Like a kid waiting for a birthday, I've been waiting for this new videotape from the Supreme Council since the Leadership Conferences in 1998 when Dr. John Boettjer, 33°, G.C., showed me a draft of the script and asked Bob Davis, 33°, Greg Smith, 32°, K.C.C.H., and me if we had any comments. (He's usually far too wise to give an opening like that.)

The title was penciled in as "Architects of Freedom: The Story of Freemasonry in America." As we read through the script and the descriptions of the shots and effects, Brother Greg murmured as occasional, "Hey, cool!" That, as I have come to learn, is high praise.

My attention was caught by the description of the opening shot: "A bald eagle is seen flying over a mountain scene. A second eagle appears on screen. Original music in background. Shot follows eagles in their flight. Suddenly the two eagles veer toward each other. As they touch, there is a burst of light, and they merge into the Scottish Rite double-headed eagle." Hey, cool, indeed!

"This is a great opening, John,"  I said, "if they can make it work. But they should be golden eagles, not bald eagles. The symbol is European."

"Anything else?" the long-suffering editor inquired.

Actually, there wasn't much. With considerable guidance, someone at the production company who was not a Mason had prepared the script, so there were a few errors to be fixed and a few sentences to be reworked, but basically the script was accurate and exciting as it stood. There were enough different shots of many kinds, interspersed with computer animations, to keep it lively. This was not going to be, in any sense, a "talking head" show. So I have been waiting to see the finished product. It was well worth waiting for.

This video isn't about the Scottish Rite. It's the Scottish Rite's gift to Masonry in general. It isn't an "ego piece." It doesn't focus on Masonic leaders. Rather it focuses on the Fraternity and its contributions, both historically and today, to American life and culture.

You really need to own this video (and at $10.00, no one can complain about the cost). But I'd suggest you buy two. Keep one yourself and give one to your Lodge or keep it to loan to friends. This is a great video to show at a Friend's Night. If you have a friend you always wanted to get into the Fraternity, but you weren't sure how to start the conversation (and which of us doesn't have such friends?), this is a natural. Lend him the tape. Better still, go to his house and watch it with him and his family. Then just answer his questions and hand him a petition.

The tape shows many famous Masons, from America's Founding Fathers to today's business, political, military, scientific, and cultural leaders. But it is far more than that. Using some clever computer graphics, it "builds" the structure of Masonry in the world today, showing our involvement in the community, in charity, in family, in individual growth and development, and in fraternalism. Ladies are shown, explaining why they are glad their husbands are Masons. Honesty and integrity are stressed, but Masonry is not given an unrealistic "goody-goody" image. The video tells it as it is.

This tape will make you feel even more proud to be a Mason—proud of the accomplishments of our Brethren in the past and proud of the work we are doing today to assure the future. It can be an eye-opener to realize just how extensive that area is.
In a day when more and more Lodges have put paper tablecloths on the banquet tables and are using plastic flatware because it's easier and cheaper, it is a joy to see something like this videotape where quality is clearly more important than cost and were integrity won over expediency. This tape is GOOD. It's a message for today using today's media.

To order "Architects of Freedom" (22:30 running time), please send a check for $10.00 (s/h included) payable to The Supreme Council to: The Supreme Council, 1733 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20009–3103. VISA and MasterCard orders are accepted. When writing or calling (202–232–3579), please give credit card number and expiration date.

Jim Tresner  is Director of the Masonic Leadership Institute and Editor of The Oklahoma Mason. A frequent contributor to the Scottish Rite Journal and its book review editor, Illustrious Brother Tresner is also a volunteer writer for The Oklahoma Scottish Rite Mason and a video script consultant for the National Masonic Renewal Committee. He is the Director of the Thirty-third Degree Conferral Team and Director of Work at the Guthrie Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie, Oklahoma, as well as a life member of the Scottish Rite Research Society, author of the popular anecdotal biography Albert Pike, The Man Beyond the Monument, and a member of the steering committee of the Masonic Information Center. Ill. Tresner was awarded the Grand Cross, the Scottish Rite's highest honor, during the Supreme Council's October 1997 Biennial Session.