Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania

[Torence]

Hello Brothers-
The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania is breaking tradition with a few
innovations. I lived for three years there in the 90s and attended
Vaux Lodge in Hamburg regularly. Every Mason should see Pennsylvania
work, particularly the third degree, if he has the opportunity. I like
to think that I have a little something to do with the new direction
that this and other Grand lodges will be taking regards suspensions
and expulsions. For reference, here is the list posted at the
FreeMasons for Dummies website. What aspects appeal to you?

☌ Selective invitations allowed
☌ Three black balls now required to reject a candidate, instead of one
☌ One day class in 13 locations next October 30th
☌ District ritual teams may confer degrees on multiple candidates
☌ Any 60+ year old Mason who successfully recommends two new members
under 30 are granted lifetime dues remission
☌ Dues may now be paid via credit or debit card
☌ A proficiency pin program certified by schools of instruction
☌ Shortened versions of opening and closings for meetings are now
allowed
☌ Suspensions and expulsions to be largely handled at the local lodge
level, and not by the Grand Master, with new clarifications about
providing proper due process
☌ Relaxation of the traditional formal dress code in meetings
☌ Per capita increase of 50¢ to support youth groups
☌ Greater expansion of community and charity service, including an
individual commitment by every single Pennsylvania Freemason to
perform a weekly random act of kindness
☌ Simplified secretary/treasurer software to help each lodge with its
annual audit
☌ A Masonic "congress" meeting in February for all Masonic groups, to
seek ways to work together statewide
☌ A written ritual will now be made available for study for the first
time in Pennsylvania history

How much of this is your jurisidction doing?

Fraternally,
Torence Evans Ake
Secretary - Auburn Park Lodge No. 789 - Crete, Illinois
PM - Arcadia Lodge No. 1138 - Lansing, Illinois

[David Simpson]

[Default] On Fri, 8 Jan 2010 17:41:35 CST, Torence

Post by Torence
Hello Brothers-
The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania is breaking tradition with a few
innovations. I lived for three years there in the 90s and attended
Vaux Lodge in Hamburg regularly. Every Mason should see Pennsylvania
work, particularly the third degree, if he has the opportunity. I like
to think that I have a little something to do with the new direction
that this and other Grand lodges will be taking regards suspensions
and expulsions. For reference, here is the list posted at the
FreeMasons for Dummies website. What aspects appeal to you?
☼ Selective invitations allowed
☼ Three black balls now required to reject a candidate, instead of one

2 Black balls since forever. I was initiated in 1963.

Post by Torence
☼ One day class in 13 locations next October 30th

Never.

Post by Torence
☼ District ritual teams may confer degrees on multiple candidates

Every lodge could confer EA and FX in groups of four, MM in twos. I
was one of a group of two. We did each degree together.

Post by Torence
☼ Any 60+ year old Mason who successfully recommends two new members
under 30 are granted lifetime dues remission
☼ Dues may now be paid via credit or debit card
☼ A proficiency pin program certified by schools of instruction
☼ Shortened versions of opening and closings for meetings are now
allowed

Always have been.

Post by Torence
☼ Suspensions and expulsions to be largely handled at the local lodge
level, and not by the Grand Master, with new clarifications about
providing proper due process
☼ Relaxation of the traditional formal dress code in meetings

Yes, shirt sleeves in summer.

Post by Torence
☼ Per capita increase of 50¢ to support youth groups
☼ Greater expansion of community and charity service, including an
individual commitment by every single Pennsylvania Freemason to
perform a weekly random act of kindness
☼ Simplified secretary/treasurer software to help each lodge with its
annual audit
☼ A Masonic "congress" meeting in February for all Masonic groups, to
seek ways to work together statewide
☼ A written ritual will now be made available for study for the first
time in Pennsylvania history

Available in the forties.

Post by Torence
How much of this is your jurisidction doing?

As commented these are activities done prior to the sixties in my
lodge.

[Rob Sandilands]

Post by Torence
What aspects appeal to you?
☼ Selective invitations allowed

... I think we need a definition of 'selective' here before we can
comment ...

Post by Torence
☼ Three black balls now required to reject a candidate, instead of one

... in my Jurisdiction, there is a Constitutional minimum, but it can be
varied in the By-laws of individual lodges ...

Post by Torence
☼ One day class in 13 locations next October 30th

... if you have the incoming candidates to justify this, then well and
good, but I still feel that individual degrees are much more striking
and educational ...

Post by Torence
☼ District ritual teams may confer degrees on multiple candidates

... ok ... over here, it's quite common for other Lodges to assist with
officers in degree working to make up absences etc ... multiple degrees
are a matter of dispensation from Grand Lodge ...

Post by Torence
☼ Any 60+ year old Mason who successfully recommends two new members
under 30 are granted lifetime dues remission

... head hunting? ... good grief ... and what is the cost factor? ...

Post by Torence
☼ Dues may now be paid via credit or debit card

... good ... if you pay to a central authority ... over here, we pay our
local lodge an annual sum which includes Grand Lodge per capita dues,
and the lodge then forwards the appropriate sums to GL with its annual
membership returns ... GL bases its own membership roll on the returns
from each lodge ... direct credits to lodge bank accounts would work in
this case ...

Post by Torence
☼ A proficiency pin program certified by schools of instruction

... shades of the Boy Scouts ... I can see some problems with this one
promoting a form of 'expert' or ritual 'elite' ...

Post by Torence
☼ Shortened versions of opening and closings for meetings are now
allowed

... we already have these available ... they are used in the
Installation ritual which involves all 'four' degrees including the BOIM
... generally not used in stated meetings, but the master may use them
in an emergency ...

Post by Torence
☼ Suspensions and expulsions to be largely handled at the local lodge
level, and not by the Grand Master, with new clarifications about
providing proper due process

... our local lodges are only concerned with those who fall off the roll
after non-payment of dues ... I can see big problems with this one, and
lots of 'politicking' ... if not handled very, very scrupulously, I
think that there is a possibility of a high number of appeals to GL ...
over here, these matters are handled by a GL board, including a
designated legal officer, which recommends an outcome to the full GL ...
much safer ...

Post by Torence
☼ Relaxation of the traditional formal dress code in meetings

... might work ... depending on application ... for a business only
meeting, for example ... for a degree or installation, I think proper
dress is more impressive, and also a mark of respect to the candidate ...

Post by Torence
☼ Per capita increase of 50¢ to support youth groups

... OK ... 50c per head isn't enough to quibble over ... but what about
those whose dues are remitted under the 60+ proposal above ... 50c + 50c
- 50c = 50c ... not a nett gain by any means ... or are your GL per
capita and your lodge dues separate payments? ...

Post by Torence
☼ Greater expansion of community and charity service, including an
individual commitment by every single Pennsylvania Freemason to
perform a weekly random act of kindness

... sounds good in theory ... and if the brethren carry it through, it
should be great ...

Post by Torence
☼ Simplified secretary/treasurer software to help each lodge with its
annual audit

... long overdue ... I've butted heads with secretaries and treasurers
in and out of the Craft who can't see past paper records ... in this day
and age ... not to mention the advantage of standardised recording and
reporting to keep track of budget items ...

Post by Torence
☼ A Masonic "congress" meeting in February for all Masonic groups, to
seek ways to work together statewide

... a good idea ... already in informal practice in our Jurisdiction ...
but the 'legal' separation of the Craft and other Orders is still such
that a 'congress' would be a difficult concept ... despite the fact that
GL regularly recognised the Grand Officers of other Orders in open GL ...

Post by Torence
☼ A written ritual will now be made available for study for the first
time in Pennsylvania history

... way overdue, I would say ... despite the old tradition of no written
rituals ... there was a Scottish working lodge over here that got itself
into all sorts of trouble with its very unique ritual after its
long-term 'keeper of the ritual' developed some dementia and then passed
away ...

[Doug Freyburger]

The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania .... What aspects appeal to you?
Selective invitations allowed

Illinois currently uses the "Invitation to Petition" program. It's
rules are so elaborate I have yet to hear or a lodge that is using it.

Three black balls now required to reject a candidate, instead of one

I am concerned that can lead to losing our private club status.
Consider the trade off made by the two types of Scouts in the US -

The Boy Scouts only do fundraisers that are intended to bring in
donations. They retain their non-profit status. They continue, just
like the Masons, to reject atheists and girls for admission. The result
of taking these stances is they have lost the support of various
churches and public agancies.

The Girl Scouts are a business because of the way they sell their
cookies. While any one troop may be not for profit there is no way
their organization as a whole could survive a challenge to their
non-profit status based on their cookie business. Since businesses are
not allowed to descriminate they have started admitting atheists and
boys.

In both cases presented a very biased view, but it works. Both groups
thought over their principles and stuck to the principles they decided
on. Even though they picked different principles I think they have done
very well for themselves showing honor and dedication to their
principles.

Anyways, one of the sources of our private status is the unanymous
ballot.

One day class in 13 locations next October 30th

You or I my not like putting a candidate through more than one degree in
the same day, but it's not about you and me. It's about the candidates.
I have seen candidates show up for multiple degree days who had failed
to show up to lodge for individual degrees. I also went through the
Scottish Rite who has done it that way for decades. I don't have to
like the fact that candidates show up for these events even when their
own lodges are ready to present degrees. I just have to see it happen
to know that I need to be supportive of how the new generation shows up
to get through their degrees.

My own Illinois lodge has several officers who went through their
degrees in multiple events. I know the predictions of lower attendence
has not happened. I don't have to like that either. I just have to see
what actually happened and be supportive.

District ritual teams may confer degrees on multiple candidates

Sciots do first degrees. Grotto does second degrees. Scottish Rite
does third degrees. There are already degree teams around. Better to
have the local guys in the district available for it than the funny hat
guys. (Says a guy with two funny hats, so i'm sorta wagging my finger
at myself, chuckle).

Any 60+ year old Mason who successfully recommends two new members
under 30 are granted lifetime dues remission

A couple of years ago my lodge voted to purchase a life membership for
any brother who is a first line signer on a certain number of petitions
and/or a second line signer on a certain number. Already being a life
member I've passed on at least one petition already to help a brother
build towards his life membership.

I don't know about remitting dues. I'd rather vote to fund a life
membership.

Dues may now be paid via credit or debit card

I already do this for my Shrine membership.

A proficiency pin program certified by schools of instruction

Illinois already has certificates. California already requires
demonstrating proficiencies before Installation. I like the idea of
pins.

Shortened versions of opening and closings for meetings are now
allowed

Both of the states I am now a member of offer that already.

Suspensions and expulsions to be largely handled at the local lodge
level, and not by the Grand Master, with new clarifications about
providing proper due process

I have no idea what that means. I get that having the GL just forbid
NPD suspensions does not work.

Relaxation of the traditional formal dress code in meetings

Pasadena 272 California F&AM - Tuxedo at degrees, OV and Installation.
Suit and tie at Stated meetings. Jacket and bolo tie at practices and
social events.

Arlington Heights 1162 Illinois AF&AM - Suit and tie at degrees, OV and
Installation. Collar shirt or polo at Stated meetings. Tie shirt but
not jeans at practices and social events.

Looks like I've already seen taht happen in my lodges.

Per capita increase of 50¢ to support youth groups

Nice.

Greater expansion of community and charity service, including an
individual commitment by every single Pennsylvania Freemason to
perform a weekly random act of kindness

I look forward to see how that gets reported and how beneficial the PR
from it is for getting new petitions.

Simplified secretary/treasurer software to help each lodge with its
annual audit

For a long time California GL has offered "LodgiCal" software.
Apparently it comes from another state so California is not the leader
on the computer front. (They are on the web, though - www.freemason.org
is the California GL web site).

A Masonic "congress" meeting in February for all Masonic groups, to
seek ways to work together statewide

So will it end up a Parliment, an Estates General or a collection of
funny hats? ;^)

A written ritual will now be made available for study for the first
time in Pennsylvania history
How much of this is your jurisidction doing?

California became a cypher state several years before I petitioned in
1993. Illinois became a written state (except modes of recognition)
before that in 1986.

Having learned with both written and cypher I know that the cypher
worked better. I don't know what conclusion to draw from that
anti-obvious fact that gets confirmed again and again as young men learn
the ritual.

[Rob Sandilands]

Post by Doug Freyburger
The Boy Scouts only do fundraisers that are intended to bring in
donations. They retain their non-profit status. They continue, just
like the Masons, to reject atheists and girls for admission. The result
of taking these stances is they have lost the support of various
churches and public agancies.
The Girl Scouts are a business because of the way they sell their
cookies.

... I haven't read the US laws on non-profit orgainsations but if they
are anything like they are here in Queensland, the definitition means
that no one individual ( owner ) or individuals ( owners ), public
companies which pay dividends to shareholders or similar arrangements
make a profit ...

... if the organisation itself makes a profit, and the profit is used
for the further development of the organisation's members and aims, then
that's fine ...

... employees of the organisation are not regarded as profiting as long
as their remuneration remains within the bounds of a salary package ...
this can include bonuses and the like ...

... from what I can remember of some of the debate from the US regarding
the Scout's including/excluding certain persons for membership, it
seemed more to do with the anti-discrimination laws than with financial
arrangements ...

... if your lodges in the US, at whatever level, are like ours, they are
totally self-contained for funding ... that is, it is drawn from the
members only ... with regard to their own structure, there are no
government grants which might be subject to conditions imposed by other
government legislation or regulation ...


... if a lodge, as part of its civic program, applied for a government
grant to carry out certain activities, that might be different ...

[Torence]

Post by Doug Freyburger
Illinois currently uses the "Invitation to Petition" program. It's
rules are so elaborate I have yet to hear or a lodge that is using it.

Auburn Park No. 789 uses the ITPP simply because it has been the
thoughts of our active participants that if a man is good enough for
any one of us as a candidate for the degrees or for affiliation, that
vouch is safe enough for the rest of us. (Doug-I have a pre-signed
ITPP petition as an affiliate with your name on it any time that you
wish to employ it. We at Auburn Park might even accidentally execute
it when you are not around.) We then use the ITPP to expedite
petitions by having three Brothers meet with the man before his
petition is even received and skipping a second set of three to
investigate.
A recent survey has shown that a significant number of petitioners
to our fraternity never meet an investigating committee. They
generally know their first line signers well but cannot name the
second and third line signers from their petition. Given the names, at
best, they state that they only know them as an acquaintance. The
traditional six man rule before balloting seems to me to be a
throwback to when every man had to petition in the town in which he
lived. Two sets of three are unwieldy; and, I do not see the
traditional method as providing any practical assurance of improving
the quality of candidate.

Post by Doug Freyburger
Three black balls now required to reject a candidate, instead of one

Here, I prefer our traditional condition. We already have a
contingency plan for the event that a black cube is thrown in error. I
have put my Masonic career on the line defending the right of any
singular member to reject any candidate for degrees or affiliation
that he sees fit; and I would not willingly consent to the degradation
of this immemorial condition for us.

Post by Doug Freyburger
I am concerned that can lead to losing our private club status…
Even though they picked different principles I think they have done
very well for themselves showing honor and dedication to their
principles.

The scouts have had their troubles with outsiders, particularly
strange “quasi-religious” groups, using the scout organization for
their own purposes rather than organizing youth groups of their own.
In Illinois, our regular Blue Lodge infrastructure was immediately
infested by closet members of the same group at the outset of the
formation of this, the second Grand Lodge of regular Masons in
Illinois. Given the lawless and wilderness condition that existed in
Illinois in that era, gunplay was utilized to settle the matter and
expel the invaders.
While that episode seems distant to us now, having read the period
accounts and personal papers of many of the personalities involved
then, I do not find that the type of man who populated the cast of
that story to be much different from the sort of man who I share the
fraternity with today. We do seem to attract a significant number of
gun owners, even badged and deputized vigilantes who are not law
enforcement professionals; and, who also are no more or less
articulate or rash than the men who responded to that mid nineteenth
century threat. Can we honestly assume that that type of thing cannot
happen again in our century?
The way I see it, if we allow ourselves to adopt the sham methods
that other civic organizations rely upon to protect themselves,
schemes that trade civil liberties for a veneer of security or
pretenses to diversity that diminish our exclusive character, the
conditions would be ripe for a repeat episode from that event. Our
time tested immemorial practice cannot be improved upon; and any lodge
is vulnerable if it opens its doors to lax or uncontrolled admission.
It is nice to know that any one of us can stay an organized incursion.

Post by Doug Freyburger
District ritual teams may confer degrees on multiple candidates

Most Districts have always had this tool; but informally. It sure
would be nice if every lodge could get back to being able to put on
the three degrees by themselves; but then again, we also have a lot of
fun when we get together as we do.
Last night we had a 1° degree with Crete, A.P., Grant Park,
Chebanze, Peotone, Manteno, Palace, and St. Anne’s members nearly
filling the room. We even had a Brother there who had not attended
Lodge since 1980. Hopefully, he is now going to make the rounds to all
of our lodges. The candidate broke down in tears at the end from the
shear number of welcoming Brothers who were there to greet him. What a
blast. The pitfall that I see with organized District Teams is that
they will do the work with only one flavor and to the exclusion of
individuals who wish to take a part. That condition kills lodges. That
type of work, IMHO, is not “improved.”

Post by Doug Freyburger
Dues may now be paid via credit or debit card

As a Secretary, this innovation works well for me. We just had a
Brother reinstated from the condition of suspension from NPD because
he used the credit card service through the Grand Lodge website. How
convenient was that?

Post by Doug Freyburger
A proficiency pin program certified by schools of instruction

Should not the quality of work serve enough as the badge of merit?

Post by Doug Freyburger
Suspensions and expulsions to be largely handled at the local lodge
level, and not by the Grand Master, with new clarifications about
providing proper due process

Grand Masters have never, do not now, nor will they ever have the
right to “unMake a Mason at sight.” I serve the fraternity as a thorn
in the side for any Grand Lodge Officer who feels otherwise.

Post by Doug Freyburger
Relaxation of the traditional formal dress code in meetings

Hmmm, we will be receiving the DDGM next month. Imagine his
surprise if when he comes back into the Lodge Hall we greeted him in
the nude.

Post by Doug Freyburger
Having learned with both written and cypher I know that the cypher
worked better. I don't know what conclusion to draw from that
anti-obvious fact that gets confirmed again and again as young men learn
the ritual.

The nice thing about the old “illegal” ciphers is that they document
the state of the art from those times. The remarkable thing here in
Illinois is that 95% of the work is exactly the same if you compare
our 1986 Standard Work Book to ciphers from before the events that
altered ritual, i.e. 1914. 1873, 1860 etc. Today, we have two
authorized versions of the 1° Apron Lecture. The Long version was
almost assigned to oblivion in 1914. We did, however, loose our long
version Opening Prayer. When I am Grand Master here, I will restore
it.

Fraternally,
Torence Evans Ake
Secretary – Auburn Park Lodge No. 789 – Crete, Illinois
PM – Arcadia Lodge No. 1138 – Lansing, Illinois

[Doug Freyburger]

Post by Torence

Post by Doug Freyburger
Illinois currently uses the "Invitation to Petition" program. It's
rules are so elaborate I have yet to hear or a lodge that is using it.

Auburn Park No. 789 uses the ITPP simply because it has been the
thoughts of our active participants that if a man is good enough for
any one of us as a candidate for the degrees or for affiliation, that
vouch is safe enough for the rest of us.

If I read the rules correctly the lodge ends up putting in a lot of
effort on a man before he's even approached about membership.

Post by Torence
A recent survey has shown that a significant number of petitioners
to our fraternity never meet an investigating committee.

I've been on plenty of investigating commitees and we've always met the
candidate. That said, when I arrived and asked for an application that
first time I didn't know anyone there.

Post by Torence

Post by Doug Freyburger
Three black balls now required to reject a candidate, instead of one

Here, I prefer our traditional condition. We already have a
contingency plan for the event that a black cube is thrown in error.

For California ritual I even memorized the ritual for redoing the ballot
in case someone made an error. I only saw it happen once during the
time I attended lodge in California. We'd voted on 3 in the same box
(standard procedure in that jurisdiction) and had to vote on them all
individually. All passed the individual ballot. Now that I've seen
ballots in a state that does every candidate individually I now wonder
if one of the brothers started in such a jurisdiction.

Post by Torence

Post by Doug Freyburger
District ritual teams may confer degrees on multiple candidates

Most Districts have always had this tool; but informally.

Very many degrees include a lecturer by a visitor. Plenty of degrees
include several visitors. I've been a member of a travelling degree
team fielded by an individual lodge. So far I haven't been a member of
a district level degree team. It would b enice to do that.

Post by Torence
It sure
would be nice if every lodge could get back to being able to put on
the three degrees by themselves; but then again, we also have a lot of
fun when we get together as we do.

It is a lot of fun to exchange degrees by visitiation. Here in Illinois
it is even a point in the Grand Master's Excellence Award program. This
year a lodge in our district came to confer a second degree by
visitation then the next month we went to them to confer a first degree
by visitation. Our lodges hope to make it an annual exchange for the
fun of it as well as for the points.

Post by Torence

Post by Doug Freyburger
A proficiency pin program certified by schools of instruction

Should not the quality of work serve enough as the badge of merit?

Concordant bodies get to wear funny hats plus corny pins. Blue lodges
only get to issue corny pins. I'm all for excuses to add extra pins to
the collection. Scouts have merit badges. Masons have pins.

While I was in the east I wanted a funny hat. I looked for a tricorn
but the only ones I could find were cheesy Halloween costume ones. I
ended up with a Fedora. Fedoras are now a local lodge tradition - I
copied it from a senior PM multiple years before me but now it's the
fourth year in a row the WM wears one at meetings. A Fedora is a bit
too formal to count as a funny hat, right?

Post by Torence

Post by Doug Freyburger
Relaxation of the traditional formal dress code in meetings

Hmmm, we will be receiving the DDGM next month. Imagine his
surprise if when he comes back into the Lodge Hall we greeted him in
the nude.

That's what aprons are for. As to fancy clothes, Masonry considers no
man on account of his worldly weatlh or honors. ;^)

Post by Torence

Post by Doug Freyburger
Having learned with both written and cypher I know that the cypher
worked better. I don't know what conclusion to draw from that
anti-obvious fact that gets confirmed again and again as young men learn
the ritual.

The nice thing about the old “illegal” ciphers is that they document
the state of the art from those times. The remarkable thing here in
Illinois is that 95% of the work is exactly the same if you compare
our 1986 Standard Work Book to ciphers from before the events that
altered ritual, i.e. 1914. 1873, 1860 etc. Today, we have two
authorized versions of the 1° Apron Lecture. The Long version was
almost assigned to oblivion in 1914. We did, however, loose our long
version Opening Prayer. When I am Grand Master here, I will restore
it.

My collection of cyphers is much less extensive than that. I have a
handfull of old ones but I have not noticed any differences with the one
I was issued.