From the East According to one of our lessons learned as Entered Apprentices, the trestleboard is for the Master-workman to draw his designs upon. I have given this some thought, and find it is time to clarify what I hope to accomplish this year with a mission statement or vision (better word). If I really try to distill into a few words what legacy I want to leave behind for my officers, it is this: my intent is to make the Lodge more fun. This wish also ties into a theme expressed at the Warden's conference in Wenatchee two years ago. The best way to measure the success of my intentions will be by attendance at our meetings. Brothers vote with their feet! St. John's membership represents a diverse group, from a Past Grand Master to our young officer line, relatively new to Masonry. My goal for this year is to make the most of our time together, particularly at monthly Stated meetings. What do you want to get out of our Stated meetings? The ideal St John's meeting starts with the informal gathering of brothers before the meal. The fellowship of the meal should (always) be followed by some form of entertainment or learning. As busy as we are, our meeting should ideally be kept to less than 90 minutes. That is a challenge, but one I can meet with your help. Those who are so-inclined can join us for the meeting-after-the-meeting at The 13 Coins. Try it, you will like it. So, the only other thing we need to make the "perfect" Stated meeting besides fun is YOU!!! This Lodge is your Lodge From the NE corner To the Oriental So why not come out, To the Stated meetings? This Lodge was made for you and me" Our program this month is educational. Dr. Alex Anderson from the architecture department at the University of Washington will join us for dinner and then instruct us on columns before we open our business meeting at 7:30pm. I look forward to seeing you in Lodge. Remember, if you can not attend, look a few days later on our website for a brief summary of what transpired. UW Professor Featured Speaker at March Stated St. John's Lodge No. 9 invites all Masons to its next Stated Communication, Wednesday, March 6. Dinner will be served at 6pm, followed by an informative presentation by Alex T. Anderson, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington. He will be addressing the subject of "columns" in architecture, a subject of interest to Masons, particularly Fellowcrafts. Dr. Anderson teaches in the areas of architectural history, theory, representation, and design. His undergraduate education was in Civil and Environmental Engineering, with an emphasis on building structures, from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He received his M. Arch., M.S. Arch., and Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he developed his doctoral thesis on Modern Architecture and the Commonplace. While there, he also taught architectural drawing in the Graduate School of Fine Arts. When used for structural purposes, columns are often arranged in rows to permit the thickness of walls to be reduced by supporting weight from above. Some columns, erected for decorative or memorial purposes, stand alone. Columns are constructed of various materials, including wood, stone, brick, metal, and concrete. A typical column consists of three parts: base, shaft, and capital. The base is the lowest part of the column. It supports the central upright shaft, which is usually cylindrical. The shaft is crowned by the capital. The horizontal area above the column and supported by it is called the entablature. The base, column, and entablature together compose an order. Through the centuries, architects have used various kinds of columns. The ancient Egyptians favored heavy, massive columns. The Persian column was generally tall and slender. The ancient Greeks refined the column to a high degree. They developed three basic classical orders--Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The shaft diameter of each type of column decreases gradually as the shaft rises, and each type has a subtle outward curve called entasis. The Doric column is the oldest and simplest of the three types. It developed primarily on Greece's mainland and in its western colonies. The Doric style has no base. Usually, the shaft tapers upward to a height of 5 to 7 times its lower diameter. Along the shaft, 16 to 20 shallow vertical grooves called flutes meet in sharp ridges. One or several horizontal grooves, called necking, mark the meeting of the shaft and the capital. The capital has two parts of almost equal thickness. The upper, a flat square block called the abacus, rests on a round pillow-like tablet called the echinus. A celebrated building using the Doric order is the Parthenon. The Ionic column is more slender and decorative than the Doric. It was invented by the Greeks of the Aegean Islands and Asia Minor. The Ionic shaft stands on a circular base, which sometimes includes a square block at the bottom called a plinth. Its height is usually 9 to 10 times its lower diameter. Ordinarily, 24 flutes, divided by narrow fillets (flat surfaces), run along the shaft. The capital consists of volutes (scrolls) that separate the echinus from the abacus. Ionic columns may be found in the Acropolis at Athens. The Corinthian column is the most ornamental of the Greek orders. A variation of the Ionic, it has a similar fluted shaft, but it has a more elaborate capital. The capital consists of a central core resembling an inverted bell. The core is surrounded by carvings of acanthus leaves arranged in rows. From these leaves, four volutes project to meet the corners of the abacus. The monument of Lysikrates at Athens has Corinthian columns. The ancient Romans based their column designs on those of the Greeks. They also created two new orders: the Tuscan and the Composite. The Roman Doric order resembles the Greek but adds a simple molded base. The Tuscan order is an elementary version of the Doric without flutes. The Romans adopted the Greek Ionic with little change, but they elaborated and enriched the Corinthian. The Composite order combines features of both the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Romans also erected independent, isolated columns as memorials to famous people and events. Sculptors decorated many of these massive, tower like columns with carved or molded horizontal or spiraling bands called friezes that portray events related to the memorial. An example is Trajan's Column in Rome. During early Christian and medieval times, architects freely adapted the classical orders for use in basilicas and cloisters. The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris has a combination of classical and medieval styles. The Renaissance and baroque periods revived the use of Roman-style columns, as in the colonnades of St. Peter's Square in Rome. In the 1800's and 1900's, all types of columns were used, particularly on public buildings. At the recent District 4 & 5 reception for the Grand Master, our Lodge was given special recognition for its support of concordant bodies, primarily the youth organizations. MWBro. Robert L. Van Zee presented a plaque to the Master, WBro. Skip Albertson, and encouraged the Lodge to continue in its good efforts.
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