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Page Two THE NORTH CAROLINA MASON January, 1989 “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. O. 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 reserve the right to reject any picture not suitable for use in The North Carolina Mason. Pictures accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope will be returned to the sender upon request. 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 kno\V a North Carolina Member who is not receiving the paper, please send his name, his complete address (with zip code), and the name of his lodae *o the above address. Editorial DON’T BE A STATISTIC Most of our lodges have begun the new year minus some members who are still Masons, but who now bear the not so proud title of “nonaffiliated.” These Masons were excluded from membership last year for nonpayment of dues. The status of an excluded Mason is the same as that of a nonaffiliated Mason. REG. 82-10(1). We are all familiar with the rights and benefits of a Master Mason. A Master Mason has the right to attend his lodge and to participate in it’s activities. He can visit other lodges, attend Grand Lodge, hold Masonic office. A Master Mason is eligible to apply for admission to Masonic and Eastern Star Home, he can recommend a petitioner, and he is entitled to Masonic Burial. There are many other rights belonging to a Master Mason. But not if he is an excluded (nonaffiliated) Mason. A nonaffiliated Mason has but one Masonic right, the right to apply for restoration to membership. Think about that. Think about the years and the effort, and the expense, you have put into becoming and remaining a Mason in good standing. Do you wish to risk throwing all that away by becoming careless in the annual payment of your dues? Do you wish to risk the possibility that you may someday be cast into the depths of despair and not have Masonry as your strong and reliable support? Surely you do not wish to risk having your wife embarrassed some day by having to explain why you did not receive Masonic Burial, as did other Masons. It may seem to be no big deal to be notified by the Secretary of your lodge that you have been excluded for nonpayment of dues. No big deal next November— perhaps. But will it continue to be no big deal ten or twenty years down the road, when you long for the fellowship in your lodge, the steady companionship of your brethren? Do you really wish to become one of those that have but one Masonic right, the right to apply for restoration to membership? If you are thinking about dropping out of Masonry because it requires too much of your time, or because other pursuits are more attractive to you right now, or for any other reason, THINK about it! Think about the long term consequences. Masonry does not require any of your time, except that which you obligate yourself for by accepting Masonic office or other responsibility. You can remain a Mason so long as you live, without ever darkening the door of a lodge, without ever lifting a finger in any Masonic cause, just so long as you pay your annual dues and keep your nose clean. Many lodge seats are filled on meeting nights by Masons who stayed away from lodge and from Masonic doings for year after year, because they felt Masonry required too much of their time, or because there were . other activities they deemed more important or enjoyed more. But they continued to pay their dues. They continued to be Master Masons in good standing. Each year they spent the small effort and time and money to mail a dues check to the Secretary. Now they still have a right to attend lodge, and to bask in the fellowship of their brethren. Some have lost their mates and desperately need someone and something to fill the lonely nights. Some no longer enjoy the parties, or the ball games, or television, and now seek something with more substance to it in order to enrich their lives. Some have even become residents of Masonic and Eastern Star Home. Some are comforted by the knowledge that they have the right to receive Masonic Burial, as did their fathers, or their brothers, or their close friends. But all of them, you see, have retained their rights to these things because all through the years they have paid their annual dues. They did not become statistics, they remained Masons in good standing. So don’t YOU become a statistic. Don’t become a nonaffiliated Mason. Don’t wait for the Secretary to notify you that you are delinquent, but pay your dues now! And pay them every year. No matter how you may feel today about your Masonic membership, sooner or later, somewhere along the road, you are going to be happy and proud that you retained your Masonic membership—and pretty thankful, too. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN Did you vote to exclude some members last November? If you did, are you certain in your heart and mind that cach of them should have been excluded? Were you personally aware that none of them were experiencing financial hardship, that none of them had OFFICERS OF THE GRAND LODGE OF A. F. & A. M. OF NORTH CAROLINA M.'.W.'.L. R. Thomas, Jr. t, C.L. (568) Grand Master P. O. 1467, New Bern 28560 R.-.W. .Jerry G. Tart t, (542) Deputy Grand Master P. 0. 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. f, (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. O. Box 6506, Raleigh 27628 W.'.Willett R. Tillett t, C.L. (521) Senior Grand Deacon P. 0. Box 473, Manteo 27954 W.'.Ray Norris f, (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. t, (708) Grand Steward P. O. 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+, 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 f, (40) Judge Advocate 4120 Camelot Dr., Apt. A-3, Raleigh 27609 been offended or hurt by something done or said to them by another Mason or Masons? Did you make any effort to retain any of the excluded members? Our 394 lodges excluded 827 Masons in 1987 (the totals for 1988 are not yet official). Exclusion for nonpayment of dues was the second greatest form of loss in membership, exceeded only by deaths. We cannot reduce the deaths, however much we would wish to, and we cannot prevent all the exclusions, but we can prevent a substantial number of them. The dues of a Mason in North Carolina are due and payable in advance on or before January 1 each year, and he is delinquent if he has not paid his dues for any year by or before March 1 of that year. The Secretary is required by law to mail a notice of delinquency by or before March 1 to each member then owing dues; he is not required to announce in lodge the names of those then delinquent, but no law says he cannot. So it could prove highly beneficial to all concerned if the Secretary should name those delinquent as of March 1, and if the Master should then appoint a member or members to personally investigate the cause of each delinquency, individually. The appointment of Masons for this purpose should be undertaken with great care. Each delinquent member is sure to have one or more other members that are closer to him than any others, and it is one or more of these that should visit and discuss his delinquency with him, or write or telephone if he is out of the area. No Mason or other individual wishes to discuss his personal affairs with someone he scarcely knows, and it could do more harm than good if he is approached by someone in that category. Most delinquencies result from simple procrastination, or carelessness, and these dues can often be collected by the Mason/s making the approach to the delinquent brother. Other delinquencies result from financial hardship, and in most such instances the delinquent brother is embarrassed by it and unlikely to appeal to the lodge for a remission of dues. Such circumstances can be discreetly hinted at in lodge by the investigating brother/s and it is rare for a Mason ever to be excluded when such circumstances are brought to the attention of the lodge. Financial hardship may be a temporary or an enduring circumstance, and the lodge should keep itself posted accordingly. Still other exclusions result from misunderstandings between Masons, causing one or more parties to the misunderstanding to decide to just get out of Masonry. Such situations are often unknown to the general membership, until there is investigation into a delinquency. Such cases can often be cleared up by wise counsel, although this is often a delicate situation prompting the investigating brother/s to seek the assistance of experienced, judicious Masons. Some delinquencies come about by failures in mail service, by incorrect addresses, and other mechanical quirks. Most such delinquencies can be cleared up simply by locating the brother. A small percentage of delinquencies are Masons that have, for one reason or another, decided that Masonry is not for them and who are not going to be swayed by any argument or appeal. There is nothing we can do about these—except try. There are other causes for delinquency, but the fact is that we can substantially reduce these losses by the means just described, and some of our lodges prove it every year. A large responsibility for delinquency rests with the Master. As rewarding and as gratifying as it is to be the Master of a Masonic lodge, be assured that the brethren did not elect you Master simply to fulfill your personal desires and vanity; they expect you to lead the lodge in every phase of its activities. You are responsible for the whole ball of wax. It is your duty as Master to have something each meeting that will interest the members, and it is your duty to involve each member in the work of the lodge—give each member something to do that is within his capabilities and is worthwhile. If the Master is successful in accomplishing the above, he will have solved the problem of attendance. Solve the problem of attendance, and you automatically solve the problem of delinquency, for it is not the members attending the meetings that become delinquent. Finally, do not wait until your first stated meeting in November to do something about delinquent members; start working on it when they officially become delinquent—in March. Reynold Davenport It Really Happened Jacksonville — Semper Fidelis Lodge No. 680 began construction of a new lodge building in 1959, completing it early in the following year. Not long afterward, they asked Grand Master Harvey Smith to dedicate the building and a date was set. Dave Owens, of Sneads Ferry, was Junior Deacon of the lodge that year, and a more serious minded, conscientious and dedicated Mason would have been hard to find. Dave took quite literally any duty he assumed and any instructions given him, and that certainly applied to the responsibilities of a Junior Deacon. On the night of the dedication, the large lodge room was filled with members, visiting members of neighboring lodges and others, and a goodly sprinkling of Grand Lodge officers and Past Grand Masters. Many of these Masons were strangers to Dave Owens, and when the time came for the Junior Deacon to designate those he did not know to be Master Masons, Dave set about the task with the same steady determination that characterized all his endeavors. He designated Masons by the handful, by the bucketful—he designated so many that a little snickering began to be heard among those not being designated. As Dave moved ever nearer the East, he began designating some of those that had been afforded the more prominent seats, the Grand Lodge officers and the Past Grand Masters. The snickering erupted into loud guffaws, enthusiastically led by those few members of the Grand Lodge brass that Dave knew and who had thus escaped being designated. “That’s right, Brother Junior Deacon,” roared the Grand Master, obviously enjoying the discomfiture of his brethren in brass, “if you don’t know ’em, STAFF ’EM!” And that is exactly what Dave did. He methodically designated with his staff every Mason he did not know, the high and the low, until he climbed the three exalted steps and planted his staff squarely at the feet of Grand Master Harvey Smith himself! Well, it brought the house down. It was a good five minutes before the laughter subsided enough for someone to rise and vouch for the Grand Master as being a Master Mason. The Grand Master was a good sport about it, acknowledging that Dave had done only what he himself had admonished him to do, and that was to carry out the duties of the Junior Deacon. The funniest thing about the whole episode was that it never was funny to Dave. During the whole procedure, his face was as solemn as a tomb. So far as he was concerned, he was performing a serious duty. Dave’s dedication continued to show in later years. He was to later become Master of Semper Fidelis 680, then Charter Master of Stump Sound 733. He served as District Education Chairman, as District Deputy Grand Lecturer and as District Deputy Grand Master. He was elected to Life Membership in 733 and to Honorary Membership in five or six area lodges. The Scottish Rite elevated him to the 33°, Inspector General Honorary. He would drive for miles to deliver a lecture for a lodge that had no one else to do it. He would do the same to assist in degree work or in any other manner he could. He coached dozens of candidates. He helped anyone he could. He did all these things while in constant pain from a severe back injury that never healed and which rendered it difficult for him to rise or to sit, to go up or down stairs, to get in or out of a car. Dave Owens was a plain and simple man, and no one knew that better than he. He never pretended to be anything that he was not, never “put on airs.” But as a Master Mason, he was a Prince among men. Other Masons loved him and respected him until he finally laid down his working tools and ascended painlessly into that Higher Lodge above where it is certain the Junior Deacon did not find it necessary to staff him. Deaths 685—Jonathon Daniel Tomlinson 691—Franklin R. Snody 692—Lloyd Henry Ewart 692—Walter Brian Wallwork 693—Frank Rowe Carson 693—Clyde Malcolm McGee 694—Jack Grady Norton 702—Clyde Alton Rosser 710—Ralph Casper Ratledge 714—Joseph William Flynt 737—Herbert Lee Turner 738—Eugene Hunter Carter 751—Gene Pratt 758—Harold Edward Hartwig 1—Frank John May 5—Grover Rupert Barnacascel 13—Robert Clifton Quinn 31—Frank Smoot Worthington 32—Reuben A. Morgan 40—Ronald Gray Herritage 40—Luther Clyde Thomas 53—Thelbert Ferebee Leary 75—William Mathias Whaley 83—Frazier Caldwell Stanley 84—Raymond Elsworth Moore 84—William Arthur Hooks 97—Thorvald Grau Petersen 99—Edwin Odell Farabee 104—Millard Filmore Smith, Jr. 106—Jasper Stanley Meekins 109—Eugene Larry Gaskill 113—Thomas Brooks B. Woody 114—Ralph Henry Moody 114—Furman Kenneth Biggs, Jr. 145—Branson Harvey Barrett 147—Bruce Edward Beasley 147—Isaac Bulo Lughrun, Jr. 155—Braxton Osborne Eddins 314—Joseph Ralph Hobbs 344—Whitman Thurlow Kearns 344—George William O’Dell, Jr. 357—Charles Richard Vinson 369—David Daniel Lapish 375—Arthur Benjamin Davis 381—John Reid Washburn 384—Wilson Pleasant Chandler 384—Ralph Lee Chandler 386—Oliver Merdia Hamlett 387—Ralph Edward Brewer 390—William Howard Hardy 395—Charles Ediwon Walker 401—Steve Herman Clark 408—Edward William Hopper 420—Ray Talmage Moore 423—Dwight McKay McKnight 433—Clarence Eugene Neal 446—Cecil Earl Greene 447—Erby Ray Shealy 447—Harry Charles Tolg 453—John Edward Walter Belcher 462—Jerry Benjamin Phillips 463—George Gaskins Jones 463—Welton Linwood Hampton 471—Graham Eugene Mullis 472—Samuel David Welch 484—Charles Tyrone Peavy 486—Johnie Broadus Elmore 500—Eppie Powell Stephenson 516—Willie Glenn Jenkins 519—Hugh Hunter Cobb 525—Mallie Valton Hinton 532—Harold Eugene Hamrick 538—John Herman Washam 542—Cecil Otis Turnage 542—Donald Howard Steele 542—Fred Peatree Cook 554—Everette Benson McKinney 558—Henry Davis Beck 562—Harry Guion Rogers 568—James Van Jenkins, Jr. 595—Zebulon Reinald Atkinson 596—Raymond Lee Creekmore 598—Ralph Jackson Topping 616—George Boston Beamer 617—Rhodes Culberth Smith 617—Acy James Arthur 626—James Luther Smith 656—Niles William Bottorf 656—Thomas Martin Wilson 667—Howard Lon Percifield 667—Benjamin Franklin Jones, Jr. 668—Daniel Robert Spearman 669—Noble Leonard Parrish 675—Columbus Herman Carawan 676—Branson Barrett Barron 679—Peter Wolfram Goetz 679—James Burton Cox 680—Lester William Israel 685—Lewis Doyle Chappell 692—Carl Allen Jones, Sr. 692—Rhoda Dale Elrod 699—Willia Lloyd Garner 714—Clifton Horton Ward 715—Harry Robert Easton 718—Horace Ledbetter 730—Charles Cornellious Griffin 732—Bruce Everette Woodell 736—George Edward Mayton 738—Herman Moore Killian 747—Donald Morrison Snell 5—Winfred Fentress White 8—Fred Aysse 19—Ewell Cornelius Liner 40—Harry Lee Mangum, Sr. 40—William LeRoy Chadwick, Sr. 99—Charles Herbert Wentz 109—Ralph Duval Merrick 109—Joseph Willis Peppers 112—Hiram Childrez Wilkinson 122—Ronald David Williams Questions and Answers The Grand Lodge Constitution and Regulations (THE CODE) spell out the Masonic law that governs lodges and Masons in North Carolina. Copies of THE CODE are furnished each lodge, individual members may purchase copies through their lodge secretaries ($10.00). The answers to the following questions are brief, they are subject to error; and they are unofficial; they are intended only for general information. Some members may wish to score themselves in their knowledge of Masonic law with their anwsers to these questions. The answer follows each question. 1. We open and close a Master Mason’s lodge in Due Form. Why is the Grand Lodge opened and closed in Ample Form? Answer: I really don’t know why, except REG. 94-07 says that is the way it is opened and closed by the Grand Master, who also opens and closes a Master Mason’s lodge in Ample Form. Incidentally, the same regulation provides for the Grand Lodge to be opened and closed in Due Form when the Deputy Grand Master presides and in Form when the Grand Master and the Deputy Grand Master are both absent. 2. Please settle this little argument: does the term lodge refer to the building or to the Masons meeting in it? Answer: REG. 94-11 says “a lodge is a society of Masons meeting by authority of a charter or warrent from a regular Grand Lodge...” The First Degree lecture says much the same thing. So the word refers to the Masons and not to the building. But don’t go away. The same regulation winds up saying “the word sometimes in Masonic terminology means the place or hall in which a particular lodge meets.” So, while you would be technically correct to say the word applies to a group of Masons, you would not harelip the universe to say it refers to a building. Why don’t you just call you little argument a draw? 3. Should the apron be worn in lodge outside or beneath a coat? Answer: Either way is OK, unless the Master has said it must be worn one way or another, in which case his order prevails. In either case, it must be clearly visible. REG. 95-05. 4. 1 have seen various designs of Past Masters’ aprons; how do you know which is correct? Answer; You don’t. There is no apron of a Past Master provided for in CHAPTER 95, only a jewel. 5. I visited a lodge recently that had the three burning tapers lit during the whole of its stated communication. Wasn’t this illegal? Answer: No, it was perfectly legal. While REG. 51-10 (3) requires that they be lit during the First Degree, it leaves it optional whether they shall be lit at other times. I think it looks nice to have them lit whenever the Bible is open. 6. 1 know the law prohibits smoking during the conferral of a degree, but some lodges prohibit smoking in the lodge room at any time. Is this strictly legal? Answer; Yes, sir. A lodge can adopt a “no smoking” by-law, as per REG. 49-15 (1), or it may simply decide by majority vote at a stated communication that it will not permit smoking, as per REG. 68-11. Of course, no lodge can adopt a by-law or a motion that is in conflict with Grand Lodge law, but since Grand Lodge law is silent on the subject of smoking (except for prohibiting it during degree work), the door is wide open for a lodge to adopt this prohibition in one form or another. 7. Is it illegal to bring firearms into a lodge meeting? Answer; Yes. One of our Grand Masters, I believe it was Nelson B. Banks, ruled that this is illegal, and his ruling was upheld by the Grand Lodge at its following annual communication. Thus it has the effect of law until rescinded or overruled, or until a modification of the law renders it inoperative. SEC. 7-04. 8. Our Master always uses the title Worshipful Master after his signature. It seems I have heard this is improper. How about it? Answer; Your recollection is in good order. REG. 64-05 says it is indeed improper for him to sign as Worshipful Master, he should sign as Master. 9. What is meant by clandestine lodge? Answer: This is one that pretends to be Masonic, but has no warrant, dispensation or charter from a Grand Lodge recognized by our Grand Lodge. REG. 94-01. 10. Is it illegal to visit such a lodge? Answer; You’d better believe it. Our law really looks askance at any such organization and its members, and a Mason can get himself into all sorts of trouble by having anything to do with such an organization or by holding Masonic intercourse with one of its members. Don’t touch it or them with a ten foot pole. REG. 97-02 (3B) and others. ACCORDING TO JIMROD We present below this month's poetical offering from that distinguished Mason and philosopher, JIMROD Q. WAXPILLOW. A great big chunk of plaster Fell down and hit the Master So the Senior Warden A guy named Gordon Moved up by way of disaster 136—Troy Crews Hodges 136—Len Gordon Clarke 137—Frank Plonk Heavner 137—Hunter Victor Rhyne 138—Marvin Armstrong Rivenbark 151—Charles Roy Dixon, Sr. 162—Carl Douglas Hauser 207—Harry Elwood Robinson 208—Roger Edward Howell 210—Robert Glenn Richardson 210—David Ernest Butner 210—Francis Arnold Brandon 210—Perian B. Fish 214—Ernest Melvin Swaim 218—Henry Huel Lassiter 218—Clyde Talmadge Carmichael 218—Charles S. Manooch, Sr. 230—Grosser Matheson Young 243—Lloyd James Chapman, Jr. 244—John Raymond Shute, Jr. 257—Arthur Leonard Wilkins 261—Joe Bunyan Pierce 261—Cecil Mason Foil 271—James Henry Hughes 272—Ralph Canipe Ray 276—Bivins Griffin Simpson 276—Cam Buck Comer 284—John Ansley Guy 289—Clarence Excell Gentle, Jr. 289—Lewis Kenneth Brewer 289—Joseph Howard Hicks 292—Charles Dedrick Bowman 293—Walter Samuel Compton 301—Claude Truitt Kitchens 301—Ronda James Ledford 304—William Graham Turner 317—Walter Townsend Kirby 339—Kelly McCarter 340—Charles Hayden Pender 344—Theodore Antonakas
The North Carolina Mason (Oxford, N.C.)
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