USA > California > San Luis Obispo County > History of San Luis Obispo County, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 49
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A Masonic writer has said, in regard to the antiquity of Masonry :---
" It dwelt with the workmen among the cedars of Leb- anon; it stood in magnificent majesty upon the summit of Mount Moriah; and from thence, following the Israel- ites into captivity, and returning with them to build the second temple, it passed down the long line of ages, through the vicissitudes of the world's history, witnessing the downfall of empires, the crumbling of dynasties, and the fading away of nations, until it stands before us proudly to-day, unbent by the weight of more than thirty centuries, and in the full freshness and beauty of vigor- ous manhood."
The day we celebrate is the birthday of one of our most honored chiefs, St. John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Christian Saviour. The "voice crying in the wilderness" preaching the glad tidings of salvation to mankind, through the interposition of a Godhead, who should become flesh for the purpose of bringing back fallen human nature to harmony with the Creator, was raised in behalf of our ancient order, and recognized it, not as of divine origin, like the religion of which it was the precursor, but, at least, as holding a place only sec- ond to it. Although we do not claim that Masonry is peculiarly Christian (for thousands who are not Chris- tians adhere to its precepts), yet we can truly claim, apart from its published doctrine and tenets, that there is nothing in it hostile or antagonistic to the faith which John the Baptist preached and premonished, and which Jesus Christ promulgated and enforced. And we claim that Masonry in point of time was before Christianity; and therefore it is entitled, if in no other respect, to the merit of antiquity over that religion.
In point of UNIVERSALITY there can be no question as to the merits of Masonry. The Catholic Church in its very name puts forth its claim before the world as
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preeminent in this regard. And yet that church is to- day only a component part of Christianity; while our order numbers its adherents among Christians of every grade, sect, and complexion, is proud of the member- ship of countless numbers of the Jewish race, and even reckons among its disciples a vast multitude of men who adhere to neither of these religions. One great merit of Masonry consists in the fact that it requires of no man a declaration of the religious faith he professes. It only asks if he believes in a God. If any applicant for mem- bership in Masonry once assents to this proposition, and in other respects be found worthy, he is entitled to be admitted into the order. He may be a true believer in the Christian God, under any of the forms put forth by the many different sects into which Christianity is di- vided; he may be a believer in the Jehovah of the Old Testament; he may be a mere Deist, who, discarding both the Hebrew and the Christian God, is yet a believer in the proposition that this great world is not the result of mere chance, but owes its origin to an intelligent and All-Powerful-First Cause, whose guiding influence directs and governs the vast machine of the universe. He may be a believer in any of those strange gods, derided and condemned by those who now hear my voice, but whose conception in the mind of man dates far back of the Christian era. It is enough that he believe in a God; a great First Cause. If he do, the door of Masonry is open to him. If he knock, he can obtain admittance. Surely this is universality; this is catholicity. Hence it is that a member of our order, if properly versed in its mysteries, is at home in any country which he may chance to visit. To him Europe, Asia, Africa, or America are alike. In each of the four continents, and even in the islands of their adjacent seas, he finds the brethren of the mystic tie, speaking to him a foreign language, adhering to a different religious faith, but ready and anxious to receive and treat him as a brother, the instant that he proves himself to be initiated as a member of the fraternity. Brother Joseph M. Havens, formerly Master of San Luis Obispo Lodge, No. 148, in an address delivered some ten years ago before the Masons of this county, thus gave testimony to the universality of Masonry: "I, who have visited other lands and climes than my own; I, who have sojourned with nations of different tongues; I say it with pride, that in all my wanderings I have been enabled to find in every land a home." Another dis- tinguished brother says: "Masonry is co-extensive with the habitation of man. Its mystic flag has floated from the tent-pole on the ice-floes of the Polar seas; while far away to the South, amid orange blossoms, and fragrant flowers and groves of palm, that same flag floats on the balmy breeze, and is cherished by the children of the torrid clime, on every shore, upon every sea, in every one of the four quarters of the globe, and in the islands of the oceans the voices of its votaries may be heard, coming to us upon the wings of the wind; and the sound of the gavel, following the sun, and keeping company with the hours, circles the earth." N. Green Curtis, one of our Past Grand Masters, observes: "In the marts of trade, along the mighty rivers, in the green and fertile valleys, on the dreary plains, in the wilderness, and on the mountain-sides, wherever the wandering footsteps of a brother lead him, he finds a brother's voice to greet him, and a brother's grasp to assure him of a warm and a hearty welcome."
It remains for me to treat of the Integrity, the up- rightness, or honesty of our order, and, herein, of the secrecy which characterizes our meetings. This secrecy is only directed toward the ascertainment of the identity of the persons who are legally entitled to participate in our meetings, and partake of our privileges. It goes no further. I can but give to such of you as are not
members of our order, the word of a man who is some- what known to you; and upon that sanction I say to you that beyond this there is no reason or object of secrecy. I have heard that in other countries Masons have been stigmatized as disturbers of the public peace; that they are conspirators for the downfall of the system of govern- ment there obtaining, and for the institution of this or that innovation which to them may appear the right. I do not believe this. I speak from what I know, and I know that the charge given to a candidate for Masonry in this republic, upon his admission in the first degree, is: "In the State you are to be a quiet and peaceful subject; true to your Government and just to your coun- try. You are not to countenance disloyalty or rebellion, but patiently to submit to legal authority, and to conform with cheerfulness to the Government of the country in which you live." I have never known, during nearly twenty years' acquaintance with Masonry, any teaching of the order hostile to this charge. Hence I deem the accusations mentioned to be false in fact, and destitute of even the semblance of justice.
To confute such accusations we point to the published expositions of our faith. Our tenets are not hidden away in our own records, but have been published a thousand times, and scattered broadcast, for the world to scan. Masonic trestle-boards, and other authorized expositions of Masonic principles (not to mention the so-called ex- poses which are mere trash) are as plentiful as any of the cheap periodicals of the day; and I challenge the uni- verse to take exception to any of the principles therein set forth. It may be said that these publications are only put forth for effect, and that behind such ostensible outlines of our faith there lurk darker and more terrible doctrines, prudently kept secret from the outside world. I do not rest upon my own assertion to confute this imagining, for it is nothing more. No man is obliged to keep se- cret his membership in Masonry. The record of our Grand Lodge proceedings is yearly published, and a list of our members is always contained therein. Any one who desires it may have a copy. You, yourselves, prob- ably, know full well who among your acquaintances are Masons, and who are not. In our celebrations, as in this to-day, we do not hide our light under a bushel, but come boldly forth, clothed in the insignia of our order, proclaiming to the world that we are members of the Masonic fraternity. Look around you, and say whether those whom you thus know to be Masons are likely to harbor any sinister designs against social order, or to be embarked in any enterprise which you as good citizens would condemn? We do not claim that a man, because he is a Mason, must therefore necessarily be a good man or a good member of society? Does any known religious community claim the like? There are black sheep in every flock. But we do claim that the character and standing of our known members precludes the possibility of our order being instituted for an unworthy purpose, or di- rected toward anything but a high and an honorable aim. It should not be forgotten that the great Washington (name ever dear to the American heart) was the Great Master of Masons, in his time, in this republic. Would he have countenanced anything but an honorable enter- prise? And descending from him to men of lesser worth, have you not known, and do you not know, numberless men, of lesser station, members of the Masonic frater- nity, whose moral worth constitute an absolute and tri- umphant negation of the charge that the Masonic Order is directed towards a bad purpose? Would they be mem- bers if it were otherwise?
I can, therefore, with truth, claim for the fraternity which I represent here to-day, the attribute of Integrity. I claim that they have an honest purpose and an honest aim. That purpose and aim is to link together good
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men of all countries and of every race and persuasion .into one sacred band or society of friends and brothers, "among whom no contention should ever exist, but that noble contention, or rather emulation, of who can best work, and best agree." Their efforts may be futile, as all human effort is imperfect. They do not claim divine infallibility. But this they do claim, and desire that the outside world be advised thereof, namely, that the se- crecy of their own security from imposition; that their brotherhood is intended to be of the best, most moral, and most intelligent of the community, and that their object is for the furtherance of every good end which the most rigid moralist or the strictest religionist could hon- estly propose.
Our order inculcates among other things the virtue of Prudence. It teaches us to be wary how we act and walk; not to be hasty in our judgments. It teaches us to regulate our lives and actions agreeably to the dictates of reason and not to allow our own prejudices to warp our minds from the honest exercise of the faculties given to us by the Almighty. It impresses upon us the duty of fortitude, whereby we are enabled to undergo any pain, peril, or danger, when prudentially deemed expe- dient. It warns us to observe Temperance in all our words and actions, defining it to be "that due restraint upon our affections and passions which renders the body tame and governable and frees the mind from the allure- ments of vice." It may be that all our members are not sufficiently observant of this, as of other precepts of our order, but such as do not observe this are not good Masons, and the reputation of the fraternity should not suffer by their neglect or malfeasance. It teaches us to maintain and uphold for our guiding-står the principle of Justice, holding it to be " that standard or boundary of right which enables us to render to every man just dues, without distinction." Hence a good Mason will ever be found careful of his opinion upon the acts and words of his fellows; one who deliberates before he takes any important step; but, having taken it, with due reflec- tion, will defend and maintain his action, regardless of the opinion of the whole world; who will manfully brave the censure of the community upon a point of conscience, confident that his good intentions and calm judgment will finally commend themselves to the sober second thought of those who honestly differ from him in opinion; one who acts and speaks temperately upon all occasions, and who is never allured into exaggerations whether in passing judg- ment upon others or in taking action himself. Finally, a good Mason must necessarily be a just man-one who will not wrong his neighbor nor defraud him out of the value of anything; who will give to every man his just due, without distinction; who will faithfully perform, to the best of his ability, any and every duty which may at any time devolve upon him. A good Mason will be a good father, husband, son, or brother. In so far as he fails in any of these qualities he departs from the princi- ples of his profession, which inculcates, enforces, and illustrates every domestic and social virtue.
But, it may be asked, if Masonry is only a system of morality, identical with that possessed by all Christians and Hebrews, of what use is the order? The teaching of morality may be left to our ministers and schools, and there is no need of a secret society devoted especially to its promulgation. We answer that we do not pretend that Masonry is nothing more than a moral system. It teaches morality, and its ends and aims are moral, but its purpose goes beyond mere doctrinal teaching. It aims to bring into one fold all good men throughout the world; to form a visible and material brotherhood, com- posed of the most worthy in all classes of society, and irrespective of religious or political faith, social standing, or material position. The institution of Masonry is the
true republic. He who enters a lodge of Masons leaves at the door his worldly garments. The threadbare jacket of the poor artisan and the velvet-trimmed cloak of the millionare (speaking figuratively) are alike left in the tyler's room, and each man stands in the common forum, clothed in the simple garb of Equality. The only rank recognized is that of the officers of the lodge, and this only for the preservation of order and the proper government of the association. In a monarchial country the King may be the Master of a lodge, or he may be the Grand Master, but he is no more of a master because he happens to be a king; and when he is out of the master's station he is no more nor less than an individual member of the lodge, equal, and no more than equal, among his brothers. In this republic the President or the Governor of a State may be a member, but his official station gives him no privilege in a Masonic lodge over its humblest member. He who has not passed the portals of Masonry has failed to see true republican equality in its purest and best form. One of the most cherished precepts of our order declares it is the internal and not the external qualifications of a man that fit him to be a Mason. Before this principle worldly rank and distinction fall away, as the flower fades and dies, leaving the fruit behind.
Our order also has the object in view of mutual as- sistance and relief. It is no benefit society, but each Mason is by duty bound to succor his fellow, if he be in distress, and to assist him in all lawful enterprises. The knowledge of this prompts many who uncharitably judge of us to impute unfair preference in this regard. It is said that Masonry influences an election, a jury, a court. Nothing can be more baseless and untrue than this. Masonry expressly forbids any such action. It recog- nizes the paramount obligation of each and all of its members toward society and the community in which they live. Above all it recognizes the moral obligation which each man owes towards his own conscience and the principles, political, religious, or otherwise, which he honestly holds. It therefore frowns upon him who breaks even a party obligation, and is far from holding its members to disregard of party ties, for the sake of favoring a member of the order. A juryman or a Judge who would violate his official oath in the slightest regard because a brother Mason stood before him for judgment, would not only be a bad man, but an untrue and un- worthy Mason. One instance has come to my knowl- edge, where a man in this county, whom I defended as an attorney, against a criminal charge, was tried and convicted by a jury upon which there was at least one Mason, the culprit also being a member of the order (of course an unworthy one). He tried to make himself known to the juryman as a Mason, but the juryman steadily refused to have any intercourse with him, Ma- sonic or otherwise, during the trial, and was one of the first to agree to a verdict of guilty, although previous good standing and character, and even mitigating cir- cumstances appeared in favor of the prisoner. The proof against him was legally and morally sufficient, and the juryman did his duty at once to society, to the law, and to Masonry, when he rendered the verdict which consigned his brother Mason to the State Prison. Any such charges as these against Masonry are well known by all Masons to be
" Made of such stuff as dreams are, And baseless as fantastic visions of the morning."
A Mason's obligation to assist his brother does not preclude the exercise of his charity toward non-Masons. On the contrary, a Mason is taught to exercise justice and charity to all mankind, and to discriminate in favor of his brethren in the order only in so far as he honestly
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may. And no Mason is under any obligation to relieve, assist, or defend an unworthy brother. A bad man can- not be a good Mason, and a Mason who is not a good man thereby loses his claim upon the fraternity. Banish from your minds, then, my hearers who are not Masons, the idle story that Masonry is an order which is in the slightest degree prejudicial to the well being of society, or that the cloak of Masonry can be stretched to cover up any wrong. I have been a Mason for many years, and have yet to know a single instance where such was the case. I bear cheerful testimony to this fact, and I can also say that I have often been before the people myself as a candidate for office, and have seen other Masons in a like position, and am utterly unconscious that any one single vote the more was received on account of our Masonic profession.
One of the cardinal tenets of our order is Truth. To be good and true is the first lesson that we learn in Masonry. Hence a true Mason will be serious and truthful in all his acts and words. If he be a member of a political party, he will be true to that party while he is in affiliation with it; if he hold political or religious prin- ciples, ever ready to bear witness in their favor, and to uphold and maintain them, regardless of the world's opinion. A good Christian is the better a Christian for being a Mason, and a good Hebrew or Mahomedan is the better a Hebrew or Mahomedan for being a Mason. There is no relation in life in which a man may not be morally benefited by his membership in our order. The leaven of Masonry, permeating every portion of society, taking part in every good enterprise, entering into each sect, party, association, or public body, visiting the family by the fireside, the army upon the battle-field, the navy upon the high seas, accompanying the traveler in his wanderings, and mingling with mankind in every place and under all circumstances, exercises a healthy influence wherever it goes, and, antagonistic to no good end or good principle, vivifies and sanctifies them all. The principles of Masonry are the very salt which savors our daily food, without which it were unsavory and unpalata- ble, tending rather to destroy than to sustain life.
One of our principal tenets of faith is Brotherly Love. A Mason is admonished to assist his brother in all his lawful undertakings; to remember him when on his knees, in his prayers to the Almighty; to sustain the fallen fort- unes of a brother, and offer him a helping hand in his distress; and, above all, to be ever ready to counsel his brother to good, to prompt him when he goes astray, and to endeavor to reform him from any bad habit or im- proper course, before it becomes too late. In sickness, Masonry stands by the bedside, soothes the afflicted suf- ferer, and smooths his pillow; it proffers to his parched lips the cooling draught of kindly friendship and sym- pathy. In death, it secures to him the last sad offices which humanity pays to its departed brothers; and after death, if he leave a family, it follows them with the same kind assistance, and attaches to the bereaved widow and orphans the right to receive all, and more than all, the consideration and assistance which was due to the de- ceased brother during life.
And Masonry not only watches over its participants during life, but also teaches us how to die. It interferes with no religious faith, but rather aids than disturbs it; and where no religious faith, or an imperfect one, exists, it furnishes such a substitute therefor as erring man can offer. It teaches the dying man, not that works are above faith, but that he who dies in the consciousness of having performed his duty to his fellows is in a better condition to ask the divine forgiveness for the errors which the best of us commit than if he should come to the throne of grace full of vice and covered with sin. I may be heterodox in this utterance in the eyes of some
men, and may even misstate the teaching of Masonry in this connection. If this be so, I pray that Masonry may suffer no discredit on my account. I do not pretend to speak authoritatively for the order. I am not an expert in Masonry, and speak only my own opinion of this matter. But this I do know, and Masonry so teaches, that the good Mason, fulfilling his duties toward his fellow-man and imitating the example of the good and great men whose names adorn Masonic history, in their virtuous and amiable conduct, in their inflexible fidelity to the great trust devolved upon them by Him, can wel- come the grim tyrant Death, and receive him as a kind messenger sent by our Supreme Grand Master to trans- late him from this imperfect to that all-perfect, glorious, and celestial Lodge on high, where the Supreme Architect of the universe presides.
June 24, 1872, the Masons again celebrated the anni- versary of St. John the Baptist. An eloquent oration was delivered by Hon. Walter Murray, and the usual ceremonies attended the celebration.
On the 15th of January, 1873, at a meeting of King David's Lodge, No. 209, F. & A. M., held in San Luis Obispo, the following persons were installed as officers for the ensuing Masonic year: W. M., Levi Rackliffe; S. W., Walter Murray; J. W., Henry Francis; Treasurer, L. Landecker; S. D., M. Henderson; J. D., W. J. Marcus; Secretary, H. S. Rembaugh; Marshal, William Jackson; Stewards, I. Goldtree and E. W. Lincoln; Tyler, Timothy Seeley.
On December 28, 1878, the officers of King David's Lodge, No. 209, F. & A. M., were installed by District Inspector I. N. Maguire. Following is a list of the offi- cers: W. M., Levi Rackliffe; S. W., P. F. Ready; J. W., H. Bloom; Secretary, J. H. Hollister; Treasurer, C. J. Russell; S. D., K. Scwhartz; J. D., P. B. Prefumo; Mar- shal, W. W. Hays; Chaplain, H. H. Dobbins; Stewards, T. Reid and C. Taubert.
The following officers of King David's Lodge, No. 209, F. & A. M., were installed on the 14th of January, 1880; Past Master L. Rackliffe officiating: P. F. Ready, W. M .; C. J. Russell, S. W .; K. Schwartz, J. W .; P. Prefumo, Treasurer; R. M. Preston, Secretary; H. H. Dobbins, Chaplain; W. W. Hays, Marshal; G. B. Staniford, S. D., N. King, J. D .; C. Taubert and A. Williamson, Stew- ards; W. W. Waterman, Tyler.
In May, 1875, the construction of the Masonic Hall by King David's Lodge, was begun in San Luis Obispo, under the supervision of Lincoln Wearmouth & Co., architects. The hall was completed in August following, and elegantly fitted up and furnished for the purpose designed. It is located on the south side of Higuera Street, between Chorro and Morro Streets; is a wooden building, two stories in height, with the lodge room in the upper story, and the lower appropriated for mercan- tile purposes.
On the 5th of October, 1875, occurred the death of Hon. Walter Murray, P. M. of King David's Lodge, and his funeral was conducted by the members of the order. There were eighty-six Masons in the procession that accompanied the remains to the cemetery, with 315 others, and 81 carriages, making one of the most im- pressive funerals ever witnessed in San Luis Obispo.
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The records of King David's Lodge, No. 209, show the following officers and members in 1881 :-
Officers Phillip Francis Ready, Master; Russell Park- hurst, S. W .; Alfred Roger Booth, J. W .; Pietro Bene- detto Prefumo, Treasurer; William Harrison Spencer, Secretary; Hugh Hillis Dobbins, Chaplain; George Breck Staniford, S. D .; Nathan King, J. D .; William Williams Hays, Marshal; Charles Taubert and John William Flint, Stewards; Andrew Williamson, Tyler.
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