
                    Update on Ball Fruit Jars 

                   EDMUND F. BALL, 33, NMJ                 
               P.O. Box 1408, Muncie, Indiana 47308 
                                                                        
                                                                        
BROTHER Don Lavender's, 32, article  appearing in the August 
1990 issue of The Scottish Rite Journal entitled "Ball Fruit 
Jars," prompts me to submit this "Update." 

  All of the five original Ball brothers - Dr. Lucius L., d. 
1932; William C., d. 1921; Edmund B., d. 1925 (my father); Frank 
C., d. 1943; and George A., d. 1955 - were members of Muncie 
Lodge No. 443 in Muncie, Indiana.  They were also members of both 
Scottish and York Rite Bodies. 

  My father, Edmund B. and uncle George A. were both Thirty-third 
Degree Masons, and I have also been so honored. 

  Their sons, Edmund Arthur, d. 1949; William H., d. 1980; and 
Frank E., d. 1936 were all members of Muncie Lodge, and both 
Scottish and York Rite Bodies. 

  I am the sole male survivor of the second generation. 

  Regretfully, none of their children, nor my three sons, are 
members of the Masonic Fraternity.  I believe the archaic fetish 
requiring a prospective candidate to ask to join is a barrier to 
membership that will eventually lead to the demise of our 
Fraternity.  In this busy world, few people are asking to join 
anything that requires dedication, uncompensated work, and 
precious time.  

  They need to be invited to join and support the largest 
philanthropic and patriotic organization in the world - estimated 
philanthropy between $2 and $3 million per day, and almost $900 
million annually. Why can't we make this great philanthropic 
undertaking recognized as such instead of meekly trying to defend 
it against those who, for purposes I fail to understand, seek to 
discredit and destroy it? 

  Although my three fine sons know my dedication to the 
principles of Masonry, they do not belong simply because they are 
busy with their own affairs, and no one has invited them to 
become members. 

  Now, with that off my mind, a brief history and update on the 
Ball Corporation. 

  By the end of 1990, following a number of consolidations and 
acquisitions, the Ball Corporation's sales will be in excess of 
$3 billion annually.  With global operations including sixty-two 
plants located throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and 
the South Pacific manufacturing packaging products, a major 
aerospace division, and other diversified but related industries, 
Ball Corporation now employs nearly 24,000 persons. 

  And, yes, we still manufacture and proudly sell "Ball Fruit 
Jars" and other home canning supplies.  (One minor correction in 
Bro Lavender's article.  The Mason patent dated 1858 expired in 
1875.) 

  This is a relevant story, I think, because it is a shining 
example of what can be accomplished within our system of free 
enterprise. Through hard work, dedication and by building a 
reputation for integrity, quality, product service, and good 
employee and community relations, Ball Corporation has succeeded. 

  Remember, the corporation was created by enterprising brothers 
who acquired a small container operation in Buffalo, New York, in 
1880 with $200 which they borrowed from a Baptist preacher uncle.  
This was the tiny seed from which the business prospered 
throughout its 110-year history. 

  And through all these years and in spite of its phenomenal 
growth, its reputation for integrity, compassion, loyalty, and 
faith has always been maintained. 

  A recent public statement made by an executive of the 
corporation sums it up succinctly: "In size and diversity, Ball 
Corporation today is far from the family-owned and operated glass 
business of our history.  We continue, however, to embrace the 
same spirit of innovation, integrity, and family that sparked the 
success of the five founding Ball brothers.  We will grow with 
these transactions, but we will not outgrow the values we have 
lived by in the past." 

______________________ 

Editor's Note: The December issue will feature a second article, 
titled "An Uncommon Man" by Bro Don Lavender, 32, KCCH, 
about Ill Edmund F. Ball, 33. 

