THE BUILDER FEBRUARY 1919

THE BULLETIN JANUARY 1919

CORRESPONDENCE CIRCLE BULLETIN -- No. 25

Edited by Bro. H. L. Haywood

THE BULLETIN COURSE OF MASONIC STUDY FOR MONTHLY LODGE MEETINGS AND
STUDY CLUBS

FOUNDATION OF THE COURSE

THE Course of Study has for its foundation two sources of Masonic
information: THE BUILDER and Mackey's Encyclopedia. In another
paragraph is explained how the references to former issues of THE
BUILDER and to Mackey's Encyclopedia may be worked up as
supplemental papers to exactly fit into each installment of the
Course with the papers by Brother Haywood.

MAIN OUTLINE:

The Course is divided into five principal divisions which are in
turn subdivided, as is shown below:

Division I. Ceremonial Masonry.

A. The Work of the Lodge. 
B. The Lodge and the Candidate. 
C. First Steps. 
D. Second Steps. 
E. Third Steps.

Division II. Symbolical Masonry.
A. Clothing. 
B. Working Tools. 
C. Furniture. 
D. Architecture. 
E. Geometry.
F. Signs. 
G. Words. 
H. Grips.

Division III. Philosophical Masonry.
A. Foundations. 
B. Virtues. 
C. Ethics. 
D. Religious Aspect. 
E. The Quest. 
F. Mysticism. 
G. The Secret Doctrine.

Division IV. Legislative Masonry.

A. The Grand Lodge. 
1. Ancient Constitutions. 
2. Codes of Law. 
3. Grand Lodge Practices. 
4. Relationship to Constituent Lodges. 
5. Official Duties and Prerogatives.

B. The Constituent Lodge.
1. Organization. 
2. Qualifications of Candidates. 
3. Initiation, Passing and Raising. 
4. Visitation. 
5. Change of Membership.

Division V. Historical Masonry.

A. The Mysteries--Earliest Masonic Light.
B. Studies of Rites--Masonry in the Making. 
C. Contributions to Lodge Characteristics.
D. National Masonry.
E. Parallel Peculiarities in Lodge Study. 
F. Feminine Masonry. 
G. Masonic Alphabets. 
H. Historical Manuscripts of the Craft. 
I. Biographical Masonry.
J. Philological Masonry--Study of Significant Words.

THE MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS

Each month we are presenting a paper written by Brother Haywood,
who is following the foregoing outline. We are now in "First Steps"
of Ceremonial Masonry. There will be twelve monthly papers under
this particular subdivision. On page two, preceding each
installment, will be given a list of questions to be used by the
chairman of the Committee during the study period which will bring
out every point touched upon in the paper.

Whenever possible we shall reprint in the Correspondence Circle
Bulletin articles from other sources which have a direct bearing
upon the particular subject covered by Brother Haywood in his
monthly paper. These articles should be used as supplemental papers
in addition to those prepared by the members from the monthly list
of references. Much valuable material that would otherwise possibly
never come to the attention of many of our members will thus be
presented.

The monthly installments of the Course appearing in the
Correspondence Circle Bulletin should be used one month later than
their appearance. If this is done the Committee will have
opportunity to arrange their programs several weeks in advance of
the meetings and the brethren who are members of the National
Masonic Research Society will be better enabled to enter into the
discussions after they have read over and studied the installment
in THE BUILDER.

REFERENCES FOR SUPPLEMENTAL PAPERS

Immediately preceding each of Brother Haywood's monthly papers in
the Correspondence Circle Bulletin will be found a list of
references to THE BUILDER and Mackey's Encyclopedia. These
references are pertinent to the paper and will either enlarge upon
many of the points touched upon or bring out new points for reading
and discussion. They should be assigned by the Committee to
different brethren who may compile papers of their own from the
material thus to be found, or in many instances the articles
themselves or extracts therefrom may be read directly from the
originals. The latter method may be followed when the members may
not feel able to compile original papers, or when the original may
be deemed appropriate without any alterations or additions.

HOW TO ORGANIZE FOR AND CONDUCT THE STUDY MEETINGS

The lodge should select a "Research Committee" preferably of three
"live" members. The study meetings should be held once a month,
either at a special meeting of the lodge called for the purpose, or
at a regular meeting at which no business (except the lodge
routine) should be transacted--all possible time to be given to the
study period.

After the lodge has been opened and all routine business disposed
of, the Master should turn the lodge over to the Chairman of the
Research Committee. This Committee should be fully prepared in
advance on the subject for the evening. All members to whom
references for supplemental papers have been assigned should be
prepared with their papers and should also have a comprehensive
grasp of Brother Haywood's paper.

PROGRAM FOR STUDY MEETINGS

1. Reading of the first section of Brother Haywood's paper and the
supplemental papers thereto.

(Suggestion: While these papers are being read the members of the
lodge should make notes of any points they may wish to discuss or
inquire into when the discussion is opened. Tabs or slips of paper
similar to those used in elections should be distributed among the
members for this purpose at the opening of the study period.)

2. Discussion of the above.

3. The subsequent sections of Brother Haywood's paper and the
supplemental papers should then be taken up, one at a time, and
disposed of in the same manner.
4. Question Box.

MAKE THE "QUESTION BOX" THE FEATURE OF YOUR MEETINGS

Invite questions from any and all brethren present. Let them
understand that these meetings are for their particular benefit and
get them into the habit of asking all the questions they may think
of. Every one of the papers read will suggest questions as to facts
and meanings which may not perhaps be actually covered at all in
the paper. If at the time these questions are propounded no one can
answer them, SEND THEM IN TO US. All the reference material we have
will be gone through in an endeavor to supply a satisfactory
answer. In fact we are prepared to make special research when
called upon, and will usually be able to give answers within a day
or two. Please remember, too, that the great Library of the Grand
Lodge of Iowa is only a few miles away, and, by order of the
Trustees of the Grand Lodge, the Grand Secretary places it at our
disposal on any query raised by any member of the Society.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The foregoing information should enable local Committees to conduct
their lodge study meetings with success. However we shall welcome
all inquiries and communications from interested brethren
concerning any phase of the plan that is not entirely clear to
them, and the services of our Study Club Department are at the
command of our members, lodge and study club committees at all
times.


QUESTIONS ON "A REVIEW OF FIRST STEPS"

"Re-view" means to take a view again; it suggests that one may
overlook something the first time he looks at a thing: Masonry is
so full of truths, as well as truth, that such reviews are always
fruitful. Do you keep "reviewing" your own experiences during
initiation?

What does "apprentice" mean ? What is the profane world, according
to Masonic speech ? Can you think of any other word than
"Obedience" which would best sum up the First degree? If so, what?
Tell how obedience is needed in learning anything, in entering any
sphere of life. Is Obedience the same as blind credulity ? slavery?

II
Of what does the candidate divest himself ? Why? What does the
divestment symbolize ? What is the real preparation demanded by
Masonry? Did you so prepare yourself before seek admission? What is
the difference between a "Mason" and a "member" ?

III
In what sense is initiation a "new birth" ? How do you enter into
any department of life? a business? a profession? Is the newcomer
always like a babe in his helplessness and ignorance ? What do the
pillars at the door symbolize ? Why ? How would you define Masonry?

IV
How do we know that there are Powers more than human ? How can we
come into relationship with those Divine Powers? Do you really
believe in prayer? What is prayer? Is it asking for things or is it
an attempt to get into a right relationship with God? Is prayer for
the lodge room only, or for the whole Masonic life ? What does the
altar symbolize ? What is the meaning of circumambulation ? Do we
practice truth in our every day life ? How ? Why ? Can you give
illustrations ? What obstructions did the candidate encounter ?
What did they stand for ? How do you get over obstructions in your
home life ? your business or professional life ? How does the
Masonic manner of getting over them teach you how always to get
over them ?

V
What does the East mean? What is Masonic light? How is it found?
How does a man "approach the east" in getting an education? What is
an obligation? What do the penalties signify? What are the actual
penalties for violating Masonic obligations? What does the cable
tow stand for? Why is it removed ?

VI
What are the Great Lights of Masonry ? The Lesser Lights ? Do you
really try to live in those Lights every day? How can we discover
what is God's Will ? What are the laws of brotherhood? How do you
make yourself known to strange brethren ? What are the uses of
signs, etc?

VII
What does the apron stand for ? Why is it nobler than any other
badge? Do you really believe that service and labor are the noblest
of things ? Why does the Northeast Corner signify self-sacrifice?
Explain the uses of the Working Tools.

SUPPLEMENTAL REFERENCES

THE BUILDER: 
Altar, The, May 1918 C. C. B. 
Approaching the East, April 1918 C. C. B. 
Apron, The, November 1918 C. C. B. 
Circumambulation, The Rite of, March 1918 C. C. B. 
Entrance and Reception, January 1918 C. C. B. 
Lights, The, September 1918 C. C. B. 
Northeast Corner, The, December 1918 C. C. B. 
Obligation, The, June 1918 C. C. B. 
Prayer, February 1918 C. C. B. 
Preparation, Physical and Mental, December 1917 C. C. B. 
Signs, October 1918 C. C. B. 
Salutation, Rite of, October 1918 C. C. B. 
Tokens, October 1918 C. C. B. 
Tools, Working, January 1919 C. C. B. 
Words, October 1918 C. C. B. 
Working Tools, January 1919 C. C. B.

FIRST STEPS
By Bro. H.L. Haywood, Iowa

PART XII - A REVIEW OF FIRST STEPS


IN OUR previous studies we have traversed those subjects which
spring naturally from a study of a Mason's first steps; every
lesson has been a more or less detailed analysis of the structure
and meaning of each important division of the ritual insofar as a
candidate comes to know it at the beginning, and there is now no
more to be said about those matters until we have completed the
full circle and are ready to reapproach the study of the first
steps from a new point of view. It will be well, however, before
undertaking our studies of second steps to pause for a telescopic
review of the ground hitherto covered lest we forget the
fundamental principles of the first steps through too great
attention to details; with a summary in our minds we shall be all
the better equipped for that which will be hereafter.

In the First degree the candidate is always the Apprentice, that
is, the beginner, or learner, the untrained youth (metaphorically,
at least) taking his first lessons in the sublime art of life as
that art is shadowed forth through our ritual. He has come from the
darkness, Masonically speaking, of the profane world; he has humbly
requested the privilege of birth into the world of Masonic light.
Knowing nothing of that world he has been compelled to trust
himself to the hands of trusted guides whom he has, for the most
part, followed with implicit obedience; the entire degree, from a
certain high standpoint, is nothing other than a lesson to teach
him the necessity of thus learning from others. The watchword of
the degree may be described as Obedience.

II
Before coming into the life Masonic the candidate was made to strip
himself of that which indicated his adherence to the non-Masonic
life; he was brought into the lodge in a manner designed to teach
him one of his first lessons the fundamental democracy of the
Order. He was also asked to prepare himself in mind and spirit, and
certain questions were asked to make sure that such preparation had
been made. Inasmuch as the Craft seeks to make Masons rather than
members, great care was taken to see that he was coming with the
purpose to take Masonry seriously; to undertake a greater matter
with the right motive, that is half the victory of achievement, and
all possible means were utilized to see that the Learner came in
the right spirit. There was a certain order in this procedure and
in all that followed which it is not lawful to divulge but it is
possible to recall certain salient features in his initiatory
experiences; the reader will reassemble such things according to
his memory of his own candidacy.

III
The brethren met him at the portals in the persons of their trusted
representatives, and through those representatives, assured
themselves that he had made application for admission into the
Order in due form; in causing him to seek admission in this due
form the lesson was impressed upon him that no man can enter any of
the great worlds of life until he is outwardly and inwardly
prepared. He was told that Freemasonry is an art of moral and
spiritual living taught through symbols and symbolical acts and he
was given to understand that he was about to enter a new life and
was cautioned to walk circumspectly.

Among all the emblems and furniture of the lodge none are more
majestic in appearance or more suggestive of truth than the Two
Pillars; these were (or at least should have been) so placed as to
symbolize to the candidate that he was coming to a new birth.
Certain instruments were used to remind him that the real penalties
for the violation of Masonic obligations are felt in the heart and
in the conscience.

IV
The candidate who ventures upon the path of initiation soon learns
that he needs for that Way a strength, a guidance, and a wisdom
more than human; at the center of all worthy life stands prayer; of
this the altar is the symbol, as it is also the symbol of every one
of man's higher relations.

Through an ancient light symbolism he was taught that every true
Mason is one who evermore approaches the East where is wisdom,
healing and life; but he was at the same time shown that no man can
approach that East except he make the attempt in an orderly fashion
and according to certain fixed laws. The kingdom of light is not to
be entered violently or capriciously; order is Heaven's first law.
In the beginning of this, the real Masonic journey, he was taken to
the altar where his spirit was linked to the hearts of his new
brethren by the mystic ties that cannot be broken except at the
peril of all the heart holds dear.

In one of our former studies we paid much attention to the Rite of
Circumambulation; through a study of the evolution of that
singularly impressive bit of ritual we found that it teaches us the
secrets of cooperation; life is harmony with one's self and with
one's environment; no man can live alone or die alone; he who does
not keep step with the powers of life will fall upon disaster,
defeat and death. A man must keep in step with the sun and stars
and with all the orderly processes of nature, and with the mighty
will of God. Obstructions were met in the candidate's pilgrimage,
as they are met in every one of life's greater journeys, but these,
with the help of certain trusted friends, were overcome; questions
were more than once propounded which recalled to him that he was
entering the Masonic life voluntarily, for Masonry is a mistress
who seeks not lip service but the spontaneous love of the heart.

V
Man loves to register his new decisions in solemn vow and binding
oath; the outward act fixes and confirms the inward will. Through
his Masonic vows the candidate was made to feel, by an
unforgettable symbolism, that he who sins against light and
brotherhood is guilty of a wrong that is hard to forgive and
difficult to atone. It was impressed upon him that Masons comprise
an elect race, a secret brotherhood, and that all Masonic secrets
must be kept inviolate, lest the fraternity be disrupted and the
Order profaned. These lessons learned, he was permitted to walk
without leading strings; he was also permitted more freedom to use
his own eyes.

VI
There was revealed to him that which is the light whereby Masons
are guided; there was the Will of God, as symbolized by the Holy
Bible; the laws of human fellowship, as symbolized by the square
and compasses; and through the strange symbolism bodied forth by
the three Lesser Lights he was taught the necessary lesson of
Balance; Masonry is a great moral system and he who would live it
must keep each his part in proper order and due proportion.

Masons live in all parts of the world; there is no telling where a
man may go or when he may need to make himself known to his
brethren; the candidate, in what manner we will all remember, was
furnished with certain means of recognition. So equipped he was
entitled to be known as a brother, and in the ceremony he was
introduced to certain officers of the lodge as such. The Masonic
officer, like everything connected with the lodge, is not only a
fact but a symbol; he stands for the laws which every Mason must
observe; the democracy of the Fraternity is not a Bolshevist
anarchy but freedom it the bonds of law.

VII
The profane world from which he came set great store by its badges
of distinction, most of which had stood for some arbitrary or
worthless distinction; he had abandoned all such badges but he was
then given another badge which is of far more worth than Star and
Garter: profane badges usually have an aristocratic significance
and lead a man to despise labor and the humble life; the Masonic
badge given him was one that reminded him that service is the only
nobility and that only he who labors in behalf of all belongs to
true knighthood.

It was not sufficient that he learn these lessons of democracy and
service; he must be taught that it is always necessary for a true
Mason to be wilting to sacrifice himself, even to the uttermost;
accordingly he was taken to that place in the lodge room which
symbolizes the giving of one's self; such a man is the real
cornerstone of the Order and he was made to know that such he must
be.- At the same time. lest he construe this as a degradation of
his manhood, he was taught that unadorned human nature is the stuff
whereof Masonry builds her temple.

All this was preliminary; it prepared him in mind and body to
fulfill his functions as a Mason tried and true; after such a
preparation his labors were to commence. In order to do this he was
given his Apprentice equipment of Working Tools, one of which was
to be used for knocking off the rough corners of his character, the
other of which taught him the need of measure in all things. Being
an ashlar, a building stone, he must make himself symmetrical in
order that the master builders might fit him into his place in the
temple. Thus equipped and taught he was ready for initiation into
the Fellow Craft degree.

Have you ever, brethren, found anything more true, wise, and
beautiful than all this? Masonry is indeed the sublime art, the
spiritual science, the way of life: he who would truly walk in its
paths and follow its guidance would learn what life really is, to
what divine issues life may ascend. But the First degree is, after
all, only preparatory; for the candidate, and for us who study his
experience, the best is yet to be!
