Sultan-Monroe #160 MESSENGER

The Masters Corner

WB Robert Smith

Brethren:

   As summer arrives, we find that the Annual Grand Lodge Communications’ is approaching us quickly and will hopefully find us all meeting in Wenatchee, Washington to discus and vote on pending resolutions.  It is also when Sultan-Monroe Lodge does not go dark but reverts to their summer meeting schedule.  We will meet on the first Tuesday of the month in July and August only.  Special meetings may by called for degree work and we will be notifying the membership and District Eight via email and telephone.

   At a previous stated meeting, a by-laws change recommendation was presented to the lodge to change our meeting dates and times, and seemed to be accepted favorably by the Brethren.  Our Brother Secretary follow established procedures and mailed out the notification to all the membership of the proposed by-laws change.  At our last stated meeting, the proposed change was presented again for a vote as required and the by-laws change did not pass, so our scheduled meeting times will remain intact.   What does concern me in this matter, is not only that the measure failed, it was that, of all the members present, five brethren never even cast a vote.   This concern me my Brethren, for this is not my lodge, this is our lodge and every voice is important, whether you may have agreed or disagreed with the by-laws change, it is your duty as a Mason to vote for the good of the Lodge. Your votes inform me, as well our future Masters, the direction you would like to see our lodge grow.

    There was also a hearty discussion on alcohol in the Lodge building and based on this discussion and accepting the will and pleasure expressed by the Brethren of the Lodge, I have suspended any further Table Lodges.

     It has been proposed that the telephone service to the lodge building be terminated as everyone now has a cell phone.  Remember the initial reason for the lodge telephone was based on a safety issue in case of fire or the need of an emergency medical care.  It is also a viable tool should a Brother need directions to get to the lodge he could call or to notify the lodge, saying he would be late for a meeting.   We also rent out our building as fundraiser to support our building maintenance program.   The lodge phone should be used as a tool to ensure a central contact point is maintained, whereby potential renters could leave a message or be directed to a different number as well as for its original intent, the safety of the membership.

   Sultan-Monroe Lodge is scheduled to work the SLOC coffee stop at SB Smokey Pt on June 12, 2004 and we have also scheduled a Food Drive at the local markets on June 19th.

   See you next month!

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"You don't raise heroes, you raise sons, and if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes.                                      Brother Walter Shirra Jr.

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MASTER MASON DEGREE - Ecclesiastics – 12:1 (Explanation)

Submitted By William C. Bell, PM. Youngstown Lodge #615 Youngstown, Ohio

(1) Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,

Many young and middle aged people overlook there surroundings and God, but as old age comes to them they start to become concerned with how they have arrived at where they are and now try to get caught up.

(2) While the evil days come not,

When your body and mind don't work the way they did in youth.

(3) Nor the years draw nigh,

Your time and years are drawing to a close.

(4) When thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them,

When you can't do that which took no effort in youth to do, and now all you can do is sit and watch, or have someone else do it for you.

(5) While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened,

When death finally prevails and you are no longer part of the wonders of life and nature.

(6) Nor the clouds return, after the rain,

Rains created new growth and life, a fresh start. And the sun or the stars once again appear.

(7) In the day when the keepers or the house shall tremble,

The keepers or the house are the hands, the arms, and legs, the trembling comes with the feebleness of old age.

(8) And the strong men shall bow themselves,

When they become stooped over, or bow legged, no longer able to stand erect.

(9) And the grinders cease because they are few,

The grinders are the teeth, which were usually very few, (in old age), if you were fortunate enough to have any.

(10) And those that look out of the windows be darkened,

The windows are the eyes. Failing sight is a trait common to old age.

(11) And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low,

The doors are the lips, the streets are the mouth by which nourishment enters, and the sound of the grinding is the human voice. In old age when the teeth are lost, mumbling is a very common attribute.

(12) And he shall rise up at the voice of the birds,

The birds is the crowing cock. In old age mankind is more restless in his slumbers, and early rising is a habit with many.

(13) And all the daughters of music shall be brought low,

The daughters of music is the ears. The voice loses its strength and hearing becomes less acute in the aged.

(14) Also, when they shall be afraid of that which is high,

In the declining years, men fear to scale the heights which in their prime they ascended with ease.

(15) And fears shall be in the way,

Timidity is a common fault of older people. They are filled with apprehension at the first sign of danger.

(16) And the almond tree shall flourish,

It refers to the white flower of that tree and the allegorical significance is to old age, when the hair of the head shall become white or gray.

(17) And the grasshopper shall be a burden,

To the weakness of old age, even the weight of so small a thing as a grasshopper, is a burden, or a pest.

(18) And desire shall fail,

The appetites and desires of youth cease in the declining years.

(19) Because man goeth to his long home,

Literally to his grave. Or to that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns.

(20) And the mourners go about the streets,

This refers to the original custom of having official mourners, who make public lamentations for the dead.

(21) Or ever the silver cord be loosed,

The silver cord is that spiritual cord which connects man to his God the same way an umbilical cord connects the baby to its mother.

(22) Or the golden bowl be broken,

The skull is called the golden bowl, from it's yellow color.

(23) Or the pitcher be broken at the fountain,

The pitcher is the great vein which carries the blood to the ventricle of the heart, here called the fountain.

(24) Or the wheel broken at the cistern,

The wheel represents the aorta or great artery which receives the blood from the ventricle of the heart or the cistern and distributes it through the body.

(25) Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Upon decomposition the body will return to mother earth from where it first originated, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Reprinted from CINOSAM

BEEN TO LODGE LATELY (Part 2)

WB KENNETH THOMPSON

Worshipful Brother Sherman “Tiny” Allen is feeling the same frustration as all present and past masters have felt as well as though Masters of the future will feel.  Amen, WB Tiny, I could not have said it better.  Brethren now is the time to support your lodge.  Your lodge needs your assistance in both, good time and bad times.  You may feel what you have to offer is very little or maybe insignificant.  Well as we have all been taught throughout the year, Every little bit helps, the difference between success and failure could be that very little you have to offer your lodge, your brethren and yourself. Come on back my Brethren, you have been missed.

Masonic Education

RUST ON THE TILER'S SWORD

  - If it pleases the Grand Architect of the Universe, here is a thought to ponder for the good of Masonry.

 - The true Mason ever strives to cultivate Masonry in his/her life to the fullest degree possible.

 -  This true Mason always carries his working tools every where.

 -  The true Mason is ever vigilant, for the subtle traces of character and personality flaws which daily experience brings out.

 - The true Mason never hesitates to use the working tools to correct personal flaws

 - To the true Mason the emergence of these flaws is a gift at his/her own bequest.

 - Gradually the true Mason gains experience in using these working tools and can observe subtler and subtler indications of personal flaws.

 - The true Mason's level of discernment increases with every use of the working tools, because the true Mason is ever working on him/her self.

 - To strive to learn new tricks, such as internet, is no problem for the true Mason who clearly sees a need for it, because the new trick will present opportunities to observe personal resistance to the new trick.

 - Like clouds obscuring the mountain peak, our negative habits and flaws attempt to block our view of the beauty within.

 - In this resistance the true Mason searches for indications of personal flaws in order to put them on his agenda for correction.

  -Thus this process is everything for the true Mason, because each removal of a character or personality flaw gives greater discernment to practice Masonry.

-Because of this ever, increasing discernment of the true Mason he will find more efficient ways to apply brotherly love, relief and truth.

  -The true Mason does not hold or teach the attitude that, “I am a Master Mason now and thus I no longer need to be concerned with using the working tools because they were given in the earlier degrees.”

  - The true Mason is the Tiller of the Temple of the Heart.

  - The true Mason takes full responsibility for the condition of his character and ever strives for its perfection.

  - A surprise inspection, by the Grand Architect of the Universe, of the Temple of the Heart of a true Mason will probably find more flaws to be corrected but will never find rust on the Tiller’s sword of the true Mason.

WB Red Skeleton’s Pledge of Allegiance

   For those unable to listen to this Pledge, here is a transcript of the piece.
May I recite it and try to explain the meaning of each word?

I... Me... An individual... A committee of one.
Pledge... Dedicate all of my worldly goods, to give without self pity.
Allegiance... My love and my devotion.
To the Flag... Our Standard. Old Glory. A symbol of Freedom. Wherever she waves, there's respect. Because your loyalty has given her dignity that shouts Freedom is everybody's job!

Of The…
United... That means that we have all come together.
States... Individual communities that have united into 48 Great States. 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries yet united with a common purpose. And that's love for country.
And to the Republic... Republic. A state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people. And it's from the people to the leaders -- not from the leaders to the people.
For Which it Stands...
One Nation(Under God)... One nation, meaning so blessed by God!
Individual... Incapable of being divided...
With Liberty... Which is freedom. The right of power to live one's own life, without threats, fear or some sort of retaliation.
And Justice... The principal or qualities of dealing fairly with others.
For All... For All, which means boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.

   Now, let's all say the Pledge together.
  I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic, for which it stands, one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
   Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to the Union and two words have been added to the Pledge, "under God." Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that were a prayer, and we wouldn't be allowed to say it in schools

                                                                                                          WB Red Skelton