Officers of
Allapatah Lodge No. 271, F.&A.M.
Miami, Florida
Extracted from
the 1952-1967
Proceedings of the MW Grand Lodge F.&A.M. of Florida
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Master
1967 -- Edwin A. Horborouny
1966 -- George B. Tate
1965 -- David K. Hellings
1964 -- Arthur W. Scott, Jr.
1963 -- Garnet R. McGlocklin
1962 -- Marshall R. Dyer
1961 -- Daniel L. Beebe
1960 -- Robert K. Overstreet
1959 -- Melvin C. Foster
1958 -- John R. Gillette
1957 -- Charles L. McCord
1956 -- Jack M. Harris
1955 -- Donald K. Curry
1954 -- Harold E. Harris
1953 -- Justus P. Bailey
1952 -- Alto V. Harrison
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Senior
Warden
1967 -- Raymond D. Slattery
1966 - Edwin A. Horborouny
1965 -- George B. Tate
1964 -- David K. Hellings
1963 -- Arthur W. Scott, Jr.
1962 -- Garnet R. McGlocklin
1961 -- Marshall R. Dyer
1960 -- Daniel L. Beebe
1959 -- Robert K. Overstreet
1958 -- Melvin C. Foster
1957 -- John R. Gillette
1956 -- Charles L. McCord
1955 -- Jack M. Harris
1954 -- Donald K. Curry
1953 -- Harold E. Harris
1952 -- Justus P. Bailey
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Junior
Warden
1967 -- Lester R. Grant, Jr.
1966 -- Raymond D. Slattery
1965 -- Edwin A. Horborouny
1964 -- George B. Tate
1963 -- David K. Hellings
1962 -- Arthur W. Scott, Jr.
1961 -- Garnet R. McGlocklin
1960 -- Marshall R. Dyer
1959 -- Daniel L. Beebe
1958 -- Robert K. Overstreet
1957 -- Melvin C. Foster
1956 -- John R. Gillette
1955 -- Charles L. McCord
1954 -- Jack M. Harris
1953 -- Donald K. Curry
1952 -- Harold E. Harris
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Treasurer
1955-65 -- Justus P. Bailey
1952-54 -- Joseph G. Roberts
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Secretary
1955-67 -- Harold E. Harris
1952-54 -- Robert K. Overstreet
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Above:
A listing of all Masters, Wardens, Secretaries and Treasurers
of Allapattah Lodge No. 271, from 1952-1967, of which Rev.
Shaw falsely claimed to be a Past Master (cf. The Deadly
Deception, p. 79).
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SHAW'S
FOURTH CLAIM. Rev. Shaw was indeed invested with the rank
and decoration of a Knight Commander of the Court of Honour on December
18, 1965. The award was honorably earned and is properly claimed on
the cover of his book. THE TRUTH
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Figure
8. An excerpt of the listing of
the 1965 Florida recipients of the Knight Commander of the
Court of Honor, showing the name of James D. Shaw. From
Transactions of the Supreme Council, 33º S.J., pp.224-25.
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SHAW'S
FIFTH CLAIM. The 33º is an important honor in the Scottish
Rite, limited to about 1% of all Scottish Rite Masons. It cannot be
applied for, and must be denied if requested. It can be falsely claimed,
however, by anyone brazen enough to steal the title. This is what
Rev. Shaw has done.
Although
he never provided the exact date, Rev. Shaw gave some hint as to the
date of his alleged reception of the Thirty-third Degree.
...I
had been a K.C.C.H. for only four years. A man cannot even be considered
for the 33rd Degree until he has been a K.C.C.H. four years. I was
being considered for the 33rd in the minimum time!(84)
He
resigned from Masonry on October 25, 1966, ten months after receiving
his K.C.C.H. and thirty-seven months before reaching the four year
mark. In special circumstances The Supreme Council, 33º, S.J., may
wave the traditional four year period between the K.C.C.H. and its
bestowal of the Thirty-third Degree. In such cases the recipient has
performed an extraordinary labor benefitting and/or honoring the Fraternity.
The Supreme Council, 33º, N.M.J. may also wave its traditional period
for similar reasons. An example of the latter was the bestowal of
the Honorary Thirty-third Degree on John J. Robinson just before his
death. Mr. Robinson was a popular author and lecturer who publically
defended Freemasonry though not a Mason himself. Shortly after joining
the fraternity in 1993, when it became known that Robinson was terminally
ill, The Supreme Council, 33º, N.M.J. exercised its right to confer
the Honorary Thirty-third Degree on him, in recognition of his extraordinary
labors.
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Figure
9. The special conferral of the
33d Degree on John J. Robinson as published in the Abstract
of the Proceedings of the Supreme Council (Lexington,
Mass., 1993), p.74.
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Although
Rev. Shaw served decently in the few positions he held while an active
Mason, he was relatively unknown outside of his local circle, and
did nothing which would have warranted his reception of an Honorary
Thirty-third Degree.
All
Masons elected to the 33º have their names published in the Transactions
of the Supreme Council. These volumes are easily available for
inspection in any Scottish Rite body in the Southern Jurisdiction.
The name of James Dayton Shaw was never listed as the recipient of
the 33º, despite his claims to the contrary. YET ANOTHER LIE
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Figure
10. The listing of the 1969 Florida
recipients of the Thirty-third Degree conferred in Washington,
D.C. Although Rev. Shaw claimed he received the Thirty-third
Degree four years after receiving the K.C.C.H. in 1965 (cf.
The Deadly Deception, pp. 89-90, 99-105), his name
is not found. From Transactions of the Supreme Council,
33º, S.J., pp. 42-43.
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SHAW'S
SIXTH CLAIM. The upper right-hand corner of the book's cover
has a bright red, eye-catching band with this come-on, "The 33rd Degree
initiation ceremony revealed for the first time in history!" Rev.
Shaw takes almost seven pages in the book to describe the events leading
up to his so-called receipt of the 33º. The ceremony he describes
is not based on his personal experience, but was rather been plagiarized
from another source. The source Rev. Shaw selected was an exposé of
the Cerneau 33º ritual in Jonathan Blanchard's Scotch Rite Masonry
Illustrated, which has been in print since 1888. It helped Rev.
Shaw in his deception that such sources are easy to come by. A casual
search shows that authors have "revealed" versions of the Thirty-Third
Degree initiation ceremony repeatedly since at least 1813. A partial
listing is given below.
"EXPOSURES"
AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE THIRTY-THIRD DEGREE
1813--"Souverain-Grand-Inspecteur-Général,"
in [François H. Stanislaus Delaunay], Thuileur des Trente-trois
Degrés de L'Ecossisme di Rit Ancien, dit Accepté, Paris:
Delaunay, Libraire, Palais-Royal, 1813, 1821.
1829--"Sovereign
Grand Inspector General," in David Bernard, Light on Masonry,
Utica, N.Y.: William Williams, 1829.
1830--"Souverain
Grand Inspecteur Général," in Vuillaume, Manuel Maçonnique ou
Tuileur des Divers Rites de Trente-trois Degrés de L'Ecossisme
di Rit Ancien, Maçonnerie Practiqués en France, 1830
(reprint ed.; Paris: Dervy-Livres, 1975)
1843--"Réception
au 33ème degré," in F. T. B. Clavel, Histoire Pittoresque de
la Franc-Maçonnerie, Paris: N.p., 1843.
1857--"Sovereign
Grand Inspector General," in Charles Laffon de Ladebat, Thirty-Third
Degree and Last of the Ancient and Accepted Scotch Rite: Sovereign
Grand Inspector General, New Orleans: N.p., 1857.
1860--"Sovereign
Grand Inspector General," in Jabez Richardson, Richardson's Monitor
of Free-Masonry, New York: Fitzgerald, 1860.
1860--"Sobrano
Gran Inspector General," in Andres Cassard, Manual de la Masoneria,
New York: Macoy, 1860.
1861--"Souverain
Grand Inspecteur Général," in Jean-Baptiste Marie Ragon, Tuileur
Général de la Franc-Maçonnerie, ou Manuel de l'Initié, Paris:
Collignon, 1861.
1872--"Old
Cahier of the 33rd Degree," in Albert Pike, Grand Constitutions
of Freemasonry, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, New York:
Masonic Publishing Co., 1872.
1888--"Sovereign
Grand Inspector General," in Jonathan Blanchard, Scotch Rite
Masonry Illustrated, 2 vols., Chicago: Ezra A. Cook, 1887-1888.
1890--"Sovereign
Grand Inspector General," in Secret Societies Illustrated,
Chicago: Ezra A. Cook, ca. 1890.
1923--"Sovereign
Grand Inspector-General," in Arthur Edward Waite, A New Encyclopedia
of Freemasonry, 2 vols., rev. ed., London: Rider &
Co., 1923.
1933--"Official
Ritual of the 33rd and Last Degree of Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite," in Paul Rosen, Satan et Cie, Paris: 1888, excerpted
in Edith Starr Miller, Occult Theocrasy, 2 vols., 1933,
reprint, Hawthorn, Calif.: Christian Book Club, 1968, 1976, 1980.
1933--"33d
Degree--Knight Grand Inspector General," in W. J. Coombes, trans.,
E. J. Marconis de Negre, The Sanctuary of Memphis or Hermes,
[N.C.]: Nocalore, 1933.
1946--S.
Farina, "Sovrano Grande Ispettore Generale" in Il Libro Completo
dei Rituali Massonici Rito Scozzese Antico ed Accettato. Rome:
n.p. 1946.
1984--"Soverain
Grand Inspecteur Général," in Paul Naudon, Histoire, Rituels
et Tuileur des Haut Grades Maçonniques, Paris, Dervy-Livres,
1984.
A
naïve anti-Mason might be forgiven for not knowing that the Thirty-Third
Degree has been "exposed" for the better part of two centuries. Rev.
Shaw, however, obviously knew about at least one such "exposure" because
he lied about receiving the degree. Not only did Rev. Shaw lie about
receiving the Thirty-Third Degree himself, he did not have the intellectual
integrity to cite the source he pilfered for his so-called description.
THE FOURTH LIE ON THE COVER
These
lies could not have resulted from simple misunderstandings; they were
carefully calculated to deceive the trusting. Since at least 1976,
Rev. Shaw has been making similar claims, one assumes to increase
his importance in the eyes of his readers.
I
was not willing to be just a "card carrier." I was too eager for
that. So I served in all the chairs and ultimately became Worshipful
Master of the lodge. I pursued the degrees of the Scottish Rite
and joined the Shrine in my quest for preeminence in the eyes of
men. In time I became Past Master to all Scottish Rite Bodies. And
finally was selected for the coveted 33rd Degree, and was made a
33rd Degree Mason in House of The Temple in Washington, D.C.(85)
Before
getting to even the first page of The Deadly Deception, the
reader is deliberately deceived with four verifiable lies. They seem
intended to boost the reputation of Rev. Shaw as an important former
Mason, to reinforce the believability of his story, and to increase
the sales of his book. They obviously are not intended to promote
the truth.
The Cost of the Thirty-Second Degree
On
page 59 Rev. Shaw describes joining the Scottish Rite. On page 63
endnote 1 to this description amplifies the cost of "going all the
way to the 32nd Degree."
The
Secretary greeted me and explained the nature and structure of the
Scottish Rite. . . . He said that some men could not afford
to take all of the degrees at one Reunion because of the cost.1
1There
is a price to be paid, in dollars, for all "earned" Masonic degrees,
from Entered Apprentice to the 32nd Degree. Dollar values change
with time and fees vary some from place to place, but the total
cost of going all the way to the 32nd Degree can be very substantial,
well into the thousands of dollars today.
It's
not clear what the authors intended by this aside, unless it was to
suggest an extravagant waste of money by Masons for initiation fees.
A copy of Rev. Shaw's Scottish Rite petition, dated August 14, 1952,
shows the true state of affairs (see Figure 11).
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Figure
11. Portion of the Reverend James
D. Shaw's 1952 Scottish Rite Petition showing cost of fees
and dues.
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The
cost in 1952 for the Fourth through Thirty-Second Degrees, "including
Patent [membership certificate], [gold 14º] Ring, and Copy of Morals
and Dogma" was $160. Rev. Shaw chose to purchase a 32º cap for
$7.50. So his complete cost for joining the Miami Scottish Rite was
$167.50. During his 15 years of membership, he paid a total of $107.50
in annual dues: $7.50 dues annually for 1953 to 1966 plus $2.50 pro
rated dues for 1952 (see Figure 12).
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Figure
12. "Members Record Card" of the
Reverend James Dayton Shaw, from Miami, Florida Scottish
Rite.
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The
cost of joining the Scottish Rite in Miami has not kept pace with
inflation. The fees in 1993 for the 432, including patent, 14
ring in a lucite pyramid, and a 32 cap is $200. Rex Hutchens's A
Bridge to Light is now given to new members rather than Albert
Pike's Morals and Dogma. Members wanting a 14 ring to wear
must make a separate purchase.
When
joining Evergreen Lodge No. 713 in 1945, Rev. Shaw paid $50.00
in initiation fees for the 13, Entered Apprentice to Master Mason;
his annual dues then were $7.00. By 1993 the initiation fees of Evergreen
Lodge had risen to $125.00 and the annual dues had risen to $56.00.
Rev.
Shaw's entire cost for the 132 was $217.50 and his total annual
dues then were $14.50. The cost now for the 132 is $325.00 and
annual dues are $96.00. This is far from being "well into the thousands
of dollars today."
Scottish
Rite Obligations
As
he continues his summary of joining the Scottish Rite, Rev. Shaw describes
receiving the Fourth Degree on pages 60-61. Endnote 2 on page 63 amplifies
the obligations of the degrees.
This
description of the twenty-nine Scottish Rite obligations certainly
sounds ominous, but it overlooks a few niceties of fact. To start
with, there have been no symbolic physical penalties in the Scottish
Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, since about 1860, and there have never
been any actual physical penalties. Here is what Coil's Masonic
Encyclopedia says about the matter.
Albert
Pike, in revising the rituals of the Southern Supreme Council of
the Scottish Rite about 18551860, completely eradicated all
such penalties from the degrees and substituted mental, moral, and
symbolic condemnation, and that example was followed in the Northern
Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite about the middle of the 20th century.(86)
Rev.
Shaw received the Scottish Rite degrees and conferred them for years.
He knows as well as any Mason that there are no "blood oaths" in the
Scottish Rite.
Why Must
We Always Do So Much Drinking?
Rev. Shaw describes
traveling to a "conclave" in a distant city to receive the Knight
Commander of the Court of Honour (K.C.C.H.). In his story he makes
an aside about drinking, much like his comment about the cost of
the Scottish Rite degrees. There is a subtle attempt by the authors
to vilify Masons without the courage of making direct charges.
There
was a great deal of drinking at the Conclave and it bothered me.
"Why must we always do so much drinking?" I asked myself,
but had no answer. I enjoyed a little drinking and did it regularly.
But it bothered me that there was always so much of it and
that it played such a major role in the Masonic life.(87)
The
Grand Lodge of Florida, like most other American grand lodges, firmly
forbids the sale or consumption of alcohol at any lodge function.
Here is the 1954 regulation on alcoholic beverages that governed Florida
lodges when Rev. Shaw joined.
28.06
(398) No particular Lodge shall allow its properties or any part
thereof to be used for the purpose of conducting or carrying on
a liquor business or for the dispensing of alcoholic beverages in
any form.(88)
In
1975 the regulation was unchanged, though the following decision had
been added to clarify the law. "The serving of any intoxicating beverage
in Masonic Temples or Lodge Rooms or at Masonic banquets is forbidden
by Masonic Law. (1969 Proc. 58, 212)"(89) Bro. William Wolf, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge
of Florida, summarized the 1993 rules governing alcohol in Florida
lodges.
.
. . the Grand Lodge of Florida itself does not allow any alcoholic
beverages in its ceremonies or the sale or dispensing of any alcoholic
beverages on any property that it owns. Nor do we allow a function
that is held in a particular lodge or in the Grand Lodge to have
any alcoholic beverages for dispensing, such as Grand Master Homecomings,
Grand Lodge Dinners, etc.(90)
Equally
explicit are the 1953 Statutes of the Supreme Council, Southern
Jurisdiction, to which the Scottish Rite Bodies of Miami hold
allegiance. "Art. XV §24. The use of any spirituous, vinous, or malt
liquors by any Body is hereby prohibited..." (91)
Neither
the Grand Lodge of Florida nor the Supreme Council, S.J., permits
alcoholic beverages to be used by any of their subordinate bodies.
Florida Masons are bewildered when asked how alcohol "played such
a major role in the Masonic life," because there it has no role. What
sort of meetings did Rev. Shaw attend where they "always do
so much drinking?" It could not have been meetings of the blue lodges
or the Scottish Rite bodies in Florida. His statement is cleverly
designed to leave the reader with the impression that regular, heavy
drinking is the norm at Masonic gatherings.
The Resurrection
of Hiram Abif
One of the
most subtle frauds of The Deadly Deception is Rev. Shaw's
distortion of the legend of Hiram Abif. Rev. Shaw tries to convince
his readers that he is a reliable expert on Masonry: "33rd Degree
[sic], Knight Commander of the Court of Honour, Past Worshipful
Master [sic], blue lodge, Past Master of all Scottish Rite
bodies [sic]."(92) How could someone with these credentials not expose
the plain truth about Masonic ritual?
The
legend of Hiram Abif is a simple story, apparently based upon Hiram
the metalworker, mentioned in 1 Kings 7:13. In the Masonic tale, Hiram
is the master architect of King Solomon's Temple and one of only three
Master Masons, the others being King Solomon and Hiram, King of Tyre.
One day Hiram Abif is accosted by three Fellowcrafts who demand the
secrets of a Master Mason. Hiram refuses to betray his trust and is
murdered. The murderers are captured and executed. After a search,
Hiram's body is removed from its temporary grave and reinterred in
the Sanctum Sanctorum. (Such a burial never would have been allowed
under Jewish law, but that didn't stop the authors of Masonic legend,
who were familiar with the European practice of burying dignitaries
beneath the floors of a cathedral.)
The
legend is a simple vehicle for teaching fidelity to a trust; it has
no basis in historical truth. It seems to have been introduced into
Masonic ceremonies shortly before 1730. The legend was first published
in 1730 in Masonry Dissected by Samuel Prichard, an exposure
of Masonic rituals.
In
the Masonic legend the body of Hiram is taken from its temporary grave
so it can be given a more suitable burial. Rev. Shaw's description,
again, does not agree with the record: "Hiram was not only brought
up out of the grave but restored to life."(93) The purpose of this subtle distortion isn't entirely
clear, but it seems to be to support Rev. Shaw's charge that Masonry
teaches a doctrine of reincarnation to its members.(94) This teaching is offensive to Christians and, if
true, would be ample reason for a Christian to leave the lodge.
With
the degree work and other Masonic writings as our source, we finally
decided that the truth lay in reincarnation and that if we would
try to live a good life now, be good to our brother Masons, help
the sick and attend to good deeds in general, when we died we would
enter the next life on a higher plane--just like going through a
door.(95)
This
lie is best discredited by Rev. Shaw's fellow anti-Masons who, in
this case, have agreed with Masonic writers. Since at least 1723,
Masonic ritual has been "exposed" in print, usually with the motives
of embarrassing Masons, closing lodges, and making money for the author.
For over 250 years these books have sought the same ends as Rev. Shaw,
but they have told a story that stands in contrast to his. We quote
several representative books to illustrate the consistent version
of the Hiramic legend. Rev. Shaw's motives here are unknown but, like
his version of the Hiramic legend, are not to be trusted.
Masonry
Dissected, Samuel Prichard (London: 1730; reprint, Bloomington,
Ill.: The Masonic Book Club, 1977), pp. 28, 29.
Ex.
What did King Solomon say to all this?
R. He order'd him to be taken up and decently buried.
...
Ex. Where was Hiram inter'd?
R. In the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Light
on Masonry, David Bernard (Utica, N.Y.: William Williams, 1829),
p. 81.
Q.
What did they do with the body?
A. Raised it in a masonic form, and carried it up to the temple
for more decent interment.
Three
Distinct Knocks, anonymous (London: 1760; reprint, Bloomington,
Ill.: The Masonic Book Club, 1981), p. 61.
After
this King Solomon sent those 12 Crafts to raise their Master Hiram,
in order that he might be interred in Sanctum Sanctorum.
Jachin
and Boaz, anonymous (London: 1762; reprint, Bloomington, Ill.:
The Masonic Book Club, 1981), p. 45.
When
the Execution was over, King Solomon sent for the Twelve Crafts,
and desired them to take the Body of Hiram up, in order that it
might be interred in a solemn Manner in the Sanctum Sanctorum....
"What did they do with the body?"
Ans. "Raised it in a Masonic form and carried it up to the temple
for more decent interment."
Morgan's
Freemasonry Exposed and Explained, William Morgan (Batavia, [New
York]: Printed for the Author, 1826), pp. 88-89.
Q.
What did they do with the body?
A. Raised it in a Masonic form and carried it up to the Temple for
more decent interment.
Q. Where was it buried?
A. Under the sanctum sanctorum, or holy of holies of King Solomon's
Temple....
Secret
Societies, Norman MacKenzie (New York: Crescent Books, 1967),
pp. 318, 319.
[King
Solomon], when the first emotions of his grief had subsided, ordered
them to return and raise our Master to such a sepulture, as became
his rank and exalted talents. . . . Our Master was ordered
to be reinterred as near to the Sanctum Sanctorum as the Israelitish
law would permit. . . .
The
evidence is clear and consistent. Anti-Masonic authors, all with the
intent of harming Masonry, have told the same story for over 250 years,
which in this instance happens to agree with what Masons have said.
Hiram Abif was murdered and buried in a hastily dug, temporary grave.
His body was taken from the grave to be reinterred in, or near (workings
vary) the Sanctum Sanctorum. There is no resurrection nor doctrine
of reincarnation. The legend of Hiram Abif is not the only thing Rev.
Shaw misunderstood while he was a Mason--Freemasonry teaches a reverence
for truth to its members.
ENDNOTES
82.
Tom C. McKenney, Ocean Springs, Miss., 31 Oct. 1996, to S. Brent Morris,
Columbia, Md.
83.
Rollin O. Simpson, Grand Secretary, F.&A.M., Indianapolis, Indiana,
to S. Brent Morris, Columbia, Md., June 10, 1993, Typescript, In the
possession of the author.
84.
Shaw and McKenney, p. 90.
85.
James D. Shaw, introduction to The Masonic Report by C. F.
McQuaig (Norcross, Ga.: Answer Books and Tapes, 1976), n.p.
86.
Henry W. Coil, et al., Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia (New York:
Macoy Masonic Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., Inc., 1961, 1996),
s.v. "Penalties, Masonic."
87.
Jim Shaw and Tom McKenney, The Deadly Deception (Lafayette,
La.: Huntington House, 1988), p. 83.
88.
Grand Lodge of Florida, F.&A.M., Digest of the Masonic Law
of Florida F.&A.M. (Tallahassee: Rose Printing Co., 1954),
p. 157.
89.
Grand Lodge of Florida, F.&A.M., Digest of the Masonic Law
of Florida F.&A.M. (Jacksonville, Fla.: Grand Lodge F.&A.M.,
1976), p. 245.
90.
William G. Wolf, Gr. Secretary, Jacksonville, Fla. to S. Brent Morris,
Columbia, Md., Nov. 18, 1992, in the possession of the author.
91.
Statutes of the Supreme Council, ([Washington]: [Supreme Council,
S.J.], October 1953), p. 60. The prohibition remains in the 1991
Statutes, though renumbered as Art. XV, §25.
92.
Shaw and McKenney, cover.
93.
Shaw and McKenney, p. 151.
94.
Shaw and McKenney, pp. 8485.
95.
Shaw and McKenney, p. 85.
