Thursday, May 21, 2015

An Amazing Collection of Masonic Autographs

DON'T THROW ANYTHING AWAY!

by "Dad" Thomas R. Labagh



It is, quite clearly, the ugliest item on display at the DeMolay International Service and Leadership Center, in a locked bookcase in the "archive room." (This is the room with several locking book shelves that hold copies of all of the Proceedings of the Grand and Supreme Councils: Statutes, Bylaws, Rules and Regulations; and one copy of most of the DeMolay Grand and Supreme Council publications and magazines produced since 1919.)

At first glance, it is just a ruined old Masonic book, called MASONRY DEFINED...




...which was an encyclopedia of Masonic facts, figures, definitions, philosophy and esoterica. 

The volume has obviously been very wet, and in the drying process it expanded and snapped its binding.

 

But this isn't just any old Masonic tome full of dry wisdom and enlightenment.  


It is the Autograph Collection Book of Bro. Gustav E. Venaas, of St. Paul, Minnesota, whose DeMolay letterhead above identifies him as an Advisor for St. Paul Chapter, and whose hobby is collecting autographs of Masons.  

And what a fascinating collection it is!  Brother Venaas was an intrepid collector, gathering autographs of prominent Freemasons everywhere he went.  He also obviously wrote to celebrities who were Masons, and asked for them to send him an autograph.  In this book, he had pasted autographs, photos, news clippings and anything related to the subjects who signed cards for him.
Brother Venaas liked a little bit of fame, himself, because he was the subject of several newspaper articles because of this unusual collection and his success in acquiring a number of impressive names, all of whom are Freemasons.  And he didn't limit himself to Americans... he also wrote to famous Masons in Europe, and in Central and South America!




Some of the pages are filled with signatures acquired at an event, and include prominent Masons who were present for the meetings.  These were the movers and shakers of Freemasonry in the 1920s.


Obviously, as a DeMolay Advisor, he was very proud to have collected signatures from "Dad" Frank S. Land, the Founder of the Order of DeMolay...


...and the signature of "Dad" Frank A. Marshall, Author of the DeMolay Ritual...


...and "Dad" Roy Dickerson, who was in charge of programming for the Grand Council, and worked in the Kansas City offices with "Dad" Land.

The question of WHY this volume is in the possession of DeMolay International is answered by the fact that the first scrap-book of news clippings and letters related to St. Paul Chapter was also in the book case.  Either he left it to DeMolay International, or his family sent it in, not realizing exactly what they had in their hands.

Some of these signatures have serious value on the collectible market, and, as a complete themed collection of famous Masons, it may have even more value than we can imagine.


The signature of a President of the United States is always worth something, if it is really his signature and not a staff member who has learned to fake it, or a machine that makes a perfect signature every time.  This one from Herbert Hoover, the 31st President, looks legitimate, and considering the time it was sought, it is quite likely to be real.  Not known as one our our best Presidents, he presided from 1921 to 1928. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover


These signatures got me excited, because I love poetry and authors, and Edgar Guest was one of the most popular poets of the early 20th Century.  For more information about him, and a sample of his easy-rhyming poems, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Guest

The signature at the bottom of the page is even more impressive.  Rudyard Kipling, the author of The Jungle Book, Kim, The Man Who Would Be King, and may poems, notably Gunga Din, and Danny Deever.  Kipling was a British Mason in the country of India, when the British military occupied the country, and he wrote about his experiences in a Lodge with men of multiple religions working together in peace and harmony.  He is revered for the many Masonic references included in his writings.


This page initially caught my eye because of the signature of Ernest A. Reed in the center of the page.  I knew of him because he was a Grand Master Councilor of the Order of DeMolay from New Jersey, my home state.  He was probably the "founder" of DeMolay in New Jersey, if I recall correctly.  But the astonishing signature at the top is of greater interest-- it is of the silent film star, Harold Lloyd.  Best remembered for a stunt where he is hanging from the hands of a large clock on a skyscraper, Lloyd was one of the most successful comedic silent film stars, rivaling Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.  Lloyd was also a very active Freemason, involved in many appendant bodies.  He had a special affinity for the Shriners Childrens Hospitals and Burns Centers because of serious burns he had suffered in his life.  He served as Imperial Potentate of the Shrine of North America in 1949-1950. 


Here's a name you MIGHT have heard, if you or your father grew up watching Western TV shows and movies.  Tom Mix was known as Hollywood's first major Western Star, making 291 films in his career, all but 9 of them silent films.  Less than 15% of those films are available for viewing today, as film preservation wasn't thought of in the early days of film,  Mix was a Pennsylvanian, having been born 20 miles north of State College, and growing up in DuBois, PA.  It is reported that Mix helped John Wayne (Senior DeMolay, Freemason, Shriner) get his first jobs in Hollywood.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Mix


They certainly aren't "politically correct" these days, and they earned their living perpetuating some disturbing stereotypes, but there is no denying the "star power" of Freeman Gosden ('Amos') and Charles Correll ('Andy') who performed on the radio, and at public appearances from 1928 to 1960.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_%27n%27_Andy

General John J. Pershing led the American Army victory in World War I.  Known as "Black Jack" Pershing, he mentored some of the key generals of World War II (Eisenhower, Bradley, Marshall and Patton) and had a profound effect on the US military's world dominance of the 20th century.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Pershing


Jack Dempsey was a prize fighter who owned the Heavyweight championship title from 1919 to 1926.  Considered to be one of the most powerful and relentless fighters of the first half of the 20th century.  He was a Freemason in Kenwood Lodge No. 800 in Chicago, IL.

At the top of this page is the signature and Masonic record of Charles Partlow "Chic" Sale.  That is NOT a name I was familiar with, but, he was a BIG name in the 1920s.  A vaudeville comedian and entertainer, he parlayed a long running joke about outhouses into a comedic career. It is interesting to note that the 1950s-1960s comedian, Soupy Sales, created his last name in honor of "Chic" Sale.   If you are interested in him, here is a Wiki about  him.

I cannot read the middle signature, but the name at the bottom is of the great romantic silent film star, Douglas Fairbanks, who, with D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplain established the United Artists motion picture studio  in 1919.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Fairbanks


This is a fascinating signature by Calvin Coolidge, President 1923-1929, and it may have been acquired BEFORE he was President.  What makes it unique is that it is smudged by the signer, (and from all the examples I have seen on the internet, it is his signature, and not that of a White House secretary.)  I almost think this makes it more unique, because very few collectible signatures are ever seen in this condition!  The imperfection makes it a one of a kind example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge


The only blurry photo I took had to come with a very important signature--  Will Rogers!  This man and Mason was a great political commentator, humorist, entertainer and film star of the 1920s and 1930s.  He was at the height of his popularity when he died in a plane crash in 1935.  He ran a mock campaign for President of the United States that was covered nationally.   One of his most famous quotes was "I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers


The signature and photograph above is of John Philip Sousa, known in his day as "The March King" for the plethora of marching music he as written, including the Stars and Stripes Forever, The Liberty Bell, Semper Fidelis, The Washington Post and Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.  Sousa wrote 136 marches between 1917 and his death in 1932 at age 77.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Philip_Sousa 


Irving Berlin's signature is at the top of the page.  You know who Irving Berlin is, right?  He was, perhaps, America's songwriter in the 20th Century. Writing for Broadway and for the movies, he penned classics known worldwide such as "God Bless America," "White Christmas," "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Blue Skies," "Easter Parade," and every Mel Brooks fan's favorite, "Puttin' on the Ritz!"  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Berlin

Charles H. Mayo was a co-founder, with his Father, William W. Mayo, and his older Brother William J. Mayo, of the private medical practice that became known as the Mayo Clinic in 1919 in Rochester, MN.  The clinic was, and still is, a marvel of integrated medical specializations.  Interestingly, Mayo received the Founders Cross from Dad Land for personal loyalty and dedication to the Order of DeMolay.  Another interesting fact-- like Dad Land, Mayo's admirers have preserved his office exactly as it was on the day he died, and a tribute and museum to his work.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Horace_Mayo


Charles R. Walgreen, Founder of the Drugstore chain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walgreens
and J. C. Penney, Founder of the Department Store 

Daniel Carter Beard is a name well-known to Boy Scouts as the American who worked with Lord Baden Powell and merged his Sons of Daniel Boone with Powell's Boy Scouts.  


Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; (23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972)
Prince of Wales, Later King Edward VIII  This is one of the few photos pasted in the book that did not have an accompanying autograph, suggesting that one had been requested and expected, but either never returned or, for some reason we will never know, it never got pasted into the book.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII



There are perhaps 150 more autographs in the book, and many were prominent Freemasons of that day.  There are possibly others, of great value and historical interest, that I did not notice or could not read.  As a collection, it is, in many ways, priceless.  As individual autographs, most of these have 3-figure values.  

We are probably indebted to "Dad" Lester W. ("Sarge") Israel, Archivist of DeMolay International during the traumatic moving years of the early 1980s when the offices occupied no less that 4 different spaces in a period of less than 6 years, that this volume survived being tossed into a dumpster.

As an object lesson to all of us, "don't judge a book by its cover!"




Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Rent Problem

Should DeMolay Chapters Be Paying Rent

to Meet in Masonic Buildings?

by "Dad" Thomas R. Labagh

It seems incredible to me that this question is still an issue in Pennsylvania after all the support, promotion and emphasis placed on DeMolay by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, but there are STILL DeMolay Chapters paying rent to meet in a Masonic Temple.  In several cases, it is a minimal amount.  In others, it is an amount charged by the Temple Association and then paid on behalf of the Chapter by its sponsoring body.  In two cases, it is an exorbitant amount of money amounting to over $1000 per year.

I can only ask two questions in light of this disappointing situation:

1.   How many parents charge their minor sons rent for living in their home?

2.   Can you name any church, synagogue, mosque, school, or community service organization that requires its youth group to pay rent for the privilege of  sharing the principles of the parent organization with young people?

Yes, I admit that it is a pet peeve, but, sadly, it isn't something new to me or to the Order.  

In the August 1st, 1927 edition of The DeMolay News, edited by "Dad" Frank A. Marshall, author of the DeMolay Ritual, the editorial below appeared, showing that this problem is not unique to this generation, or unique to DeMolay in Pennsylvania.  It is, however, unique to Freemasonry, and, to me, it feels so uncharitable and unlike the Masonic character.






Take a moment and read that final paragraph again.  

This sums up the situation in a simple eloquence that reverberates as true today as it did  in 1927.  

If you’re a member of a sponsoring body that warmly welcomes a DeMolay Chapter, I thank you for your support of our youth.  

Likewise, if you’re a member of one of those Lodges that is charging rent, I ask that you take the lead in proposing a resolution in your Lodge to ensure that your DeMolay Chapter is regarded as an essential part of your Masonic family.

These young men are not merely tenants or guests, but family members who are entitled to being treated as a part of the family... the Masonic family...YOUR family... OUR FAMILY!

Friday, May 8, 2015

A HISTORY, A RANT, AND A USEFUL LESSON

Brief History of the DeMolay Awards for Heroic Action

(A Personal Rant by "Dad" Thomas R. Labagh, Masked as Informative History)


Introduction
You have probably heard that a camel was created by a committee whose task was to design a horse.  The basic premise is that poorly-led decision-making by a group can lead to very bad decisions.  The humps of a camel, its very slow pace, its poor temperament are all taken to be deformities that resulted from a bad design for a horse.  Sort of like the Ford Edsel was a bad design for a car.  Or a Ford Pinto. Or the Pontiac Aztek.   Or the AMC Gremlin.  (Well, pretty much ANY car produced by the American Motor Company.) You get the idea.

DeMolay International is not immune to the vagaries and vicissitudes of committee-think. Committees change.  Often.  The are appointed by the Grand Master, who can reappoint or totally replace a Committee and its leadership at will.  Sometimes they change dramatically each year, as a result of political appointment, or disagreement over the direction of a previous administration or disappointment with previous committee action (or inaction.)  Sometimes they stay stable for a long period of time, which could also make them very static, un-moving, mired in tradition, or unoriginal. (After a 10-year run as Chairman of the DeMolay International Ritual and Regalia Committee I have requested to be replaced by the incoming Grand Master-- it is time for new leadership and new ideas.)   


An Unofficial History of DeMolay International's Awards for Heroic Action
DeMolay history has to be written from a collection of diverse sources, since there has been no official Historian tasked to keep adequate records.  Much can come from the Proceedings of the Grand and Supreme Councils, where available, and from publications throughout the years, and random committee files that may still be in existence.  So, in trying to come up with a history of the DeMolay Awards for Heroic Action, I had to rely on some very different sources that were not terribly accurate, at times. But they gave me enough information to reveal some interesting facts  The sources are italicized.



1926
Article 10 of the Grand Council Bylaws and Statutes includes the creation of the Medal of Heroism for one who has voluntarily risked his life in saving or attempting to save… or sacrificed himself in an heroic manner.  Three were immediately approved, with Arthur Whitehead, Old Colony Chapter, Quincy, Mass as the first member elected to receive the DeMolay Medal of Heroism (from the C. A. Boyce history of DeMolay) 


(Image from the 3rd Ed. of the Members Record Book)

1948
Members Record Book reported that less than 30 Medals of Heroism had been granted since 1925.

1959
Members Record Book reported that fewer than 45 Medals of Heroism had been granted since 1925.  This also depicted the old medal design. 

1960
DeMolay Handbook depicts the new design for the Medal of Heroism and the Medal of Valor, and reports that less than 50 Medals of Heroism had been awarded since 1925.  (CHANGE #1- ADD NEW MEDAL OF VALOR.)

1964
The 1969 Members Record Book reports that at the 1964 Annual Session a special Certificate for Saving A Human Life was authorized.  Also, that “fewer than 45” had been awarded – (the 1969 number was obviously not updated since 1960.)   (CHANGE #2 - ADD CERTIFICATE FOR SAVING A HUMAN LIFE)

1965
DeMolay Handbook still reporting less than 50 Medals of Heroism had been awarded since 1925.

1967
Article X of the Statutes of the International Supreme Council includes the “Medal of Valor” for circumstances of valor not justifying the “Medal of Heroism: and a “Certificate of Merit for Saving a Human Life”  

1968
A reorganization – Statutes of the International Supreme Council  Statute 211.6 Defined the Medal of Heroism; statute 211.7 Defined the Medal of Valor; and statute 211.8 Defined the Certificate of Saving A Human Life

1969
Also,– Statutes of the International Supreme Council– section 211.8 became a MEDAL for Saving a Human Life  (Statutes)  Also reported in the 1970 DeMolay Handbook that the Medal had been approved at the 1969 ISC Session.  (CHANGE #3 - CHANGE CERTIFICATE TO A MEDAL)

1974
DeMolay Handbook still reporting that fewer than 50 Medals of Heroism had been awarded.

1981
DeMolay Handbook still reporting that fewer than 50 Medals of Heroism had been awarded.



1983
The Committee on Medals of Heroism and Valor recommended that all 3 be combined into one medal for saving a human life. This was rejected by the Supreme Council. (Proceedings 1983)

1984
Legislation was approved to eliminate the Medal of Valor and to Award the Medal of Heroism to one who risked his life; and the Medal for Saving a Human Life for one who saved a life, without personal risk (such as a CPR rescue.) This is the way it stood until 2013. (Proceedings 1984)   (CHANGE #4 - ELIMINATE THE MEDAL OF VALOR AFTER 24 YEARS OF EXISTENCE.)

2013
Rules and Regulations 206.6 was amended to eliminate the Medal for Saving a Human Life, and to reinstate the Medal of Valor, and broaden its requirements to include “ one who has “performed an act of saving or ATTEMPTING to save a human life.”  (Proceedings 2013)  (CHANGE #5 - REINSTATE THE MEDAL OF VALOR AFTER A 20-YEAR ABSENCE, AND ELIMINATE THE MEDAL FOR SAVING A HUMAN LIFE)

The humorous part of this is that, of course, DeMolay International already has a bunch of Medals for Saving a Human Life in stock, which they cannot now use, (or even sell on eBay) and it does NOT have any Medals of Valor, since it had been eliminated 20 years earlier.

A good program, left alone, was used sparingly, but consistently from 1926 to 1960.  (Remember that Dad Land died at the end of 1959.)  But then the Committee got loosey-goosey with the criteria for the awards, and decided to lessen the blow of a rejection by first giving out a certificate, and later a medallion for good intentions and effort.  Since the death of Dad Land, committees have made no less than FIVE MAJOR CHANGES in the program.   

WHY?  

What was SO IMPORTANT that they had to monkey around with the standards for one of the most unique and prestigious awards granted by the Grand and later the International Supreme Council?

Committees acting on whims, or misunderstandings, or a lack of historical perspective, have made these 5 significant changes to the program, such that, now, if you see a Medal of Heroism, or a Medal of Valor, or a Medal for Saving a Human Life, the only one that has a standard you can count on is the last one, for it specifically is given for SAVING A HUMAN LIFE, whether at personal risk, or not. The rest of the awards have been rendered meaningless by this unnecessary ping-pong game with award criteria.  And now, in 2015, we have legislation before us to "clean up" the DI Bylaws, Rules and Regulations from the 2013 change.

When will the madness stop?

END OF RANT.  ALMOST.

So, what can we learn from this?

Fraternities are institutions run, generally, by well-meaning volunteers in a variety of committees.

Committees generally make quick decisions, under the leadership of one or two really well meaning volunteers.

Committees generally act in good faith, but occasionally can be mis-led.

Committees can get bored with certain subjects, and can make snap decisions rather than informed decisions.

But without committees, we'd have dictators, manipulators and controllers who would make decisions on their own, without input or understanding of the will of the people.  

Governments are run by committees. Religious congregations are run by committees. Businesses are run by committees. Athletic leagues are run by committees.  Fraternities are run by committees.  And yes, DeMolay Chapters are run by committees.  Or at least, they are supposed to be.

Who runs YOUR Chapter?  The Master Councilor?  The Chapter Advisor?  The Advisory Council?  Or the members, through the use of carefully selected committees?  The DeMolay Method is to teach the committee process in all Chapters, to help equip the members for effective service as an adult in business, government, and any group where decisions need to be guided and carefully considered.

Remember that as bad as committees can be, they are still a better solution than surrendering all decision-making powers to a self-appointed committee of one.



TRL Notes:
Originally published 5/8/15
Revised 5/23/15 to add image of original Medal of Heroism