News from the House of the Temple
Joan K. Sansbury, Librarian/Curator
of the Supreme Council, welcomes visitors to the
new Gift Center, located just off the Atrium of the
House of the Temple. The Gift Center offers an appealing
display of many Masonic and Scottish Rite books,
souvenirs, jewelry,
apparel, and other items. Photo: Elizabeth
A. Williams, The Scottish Rite Journal
The staff at the House of the Temple in Washington,
D.C., is, per the general direction of Sovereign
Grand Commander
Seale, striving to make your visit to our jurisdictional
headquarters even more enjoyable and convenient.
Starting on Saturday, November 6, 2004, the building
will be open to visitors for tours and to scholars
for study in the Supreme Council Library. The
normal daily
hours of the House of the Temple (1733 16th
Street, NW, 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM weekdays) have been expanded
to the
first Saturday of every month from 8:00 AM
to
2:00 PM.
Also, the Supreme Council has opened a new
Gift Center. Carried to completion by Joan
K. Sansbury,
Librarian/Curator
of the Supreme Council, the new area, located
just off the Atrium of the Temple, offers
an appealing
display of many Masonic and Scottish Rite
books, souvenirs,
jewelry,
apparel, and other items. A complete listing
of all articles available from the Supreme
Council may be
obtained from
our online store at www.srmason-sj.org/acatalog.
Finally, the staff of Brethren who act as tour guides
has been complemented by the addition of several interns,
local college students who also greet visitors and conduct
tours of the House of the Temple. These interns are available
whenever the Temple is open, including the new first-Saturday-of-the-month
hours. Fall 2004 interns include Katie Barrios, GWU Business
major from Louisiana; Steve Boms, AU International Relations
major from New York; Julie Brennan, GWU graduate student
in History from California; Maria Kalinina, GWU International
Business major from Maryland; Kristin Loke, GWU American
Studies major from Pennsylvania; Toni McCourt, GWU graduate
student in Museum Studies from West Virginia; Graeme
Rudd, GWU History major from Connecticut; Stephanie Ramsay,
AU International Studies major from Alabama; and Ali
Rizwan, GWU Business Administration major from Maryland.
Heather K. Calloway, Coordinator
of Library and Museum Services and also Director
of the Intern
Program at the
Supreme Council, is pictured second from right above
with three interns (from left to right) : Steve Boms,
American University, International
Relations;
Stephanie Ramsay, American University, International
Politics; Heather K. Calloway; and Maria Kalinina, George
Washington University, Bachelor of Business Administration. Photo:
Elizabeth A. Williams, The Scottish Rite Journal
Library Catalog Now Online
The catalog of the Library of the Supreme
Council, 33°,
is now online and accessible throughout the world. Check
it out at http://66.105.134.171/uhtbin/cgisirsi.exe/x/0/49.
The catalog is provided by Sirsi, a leader in library
technology. Sirsi serves more than 10,000 individual
libraries of all types and sizes around the world—academic,
consortia, corporate, government, public, school, and
special libraries. These include everything from large
urban public libraries and world-renowned research libraries
with hundreds of thousands or even millions of users
to small city, college, government, and corporate libraries
serving many users.
The new online catalog provides our Library with a
fast, efficient way to manage holdings and serve both
walk-in
and remote users. Through the iLink Electronic Library,
patrons have fast, continuous access to resources, plus
everything available electronically. Fully integrated
software suites enable library staff to manage resources
more efficiently, and the catalog provides users with
easy access to the wealth of information available electronically.
Using a single interface, users worldwide can search
the Supreme Council holdings, view enriched content linked
directly to bibliographic records, connect to other libraries,
conduct Z39.50 broadcast searches, view library-caliber
Websites and bestseller lists, and set up a personal
account to be notified when the Supreme Council’s
Library acquires materials of interest to them.
While the catalog serves our patrons, it also provides
the Library personnel with a useful staff interface and
a single graphical client that spans all areas of library
operations. Icons guide users step-by-step through each
task, and “wizards,” which are digital prompts,
eliminate unnecessary steps and provide convenient access
to related tasks. Help messages also guide the user and
provide access to related tasks. Individual librarians
actually can reengineer how they operate with this new
user/workflow-driven system to their personal tastes.
Searching the catalog provides users two easy options.
The opening page has a simple search, where users look
up records by searching fields including keywords, author,
title, subject, series, or periodical title. An advanced
search feature called “power search” can
be accessed, where the user can enter further details
which will narrow the search and provide more specific
results.
This new capability for the Supreme Council’s
Library is part of the ongoing program to enhance every
aspect
of the Library and extend its services to readers everywhere,
especially those who cannot personally visit the Library
in the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C.
Examples of a search in the new online Library catalog
look like this:
Back to top
National Treasure
National Treasure is the name of a new movie to be released
on November 19, 2004. It stars Nicolas Cage and is a
Touchtone/Jerry Bruckheimer film. The exact plot
is not known, but it appears to involve what is described as a “national
treasure” hidden by some of the Founding Fathers in the late 1700s. From
the trailer of the film and, based on information taken from the movie’s
Website, it would appear that George Washington and Benjamin Franklin are the
primary individuals responsible for concealing the so-called “national
treasure.” The movie involves Freemasons and the Knights Templar, and many
Masonic symbols will be seen. The Website where the trailer can be viewed is
http://nationaltreasure.movies.go.com/main.html
If you visit this site, you will see, in addition to the “trailer,” several
interesting “click-on” segments that talk about Freemasonry, the
Knights Templar, various Masonic symbols, and a brief biography of George Washington
and Benjamin Franklin. The facts are not always accurate, but nothing, in any
of the material shown, could be considered anti-Masonic.
The Eye in the Pyramid is shown on the poster advertising
the movie. This is an inaccurate portrayal in that it
claims the Eye in the Pyramid or “All-Seeing
Eye” is a Masonic symbol. Several years ago the Masonic Information Center
published a Short Talk Bulletin titled The Eye in the Pyramid by Dr. S. Brent
Morris, 33°, Grand Cross, who is now the Director of Membership Development
for the Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A. The article
by Dr. Morris traces the history of the Great Seal of the United States and
the
lack of any possible Masonic connection. This Short Talk Bulletin is still
available and also has been posted on the Website of the Masonic Service Association
of
North America (www.msana.com). The homepage of the Supreme Council, S.J., (www.srmason-sj.org)
also has a link to the article.
The Masonic Information Center will continue to monitor
this movie and will be ready with an appropriate response
should one become necessary.
The above text, edited for presentation as part of
this Internet news segment, is republished with permission
from Focus (Sept. 2004), the Masonic Information
Center’s monthly publication, a communication of the Masonic Service Association
of North America.
Back to top
Smithsonian
Tour Visits House of the Temple
Photo: Maxwell MacKenzie, Washington, D.C.
In noting a “Spectacular Temples of Freemasonry” tour,
a recent Smithsonian publication and a Smithsonian Web
site www.ResidentAssociates.org have
featured the above image of the House of the Temple,
the national headquarters
of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, S.J., in Washington,
D.C. The tour is being coordinated by Ill. Bros. Akram
R. Elias, founder of Capital Communications Group, Inc.,
a firm that works closely with the U.S. Department of
State in the area of public diplomacy, and Gary T. Scott,
33°, Historian, Department of Interior, National
Park Service, National Capital Region. This Smithsonian
tour is only one of many ways Grand Commander Ronald
A. Seale, 33°, is opening the House of the Temple
to the general public. As part of a general Masonic public
awareness program, the Grand Commander believes a significant
mission of every Scottish Rite Center across the Southern
Jurisdiction is to be open and of service to its community.
The following paragraphs are quoted from the Smithsonian’s
guide Study Tours, Oct 9-Nov 20.
“
Freemasonry, the world’s oldest fraternal organization,
is also one of the oldest organizations in the city of
Washington, where Masons participated in the laying of
cornerstones of the White House and the U.S. Capitol.
Imposing temples throughout the city testify to the role
the fraternity played in our nation’s past and
to the rich palette of Masonic symbolism.
Snapshot of Ill. Akram R. Elias, 33°, addressing
the first Smithsonian tour group, which visited the House
of the Temple on October 9, 2004. A second Smithsonian
tour will visit the Temple on November 20, 2004. Photo:
Ill. Gary T. Scott, 33°
“
Gary Scott, Past Master and 33rd Degree Scottish Rite
Mason, leads this tour that includes some of the area’s
most significant architectural treasures. Other distinguished
Masons join the group during the day.
“
The morning tour includes the headquarters of the Scottish
Rite, an architectural masterpiece by John Russell Pope,
and the Perry Belmont House, an intact Newport-style
mansion that is the home of the International Order of
the Eastern Star. Lunch is served in historic Gadsby’s
Tavern in Alexandria, associated with George Washington,
who was a Mason.
“ After lunch, tour the George Washington
Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia, and visit the
upper museum rooms
detailing each of the branches of Freemasonry. Finally,
travel to the historic Naval Lodge and admire its richly
decorated walls.”
Code: 1ND-A04 (Oct. 9 tour)
Code: 1ND-BO4 (Nov. 20 tour)
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. by bus
Resident Members $87; General Admission $116
Back to top
Neighborhood Masonry Revisited
Dr.
William H. “Bill” Wood, 33°
It has been two years since a group of Jacksonville,
Florida, Masons boarded a motor home for a trip to
Fernandina Beach
to attend Amelia Lodge’s famous Civil War Degree
at Fort Clinch. Perhaps you will remember the report that
several aboard the RV were surprised to learn that their
close neighbors were fellow Freemasons. This prompted an
invitation to attend a reception that would acquaint neighbors
with fellow Masons. An article, “Neighborhood Masonry,” relevant
to the meeting was published in the Scottish Rite Journal (May
2003).
The author of the above article worked out the details
for a “Neighborhood Masonry” buffet luncheon
at the Florida Yacht Club of Jacksonville, Florida, and
a number of his Masonic friends kicked in to share in the
meeting’s expenses.
Invitations were sent to 106 friends known to be Masons
in the local residential neighborhood, and 68 showed up!
Photographs were taken, applications for the Degrees of
the Scottish and York Rites were distributed, and reinstatement
forms for those fellows who had dropped out of the Fraternity
were made available. The smiles, laughs, handshakes, reminiscences,
and bear hugs of the afternoon were priceless. The gathering
was so successful that it was voted to have a similar function
the next year.
So, in March of 2004, 75 brothers were in attendance
from an invitation list that had grown to 139. Photographs
taken
the previous year were displayed. This time, a small charge
to cover the expenses was solicited so that the financial
burden would not fall to only a few.
So, what were the results of these two assemblages?
First, let’s look frankly at the negatives. It was disappointing
that, to the author’s knowledge, other Masons have
not taken the initiative to sponsor similar gatherings
for their respective neighborhoods. Secondly, the indifference
of many who did not respond to the invitation was frustrating.
Additionally, there seemed to be little interest in perpetuating
our Order by encouraging qualified men to seek membership.
This, even though approximately one-third of those invited
have sons who have never joined.
But let’s look at the positive, bright side of
the equation. These two functions enabled many friends
to become
better friends. There is a bond of trust and respect established
when a Mason knows his neighbor is a fellow Craftsman.
The Square and Compasses emblem on a ring can be as binding
as a signature on a business contract. Another benefit
resulting from these receptions is that several in attendance
picked up applications for the Scottish and York Rites
and Shrine.
It remains to be seen whether these “Neighborhood
Masonry” receptions will be continued in Jacksonville
and replicated throughout the Southern Jurisdiction. Yet,
after all, every great movement has to begin by small steps,
so I and many of my fellow Jacksonville Brothers are still
hopeful. Some in attendance, for instance, heartily favored
an annual affair. Functions of this type do require time,
effort, and some expense, but the benefits and advantages
far outweigh the negatives. Although our ranks are dwindling,
there are hundreds on our rolls who possess leadership
capabilities. I hope they welcome the challenge and make
arrangements to host Masonic unity occasions in their neighborhoods.
For more information, please contact the author of
this article at: docwoodroj90@aol.com
William H. Wood holds a B.S. Degree
from Jacksonville University and an O.D. Degree from
Southern College of
Optometry. Bro. Wood headed a professional Optometric
practice in Jacksonville until retirement in 1991. He
married his Methodist minister's daughter in 1945, and
they have two daughters, whose husbands are Scottish
Rite Masons, and one son, John H. Wood, who is also a
32°, K.C.C.H., Scottish Rite Mason. Bro. Wood is
a member of Arlington Lodge No. 309, Jacksonville, Florida;
Scottish Rite Bodies of Jacksonville (32° 1957, K.C.C.H.
1980, active in the 4° and 21°); Royal Order
of Jesters Court No. 90, Director in 1971 and currently
Emeritus Representative; Morocco Shrine Center, Potentate
in 1981 and currently Emeritus Representative.
Back to top
