Post Office Box 821413, Fort Worth, Texas 76182
USA
Lodge telephone number: 817.656.2311
Best time to contact the Lodge: Tuesday and Thursday evenings between
6 PM and 9 PM
September, 2001
Brethren,
An inspection by our D.D.G.M., Brian Bass, was part of our August Stated Meeting. The usual pre-meeting supper was enjoyed by all.
As I have mentioned before, we are planning to have several Family Night functions at the Lodge this year. Please mark your calendar for August 23 at 7:00 PM as we have an end-of-summer “Watermelon Social”. And on the evening of September 22 at 6:00 PM we will have our Annual Golden Trowel Award. There will be two (2) events in October, with the first one being on Oct. 2 at 6:30 PM which will be a Fifty Year Award for Bro. E.L. Gotcher PM, and The Wives and Widows Banquet in which we will present The Community Builders Award on Oct. 19 at 6:30 PM.
Our Building and Grounds Committee for the year are A.M. Hestilow Jr. PM, R.T. Koonce PM, and G.L. Spraggins. This Committee will work diligently year round to maintain the lawn and attend to the repairs of the Lodge. Thank you Brethren.
Senior Steward Tony McLendon, and Junior Steward Don Hestilow are doing an outstanding job in keeping the Brethren well fed, and keeping the kitchen and dinning area neat and clean. Thank you Brethren.
Ladies, we welcome your input. Please submit any articles to Brother Gary Spraggins. You can drop them off or mail them to the Lodge or email Bro. Gary, his email address is listed on the Officers roster.
Welcome back to Brother J.B. “Hutch” Hutcherson PM after an extended stay in H.E.B. Hospital.
I wish to take this opportunity to ask for donations for the Trestle Board. This newsletter is not funded by any monies from the Lodge general fund. Rather, it is funded in total by the generosity of our Brethren. We are not asking that you send a specific amount. Any, and all donations are greatly appreciated. The continuation of this newsletter depends on you, my Brethren, to open your hearts and wallets. Many of our Brethren, who are unable to attend meetings, still want to know what is going on. The Trestle Board is our way of assuring that our members are kept up to date on important matters of the Lodge. Much of the preparation, including travel time, is donated. However, we still have the great expense of printing and folding, not to mention postage. Please lend your support by sending a donation, of any size, for this worthy cause.
As has been my custom in the past, I wish to continue sharing with you words form Masonic writings. This month I have chosen an excerpt from Monitor Of The Lodge, Grand Lodge of Texas A.F. & A.M., pages XIV through pages XVI. (The following is taken from the “Introductory” of Lightfoot’s Manual of The Lodge, 1934):
The work of Freemasonry is conducted in what is called the Lodge. The word Lodge as used in Masonry has several different significations, as when we speak of “A Lodge”, meaning any Lodge; another when we speak of a Lodge being opened or closed when we mean the symbolic Lodge; again when we speak of a particular society of Masons, as when we say “Frank Sexton Lodge, No. 206”.
There are also three different Lodges, The Entered Apprentice’s Lodge, The Fellow Craft’s Lodge, and The Master Mason’s Lodge. Yet all three of the Lodges, though separate in their opening and closing, as well as in their respective work, are one. The one contains the three as will be well understood by the skilled craftsman.
In this respect the Lodge is said to conform to the Divine Order in nature and in man. There is an external Lodge and an internal Lodge. The external Lodge refers to the physical Lodge, its building, furnishings, and members composing it; corresponding to the physical universe of which it is said to be a symbol, and symbolizes also the First Degree in man represented by his physical body. The Internal Lodge is said to be divided into two parts, the secondary and the primary.
The secondary Degree in Masonry has been compared with the second Degree in man and in nature. In man, it refers to his intellectual faculties, and powers; while in nature it alludes to the harmony of laws that regulate and govern the Universe. The primary or Third Degree of the Lodge refers to the Moral Degree in man, and to the Divine attributes of the Supreme Divine Intelligence.
Thus the three Degrees in man, physical, intellectual, and moral, corresponds to the same Divine Order in the Universe and are thought to be reflected in the three Degrees of the Lodge, which are yet one, in the sense that the Universe is a unit, though composed of three Grand Divisions, and man is an entity, though possessing three distinct divisions in his being. This correspondence will be more manifest to the initiate as he penetrates the veils of Mysteries.
The work of the Degrees is imparted through the medium of certain rites, forms and ceremonies, which are designated by the terms, Initiation, Passing, and Raising.
Every candidate for the Mysteries of Masonry, at the proper time and in an appropriate manner, should be taught the truth that the rite of Initiation means much more than a formal ceremonial progress through the Degrees. In fact one may receive the entire work, conferred under the most favorable circumstances, and by competent officers, and yet not perceive the true Masonic light, which the symbols and allegories are designed to conceal as well as to reveal. Initiation is to be attained only after real labor, deep study, profound meditation, extensive research and a constant practice of those virtues which will open a true path to moral, intellectual, and spiritual illumination.
Masonry does not expound the truths concealed in her emblems. It displays the symbol and may give a hint here and there concerning some characteristic of its several meanings, but it must remain for the Neophyte to search out for himself it’s more hidden significations.
It has always been the essential process by which man rises from a state of nature, to that of civilization, from darkness to light, from slavery to freedom, that he advances as by the steps of a ladder. This is the method provided by the laws of nature, at times retarded and slow in its operation, but certain to lead to glorious heights if persistently pursued, and devoutly followed.
James W. Allen, Worshipful Master
Brethren,
As this was my first Stated Meeting as Senior Warden, I am learning a lot about being an Officer of this Lodge and still have a lot to learn, but with the help of my fellow Officers and the Brethren, I am confident that I can get the job done. I really do appreciate all the help I have received from everyone in learning about my duties as a Senior Warden. Thank you Brethren.
I would like to see more of our Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft Masons attending floor school and helping out here at the Lodge as well as our Master Mason’s. This is how we learn to work together and improve in our Masonic teachings. So please attend when you can.
Brethren, don’t forget about donations for the Annual Garage Sale coming up soon. You can drop them off here at the Lodge on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. If you need someone to pick up your donations, please contact the Lodge or one of our Officers. Their phone numbers are listed in the Officer column.
Brethren, being as our good Brother E.L. “Jack” Gotcher is having his 50 Year Award on his birthday, I would greatly appreciate a more than good turnout for this special event in his life. This will not only mean a great deal to him, but to the Lodge as well. Check the Calendar of Events for the day and time.
Morris W. Hestilow, Senior Warden
Brethren,
I am suppose to and should talk about the Laws and By-Laws of the Lodge according to my position as Junior Warden. However though, there seems to be certain questions I have concerning the By-Laws of the Lodge and the By-Laws of the Grand Lodge of Texas where in most parts they agree and other parts differ, but only so slightly. Which in turn, leaves a member such as myself, a little confused at times.
I hear quite often about how a Lodge should keep its traditions in tack as this was how the older Brethren were taught to do the work in their day. And how some say The Committee On Work should have it. And from listening to some of the Brethren at the Lodge and then when I go to a Lodge were a forum and certificate examination is being performed, once again there is a slight difference. Talk about confusing while in the process of learning, who exactly should one listen to. I find it all very interesting that no matter where I go to visit and watch and listen, that it all is still in the right perspective and once again, slightly different, but as I would say, within the same guidelines.
Another area of confusion, is in working in a Degree after diligently working hard in floor school to learn the work, and then on the day of conferring the Degree, you find out that the section you have worked so hard to learn in your Lodge, is handed over to a visiting Brother from another Lodge. I can see this if the visiting Brother is a family member, but who is to say who has priority for that position. We are always talking about keeping our members active, and then something like this happens. Feelings are hurt, sometimes words are crossed, and the Brethren ask themselves, why work so hard to learn something that I’m not allowed to do and perform? This is where I need some of the Light that is entitled to be bestowed upon me and my fellow younger Master Mason’s.
As reading through the Lodge’s By-Laws, and the Law Book of the Grand Lodge Of Texas, I have yet to come across this area as to who is right and who is wrong.
Masonry means a great deal to me and has helped to change my outlook on life in general, and I am learning as I go through with the help of my fellow Brethren and reading about the Craft as I find time in my busy schedule. But then once again, there is another area that I don’t fully understand, and it has been explained to me in several different ways, but it still does not sound right. We are always hearing about how we should try to acquire more new members and try to keep them active and interested in Lodge. However though, we are not allowed to list their names while still in the Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft stage in our news letters. Even when they have worked very hard on their proficiency and have become active in the Lodge’s activities, we can not recognize them by name as we can a Master Mason. Does this not make them feel neglected?
I am not trying to sound distasteful against Masonry, but yet only trying to understand what is really going on. I truly enjoy being a Mason and helping out other Masons when I can. I guess that I’m just needing more time to finish learning the Laws and lessons of a full Masonic life, and then I might fully understand some of the reasoning behind our ways. I truly hope that I have not offended anyone in this article as that is not my intention. But as you can see, it is time that more Masonic Light should be bestowed on my fellow Masons and myself.
On another subject, I think that our first Stated Meeting for the new Masonic year went quite well. The new Stewards did a fantastic job and the meeting went as planned. Don’t forget to read our Calendar of Events section and mark you calendars for the upcoming events. And I personally thank those who sponsor the Trestle Board.
Gary L. Spraggins, Junior Warden
Brethren,
The history of Free Masonry is so rich and varied that I would like to expend the space of this article giving some thought to it.
I think that Free Masonry is something different to each one of us. Some like to spend time doing the esoteric work, others like delve into the past trying to trace it’s origins, it’s involvement in forming governments, developing military leadership, and so forth. Masonic heroes have been eulogized by historians as long as there has been written language.
Many books have been written about those who have been members of the fraternity. We can spend a lifetime reading, writing, and talking about Masonic heroes, but I would like to talk more about those men who have spent their time teaching the new members of their Lodge. Those who dedicate themselves to teaching, expecting nothing in return. Each of us has had that person who spent his time teaching us by deed and example to be the Mason that we are. I could name names in our own Lodge, but this is to draw attention to all those who spend their time teaching. The philosophy that they impart goes beyond the questions and answers, they are laying a foundation upon which we can build our own edifice.
So as we think of our teacher, give some thought to thanking that person who first taught us the depth of Masonry.
Fraternally, B.R. Campbell, Secretary
August 23, Family Watermelon Night, Smithfield Masonic Lodge #455 7:00PM
September 6, Stated Meeting, Smithfield Masonic Lodge #455, 7:30PM, Pot Luck Dinner at 6:30PM
September 8, Mountain Top Master’s Degree, Iredell Lodge #405, 5:30PM. Signs will guide you to Wilson Phillips Farm off of Hwy 6 about 3 miles East of Iredell. Bring your Dues Card and Appetite.
September 22, Golden Trowel Award, Smithfield Masonic Lodge #455, 6:00PM
October 2, 50 Year Service Award, Smithfield Masonic Lodge #455, 6:30PM for Bro. E.L. “Jack” Gotcher.
October 19, Wives and Widows Banquet, Smithfield Masonic Lodge #455, 6:30PM and Community Builders Award.
December TBD, Masonic Home and School, Date To Be Announced, Annual Christmas Party.
January TBD, 50 Year Service Award, Smithfield Masonic Lodge #455, Date To Be Announced for for Bro. J.B. “Hutch” Hutcherson
The following brethren will observe their Masonic Birthdays. They were raised to the sublime Degree of Master Mason during this month.
G.D. Barnett 9-15-98
S.E. Carney 9-28-76
B.N. Chancellor 9-08-49
E.M. Coates 9-28-91
E.L. Davis 9-08-55
T.G. Dobbins 9-21-67
F.C. Erwin APM 9-18-84
M.E. Hawkins Jr 9-29-87
G.R. Hester 9-21-93
A.M. Hestilow Jr PM 9-05-55
T.G. Marshall 9-28-89
C.C. Minor 9-26-63
H.E. Parker 9-28-72
T.C. Powell PM 9-28-72
C.D. Spencer 9-29-88
A.R. Tomes 9-24-63
Congratulations Brethren!
FIERY CHICKEN POT PIE
1/4 Cup of Margarine
6 Tablespoons of Flour
1 Cup of Milk
1 Can (10 oz.) Extra-Hot Ro-tel Diced
1-Cup Dry White Wine
3 Cups of Cubed Cooked Chicken
1 Package (10 oz.) Frozen Mixed-Vegetables, thawed and drained
1/4 Cup Loosely Packed Cilantro Leaves, Chopped
1/2 (15 oz.) Package of Refrigerated Pie Crust
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large saucepan, melt margarine. Add flour, milk and Ro-tel. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Stir in remaining ingredients, except crust. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through and thickened, stirring often. Cool to room temperature. Then spoon into a 1- 1/2-quart baking dish. Cover with crust. Crimp edges to seal. Bake 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
Makes 6 servings. Note: Leave out Wine if made at Lodge (you don’t won’t to see Bunk after the Wine gets stuck in his teeth)
Send your questions or comments to: Gary Spraggins (ggllss@msn.com)