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Kissing the Blarney Stone

Just how long this custom has been practiced or how it originated is unknown.  One local legend claims that an old women, saved from drowning by a king of Munster, rewarded him with a spell, that should he kiss a stone at the castle's top, he would gain a speech that would win all to him.

It is known, however, when and how the word Blarney entered the English language and the dictionary.  During the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Dermot McCarthy, the ruler of the castle, was required to surrender his fortress to the Queen as proof of his loyalty.  He said he would be delighted to do so, but something always happened at the last moment to prevent his surrender.  His excuses became so frequent and indeed so plausible that the official who had been demanding the castle in the name of the Queen became a joke at the Court.  Once, when the eloquent excuses of McCarthy were repeated to the Queen, she said “Odds bodikins, more Blarney talk!”  The term Blarney has thus come to mean “the ability to influence and coax with fair words and soft speech without giving offense.”

MANY MASONIC BOOKS

The great interest that has been aroused by Masonry through many centuries is indicated by the great number of Masonic books that have been published.  Dr. G.B.F. Kloss, one of the strongest exponents of the theory that the Freemasons derived their origin from the builders of the Middle Ages, wrote many works on the subject, but his most valuable contribution was A Bibliography of Freemasonry, published 1844, and containing a list of 5,649 books on Masonry, which probably enumerated almost the entire number then in existence.  Many of the more important Masonic works, however, are those of the modern school, published since the latter half of the 19^th  century.

Want to read a good book?  Take a look through the St. John's web site  book database, pick one out and then e-mail the webmaster with the book title.  He will bring the book (from his private collection) to the next Stated Communication and you return it the following month.  This service is for active members of the Lodge.

FORMER MARINER TO SPEAK AT FOUNDATION BREAKFAST

Bill Krueger has been the baseball analyst for FSN since the 2000 season. Throughout the summer, Krueger provides viewers the kind of insight and analysis on the Mariners and all of major league baseball that have made him one of the most visible and popular on-air personalities on the FSN team.

Krueger worked as a pitcher for 13 seasons in the major leagues. He began his career with the Oakland Athletics, who signed him as an amateur free agent in 1980, and made his big league debut on April 10th, 1983. After four seasons with the Athletics (1983-87), Krueger had stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1987-88), Milwaukee Brewers (1989,1992), Seattle Mariners (1990-91, 1995), Montreal Expos (1992), Detroit Tigers (1993) and San Diego Padres (1995). He re-joined the Mariners in June of 1995 and finished his career in Seattle that same year. Over his career, Krueger went 68-66 with a 4.35 ERA.

Born in Waukegan, IL, Krueger was a talented athlete at the University of Portland. At 6'5", he arrived on campus as a basketball standout and only began pitching his junior year. His success from 1977-78 at UP earned him a spot on the school's All-Century Team.

An active member of the Greater Seattle community, Krueger will be the keynote speaker at the Washington DeMolay Foundation breakfast at Landmark on the Sound, April 4.

HOW DO YOU COUNTER PEOPLE'S ASSERTION THAT THE MASONS AND SHRINERS ARE CULTS?  

According to the dictionary, a cult is a form of a religion. Neither Masonry nor the Shrine are religions. We don't do the things a religion does. We do not offer a plan of salvation, we do not make statements about the nature of God (other than to say that He is a kind and loving father) and we do not prescribe a form of worship. Masonry in all its branches is focused on this life, not the next. Our purpose is to help men lead ethical and moral lives based on integrity and self-development. As a part of that, we teach charity toward others. Masonry is a fraternity, not a religion.

EARLY CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

In China the implements of architecture were used in a system of moral philosophy at a very early date.  Mencius, who wrote about 300 B.C., said: “A master Mason, in teaching his apprentices, makes use of the compasses and the square. Ye who are engaged in the pursuit of Wisdom, must also make use of the compasses and the square.”  In a book called Great Learning, 500 B.C., we find that “A man should abstain from doing unto others what he would not they should do unto him; and this is called the principle of acting on the square.”

The Table Lodge - A History

From time immemorial, Freemasons have enjoyed meeting about a "Festive Board" loaded with the fruits of their labor.  Even centuries ago, Man has continually sought some noble purpose to pursue when life was perhaps more perilous and severe.  Feasting became a major diversion, as much for social desires as to satisfy the needs of the inner-man.

The feasts which are probably the oldest of all Fraternal repasts were those of the "Mysteries" of ancient Egypt, the so-called "Sons of Light."  The oldest of Masonic origin, of which we have any reliable record, were the feasts upon being "Entered" and "Passed" to a Fellow of the Craft.  These go back far beyond the records of organized Masonry.

The Masonic desirability of a social dinner is as old as the Freemasonry we know.  In 1717, when the mother Grand Lodge was formed to revitalize the Lodges in and around London, one of the reasons given was to revive the Quarterly Communication and to hold the Annual Feast.

From the idea of the feast, and the desire to promote a greater degree of fellowship and kinship in Masonry, was born the Table Lodge.  Both the affection of friends and the love for the Fraternity flourished within its walls.  Its Communications were more like a reunion than a Regular Lodge meeting, and it became a center of relaxation, celebration and inspiration of Freemasonry.

The Table Lodge had a most unusual pattern.  Its meeting was conducted around the table, and the helpings of food and beverage were served in such a way they did not interfere with the other concerns of the Lodge.  There were many toasts and the lusty voices of the Masons rang out with Masonic songs.

In our colonial days, the Table Lodge was Freemasonry's greatest asset.  It buoyed up the spirit of the colonists who were members of the Craft when they were at their lowest ebb.  While the repast was undoubtedly limited and meager, the fervor and zeal were there.

Although alcoholic beverages did contribute to the festivities of the Table Lodge in days long gone, they were not a necessary adjunct.  Wine was the libation, but that was changed when the 18th Amendment was adopted, so Masons would not violate the law.  Although prohibition was subsequently repealed, Freemasonry did not necessarily follow suit.  In many jurisdictions, it retained a substitution, mainly out of respect for Brethren who practiced abstinence.  In those jurisdictions, fruit juices and punches are used for the toasts.  In Washington, and others, wine has returned to provide “powder” to the canons.

The Table Lodge is a heritage of our past, which deserves consideration of revival.  It has been stated that "The Table Lodge is the summary of Masonic Doctrine."  It prescribed reverence for Divinity and the Moral Law.  It strengthened the devotion that Masons held for the Lodge and Country.  It increased the unity and fellowship of the Craft.

Courtesy of  Phoenixmasonry.com