Texas Freemason Magazine

  Grand Oration of 1923 - By M. A. Childers Most Worshipful Grand Master, Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master, Right Worshipful Grand Senior and Junior Wardens, and Brethren, of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Texas:   No great edifice, whether it be ship or temple, bridge, or castle, is ever successfully constructed except in accordance with some well-defined plans, drawn by competent architects, with some prototype as a guide, either already in existence, or wrought out in the artist's mind. The plans for our Ship of State were drawn by Master Masons, upon a Masonic trestle-board with the spirit of Masonry as a prototype.  The spirit of Masonry is characterized by three outstanding attributes, viz: 1. An unyielding demand for truth and justice. 2. An unwavering protest against all wrongs and all forms of intolerance and injustice of whatsoever kind or character; and 3. An unfaltering trust in and devotion to Almighty God.  The nation that possesses these q...

By James C. “Chris” Williams IV – Staff Writer  I don’t know if I ever told y’all, but my Lodge has what we call a “Philosophic Roundtable” every quarter where we meet at a local restaurant and have dinner and good Masonic fellowship.   After dinner we pose a question or problem about some facet of Masonry and allow every Brother to address the group on his personal views concerning the selected topic.   The topic being revealed only just before the discussion makes the discussion more spontaneous and elicits some very interesting and varied responses.   Bottom line, it’s a heck of a lot of fun as well as interesting Masonic education.   Anyway, there we were….   sixteen of my Brothers and me just sitting down for dinner at the local Salt Grass Steakhouse, when my phone went off.   I looked at the display and saw that it was John and I figured he was calling to tell me he would be in town for lunch the next day.   I answered, “Hello this is the ov...

  John Deacon Finding Unexpected Light at Billy Gene’s By James C. “Chris” Williams IV, Staff Writer Well, I finally found John, not that anyone was as worried about it as I was.   As it turns out, he and Mrs. Deacon were having a happy, much deserved weeks’ vacation on a cruise to the Caribbean.   When he finally returned one of the many messages I left him, he tried to tell me that he had called and left me a message that he was going to be gone.   I assured him that, had he actually left me a message, it was a good bet that I would not have been calling him and leaving him messages wondering where he was.   Unbelievably, he actually saw the logic in what I said.   He had just called to tell me that he was in Kerrville for the day and was not going to have enough time to drive the 45 minutes to have lunch with me.   I sure didn’t have anything for this month’s newsletter so lunch in the big city of Kerrville sounded pretty good.   On the w...

  A LOOK BACK The Builder Magazine - September 1923 The Hoodwink b y Bro. HENRY TAYLOR, Missouri In the candidate's experiences of initiation, the hoodwink plays a larger part than we are wont to think.   To him it is one of the most impressive of the things that are done to him.   Being darkened, his other senses are all the more alert; what he touches, hears or smells takes on an added significance.   His imagination is aroused, everything becomes magnified, so that some of the simplest things done about him, steps taken, or words said, assume almost terrifying magnitudes.   His fears and apprehensions are abnormally active.   In this state he is, so far as his emotions and mind are concerned, in a state of such impressibility that every stage of his experience leaves behind it an indelible memory.   The reader may verify this for himself by recalling his own impressions, especially of his First Degree, though there were times afterwards when h...