Scientia Coronati Research Lodge #4 F. & A. M.

Newsletter

july– september 2011 A.L. 6011

The Arizona Keystone

Volume 4, Issue 3

“Freemasonry embraces the highest moral laws and

will bear the test of any system of ethics

or philosophy ever promulgated for the uplift of man”

- - Douglas MacArthur

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The Arizona Keystone

Volume 4, Number 3

July - September 2011

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Boyd Robertson, Master

MANAGING EDITOR

Keith Rosewitz, Secretary

The Arizona Keystone is an official pub-

lication of Scientia Coronati Research

Lodge #4 F. & A. M. and printed quar-

terly. Unless otherwise noted, articles

appearing in this publication express only

the private opinion or assertions of the

writer, and do not necessarily reflect the

official opinion of Scientia Coronati Re-

search Lodge #4 F. & A. M. or the Grand

Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of

Arizona.

Articles are subject to editing and sub-

mittal grants Scientia Coronati Research

Lodge #4 F. & A. M the right to publish

and the authority to allow permission to

reprint. Ownership of any article, photo-

graphs, or other materials remains with

the author. No compensation is allowed

for any article, photographs, or other ma-

terials submitted for publication.

Permission to reprint articles will be

granted upon written request to the Edi-

tor. When reprinted, articles should note

“Reprinted with permission of The

Arizona Keystone (Month, year).”

Please direct all correspondence to:

Editor: The Arizona Keystone

1908 Larchwood Cir.

Prescott, AZ 86301

FEATURES

3. EDITOR’S NOTES

4. PEN AND PAPER

CONTENTS

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Master ’s Notes

My Brothers,

With autumn now upon us are you preparing for

the harvest? I am not referring to your vegetable gar-

dens, but to your harvest of materials in preparation

for your next presentation to our research lodge. Now

that the days are growing shorter, and colder, it is time

to return to your research and Masonic growth through learning.

As always I am looking to you, my brethren, for ideas and or papers to present to the

research lodge. If you do not feel comfortable presenting something on your own find a

brother to help you and present it together. You would be surprised what you can learn or

take away from working with a brother on your research. You might start down one path

and end up on an entirely different road.

And remember, brethren, an idea or a subject that you are interested in and choose

to deliver might inspire someone else. Or give them another view or angle by which to look

at what you have presented. And in my opinion, if you can get someone to see something

in a different light or find a deeper understanding of the symbolism, you have just done a

small part in assisting your brother to grow within the fraternity.

Boyd

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PEN AND PAPER

OATH

Mackey’s Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, New Edition, 1929

In the year 1738, Clement XII, at the time Pope of Rome, issued a Bull of Excommunication against the Free-

masons, and assigned, as the reason of his condemnation, that the Institution confederated persons of all religions and

sects in a mysterious bond of union, and compelled them to secrecy by an oath taken on the Bible, accompanied by

certain ceremonies, and the imprecation of heavy punishments.

This persecution of the Freemasons, on account of their having an obligatory promise of secrecy among their

ceremonies, has not been confined to the Papal See. We shall find it existing in a sect which we should suppose, of

all others, the least likely to follow in the footsteps of a Roman Pontiff. In 1757, the Associate Synod of Seceders of

Scotland adopted an Act, concerning what they called the Mason Oath, in which it is declared that all persons who

shall refuse to make such revelations as the Kirk Sessions may require, and to promise to abstain from all future con-

nection with the Order, “shall be reputed under scandal and incapable of admission to sealing ordinances,” or as Pope

Clement expressed it, be ipso facto (because of that fact) excommunicated.

In the Preamble to the Act, the Synod assign the reasons for their objections to this oath, and for their ecclesi-

astical censure of all who contract it. These reasons are:

That there were very strong presumptions, that, among Masons, an oath of secrecy is administered to entrants

into their society, even under a capital penalty, and before any of those things, which they swear to keep secret, be

revealed to them; and that they pretend to take some of these secrets from the Bible; besides other things which are

ground of scruple in the manner of swearing the said oath.

These have, from that day to this, constituted the sum and substance of the objections to the obligation of Ma-

sonic secrecy, and for the purpose of brief examination, they may be classed under the following heads:

1. It is an oath.

2. It is administered before the secrets are communicated.

3. It is accompanied by certain superstitious ceremonies.

4. It is attended by a penalty.

5. It is considered, by Freemasons, as paramount to the obligations of the laws of the land.

In replying to these statements, it is evident that the conscientious Freemason labors under great disadvantage.

He is at every step restrained by his honor from either the denial or admission of his adversaries in relation to the

mysteries of the Craft. But it may be granted, for the sake of argument, that every one of the first four charges is

true, and then the inquiry will be in what respect they are offensive or immoral. Let us consider the foregoing items

in the same numbered order as follows:

1. The oath or promise cannot, in itself, be sinful, unless there is something immoral in the obligation it imposes.

Simply to promise secrecy, or the performance of any good action, and to strengthen this promise by the so-

lemnity of an oath, is not, in itself, forbidden by and divine or human law. Indeed, the infirmity of human

nature demands, in many instances, the sacred sanction of such and attestation; and it is continually exacted in

the transactions of man with man, without any notion of sinfulness. Where the time, and place, and circum-

stances are unconnected with levity, or profanity, or crime, the administration of an obligation binding to se-

crecy, or obedience, or veracity, or any other virtue, and the invocation of Deity to witness, and to strengthen

that obligation, or to punish its violation, is incapable, by any perversion of Scripture, of being considered a

criminal act.

2. The objection that the oath is administered before the secrets are make known, is sufficiently absurd to pro-

voke a smile. The purpose of such an oath would be completely frustrated by revealing the thing to be con-

cealed before the promise of concealment was made. In that case, it would be optional with the candidate to

give the obligation, or to withhold it, as best suited his inclinations. If it be conceded that the exaction of a

solemn promise of secrecy is not, in itself, improper, then certainly the time of exacting it is before and not

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after the revelation. Doctor Harris (Masonic Discourses, No. 9, page 184), has met this objection in the fol-

lowing language:

What the ignorant call the oath, is simply an obligation, covenant, and promise, exacted previously to

the divulging of the specialties of the Order, and our means of recognizing each other; that they shall be kept

from the knowledge of the world, lest their original intent should be thwarted, and their benevolent purport

prevented. Now, pray, what harm is there in this? Do you not all, when you have anything of a private na-

ture which you are willing to confide in a particular friend, before you tell him what it is, demand a solemn

promise of secrecy? And is there not the utmost propriety in knowing whether your friend is determined to

conceal your secret, before you presume to reveal it? Your answer confutes your cavil.

3. The objection that the oath is accompanied by certain superstitious ceremonies does not seem to be entitled

too much weight. Oaths, in all countries and at all times, have been accompanied by peculiar rites, intended

to increase the solemnity and reverence of the act. The ancient Hebrews, when they took an oath, placed the

hand beneath the thigh of the person to whom they swore. Sometimes the ancients took hold of the horns of

the altar, and touched the sacrificial fire, as in the league between Latinus and Aeneas where the ceremony is

thus described by Virgil:

Tango aras; mediosque ignes, et numina, testor.

Sometimes they extended the right hand to heaven, and swore by earth, sea and stars. Sometimes, as among

the Romans in private contracts, the person swearing laid his hand upon the hand of the party to whom he

swore. In all solemn covenants the oath was accompanied by a sacrifice; and some of the hair being cut

from the victim’s head, a part of it was given to all present that each one might take a share in the oath, and

be subject to the imputation.

Other ceremonies were practiced at various times and in different countries, for the purpose of throwing

around the act of attestation an increased amount of awe and respect. The oath is equally obligatory without

them; but they have their significance, and there can be no reason why the Freemasons should not be allowed

to adopt the mode most pleasing to themselves of exacting their promises or confirming their covenants.

4. It is objected that the oath is attended with a penalty of a serious or capital nature. If this be the case, it does

not appear that the expression of a penalty of any nature whatever can affect the purport or augment the so-

lemnity of an oath, which is, in fact, an attestation of God to the truth of a declaration, as a witness and aven-

ger; and hence every oath includes in itself, and as its very essence, the covenant of God’s wrath, the heavi-

est of all penalties, as the necessary consequence of its violation. A writer, in reply to the Synod of Scotland

(Scot’s Magazine, October, 1757), quotes the opinion of an eminent jurist to this effect:

It seems to be certain that every promissory oath, in whatever form it may be conceived,

whether explicitly or implicitly, virtually contains both as attestation and an obsecration; for in an oath, the

execration supposes an attestation as a precedent, and the attestation infers an execration as a necessary conse-

quence. Hence, then, to the believer in a superintending Providence, every oath is an affirmation, negation, or

promise, corroborated by the attestation of the Divine Being.

This attestation includes an obsecration of Divine punishment in case of a violation, and it is, therefore a

matter of no moment whether this obsecration or penalty be expressed in words or only implied; its presence or

absence does not, in any degree, alter the na ture of the obligation. If, in any promise or vow made by Freemasons,

such a penalty is inserted, it may probably be supposed that it is used only with a metaphorical and para

phrastical signification, and for the purpose of symbolic or historical allusion. Any other interpretation

but this would be entirely at variance with the opinions of the most intelligent Freemasons, who, it is pre-

sumed, best know the intent and meaning of their own ceremonies.

5. The last, and, indeed, the most important objection urged is, that these oaths are construed by Freemasons as

being of higher obligation than the law of the land. It is in vain that this charge has been repeatedly and in-

dignantly denied; it is in vain that Freemasons point to the integrity of character of thousands of eminent men

who have been members of the Fraternity; it is in vain that they recapitulate the order-loving and law-fearing

regulations of the Institution; the charge is renewed with untiring pertinacity, and believed with a credulity

that owes its birth to rancorous prejudice alone. To repeat the denial is but to provoke a repetition of the

charge. The answer is, however, made by one who, once a Freemason, was afterward an opponent and an

avowed enemy of the Institution. W.L. Stone (Letters on Masonry and Anti-Masonry, Letter vii, page 69),

who uses the following language:

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Is it, then, to be believed that men of acknowledged talents and worth in public stations, and of vir-

tuous and, frequently, religious habits, in the walks of private life, with the Holy Bible in their hands –

which they are solemnly pledged to receive as the rule and guide of their faith and practice – and under the

grave and positive charge from the officer administering the obligation, that it is to be taken in strict subor-

dination to the civil laws – can understand that obligation, whatever may be the peculiarities of its phraseol-

ogy, as requiring them to countenance vice and criminality even by silence? Can it for a moment be sup-

posed that the hundreds of eminent men, whose patriotism is unquestioned, and the exercise of whose tal-

ents and virtues has shed a lustre upon the church history of our country, and who, by their walk and con-

versation, have, in their own lives, illustrated the beauty of holiness? Is it to be credited that the tens of

thousands of those persons, ranking among the most intelligent and virtuous citizens of the most moral and

enlightened people on earth – is it, I ask, possible that any portion of this community can, on calm reflec-

tion, believe that such men have oaths upon their consciences binding them to eternal silence in regard to

the guilt of any man because he happens to be a Freemason, no matter what be the grade of offence,

whether it be the picking of a pocket or the shedding of blood? It does really seem to me impossible that

such an opinion could, at any moment, have prevailed, to any considerable extent, amongst reflecting and

intelligent citizens.

Oaths of interest to the Craft are obviously of various kinds and are not limited to the peculiarly Masonic

obligations assumed when receiving the Degrees. A few references may be quoted from the Bible. Num-

bers v, 19-21, is an instance where the warning punishment is ceremonially accompanied by the blotting out

of the record with other significant and symbolic acts. Adjuration, a solemnly earnest appeal, is in evidence

by Deuteronomy xxvii, 15-9, where the curses that warn precede the alternative blessings thus:

Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work

of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say,

Amen. Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he

that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that per-

verteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Then follows in chapter xxviii the promised reward for those who keep the faith: “And it shall come to

pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his com-

mandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of

the earth.”

Joshua vi, 26, has a curious allusion, “And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the

man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho; he shall lay the foundation thereof in this

firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.” First Samuel xiv, 24, is a similar instance.

Attestation by an oath, to bear witness by solemn assertion of one’s willingness to suffer if untrue,

we have the case of Exodus xxii, 10, 11. “If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep,

or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: Then shall an oath of the Lord

be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods; and the owner of it shall

accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.” Another instance is that of Nehemiah x, 29, “They clave to

their Brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was

given by Moses, the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and

his judgments and his statutes.”

A modern continuance of the ancient ceremonial method of pledging future personal conduct is in

the coronation of a king. In England the coronation oath is to be administered by one of the archbishops of

bishops in the presence of all the people, who, on their parts, reciprocally take the oath of allegiance to the

crown. The archbishop or bishop shall say: “Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of

this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the dominions thereto belonging according to the stat-

utes in parliament agreed on, and the respective laws and customs of the same?” The king shall say: “I sol-

emnly promise so to do.” Archbishop or bishop: “Will you to the utmost of your power cause law and jus-

tice, in mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?” King: “I will.” Archbishop or bishop: “Will you, to

the utmost of your power, maintain the laws of God, the true profession of the Gospel, and the Protestant

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reformed religion established by law? And will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the

Church of England and the doctrine, worship, discipline and government thereof, as by law established in

England? And will you preserve unto the bishops and clergy of England, and to the churches therein all

such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain to them, or any of them?” King: “All this I prom-

ise to do.” After this the king, laying his hand upon the holy Gospels, shall say: “The things which I have

herebefore promised I will perform and keep; so help me God,” and then shall kiss the Book.

An unusual form of oath is that still taken by deemsters of the Isle of Man. The word deemster is a

corruption of doomster, originally meaning the person who pronounces doom or sentence in their court of

justice – in other words, a judge. This has been required of all Manx deemsters for a thousand years:

By this Book, and the Holy Contents thereof, and by the Wonderful works that God hat miracu-

lously wrought in the Heaven above and in the Earth beneath, in six days and seven nights, I, the person be-

ing sworn do swear that I will without respect, favor or friendship, love or gain, consanguinity or affinity,

envy or malice, execute the laws of this Isle, and betwixt party and party, as indifferently as the herring’s

backbone doth lie in the midst of the fish! So help me God and the Contents of this Book.

Sundry old pledges found in trade and professional associations have also an interest for us as mem-

bers of a Craft. There is the one even yet administered to those following the footsteps of the father of sur-

gery, Hippocrates. He flourished during 460-361 B.C. and much technical data upon his surprising skill and

great fame are found in the works by Adams and Mumford. So prominent an expert was Hippocrates that

he was given the sacred Eleusinian rites as if possessed of royal attributes. Ha has left on record a solemn

pledge of his profession (see Mumford’s Surgical Memoirs):

I swear by Apollo the physician, and Aesculapius, and Health, and Panacea, and by all the gods and

goddesses that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this oath and this stipulation: To reckon

him who taught me this art equally dear to me as my parents, to share my substance with him, and to relieve

his necessities if required; to look upon his offspring on the same footing as my own Brethren, and to teach

them this art, if they shall wish to learn it, without fee or stipulation, and that by precept, lecture and every

other mode of instruction, I will impart a knowledge of the art to my own sons, and those of my teachers,

and to disciples bound by a stipulation and oath according to the rules of Medicine, and to no others. While

I continue to keep this oath inviolate, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art, re-

spected by all men, in all times! But should I trespass and violate this oath, let the reverse be my lot!

An oath of the Masters and Wardens of the Mysteries, Mystery being then a word used for a trade

organization, is found in the Liber Albus, the White Book (page 451, 1861 edition) compiled 1419 A.D.

This book contains the various laws of London and in referring to the several trades mentions the following

pledge, evidently taken when the officers were installed:

You shall swear, that well and lawfully you shall overlook the art or mystery of (name the trade gild

or society here) of which you are Masters, or Wardens, for the year elected. And the good rules and ordi-

nances of the same mystery, approved here by the Court, you shall keep and shall cause to be kept. And all

the defaults that you shall find therein, done contrary thereto, you shall present unto the Chamberlain of the

City, from time to time, sparing no one for favor, and aggrieving no one for hate. Extortion or wrong unto

no one, by colour of your office, you shall do; nor unto anything that shall be against the estate and peace of

the King, or of the City, you shall consent. But for the time that you shall be in office, in all things pertain-

ing unto the said mystery, according to the good laws and franchises of the city, well and lawfully you shall

behave yourself. – So God you help, and the Saints.

All these illustrations of various oaths may well be seriously noted in the spirit of the message

brought by Moses (Numbers xxx, 2), “If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul

with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.”

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…………SO PROUD TO BE A MASON !!!

By Brother Stan Martin

My wife and I just returned from a two week trip to the mid-west visiting family in Missouri. The first eve-

ning my son-in-law said that he knew I was a Mason as he glanced down at my Masonic ring. He went on to say that

he didn’t know if I would be able to answer a question for him. The question was something like: “What are the

Masons?” I asked why he wanted to know - at which point he replied that he was assisting in negotiations for addi-

tional office space and the man in charge was a 33rd degree Mason. I proudly answered my son-in-law’s questions

which seemed to open an unexpected total vista of Masonic information and sightings.

We, through other members of his side of the family, learned that both of his grandfathers were Masons. WOW! I

believe he was surprised.

We did a lot of sight-seeing in the midst of that terrible mid-western heat wave. As we were driving through down-

town St. Joseph we came across a building which had a large rectangular sign stating “Masonic Lodge”, “Eastern

Star” and “Scottish Rite”.

My daughter wanted us to visit the school and classroom where she teaches in Savannah. As we walked towards the

school entrance there was the Cornerstone laid by A.F & A.M. That was a pleasant greeting. It was inscribed:

“Savannah Lodge No. 71 A.F. & A.M 1956 AL 5912”. After leaving the school we drove around downtown Savan-

nah and we saw many buildings with the Cornerstones laid by A.F. & A.M. mostly from the 1950s.

We drove to Jamesport which is a small Amish town. This was not a tourist-type place. If it wasn’t for my son-in-

law’s family, my wife and I never would have known it was there. Much to my astonishment as we walked through

the two block downtown - there in a recessed doorway was a small unadorned plaque on the door which was in-

scribed: “A F & A M”. There was nothing else and it was not easy to see unless you were looking for it or in my

case just happened to observe the plate.

In our travels we drove through Cosby with a sign which stated “Population 505”. There I was noticeably taken

aback to see on the top front of a building the Square and Compass as well as Eastern Star symbols.

In Independence we visited the Truman Library and Museum. This was a marvelous educational experience. As we

walked through the Museum we came across one designated, complete section dedicated to President Truman’s Ma-

sonic history. There was a picture of him as a Shriner.

There was a complete replica of the Oval Office and as I glanced through the book shelves, I noted there were two

volumes entitled: Encyclopedia of Freemasonry by Mackey. Yes, right there in the Oval Office.

In addition, there was a plaque in this section which read “Joining Freemasonry. During his years on the farm Tru-

man joined the Masonic Order. Both of his grandfathers were Masons. So were many of the great men he admired:

Mozart, Andrew Jackson and George Washington. The Masonic order offered ethical guidance, companionship and

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acceptance among other Masons wherever he might travel.” There was another plaque about the Scottish Rite of

equal size. It said in part that “the Scottish Rite has done its best to make a man of me, and they had such a grade

of material to start with that they did a poor job I fear. It is the most impressive ceremony I ever saw or read. If a

man doesn’t try better after seeing it, he has a screw loose somewhere.”

Among the displays were his white Masonic apron and jewels plus his Shriner Fez. There was also a picture of

President Truman in full Masonic regalia. Another display showed a chart with pictures entitled: “Masonic Presi-

dents of the United States”. Finally, there was a chart on the structure of Freemasonry.

This was so exciting to me. In conclusion there was the Masonic Biography of President Truman. * His Degrees

* Jr. Warden * Royal Arch Masons * Royal & Select Masons * Knights Templar * Scottish Rite * Shrine *

Coroneted Honorary 33rd degree.

Driving home to Prescott Valley we went through the town of Emporia, Kansas. In Emporia there is an Eastern

Star Hall, a Masonic Hall, two Masonic Lodges and a Masonic Temple.

In Guymon, Oklahoma another Masonic Lodge was sighted with a full inscription on the front door.

There were additional sightings but I did not jot down every one…only those I thought you might have interest in.

So, to see everything, do as my wife and I did and drive the 2,980 mile round trip.

It seemed that wherever we went we saw and heard so much about or related to Freemasonry, so yes! …………SO

PROUD TO BE A MASON !!!