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September 2011 Communication

Posted in: Communications, From the East by W. Peter Bates on August 23, 2011

Brethren,

Many of you have told me that you enjoyed the historical tidbits I included in the July communication; I’ve done a little goggling and found a list of Masonic and other events that occurred in Septembers past.
September 2, 1945 – President Truman proclaims V-J Day upon the surrender of the Japanese.

September 3, 1783 – Treaty of Paris signed that ended the American Revolutionary War.

September 4, 1820 – James K. Polk (U.S. President 1845-1849) received his 1st degree in Columbia Lodge #31, Tennessee.
September 5, 1997 – Death of Nobel Peace Prize winner and advocate for the poor, Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

September 5-6, 1972 – Eleven members of the Israeli Olympic Team were killed during an attack on the Olympic Village in Munich by members of the Black September faction of the Palestinian Liberation Army.

September 6, 1620 – The Mayflower ship departed from Plymouth, England, bound for America with 102 passengers and a small crew.

September 9, 1776 – The U.S.A. came into existence as the Continental Congress changed the name of the new American nation from the United Colonies to the United States.

September 11, 2001 – The worst terrorist attack in U.S. History.

September 11, 2000 – The Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of D.C. and the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of D.C. signed a ceremonial “proclamation” symbolizing their mutual recognition that had been voted on favorably by both Grand Lodges in 1999.

September 12, 1826 – William Morgan, who had published an exposé of Masonic secrets, was taken from the jail in Canandaigua, New York, kidnapped, and possibly later murdered. This was the trigger for the Morgan Affair and the Anti-Masonic movement and Anti-Masonic Party in the United States from the 1820s through the 1840s.

September 12, 1990 – Treaty was signed to reunite East and West Germany.

September 13, 1882 – A monument was dedicated in Batavia, New York, to William Morgan, the man who’s kidnapping and possible murder by Freemasons started the Anti-Masonic movement in the United States in 1826. The monument says Morgan was a “martyr to the freedom of writing and printing the truth.”

September 14, 1901 – Eight days after being shot, President William McKinley died from wounds suffered during an assassination attempt. Theodore Roosevelt then took over the presidency.

September 14, 1982 – Former actress, American born Princess Grace of Monaco died following a car accident.

September 14, 1844 – The Grand Lodge of Michigan was founded.

September 15, 1851 – The Grand Lodge of Oregon was formed.

September 15, 1890 – Birth of prolific English mystery writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976).

September 18, 1793 – The cornerstone of the United States Capitol building in Washington D.C. was laid in an elaborate, formal Masonic ceremony, with George Washington personally playing a key role and wearing Masonic regalia.

On this date in 1856, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana was organized.

September 20, 1784 – The Grand Lodge of England issued a warrant to African Lodge #459. This charter is a prized possession of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and African Lodge #459 has continued to exist to the present time.

September 23, 1857 – The Grand Lodge of Nebraska was formed.

September 25, 1786 – The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania was organized.

September 25, 1897 – Birth of William Faulkner (1897-1962), considered by many the greatest U.S. author.

September 26, 1872 – The Shrine of North America (AAONMS) was organized, in New York City.

September 30, 1949 – Gerald R. Ford (U.S. President 1974-1977) received his 1st degree in Malta Lodge #465, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

One of those dates above, September 11, 2001, will soon see its tenth anniversary. I remember watching it all unfold, live, on my TV. It was unreal. I was in a state of disbelief for the first few minutes. Disbelief turned to horror, and in the days that followed, rage. I’ve often wondered if the feelings that those of us not old enough to remember Pearl Harbor have about 9/11, are similar to those experienced by those who witnessed or listened to the reports on the radio on that day in 1941.

The talking heads say “the world changed” that day. I don’t know if it has. Sure “things” changed, things always change. Human nature never seems to though, and without that will anything ever change? I’m not sure, but I do know that, through Masonry, I’m trying to change my little corner of the world.
Brotherly Love. Relief. Truth. These things are truly important. Going through the line you repeat those words so many times that they can become just words. We all need to remember what those words really mean, and how we can exemplify those virtues in our everyday lives. That seems to be the real secret of Masonry.

Sincerely and Fraternally,
Peter V.N. Bates
Worshipful Master