July 2021 Trestleboard

Sickness and Distress

Robin Winslett is still recovering from illness and phone calls are welcome! We were very pleased to see him attend our June stated meeting and he looked remarkably well for someone who has gone through what he has over the last year. 

Brethren all, if you are aware of any member of this Lodge who is suffering from ill-health or other adverse circumstances, or you yourself are suffering the same and you feel that it would benefit the member to be contacted by members of the Lodge, please reach out to the Secretary and let him know!

Twin Peaks Lodge is dark for the Months of July and August.

Our next Stated Meeting will be on September 13th due to the Labor Day Holiday on September 6th.

Other Mondays:

We will be continuing to meet at the Midvale Masonic Temple on Mondays for practices and ritual workshops.  Candidates are encouraged to contact their mentors or the Lodge Secretary if they would like to attend one of these practices.  Note, for July, the following dates are Mondays: 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th.

From the East

Brethren All,

As per our by-laws we will be going dark for July and August.  That means no “Stated” meetings.  Special meetings, practices and get togethers may still occur.  With the year of COVID-19 pretty much behind us, we find ourselves in a unique position.  We have had one degree, an EA, since the outbreak.  We were able to start conducting small, short stated meetings in October, last.  Our officers for the Masonic year of 2021 were elected and installed. 

The Grand Lodge authorized this jurisdiction to start practices and hold degrees under special guidance.  Twin Peaks returned to a schedule of practices every Monday with the exception of the first and last of the month.

The first of the month is always the stated meeting, unless it falls on a Holiday.  We then have seven days in which to hold said Stated Meeting.  The last day of the month was reserved for a meet-up which had been held at Joe Morley’s.

Currently we are back on the schedule of:

  1. First Monday Stated meeting.  Opening time of 7:30 PM (as per by-laws)
  2. Second and Third Monday’s practices or degrees.  Start time of 7:00 PM or as otherwise promulgated.

During our last Stated Meeting a motion was made and passed that the meet-up be moved to the Fourth Monday of the month for consistency.  All months have 4 Monday’s not all have an end of the Month Monday that falls in the same week every month.

Based on usage and attendance, the Meet up will be held at the Bohemian Restaurant on 7200 South just East of State Street on the South side of the street.  Time to sit down is 7:00 PM

Practices and Degrees 

It is my desire to continue to use the 2nd and 3rd Mondays of July and August at the Midvale Masonic Temple for practices. This will cost the lodge an additional $600.00 in rental fees as we normally do not rent the building during these months. 

There is great importance in having as many brethren as possible to attend these practices.  We need all Officers to be available and present.  The turn out at the last practices was disheartening.

It is my hope that Officers who are interested in advancing through the leadership of the Lodge, would be willing to attend such practices at this time (especially since we lost of year to COVID) so they may meet qualifications for advancement.  Perhaps other Brethren who are interested in such advancement and are not yet in a position where they are likely to be considered might also be interested in learning what the qualifications are and practicing for such an opportunity.

Fraternally,

Richard L. Wailes PM,

Worshipful Master

On the Secretary’s Table

Happy July, Brethren!

As we get into the summer season we are facing some unprecedented weather.  Utah is already on track for the hottest and driest summer since records started being kept. So, although it is not actually my job, I hope that all of you and your families will be mindful that when outdoors, stay hydrated and wear appropriate clothing and sun protection! 

Not being one to nag, but there are an unusually high number of Lodge members who are not current on their 2021 dues. Further, I’ve left a number of messages on phones that are not being returned. This could very well be due to the fact that I have a cellphone with an Arizona area code. Notwithstanding, this is very much a concern for me personally as well as the Lodge as a whole.  The past 18 months have been an unprecedented time. Jobs have been lost or financial hardship incurred due to COVID-19, which have impacted many and I’m quite sure that this is true for some of the members of our Lodge as well.  If you are not current on your dues and you are facing some form of financial duress, I implore you to contact me by phone (602.904.1551) or email ([email protected]) as soon as possible so we can work something out.

Grandview: As you are without a doubt aware (because I’ve been pushing it in every Trestleboard), Grandview is the officially adopted and recommended tool to be used for Lodge’s to communicate with their members.  In the last month, three more Twin Peaks members decided to register on Grandview. For that, I thank you. For the other 49 members of this Lodge who have not yet registered, I would love to have an honest discussion with you as to “why not”?  There may be a number of reasons!  Some members are just not comfortable with new technology. Others may think that Grand Lodge is just “spying on us”. Yet others are just thinking that this is just “another channel I have to monitor.”  These are all valid concerns. So, let me address some of these concerns.

  1. Grand Lodge is “spying on us.”  No really. Grandview just makes things more efficient.  For example, when a candidate turns in a petition, they are entered into the Grandview system as a candidate. When they receive a degree, or pass off their proficient, their Grandview record is updated. If the member notifies the Lodge secretary that their phone number or mailing address has changed, their Grandview record is updated. There is nothing new about this except HOW we do it. Back before Grandview or ROLLS, every time something changed on a member’s record, we would send an email to Grand Lodge indicating what had changed, and then the Grand Lodge Secretary would update the member’s Grand Lode record. So the only difference now is that the Lodge secretaries or the Lodge members submit the updates directly in Grandview. Yes, your postings on Grandview are visible to the other members of Twin Peaks and the Grand Lodge can review them if they desire, but isn’t the same true on Facebook or any of the other social platforms?
  2. Grandview is secure technology and enforce strict privacy rules. Facebook, Google and other social platforms are not only public facing, but we have learned over the last several years that these platforms collect a lot of your information. Information that they sell. Not just personal information like your name, age, and where you live, but where you shop and what you buy online, where you go and whom you talk to. This is their business model. This is how they are able to offer you their platforms at no charge, because they make enormous revenue from the data they collect. Grandview does none of this.
  3. “It’s just another technology I have to learn -or- another feed I need to monitor.”  Well, kind of? If you use Facebook, or comment on internet forums, then you are already familiar with the kind of app that Grandview is.  I use the Grandview mobile app a couple of times a week, and I use the computer version of Grandview at least weekly if not more frequently. There is a learning curve for Secretaries, but for members, it’s pretty simple.  Additionally, members can submit postings, secretaries can setup events like meetings and practices where everything you need to know about what’s happening in Twin Peaks can be found in one place. And this really is the goal of Grandview! So that you don’t have to check your email, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, MasonPost.org, the Grand Lodge website, or Twin Peaks website (work in progress) to find out what is happening. 

Finally, due to internet privacy laws, there will come a point in the not-to-distant future where the Grand Lodge of Utah may choose to prevent secretaries like me from using email groups and distribution lists for sending out bulk information (like this Trestleboard). This is because as internet privacy issues continue to evolve, the Fraternity is going to have respect your privacy wishes. Therefore, registering with Grandview is the best way to ensure that you will continue to receive communications like this from the Lodge.

Glen Van Steeter

Twin Peaks Hosts a Wasatch Lodge EA Degree

Wasatch Lodge No. 1 held a double EA degree at the Midvale Masonic Temple in June. Twin Peaks was the host for this work. A quite interesting time was had ensuring that this went smoothly, which it did. During closing, they announced that they would he hosting their annual Father’s Day breakfast on a site away from the Salt Lake Masonic Temple and will be a pancake breakfast with food prepared on site. I bring this up because by the time this Trestleboard is published, that event is sure to be history, but it might seem that the Grand Lodge is easing restrictions on food provided for Masonic events. I will be making contact with the Grand Lodge to see what we need to do to be able to hold our annual Veteran’s Day breakfast.

Fraternally,

Ric Wailes – Master

Masonic Birthdays

The following Brethren have anniversaries of their being raised to the Degree of Master Mason in June. 

  • Most Worshipful Brother Frank Charles Baker PGM, raised on July 12, 1999 and has 22 years of service.
  • Brother Mark William Bisaillon, raised on July 28, 2003 and has 18 years of service.
  • Worshipful Brother Lyle Glenn Miller PM, raised on July 19, 2004 and has 17 years of service.
  • Worshipful Brother Richard Lee Wailes PM, raised on July 19, 2004 and has 17 years of service.
  • Brother Ephraim Y. Sng, raised on July 19, 2007 and has 14 years of service.
  • Worshipful Brother Leland Keith Nielson PM, raised on July 11, 2011 and has 10 years of service.

Happy Birthdays for July

The following Brethren were born in July.

  • Brother Rick Hofmann, born on July 4.
  • Brother Christopher Rogers, born on July 12.
  • Brother Devin Foutz, born on July 12.
  • Brother Joel Reifsnyder, born on July 13.
  • Brother Joshua Pierce, born on July 16.
  • Brother Bretton Crockett, born on July 20.
  • Brother Jeremy Estes, born on July 21.

Installation of the Celestial Lodge

This article was posted to the Phoenix Masonry website by Brother George Perry. Phoenix Masonry has no connection with the Grand Lodge of Arizona.

Even though it was late fall, there was a warm breeze blowing and the sun was setting behind the Lodge Hall Gathered in the parking lot filled with their works were Bros Henry Ford, Ransom Olds, Walter Chrysler, John Willys and Andre Citroen. The only vehicle missing was Bro Hart Massey’s tractor.

Greeting members in the entrance hall was Bro Cliff Arquette of Charley Weaver fame and Bro Ed Wynn.

King Gillette, razor in hand, passed the lodge caretaker who was having a minor problem with his vacuum cleaner, which was quickly cleared up with the help of its inventor, Bro Frank Hoover, while at the other end of the hallway Bros Emmett Kelly, Clyde Beatty and all seven of the Ringling Bros were discussing the Shrine Circus.

Taking a quick look into the Banquet Hall, Bros John Molson, Frederick Pabst and Joseph Schlitz were busy rolling in some kegs of beer for Bros Sam Bronfman, late President of Seagrams Distillers, who was setting up the bar for the Festive Board to follow the Ceremony. Bro Colonel Harland Sanders was cooking up a storm in the kitchen and it was an easy guess as to what the evening meal would consist of.

The orchestra members for the dance to follow the Banquet were tuning.  Members of this All-Star group included leader WC Hardy, Irving Berlin, George M Cohan, Cyril Stapleton, and Al Jolson. Tonight’s performance would be emceed by Bros Arthur Godfrey and Danny Thomas.

Magical Bros Harry Houdini and Harry Blackstone were setting up their props while Bros WC Fields, Oliver Hardy, Bud Abbott, Harpo Marx, and Foster Brooks were fine tuning their comedy routines for tonight’s show which was being produced by Bros Cecil B DeMille, Flo Ziegfeld, Louis B Mayer, Hall Wallis and DW Griffiths.

A number of sports celebrities were gathering together, including Bros Abe Saperstein, creator of the Harlem Globetrotters, who was explaining his version of the game to Bro James Naismith, the inventor of the game. They were joined by baseballers Bros Charles Ebbetts, Ty Cobb, Branch Rickey and Cy Young, the first pitcher to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

A little further along the hall was an array of masons dressed in knee breeches, lace cuffs and powdered wigs, others in tuxedos, including Bros Kit Carson, Davey Crockett and Buffalo Bill Cody, clad in their familiar buckskins, Chiefs Crazy Bull, Tecumseh and Joseph Brant in their native attire. Most colorful are the military uniforms of Lord Nelson, Lord Cornwallis, Captain James Cook, the Duke of Wellington and John Paul Jones.

I was gazing in awe at these members of Celestial Lodge, when the Grand Master, MW Bro Harry Truman, appeared from the preparation room accompanied by Bros John Jacob Astor, Luther Burbank, JC Penney, Adlai Stevenson and William Jennings Bryan.

Bro John Diefenbaker had just signed the Tyler’s Register with one of Bro John Shaeffer’s pens. He was accompanied by Bros Robert Borden and RB Bennett. fellow Canadian Prime Ministers, and by Bro Joe Smallwood of Newfoundland.

At this time, the Tyler, Bro J Edgar Hoover, informed the brethren that the meeting was about to come to order.

On entering the lodge room the brethren were greeted by the Inner Guard, Bro Paul Revere. Seated already were polar explorers, Robert F Scott of England and Bro Richard E Bird of the United States, together with Matthew G Perky and Canada’s Henry Larsen. Bro Charles Lindbergh could be seen in deep conversation with Bros Hap Arnold, Gus Grissom, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Fred Haise, Eddie Rickenbaker and Charles Kingsford-smith.

From the Junior Warden’s station came a burst of laughter. Bros Will Rogers and Mel Blanc had brought broad smiles to the faces of the Royal personages gathered around him, including George I, Frederick the Great, Gustav V of Sweden and George VI. To the right of the Junior Warden’s chair, architect Sir Christopher Wren was joined by Statue of Liberty sculptor, Frederic Bartholdi.

Bros Norman Vincent Peale and Peter Marshall, who would assume the Chaplain’s duties this evening, were in conversation with the DuPonts, Peter and Victor, and the Rothschilds, James and Nathan.

Gathered around the Secretary’s desk, Bro Rudyard Kipling was discussing the evening’s proceedings with Bro Robert Burns, who was to give one of the Charges assisted by Bro Mark Twain. Also taking part were Bros Conan Doyle, Walter Scott, Samuel Johnson, Alexander Pope and Robert Service.

The Grand Organist, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was discussing last minute changes with Bros Gilbert and Sullivan and John Philip Sousa.

Bros Clark Gable, Peter Sellers, Wallace Beery, Douglas Fairbanks and Brian Donleavy were discussing boxing with champions Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson and Sugar Ray Robinson. Another small group, in the persons of Bros John Wayne, Hoot Gibson and Tom Mix, were listening to Bro William Thaddeus Phillips, also known as Butch Cassidy.

The founding members, Bros George Washington, Sir John A MacDonald, Guiseppe Garibaldi, Benito Jaurez, John Hancock and Ben Franklin were seated in the East. They have been joined by Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore.  The Generals, Omar Bradley, Jimmy Doolittle, George C Marshall, John Pershing and Douglas McArthur, take their seats next to Winston Churchill. The Lodge Treasurer, Bro Henry Knox was busy collecting dues from Bros Thomas E Dewey and William McKinley. MWB Thurgood Marshall was discussing the finer points of Masonic jurisprudence with Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Master, MW Bro HRH The Duke of Connaught, has rapped the gavel to call the Lodge to order and it is now time for us to depart. With one last took at this brilliant assembly, one wonders what the public’s perception of Freemasonry might be if they were able to visit such a lodge.

Submitted by W. Bro. Glen Van Steeter

Postscript: The number of notable people who found membership in our Fraternity of value is simply astounding and it would take a significant part of one’s lifetime to study the achievements of these men’s lives. Not all of the people mentioned here are viewed well through the lens of history. J. Edgar Hoover may well have been the most manipulative and unethical director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, while Bro. William T. Phillips, known colloquially as “Butch Cassidy” was undeniably one of the most infamous outlaws to be found in the annals of the Old West.

Here’s some homework for you. How many of these Masons can you find on the internet? What did they do or to what do they owe their fame as men?  Here’s a hint: There is an excellent list of famous Masons on the website of St. Patrick Lodge in New Zealand.

Saints John Days

Submitted by Glen Van Steeter, PM

I am appalled and embarrassed that June 24th came and went and nobody in Twin Peaks, or the Grand Lodge of Utah for that matter, mentioned St. John. This includes myself of course.

However, in an effort to make things right, let’s delve into it now.

The following is taken liberally from MasonicWorld.com.

By history, custom, tradition and ritualistic requirements, the Craft holds dear the days of St. John the Baptist on June 24th, and St. John the Evangelist on December 27th. For a Lodge to neglect these observances forfeits a link with the past and an opportunity to renew our allegiance to everything in Freemasonry symbolized by these two Patron Saints.  Oddly, no satisfactory explanation has been offered regarding why Operative Masons adopted these two Christian saints, when St. Thomas, the patron of architecture and building, was so obviously available.

Most Freemasons do agree that the choice of our ancient brethren was wise. No two great teachers, preachers, wise men, or saints could have been found who better exemplified in the lives and works the doctrines and teachings of Freemasonry.

St. John the Evangelist apparently came into our fraternal system towards the close of the sixteenth century. The earliest authentic lodge minutes reference to St. John the Evangelist to be found was in Edinburgh (Scotland) in 1599. Earlier, but not connected to our Craft, we know that the “Fraternity of St. John” existed in Cologne in 1430. “St. John’s Masonry” is a distinctive term for Scotttish Lodges[1] [2]. In the early records, the Lodge of Scoon and Perth are referred to as the “Lodge of St. John” and the Lodge possesses a beautiful mural painting of the saint on the east side of the Lodge room and St. John is central to the Lodge banner, shown at right.

In many old histories of the Craft is the quaint legend that St. John the Evangelist became a “Grand Master” at the age of ninety, the origin of which is to be found in a book printed in 1789 in which Richard Linnecar of Wakefield wrote certain “Strictures on Freemasonry”, albeit this appears to be more of a eulogy. Whether the writer intended to continue a tradition or invented the tale, no man can say.

Interestingly, one Grand Lodge has ruled that Saints John Days are Landmarks. While any Grand Lodge may make its own laws, it is demonstrably beyond the power of any mason or Grand Lodge to make a Landmark or to unmake a Landmark by denying it; being that Landmarks are supposedly and uncontestably handed down to us from “time immemorial”.[3]

However, since Freemasonry has since the time of the first Grand Lodge of England was formed in 1717, considered the Saints John to be “patrons of the Craft” and we are taught as such in the Entered Apprentice Degree lecture, it is reasonable that our Fraternity would wish to honor the traditional days of observance for these two Saints. However, the manner in which the several Grand Lodges honor them or even the date is debatable and not universally agreed upon. Prior to 1717, these Saints were honored on the Wednesday after St. George’s day in England, while for Scotland it was St. Andrew’s day and in Ireland, St. Patrick’s day.

The History of Freemasonry’s Reverence of Saint John the Baptist

It was a common practice in the Middle Ages for craftsman, amongst many others, to place themselves under the protection of some saint of their church. All of the London trades appear to have ranged themselves under the banner of some saint and if possible, the selected one with some fancied relationship to their trade. Drapers chose the Virgin Mary. Goldsmiths adopted St. Dunstan for the belief that he was a fabled artisan. Elven of the guilds put themselves under the protection of St. John the Baptist, the harbinger of the Holy Lamb. To say with certainty why our Craft adopted the two Saints John is beyond our power, but a supposition can be reasonably made and is presented below.

Saint John the Baptist was a stern and just man; intolerant of sham, pretense or weakness. He was a man of strength and fire who was uncompromising of evil or expedience. And yet, he was courageous and humble, sincere, magnanimous. The Greatest of Teacher said thusly: “Among them that are born of woman, there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist.” Saint John the Baptist shared traits with that pre-eminent Masonic figure, Hiram Abiff of Tyre. His was an unfeigned piety to his God, and inflexible to his trust. He is also a Martyr, for the daughter of Herod demanded Saint John’s head for her birthday and this macabre wish was granted. Even in his final moments, Saint John never renounced his faith and trust in his God and thus is revered in Freemasonry for his unstinting and uncompromising fidelity to his most cherished beliefs and trust.

[1] https://masonicworld.com/education/files/stjohndays.htm

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Day,_Masonic_feast

[3] I have an interesting article that talks about the “Landmarks” of Freemsaonry, which, based on the Grand Lodge, can be 14, 17, 21, or 27 in number, But suffice it to say that any “Landmark” that enumerates the powers of a “Grand Lodge” to me can never be a Landmark, since the first Grand Lodge was formed in England in 1717 between 4 Masonic Lodges, which clearly isn’t far enough back in history to be characterized as “from time immemorial”. Think and ponder, brethren!