USA > Iowa > Annals of the Grand Lodge of Iowa > Part 7
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Fraternally submitted,
DON CARPENTER RALPH M. FOGLEMAN JOHN C. DAVISSON
Committee.
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REPORT ON MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE
Harry A. Palmer (263), P.G.M., reported on the follow- ing proposed amendments: Sections 101c, 105d, 228b, 228h, 238, 326, and 327a (3).
See Pp. 54, 58, 189, 190
He also reported on the following proposed amendments to the Constitution: Sections 2, 18b (3), and 22.
J. V. Gray (8), P.G.M., reported on the following proposed amendments : Sections 90a, 90b, 154c, 346, and 4051/2.
(See action and text on page 189.)
Under the law they were laid over for final action tomor- row.
On Rulings of the Grand Master
Harry A. Palmer, P.G.M., presented the report of the Com- mittee on Masonic Jurisprudence on the rulings of the Grand Master as set forth in his annual report. On his motion the report was-
ADOPTED.
To the Grand Lodge of Iowa:
Your committee has carefully reviewed that section of the Grand Master's Report which is covered under the heading of "Rulings." Un- der the Code (Section 401) your committee is obligated to consider and report on all decisions and official opinions of the Grand Master.
A decision must arise on controversial points or questions to which there are parties having conflicting interests, with the right to seek a review in the Grand Lodge; an official opinion of the Grand Master arises only when he replies to the Master of the lodge who has made inquiry of him as to the law for the government of his lodge in a par- ticular case. Some of these rulings of the Grand Master come under the classification of Decisions, some Official Opinions, and some Un- official Opinions. The committee approves the rulings of the Grand Master in all cases.
We are of the opinion that it will be advantageous to the Craft for your committee to add a few additional remarks to the Grand Master's comment:
Section 383 of the Code prohibits the lodges of this jurisdiction from appearing in public unless the occasion is one of Masonic significance.
See Pp. 28, 32, 37, 54, 61,86
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This, of course, does not govern the action of individual Master Ma- sons, one by one, or as a group. The only prohibition is that they cannot do so as a Masonic lodge.
In connection with the question submitted by W. C. Bell, Washington Lodge No. 26, the Grand Master is correct in ruling that the brother who had received his First and Second Degrees and then failed to come forward for advancement, but later petitioned for such advance- ment and was rejected, has a full right to visit his own lodge on the Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft Degrees. However, he adds the words "unless charges were filed." The filing of charges would not deprive the brother of such right. This has long been the law in Iowa. The simple filing of a charge against a brother does not prevent his attendance at a meeting of his lodge. The only thing that . can prevent this is the fact that he has been definitely dropped from the roll, suspended, or expelled.
Fraternally submitted,
HARRY A. PALMER J. V. GRAY H. L. SEARLE
Committee.
REPORT ON MASONIC CODE REVISION
Harry A. Palmer, P.G.M., Chairman, presented the re- port of the Special Committee on Masonic Code Revision, which on his motion was-
ADOPTED.
To the Grand Lodge of Iowa:
At the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge held in Sioux City in June of 1948, your Special Committee on Masonic Code Revi- sion presented a full report of its activities and suggested certain amendments to the Constitution and the Code. That report was adopted. The several amendments were separately presented and adopted; however, under the law, the amendments to the Constitution will require final adoption at this session of the Grand Lodge, and for that purpose they will be presented to you by the Committee on Masonic Jurisprudence.
Your committee was also formally continued for the purpose of the preparation of copy for the printer and other details. These duties have been carried out by your committee, and upon the com- pletion of the work of this session of the Grand Lodge everything will be in readiness for the actual printing of the Code.
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Your committee has secured a number of bids from reputable printing establishments which indicate that the work of printing and mailing the Code can be accomplished at a cost of approximately $6,500.00, a figure which your committee considers fair and equitable, covering as it does the cost of paper and printing for about 4,100 copies in various bindings, the cost of the necessary containers and wrap- ping, and the cost of the postage involved.
We now recommend that the Grand Lodge continue the committee with authority to print and distribute the Code as revised, and that the Committee on Finance be instructed to make the necessary appropria- tion for that purpose as outlined in this report.
Fraternally submitted,
HARRY A. PALMER FLOYD PHILBRICK EARL B. DELZELL
Committee.
REPORT ON FRATERNAL DEAD
LeRoy Shields (396), presented the report of the Com- mittee on Fraternal Dead, and on his motion the report was-
ADOPTED.
To the Grand Lodge of Iowa :
This report pays tribute to those brethren who have passed from our ranks by death since we last met in Grand Lodge session, brethren who erstwhile toiled with us on the Temple but are now, we hope, called to happier and more fruitful fields of labor. We shall miss the immediate fellowship of these brethren as we regret their passing; yet when we appraise their contributions to our gentle Craft we know that Masonry shall ever be richer because they lived and labored among us, for these men were Masons. As Masons they lived toward a great ideal.
Masonry is more than a fraternal order. It is a way of life. At its altars men may learn how to be the kind of men the Great God and Father of us all designed and desires that we should be. Its teaching, developed through the centuries, is based on the two-fold proposition of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man; on the one hand the fact of Deity, on the other the responsibility of brotherhood as exemplified in the Golden Rule; the former the one great truth upon which all truth is founded, the latter the eternal, and immutable law of life, ordained of God when the world was young and the stars were new in the firmament. These men were
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builders. Our own Brother H. L. Haywood has clearly set this out in the following scintillating paragraph from his first Masonic book :
"What is a Mason if not an architect of the mystical order? Insofar as he is true to his Royal Art he is one engaged in building up within himself a real but viewless Temple; its foundations laid deep in char- acter, its walls formed of the solid stuff of genuine manhood, its roof the stately dome of truth, its spires the upreaching of that aspiration toward a Higher which was the original inspiration of ever" great cathedral."
Our Ancient Brethren were builders by occupation, using in their work the ordinary tools of the builders' art. We as modern day Masons are builders, as were they, using the same tools that they used, but our building is of a different order and the tools we make use of for a different purpose. We are concerned in building our lives into such characters as will meet the approval of our Divine Creator, building them into living spiritual temples fit for the in- dwelling of God, and using the builders' tools as symbols of certain virtues which we hope to incorporate in our character building.
George Washington Doane, perhaps entirely unaware of their Masonic import, nevertheless goes to the heart of Masonic teaching in these lines of rare significance and beauty :
"Chisel in hand stood a sculptor boy With his marble block before him, And his eyes lit up with a smile of joy, As an angel-dream passed o'er him.
"He carved the dream on that shapeless stone, With many a sharp incision; With heaven's own light the sculpture shone,- He'd caught that angel-vision.
"Children of life are we, as we stand With our lives uncarved before us, Waiting the hour when, at God's command, Our life-dreams shall pass o'er us.
"If we carve it then on the yielding stone, With many a sharp incision, Its heavenly beauty shall be our own, --- Our lives, that angel-vision."
Whether our departed brethren actually caught the heavenly vision- whether they builded poorly or well is not our responsibility to deter- mine nor our privilege to proclaim; but this we know -- that, in the teachings of Masonry, they had before them the plans of the Master Builder. We hope-we believe they builded well. These men builded for time and eternity.
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While Masonry is properly concerned with the present needs of its members, endeavoring to make them wiser, better, and consequently happier, it is ever mindful of the fact that the soul of man is im- mortal, for
"The stars shall fade away, the sun himself Grow dim with age and Nature sink in years; But the soul of man shall flourish in immortal youth- Unhurt amidst the war of elements, The wreck of matter and the crush of worlds."
. That being true, this present life becomes a time of preparation for the never-ending life of the future, and we are builders for eternity, where the spiritual temple of the soul shall be merged into that spir- itual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heav- ens; and the temporal lodge shall find its fulfilment and its consum .. mation in the Grand Lodge Above.
That is the sublime faith of Masonry. In that faith our brethren lived; in that faith they died; and in that faith we look forward to a glorious day when, living, we shall meet them again.
In preparing this report on our Fraternal Dead one would like to mention each brother by name, give his lodge affiliation, and record some of the outstanding accomplishments of his life. Obviously that cannot be done here. Space permits brief mention only of those out- standing brethren who have served the Craft as Grand Lodge Officers. A complete list of all our deceased brethren, including their lodge affiliations as well as a list of the Fraternal Dead of Sister Grand Jurisdictions, has been prepared in the Grand Secretary's office and, for your information, will be published in the Annual. Proceedings.
The following present and Past Grand Lodge Officers have been called to the Grand Lodge Above during the year :
Frank Oglevie, Senior Grand Warden
Brother Oglevie was born on September 12, 1890, at Emerson, Iowa, where he was educated in the public schools and where he spent his entire life, excepting such time as was spent in World War I. He first joined his father in the plumbing business, and in 1920 he entered the postal service as a rural mail carrier. He served faithfully in " this job until his retirement on December 1, 1945.
His Masonic Degrees were received in Humanity Lodge No. 378 in 1924, and he served as Master in 1934, 1935, and 1936.
He passed his proficiency examination in the Ritual in 1933 and became a District Lecturer in 1936, holding Certificate No. 925.
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In 1941 Grand Master Earl Peters appointed Brother Oglevie as Senior Grand Deacon, and in 1948 he was elected Senior Grand Warden.
Brother Oglevie was called by death on February 26, 1949. Masonic funeral services were conducted by the Grand Lodge.
C. C. Hunt, Grand Secretary Emeritus
Brother Hunt was born at Cleveland, Ohio, on November 9, 1866. The family moved to Monticello, Iowa, in 1869. In 1892 he was graduated from college at Grinnell. For three years after graduation Brother Hunt taught school and did other types of work until his ap- pointment as Deputy County Treasurer of Poweshiek County, which position he held for 12 consecutive years.
Brother Hunt received his Masonic Degrees in 1900 in Lafayette Lodge No. 52 at Montezuma, Iowa. He served as Master from 1904 to 1908, inclusive, and as Secretary from 1910 to 1913. Early in his Masonic life he became interested in the Ritual and on October 29, 1905, was recognized as a District Lecturer, receiving Certificate No. 44.
Brother Hunt served as Senior Grand Steward in 1911, Junior Grand Deacon in 1912, Deputy Grand Secretary from 1917 to 1925, and Grand Secretary from 1925 to 1945. He was honored with the rank of Past Grand Master in 1937 and Grand Secretary Emeritus in 1945.
He served the Grand Chapter, R. A. M., of Iowa as Grand High Priest in 1919.
Brother Hunt passed on at his home in Cedar Rapids on July 24, 1948. Masonic funeral services were conducted by the Grand Lodge.
Homer A. Benjamin, P. G. M.
The brethren of Iowa were saddened to learn of the death of Brother Benjamin on August 16, 1948.
He was born at Ladoga, Indiana, lon November 8, 1884; was edu- cated in the public schools and Commercial College in Indiana; began railroading in 1906 as a telegraph operator; and had served that industry in various capacities ever since, with the exception of 14 months when he was manager of the Cedar Rapids Transfer Company and the Iowa Warehouse Company at Waterloo. He removed to Iowa in 1911. In 1924 he became the Traffic Manager for the Des Moines and Central Iowa Railroad and in 1936 became its President and General Manager.
He received his Masonic Degrees in 1919 in Waterloo Lodge No. 105, Waterloo, Iowa, and served as Master in 1923. In 1930 Grand
.
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Master John W. Gannaway appointed Brother Benjamin as his Deputy Grand Master, and three years later he was elected Senior Grand Warden. In 1939 he was elected Grand Master.
The Grand Lodge conducted the funeral services.
George L. Garton, P. S. G. W.
Brother Garton was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 16, 1877. He had always lived in that city, receiving his education in the city schools and the Iowa Business College.
For 27 years prior to his retirement on July 1, 1948, he was Secre- ' tary and Business Manager of the Des Moines School Board.
He received his Masonic Degrees in Home Lodge No. 370 at Des Moines in 1903 and served as Master in 1906 and 1907. He served as Grand Marshal of the Grand Lodge in 1906, Deputy Grand Master in 1913, and Senior Grand Warden in 1916. He had served on various committees since, and at the time of his death he was Chairman of the Committee on Visitors.
Brother Garton was called by death on June 2, 1949. Home Lodge conducted the funeral services in the Scottish Rite Temple.
James Low, P. G. T.
Brother Low was born at Fort Madison, Iowa, on September 15, 1890, and passed on at his home on February 9, 1949.
He received his education in the public schools at Fort Madison. From 1907 to 1920 he was employed by the Santa Fe Railroad, and in 1920 he became associated with the W. A. Sheaffer Pen Company, where he served as Treasurer from 1938 to 1947 when he retired.
Brother Low received his Masonic Degrees in Claypoole Lodge No. 13 at Fort Madison in 1912 and served as Worshipful Master in 1917. He was appointed on the Committee on Finance in 1925 by Grand Master Thomas W. Wellington, and in 1927 he was elected Grand Treasurer.
Grand Lodge funeral services were conducted.
Carl C. Jacobsen, P. G. T.
Brother Jacobsen was born in Charter Oak, Iowa, and passed on at his home in Iowa City on December 18, 1948, at the age of 65 years.
He was raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason on Febru- ary 27, 1905, in Live Oak Lodge No. 543 at Charter Oak, and on July 10, 1905, he affiliated with Quarry Lodge No. 404 at Mapleton. He was elected Grand Treasurer in 1929. Brother Jacobsen took a demit from Quarry Lodge in 1944.
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George Gregory, P. G. T.
Brother Gregory was born on a farm in Marshall County, Iowa, on November 8, 1862, and moved to Marshalltown on September 1, 1888. He had led a most active life in business, civic, and Masonic circles.
He received his Masonic Degrees in 1891 in Iowa Valley Lodge No. 486 at Marshalltown and became a member of Marshall Lodge No. 108 when these two lodges consolidated.
He received Proficiency Certificate No. 48 from Custodian George B. Van Saun before the District Lecturer system was adopted.
Brother Gregory was elected Grand Treasurer in 1936.
He was called by death on January 14, 1949. Masonic funeral services were in charge of Marshall Lodge.
This report is concluded with a selection from one of America's ear- liest and greatest poets, William Cullen Bryant :
WAITING BY THE GATE
"Beside a massive gateway built up in years gone by, Upon whose top the clouds in eternal shadow lie, While streams the evening sunshine on quiet wood and lea, I stand and calmly wait till the hinges turn for me.
"The tree-tops faintly rustle beneath the breezes' flight A soft and soothing sound, yet it whispers of the night; I hear the wood-thrush piping one mellow descant more, And scent the flowers that blow when the heat of day is o'er.
"Behold the portals open, and o'er the threshold now There steps a weary one with a pale and furrowed brow; His count of years is full, his allotted task is wrought, He passes to his rest from a place that needs him not.
"In sadness then I ponder, how quickly fleets the hour Of human strength and action, man's courage and his power : I muse, while still the wood-thrush sings down the golden day, And as I look and listen the sadness wears away.
"Again the hinges turn, and a youth, departing, throws A look of longing backward, and sorrowfully goes; A blooming maid, unbinding the roses from her hair, Moves mournfully away from amid the young and fair.
"O glory of our race that so suddenly decays!
O crimson flush of morning that darkens as we gaze!
O breath of summer blossoms that on the restless air Scatters a moment's sweetness, and flies we know not where!
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"I grieve for life's bright promise, just shown and then withdrawn; But still the sun shines round me, the evening bird sings on; And I again am soothed, and, beside the ancient gate, In this soft evening sunlight, I calmly stand and wait.
"Once more the gates are opened; an infant group go out, The sweet smile quenched forever, and stilled the sprightly shout. O frail, frail tree of life, that upon the greensward strows Its fair young buds unopened, with every wind that blows!
"So come from every region, so enter, side by side, The strong and faint of spirit, the meek and men of pride. Steps of earth's great and mighty, between those pillars gray, And prints of little feet, mark the dust along the way.
"And some approach the threshold, whose looks are blank with fear, And some whose temples brighten with joy in drawing near, As if they saw dear faces, and caught the gracious eye Of Him, the Sinless Teacher, who came for us to die.
"I mark the joy, the terror; yet these, within my heart, Can neither wake the dread nor the longing to depart; And in the sunshine streaming on quiet wood and lea, I stand and calmly wait till the hinges turn for me."
During the year just closed 1,475 of our brethren waited by the Ancient Gate and passed through its portals. We saw them waiting there. The evening sunshine was upon them and they knew its im- port, yet they waited unafraid and undismayed. Perhaps they too saw dear faces and caught the gracious eye of Him, the Sinless Teacher who came for them to die.
But around these brethren, one by one, during the year the shad- ows of the night gathered, the summons came, the hinges turned, the doors swung open, and one by one our brethren passed through. Would you call them back again if you could? No? No, neither would I. Their count of years in most cases was fairly full, their allotted tasks were wrought, they have passed on to their rest and to their reward.
In the language of Masonry they have gone to dwell in
"A mansion bright, beyond the gates of death, No edifice that crumbles back to clay, But a glorious house eternal in the skies.
"These, now, be Mason's wages; when from his hands Forever fall the working tools of life, Arising, to ascend to loftier work ;- From out the lowly quarries to be called To labor in the City of the King ;- - Glad in the light of one long endless day, To serve anew the Celestial Architect And Sovereign Master of the Lodge Above."
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Thy portion, dearly beloved brethren who have gone from us during the year just closed, may it be to hear these welcome words when the Great Judge shall scan thy work: "Well done! Thou good and faith- ful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Fraternally submitted, LEROY SHIELDS Committee.
REPORT ON FRATERNAL REVIEW
Ernest R. Moore (263), P.G.M., presented his annual re- port as the Committee on Fraternal Review, and, before making the motion that the entire report be printed in the Proceedings, he made the following comments :
I have before me the printed report of my labors of the last year. It is too long to read to you, but it is in printed form and copies are available, and it is suggested that when you leave the building you take a copy of the report with you that you may read it in the quiet of your own home. It will remind you not only of the duties of Ma- sonry but also the privileges. It will call to mind the services of those who have been notable in the Craft, not only for acts, but for a spirit- ual inspiration that must be a part of Masonry. It will give you something of an idea of the activities of Masons throughout the world, because it extends even into the far southwest, Australia and New Zealand and the Philippine Islands. You will be amazed and delighted with the manifestation of that spirit that we teach, its close relation- ship with the word of God, and the desire on the part of those who lead in Masonry to make the world better and consequently happier.
(For full report, see Appendix C.)
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REPORT ON MASONIC EDUCATION
B. F. Butler (624), P.G.T., Chairman, presented the re- port of the Iowa Committee on Masonic Education, which on his motion was-
ADOPTED.
To the Grand Lodge of Iowa:
For one-third of a century, or thereabouts, this Grand Lodge has maintained a Committee through which to carry on a work which nobody has yet satisfactorily named, but which in a large and gen- eral sense may be called Masonic educational service. That length of service is a record of which this Grand Lodge can feel proud. It has been surpassed by no other Grand Jurisdiction.
The present members of the Iowa Committee on Masonic Educa- tion are only too well aware of the responsibility which that long record has imposed upon them. To carry on with unbroken conti- nuity the work of all those years has been one of the Committee's guiding stars.
Nevertheless, the Grand Jurisdiction of Iowa does not stand still. The Freemasonry in it is growing and progressive. To it, or to any of its agencies, the words of one of our poets applies: "New occa- sions teach new duties." If this Committee is to continue without interruption the work of the past years, it must adjust itself and adapt itself to new developments, needs, demands. It must accept new duties in order to continue to carry out old duties.
The work of your Committee during the past year has been signal- ized by two new undertakings, both of which have been designed to enable it the better to meet increasing demands. One of these has been to establish and to put into operation a practical working ar- rangement with a number of other Iowa Grand Lodge Committees and departments. The other has been to broaden and to diversify the program of services which it renders to the lodges and their members.
During the evening of Friday, January 14, and the morning of Saturday, January 15, the Committee met in extraordinary session at Des Moines at which were present in addition to its own members, M. . W. . J. Guy Swartslander, Grand Master, R. . W. . Earl B. Del- zell, Grand Secretary, M. . W. . John T. Ames, Secretary, Custodians of the Work, W. . Clyde H. Robinson, Secretary, Committee on Lodges Chartered and Under Dispensation, and R. . W. . H. L. Haywood, of the Iowa Masonic Library. A similar conference was held on Sat- urday morning, April 9, at Cedar Rapids, with the same brothers present. The result of these two conferences was officially to es-
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tablish an arrangement by which your Iowa Committee on Masonic Education can work in the closest possible co-operation with other Committees and departments in its own work as well as in their work. All this was made possible because our Grand Master, M. . W .. J. Guy Swartslander, had a statesman's view of all the many kinds of educational, social, and similar services rendered to the lodges by this Grand Lodge; he saw all those services as a single Grand Lodge program, and he therefore believed that the Committees and departments which have a share in that work should work as closely together as possible, not in spirit only, but also in matters of prac- tical detail.
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