the suggested organization of a National
Masonic Research Society, that there is no longer any doubt that
such a movement is needed and that it has a fruitful and
far-reaching service to render to the Order. Surely he is a poor
prophet, and no poet at all, who does not see that this Society, as
now organized and working, can easily be made a factor of moment in
the life and progress of Masonry in all its rites and activities,
and if we give ourselves to it with earnestness, the day of its
founding will be looked back upon as one of the significant dates
in the recent history of the Craft.

Some things need to be set down plainly, by way of preface, in
behalf of a frank and full understanding. Let it be said once for
all that this movement has back of it no motive of personal
aggrandizement, much less of pecuniary profit. Instead of trying to
make money out of Masonry, the founders of this Society are putting
time, money and energy into it, thinking little and caring less of
any returns other than to find the truth and tell it. They have no
axe to grind, no vanity to vent, no fad to air. Were it possible,
they would prefer to remain unnamed, and be known only by their
work--like the old cathedral builders, whose labors live but whose
names are lost. Their solitary aim is to diffuse Masonic light and
understanding, and thus to extend the influence and power of this
the greatest order of men upon earth.

That is to say, they refuse to think of Masonry as a mere
collection of social and faintly beneficent clubs, and they regard
such a view of it as a pitiful apostasy from the faith of our
fathers. They believe that Masonry is a form of the Divine life
upon earth, an order of men initiated, sworn and trained to make
righteousness, sweet reasonableness and the will of God prevail.
They see in it latent powers and possibilities as yet unguessed,
still less realized--a great liberalizing and humanizing
fraternity, whose mission it is to soften prejudice, to refine
thought and sympathy and service, and so help to prepare the race
for a nobler manhood and a juster and more merciful social order.
Hence their honorable ambition for its service, not only by
interpreting it to the world at large, but by broadening and
deepening the interest of Masons themselves in the faith,
philosophy, history and practical aims of the fraternity. Surely
such a labor may well appeal to men who would fain serve their
fellows, and do a little good before they die.

Instead of being a private enterprise, this movement has the
official sanction and blessing of the Grand Lodge of Iowa, and is
in fact an outgrowth of the labors of that Grand body in training
its young men to be intelligent and capable Masons. What the
endorsement of such a plan by the Grand Lodge of Iowa means in the
Masonic world, is at once evident, as witness these words by Sir
Chetwode Crawley, of whose distinguished services to Masonic
scholarship in England no student needs to be told:

"Let me begin by expressing my deep satisfaction that the Grand
Lodge of Iowa has extended its sanction to Masonic Research by the
appointment of so influential and capable a committee as that
indicated in your letter. The adoption of such a plan by any Grand
Lodge would have secured warm approval from all Brethren concerned
for the welfare of the Craft, but there is a peculiar fitness in
its adoption by the Grand Lodge of Iowa. For more than a
generation, we have been accustomed to see the Grand Lodge of Iowa
leading the van in the cultivation of the literature of
Freemasonry."

Those words speak a high and sincere tribute, but it is richly
deserved and abundantly justified by the record. Seventy-five years
ago the Library of the Grand Lodge of Iowa--perhaps the greatest of
its kind in the world--was founded by the late Theodore Sutton
Parvin, whose long and busy life was devoted, with an industry only
equalled by his great ability, to the cause of Masonic light and
learning. Today that noble library stands as his monument and
memorial, its doors open and its fabulous treasures accessible to
all who seek further light in Masonry. Having so splendid a
tradition and so inspiring an example, it is only natural that Iowa
Masons should make their library the center of enthusiasm and
activity for the education of the Craft, whereof detailed report
may be read in the proceedings of their Grand Lodge. More recently,
by force of necessity, new emphasis has been added to the study
side of Masonry, and the reason is not far to seek.

Time was, and not so long ago, when it required courage for a man
to be a Mason. Feeling against the Order was intense, often
fanatical, and its innocent secrets were imagined by the ignorant
or malicious to hide some dark design. How different it is now,
when the Order is everywhere held in honor, and justly so, for the
benignity of its spirit and the nobility of its principles. No
wonder its temple gates are thronged with elect young men, eager to
enter its ancient fellowship. But those young men must know what
Masonry is, whence it came, what it cost in the sacrifice of brave
men, and what it is trying to do in the world. Otherwise they
cannot realize in what a benign tradition they stand, much less be
able to give a reason for their faith. Every argument in favor of
any kind of education has equal force in behalf of the education of
young Masons in the truths of Masonry. So and only so can they ever
hope to know what the ritual really means, and what high and
haunting beauties lie hidden in the of all emblems.

Finding in this necessity an open door of opportunity, the Grand
Lodge of Iowa set about, through its Committee on Masonic Research,
to work out a well-planned practical program of method, testing it
by facts and results. By natural logic, the fruits of that labor 
suggested a National movement toward the same end, which has now
taken form in this Society. While it thus had its origin in Iowa,
as the result of actual experience, it is no longer confined to
Iowa, but invites the interest and aid of every Grand Lodge in the
country, and of Masonic students of every rank and rite, offering
them in this journal a medium for closer fellowship and a forum of
frank, free and fraternal discussion of every possible aspect of
Masonry.

There is no need that any one make argument to prove that such a
movement as this is Masonic; it is in accord with the oldest
traditions of the Order we turn to the "Old Charges"--the title
deeds of Masonry, and a part of its earliest ritual--we learn that
the Craft-lodges of the olden time were in fact schools, in which
young men studied not only the technical laws of building, but the
Seven Sciences and the history and symbolism of the Order as well.
Apprentices were selected as much for their mental capacity as for
bodily agility, and such as betrayed no aptitude for the
intellectual aims of the Craft were allowed to go back to the
Guilds and work as "rough masons." No young man, during his term as
an Apprentice, was permitted to keep late hours, unless he did so
in study, "which shall be deemed a sufficient excuse," as an old
Charge relates.

Truth to tell, we have much yet to learn from the old
Craft-masonry, and especially in the matter of training young
Masons. For one thing, they recited a brief history of the Craft to
the candidate at the time of his initiation as an Entered
Apprentice, not leaving him bewildered, as we too often do, knowing
nothing of a truly great and heroic history. No doubt the history
so recited--as we have it in the "Old Charges" was sometimes
fantastic and far from the fact. None the less, the principle was
right, and had that wise custom been continued there would have
been less occasion for Gould to say, what is only too true, that
Masons know less about the history of their own order than the men
of any other fraternity. Harking back to that old and wise custom,
the Grand Lodge of Iowa has had a brief story and interpretation of
Masonry written, a copy of which is to be given to each of its
initiates on the night of his raising.

Masonic research, as we now use the phrase, may almost be said to
have begun with Findel, albeit good work had been done before his
day. Still, his "History of Masonry" was one of the very first
books of the right kind, and it did much to put the Craft in the
path of authentic learning. Others followed, both abroad and in
this country--Pike, Fort, Mackey, Drummond, Parvin, to name but a
few among us--and their work, which met with little response, was
nobly prophetic. An example in point was the brief but brilliant
career of the "American Review of Freemasonry," edited by Mackey.
It began in 1858, ran two years, and died for lack of adequate
support. In his valedictory, Dr. Mackey said:

"It was an experiment, commenced with a view of ascertaining how
far a Masonic magazine of a very elevated character would be
sustained by the craft in this country. For two years this
experiment has been made, and it is plain that the "Quarterly" was
in advance of the Masonic age. Doubtless it was supported better
than such a work would have been twenty years ago, but not so well
as a similar one will be ten years hence, for the literary
character of the order is improving. The editor feels some
satisfaction in believing that that work, during its brief
existence, has done no little in hastening that improvement."

Truly that was a brave optimism, as befitted a pioneer, and its
vision has been fulfilled by the facts. By the same token, we who
live in a day made better by the labors of such men dare not be
less courageous, lest we be found unworthy of our fathers. The men
who wrote for the "Review" have now passed to where, beyond these
voices, there is peace, but their work remains. One has only to
open its yellow pages to read the articles of Pike on the
Mysteries, and the essays of Mackey on Symbolism--which afterwards
formed the chapters of his book in exposition of the "Symbolism of
Freemasonry"--written in style which may well be a model of
lucidity. Those men did not fail; they were sowers who did their
work and trusted the far off harvest of years. Remembering their
faith, their sacrifice, their high devotion, we would build on
their foundations, linking the past with a greater tomorrow.

We inherit the past; we create the future. Since the days of the
"Review" much has been done, especially by the great Research
Lodges of England, and most of all by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge of
London, to whose labors we owe an incalculable debt. As in
religious scholarship, so in Masonry, the Higher Criticism has come
and done its much needed work, testing documents, sifting evidence,
unearthing buried treasure, and applying to Masonry the approved
methods of historical study. Of necessity, the voluminous processes
of this long investigation are known only to the diligent student
who has had the time and taste to follow its revealing labors--just
as in the field of Biblical Criticism the real results achieved are
locked up, for the most part, in huge volumes read by only a few.

Here the National Research Society may render a vital service to
the Order, not only by encouraging further original investigation,
but also, and not one whit less important, by interpreting to the
Craft at large the net results of Masonic scholarship. What Renan
called "the grand curiosity" must never be allowed to sleep, and
this Society will do all within its power to extend the area of
knowledge, bringing new facts to light wherever they are to be
found. The field is rich. The labor is fascinating. What has been
done only reveals how much remains to be done, while it shows us
how to go about it. At the same time, the humblest member of the
craft, toiling in office and shop, at the forge and on the farm, is
entitled to know the best that has been thought and the latest fact
discovered by the greatest Masonic scholar. Therefore, this Society
seeks to unite the work of the investigator with that of the
interpreter, and to that end it proposes:

First, the publication of a journal devoted to the study and
interpretation of the history, philosophy, symbolism and purposes
of the various rites, orders and degrees of Freemasonry.

Second, the publication, from time to time, of books, pamphlets and
lectures on Masonic subjects, and the collection, preservation and
indexing of all material of value to Masonic students.

Third, the arrangement and publication of courses of Masonic study
for lodges, or groups of students; the promotion and supervision,
when it is desired, of meetings of Masons for Masonic study and
discussion; and, ultimately, the foundation and maintenance of a
bureau of Masonic lectures.

Fourth, the compilation of lists of names of Masonic students
interested in different lines of Masonic study or activity, for the
stimulation and guidance of Masonic intercourse--and, it may be
added, for the aid of Masonic journals when special articles are
desired.

Fifth, the collection and circulation of data bearing upon distinct
Masonic activities, such as plans and specifications for different
kinds of Masonic buildings; systems for financing of Masonic
projects; the results of practical experience upon various phases
of Masonic charity, and the like.

Sixth, the foundation and management of funds for the financial aid
of Masonic students in special fields of Masonic research; in the
form of a Fellowship, it may be, whereby a young man - say, of the
Acacia Fraternity--trained for such studies in a university, may be
set at work on some period or problem in Masonic history, and thus
render a permanent service to the Craft. By endowing a Fellowship
in the Society, a man of wealth, who has long had it in mind to do
something for Masonry, can leave a living legacy which will go on
doing good after he has passed away.

Having thus indicated in what ways the Society seeks to serve
Freemasonry, it may not be amiss to point out how the Order can
make the Society effective for the high end for which it was
founded. First of all, every Mason who becomes a member of the
Society adds, by so much, to its usefulness and power. The time has
come when every Grand Lodge should have a Committee on Masonic
Research--or Masonic Education, if they choose so to name it--and
such committees. by co-operating with this Society, may have access
to every resource at its command. Also, the various groups of
Masonic students, of which there are many in different parts of the
country, ought by all means to work with the Society, making use of
its journal not only for mutual instruction and inspiration, but
the better to share the results of their researches with all the
Craft.

Such is the spirit and ideal of this Society, and if to realize it
all at once is denied us, surely it means much to set it before us,
working the while to make it come true. Manifestly, here is a
practical program which, if worked out, will mean a new era in the
history of Freemasonry, opening avenues of opportunity and
enterprise to which no one can set a limit. It differs from other
undertakings of a like kind chiefly in that, instead of being
confined to a few, it seeks to enlist the whole fraternity, uniting
scattered efforts in behalf of Masonic education into a magnificent
movement for the advance of the Order which has no other purpose
than the present and future upbuilding of humanity.

Finally, it only remains for ye editor to state, from his point of
view, what the spirit and policy of "The Builder" should be. As its
name indicates, this journal for the Masonic student--like the
Society which it represents--is by its very genius constructive,
and in no sense iconoclastic, its sole object being to build up,
never to tear down. Anybody can destroy. Even a cow can trample a
lily which the warm earth, the fertilizing sun, and the soft
witchery of summer air have united to grow. Speaking for himself,
the editor holds it to be self-evident that the only way to
overthrow error and unreason is to tell the simple truth--tell it
simply, vividly, without fear and without resting, in love of God
and love of man. Other way to victory there is none, and there
never will be.

Masonry is Friendship, and if its benign influence is to prevail
upon earth, it must labor in a spirit of will toward all men,
seeking not to destroy its enemies, but to win them to the light
and dignity of the truth. Nothing is gained by denunciation.
Everything is ruined by hate. Love is the one mighty Builder, and
they toil in vain who build upon any other foundation. Our task is
to let in the light, let in all the light, let the light all the
way in, assured that when the light of Truth shines darkness will
disappear--and with it, all the vile and slimy things that hide
within its shadows. There is no might like the might of Truth, and
once the temple of Masonry is made to stand in the sunlight where
all men can see its beauty, it will command the homage of all who
love their race.

Therefore, "The Builder" will be positive, but not dogmatic; open
minded, but never indifferent; considerate of all, but absolutely
uncompromising in respect of the principles of Freemasonry--seeking
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Critical it
must be, since criticism, as Arnold defined it, is appreciation,
estimate, "co-operation in the search for truth." Those who write
for these pages may expect to have their theories put to the test
of reason and fact in the open forum of debate, which is what the
seeker after truth most desires. Let the discussion be frank, free
and thorough; all that the editor asks is that it be fraternal in
spirit, each one keeping an open mind and a kind heart toward all
his comrades in the great quest.

For the rest, the editor asks pardon for having taken so much time
and space, but it seemed appropriate to exhibit in some detail the
designs of the Society, the faith in which it is founded, and the
spirit in which it works. Hereafter, his duty will be much like
that of a toastmaster--presiding over the feast, introducing the
speakers, with occasional interludes of comment- his one desire
being to encourage a spirit of fraternal fellowship and
intellectual hospitality, of genial, joyous good will which, since
the far off days of the old "Regius Poem," has been the reigning
genius wherever Masons meet.

TWO CATHEDRALS.

St. John the Divine and Notre Dame de Rheims.

BY MAY PRESTON SLOSSON.

I watch the patient masons in the sun
Building a House to God upon the hill
That overhangs the city; just begun
The toil of years--the care--the loving skill.

Another minster lifted arch and spire
By patient builders wrought in futile trust.
The Iron Eagle dropt a plume of fire--
And all its beauty is a heap of dust !
-The Independent.

