Focus June 2012

2.5 Million Reached By MIC Pamphlets

Since  1993,  the Masonic Information Center (MIC), the information arm of the Masonic Service Association, has been educating Masonic members and  the public with accurate explanations of what Freemasonry is.

A recent tally shows that 6 major  pamphlets published over the years  by the MIC have  been distributed to more  than 2.5 million individuals. The publications, and  their printing quantity over the years, are:

• Who Are The Masons? -- 950,000
• What's A Mason? -- 950,000
• "Get  A Life" -- 113,000
• A Response to Critics -- 270,000
• There  Is No Sin In Symbols -- 178,000
• Facts  About Freemasonry -- 175,000

All of the pamphlets are still in print  and  available in quantity from MSA.

'What's A Mason' Used Extensively By One Brother

One good brother from a western state  has been passing out the "What's a Mason," booklet for several years. He keeps them  in his pocket and  gives them  out to many  people he meets.

He says he goes through about 250 copies a month, and  purchases them  from the Masonic Service Association in batches of 1,000  at a time. "Just last month, this pamphlet produced five new petitions for my Lodge," he said.

Mark Twain Award Update

As of June  1, a total of 65 Lodges have  registered to be part  of the 2012  Mark  Twain  Awareness Program. Many  participants from 2011  have  already registered again this year.   The registration cut-off date  has been extended for about another month. Any interested Lodge should register soon  at the www.msana. com  website. The deadline for submitting entries is December 1, 2012.

In the six years  of the Mark  Twain  Awards, 107 Lodges across the continent have  won the prestigious trophy. In the 2011  competition, 18 Lodges were  in the winning category, out of 37 Lodges that submitted entries.

Webpage, Facebook Activity Has Increased

The Masonic Service Association's webpage -- www.msana.com -- is regularly being updated with new information. Check it out. Also,  if you are on Facebook, please seek  out the Masonic Service Association's Facebook page and become friends. Regular updates on activities of MSA and  MIC are provided.

3rd Degree Receives Attention From Airline Magazine

An article in the April  issue  of Southwest Airline's Spirit magazine explained the origin of various phrases. The explanation of the "Third Degree" was traced to Freemasonry.  Here  is what  the article said:

"In the 1880s, many  of the higher-ups in New York City's  police force were  Freemasons. The highest degree of initiation is the third  degree, a process rumored to involve intense questioning.  One particularly successful NYPD interrogator was a third-degree Mason named Thomas Byrnes. In one New-York Tribune article from 1883,  he coined the phrase when  he was quoted as breaking a gang of criminals by giving them  'the third degree.' "

Father Time and the Virgin Stands Tall in California

In the tourist community of Mendocino, California, a traditional Masonic emblem soars  above the community for all to see.

According to Wikipedia, the free, online encyclopedia, the Masonic Hall in Mendocino was built in 1866  of local  redwood by Eric Albertson and  John Gschwend.

Wikipedia states:

"Eric  Albertson, who was the first worshipful master of Mendocino Lodge No. 179, crafted from a single redwood trunk  the unique sculpture of Time and  the Maiden which adorns the top of the (Masonic) hall's  cupola. Also known as Father  Time and the Virgin, the sculpture incorporates a book and  a fallen column and  has become a local  landmark. While its exact symbolic meaning is shrouded in Masonic secrecy, one Mason has interpreted its meaning as 'Time, patience and  perseverance will accomplish all things.' "

Mendocino, located north  of San Francisco, about halfway to Eureka, draws thousands of tourists. It is near the Redwood National Park and  features beautiful views  of the Pacific coastline, hotels and  bed  and breakfasts, and  a downtown area filled  with shops, art galleries, restaurants and  museums.

The Masonic Hall is probably the highest structure in town, and everyone's attention is drawn to the unusual emblem on top.

The Masonic Hall is often  used as a backdrop for movies and  TV series, such as Murder She Wrote  (1984-1996) with Angela Lansbury and  two episodes of The Fugitive (2001) with Tim Daly,  Wikipedia says.

Mendocino Lodge holds its meetings on the second level of the Masonic Hall, while  the first floor serves as the local  branch of a bank. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

 

 

Public awareness of Freemasonry has been one of the goals of the Masonic Information Center since its creation in 1993. These pictures continue a new feature of pictorial  examples of Freemasonry on display in communities across North America.

If you have a pictorial example of such a public display, send a picture and information to the Masonic Service Association for consideration for a future issue.