The Old Master  by Carl Claudy- 1924

The Ideal Mason

"So you think Brother Parkes is an ideal Mason, do you?" asked the Old

Past Master of the Young Brother. "I like Brother Parkes, but before I

gave assent to your adjective of 'ideal' I'd like to have you define

it."

"What I meant" answered the Younger Brother "was that he is so well

rounded a Mason. He is Brotherly, charitable, loves a good speech and

a good time, and does his Masonic duty as he sees it."

"Oh! Well, if that's being an ideal Mason, Parkes is surely one. But I

can't follow your definition of ideal. For there are so many ideals in

Freemasonry, and it has been given to few...I doubt, really, if it has

been given to any...man to realize them all. Certainly I never knew

one.

"There are so many kinds of Masons! I do not refer now to the various

bodies a brother may join; Chapter, Council, Commandery, Scottish Rite

Lodge,Chapter, Council, Consistory, Shrine, Grotto, Tall Cedars,

Eastern Star; a man may belong to them all and still be just one kind

of Mason.

"When I speak of 'kinds' of Masons I mean 'kinds of ideals'.

"There is the man whose ideal of Masonry is ritual. He believes in the

ritual as the backbone of the fraternity. Not to be letter perfect in

a degree is an actual pain to him; he cares more for the absolute

accuracy of the lessons than the meaning in them. His ideal is a

necessary one, and to him we are indebted for our Schools of

Instruction, for our accuracy in handing down to those who come after

us, the secret work, and to a large extent, for what small

difficulties we put in the way of a candidate, by which he conceives a

regard for the  Order. What is too easily obtained is of small value.

Making a new Mason learn by rote some difficult ritual not only

teaches him the essential lessons, but makes him respect that which he

gets by making it difficult.

"There is a brother with the social ideal of Masonry. To him the Order

is first a benevolent institution, one which dispenses charity,

supports homes, looks after the sick, buries the dead, and,

occasionally, stages a 'ladies night' or a 'free feed' or an

'entertainment'. He is a man who thinks more of the lessons of

brotherly love than the language in which they are taught; as a

ritualist, he uses synonyms all the time, to the great distress of the

ritually-minded Mason. To the social ideal of Masonry and those to

whom it makes its greatest appeal we are indebted for much of the

public approbation of our Order, since in its social contacts it is

seen of the world.

"There are brethren to whom the historical, perhaps I should say the

archeological ideal, is the one of greatest appeal. They are the

learned men; the men who dig in libraries, read the books, who write

the papers on history and antiquity. To them we are indebted for the

real, though not yet fully told story of the Craft. They have taken

from us the old apocryphal tales of the origin of the Order and set

Truth in their places; they have uncovered a far more wonderful story

than those ancient ones which romanticists told. They have given us

the right to venerate our age and vitality; before they came we had

only fables to live by. To them we owe Lodges of Research, histories,

commentaries, the great books of Masonry and much of the

interpretation of our mysteries.

"Then there is the symbolist. His ideal is found in the esoteric

teachings of Freemasonry. He is not content with the bare outline of

the meaning of our symbols found in our lectures-he has dug and delved

and learned, until he has uncovered so great a wealth of

philosophical, religious and fraternal lessons in our symbols as would

amaze the Masons who lived before the symbolist began his work.

"To him we are indebted for such a wealth of beauty as has made the

Craft lovely in the eyes of men who otherwise would find in it only

'another organization.' To him we are indebted for the greatest

reasons for its life, its vitality. For the symbolist has pointed the

way to the inner, spiritual truths of Freemasonry and made it blossoms

like the rose in the hearts of men who seek, they know not what, and

find, that which is too great for them to comprehend.

"These are but other ideals of Freemasonry, my son, but these are

enough to illustrate my point. Brother Parkes follows the social ideal

of Freemasonry, and follows it well. He is a good man, a good Mason,

in every sense of the word. But he is not an 'ideal' Mason. An 'ideal'

Mason would have to live up to, to love, to understand, to practice,

all the ideals of Freemasonry. And I submit, it cannot be done.

"What's your ideal of Freemasonry?" asked the Younger Mason curiously,

as the Old Past Master paused.

"The one from which all the things spring", was the smiling answer. "I

am not possessed of a good enough memory to be a fine ritualist; I

don't have time enough to spare for many of the social activities of

Masonry, I am not learned enough to be historian or antiquary, nor

with enough vision to be an interpreter of symbols for any man but

myself. My ideal is the simple one we try to teach to all, and which,

if we live up to it, encompasses all the rest; the Fatherhood of God,

and the brotherhood of man."

Fraternally,

"Old Tiler Talks" by Carl Claudy -1924

ACTING AS CHAPLAIN

"I was embarrassed in lodge tonight!" announced the New Brother

to the Old Tiler. "I don't think the Master ought to make me feel

that way!"

"That's too bad," answered the Old Tiler, with ready sympathy.

"Did he call you down for something?"

"Oh, no. The Chaplain was absent, and the Master asked me to act

in his place."

"Why should that embarrass you?" asked the Old Tiler, still

sympathetic.

"It embarrassed me horribly to say I wouldn't."

"Oh, you refused?"

"Of course I refused! My embarrassment was bad enough as it was,

but to get up in front of the Altar and offer a prayer! Man, I

couldn't do that!"

"You surprise me!" answered the Old Tiler. "But let that pass.

Who did act as Chaplain?"

"The Master asked the speaker of the evening, some brother I

never saw before. He made a beautiful prayer, too. I heard him

tell the Master he didn't know the prayer in the ritual, but the

Master said that didn't matter, which I thought rather odd."

"Can you remember what the stranger said?" asked the Old Tiler.

"Pretty well, I think," answered the New Brother. "It was not

long. He went to the Altar and kneeled, and then said 'Almighty

Architect of the Universe, we, as Master Masons, standing in a

Masonic Lodge erected to thy glory, humbly petition that Thou

look with favor upon this assembly of Thy children. Open our

hearts that the eternal Masonic truth may find ready entry that

we be enabled to make ourselves square stones, fitting in Thy

sight for the great Temple, eternal in Thy heavens. We ask it in

the name of the All-seeing Eye, Amen."

"That was a pretty prayer," responded the Old Tiler.

"But it wasn't the ritual prayer," objected the New Brother.

"No, nor it wasn't by the appointed Chaplain," retorted the Old

Tiler. "What difference does it make to God whether we pray the

same prayer at every lodge opening? It must be the sincerity and

the thought behind the prayer which count in His sight, not the

words. But in your refusal to act as Chaplain, it seems to me you

put yourself in an unfortunate position. You shave yourself,

don't you?"

"Why, er, yes! What has that got to do with it?"

"Tomorrow morning, when you shave yourself, you'll look in the

mirror and you'll say 'Hello, coward!' and that's not nice, is

it?"

"Do you think I was a coward?" asked the New Brother, wistfully.

"Scared stiff!" smiled the Old Tiler. "So conceited, so filled

with the idea of all your brethren admiring you, you couldn't

bear to forget yourself, lest they falter in their admiration.

Sure, that's cowardly. You ducked a duty because of conceit!"

"Old tiler, you use strong words! It was not conceit. It was

modesty. I didn't think I was able."

"Don't fool yourself! You told me you were embarrassed. Why is a

man embarrassed in public? Because he is afraid he won't do well,

won't make a good appearance, won't succeed, will be ridiculous.

So you refused the pretty compliment the Master paid you, and

refused your brethren the slight service of being their

mouthpiece."

"But I have never prayed in public!"

"Neither has any other man ever prayed in public prior to his

first public prayer!" grinned the Old Tiler. "But please tell me

why a man should be embarrassed before God? We are taught that He

knoweth all things. If we can't conceal anything from Him, He

knows all about you! A man may be ashamed of himself, sorry for

what he is and has been, but embarrassed, in prayer? As for being

embarrassed before you brethren, that's conceited. Almost any man

is a match for an army if he has God with him. The man on his

feet who talks aloud to God has no need to consider men. If men

laugh, shame to them. In all my many years as a Mason, I never

yet saw any man smile or say a word of ridicule at any one's

petition to Deity out loud which touched the hearts of all

present who admired their fearlessness in facing the Great

Architect and saying what was in their hearts. I never heard a

man laugh when a Chaplain, ordained or substitute, made a

petition to Deity. Whether it was the petition in the ritual, or

one which came from the heart, be sure the Great Architect

understood it. As for asking a blessing in the name of the

All-Seeing Eye, what difference does it make to God by what name

we call Him? That is a good Masonic name, sanctified by the

reverent hearts of generations of men and Masons.

"For your own peace of mind, tell your Master you made a mistake

and that you are sorry, and that if he will honor you by giving

you an opportunity to pray for yourself and your brethren, you

will, in the absence of the Chaplain, do your reverent best. And

when you kneel before that Altar you will forget, as all

Chaplains must who mean what they say, that any listen save the

One to whom the prayer is addressed!"

"Old Tiler, I'll try to do it!" cried the New Mason.

"Humph!" grunted the Old Tiler.

Fraternally,

Alexander Graham Bell and the Garfield Assassination

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: My thanks to www.historybuff.com and

mailto:rbrown@tir.com for this interesting report.  PAT]

By R.J. Brown

Editor-in-Chief

Some people ask me "Why bother to collect old newspapers? If I want

to read dry, boring history, I can just get a history book." My

answer to this is that even the best of history books leave out some

mighty interesting asbpects of historical events. The only way they

can be re-discovered, is through reading original newspapers

published during the time of the event. The assassination of

president James Garfield in 1881 is a prime example of this.

James Garfield was assassinated on July 2, 1881 and lingered until

September 19, 1881 when he died. The problem was that a bullet was

lodged inside his chest. The two methods of treatment at the time

were: (1) If the bullet had penetrated the liver (or other organs)

it would mean certain death without surgery to remove it. (2) If the

bullet hadn't penetrated an organ was wasn't lodged tightly against

an organ at the present time, the chances of recovery were much

better if they delayed the surgery until the president's condition

stabilized. Therefore, finding the exact location of the bullet was

very critical in the president's recovery. X-rays had not been

invented yet so the only way to determine the exact location of the

bullet was to do a manual probe with instruments. If they were to

make continued probes to locate the bullet, it increased the risk of

infection.

As a result of this indecision, a most unique journalistic style

arose.  Newspapers across the United States printed editorial after

editorial making big light of this indecision by the White House

doctors. Soon, lay-people, as well as qualified medical personnel,

jumped in with their opinions. The White House doctors were deluged

with package after package containing such items as special herbs,

teas, home remedies, poultices, as well as patent medicines. A

special area was set up in the White House basement to store all the

items.

In addition, people with medical degrees sent lengthy letters giving

their opinions on what should be done. Many of these letters were

also published in newspapers. Coverage of the debate received so

much attention that discussions from this angle over shadowed the

current medical condition of the president.

One such example of the press taking over the job of finding the

answer as to finding the exact location of the bullet took place one

week after the shooting.  Simon Newcomb of Baltimore was interviewed

by a reporter for the Washington National Intelligencer. Newcomb had

been experimenting with running electricity through wire coils and

the effect metal had when placed near the coils. He had found that

when metal was placed near the coils filled with electricity that a

faint hum could be heard at that point in the coil. The problem was

that the hum was so faint that is was very difficult to hear. He

suggested that he might be able to perfect his invention so that it

could be used on the President but, unfortunately, he though that

the perfection of the apparatus would take too long.

While in Boston, Alexander Graham Bell read the newspaper account

mentioned in the above paragraph of this article. Upon reading this

account, Bell telegraphed Newcomb in Baltimore and offered to assist

him. Further, he suggested that perhaps his own invention of the

telephone was the answer he had been seeking. His telephone

amplified sound made through wire!

Newcomb accepted Bell's offer. Bell immediately went to Baltimore to

work with Newcomb. White House surgeons spent a lot of time at the

Baltimore lab witnessing the experiments. The invention consisted of

two coils of insulated wire, a battery, a circuit breaker, and

Bell's telephone. The ends of the primary coil were connected to a

battery and those of the secondary coil were fastened to posts of

the telephone. When a piece of metal was placed in the spot where

the circuit breaker was, a hum could be heard in the telephone

receiver. As the metal was moved further away, the hum became more

faint. Five inches away was the maximum distance that a hum could

still be heard.

Various methods of testing the apparatus were tried. At first a game

of hide and seek was played. Either Bell or Newcomb would hide an

unspent bullet in their mouth, arm pit, or elsewhere on their body.

The other would pass the wand over the others' body. Meanwhile an

assistant would be listening on the telephone to announce (based on

the hum) where the bullet was and how far away from the tip of the

wand it was.

Next, the experiments included spent bullets and hiding them in bags

of grain, inside sides of beef and so forth. Various adjustments

were made with each test.

As a final test, before using it on the president, they went to the

Old Soldiers Home in Washington, D.C. where they solicited Civil War

veterans and lined them up in open fields. They passed the wand over

each volunteer's body.  As some still had bullets in their body from

doing battle in the war, this provided a very close approximation of

what they hoped their invention would accomplish -- locate a bullet

inside a human body. In each case, the soldiers with bullets still

in them, and where the bullets were, were identified. Now was the

appropriate time to try the invention on the president.

On July 26, Bell, his assistant Tainter, and Newcomb had an

appointment at the White House. In the early evening they made their

first attempt to locate the bullet using their apparatus. There were

also five White House doctors and several aides present for this

experiment. The president looked apprehensive as the wand was passed

over his body. He expressed a fear of being electrocuted. Bell

offered reassurance and tried to explain how the apparatus worked.

None-the- less, Garfield's eyes never left the wand through out the

experiment.

The results of the experiment were inconclusive s there was a faint

hum no matter where the wand was placed on the president's body.

After many attempts, Bell, Newcomb and Tainter left the White House

wonder just where they went wrong.

Meanwhile, the press used this failure as a personal attack on Bell.

The hostility of the rivalry among claimants that they (and not

Bell) were the first ones to invent the telephone was at its peak at

this time. Many lawsuits were already pending in the courts over

this issue. The publicity over Bell using his invention to attempt

to find the bullet in the president's body didn't help matters.

Editorials in newspapers called Bell a "publicity seeker."

Undaunted, Bell returned to