District Light - Rising Sun Lodge No.15
Transcription
District Light - Rising Sun Lodge No.15
Happenings, Happenings, Events, Events, and and Masonic Masonic Light Light From From Around Around the the District District G LODGES OF THE 18TH DISTRICT Audubon-Parkside #218 Collingswood-Cloud #101 Laurel #237 Lazarus #303 Merchantville #119 Mozart #121 Rising Sun #15 USS NJ #62 HAPPY NEW YEAR! The Seven Liberal Arts 2015 Schedules - DLIs OVs - Masonic Home ! e r o M h c u M d an January Events ● From the DDGM ● Article: Reflections Upon the Origins of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences ● Illustration: The Golden Ratio ● Poetry: A Man’s a Man For A’ That by Robert Burns ● 18th District Regular Communications Schedule ● 2015 Official Visit, DLI/GLI, and Masonic Home Visitation Schedules ● January Events Calendar ● Event Flyers ● Puzzle: Touring America ● Puzzle: Masonic Cryptoquote ● Puzzle Solutions ● From the Editors The District Light - Journal of the 18th Masonic District Editor, Keith Josepayt..................................................... kjosepayt@gmail.com Editor, David A. Frankel...............................................dafrankel@comcast.net 2 Brethren, Something a little lighter this month, a Masonic Quiz. The answers will be mailed separately to the Worshipful Masters, so they may use the quiz as Masonic Light at a meeting. Enjoy the Holiday Season and a Happy New Year. Fraternally, Dale A. Lynch Jr. Masonic Quiz 20 Questions to test your knowledge of the Master Mason Degree! 1. What stage of Life does this degree represent? a. Youth b. Manhood c. Middle Age d. Age 4. What is considered the heart of this Degree? a. Entry into the Lodge b. The Sprig of Acacia c. Placement of Lodge Officers d. Your Obligation 2. What does this degree symbolize? a. Culmination of your Masonic career b. Symbolizes man’s domination over man c. Victory over death and immortality of the soul d. Mortality of the soul 5. What is a clandestine Lodge? a. A Lodge located in another state b. A Lodge without its own building c. A Lodge not in session d. A Lodge not issued a Charter from a Grand Lodge 3. What are you reminded of at your reception at the door? a. Reminded of all the lessons of Freemasonry b. Reminded of the tenets of Freemasonry c. Reminded of your obligation d. Reminded of your previous degrees 6. What is meant by the term “Dotage”? a. A young man who is uninformed b. The condition in which you were expected to be found c. A diminished state of mind d. The loss of membership by the vote of the Lodge The District Light wants YOUR material! We’re here to publicize and report on your events, and to provide articles on matters of interest to you. If you have flyers to advertise your events, or pictures and stories from your events, this is the place to put them! Have a short article, or something to say on a matter of Masonic interest? Let us know! We want this to be the most informative publication we can make it, and we can only do that with YOUR help. 3 (Continued from page 3) 7. What is a Libertine? a. One who believes in Liberty for all b. One who acts without moral restraints c. A medal worn by Lodge Officers d. The sword at the Tilers Door 8. What do Signs, Tokens and Words mean to a Mason? a. Methods of recognition b. Symbols of Officers rank c. The language of Freemasonry d. The rewards that a Free Mason can expect to receive 9. Who was Hiram Abif? a. King Solomon’s son b. A tent designer and builder c. King David’s nephew d. The Widow’s Son worthy of imitation 10. What is taught by the use of the Three Ruffians? a. Rewards can not be attained by illicit means b. Rewards can be attained by illicit means c. Good things always come in threes d. The three principle stages of life 11. What is the Masonic definition of “Low Twelve”? a. Midnight b. Noon c. The number of Lodge Officers d. The number of Craftsmen 12. What do the points of fellowship promote? a. Love and Hope b. Peace and Harmony c. Fidelity and Unity d. Charity and Forgiveness 13. Who was the Lion of the Tribe of Judah? a. Boaz b. Hiram Abif c. King Solomon d. Moses c. Charity d. Truth 15. What does ‘The All Seeing Eye” represent? a. Sanctum Sanctorum b. Holy of Holies c. Lodge of Master Masons d. Deity 16. What are the rights of a Master Mason? a. Masonic Relief, Masonic Visitation and Funeral Rites b. Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth c. Masters Wages d. Masonic Charity 17. Who can establish Masonic Law? a. The District Deputy Grand Master b. The Worshipful Master c. Any Master Mason d. The Grand Lodge 18. What is the principle working tool of a Master Mason? a. The Level b. The Plumb c. The Compass d. The Trowel 19. How many Master Masons constitute a Lodge of Master Masons? a. 3 b. 5 c. 7 d. 9 20. Who are they? a. The Worshipful Master, Tiler and Secretary b. The Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior Wardens c. The Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior Deacons d. The Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior Stewards 14. What does the Sprig of Acacia represent? a. Immortality b. Honesty 4 by RW Howard Z. Kanowitz, PGC Each of us is all too familiar with the discussion of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences in the Fellowcraft Lecture. However, have we ever given any thought as to where this idea for the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences comes from, or for that matter, why seven and not four or eight? For well over a decade, as a result of research into other papers written for NJLORE and AMD, this writer has been aware that the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences are attributed to Martianus Capella, who lived in the fifth century. Beyond that, I had no conception as to who he was or for that matter what prompted him to develop this idea. As an aside, this writer has always been a believer in cause and effect. Nothing just happens. It happens for a reason. What prompted Martianis Capella to undertake this assemblage of arts and sciences had gnawed at me, but I never took the time to find out. Then, out of the blue came a book written twenty-eight years earlier by a BBC historian and broadcaster, James Burke. When Walter Cronkite was broadcasting the moon landing in 1969 for CBS, Burke was doing so for BBC. In or about 1978 he produced a multi-part series titled Connections which described the rise of technology. In 1985 he produced a series called The Day the Universe Changed, which dealt with the rise of our social institutions. At a recent Library used book sale this writer came upon the companion book to that series and scoffed it up. (Continued on page 6) 5 (Continued from page 5) Chapter Two described the rise of communications and, as a sub-topic, the rise of educational systems, which obviously depend upon communication skills. It was there that Burke introduced the story behind the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences. To appreciate their origin we must go back to the fifth century, 1600 years ago. Rome had just been sacked by the Goths. The Empire was crumbling. On the southern shore of the Mediterranean stood the “Chicago” of the Empire, Carthage. Carthage was the Empire's breadbasket. It was the economic hub behind the distribution of grain – from the farthest reaches of what was still part of the Empire to the East to what was left of the Empire in the West. (Britain had been long abandoned so that the armies once stationed there could be used in defense elsewhere). Cousins to the Goths who had come down into the Italian peninsula were the Visigoths, who were heading south through the Iberian Peninsula, now modern Portugal and Spain. The Carthaginians knew that it was only a matter of time before they would be invaded and crushed. Fortuitously for history, Carthage had produced two sons of note. The first of these scions of Carthage was a profligate, an irreligious libertine, a whoremonger, who had wasted his youth on the proverbial wine, woman, and song. But by his late twenties he “got religion” big-time. He became the most significant churchman of the first millennium. His name was Augustine. (Continued on page 7) 6 (Continued from page 6) Technically, he wasn't from Carthage, whose ruins lie in what is now a suburb of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. He was actually from Hippo, modern Annaba, Algeria, one hundred fifty miles west of Carthage. Having risen to Bishop, Augustine saw the coming darkness and responded with one of the most significant documents in post-New Testament Christian writing, The City of God. In it he laid out the different jurisdictions between Church and secular. Its purpose was to differentiate between the present life and the life after salvation. He witnesses massive suffering on a biblical scale, as the Empire was eclipsed by the barbarian hordes. Incidentally, many of those barbarian hordes were already Christians, but evidently hadn't gotten the memo about love thy neighbor. So the thrust of his book was to teach Christianity to look within itself, as a means to endure the horrors of this life in anticipation of the bliss that would follow in the life to come. As in the case of tectonic plates coming together, where one must subduct below the other, he taught Christianity to subduct this life below the life to come. No suffering could be too great because the sufferer would be rewarded in the next life. In so doing he inadvertently gave license to the idea of sacrificing the flesh to save the soul, which would in later centuries manifest itself in the Crusades and the Inquisition. The principal thesis of the book was that the Church, i.e., the Pope, was primary over king. This idea would manifest itself in later centuries in the conflict between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. The reason the Montagues and Capulets of Romeo and Juliet fame hated each other was because they were on opposite sides of this rivalry. (Continued on page 8) 7 (Continued from page 7) The second son was Martianus Capella, who was Roman Pro Council. He also realized the consequences of a barbarian conquest but he approached the darkness in a vastly different way. Rather than preaching to internalize the problem in the hope of a better life in the life to come, he sought to arm the people with the skill sets they would need to deal with it. To that end he gathered up the curricula that were being taught in the Roman schools, which at the time were taught to the aristocracy. He condensed it into nine volumes so that the people would have at their disposal Latin Grammar, a universal language that could spread into what had been the Empire; legal Rhetoric, so that there could be laws upon which to build social institutions; and the Logic of Christian theology, so that he could spread that memo of love thy neighbor. He then went on to the realization that these skill sets were only half of what was needed. He realized the sacking of the Empire would destroy its physical plant. Roads, aqueducts and administrative buildings would fall into decay and the sciences would be needed to restore them. So he added to the first three which he called the Trivium another set of four which he called the Quadrivium: Arithmetic to be the basis of commerce and engineering; Geometry through which engineering and architecture could rebuild; Astronomy so that there could be a calendar, another important tool in commerce, and so that seafarers could find their way; and lastly Music which was the ultimate expression of Arithmetic, Geometry and Astronomy in the Harmony of the Spheres envisioned by Pythagoras and adopted by Aristotle as the structure of our universe. (Continued on page 9) 8 (Continued from page 8) Burke then mentioned that The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences remained the basis of education for a good 600 years. However this writer believes that their influence is still with us. Chartres Cathedral was completed somewhere around 1220 some 800 years after the sack of Rome. In an archway over the main entrance to the Cathedral sits an allegory to The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences. In a Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror-the 14th Century, she discusses the educational system of that period, and lo and behold it was all based on The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences. However while our educational systems have grown more complex and more diversified, one element still remains in today’s colleges, we travel one of two roads, the one leading to a Bachelor of Arts, the other leading to a Bachelor of Sciences. Masonic Charity Foundation Scholarship Applications are available online on the Grand Lodge Website Application Deadline February 17, 2015 9 The Golden Ratio (Φ) is famous in nature and many fields of art and science, particularly architecture. When applied to the relative proportions of structures it imbues them with lines inexplicably pleasing to the human eye. The Golden Ratio derives from the Golden Rectangle — a rectangle constructed such that if one takes away a unit square from the rectangle, the rectangle that remains bears the identical proportions of its parent. For example, in the diagram below, if one removes the unit square (ABCD) from the larger rectangle (ABFE), the smaller rectangle that remains (DCEF) has exactly the same length to width ratio as the original recB F C tangle. The Golden Rectangle may be constructed (as in the diagram) by drawing a circle whose center is the midpoint (G) of one side of a unit square (AD=1) with radius GC (the distance from the midpoint to an opposite corner of the square), and extending the side (AD) of the square to intersect the circle at E, creating length AE. 1 A D E G Φ-1 1 Φ Applying the Pythagorean Theorem: GC = SQRT(GD2+DC2) GC = SQRT(.52+12) GC = SQRT(1.25) GC = 1.1180339887498948482045868343656 GE = GC AE = GE + .5 (AG=.5) AE = 1.6180339887498948482045868343656 (The Golden Ratio) 10 by Robert Burns Is there for honesty poverty That hings his head, an' a' that; The coward slave - we pass him by, We dare be poor for a' that! For a' that, an' a' that, Our toils obscure an' a' that, The rank is but the guinea's stamp, The man's the gowd for a' that. A prince can mak a belted knight, A marquise, duke, an' a' that; But an honest man's aboon his might, Gude faith, he maunna fa' that! For a' that, an' a' that, Their dignities an' a' that, The pith o' sense, an' pride o' worth, Are higher rank than a' that. What though on hamely fare we dine, Wear hoddin grey, an' a' that? Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine, A man's a man for a' that. For a' that, an' a' that, Their tinsel show, an' a' that, The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor, Is king o' men for a' that. Then let us pray that come it may, (As come it will for a' that,) That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth, Shall bear the gree, an' a' that. For a' that, an' a' that, That man to man, the world o'er, Shall brithers be for a' that. Ye see yon birkie ca'd a lord, Wha struts, an' stares, an' a' that; Tho' hundreds worship at his word, He's but a coof for a' that. For a' that, an' a' that, His ribband, star, an' a' that, The man o' independent mind He looks an' laughs at a' that. Burns Dinner & DVD Night for details see the Event Flyers Section 11 From our Political Irony Department: Solon was an Athenian lawgiver and poet in ancient Greece, the eponym of today’s “solon” which is defined as “a wise lawgiver or legislator.” A bas-relief in his honor (pictured at right) adorns the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Alchemist In his mid-twenties he began his research into alchemy, that mysterious intersection of magic and science, which led him into a life-long fascination with the occult. Though he spent a great deal of time and energy on his search for the “philosopher’s stone” — an object thought capable of transmuting base metals into gold — he defended the art, writing that “Alchemy tradeth not with metals as ignorant vulgars think.” He taught himself Hebrew in order to read ancient texts in the original and immersed himself in the Bible, in further search of secrets of the universe possibly hidden in scripture. He constructed elaborate chronologies of the future based on biblical prophesies. Based on his analysis of Old Testament clues and descriptions, he created a painstakingly detailed floor plan of King Solomon’s Temple, believing its dimensions to hold sacred clues to other secrets. But we know and remember Sir Isaac Newton for changing our understanding of the world through science. In the words of Alexander Pope, “Nature and Nature’s laws lay hid in night: God said, ‘Let Newton be!’ and all was light.” 12 AUDUBON-PARKSIDE LODGE No. 218 1st Friday 305 East Atlantic Avenue Audubon, NJ 08106 COLLINGSWOOD-CLOUD LODGE No. 101 2nd Tuesday 790 Haddon Avenue Collingswood, NJ 08108 LAUREL LODGE No. 237 1st & 3rd Friday Atlantic Avenue and Stone Road Laurel Springs, NJ 08021 LAZARUS LODGE No. 303 1st Monday (@ Haddonfield) 16 East Kings Highway Haddonfield, NJ 08033 MERCHANTVILLE LODGE No. 119 2nd & 3rd Friday 6926 Park Avenue Merchantville, NJ 08109 MOZART LODGE No. 121 1st & 3rd Tuesday (@ Audubon) 305 East Atlantic Avenue Audubon, NJ 08106 RISING SUN LODGE No. 15 1st & 3rd Wednesday (@ Haddonfield) 16 East Kings Highway Haddonfield, NJ 08033 USS NEW JERSEY LODGE No. 62 3rd Monday (@ Audubon) 305 East Atlantic Avenue Audubon, NJ 08106 13 Date Lodge/Location February 2 Lazarus #303 (@ Haddonfield Temple) February 3 Mozart #121 (@ Audubon Temple) February 4 Rising Sun #15 February 6 Audubon-Parkside #218 February 10 Collingswood-Cloud #101 February 13 Merchantville #119 February 16 USS New Jersey #62 (@ Audubon Temple) February 20 Laurel #237 14 Wednesday Lodge/Location January 14 February 11 March 11 April 8 Audubon-Parkside #218 Collingswood-Cloud #101 Laurel #237 Lazarus #303 (@ Haddonfield Temple) May 13 June 10 Merchantville #119 M&W/GLI (tentative) (location TBA) September 9 Mozart #121 (@ Audubon Temple) October 14 November 11 Rising Sun #15 Qualification Teams (location TBA) USSNJ #62 to assist as needed. 15 Audubon-Parkside #218 Feb 15, May 24, Aug 30, Dec 6 Collingswood-Cloud #101 Feb 22, May 31, Sep 6, Dec 13 Laurel #237 Mar 22, Jun 28, Oct 4 Lazarus #303 Mar 29, Jul 5, Oct 11 Merchantville #119 Jan 11, Apr 19, Jul 26, Nov 1 Mozart #121 Jan 18, Apr 26, Aug 2, Nov 8 Rising Sun #15 Jan 25, May 3, Aug 9, Nov 15 USSNJ #62 Apr 5, Jul 12, Oct 18 Effective January 4, 2015 ● All Masonic Volunteers park in the Foundation parking lot, directly across from the Chapel ● Enter via the Chapel entrance and sign in at the provided sign-in table ● Wear lodge badges or shirts — blue volunteer jackets will no longer be required ● All residents should have foot pedals on wheelchairs while being transported — no one should be transported without foot pedals 16 Sun Mon Tue Wed Dec 31 Thu 1 RS FIRST NIGHT 4 5 LZ 6 MZ 7 8 RS - George Washington Visit Fri Sat 2 3 LL - Steve Hart:Ameri can Dictators 9 AP (by dispensation) 10 MV 11 12 MV Masonic Home 13 CC 14 DLI @ AP 18 19 MZ Masonic US Home 20 MZ - Brew 25 26 RS Masonic Home Burns Night Dinner & DVD 27 15 16 LL- FC Deg. MV 17 21 22 RS - FC Deg. 23 24 28 30 31 Your Own Beer Demo 29 Robert Coming on February 3rd Hudgins’ Chili Cook-off Masonic Home Visitations Merchantville — Sunday, January 11 Mozart — Sunday, January 18 Rising Sun — Sunday, January 25 AP = Audubon-Parkside CC = Collingswood-Cloud LL = Laurel LZ = Lazarus MV =Merchantville MZ = Mozart RS = Rising Sun US = USSNJ 17 The following pages contain advertisements for individual events, submitted by the event sponsors and printed as a courtesy by the District Light. The District Light is not responsible for the accuracy of information nor for accepting reservations for these events. For information or reservations for a particular event, please follow the instructions in the event flyer. 18 Help us pack the house and show a proper Masonic & Haddonfield welcome to . . . Hotsy Totsy began as an a cappella Andrews Sisters tribute trio. The group now boasts a still-growing repertoire of nearly one hundred songs. Expanding beyond their origins they have found a niche as a retro-pop novelty act. From the girl groups of old to current billboard chart toppers, the ladies have reinvented today's hits to sound reminiscent of yesterday's favorites. Mixing it up! Mashing it up! Serving it up in their own signature style, Hotsy Totsy is sure to bring a new level of fun and entertainment to your New Year’s celebration. Two Performances at 8pm and 10:30pm Steve Steve Hart Hart Author of American Dictators: Frank Hague, Nucky Johnson and the Perfection of the Urban Political Machine Journey back in time to America’s Prohibition era with Steve Hart’s presentation on Atlantic City’s Nucky Johnson, of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire fame, and Frank Hague, of Jersey City. Friday, January 2, 2015 Laurel Lodge #237 629 Stone Rd Laurel Springs, NJ Lodge opens at 7:45pm Presentation after lodge After the presentation enjoy Chicken Chili with Corn Muffins presented by Susan Taylor Free Raffle Ticket (for a copy of the author’s book) to all attendees Please RSVP for dinner by Dec. 30 Bro. Robert Taylor 856-834-3917 Taylor89@comcast.net $10 includes Food, Dessert and Beer Sampling Audubon Masonic Temple 305 East Atlantic Avenue Audubon, NJ 08106 2 Route 73 Unit I, Berlin, NJ RESERVATIONS A MUST by January 18, 2015 Contact: David A. Frankel ● dafrankel@comcast.net ● (856) 429-4607 Libations ● 6:00 PM Dinner & DVD ● 7:00 PM MENU Potato & Black Pepper Soup Filet Mignon “Neeps” and “Tatties” Asparagus Hollandaise Butterscotch Cake Coffee FOOD BY WESTMONT CATERING SUGGESTED DONATION $25.00 ● OR a bottle of your favorite Single Malt Scotch to share e|á|Çz fâÇ _Éwzx No. 15, F. & A.M. As we confer the Master Mason Degree in the magnificent Corinthian Room of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, located at One North Broad, Philadelphia. Lodge Opening — 7:30 pm Dinner will precede the degree at 6:30 pm in the Dining Hall. Cost for dinner has yet to be determined. Please make your dinner reservation no later than Wednesday, March 11th with Bro. Michael Phillips: mp21476 @ gmail.com — or — (856) 287-1976 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Across 1. 4. 7. 8. 12. 13. 14. EclipseCrossword.com Immense caverns beneath the Guadalupe Mountains. It dams the Colorado in the Black Canyon. A massive, snow-capped, stratovolcano southeast of Seattle. Goat Island separates these famous falls straddling the U.S. - Canada border. At 1943 feet, this Oregon lake is the deepest in the U.S. This unusual "forest" is named for its trees which were turned to stone. Giant trees in the American Northwest are the tallest in the world and live for a thousand years. Down 2. 3. 5. 6. 9. 10. This trail stretches 2200 miles through 14 states atop an Eastern mountain range. A supervolcano underlies this famous Wyoming national park. 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep. The width of this great river varies from 20 feet to more than 11 miles! Gutzon Borgulm & son sculpted the granite face of this mountain. A type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. 11. These mountains dominate the western horizon as seen from Denver, Colorado. 27 GKB GP KHUKBMG VB GKB KJST-GPSL V A P. QPAJSHGF KHUKBMG MGPAF JAGKXA NHMLPQ DPQBM DPCJC QJF GP JSMP NKBC VB OAPEB GKB T H C H M K B L. LPFSB Puzzle Solutions TOURING AMERICA MASONIC CRYPTOQUOTE R E D W O O D S 14 8 5 E N I O P E T R I 13 R Y O N N A A H I C S H P M A G R A A R P G R 11 1 C A R L 2 N L N D O A I T B S 10 S 9 L O S N E D C R A T E R S U S 12 I C A K P D I F W S 7 R A I 6 O N I E R L M P 28 L 4 S B A D H O O V E R 3 Y Brethren: For Masons, the Holiday Season is also Installation Season. If you have photographs from your Installation Celebrations, please share some of them with the District Light for our February issue. And, as always, please share news of your upcoming speakers, programs, and events as soon as it becomes available, so we can pass the information on to everyone in the District. Wishing you and yours a Happy and Healthy New Year, Keith & Dave THE TRAVELING GAVEL Possession of the Traveling Gavel is the 18th District’s reward to Lodges that demonstrate the true spirit of Masonic Travel. The Gavel resides with the Lodge last able to capture it, and remains there until another Lodge captures it away by visiting a Regular or Emergent Communication with at least Twelve Brethren (symbolic of the Twelve Craftsmen) meeting the following criteria: The Worshipful Master Senior Warden Junior Warden Senior OR Junior Deacon Three Additional Officers Two Past Masters Three Additional Brethren Look for the gavel on the Communications page to see which Lodge presently holds it. The District Light - Journal of the 18th Masonic District Editor, Keith Josepayt..................................................... kjosepayt@gmail.com Editor, David A. Frankel...............................................dafrankel@comcast.net 29