Sally,
You have made a fine rendition about the Fraternity in early United States
history - except that "The
Commandery of Knights Templar" is the final step in the North American York
Rite of Freemasonry.
Jerry Gibbons - Dowling Michigan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sally Spangler" <esdemio@worldnet.att.net>
To: "Sinclair Digest" <sinclair@matrix.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2001 10:43 AM
Subject: Speculative Masonry
> To Neil and others, having been the daughter of a mason and at one time
> member of the OES (Eastern Star), I have been often confused by masonic
> history. My father would talk about masonic history and cobble together
> Solomon's Temple and Jacques DeMolay almost in the same breath. Then
> because he belonged to "The Commandery", the first stop in the York
> Rite, he received some very interesting newsletters which were not at
> all secretive. Whoever the editor was of the late 1950's he has
> outstanding putting together this history of the US in terms of its
> leaders and which ones were masons. We all know that George Washington
> was a mason. So were most of the men who were in Washington's time and
> later who were leaders of our country. The idea and ideals of masonry,
> of 'republicanism' which is not the "Grand Old Party" of today's
> politics, but somethng much better, of putting together the country, of
> leading the people and how it should be done. Very idealistic. The idea
> that each chosen leader would serve for a limited time to the best of
> his ability and then return to private life so that other leaders could
> come forward to take his place. I dare say, the ideals of masonry had
> much to do with the 'committee of correspondence' that promulgated the
> idea of separating ourselves from the rule of a king and his ministers.
> It is said that the masonic lodge of Boston were the 'red indians' that
> put the tea into Boston Harbor. Paul Revere was a mason, so was Sam
> Houston!
> At one time, there were certain professions in the US who most certainly
> provided many members to the masonic order, the conductors on the
> American Railroads, for instance.
> If they chose to be secretive, so much the better, more spice. Maybe,
> there was a need in 1717 to be discrete. Not hardly now. People need to
> know the masons have a part in the welfare of our communities. Sally
>
>
> [ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org
> [ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
>
[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org
[ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html