Brethren,
A belated happy Forth of July to each of you and a heart-felt thanks to those
of the armed forces, both past and present. If not for each of your sacrifices, this nation
would not be the great nation it is.
Joseph Dyches Jr. received his Entered Apprentice degree on June
26 and on July 31, he passed to the degree
of a Fellow Craft. He did a fine job on
his Entered Apprentice proficiency and it should not be long before he is ready
to receive his Master Mason degree. An
Entered Apprentice degree is scheduled for August 28. Also, several committees are investigation
other possible candidates for which we will require more degree work. So watch the mail for a notification card as
to an upcoming degree and join us.
At the end
of 2007, Harmony Lodge had 178 members, with two brothers demitting and two
passing, which dropped that number to 174.
With one new Master Mason and three brothers demitting to our Lodge, as
of June we were still at 178 members.
With each degree this year, Harmony is well on the way to increasing
this number.
It would be
difficult to list all members and visitors that have assisted this year in
putting on the various degrees. With
that, I extend my sincere thanks to all that assisted with these degrees.
Our next
regular communication is August 14. Come
join us!
Again, Thank you!
Fraternally,
J. Howell Youmans III
Worshipful Master
Brethren,
Seems that we have conferred a large number of Entered Apprentice
degrees within our lodge in the last three years. It may be of interest as to what an Entered Apprentice
is, or represents. The following
information is taken from “The Lodge System of Masonic Education for South
Carolina Lodges booklet.
The
Operative Masons who built the remarkable structures in Europe and Great Britain
from six to nice hundred years ago needed replacements in manpower and skills
as fellow craftsmen retired, were injured or died. To obtain replacements, they would select
recruits from able-bodied young goys, who had a good mind and were “under the
tongue of good report.” These boys would
be trained under a Master Mason should teach the apprentice the science behind
each step of work, so that when the apprentice was ready, one day he would be
capable of designing and performing the work of a Master Mason. Hence the word “apprentice” meaning “learner”
or “beginner”, one who taking his first step in
mastering a trade, art or profession.
The apprenticeship lasted usually seven years. When the apprentice had enough skill and
knowledge to be acceptable as a member of the society, his name was entered on
the books of the lodge and was given a recognized place in the craft; and because
of the official entering of his name, he was given the title “Entered Apprentice.”
When we read
the Old Charges and ancient documents that have come down to us, we are impressed
by the amount of space devoted to Apprentices. The Operative Masons knew that the Apprentice of
today made the Mast Mason of the future. As you stood in the northeast corner of the lodge
during your initiation, you were taught a certain lesson concerning a cornerstone.
The meaning of this lesson should now be
clear to you. You are a cornerstone of the
Craft. The day will probably come when into
your hands will fall your share of responsibilities of the lodge. You are a cornerstone on which the Fraternity is
being erected. It is our hope and expectation
that you will provide a solid foundation, tried and true, set foursquare, on which
our great Fraternity may safely build.
Fraternally,
Charlie Spears
Junior warden
The Old Master
He was sitting in a wheelchair, The
lodge was filled with brothers,
Looking down at the lawn, Who had come to celebrate,
I thought he might be asleep, Our
guest of honor had arrived,
Then I saw the old man yawn. The
eastern star had baked a cake.
I told him I’d come to visit, We made a special presentation,
A big smile lit up his face, That brought laughter and tears,
He said it’s not very often, For tonight our wise old master,
People visit this old place. Had completed sixty-five years.
Pardon my manners young man, With countless years of service,
As he offered me a chair, In this lodge in his hometown,
Would you like a glass of tea, He
did it all with gentle heart,
It’s on the table over there. And
the strongest grip around.
I begged off the offer, His
tired old voice cracked,
But I said I have a surprise, But
his mind was harp and clear,
I’ve come take you to lodge, As he took the microphone,
You should’ve seen his eyes. Sitting there in his wheelchair.
You know, I’m past master, We
all sat down at tables,
About three or four times, With hot coffee in our cups,
He said as matter of fact, He
said I’d like to take you back,
I can work any chair in line. To when I was just a pup.
I felt proud to push his chair, You
see, there’s been times,
As we headed for my car, This old lodge almost went dark,
I had already checked him out, We
were down to just a few,
And signed his
pass card. And
some didn’t know their part.
When we drove into the lot, But we kept on working hard,
You should’ve heard the cheers, And doing everything we could,
I had a lump in my throat, To get more men interested,
Down his cheek rolled a tear. In the craft of brotherhood.
You see, it was different then, Oh, there’s all kinds of things,
Than it is this day and time, That’s changed over the years,
I remember how strict it was, But younger men not coming in,
You didn’t dare cross the line. Is
one of our biggest fears.
About asking a man to join, I
love you all my brothers,
When you knew he was good, I
enjoyed being there for you,
God and family came first, this, And I’ll tell each one tonight,
The lodge understood. You’ve
been there for me too.
We had to wait until he asked, He
talked for half an hour,
About how to become one of us, As we traveled back in time,
Then we could tell him the truth, He
had taken us on a journey,
About fellowship,
honor and trust. And
we hung on every line,
We worked hard and did our best, It
was late when we got back,
To be good examples among men, But
he was still wide awake,
We all know from reading the
bible, As I pushed his wheelchair inside,
There’s not a man without sin. He
gave the nurse a piece cake.
So we’d take the best men, Until the old master is called,
And gently show’em
the light, To the grand lodge on high,
Just look at all the brothers, His
memories will be filled,
That showed up here tonight. With the celebration tonight.
If I could live my life all over, A
few years have come and gone,
And I could rewrite every page, Since we honored him that night,
I’d hit a few bumps a little
softer, The old master even helped me,
But there’s nothing I would
change. Raised my grandson into light.
Each time I was asked to teach, His
kind and gentle manner,
Oh, it made me feel so good, Stands
tall among the best,
To lead you gently to the light, Today he made the final journey,
Until I knew you understood. We
laid the old mast to reas.
--Courtesy of Brother Scott Meyer
Happy Birthday to you, Happy
Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Brothers, Happy Birthday to you!
8/04 Arthur Gene Bellis 8/19 Van Lawrence Brown
8/15 Robert Leroy Buckley 8/29
Benny William Duncan
8/25 Lavon Hair 8/12 Ray Lee Harvey
8/19 Walter C Hodges 8/27 D. “Rusty” Hollingsworth
8/19 Ted Presley Jones 8/21 Ralph Ray Kearns
8/05 Laurence Edward Laughlin 8/21 William Thomas Pridgen
8/20 Stephen Paul Prince 8/29 Tony Angelo Proctor
8/11 Richard Milton Reese 8/16 Robin Bicker Rigg
8/11 Robert Earl Roper 8/14 Gerald Sauls
8/23 Richard Heyward Smith 8/8 Michael Brice Spade
8/29 William Russel Spaulding
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