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must be obtained from the copyright holder directly by contacting The
Philalethes, Nelson King, FPS, Editor, 2 Knockbolt Crescent, Agincourt
Ontario Canada, M1S 2P6. Tel: 416-293-8071 Fax: 416-293-8634 or
nking@freemasonry.org or nking@onramp.ca




From the
Editor's Quarries

The 1994 Feast and Workshop held in
Washington on February 18 was an in-
spiring meeting. The good fellowship
coupled with inquiring minds of the
seekers for truth, and combined with
Brother Cobbs' inspiring speech made
for an informative and enjoyable affair.
The chartering of the Cornerstone Com-
puter Chapter marks a new era in Ma-
sonic study and enlightenment.

Our retiring President Wallace
McLeod, FPS, and his successor, Forrest
D. Haggard, FPS, both internationally-
known, prominent Masons, were much
in evidence alongwith Allen E. Roberts,
FPS, our Executive Secretary. Wallace
will continue to assist the Executive
Council, and Forrest has plans that will
contribute to the continued growth and
success of The Philalethes Society.
oOo

The Livingston Masonic Library is an
internationally recognized repository for
materials related to Masonic History. It
provides services for individuals and
other libraries. Its address is 71 West
23rdStreet, NewYork, NewYork 10010-
4171; telephone(212) 741-4505.
oOo

We receive some letters which we do
not print because they are more in the
nature of personal attacks on individuals
than scholarly expressions of opinion. If
you cannot comment politely, I will not
print your letters. The Executive Com-
mittee is in full agreement with this.

Keep the letters coming, but be polite.
oOo

We continue to need manuscripts. Bc
accurate, observe the amenities of com-
position and punctuation, and DOU-
BLESPACE THROUGHOUT. Let's
make The Philalethes even better in
1994.

Notes and Queries

The Opinions expressed in the items in this column
are not necessarily those of the Philaldhes Socidy or
of the Editot. They are solely the thoughts and
opinions of the writers. Please give your name,
complete address, and telephone number when sub-
mitting items~or this column. Indicate if you are a
memberorfellowofthePhilaldhesSociety. Allletters
are subject to editing and may be excerpted

The February Issue

I have just finished reading the Febru-
ary issue with great pleasure, and I
would like to join the multitude of others
who have or should have thanked you for
assembling so great a collection of arti-
cles. The writers . . . presented truths
and experiences that all brothers may

The Philalethes, April 199~

use.... The name of our society calls us
to be truth lovers....

I believe " F. U. E . L . for the Nineties "
should be required reading for the Mas-
ter and L.E.O. of every lodge in the
United States....

I have only recently been raised a Mas-
ter Mason (May 25, 1993). I notice that
three words pop up in conversations
about the lodge and the ritual. The
words are "tradition," "legend," and
"custom. " I have been given the task of
editing The Beehive, our lodge newslet-
ter and would like to write a series of
informative articles relating these words
to our modern observance of Freema-
sonry. I would appreciate any help di-
recting me to accurate literary sources to
be used as reference for my undertaking.

.
Harold "Pete" Peterson, MPS
108 North Chillicothe Road
Aurora, OH 44202

The Symbolism of the Anchor

The Symbolism of the Anchor [see Feb-
ruary, 1994 issue, pp. 23-24] is a symbol
of St. Vincent, who was beset by heathen
pirates off Lebanon in the third Chris-
tian century.

Given a choice of renouncing Christ or
walking the plank, he chose the plank.
His faith so impressed the pirates that
they spared his life, which he thenceforth
devoted to service to God. (The Anchor
can be seen on the badge of St. Vincent's
Nursing School, Erie, Pennsylvania.)

When we had a naval lodge and a naval
shipyard in San Francisco in past years
it was our custom to give newly raised
brothers an anchor key-tab as a memory
aid for walking the rough and rugged
road.
William G. Naef, MPS
P. O. Box 306
Decorah, IA 52101-0306
(319)382-9303
oOo
The Chicago Fire (December,
1993) and Thomas Paine
(August, 1993)

Since we are lovers of truth, even if we
suffer much wrong from those who at-
tack us, the truth often is lost from us.
Thomas Paine signed his lodge's by-laws
in Albany, New York. I have his Masonic
article, and he visited the Grand Lodge
of England and describes the inside in
detail. He lists at least two by-laws by
name he has, he lists a a number of books
in his possession, his name is scratched
off lodges he visited. We are easy to
slander him for his writings. We are fast
also to slander when we do not know the
real people.

Patrick and Catherine O'Leary and
their cow are blamed for the Chicago fire
of 1871. I am loaning you photostats
concerning the article on the Chicago
Fire and that vindictive scoundrel
Ronayne, infamous with the church in
Ireland and deceiving our brethren and
revealing a ritual replete with errors and
falsehoods. His first name is not Ed-
ward; it is and always will be Edmund.

Edmund Ronayne was a respected rit-
ualist and on the Masonic Board of Re-
lief, and also owned by his own honest
hands a prosperous private school, the
largest in Chicago. He knew his ritual,
but had a shallow feel for our Craft,
having almost starved to death on ap-
pealing to our Craft for help when he
came here, got no assistance, and was
saved by a non-Mason.

The Masonic Board of Relief doled out
meager relief and returned a lot of
money to those Grand lodges at the fin-
ish. It hurt Brother Edmund deeply; and
what was the final straw for him was to
have Past Grand Master and Grand Sec-
retary Harmond G. Reynolds to solicit
Masonic relief funds to his Springfield,
Illinois of fice and steal all of it to the tune
of $800. If you read the affair about
Reynolds, all you will find is that he
resigned and was given $500 by the
Grand Lodge to move to Kansas. When
our Grand Lodge refused to try him and
kick him out, it may have been too much.
Also in his [Ronayne's] lodge, a brother
Chicago policeman killed in cold blood a
sassy, noisy non-Mason, not armed, for
being too noisy. He was acquitted by
men known to be Masons. Ronayne
knew that.

Edmund R. Sadowski, MPS

1924 N. 74th Court

Elmwood Park, IL 60635

Editor's Note: According to photostats of f~dmund
Ronayne's Reminiscences (Chicago: Free Methodist
Publishing House, 1900), pp. 320-21), furnished
by Brother Sadowski, thefire ". . . originated in
the barn of an old Insh drayman named O'Leary,
living on DeKoven Street, whose wife kept a couple
of cows and sold milk. Thefamily occupying the
second housefrom O 'Leary 's was having a party that
Sunday night . . . and their supply of milk running
short, it was suggested that one of theyoung women
should milk Mrs. O 'Leary 's cow, whik a young
man of the party volunteered to accompany her and
hold the lamp. Arriving at the barn, the lamp was
placed on the floor, and the two engaging in some
frolic, it was overturned in their scuffling and the
barn set on fire. "

oOo
Masonic Musicians etc.

I happen to be a professional musician,
having . . . a bachelor's degree from an
accredited university. In all my years of
study, only two musically prominent per-
sons have been fleetingly identified as
Masons: Haydn and Mozart. What of
Ignaz Pleyel, Sir Arthur Sullivan, Jean
Sibelius, and Duke Ellington? College-
age musical students, at the most im-
pressionable time of their lives, are told
nothing of the rich heritage of Masonic
activity among those giants whose music
they are taught to analyze and appreciate.
Should they not also be taught to include
the spiritual influence of Masonry on the
man as a part of the technical production
of his music? . . .

We may not need to advertise per se,
but perhaps informing, education, and
most important, exemplifying Masonic
attitudes to our community is what we do
need ....

For example, at a time when many local
schools are cash strapped and many
needed programs are being cut for lack
of funding, are area lodges stepping in to
sponsor these programs? .... Are we
offering cash prizes and scholarships for
essay contests on topics (such as patrio-
tism, mathematics, music, etc.) with a
Masonic angle?

Do our lodges have close relationships
with local colleges and universities? . . .
We are neither a religion nor a religious
organization. In this time of religious
strife, when we have recently been vic-
timized by the kind of narrow- minded
zealotry which sparks war all across the
globe, are we emerging as a place where
good men of different religions can sit
down together in peace? In my own area,

one lodge has held an interfaith celebra-  land, Oregon. If you could send me the
tion and gala for almost twenty years,     addresses and phone numbers of the
where Christians and Jews come to-         members with Zip Codes 97000 to
gether between Chanukah and Christ-        97299, I would attempt to stimulate in-
mas for an evening of sharing.             terest in such a chapter.
                                            Bruce Kitts, MPS
                                            15757 SE Hwy 224 #80
                                            Clackamas, OR 07105

Chester F. Willey, MPS
2680 N. Moreland #507
Cleveland, OH 44120
oOo
The Square and Compasses

It is my opinion that every Freemason
who wears or displays Masonic emblems
should use the Square and Compasses
with the letter G. If any Freemason de-
sires to wear or display any other
Masonically affiliated emblem, they
should be combined with preference
given to the Square, Compasses, and G.

I respectfully recommend that all
Grand Lodges ~ake it mandatory that
all appendant b;dies or off-shoots of
Freemasonry incorporate the Square and
Compasses with the letter G in their re-
spective emblems. .

DonaldJ. Pancini, MPS

P. O. Box 308

Mildred, PA 18632-0308

(717) 928-8710
oOo
Seeks Philalethes Chapter
I have not heard of any Philalethes
Chapter in the metropolitan area of Port-

ooo
African-American or
Af ro-American?

My article, "Can Masons Practice
WhatTheyPreach?" (October, 1993, p.
99), was published as a letter in the
"Notes and Queries" Column. The ed-
itor changed a term that I had written
and, in doing so, inadvertently and un-
wittingly displayed further evidence of
our outmoded thinking in regard to rec-
ognition of our black brothers in Freema-
sonry.

Where I used the expression "African-
American," which I understand to be
the most "politically correct" in current
journalistic usage, the editor substituted
"Afro-American," the term used in the
sixties.
Terence O. "Terry" Tennis
1539 - 5th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814-5411
(916) 441-3107
