Page Two
THE NORTH CAROLINA MASON
November, 1988
'' The North Carolina Mason” (USPS 598-260) is published monthly by
The Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of North Carolina, 2921 Glenwood
Avenue, Raleigh, N. C. 27608. Third class postage paid at Oxford, N. C.
27565.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE NORTH
CAROLINA MASON, Oxford Orphanage Printing Department,
Oxford, North Carolina 27565.
BOARD OF PUBLIC A TION OF
THE NORTH CAROLINA MASON
H. LLOYD WILKERSON
SAMUEL A. HENNIS, JR.
WILLIAM E. FULMER
JOHN R. STEGALL
WALTER J. KLEIN
Published monthly by The Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of North
Carolina Successor to “The Orphans Friend and Masonic Journal.”
News items, pictures, inquiries, comments and other correspondence
should be addressed to:
Reynold S. Davenport, Interim Editor
P. 0. Box 578, Plymouth, N. C. 27962
or
Oxford Orphanage Printing Department
Oxford, North Carolina 27565
There is no charge for printing pictures. Pictures should be made in black
and white. Good quality pictures are essential for suitable reproduction. We
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address changes should be addressed to:
THE NORTH CAROLINA MASON
Oxford Orphanage Printing Department
Oxford, North Carolina 27565
Each member of a North Carolina lodge is entitled to a free subscription to
The North Carolina Mason. If you know a North Carolina Member who is
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code), and the name of his lodge to the above address.
Editorial
Prepare for ’89
During its first stated communication next month,
each North Carolina Lodge will elect its Master for the
coming year. Also to be elected at that time are the
Masons who will likely advance to the East in a year or
two, and the Masons most responsible for attending to
the financial and administrative affairs of the lodge. A
small percentage of our lodges will also elect Deacons
and Stewards, but in most lodges these will be appointed
by the Master.
These elections are of the utmost importance to
Masonry in general and to each lodge and its members in
particular. The Masons elected next month will
accomplish one of three things: they will improve their
lodges and move them forward, or they will barely
maintain the status quo, or they will permit their lodges to
slide backward. Only the first of those three options is
desirable and acceptable, and no member should vote for
a Mason for any office unless he is convinced that Mason
has the ability and the desire to improve the lodge.
This is why it is so important for each of us to exert
every reasonable effort to be present at the first
December stated, and to be prepared to cast ballots that
will be for the good of Masonry. No run-of-the-mill excuse
should be allowed to prevent our attendance that night,
and no lack of preparation should permit a member to
cast a harmful or worthless ballot.
On infrequent occasions a Mason is confronted with
most disagreeable choices. An example is when a certain
Mason is in line to advance to a particular office and you
know in your mind and heart that his advancement will
not be in the best interest of Masonry. He may be a good
friend, or he may be a most likeable individual, and he
may be a splendid all-around Mason, and you are in any
case reluctant to deprive another Mason of the
advancement he expects and longs for; nevertheless, you
cannot, in good conscience, vote for a Mason for any
office when you are convinced his election to it will do
harm to the lodge and the Fraternity. We are required by
our Masonic obligations and principles to vote for the
best Mason available for each office. We may, in some
instances, have no Mason available for a given office who
is qualified by reasons of ability, character and desire to
render a really good performance in that office, but it is
certain that some will be more qualified than others, and
it is for the most qualified that we are obligated to vote.
We must not wait until election night to make our
decisions, for in many instances there will not then be
enough time to ascertain and to weigh all the pros and
cons. Granted, no large amount of preparation is needed
if you are one who has attended regularly in a lodge where
all the officers are doing acceptable jobs and where none
will be dropping out of line; you already know the
qualifications of those to be considered. But in even the
steadiest lodges, resignations, deaths and other
circumstances causing vacancies in offices are not
unheard of, and these situations call for some degree of
preparation on the part of all members.
Most of us are aware of the severe penalties for any act
of electioneering on behalf of ourselves and/or others.
No Mason can ask another member to vote for him or for
someone else, it is a violation of our law even to hint along
those lines. This is as it should be. The harmony and
dignity of Masonry in its lodges would be severely harmed
should our election process be given over to the free-for-
all of electioneering.
But it is not intended that you must vote blindly,
without any real knowledge of the qualifications, or lack
of same, of those for whom you may cast your ballots.
How, indeed, could we expect a new Master Mason,
raised only a few days past, to know enough of the
membership to be able to vote intelligently for lodge
officers? Shouldn’t he have some opportunity to acquaint
himself with the qualifications of those available? Well, he
does. In REG. 97-02 (15) permission is given for a member
to inquire of a second member concerning the
qualifications of other members for lodge offices, and it is
lawful for that second member to respond to such inquiry
in an appropriate manner. This regulation does not in any
fashion or particular open the door for electioneering,
and woe be unto the Mason that interprets it as doing so,
but it does enable members that are generally ignorant
concerning the qualifications of certain other members to
enlighten themselves through proper and careful use of
the regulation.
All members of a lodge have certain responsibilities
with respect to lodge elections, and not the least of these
are the responsibilities of those who are to be voted upon.
OFFICERS OF THE GRAND LODGE OF
A. F. & A. M. OF NORTH CAROLINA
M.-.W.-.L. R. Thomas, Jr. f, C.L. (568) Grand Master
P. O. 1467, New Bern 28560
R.-.W.-.Jerry G. Tart t, (542) Deputy Grand Master
P. O. Box 366, Greensboro 27402
R.-.W. .Bunn T. Phillips, Jr. t, C.L. (495) Senior Grand Warden
310 Lumyer Rd., Rockingham 28379
R.-.W. - .Lester P. Martin, Jr. t, (134) Junior Grand Warden
P. 0. Box 822, Mocksville 27028
M.-.W.-.Sam A. Hennis, Jr.* C.L. (322) Grand Treasurer
Drawer 711, Mount Airy 27030
R.-.W. .Robert P. Dudley t, (202) Grand Secretary
P. 0. Box 6506, Raleigh 27628
W.-.Willett R. Tillett f, C.L. (521) Senior Grand Deacon
P. 0. Box 473, Manteo 27954
W. .Ray Norris t, (259) Junior Grand Deacon
312 Woodland Trail, Hendersonville 28739
W.-.Richard G. Moore t, (544) Grand Marshal
Rt. 2, Box 666, Denver 28037
W.-.William B. Brunk t, C.L. (40) Grand Steward
8504 Bournemouth Dr., Raleigh 27609
W.-.Clifton W. Everett, Jr. f, (708) Grand Steward
P. 0. Box 1220, Greenville 27835
W.-.Johnny West t, (568) Grand Tyler
Apt 2-C, Ruth’s Lane, Greensboro 27407
W.-.James H. Coile t, (81) Grand Chaplain
Rt. 6, Box 200, Goldsboro 27530
W. .Marvin R. Waters t, (724) Asst. Grand Chaplain
2413 Brices Creek Rd., New Bern 28560
W. .Reynold S. Davenport f, C.L. (680) Grand Historian
P. O. Box 578, Plymouth 27962
W.-.William J. Clark t, (724) Grand Lecturer
402 Edge Hill Rd., New Bern 28562
W.-.H. Lloyd Wilkerson t, (680) Grand Orator
102 Shoreham Dr., Jacksonville 28540
W.-.Otto Neustadt t, (40) Judge Advocate
4120 Camelot Dr., Apt. A-3, Raleigh 27609
Lost Minds
In some lodges the Chaplains offer prayers of their own
composition during the opening and closing ceremonies;
in other lodges the prayers from Bahnson’s Manual are
used. The opening prayer in the manual has a sentence
that begins thusly: “And we beseech thee, O Lord God,
to bless our present assembling, and to illuminate our
minds ...” It is really surprising the number of Masons, in
reciting or reading that sentence, that substitute
“eliminate” for “illuminate.”
Well, some years ago, in one of our lodges, the Master
had a pet project he asked the brethren to support but, to
his surprise and chagrin, they flatly rejected his proposal.
He went home that night in a dark frame of mind that was
still prevailing when the next meeting night rolled around.
At the appropriate moment during the opening of that
next meeting, the Chaplain knelt at the altar and
earnestly beseeched the Lord “to eliminate our minds.”
As he returned to his seat, the Master told him: “Brother
Chaplain, you didn’t need to ask the Lord to eliminate
your minds, He had already done that at the last
meeting.”
Each lodge officer knows in his own heart and mind
whether or not he has proved himself worthy of
advancement. If he has not, then he should relieve his
brethren of their painful duty to halt his advancement by
voluntarily stepping aside, and he should do this in ample
time to permit unhurried consideration of possible
replacements. The lodge officer that takes this action
demonstrates himself to be one that has the best interest
of Masonry at heart, and he thus earns the respect and
gratitude of his brethren.
The election for Secretary merits special attention. A
good lodge Secretary is a member of a very special breed,
and the lodge that has a good one can never adequately
reward him for his services. A man can be a good Mason
in just about every facet you can imagine; he can be a
truly outstanding Mason, perhaps the most outstanding
in his lodge or district, and yet be totally and woefully
unqualified to be Secretary. If your lodge has a good
Secretary, and if he is willing to continue serving, by all
means re-elect him—year after year after year.
Only our larger lodges are financially able to even
partially pay their Secretaries for their time, talents and
efforts; in most lodges their labors are simply
contributions. Yet, it is amazing how few members have
even a dim awareness of the true value of a good
Secretary or any real knowledge of all that the Secretary
does. It is equally amazing how ready so many members
are to unthinkingly add to the work of the Secretary.
Each member that is late in paying his dues causes
needless additional work for the Secretary. Each
member that fails to promptly report any change of
address to the Secretary causes him added work and
problems. And how often have you seen some brother
get to his feet in lodge and say: “I move that the Secretary
write letters to so-and-so?” Or another brother may say:
“I move that the Secretary obtain prices for this and for
that.” The Secretary has quite enough to do without
having heaped upon him additional work that can just as
well be handled by a competent committee.
If you have lost or are losing your Secretary, and if you
must elect a new Secretary this year, do it with the
utmost care. Take full advantage of REG. 97-02 (15) on
this one, seek all the opinions you can garner and study
them with great care. Having arrived at a determination,
go to the Mason you have determined upon and ask him if
he would serve if elected. If he will not, go to your second
choice, and so on. But do remember this: No lodge, no
matter how excellent its ritual, no matter how well it is
attended, no matter how well it excels in other areas, can
ever be a truly top of the line, superior lodge if it does not
have a good Secretary, if it is going to pot administra
tively.
Prepare yourself to vote for the good of Masonry at
your first December stated, then go out and DO IT!
Reynold Davenport
Unscramble
Rearrange the letters in the following six words to form
six new words familiar to Masons: Molar, later, hated,
dingo, renet, thing. Now take the first letter of each new
word you have formed and arrange these to form a
six-letter word familiar to Masons. The answer means to
claim by right. If you should arrive at a final answer
meaning to infuriate, keep right on rearranging, you have
the right letters. Answers on page four.
You Think They Don’t Know?
In many instances, a Mason gives freely to the Home
and the Orphanage because of the impulses of a
generous heart, without any real knowledge of those his
gifts benefit. He has never visited either institution, has
never had the very real pleasure of a warm embrace from
a grateful child at Oxford, or of welcome smiles from our
elderly Brothers and Sisters at Greensboro. Most North
Carolina Masons, unless trends change, will be initiated,
passed and raised, then live out honorable Masonic lives
and die without ever looking upon the majestic oaks on
the Orphanage campus or the gently rolling grounds of
the Home.
Those at the Home and the Orphanage need those
gifts from the Masons that never come, those gifts are
just as important as any others. But each Mason owes it
to himself to go to Oxford and to Greensboro, to see for
himself what he is supporting, who he is helping. There is
just no way we can visualize what we have at those two
homes, what we are doing for those that live in them,
without the evidence of our own eyes. I have never
known a Mason to visit either institution without coming
away with a sense of pride he never quite felt before, and
a renewed determination to do more for those in our care
than he had ever done before.
If you have never been to either place, it’s easy to
believe that this giving and receiving that goes on
between the Masons and the two homes is all quite
impersonal, that a Mason never knows to whom he is
giving and that the recipient never knows from whom he
or she is receiving. It may well be impersonal on the
Mason’s part, if he has never visited the two homes, but it
certainly is not an impersonal matter with the residents at
the Home or the children at the Orphanage; they know
full well what Masons mean to them and do for them, and
they have a real love for Masons that you cannot fully
appreciate without going there to experience it.
And relationships between Masons and those in our
care many times becomes very personal.
On many occasions I have seen an Orphanage child I
know tightly holding the hand of a Mason I did not know,
and the child would proudly introduce him to me as “MY
Mason.” You just have no idea how your heart can swell
with pride when one of those beautiful children calls you
“MY Mason.” This is a child you can maintain
correspondence with, visit with, provide with small gifts
on appropriate occasions; perhaps that child will even be
able to visit in your home sometimes. That child can grow
up secure in the knowledge that there is someone out
there that really cares about and loves him or her. Many
such relationships persist after the child leaves the
Orphanage to go out into the world, perhaps to college or
a career, right on up until that lucky Mason is even made
an honorary grandfather.
There is no reason why each child at Oxford cannot
grasp the hand of more than one Mason and proudly
proclaim, “This is MY Mason.” We have more than
enough Masons to go around, many times over.
Personal relationships with those at the Home are
different, of course, but just as important and just as
warm. Too often we tend to think of the residents there
as being financially destitute. Actually, in these times, just
about everyone has some form of income, small though it
may be, and there is not near the financial destitution that
Diamond Jubilee at Home
(Continued from Page One)
addressed stamped envelope to Mrs. Hilda S.
Halliburton, P.G.M., P. O. Box 286, Connelly Springs,
North Carolina 28612.
Overnight accommodations are available at Holiday
Inn, Four Seasons and may be arranged by calling 1-800-
465-4329. A block of rooms have been reserved for
Masons and members of Eastern Star.
Round trip shuttle transportation will be provided from
Holiday Inn, Four Seasons to the Home on the hour
between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon for
those who are staying at Holiday Inn and desire
transportation for the open house visitation.
The Grand Master and the Grand Matron strongly
urge and encourage all members to join in celebrating this
significant milestone in the history of our Masonic and
Eastern Star Home.
William C. Hilton, Past Grand Patron
Seminars Shaping Up
(Continued from Page One)
presented at each seminar. A committee is now at work
selecting those who will present the several subjects in
each geographical area.
As now planned, each seminar will commence at 9:30
a.m. and close at 12:30 p.m.
As each lodge Master will have 10% to 11% months left
in his term of office when he attends a seminar, it is
anticipated he and his lodge will benefit measureably
from the knowledge and information he will gain by his
attendance at a seminar. The Wardens will, of course, be
tremendously benefitted by the opportunity to
incorporate ideas from the seminars into their planning
for their year in the East. Interested Masons other than
Masters and Wardens are welcome to attend the
seminars.
ACCORDING TO
JIMROD
We present below this
month's poetical offering from
that distinguished Mason and
philosopher, JIMROD Q.
WAXPILLOW.
This irate Mason named Fred
Kicked the old cat off the bed
He did it because
Her scratching claws
Had raked raw furrows in his head
once existed. Nevertheless, many of our residents at the
Home are destitute in quite another fashion. Over the
years, most or all of their loved ones and close friends
have passed away, so there is no one with whom they can
feel that special closeness all of us so desperately need.
These particular residents of the Home are reaching out
for someone with whom to feel that special closeness,
and we can be that someone. But we cannot be that
someone unless we go to Greensboro and meet with
those that need us.
You think they don’t know, at Greensboro and at
Oxford, who the Masons are? Let me give you a couple of
illustrations.
Years ago, during my first tenure as editor of this
paper, I ran on the back page of each issue a picture and a
brief interview with a child at the Orphanage and a
resident at the Home, side by side. So it was necessary
that I visit each home rather frequently, and I came to
know most of those then in our care at them.
At the Orphanage, in good weather, you would usually
find groups of children and adults sitting on the steps of
the main building after lunch. One day a little fellow of six
or seven was sitting a few feet from me, and I noticed he
was really looking me over when he thought I was looking
elsewhere. I started to say something to him but he beat
me to it; “Are you a Mason?” he blurted. I told him I
certainly was, whereupon he jumped up, ran to me and
threw his arms about my neck. “Then I love you,” he said.
How much do you suppose it was worth to me to be a
Mason right then?
At the Home, one day, back when Troy Robbins was
Superintendent, I asked him who would be a good
resident for me to interview that day. He suggested a
blind lady—I can’t remember her name—who, because
of her blindness, lived in the Care Center. He took me to
her room and knocked at the door. She opened it, Troy
introduced us and told her 1 wished to ask her a few
questions, and he went back to his office.
She invited me in, we sat down, and after a few
preliminary remarks, I began asking her the usual
questions concerning her life prior to and after entering
the Home. She seemed to be very withdrawn, and she
was barely responding to my questions. Finally, she
asked: “Mr. Davenport, are you a Mason.” When I
promptly answered affirmatively, she said, “In that case,
ask anything you wish, I’ll tell you whatever you want to
know.”
Well, it was obvious that I or Troy should have more
fully explained who I was and what 1 was there for, but I
am glad neither of us did, for I would have then missed her
simple expression of faith in Masons.
You think they don’t know who we are?
My brethren, there is no way that I or anyone else can
ever describe for you what we have and what we do at the
Orphanage and at the Home, what it is like to meet and
be with those we care for. You must go there yourself and
experience it for yourself. You must experience those
feelings that bring tears of pride and joy to your eyes.
These are trips you will thoroughly enjoy, never regret,
and never forget.
Because they KNOW who we are!
Reynold Davenport
Masons and Stars
Slice, Hook, Putt
On Way to Pig
(Continued from Page One)
Home, enjoying the perfect weather, the beautifully
rolling grounds, the folding chairs, and the first offerings
of seductive, succulent pig. All this took place against a
backdrop of scores and scores of bright signs, painted
and erected in acknowledgement of the individuals,
lodges, chapters, commercial organizations and others
that had put up $25, $50, $100 and more to sponsor
golfers.
Members of the Home staff had attractively decorated
parking lots and other areas on the spacious grounds.
Residents lent a big assist by conducting groups (some
seeing the Home for the first time) on tours through the
many fine facilities of the Home, while other residents
helped direct traffic. Superintendent Tommy Jones
hustled back and forth between the festive board and his
office much like a genial shuttlecock. Members of Amran
Shrine Temple handled the ever-important food end of
the arrangements. Various Masons and Stars performed
a variety of chores and services. It was the kind of
cooperative effort absolutely essential to successfully
carry off an undertaking of this scope.
Grand Master L. R. Thomas, Jr. and Grand Matron
Viola Hardison were both on hand to lead their
respective troops over the courses and through the pig.
Each was delighted with the evident success of the
occasion and grateful for the profits that will be used to
great advantage in offsetting spiralling operating costs at
the Home.
On every hand could be heard to “Let’s do it again next
year.” Given the excellent results, and with so many
thoroughly enjoying themselves, it would be difficult not
to predict that it will indeed be repeated in 1989.
Much of what would normally be costs was in this
instance donated, adding measureably to the bottom
line. Profits were realized from tournament entry fees,
from the sale of meals, from the sale of caps and such,
and from the “sponsor” contributions—over $21,000.00
profit came from those sponsors alone. A final
accounting was not available at press time, but it is
estimated the event netted about $30,000.00 for the
Home. Credit for these proceeds will be divided equally
between the Grand Lodge and the Grand Chapter
(Masons are responsible for 60% of the costs at the Home
and Stars are responsible for 40%).
One newspaper editor found this note in his morning
mail: “Dear Editor, Please cancel our subscriplion Io
your wonderful newspaper. We have bought a garbage
disposal and don't have to wrap up our garbage
anymore.”