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October 4-October 17, 2004
PRESS
RELEASE
Supreme Council, 33°, S.J.
1733 16th St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20009-3103
202-232-3579,
www.srmason-sj.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 1, 2004
Contact: Joan Sansbury, Librarian
jsansbury@srmason-sj.org
202-777-3139
2004
Prestonian Lecture at the House
of the Temple
 WASHINGTON,
DC—The Supreme Council, 33°, S.J., will host
Trevor Stewart, P.M., 30°, on Saturday, December
18, 2004, when he gives his 2004 Prestonian Lecture, “English
Speculative Freemasonry: Origins, Themes, and Developments".
The lecture will be given at 1:30 p.m. with a reception
immediately following; both are open to the public. A
luncheon will be held at 12:00 noon for $15 for the first
50 registrants. Reservations are essential and can be
made by calling 800-776-2766, x110. The House of the
Temple, headquarters of the Supreme Council, is located
at 1733 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. It is a few
blocks from the Dupont Circle Metro Stop on the Red Line
and the U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo
Metro Stop on the Green Line. Limited parking is available
in back of the Temple.
Trevor Stewart is a retired college lecturer who was educated at Birmingham,
Sheffield, Durham, and Newcastle Universities. His research specialized in
English 18th-century literature. More recently, he has focused on the lives
and co-operative work of a small coterie of gentlemen Freemasons who lived
in the south of County Durham in the mid-18th century. The Prestonian Lectures
were established by a bequest in the will of William Preston (1743–1818),
whose work has had the greatest effect on English Masonic ritual. A Brother
is appointed annually and is permitted to submit a lecture on any Masonic topic.
The Prestonian Lectures are unique as they are the only lectures given under
the authority of the United Grand Lodge of England.
The lecture contains much new research and is aimed at those who want to understand
the origins of William Preston’s extensive Lectures on Freemasonry,
so widely extolled as the epitome of the English Craft workings. Preston’s
lectures originated early in 18th-century London among groups of intellectuals
who were diverse in their gathering of ideas. Traces of the lectures’ themes
are to be found especially in the (regrettably) few Minute Books which record
extraordinary meetings of Freemasons who were clearly determined to explore
practically “the hidden mysteries of nature and science,” and in
two key philosophical books which have hitherto escaped notice by Masonic historians.
The House of the Temple will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday,
December 18, for tours, research in the library, the luncheon at noon, and
Stewart’s Prestonian Lecture at 1:30 p.m. The building was designed by
John Russell Pope who also designed the National Archives, the National Gallery
of Art, and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, among other buildings in Washington.
It is a Masonic architectural marvel modelled after one of the ancient Seven
Wonders of the World, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.
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Smithsonian Tour to Visit House of the
Temple
The
House of the Temple as pictured in a Smithsonian’s
Resident Associates newsletter
Photo: Maxwell MacKenzie, Washington, D.C.
In noting a “Spectacular Temples
of Freemasonry” tour, a recent Smithsonian publication
and a Smithsonian Web site www.ResidentAssociates.org
have featured the above image of the House of the Temple,
the national headquarters of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry,
S.J., in Washington, D.C. The tour is being coordinated
by Ill. Bros. Akram R. Elias, founder of Capital Communications
Group, Inc., a firm that works closely with the U.S.
Department of State in the area of public diplomacy,
and Gary T. Scott, 33°, Historian, Department of Interior,
National Park Service, National Capital Region. This
Smithsonian tour is only one of many ways Grand Commander
Ronald A. Seale, 33°, is opening the House of the
Temple to the general public. As part of a general Masonic
public awareness program, the Grand Commander believes
a significant mission of every Scottish Rite Center across
the Southern Jurisdiction is to be open and of service
to its community. The following paragraphs are quoted
from the Smithsonian’s guide Study Tours, Oct 9-Nov
20.
“Freemasonry, the world’s oldest fraternal organization, is also
one of the oldest organizations in the city of Washington, where Masons participated
in the laying of cornerstones of the White House and the U.S. Capitol. Imposing
temples throughout the city testify to the role the fraternity played in our
nation’s past and to the rich palette of Masonic symbolism.
“Gary Scott, Past Master and 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Mason, leads this
tour that includes some of the area’s most significant architectural treasures.
Other distinguished Masons join the group during the day.
“The morning tour includes the headquarters of the Scottish Rite, an architectural
masterpiece by John Russell Pope, and the Perry Belmont House, an intact Newport-style
mansion that is the home of the International Order of the Eastern Star. Lunch
is served in historic Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria, associated with George
Washington, who was a Mason.
“After lunch, tour the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria,
Virginia, and visit the upper museum rooms detailing each of the branches of
Freemasonry. Finally, travel to the historic Naval Lodge and admire its richly
decorated walls.”
Code: 1ND-A04 (Oct. 9 tour)
Code: 1ND-BO4 (Nov. 20 tour)
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. by bus
Resident Members $87; General Admission $116
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Canadian Brethren Celebrate Children’s
Learning Centre
 During
the 130th Session of the Canadian Supreme Council, 33°,
meeting in Edmonton, Province of Alberta, September 9-11,
2004, Canadian Brethren celebrated
their first Children’s Learning Centre, which is now operating in the Valley
of London, Province of Ontario. Part of the celebration was the creation of a
special lapel pin (pictured right). It is adapted from two models: the “Kruger
Bear” developed by the Orient of Virginia, Southern Jurisdiction, for the
RiteCare Childhood Language Program, and the bear logo used by 32° Masonic
Learning Centers for Children of the Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction.
The Canadian clinic logo, however, is unique in that it is a polar bear wearing
a purple scarf and holding three interlaced triangles which enclose a stick-figure
whose arms are outstretched in a welcoming gesture. Sales of the pin will help
support the existing clinic and advance the development of a second Children’s
Learning Centre in Canada.
Also, a special award and plaque were presented during the Session to Dr. David
Kruger, 33°, Emeritus Member and Past Grand Secretary General of our Supreme
Council, and Past SGIG in Virginia. Dr. Kruger was an early supporter of the
Canadian Children’s Learning Program. In addition, the Canadian Brethren
noted with gratitude our Supreme Council’s generous donation to the Scottish
Rite Charitable Foundation of Canada as a memorial to Ill. Kruger when he retired
from our Supreme Council on December 31, 2002. The Charitable Foundation of Canada
was Dr. Kruger’s charity of choice for this special donation.
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Grand Commander
Ronald A. Seale, 33°, Honored
 |
 |
Intendant
General at Large Jewel
Knights
of the Red Cross of Constantin |
Emeritus
Member of Honor Jewel
Supreme Council, 33°
Northern
Masonic Jurisdiction |
In a Warrant dated June 4, 2004, Sovereign Grand Commander
Ronald A. Seale, 33°, was commissioned as an Intendant
General at Large by Ill. Curtis N. Lancaster, 33°,
Knight Grand Cross, Grand Sovereign of the United Grand Imperial Council of Knights
of the Red Cross of Constantine and Appendant Orders for the United States of
America, Mexico, and the Philippines. The Warrant was presented “in consideration
of the special trust and confidence reposed in our well-beloved Knight Companion
and in recognition and appreciation of his Fidelity, Zeal, and Constancy.”
Also, during the Annual Meeting of the Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction,
September 18-22, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ill. Walter E. Webber, 33°, Sovereign
Grand Commander, N.M.J., presented Ill. Seale with a jewel noting his election
as an Emeritus Member of Honor, Supreme Council, 33°, N.M.J.
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Special Ritual Performed in Tennessee
Among Brethren participating in a special
ritual conferral in New Providence Lodge, #128, Maryville,
Tennessee,
were: (front row, l. to r.) James Edwin Conner,
III, 32°; James Edwin Conner, Jr.;, 32°, James Edwin Conner, Sr., 33°, PGIM,
Tennessee; Andy Conner; (back row, l. to r.) Donald L.
Smith, father
of SGIG Smith, PM of Landrum
Lodge, and PDDGM; Michael Duane Smith, 33°, SGIG in South Carolina and PM
of Landrum Lodge #278; Richard Eugene Durham, Sr., 32°, GM, Grand Lodge of Tennessee;
Esco Levon Owens, 33°, PGM-Tenn.; Marshall Austin Stinnet, 33°, PGHP-Tenn.
On July 31, 2004, at New Providence Lodge #128, Maryville, Tennessee, attending
Brethren had the opportunity of witnessing the conferral of the Master Mason
Degree in both the rituals of the Grand Lodge of AFM of South Carolina and the
Grand Lodge F& AM of Tennessee. During the afternoon, Brethren of New Providence
Lodge raised Brother Daniel Patrick Rosenbalm using the ritual of the Grand Lodge
of Tennessee. After supper, DDGM J. Ray Copeland, KCCH, Grand Lodge of South
Carolina, presented an Honorary Lifetime Membership Certificate from Landrum
Lodge #278,
Landrum, South Carolina, to PIGM James Edwin Conner, Sr., 33°. After receiving
the Certificate, his grandson, Brother Andy Conner, was raised to the Sublime
Degree of Master Mason by Brethren of Landrum Lodge #278, Landrum, South Carolina,
using the Grand Lodge of South Carolina ritual.
Among the others attending the conferrals from Tennessee were Richard Eugene
Durham, Sr., 32°, PGM; Esco Levon Owens, 33°; and PGHP Marshall Austin
Stinnett,
33°. Those from South Carolina included SGIG Michael Duane Smith, 33°;
DDGM J. E. “Eddy” Mitchell; Donald L. Smith, father of SGIG Smith,
PM of Landrum Lodge and PDGM; SD James Edwin Conner, Jr., and SS James Edwin
Conner III of Landrum Lodge #278. James Edwin Conner, Jr., is the son of James
Edwin Conner, Sr., while James Edwin Conner, III, is the son of James Edwin Conner,
Jr. Although most of the Brethren were from the Grand Lodges of South Carolina
and Tennessee, PDDGM Danny Wilson of the Grand Lodge F&AM of Florida, and
two Brethren from Okeechobee Lodge #237, Okeechobee, Florida, witnessed both
conferrals.
Submitted by Bro. Joseph Warshawsky, PM, KCCH
Valley of Knoxville, Tennessee
E-mail: ka5nxv@charter.net
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Two Exceptional
Educational Talks Presented in Virginia
 |
Ill.
Edmund “Ed” Cohen,
33° |
Ill. James D. Cole, 33°, SGIG in Virginia, notes
that on occasions during Scottish Rite Conferences and
Stated Meetings in Virginia, educational talks are presented
by qualified Brethren on subjects of interest to Scottish
Rite Masons and Masons in general. In 2004, for instance,
the Grand Junior Deacon of Virginia, Ill. Edmund Cohen,
33°, a very active member of the Valley of Alexandria,
Virginia, and an attorney by training, presented two
exceptional talks. They were “Scottish Rite Charges
and Trials” (Scottish Rite Spring Workshop in Richmond,
Virginia, March 27) and “The Statutes of the Supreme
Council of the Thirty-third Degree” (Scottish Rite
Conference in Lynchburg, Virginia, September 24).
In response to popular demand, these two talks by Bro.
Ed have been added to the Web site of the Orient of Virginia,
located at: http://aw22.com/VaSR/home.htm. They are listed
in the left index column under Educational Talks.
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