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MOSES PAUL LODGE #96
DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Free and Accepted Masons Dover, N. H.
February 2015
Organized Under Dispensation December 20, 1889
Chartered May 21, 1890
February Calendar
Event: Square and Compass
Date and Time: Thursday February 5th 6:30 pm at the Lodge Hall,
Dress Code: Casual
Cost: Usually less than $10.00
Description: Fellowship dinner,
Who can attend: EA’s and above, and Guests
Event: Special Communication Fellowcraft Degree
Date and Time: Thursday February 12th 7:00 pm
Dress Code: Tux and gloves, all others Business casual
Cost: Donation Basket at Collation
Description: Fellowcraft Degree
Who can attend: Fellow Crafts and Above
Event: Stated Communication
Date and Time: Thursday February 19th Lodge opens at 7:30 pm
Dress Code: Officers jacket and tie, all others Business casual
Cost: Donation for collation
Description: Monthly Business meeting
Who can attend: EAs and above
District 5 Calendar
Event: Fellow Craft Ritual Workshop –Strafford Lodge Dover NH
Date and Time: Tuesday Feb 3, 6:30 pm-9:00 pm
Dress Code: casual
Cost: Donation Basket
Description: DDGL will hold this important workshop on the Fellow Craft Degree
Who can attend: Fellow Crafts and above
Event: Winnipesaukee Lodge Breakfast Buffet
Date and Time: Sunday February 15, 7:30 am-11:30 am at Winnipesaukee Lodge
Dress Code: casual
Cost: $10.00
Description: Famous Breakfast Buffet
Who can attend: Public event All are welcome!
Event: Ladies at the Table –Strafford Lodge Dover NH
Date and Time: Saturday Feb 21, 5:00 pm-7:00 pm
Dress Code: Business casual
Cost: $15.00 per person
Description: 7 course dinner and ceremony
Who can attend: All Masons and Ladies
MOSES PAUL LODGE #96 In Memory Of
Brother David Stephen Weeks
Born April 22, 1930 Laconia, New Hampshire
Entered Apprentice March 7, 1959 Passed to Fellowcraft April 14, 1959
Raised to Master Mason December 19, 1959 Member Moses Paul Lodge 25 years, and a
Mason for 56 years Called from Labor to Rest January 8, 2015
Worshipful Master Secretary
Robert J. Corsetti John T. Pond, Jr.
Moses Paul Lodge #96, Dover, NH
Officers Elect. & Appointments for 2015
Worshipful Master: Wor. Robert J. Corsetti 603-969-8378
Senior Warden: Michael J. Stacy 603-394-6455
Junior Warden: David Akridge 603-343-1388
Treasurer: Adam M. Hughes 603-335-3617
Deputy Treasurer:
Secretary: John T. Pond, Jr. 603-978-8940
Deputy Secretary: Wor. James S. Miller 603-742-6691
Representative to Grand Lodge: Richard Lapointe 603-905-9953
Chaplain Wor. Kristopher G. Furtney 603-664-7920
Senior Deacon: Robert P. Johnson Jr. 603-319-8757
Junior Deacon: John T. Pond, III 603-841-6113
Marshall: Wor. Donald Meserve 603-742-2845
Senior Steward: David Martinelli 603-749-8916
Junior Steward: Brett Cossaboon 603-833-1492
Tyler: Richard Lapointe 603-905-9953
Organist:
Lodge Ambassador:
Historian: David Akridge
Finance Committee: Jean L. LaBrack 603-743-4066
Trustees of Charity Fund David Akridge - 2015
Wor Kristopher Furtney 2015, 2016
James E. Phelps 2015, 2016 ,2017
Widow’s Program Chairman: Vincent R. Puleo 603-491-1639
John T. Pond, Jr. 603-978-8940
Gates: #1-,
#2-,
#3-
Representative to Evergreen Place: James E. Phelps
Building Assoc. Representatives: Richard Lapointe
John T. Pond, Jr
Adam M. Hughes
Robert P. Johnson
Public Affairs Officer: Wor. Kristopher G. Furtney 603-664-7920
Lodge Care Taker: Richard Lapointe 603-905-9953
Web Master : John T Pond, III 603-841-6113
MASTER’S MESSAGE
Brethren:
January has been a very busy month for our
lodge. We have successfully had several MM
practices and put on a great degree for James
Lewis last week. I wanted to thank all the
brothers who gave up their time and nights to
help put this degree and give a special thanks to
our brothers from Strafford lodge. You are what
personifies Masonry. It's all about, friendship
and brotherly love and your help in our degree was greatly
appreciated. Let's remember to get out and support our Strafford
Lodge brothers on their upcoming events.
If anyone wants to put on a presentation for our upcoming Feb.
Stated please contact me with the subject matter. We have our
tickets for the 100 club fundraiser on sale now so get yours before
there all gone until next year.
Fraternally and Respectfully Attest
Worshipful Robert J. Corsetti John T. Pond, Jr.
Greetings from the South.
Brother Dave Akridge
Our year is already off to a great start. Our Installation of Officers
is complete, we have a Master Mason and Fellow Craft Degree
scheduled as well as some new petitions. Masonry is has a
renewed interest in amongst the younger generation as we
approach our 125th
Anniversary as a Lodge. Stay tuned for the
various special events that will be happening to celebrate this
milestone.
As many of you may be aware, there used to be a DeMolay chapter
in Dover. We have an exploratory committee formed for purpose
of determining whether we have the ability to attract enough young
men to re-charter Dover DeMolay. I have the pleasure of serving
on this committee along with Brother Secretary John Pond Jr. We
believe it can be done. First and foremost it will benefit the young
men who are a part of this outstanding group and secondly, it
provides a feeder system for our Lodge.
If you know a young man who might have an interest, please feel
free to drop us an email or give us a call.
Fraternally
Brother Dave Akridge
Junior Warden
The Trowel
The Old Tyler Talks
ON A LODGE BUDGET
It is an outrage! That committee should be indicted for defaming
the fair fame of Masonry!" The New Brother was indignant.
"Sounds terrible to me," agreed the Old Tyler, sympathetically.
"What committee and what did it do?''
"That committee on the budget. They brought in a report which is
to lie over a month before discussion, and I am just seething with
indignation!"
"Seethe out loud. Maybe I can seethe, too, and then there will be
two of us!" suggested the Old Tyler without a smile.
''Oh, You'll seethe all right!" assured the New Brother. "The
committee averaged our income from past years to find what we
can expect this year. Then they laid aside a fund of $1,000,
subtracted the fixed charges from what is left, and apportioned the
remainder among our other activities."
"Isn’t that all right?" asked the Old Tyler.
"You don’t understand! This committee has dared to say that we
should spend only so much for entertainment, only so much for
relief and charity, only so much for education!"
"I must be stupid or something," puzzled the Old Tyler. "That
sounds reasonable to me!"
"Reasonable to decide beforehand that we can’t spend more than a
certain amount for charity? For entertainment? For education?
Masonry is built on the thought of relief! Now can we function if
we must circumscribe our charities?"
"Softly, softly!" countered the Old Tyler. "You forget that
Masonry is founded not only on relief but also on brotherly love
and truth. If we spend all our resources on relief, where do we get
the money to spend on truth and on cementing the ties of brotherly
love?"
"Fine words!" derided the New Brother. "But this report says that
only such and such a percentage of our receipts can be spent in
charity . . ."
"Wait a minute!" the Old Tyler spoke sharply. "Either you didn’t
listen or you couldn’t understand the report. Evidently you don’t
know that the Master did me the honor to make me a member of
that budget committee, so I know all about it. The budget
committee says nothing about confining charity to the amount
stated. It said that the average expended for charity during the past
five years was so-and-so much, so that we could reasonably look
forward to spending a similar amount in the coming year. The
figure was given to allow a basis of comparison and a decision as
to how much could be spent for other purposes.
"Running a lodge without a budget is like running an automobile
without gasoline. By the budget we determine how and where and
when we are to function. Without a budget we overplay our hand,
spend too much in entertainment, not enough in relief. Without a
budget we may rob our future brethren by encroaching upon our
capital assets. A budget is an adviser constantly saying, ‘Go slow!’
Not all worthy projects are within our means."
"You still don’t explain what we can do when our charity calls
exceed the average of the past five years." The New Brother spoke
less excitedly.
"We will meet them, of course," snapped the Old Tyler. "No
Masonic Lodge refuses a call for charity when it has the means.
But if the calls for charity are twice as big as expected, then we cut
down on entertainment. If we have no budget line to which to hew,
we spend as much for entertainment as before, and so come out at
the end of the year a loser."
"But this budget cuts down on so much. We must use less or
cheaper printed matter, and only a certain sum for ladies’ night
instead of . . .
"Instead of giving a committee of three the authority to loot the
lodge treasury of all that’s in it to provide free entertainment for
wives and sweethearts! You said it! No man loves his wife more
than I love mine, yet I am content to have the lodge entertain her
once a year with a sandwich and a cup of coffee, and undertake her
entertainment on more elaborate lines myself. Don’t forget, my
brother, that our primary purpose is neither charity nor
entertainment, and that when we make either or both the principal
parts of our Masonic activities, we work against the best interests
of the fraternity.
"Masonry is a cultivation of love between man and man; it is
education, as between heart and heart. It stands for patriotism, for
freedom of thought and conscience, for a simple devoutness, for
reverence, as well as for fun and frolic. Our ancient brethren found
‘refreshment’ necessary, but only when the ‘work’ was done. The
‘pay as you please’ system of too many lodges always skimps
something, and it’s usually the work, not the refreshment. So I’m
for the budget, and for it strong!"
"So am I!" agreed the New Brother, in a very small voice.
Secretary’s Desk Thank you to all who have paid their dues on time! Remember Dues were
payable by January 1st. The Lodge depends on this money to be able maintain
our building and pay the bills. Please take care of this obligation as soon as
possible! If you can’t afford your dues or have other issues preventing you from
paying them please contact me or any officer, we may be able to work out a
solution.
Don’t forget to get your 100 club ticket, see flier in this Trestle Board
As we prepare for the new year what a great time for a new beginning. Your
Lodge has a lot to offer all members whether young or old. When was the last
time you came to a meeting? We as your officers know that your time is
valuable and should not be wasted! If you were to attend the Stated Meeting, I
think you would be impressed by how things are working. These meetings are
fun and informative. Can’t remember the signs or you don’t feel you know
anyone, don’t worry, we are all brothers and will greet you with open arms.
This month’s education article is A Foundation Stone
There will be no Past Masters message this month, hopefully we’ll get back on
track soon.
This month’s Famous Mason is Brother Major General John Sullivan, by
Brother Gerald D. Foss Grand Historian, St John’s Lodge #1 Portsmouth NH.
Please visit our website www.nhfreemasons.org for upcoming events.
The District 5 Calendar at:
https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=5thmasonicdistrictofnh%40gmail.com
NH Grand Lodge Web site at: www.nhgrandlodge.org
Webmaster: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MosesPaulLodge96
NOT RECEIVING THE TRESTLE BOARD BY EMAIL???
If you would like to get it as soon as it comes out and save the Lodge a stamp
send your email address to [email protected]
Moses Paul Lodge #96 Masonic Building Association
100 Club Fundraiser How the Game Works:
100 tickets will be sold at $60.00 each, tickets will be numbered from 00 to 99. If your
number is drawn, you will win $50.00.
In order to reserve your ticket each participate must pay $10.00. However after the
initial start of the game if the $60.00 isn’t fully paid you must pay a minimum of
$5.00 per month until the entire $60.00 is paid. If you number gets drawn the balance
owed will come out of your winnings. For example if you still owed $10.00 on the
60.00 ticket then you would receive a check for $40.00. If you win a second time you
would receive the full $50.00.
The odds of winning are 1 in 100, and there will be 52 drawings each year. The
winning numbers will be the last two numbers of the NH Lottery’s Friday night Pick
Four evening numbers.
Anyone can buy a ticket. Tickets will be available from any member of the Building Association or
Moses Paul Lodge on a first-come first-serve basis. The game will start when
all tickets are sold and you will be notified of the starting date. This fund raiser
is fun to play, it is affordable, and works as a fundraiser to be donated to
Moses Paul Lodge. So, if you would like to get in on the 100 Club, sign up
soon as tickets will go fast. GOOD LUCK!!! 100 tickets @$60.00 ea = $6000.00
52 winners @$50.00 ea =$2600.00
Potential net to Lodge =$3400.00
Give the brethren a chance to do something, anything, no
matter how small or unimportant. A brother convinced that he
is helpful is enthusiastic.
Carl H. Claudy
A FOUNDATION STONE
This Short Talk Bulletin has been adapted from a pamphlet
published by the Grand Lodge A.F.& A.M. of Illinois, entitled,
What Can a Mason tell a Non-Mason About Freemasonry.
The ancient traditions of Freemasonry permit you to influence your
qualified sons, friends and co-workers to petition for the degrees.
There is absolutely no objection to a neutrally worded approach
being made to a man who is considered a suitable candidate for
Freemasonry. After the procedure for obtain-ing membership in a
Masonic Lodge is explain-ed, there can be no objection to his
being reminded once that the approach was made. The potential
candidate should then be left to make his own decision and come
of his own free will.
One of the most misunderstood of the laws of Freemasonry is the
rule that prohibits the solicitation of a candidate by any Mason.
Every man who enters the portals of a Masonic Lodge must come
of his own free will and accord but he can only come if he knows
of the opportunity.
So far ingrained in our Masonic law is the rule against solicitation
that it has unquestionably caused most Masons to refrain
completely from discussing Freemasonry with friends and
acquaintances who are not Masons. Don’t let that happen to you.
The failure of the Masonic institution to make known to the public,
that is to non-Masons, its principles and its purposes has, in the
past, resulted in both suspicion and antagonism toward Masonry.
People are naturally inclined to be suspicious or fearful of those
things of which they are ignorant.
Freemasonry is not a secret society, but is rather a society which
possesses certain secrets. A really secret society is one in which the
membership is not known. Freemasonry is quite well known to the
uninitiated. We do not attempt to hide our membership. A large
percentage of our membership wears pins or rings bearing well-
known emblems of the Craft. We do not meet in secret places. We
meet in Temples which are well marked as Masonic - often times
with neon signs bearing the square and compasses - and we meet at
meetings which are quite well advertised.
What is actually supposed to be secret about the institution of
Freemasonry is its ritual. Dr. Mackeys 23rd Landmark, The
secrecy of the Institution, embraces nothing more than it’s ritual,
which we must conceal and never reveal. The fundamental
principles of Masonry which are taught by that ritual, however,
are, or could be, well known, and most of them are not even
principles peculiar to the Masonic institution.
The candidate for the mysteries of Masonry must always come to
us of his own free will and accord, unbiased by friends and
uninfluenced by mercenary motives, and he must so formally
declare before he enters a Lodge room. It must be his own personal
desire which as brought him to the point of petitioning for the
degrees of Masonry. An explanation of the charitable and character
building attributes of Freemasonry to a worthy and well qualified
person is not solicitation.
Probably the first question that would come to the mind of the
uninitiated would be What is Freemasonry? We define it as a
progressive moral science divided into different degrees. This
definition probably would not satisfy and would mean practically
nothing to the Non-Mason. Freemasonry might be defined to such
a person as a fraternal society which is based on certain moral and
religious doctrines; the moral doctrines including Brotherly Love,
Relief, Truth; Temperance, fortitude, Prudence, and Justice; and
the religious doctrines comprising a belief in god and a future
existence; sometimes shortened to the statement of a belief in the
fatherhood of god and the brotherhood of man.
There is no reason at all Why this subject should not be discussed
quite freely with a non-Mason. The fact of the matter is that the
philosophy of Masonry is freely discussed in thousands of printed
volumes available to Masons and non-Masons alike.
One question which often comes from non-Masons is this: How
does one become a member? Why have I not been asked to join?
In any such discussion, of course, the non-Mason should be told
that, unlike the members of other fraternal organizations, Masons
are forbidden to solicit any one to become a member, and that any
prospective member must apply of his own free will and ac-cord;
and further, that he must pass a unanimous ballot for admission. It
must be free will and accord on both sides.
One question which any non-Mason might ask, and which can be
freely discussed with him, is the relationship of Masonry to
religion and to the churches of any denomination Masonry has two
fundamental religious tenets - a belief in God and a belief in a
future existence, or, as it is phrased in Mackeys Land-marks, a
belief in the resurrection to a future life.
The inquirer should be told that Masonry is not a religion in any
sense of the word; but it is religious, and that no atheist can ever be
made a Mason. As the Old Charges approved in 1723 put it, If he
rightly understands the art, he will never be a stupid atheist nor an
irreligious libertine. In those charges, under the heading of
Concerning God and Religion it was said:
But though in ancient times Masons were charged in every country
to be of the religion of that country or nation, what-ever it was, yet
it is now thought more expedient only to oblige them to that
religion in which all men agree, leaving their particular opinions to
themselves; that is, to be good men and true. or men of honor and
honesty, by whatever denominations or persuasions they may be
distinguished; whereby Masonry becomes the centre of union, and
the means of conciliating true friendship among persons that must
else have remained at a perpetual distance.
Masonry does not require membership in any church as a condition
of membership in a Lodge. On the other hand, membership in any
church is no bar to admission to Masonry. There is nothing in the
requirements of Masonry to prevent a Roman Catholic, a
Mohammedan, a Buddhist, a Mormon, a Protestant, or a member
of any religious sect from becoming a Mason. Any bar is one
prescribed by the church to which he may belong. For in-stance,
while Masonry is not anti-Catholic, nevertheless until recently the
Roman church had itself set up the ban of excommunication of any
of its members becoming Masons, which edict had been repeated
by the Popes since the year 1738. There is nothing wrong in telling
a non-Mason that, or telling him that the discussion of sectarian
religion is prohibited in every Masonic Lodge.
One might also ask whether Masonry is a political organization.
He should be told that no political discussion would be permitted
in any Masonic Lodge.
Here again we might refer to the Old Charges, where we are told:
A Mason is to be a peaceful subject to the civil powers, wherever
he resides or works, and is never to be concerned in plots and
conspiracies against the peace and welfare of the nation, nor to
behave himself undutiful to inferior magistrates; for as Masonry
hath been always injured by war, bloodshed and confusion, so
ancient kings and princes have been much disposed to encourage
the Craftsmen because of their peaceable ness and loyalty,
whereby they practically answered the cavils of their adversaries
and promoted the honor of the fraternity, which ever flourished in
times of peace.
In our jurisdiction, the rule that the discussion of politics and
religion in Lodges is to be avoided has the force of an Ancient
Land-mark.
Another question a non-Mason might ask is whether Masonry is a
benefit society, like the many fraternal societies offering insurance
and death benefits. This is something which can and certainly
ought to be discussed, to avoid any misunderstanding by a
prospective candidate. The inquirer should be told that we have no
insurance benefits, and that while Masons are second to none in
their charitable endeavors, as is evidenced by our Homes for the
Aged and for Children, nevertheless it would be financially
impossible for the Fraternity to care for all of its members. The
minimum dues of $20 per year provide little surplus for any Lodge
to render aid except to those in dire distress.
Another subject which could certainly be discussed with a non-
Mason is the history of the Masonic society and its evolution from
the Operatives, the builders of the Middle Ages, who created the
great Gothic cathedrals, churches and other structures in the British
Isles and on the continent of Europe. There are many interesting
topics of Masonic history which are perfectly proper to be
discussed and might possibly excite the interest of serious-minded
listeners who are not Masons. The history of our Craft in America
and the part which Masons played in the early history of our
country is something of which we should all be justly proud. It is
no secret and no Mason is prohibited from discussing it.
You should not discuss the ritual. Part of the fun of Freemasonry is
the excitement and adventure of the ritual. You can explain that it
is based in part upon the Holy Bible and that the ceremonies of
Masonry are of a serious and dignified nature, without levity or
horseplay. Certainly every candidate should be told this, and
should be asked not to listen to the remarks of unthinking brethren
about riding the goat and similar intimations that the candidate is
entering into something like a high school fraternity. Such
intimations are unworthy and untrue. Explain that Freemasonry is
divided in-to three degrees and what is required to progress.
Explain about the catechism, questions and answers, and what is
expected: 6,000,000 Masons learned and be sure they know they
can. All they need do is ask to start their travel from friend to
brother.
We are proud of our fraternity and want you proudly to explain
Freemasonry to the worthy and well qualified people in your
sphere of influence.
Major Gen. John Sullivan
Honored NH Mason By Gerald D. Foss, Grand Historian
St. John's Lodge #1,Portsmouth, NH
John Sullivan was born in Somersworth, New Hampshire,
February 17, 1740. He studied law and was admitted to practice
before the courts of the Royal Province of New Hampshire. His
home and place of business were in Durham, New Hampshire.
Durham sent him to the Provincial Assembly early in 1774 as its
representative. This led to his appointment as a delegate to the first
Continental Congress. Appointed brigadier general in the
Continental Army in 1775, he was promoted to major general in
1776. After being engaged in several prominent battles of that war
he resigned his commission late in 1779.
He was sent to the Continental Congress again in 1780 and
1781. Attorney-general of New Hampshire from 1782 to 1786, he
was chosen President (Governor) of New Hampshire in 1786 and
1787. He was Speaker of the House in 1788 and also president of
the Constitutional Convention which ratified the Federal
Constitution. This made New Hampshire the state to establish the
United States of America. He was chosen presidential elector for
1789 and cast his vote for President George Washington. Again he
was elected President (Governor) of the State of New Hampshire
in 1789. President Washington appointed him as the first judge of
the Federal District Court in the latter part of 1789, a position
which he held at his death. Harvard College conferred upon
Sullivan the degree of Master of Arts in 1780 and Dartmouth
College be- stowed the degree of Doctor of Laws on him in 1789.
Many honors have been accorded General John Sullivan. Among
them are the incorporation of the Town of Sullivan in Cheshire
County, New Hampshire, in 1787; establishment in 1827 of the
County of Sullivan, New Hampshire; erection of a granite
monument by the State of New Hampshire in 1894 near his home
in Durham, New Hampshire. More recently, a steel span across the
Piscataqua River from Newington to Dover Point was named in his
honor. In 1929, the United States Post Office issued a
commemorative postage stamp bearing his likeness in honor of his
victorious New York expedition against the Indians. The State of
New York honored him in 1879 by erecting a monument at Ithaca.
The Town of Epping, New Hampshire, which long had a Masonic
lodge called Sullivan Lodge No. 19, renamed it Major General
John Sullivan Lodge No. 2., F. & A.M., a few years ago.
Sullivan's Masonic career commenced in old St. John's Lodge
Portsmouth, NH on March 19, 1767. That evening the lodge held a
regular communication in the house of Isaac Williams of
Portsmouth. The minutes of that meeting, in part: "This evening
proposed by Br. Hall Jackson, Mr. John Sullivan, who was balloted
for, and unanimously agreed to be made this evening and
acquainted him the result of the Lodge, he was ready and
according was made a Mason this evening." It would be twenty-
two years before the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire would be
established, but of the first officers chosen in 1789, four were
present March 19, 1767. John Sullivan, Hall Jackson, George
Turner and Joseph Bass. John Sullivan received the degree of
Master Mason December 28, 1768,in the Master's Lodge at
Portsmouth.
On this date the lodge room was located in the new Earl of
Halifax Tavern, owned and operated by Brother John Stavers.
Although the name of the tavern had been changed to Pitt Tavern
during the Revolutionary War, it was in the same building that
deputies from Masonic lodges met July 8, 1789 to organize the
Grand Lodge of New Hampshire. From 1768 to 1774 the minutes
record the occasional presence of John Sullivan, but since his
home was about twelve miles from the lodge room it is to be
expected his attendance was not as regular as of those living in
close proximity to it. On November 22, 1775 the St. John's Lodge
minutes record that Major Joseph Cilley was made a Mason gratis
"for his Good Services in Defense of his Country." Brigadier
General John Sullivan was present this evening.
This date was during the period in which General George
Washington had ordered Brigadier General Sullivan to Portsmouth
to check harbor defenses. The records show that Major General
John Sullivan on the evening of March 27, 1777, proposed that
Major Winborn Adams be made a Mason. It was done.
Unfortunately, Lt. Col. Adams was killed less than six months later
leading his regiment into battle at Bemis Heights. While General
Sullivan was in charge of the campaign to secure Rhode Island he
visited the Providence Lodge of Freemasons frequently. When he
was ordered to depart from Rhode Island, the Providence Lodge
voted that a committee present an address "to our worthy Brother
Major-General John Sullivan, in behalf of this lodge . . . ." It was
published in the Providence Gazette of March 27, 1779. The
message extends "most cordial Thanks, for the particular Honor
you have done them, in so frequently associating with them in
Lodge;". It is a touching tribute. General Sullivan's reply to the
address is also interesting for it shows clearly his knowledge and
approbation of Masonry. In 1788 St. John's Lodge adopted its
fourth set of bylaws. At the end of the bylaws, as was the custom,
each member signed his name. The well-known signature of "jno
Sullivan" appears, in his own handwriting, to this set of laws.
In the spring of 1789 several New Hampshire Masons were
promoting the establishment of its own Grand Lodge. The first
meeting was held in the Pitt Traven July 8, 1789. Sullivan, then
President of New Hampshire, was elected the first Grand Master.
He was absent, but at the second meeting, held July 16, 1789, he
was present to accept the office. Because he had not served as a
Worshipful Master of a symbolic lodge, there was a delay in his
installation as Grand Master. It was arranged for him to be elected
Worshipful Master of St. John's Lodge at its next annual meeting.
On December 3, 1789 , St. John's Lodge held its annual meeting
and elected Sullivan Worshipful Master for the ensuing year. He
was duly installed as Master of his lodge December 28, 1789, and
conducted his first meeting January 4, 1790. On April 8, 1790,
plans were completed for the elaborate installation ceremonies of
the Grand Lodge officers for the first time in New Hampshire. The
event was held in the Assembly Hall on Vaughan Street because
the crowd was too large for the lodge room. Brother and Doctor
Hall Jackson, the oldest Master in the chair, installed John Sullivan
into the office of Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand
Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in and for the State of New
Hampshire. Grand Master Sullivan then proceeded to appoint and
install the other officers who would serve with him during the
ensuing year.
The regular quarterly communication of the Grand Lodge was
held April 28, 1790, at which time Most Worshipful John Sullivan
presided. Six months later he declined to serve further because of
ill health. On October 27, 1790, Dr. Hall Jackson, his proponent of
1767, was elected to succeed Sullivan as Grand Master. After a
long illness, Sullivan died at his home in Durham January 23, 1795
and was buried in the family cemetery situated in back of his
home. In this burial ground, in addition to a suitable gravestone, is
a large stone on which is mounted a bronze marker. The latter was
placed there by the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire in 1964, that
the spot might be found if occasion should require it.
SOURCE: Excerpted with permission from "Three Centuries of
Freemasonry in New Hampshire" by Gerald Foss, NH Publishing,
Somersworth, 1972.
St. John's Lodge #1
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHERS
Raymond E. Allen Raymond L. Blaisdell
Gerald E. Brown Leo P. Cinfo
Robert J. Corsetti Nicholas D. Couturier
Ian Y. Cundiff Frank B. Freeland, Jr. Calvin A. Mittlesteadt
Kyle K. Parent Gerald L. Smith
How old is Grandpa???
Stay with this -- the answer is at the end. It will blow you away. One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events. The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general. The Grandfather replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:
?? television
?? penicillin
'?? polio shots
?? frozen foods
?? Xerox
?? contact lenses
?? Frisbees and
?? the pill
There were no:
?? credit cards
?? laser beams or
?? ball-point pens Man had not invented:
?? pantyhose
?? air conditioners
?? dishwashers
&n bsp;? clothes dryers
?? and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and
man hadn't yet walked on the moon
Your Grandmother and I got married first, . . And then lived together. Every family had a father and a mother. Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, "Sir". And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, "Sir." We were before gay-rights, computer- dating, dual
careers, daycare centers, and group therapy. Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense. We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions. Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege. We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent. Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins. Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started. Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums.
We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.? We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios.? And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.? If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk? The term 'making out' referred to how you did on
your school exam.? Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of. We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel. And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, . . . But who could afford one? Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.? In my day:
?? "grass" was mowed,
?? "coke" was a cold drink,
' ?? "pot" was something your mother cooked in
?? "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.
?? "Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office,
?? " chip" meant a piece of wood,
?? "hardware" was found in a hardware
store and "software" wasn't even a word.
And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap... And how old do you think I am?
I bet you have this old man in mind...you are in for a shock!
Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time!!
Are you ready ?????
This man would be only 65 years old!!!
Masonic Humor
A picture is worth a 1000 words!
Moses Paul Lodge #96
Living Past Masters
Gerald E. Brown..…..……………..1965
Robert D. Sylvester…..………..1966, 67
Ronald C. Bartlett…..……………..1968
Donald S. Meserve..…………….…1972
Raymond E. Allen..………..………1975
William H. Carswell, II……1976, 77, 78
Stephen J. Regoulinsky…..…… 1981, 82
David R. Spiller…….………….1984, 85
Edwin F. Mitchell, Jr.………..……..1986
Anthony Zizos.…………………1989, 90
James S. Miller...1991, 98, 01, 02, 03, 04
John F. Torr…………….1993, 94, 99, 00
Stephen E Wawrzkiewicz…………..1995
Robert H. Stewart..…………………1996
Jay A. Edgerly………………………1997
William C. Hill, HPM……………….2003
Michael J. Mawson…..………………2005
George M. McGee III.……………….2006
Christopher Piehler……………2007, 2008
Robert D. Berry..…………………….2009
Bruce G. Staples, HPM……………...2010
Kristopher G. Furtney…………2010, 2011
Vincent R. Puleo……………....2012, 2013
Major General John Sullivan