Trestle Board

It’s been a little over a month and a half at this writing since our installation and in that time we’ve submitted your Lodge budget which was somewhat difficult to arrive at in the current economic situation with shrinking portfolios.

We also selected an audit committee, who have met and performed their task. I want to thank Kyle Dau, James Campbell and Dimiter Lyakov, Past Masters all, for this important service and of course our secretary John Gamache, PM who put it all together for the committee.

Also as has been part of our contact with Sequoia Elementary School this past December six families were supplied with makings of a fine holiday including meals, gifts for the children and gift cards for other needs. As master I want to thank each and every one of you for your contributions to this program and a special thanks to James Achenbach, PM, our Public Schools Chairman, who puts this all together each year and to all our brothers past and present who have taken part.

On January 20 your Lodge conducted two EA Degrees for now brothers Frederick Nicastro and Rod Gullo, who were then put into the capable hands of Kent Dau, PM, Candidates Coach.

June 5 and 6 (Friday and Saturday nites)) camping at Shrine Camp on Mt. Laguna. We have rented all six cabins, however one dorm cabin remains available at $25.

A dinner to thank Frederick Kleyn III, PM, for his years of service as Inspector of our district will be held on February 24 at 6:30pm at SRC. Call Amity Lodge #442 for reservations by Feb. 18

Brother Meriwether Lewis some say took his own life. With that theory, however, many do not agree.

Lewis had everything going for him and much to live for. His name was on the lips of every man, woman and child; He had just returned from a mission to the Pacific Coast exploring the reach of the Louisiana Purchase at the direction of President Thomas Jefferson, whom he had served as private secretary; He had been named as Territorial Governor of the Louisiana Territory and had taken up residence in St. Louis, MO. He had been named as the first Master of St. Louis Lodge 111.

In the fall of 1809 he had started down the Mississippi River to Memphis, TN, where he contacted an Indian Agent for a trip over the old Natchez Trace. On the evening of October 11, 1809 he reached Grinder’s Stand, a spot which is now a part of the Meriwether Lewis National Park, on Hwy 20, seven miles east of Hohenwald and thirty five miles west of Columbia, TN. Just a few yards from the entrance are the remains of a section of the old military road known as the Natchez Trace. A few hundred yards further into the Park there is a plaque marking the location of Grinder’s Stand. A Stand in those early days of America was a place to stop over night to camp and derived its name from the owner of the land. In this case it was said that Grinder was not regarded as having a good reputation.

It was there that Lewis stopped for the night; the next morning he was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head. Grinder said he committed suicide and this is the story told time and time again. But there are others who believe it was a murder and a question arises in my own mind as to why a man who documented his travels in detail would not express a reason for such an act?

The monument on the site is of a “Broken Column” and most likely chosen because of his connection with the fraternity, because he was cut down in the midst of his life. Meriwether Lewis 1774 - 1809

How to define tolerance.

To be tolerant is to learn to respect the opinions of others though they may diverge from ones own belief system. The human family is diverse. The principles guiding value systems in each society is different. And while one may not agree with some aspect of another persons interpretation of morality or justice, to be tolerant would require one to work at accepting and understanding it. Thus tolerance is the acceptance of something an individual disagrees with. Hence tolerance is so highly regarded in Freemasonry for it is vital to its existence. Acceptance of others’ spiritual beliefs and traditions without being required to share them is the cornerstone of our fraternity. Tolerance is the highest of Masonic moral dictates. In one of the earliest Masonic texts (the Ahiman Rezon, or the Book of Constitutions of the Ancient Grand Lodge of England written in 1756 by Laurence Dermott) the first charge does not mention tolerance but defines it: “…In ancient times, the Christian Masons were charged to comply with the Christian Usages of each country where they traveled or worked; being found in all nations, even of divers religions. They are generally charged to adhere to that Religion in which all Men agree (leaving each brother to his own particular opinion): that is, to be good Men and true, Men of Honour and Honesty, by whatever Names, Religions, or Persuasions they may be distinguished for they all agree in the three great Articles of Noah, enough to preserve the Cement of the Lodge. Thus masonry is the center of their Union, and the Happy Means of consillating Persons that otherwise may have remained at a perpetual Distance.” We are taught in Freemasonry to understand that each brother is different but equal. We are also charged to “Love your God with all of your heart, and all of your soul and all of your mind and all of your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.” In contemplating tolerance as an actuality one would logically adhere several attributes to achieving tolerant behavior. An ability to forgive others, sympathize with their particular circumstances, and the patience to reflect upon differences rather than react would seem mandatory to effecting a tolerant attitude. If put into effect in everyday life, tolerance of others beliefs and respect for their equal right to believe something we may not agree with will translate into a higher form of personal existence. The spread of this practice among individuals of all cultures can only lead to a higher degree of mutual respect among nations and a more peaceful world. To this rationale crystal clarity one need only look at the antithesis of the idea of tolerance.

Who embraces intolerance?

Certain names spring to mind – Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and other infamous authoritarian figures of the 20^th Century come to mine. Ideologies also emerge – the Ku Klux Clan, Skin Heads, Nazis and radical Islamic Militants.

An Austrian brother visited our lodge a couple of years ago and presented the Master with a pin. The pin had the representation of a forget-me-not flower on it. The brother explained that it was symbolic of Austrian Freemasonry for he said the first thing Hitler did to consolidate his power was to detain and murder prominent Freemasons in Germany and Austria. Hitler could not allow Freemasonry to exist because the Nazi philosophy was entirely based on the inequality of human species and intolerance of those races deemed inferior. Thus the forget-me-not is a symbol of remembrance on the pin. It is to remind us of the danger of allowing intolerance into our own lives and society as well as the need to regularly incorporate tolerance into our hearts and minds.

Sincerely and Fraternally,

Steven Laurvick, Jr. Warden

GREETINGS FROM THE ORIENTAL CHAIR OF WISDOM