THE BUILDER April, 1925

An American Freemason in France

By Bro. ROBERT I. CLEGG, Associate Editor, Ohio

FROM victoria Station in London to Paris is but a few hours'
journey. Many of the things that have been told to us regarding
this trip are not altogether in accordance with the facts. We have
been informed that the system of checking baggage so common and so
much appreciated in the United states is unknown in Europe but you
can check your baggage, or "luggage" as it is commonly termed over
there, from victoria Station at London to the railway station at
Paris in France. It is not called "checking"--it is termed
"registering" the baggage--but it amounts to the same thing. Your
baggage is weighed, you pay something for it, get a receipt, and
then you forget it until you hunt it up at the depot in Paris.

The trip across is but a few hours. You can leave London soon after
breakfast and be in Paris for dinner. I took by no means the
shortest route, which is first to Dover by rail and then to Calais
by sea and then again by railroad on to Paris. I went to New Haven
and then by way of Dieppe. Thus, instead of spending about an hour
on the water as would have been the case between Dover and Calais,
I spent several hours over what has seldom, if ever, been known to
be a smooth stretch of water. Almost everybody offered from
sea-sickness and a couple of young women near me whose baggage bore
the letters of the District of Columbia said in my hearing that
they suffered more on the trip from England to France than they had
in crossing the Atlantic.

However, that was not the only surprise because in talking with one
of the sailors--or perhaps I ought to say, in attempting to talk
with one of the sailors-- I discovered that, while he had been
traveling daily back and forth to England for many years, he knew
nothing of the English language. I was later on astonished to meet
some professors of the University of France who spoke no English
and this seemed at first very surprising but, after all, it is a
common thing to find people on the other side of the Atlantic on
the English Channel who frequently visit France and yet make no
attempt to learn the language that is spoken there.

We arrived in Paris in due season but unfortunately about the time
that my train arrived there were also several hundred passengers
delivered there who had come in from one of the Transatlantic
boats. I should imagine that two inspectors only at the Customs
House were assigned to take care of probably 300 people. Nothing
was done by the examiners until all the baggage had been laid out
on the counters ready for inspection. They made a fairly rapid trip
around the room looking at the baggage and paying no attention
whatever to many of the passengers who are unusually anxious to get
away before the rest of us. I dare say many of them wanted to catch
trains going to other parts of Europe as it is singular when you
come to think of it how general the tendency is to see Europe from
the window of a railroad car. Few people stay at ally spot very
long and never think of going back again to the same place on a
trip if they can possibly avoid it. Almost everyone is possessed
with the idea that the more towns you visit the better the trip.
I did not happen to be in that class and so could afford to take
things leisurely at the Customs House and listen to the prayers and
pleading and curses in apparently all languages which were indulged
in by the people around me. I was a little surprised as I listened
attentively to the customs inspector (I had to listen carefully as
my knowledge of the language was not only imperfect but I was sadly
out of practice and, on the other hand, he was somewhat rapid in
utterance and it seemed to me his words came like a torrent) to
find that he wanted to know whether I had brought any matches or
cigar lighters and I discovered later that both are controlled in
some way by the government. However, I got free of the Customs
House in due season and secured a taxi and was glad to get away
from the Gare de St. Lazare.

BEWARE THE TAXI !

The weather had been cloudy all day and the rain now began to fall
and the interior of the taxi was very comfortable--especially after
I had made it clear to the driver where I wanted to go. He set off
at a remarkable speed and I do not wonder now that during the war
moving soldiers in taxicabs was done at the Battle of the Marne
because the way they handle passengers is certainly expeditious. I
was told by an American engineer in Paris that when anyone is
knocked down by a taxi in the street he is liable to fine and
perhaps imprisonment unless he can show quite clearly that it was
not his fault. I had no means of checking up this assertion but I
have heard the story more than once and one may easily see what an
undertaking it is and how much responsibility you carry in crossing
the streets in Paris.

I anticipated during my taxi trip that immediately upon arriving
and getting some of the dust of the trip off me I would order up an
appetizing meal but my hotel did not possess a dining room. The
love of restaurants in Paris is carried to even a greater extent
than in the United States of America. I discovered that even a very
satisfactory hotel in all other respects might not possess a dining
room but I found that only a few doors away there was a restaurant
where the man in charge spoke English and I soon made my way to his
place. His English was not very good from a linguistic point of
view but at the close of what had been a far from perfect day his
words were eminently satisfactory and I was soon seated over in a
corner on a seat which ran along two sides of the room. The bill of
fare had been written originally in a faint ink and by a person
whose handwriting was, to say the least, of an inferior grade. It
had been reproduced in some fashion and the ink had run on the copy
that was given to me and it was almost impossible to spell out the
words and after I had discovered the spelling I was more than once
entirely at a loss to grasp the meaning. I studied over that bill
of fare for some little time.

Suddenly at my right a young fellow leaned my way and held out his
left hand, which bore a ring showing the compasses and square. He
said, "Brother, it is a long time since I saw that button," and he
looked at the little emblem of the Shrine which I wore in my coat.
I whispered to him, "Where do you hail from?" as I held out my hand
for the grip. He said, "Atlanta," to which I replied, "By any
manner of means, do you know a good brother down there called
Forrest Adair ?" He answered, "You mean the old real estate man,
don't you?" I nodded and he said, "I sure do !"

CORN, WINE, AND OIL AT LAST !

He took the bill of fare away from me, marked several items as
being especially good in that particular restaurant, briefly gave
me some idea as to things I could call for with advantage and I
soon had ordered my dinner and was engaged in chatting with him and
another good brother who happened to sit at my left. To use his
phrase, they were "leftovers" from the American Army who had, in a
spirit of adventure, decided to stay in France and try their luck
for a few years. They were most interesting companions and that
first evening of mine was spent very happily and I came back to the
hotel through the rain, which bothered me no longer. The rain might
fall and the snow and wind might keep it company in that wintry
season at Paris but I had found the brotherhood of the Craft and I
was well content.

After a good night's rest, I spent the morning leisurely about the
streets and early in the afternoon made a search for Oswald Wirth,
the scholarly editor of Symbolisme. I found his apartment and
discovered him exceedingly glad at my call. He is somewhat frail of
physique and it would almost seem that the fire of his research had
burned out much of the stamina that was formerly his. We talked of
Freemasonry generally and I found that he still presides as Master
of his lodge. He was preparing an address on "The Alchemy of
Freemasonry" and, as he has alluded to this subject in several of
his books, I was more than usually interested in what he had to
say. I begged him for a copy of his manuscript but this request he
could not concede because he had planned to speak from memory and
therefore had no intention at the time of writing out his address.

AN IMPORTANT LETTER FROM OSWALD WIRTH

I may say that later on I persuaded him to jot down in a letter the
gist of what he said and this he very kindly consented to do and
the translation of his letter is as follows:

"When I received your most fraternal letter of the 20th of this
month I sent you the two last numbers of Symbolisme but you would
not find there my discussion given at the beginning of January on
Masonic alchemy or the art of transmuting profane lead into
initiated gold. I had nothing in writing prepared and I spoke fully
on a subject which has been for a long time familiar to me.

"I insisted on the fact that the true initiation does not express
itself by symbolic acts like those prescribed by our rituals. Those
are only images of what ought to be passing in the mind in order
that the recipient may be really transformed into an Initiate.
Nothing is more quickly done than to take off the metals (emblems)
that one wears; but it is a long and difficult task to perform in
reality what the rite signifies. (To put away all prejudices, to
forget all mistakes, to make for oneself a virgin mind, capable of
conceiving the truth without distortion.) What Mason can flatter
himself that he has put off his metals in spirit and in truth after
being made to do so symbolically?

"Then, reviewing the other proofs, I explained that there is no
magic virtue in the formalities of the reception, for instance, and
that it is not enough to undergo them symbolically to be initiated
in reality. Ritual is the image of what asks to be lived. It traces
the allegorical course of the transformation which ought to be
taking place in our inmost being if we are to see the light
clearly. The fact of remaking one's will does not prove that one is
indeed dead to all the profane frailties, and the three journeys
only purify by allusion. They tell us what we ought to do to be
properly initiated; but when we understand nothing of Masonic
allegory, we are contenting ourselves with the bare outline of
initiation, with the letter, not the spirit, so that we do not
become real Masons because we content ourselves with the symbol of
what we ought to be in reality.

"I finished by begging the brethren not to hold to appearance and
forms. If they wish to be Initiates, they must go deep down. They
ought to retire within themselves by concentration until they
forget the outside world. This movement of the mind is symbolized
among the ancients by a descent into hell. We must know how to
leave the level of objectivity in order to understand how to think,
and above all to know the abstraction made of the wrappings of our
personality. You have all passed by le cabinet de reflexions but
you have only stayed there a few minutes, and have never thought
since or burying yourself there and being absorbed in the
profundity of your own thoughts. How, then, can you imagine you
have become thinkers superior to the multitude of the profane?

"Having never descended to the centre of the earth, you have never
been able to rise to the skies. You cannot judge of sublime things
without giddiness. So you remain shackled to school, to business,
and you have not attained your liberty. The flow of opinion carries
you along with it, you have not arrived at the simple vision which
absorbs our sages. However, you are not insensible to the proof of
fire. The heat of the purifying flames has warmed your hearts and
your wishes are frank and loyal. You long ardently for the general
good. You are full of generosity, full of eager aspirations for
truth, the just and the beautiful. You are real initiates by
sentiments. This is fundamentally the essential thing and I
congratulate you on it.

BECOME INITIATES IN REALITY !

"But make yourselves become Initiates in a complete sense,
conscious of what you feel, understanding clearly what you try to
portray. Work hard, struggle to understand, and make your
initiation again, not symbolically but in spirit and in truth.
Initiates are necessary to us, they alone can save the world from
chaos, they alone can apply the motto Ordo ab Chao. Therefore, my
brethren, take Masonic instruction, become thinkers who work,
Masons who construct the grand temple of humanity.

"The Master finished by recommending to all the careful study of
the Books of Apprentice, of the Companion, and of the Master, not
forgetting close application to Symbolisme, that learned review,
etc. You see all passed off very well.

"If you meet brethren who read French, I beg of you not to forget
Symbolisme, which they can buy for an absured price, benefiting by
the exchange.

"Hoping to see you soon, believe me, your very cordial and devoted-
-Oswald Wirth."

I may say that Brother Wirth is a member of the Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite and translated some of the degrees that are
used over there and did this from the work of the Southern Masonic
Jurisdiction as prepared by General Albert Pike. He has some
delightful views about Freemasonry internationally and it is most
edifying to converse with him. I shall never forget a brief
statement of his, covering, in his judgment, what was the purpose
of the first three degrees. The Entered Apprentice Degree deals
with what a Freemason should be, the Fellowcraft Degree with what
he should know, and the Master Mason's Degree with what he should
do.

During the course of our conversation he told me that, of course,
I had made the trip to Paris at that particular time to attend the
annual festival of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. I
assured him that I had not even heard of it and that I should be
delighted to attend because that was about the only body in France
which was recognized by Masonic organizations of which I was a
member. The question then came up as to how I could get to the
place and whether there were any difficulties about my attendance.
I secured the address, No. 8 Rue Puteaux, and, after a little
examination of the map, came to the conclusion that I could easily
get into the neighborhood without delay. Brother Wirth inquired if
I had any regalia and when I said I had only the jewel and diploma
with me he shook his head in dismay and admitted that the problem
would need further study, but he concluded that it would be all
right if I had a letter of introduction.

I was grateful for this offer though his suggestion seemed to me an
extraordinary one. Gaining an entrance into the meeting of a
Masonic Order by means of a letter of introduction was to me a
truly remarkable course, indeed. He loaned me the necessary regalia
and I may say that this was resplendent. The apron particularly was
adorned with much embroidery and a profusion of spangles. The
brilliance of the colors and the glitter of the rest of it made me
certainly a very conspicuous person later on.

HE IS MET BY A SWORD

I thanked him for his kindness and hurried off to the underground
railway and in a short time found myself on the narrow street which
is not only the headquarters of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite for France but also houses the Grand Lodge. I was eligible to
visit one of these but not the other. At the door I met a good lady
in charge of the entrance and after some little difficulty with the
French language I managed to make clear what I wanted. She directed
me to continue on my way along the corridor and go down the steps.
This I did and found myself in a rather small room facing a
sentinel armed with a very long sword. This weapon was used to
salute me later on and was not at all fitted to the size of the
chamber. I was a little afraid that in the swinging of this
two-handled sword one or the other of us might come to grief, but
I told the sword-bearer who I was and presented my letter of
introduction. He read it and then bowed quite impressively,
inquired if I had any regalia and, on being assured that I had, he
told me to put it on while he announced my arrival.

Some little time later I was, ushered into a room which probably
contained forty or fifty brethren attired in all sorts of regalia,
much of which seemed novel to me. At one end of the room were
seated the officers of the Supreme Council and the meeting was
presided over by the Sovereign Grand Commander, Raymond. I was
familiar with Raymond from his pictures as an elderly bearded
brother, but this presiding officer was a much younger man than I
expected to find. I discovered later on that the man I was thinking
of was Jean Raymond, while the man I met bore the name of Rene
Raymond.

This festival of the Scottish Rite, or annual meeting, is open,
apparently, to members of Freemasonry of all grades. They attend,
wearing the emblems of their respective bodies, and the plan seems
to be an excellent one as it is carried on for keeping the members
of the fraternity clearly informed of what is going on in Scottish
Rite circles in France and elsewhere.

I listened to the reports which were read and the reading of
documents does have a tendency to speed and I am sorry to say that
I got very little of what was presented by the respective officers.
I had missed the allocution of Brother Raymond owing to the
lateness of my arrival but I heard something of the activities of
the Scottish Rite. Toward the close of the meeting a sturdy
Frenchman rose to his feet to deliver a very earnest address. He
wore a red apron and collar, which was suggestive to me of the
Royal Arch but which, it occurred to me as I thought more of the
circumstance, was not likely to represent that body in France where
it is by no means as popular as we have found it to be in the
United states of America. The brother was near enough to me that I
could carefully examine the jewel he wore. At the end of the collar
were the compasses resting upon the arc of a circle and I wondered
as he went along if he was not a member of some Grand Lodge.

HE MEETS GRAND MASTER MONIER

It was soon apparent to me that I had guessed right because this
was Bro. Maurice Monier, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of France,
and it was, curiously enough, the only place in France where I
could meet him as a brother Mason because my Grand Lodge does not
recognize his. He spoke with great deliberation and selected his
words with care. He was so deliberate that it was no great
difficulty to follow what he had to say and I heard with the utmost
pleasure the expression of his regard for the United states and he
did not confine himself to our Freemasonry, at that. He impressed
upon me his hope that when I returned I would assure my brethren
from him that he wanted them to believe that France was not a
militaristic nation. He not only wished to send his good wishes to
our brethren but he did hope for the maintenance of the best
possible feeling between our two nations. I assured him later that
I would be glad to carry that message whenever I had the
opportunity to express it over here.

I had an opportunity to meet Brother Raymond later on. He had taken
up the work of his father and I could see how deeply impressed he
was with its responsibility. Perhaps the burden has been too great
for him and may have impaired his health. since I have returned I
notice that he has resigned but I am quite sure that I quote a
recent letter from him correctly when I say that he is as much
interested in Freemasonry as ever and will not lose any opportunity
to advance its interest.

Let me say further, in talking of Masonry in countries dominated by
the Roman Catholic Church, that Freemasonry there has a tremendous
struggle to live. I am making no argument whatever for any change
in our policy in regard to France. I believe that most of our Grand
Lodges have felt that certain things are essential in order to
recognize any body as being Masonic and I do not propose to argue
here for any change in the policy followed by the majority of our
Grand Lodges, but I cannot but feel keenly sympathetic towards the
brethren of any obedience who must struggle for existence in Roman
Catholic countries. I know something of the harsh conditions they
must meet and that men do under these circumstances preserve their
identity as Freemasons and their organizations as lodges is a
strong testimony, I am sure, to the earnestness and faith of their
belief. Nearly every French Freemason, and I met some of those who
belong to bodies recognized by the Grand Lodge of England, can tell
some convincing facts as to what Freemasonry means when it must
meet the opposition of those instructed from the banks of the
Tiber.

