Scottie Pippen and the "Illuminati's Favorite Number"

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Steven L. Harrison, PM, FMLR

      Most people, even non-basketball fans, remember NBA standout Scottie Pippen and his instrumental role, along with Michael Jordan, in leading the Chicago Bulls to six National Basketball Association titles.  In addition to the 6 titles (1991-1993 and 1996-1998)  Pippen was a seven-time NBA all-star and in 1994, won the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player award.  In 1995, he led the NBA in steals and was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.  After a stellar career, he is one of only four Chicago Bulls players who has had his number retired.

      And it is that number that has led to a bit of controversy.  Scottie Pippen is one of the country's highest profile Prince Hall Masons and his number as a player was 33.  This fact has drawn the attention of conspiracy theorists who claim he insisted on that number because of his membership.   Thirty-three, after all, is "the Illuminati's favorite number."

      Over the years conspiracy groups have speculated that Brother Pippen's membership has been behind some of the things he has done.  Most recently, Pippen suggested LeBron James, who is not a Freemason, might be the greatest NBA player ever.  Accusations claimed he did this because James had flashed "Masonic signs" prior to one of the playoff games when he made hand gestures, not resembling anything Masonic, after the playing of the National Anthem.

      The simple fact is Brother Pippin's number has nothing to do with the fact he is a Freemason.  He also wore the number 33 in college, before he ever joined the fraternity.

~SLH

Steve Harrison, 32° KCCH, is a Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri.  He is the editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Senior Warden.  He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and is a member of the DeMolay Legion of Honor

A West Coast Raising

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Robert Johnson 32° 

Bro. Lewis was Raised to the Sublime Degree of Master
Mason on July 9. Pictured above are the officers,
members and visitors with Bro. Lewis.

      It was a big secret, not to the world, but for just one person. In this age of Facebook, checking in at locations, and sharing photographs, I couldn't do any of these things because if I had the person I was trying to surprise may have seen any of the updates. This was really hard for me, I'm a digital guy, I embrace the ability to share what I'm doing with my friends, brothers and family.

      So there I was flying at 36,041 feet, writing this blog entry. The reason for the flight and the surprise? Well, a good friends of mine, who listens to my podcast, had become a Freemason, and he was about to get is third degree. Every Freemason knows this is a big deal. Sure the coronation of a 32nd degree AASR, or the Holy Royal Arch or even the Knight Templar degrees are big, but the Master Mason degree is THE degree. 

Worshipful Master
André D. Harrell, P.M., with Bro. Lewis.

      I had alluded at some point that I might be able to come out for his 3rd degree, but as time got closer, I was more elusive about it when he would ask. I didn't do this to be a jerk, I did it to surprise him. In today's culture, what weight does a mans word have? How important is it that friends (who are Brothers), lodge officers and members actually attend the lodge for a Brother's raising? My answer? It is of the most importance. What example do we set when we do not visit? A Master is to travel in foreign countries, work and receive those Masters wages. 

      When I started planing this trip, I hesitated about going, and for what reason? My wife, said "What would you do if you were home?". The answer was nothing unusual. You know that saying "Life begins a little outside your comfort zone."? Well, not that I was uncomfortable visiting another lodge, after all, I had done this many times, but I hadn't gone this far. This trip is kind of a personal reminder to how long the cable tow is. In the age of electronic communication, we need to reevaluate how long it is. In my case it was about 2,000 miles.

A good friend and brother of Bro. Lewis, Robert Johnson
(left), Junior Warden of Waukegan Lodge #78,
Waukegan, Illinois, made a surprise visit to
attend Bro. Lewis’s raising.

     Who was this Brother? Well perhaps you listened to an interview with Todd E. Creason on the Far From Centered Podcast hosted by Brother Robert P. Lewis. It was in fact Robert P. Lewis' 3rd degree. When Rob Lewis walked into the dining room at the L.A. Masonic Center I heard a familiar chuckle as he walked up behind me and greeted me.  It was a great moment. 

      Energy was so positive, the Brothers were so friendly and they made me feel like I was part of the family. I can't thank the Brothers of L.A. Lodge 42 enough, including the Worshipful Master Bro. Andre` Harrell. The night of course hit its high point when Bro. Robert Lewis was Raised. The whole lodge was proud. Afterword we all went out for a sandwich at Izzy's, a deli in Santa Monica which was 24 hours.

      The table was filled with smiles, good conversation, Masonry and good will. I reflected for a moment while siting there in front of my "Super Hamburger" on what this trip really did. It set an example for younger Brothers, and it helped me understand a great deal more about a Masters ability to travel and visit other Lodges. This trip was just amazing. I thank everyone who was involved. 

~RHJ

Bro. Robert Johnson, 32° is the editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog.  He is a Freemason out of the First North-East District of Illinois. He belongs to Waukegan Lodge No. 78. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies Royal Arch, Cryptic Council and Knights Templar, and a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago.  Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts a weekly Podcast (internet radio program) Whence Came You? which focuses on topics relating to Freemasonry. In addition, he produces video shorts focusing on driving interest in the Fraternity and writes original Masonic papers from time to time. He is a husband and father of three. He works full time in the safety industry and is also a photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is also working on two books, one is of a Masonic nature.

      

For Every Boy Who's On The Level...

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Steven L. Harrison, PM, FLMR

      

I found myself wandering through an antique shop in Creve Coeur, Missouri a while back with my wife Carolyn.  It's not my favorite thing to do but... not a problem, since she was having enough fun for both of us.  My mind was about to implode when I suddenly saw something that set me back a bit.  It was a somewhat nondescript piece of sheet music featuring a drawing of a young woman on its cover.  That's standard enough, but it was the title of the song that struck me: "For Every Boy Who's On The Level There's A Girl Who's On The Square."

"You've got to be kidding me," I thought.

      Closer inspection confirmed the title.  It turns out this was a popular song in the 1920s, with lyrics and music by Harry Pease, Edward G. Nelson and Gilbert Dodge.  I happen to be one of those guys who does believe in coincidences but, face it, one or all of those guys was a Freemason.  None of them have a listing in Denslow's 10,000 Famous Freemasons, however, and I can't otherwise confirm any link to the fraternity.  

      Edward G. Nelson (1885-1969) was an early 20^th century songwriter with credits in several movies and television shows, most recently a rendition of his composition "Pretty Kitty Kelly" in a 2010 episode of HBO's Boardwalk Empire.  Dodge was also a composer of the same period who primarily worked with Nelson. Pease was the Lyricist in the group.

The words don't have much to do with Freemasonry:

I was a pal to my daddy, and Dad was a pal to me.
This is the story he told me one day,
And it lingers through my memory.

(Refrain) For every boy who's on the level,
There's a girl who's just the same.
When you gamble with a heart
Remember from the start,
It always pays to play an honest game.
Everyone was meant for someone,
And they'll meet that someone sometime, somewhere.
For every boy who's on the level,
There's a girl who's on the square.

Each one was meant to be happy
To have and to hold and to love
Follow the straight road and keep to the right
And abide in our Maker above. 

(Ending) Dear old girl, of loving things above you,
Dear old girl, It speaks of how I love you.

      Perhaps the song's title speaks to a greater prevalence of Masonry in society in the 1920s than today.  It may be that people in general back then would recognize its Masonic connection, or maybe it reflects the fact that Masons of the era comprised a larger percentage of the population.  Today, the song's title would probably only have significance to our Brothers.  I have a feeling the origin of the terms "on the level" and "on the square" was more familiar to people nearly a century ago than today.  Perhaps a century or so from now, people looking back at our time will have lost the connections in our cultural references to Star Wars, James Bond and countless Internet memes in the same manner.

      A recording of the song as released in 1921 is available on the YouTube website at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcScgDqzMAQ — or just search for "For every boy who's on the level."  Sung by Victor Herbert and the Harmonizers Quartet, it is, by our musical standards of today, a listening experience for only the most adventurous among us.

~SLH

Steve Harrison, 32° KCCH, is a Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri.  He is the editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Senior Warden.  He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and is a member of the DeMolay Legion of Honor.

Masonry in the Digital Age

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Jeremy Bennett 32°

     Technology is a beautiful thing.  Especially in the 21^st century world of Masonry.  When my Grandfather died in December 2011, my Masonic journey began.  He was a 32⁰ Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in the Scottish Rite, but you would never know by looking or talking to him.  He stopped attending lodge years ago and sold all of his jewelry.  The only way I knew him to be a Mason was stories from my Grandmother.  Then he passed away and several Brothers from the local lodge came to his funeral to show their last respects. The wheels of curiosity were set in motion that day, but the journey didn’t really begin until I started coaching my son’s ball team that summer.  A fellow coach was Senior Warden of what is now my home lodge and he was able to get me a petition and submit it for me at the next business meeting.

      That is where technology came into play. Since my Grandfather never talked about the lodge experience I had only a small clue of what being a Freemason really meant.  My local lodge has a website and on that website there are links to the Grand Lodge and many other resources that I soon found very useful.  The Grand Lodge has a list of recommended reading.  Brother Hodapp’s book “Freemasons for Dummies” seemed like a fitting title since I was totally ignorant on the subject. I was able to research the book, order it from Amazon and read it before my initiation. This type of research has proven to be very beneficial during my Masonic journey, also very enlightening.  Facebook is a treasure trove of Masonic links, book recommendations, blogs, and podcasts.  I have also found Masonic libraries, research societies, and service organizations.

      There is a new generation of men that are taking to Freemasonry. A generation of men who are finding Masonry, not from their fathers, but from the word of mouth of friends and the imagery of movies and other pop culture references.  Whether we are called “Generation X”, “Generation Y” or “Millennial”, we all have one thing in common; we grew up with computers, and we are very good at using them. How wonderful it is to know that for every ignorant conspiracy nut, there is an avalanche of legitimate masonic research and resources out there to show the true light. We are working to build better communities by building better men and in the 21^st century we have some new working tools to aid us in our labor.

~JB

Bro. Jeremy Bennett, 32, is a Member of Tuscola Lodge #332, the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, and the Illini High Twelve No 768 in Champaign-Urbana (IL). He is a husband and father of two. He is very active in the Villa Grove children's  summer rec. program, where he and his wife live, and he is a full time Account Representative for Ricoh USA.