The Last Chance Halloween

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Steven L. Harrison, PM, FMLR

I figured I'd better get upstairs.  I didn't want to go to the séance... yes, the séance... and after that the top three floors would be closed — forever.  I'd worked in the building three years and never been up there.  This was my last chance.  With no working elevators, I hoofed it up the stairs and emerged in a dark fourth-floor hallway of the doomed building.  My eyes adjusted and I slowly made my way to the rooms in the northwest corner.  I opened the door and entered the fabled room.  There were no drapes covering the windows and the bright light nearly blinded me.  The room was stark and dirty.  To my left was a broken wheelchair.  A sink jutted out from the far wall.  Its basin was stained and dusty.  Beneath it was a wastebasket — full.  A bed frame with an old mattress was over by the window.  All told, the room was disappointing.  It just didn't seem... well... as auspicious as it should have, given what had happened there many, many years ago on Halloween.

Halloween and Freemasonry: There are probably many tie-ins what with all the costumes worn in degree work, skulls and other symbols; and that's before the conspiracy theorists weigh in.  Occasionally, though, the pairing of the mysterious holiday and Freemasonry brings to mind images of Harry Houdini, a life member of St. Cecile Lodge 568, New York City.

A man of mystery, you could almost say Brother Harry lived Halloween 24/7.  Aside from being, arguably, the world's greatest magician and escape artist, Houdini maintained an abiding interest in the paranormal.  He did not, however deceitfully promote it as he felt many did.  He despised fraudulent seers and mediums and worked tirelessly to expose their chicanery. He felt everything he couldn't expose as being fake must be real.

He made many attempts to communicate with his mother after she died, but found no evidence of contact.  Still, feeling communication with "the other side" was possible, he made a pact with his wife Bessie that the first to die would attempt to contact the other through a coded message.  No one knows what the full message was, but part of the pact was that Houdini would open a pair of silver handcuffs they owned.  Bessie never received any communication from Houdini after his death, but hundreds of psychics claimed they did.  

On Halloween 1936, the 10th anniversary of his death, she held a final séance in which he failed to appear.  After that, Bess declared the search over and said she believed he could not come back, "It is finished."  Two years later she created a firestorm in the world of spiritualists when, playing herself in the film Religious Racketeer, she said she did not believe communication with the dead was possible.

During his life the great Houdini did everything he could to separate the fake aspects of spiritualism from what he thought might be real.  Shortly before his death he testified before congress against spiritualists and fortune tellers licensed to practice in Washington, DC.  So adamant was he that they were charlatans, the hearing broke out in a shouting match and some of the spectators tried to attack Houdini.

On the other hand, still believing there was something to communication with the spiritual world, he worked with Thomas Edison in an attempt to develop a "delicate psychic detecting instrument."  The object of the "ghost machine," as it was called, was to be so sensitive it could detect the presence or touch of an ethereal being from another world.  There is no evidence the machine was ever built.

On October 26, 1926, Houdini received a painful blow to the stomach in a demonstration at McGill University in Montreal.  Contrary to popular opinion, most medical experts believe the blow was unrelated to the appendicitis attack that followed; however, Houdini failed to get treatment thinking the pain in his stomach was due to the punch to his abdomen.  After his appearance in Montreal, he traveled to Detroit where he collapsed at the end of a performance.  Five days later, on Halloween, Harry Houdini died.

I was standing in a nondescript empty room on the fourth floor of old Grace Hospital in Detroit.  The building, once considered progressive and modern, had deteriorated to the point that it would be torn down in a few months.  I ran the Information Technology department downstairs and once my group moved out, the wrecking ball would move in.  I soaked it all in.  Somehow it just didn't seem that special, but shortly several people and the news media — this year including Time Magazine — would gather there as they had done for years on Halloween.  

This wasn't just any room.  This was the very place where, on October 31, 1926, Brother Harry Houdini died.  I took a final look and turned to leave.  As I walked away, people filed past me to enter the room for Houdini's last séance.

Houdini, as had been the case on every Halloween in Grace Hospital since he died, did not show up.

~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.

Masonic Correction

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley

I started wearing tweed jackets when I was sixteen years old. I own and wear three-piece suits, a vintage pocket watch, and a gold watch chain. I tie my own bow ties, and have enough sweater vests that my wife rolls her eyes when I buy another one. I was delighted to be asked to join the Rose Croix line in the Valley of Danville, AASR-NMJ, because I love the 17^th and 18^th Degrees, and I count the other Rose Croix officers, both past and present, among my closest friends, but my first reaction was the thrill of having an excuse to buy a tuxedo. I usually wear a lodge polo shirt and khakis to my home lodge for stated meetings (we’re fairly informal), but I normally wear a jacket and tie otherwise. And should the powers that be in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite ever lower their standards enough to grace me with the 33^rd and Last Degree, I’ll gladly accept it, giddy in the knowledge that I’ll be able to wear white tie and tails before I die. Suffice it to say, I don’t normally underdress for things.

The photo in question.

So you might think I’d be curmudgeonly in my response to the meme that’s floating around the internet that features Fellowcrafts and Master Masons in their aprons and in casual dress down to ripped jeans and t-shirts, with “STANDARDS” in bold letters below them. It’s elicited a bunch of comments on the Freemasons for Dummies blog, some of it cautionary, much of it condemning.  I can sympathize. I like dressing well, and I like being in the company of other well-dressed people. If ever I were to have a “get off my lawn” moment, surely it would be in response to that picture. But I’m not. I’m actually more upset at the tone taken by some of my well-meaning Brethren. Yes, I get it that having high standards matters. Yes, I understand that we’re a fraternity of gentlemen. Yes, I’m delighted that there are lodges that wear tuxedos at all degrees, and I hope to take part in one someday. But I would be grateful if a word of correction would be given by whispering in a Brother’s ear, rather than by making his “transgression” go viral. 

Recently, I participated in two degrees where the candidate expressly dressed as he would for church: in once case, it was in a suit; in the other, it was shorts and a t-shirt. In neither case did it reflect the standards of the man wearing it; it represented how he interpreted our instructions based on his own experience. “But it’s common sense to dress up for church (or lodge)!” people cry. No, it’s not.  When people talk about common sense, they usually mean the way they themselves think based on their understanding of the world, which is in turn based on their experience. When we tell other people to use their common sense, we generally either think they have the same experience we do, and therefore don't need to do any research, or we haven't looked at the problem closely enough to realize that it actually requires research. When we say, in response to some disastrous decision, “but it should have been common sense” to do something different, we’re just holding ourselves out as being superior. Which isn’t common sense at all. 

In this photo, Justin Bieber is not properly 

attired for a stated meeting: 

he's not wearing an apron.

Now, do we want our Brethren to hold themselves to a high standard of behavior, dress, and morality? Yes, we do. Would I whisper council in a Brother’s ear if he showed up for a degree dressed in torn jeans and a t-shirt? Sure. I’d tell a candidate who showed up dressed that way that he should set the standard of his appearance for his next degree by what he observed around the lodge. And, taking an example from a comment by Brother Chris Hodapp, I would ask a Brother who showed up for a funeral dressed in jeans and a t-shirt to please change clothes or not participate. But correction can easily be perceived as coming from a place of assumed moral superiority and self-importance. I am required by my obligation to assume my Brothers’ best intentions, but expressing myself in a condemning tone is a good way to prevent him from assuming mine. Holding up Fellowcrafts to public correction on the Web isn’t assuming their best intentions, and doesn’t attempt to understand the culture of their lodge. 

And culture really matters. There’s a very active and successful lodge in my jurisdiction that had an air conditioning failure during a heat wave. They didn’t cancel their stated meeting, but had a luau lodge, with Hawaiian shirts, shorts, and flip-flops the dress for the evening. I don’t know if they used leis as chains of office, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Had a picture of that night been sent out, I imagine the comments would have gotten heated, but the Brethren who were there still talk about what a wonderful night of Brotherhood it was.  I don’t know the culture of the lodge in the picture, but I’d be happy to visit, and I’ll call ahead to find out what the standard of dress is. I’d rather do a little research than relying on my common sense.

So I’ll keep wearing what I wear, enjoying the many opportunities Masonry offers to dress well. And I love my tuxedo, but it isn’t my first. Years ago, when I was thinner, much younger, and still had hair, my father bought a new tuxedo for his 25^th college reunion, and gave me his old one: a 1953 Brooks Brothers beauty. I tried it on, looked in the mirror, and was feeling just a bit special. Much smitten with my appearance, I asked my grandmother, who had been raised in very posh circumstances, how I looked. She flicked the ash off her cigarette, leaned back in her wheelchair, and said, “why, you look like a waiter.” Her experience was different than mine, after all.

A link to the original article from Bro. Chris Hodapp is HERE

~MHS

R. W. B. Michael H. Shirley is Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master for the Eastern Area for the Grand Lodge of Illinois A.F. & A.M, as well as a Certified Lodge Instructor and Leadership Development Chairman for the Grand Lodge of Illinois. A Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332, a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua Wisconsin and he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. The author of several articles on British history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.

Explaining The Explanatory

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

L. Scott Niccum 33°

The very first lecture of the 1st Degree that a new Mason hears is called the Explanatory. Very simply, it is supposed to give explanations to why he went through what he did during his Degree.

It has been almost 2 years since I received my 33rd Degree for Scottish Rite and as is custom in our area one of my Lodges had a reception for me. I kinda’ broke tradition and had a roast,-- yeah, anyone who knows me knows I really go against the grain on a lot of things. My thought process about a “roast” was that I love to have fun and it would be a great event, second as I told Steve Bell “The Worm runs his mouth at a lot of guys, here’s a chance for them to zing me back.”

That night it was said I was a Mason before being brought to light. And I truly believe it was because of the lessons I learned growing up.

The last time I was reviewing for an upcoming 1st Degree that I would be helping with, I really looked closely at the ritual and saw many instances which reminded me of my Father Larry Niccum and Father-In-Law Robert Westover.

The first part makes reference to getting ready for the ceremony. It begins with removing all metal so  othing offensive or defensive can brought into the Lodge. No, it doesn’t mean we as a Fraternity are concerned about a shootout, but it is to help the candidate drop the defensive thoughts and nervousness he has and to help keep his mind open to what he will experience.

My father who was a lineman for the local power company for many years (30+), was the guy you saw hanging onto a power pole in a blizzard and got your electricity going again. I remember many times he would mention that when a new procedure was implemented, his job function as foreman was to educate his crew. More times than not he would be concerned with something new because of his philosophy “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. But when he would go to training, he would walk in with a true open mind. I remember those times when I was young, when he reminded me to keep an open mind in conversations. One quote he had was “If you want people to respect your opinion you need to respect theirs even if you don’t agree. If you want to talk your points, and you want them to listen then you need to listen too.” It’s ok to disagree but in the end we need to remember we are Brothers

Next, is a reference to a particular garment for the ceremony. As a Fraternity we as Freemasons don’t consider a person for their net income or portfolio but rather the character of their heart. One thing Dad loved to do was have his morning coffee. He worked like clockwork, 5:30 at the Arcade Café and on the weekend it was 6:00. Every now and then I got to go with and I felt like a hot shot sitting at the table with his buddies. 

It was my job to flip the top of the carafe when it was empty. I used to drink my chocolate milk in a coffee cup (a prelude of things to come as Todd Creason would say). What a time, listening to his friends talk about work, farming and the school football team etc. He’d also tell me info about everyone who walked the streets. It was a small town, everyone knew everyone. One morning an older guy came in kinda’ dirty and weird and sat down by himself. At that particular moment the table was razzing each other and trying to fit in and caught up in the moment I made a comment about “The creepy guy at the end of the counter…” Everyone at the table laughed except dad, I didn’t know why. 

Later next week my mother told me I had to do something after school for a friend of theirs. I got home from school and she took me to a house and said they would bring me home. I knocked on the door and it was the “Creepy weird old guy”. I remember I wanted to run but mom had left and he called me by name and smiled so warmly and invited me in. He led me to the kitchen where there were several paper plates wrapped in foil on his table. He asked me to put them in boxes for him and carry them to the car outside. I noticed as I was packing them, that there were names on the foil. After the car was loaded we left and took the plates to three older ladies he knew, we brought them in, he visited with each for a short time and we left for another. When we were done, he took me home and said how much he appreciated the help and I was “Such a nice young man, Larry must be very proud”. I went in, Dad was home and we had supper. During supper, I asked him why he made me do that. His response “The creepy old guy you made fun of is a WW1 vet and that food you delivered was for the wives of his buddies in his group who had passed away, they all promised to take care of each others families if anything happened. He’s fulfilling a promise”. This was before there was such a thing as Meals On Wheels. 

In my hometown, this same lesson which I remember to this day is the reason when I took communion to homebound church members I would make it a point to spend a chunk of time with them and visit to let them know that they are not forgotten. This “creepy old man”, who I had so quickly labeled had a heart of gold and integrity to match, Dad just had to remind me things are not always what they seem. Look at the whole picture and the whole person. Through the years he would tell me, “If you can get past this (whatever it was), this person is a really good person because of this or that“. I think we all need to be reminded daily to look past outward things and look at the heart of person before we make a decision. As Masons we say “the strength of our character and our heart is what defines us.” Dad taught me a hard lesson, what happens when we judge too quick. I still learn from that to this day. Thanks Dad for that lesson.


~LSN

L. Scott Niccum, 33° is a member and Past Master of Greenup Lodge No. 125 (IL) and a plural member of Hutton Lodge No. 698 (IL). He is a member of the Valley of Danville, and is Past Thrice Potent Master of the Danville Lodge of Perfection. He also serves as the Eastern Illinois Area Coordinator for the IL CHIP Program for the Grand Lodge of Illinois A. F. & A. M. and is the Traveling Degrees Chairman for the Valley of Danville. Scott and his wife Marie live in Charleston, Illinois.

...And Cast No Shadow.

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Robert Johnson 32°

Presented to Waukegan Lodge 78 on August 19th 2013 for Lodge Education

What is light? Of course we may think of it in the basic way, illuminations making things visible so that we may traverse lands, read and see the things around us, things that are necessary and some things which are just captivating, perhaps best described as those things which make us contemplate the glorious works of the creation. 

Original representation of the Sun.

The oldest pictograph for that of light is of course the sun. It is that which fixes the duration of seasons and years. Light brings us much joy and not just because it brings a bright and sunny day. We must consider the gifts that the sun brings; crops, a habitable planet even the gift of good mood. Exposure to the sun increases the body’s production of Vitamin D, which according to studies promotes a sense of mental well-being, a literal “sunny-disposition”.

It is no wonder our ancient ancestors including some brethren worshiped the sun. It only makes sense.  We as Freemasons may see light a different way; we think it synonymous with knowledge. To be illuminated is to know something, perhaps to be wise to something which is lost unto the rest. And this is the way of our craft, to illuminate brothers to a new way of living, a new way of seeing and a new way of hearing. 

The Circumpunct as
used in Freemasonry

To change direction but for only a moment, let us consider the space in our degrees in where we are taught the meaning of the circumpunct, the point within the circle. We are told that the point represents man and the circle; well that represents our boundary or our scope of concern. What about other areas in our Masonic system? In many Fellowcraft lectures, in countless jurisdictions the point is described and explained in the quote “A point is a figure without dimension.”

If a point is a representation of a man, then a man is without dimension. This is almost insulting. However, let us consider the following: the point represents a man indeed, who is without dimension, a mere spot on a piece of paper or indent in the sand or dirt, until that is, he grows.

Next let us look again at the circumpunct. A point or a man, surrounded by the circle, but again what does this circle represent? Perhaps not your boundary but instead its original meaning. The sun. 

The point within the circle can be described also as a seed. A man surrounded by the light of the sun, the sun having the effect on a man that it has on a seed or the point. Eventually the seed grows and becomes more than just a point, it becomes a sphere, growing exponentially feeding on the light of the sun or in this case the knowledge that surrounds him. 

Now we have come all the way around. The circumpunct, a point within a circle. A seed surrounded by the sun. A man surrounded by the light of knowledge. 

When the point in the center becomes so big that it lapses equally around the circle, the man (you) now becomes the light. It then becomes your duty to be that light which shines on the seedlings, or new brothers. You must shine bright, be there to comfort, to guide and to nourish the new brothers growth. Let that light, let your light be so bright that you illuminate all things, and from you, let no shadow be cast.

~RHJ

Bro. Robert Johnson, 32° is the Managing 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, Knights Templar, AMD, The Illinois Lodge of Research and a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago as well as a charter member of the Society of King Solomon, a charity organization run by the Grand Lodge of Illinois. 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 currently working on a book of Masonic essays.