General Masonic Questions
Q. When was the Mother Grand Lodge formed?
A. In 1717, in London, England
Q. Who was the first Grand Master of the Mother Grand Lodge?
A. Anthony Sabers, Gentleman.
Q. When were the Constitutions first printed?
A. In 1723
Q. How many Lodges formed the Mother Grand Lodge?
A. Four.
Q. What were there names?
A. They had no names in those days; they were simply “The Lodge meeting at the Rummer and Grapes Tavern,” “The Lodge meeting at the Goose and Gridiron Tavern,” etc.
Q. What Presidents have been Masters of Lodges?
A. George Washington, of Alexandria Lodge, Alexandria, VA; James Buchanan, of Lodge No.43, Lancaster, PA; and Harry S. Truman, Grandview Lodge No.618 of Missouri.
Q. What Presidents have been a Grand Master?
A. Andrew Jackson. He was never a Master of a Lodge, but was elected from the floor of the Grand Lodge to be Grand Master of Tennessee; and Harry S. Truman, Missouri, 1940
Q. Who was William Morgan?
A. A renegade Mason who disappeared, and who was falsely said to have been murdered by Masons because of his intention to publish an expose` of Masonic Ritual.
Q. What famous German poet was a Freemason?
A. Goethe, the author of many poems, including one on Freemasonry, the first verse of which runs: The Mason’s ways are a type of existence, and his persistence is as the days are of men in this world. The future hides in it Gladness and sorrow; we press still thorow Naught that abides in it Daunting us -onward.
Q. What famous English architect was a Freemason?
A. Sir Christopher Wren, who built, among many other famous structures, the great St. Paul’s Cathedral, in London.
Q. Name three famous American Revolutionary Day patriots who were
Grand Masters?
A. Paul Revere; General Warren, who fell at Bunker Hill; and Benjamin Franklin.
Q. Name the Presidents of the United States positively known to have been Masons?
A. Washington, Monroe, Polk, Buchanan, A. Johnson, Garfield, McKinley, T. Roosevelt, Taft, Harding, F.D. Roosevelt, Truman, (L.B. Johnson – E.A) (and a few since then).
Q. Was Lincoln a Freemason?
A. In his heart, yes. He was never raised in any lodge, so far as the records go.
Q. Is there a General Grand Lodge of the United States?
A. There is not. One was proposed in the early days of Freemasonry in this country, and George Washington was approached as a possible General Grand Master, but refused.
Q. Will there ever be one?
A. Impossible to say what the future will bring forth, but the sentiment of every Grand Lodge is unalterably opposed to it. The Grand Masters Conference is on record against it. The Masonic Service Association has written into its constitution a provision against it.
Q. What is the meaning of the “Profane” as applied to a non-Mason?
A. Literally, “without the temple;” uninstructed, uninformed, ignorant of Masonry, not a member of the Order. In this connection it does not describe the non-Mason as a blasphemes person.
Q. What is the meaning of the word Abiff?
A. Literally, “His Father,” meaning one having authority, an elder, a wise man looked up to. Hiram Abiff thus means “Hiram, my father,” a man venerated for his wisdom and his accomplishments.
Q. Why do we call Master “Worshipful?”
A. From the old English word “worchyp,” meaning “greatly respected.” In the Wycliffe Bible, “Honor thy Father and thy Mother” is written, “Worchyp thy fadir and thy modir.” “Worshipful Master,” does not mean “Master to be Worshipped,” but “Master, greatly respected.”
Q. Why do we have a Grand Master, a Grand Lodge, instead of a Great Master, a Principal Lodge?
A. “Grand” here means first, or primary. It is also so used in grandfather, or grand total; the first or principal father of the family; the principal total.
Q. Is a Worshipful Master obliged to wear a hat?
A. No. It is his privilege, and his alone, to remain covered in the lodge. In ancient days the king or ruler remained covered, his subjects removing their headgear as a sign of respect. Brethren remove their headgear before entering a lodge as a sign of respect; the Master remains covered to signify that his position is that to which the greatest respect should be paid. The hat is a symbol of his office. But he is not obliged to wear if he does not desire to do so.
Q. Would a uniform ritual in all Jurisdictions be desirable?
A. Had the ritual been uniform from the beginning it might have been desirable. As all Jurisdictions have their own form of the ancient ritual, any change now, looking toward uniformity, would be deplorable. It would be resented by all who love the ritual of their own Jurisdictions, and would inevitably lose many historical allusions and connotations now preserved in the various rituals. All the rituals teach the same lessons and impart the same knowledge, only the wording being different. An attempt at uniformity would gain little, and might lose much.
