Roger Lacey Lodge #722

02/24/2026

Today in Masonic History we discuss Tolerance - A Cardinal Virtue?

Freemasonry has four cardinal virtues - Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude and Justice.

Throughout masonic ritual we are taught the concepts of brotherly love and affection. The idea of giving our brothers respect for their ideas even when we don't agree with them is represented by the symbolism of the level. When we restrain ourselves from making a negative comment or from interrupting because we feel we 'know better' than another person, we exhibit Temperance, Prudence and Fortitude, depending on how strongly we disagree.

All of this boils down to one word, which we rarely use in masonic ritual, Tolerance. The word Tolerance embodies much of what we talk about in our masonic ritual. Whether we agree or disagree with those within or outside our fraternity from time to time, the principles of Freemasonry teach us to be tolerant of other beliefs or ideas. Unfortunately in the modern world Tolerance sometimes takes on an odd new meaning, one of inaction. Often out of an abundance of Tolerance we sit back and are inactive in the face of vicious intolerance. Or, even worse, in the face of intolerance, we ourselves become intolerant.

In all of the known history of mankind, intolerance has never defeated intolerance, hate has never defeated hate. Generally one form of intolerance or hate just replaces another. At times in the history of our planet we have seen the cycle of hate, intolerance and associated violence, happen over and over again. Only when true Tolerance is brought out, the cycle of hate, intolerance and associated violence is broken.

Human beings are hard wired, for whatever reason, to make hate an easy emotion. Perhaps it is fight or flight, or perhaps some other reason. The fact is hate can easily be brought out in us, it can then be misguided by ourselves or by outside influences to cause us to act on hate. It is no wonder when we look at the dictators around the world in the past and today you see they give the people following them a villain, someone or something, to hate so the people following them can be more easily manipulated into the violence which comes with hate and intolerance.

Standing up to intolerance and seeking Justice for all is the only way to truly triumph over hate and intolerance. Unfortunately too often we as human beings try to group people, which leads to further intolerance. Seeking Justice means the specific individuals to blame for the injustice are found and punished accordingly. Making a generalization based on what or who the perpetrator of the injustice is, is just another form of intolerance. The fact is Justice needs Tolerance in it's verdicts and without Justice there is no Tolerance.

It is so easy to turn to hate and intolerance in the face of the events going on in our World today. Possibly at no other time has the ideas of Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude, Justice and Tolerance been so important, not just for Freemasonry, for the entire World. In the face of the vicious killing of innocent lives, whether it be a man in a truck, a gunmen who decides to punish others for the life they live, someone who guns people down for the uniform they wear, or someone who is unjustly killed while living their lives under the laws of a free society, it is so easy to turn to hate and intolerance. As Freemasons we need to rise above and set an example as we stand as upright citizens by the virtues we hold dear!

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.

From masonrytoday.com

02/23/2026

Today in Masonic History we discuss the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls.

The International Order of the Rainbow for girls is an organization for young women ages 11 to 20.

The International Order of the Rainbow for girls, or often just Rainbow, was started by W. Mark Sexson a Freemason in Oklahoma. At the time Sexson was a member of the grand line of the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma. At a speech he gave in front of a local Order of Eastern Star chapter, which he was also a member of, he was encouraged to put together a group for young women, similar to the Order of DeMolay for boys which was then only a few years old. Sexson had become familiar with DeMolay through his work with the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma and set to work creating the Order of the Rainbow for girls.

The first initiation for the Order of the Rainbow was held at the McAlester Scottish Rite Temple in McAlester, Oklahoma. There were 171 girls in that first initiation.

Since that time the Order of the Rainbow has grown to an international organization. Like Freemasonry the organization includes Jurisdictions, in the United States the jurisdictions are largely drawn along state lines. In each Jurisdiction there are individual assemblies made up of local young women and advisors who are active in their community. There are more than 850 assemblies in the world today.

Like the seven precepts of the Order of DeMolay, the Order of the Rainbow for Girls has 7 bow stations, each representing a quality or virtue that the organization instills in it's members. The bow stations include Love, Religion, Nature, Immortality, Fidelity, Patriotism and Service. It also teaches the concepts of Faith, Hope and Charity.

Along with the bow stations, the Order of the Rainbow for Girls teaches members the importance of community and the assemblies and jurisdictions work throughout the year on community service projects. The young women are also taught about leadership and other real world skills to help them grow into successful women.

Originally membership was restricted to young women who had a father or other family member who was a mason. Now it is open to any young women from the ages of 11 to 20 and has faith in a Supreme Being, although no religious affiliation is required.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.

From masonrytoday.com

02/20/2026

Today in Masonic History we present The Cooke Manuscript.

The Cooke Manuscript is the second oldest document known about Freemasonry.

The Cooke Manuscript was first translated and published in the 1800's by R. Spencer and edited by Mr. Mathew Cooke, who gave his name to the manuscript.

Similar to the Regius poem, the Cooke Manuscript starts in antiquity and describes the events leading to the development of Freemasonry. It starts with describing the seven liberal arts and directly equating geometry with masonry. Unlike the Regius poem, the Cooke Manuscript describes the tale of the children of Lamech who was a descendant of Cain in the Book of Genesis. One of Lamech's children is Jabal who discovers geometry. Among Lamech's other children are Jubal who discovers music, Tubal Cain who discovers metallurgy and the art of the smith, Naameh, daughter of Lamech, who invents weaving. When the children of Lamech learn the world is going to be destroyed either by fire or flood they inscribe their knowledge on two pillars, one of stone and one of wood. The first capable of surviving fire (conflagration) and the other having the ability to float (inundation). These pillars are later discovered by Pythagoras and the other by the philosopher Hermes. The knowledge was then passed down through Ni**od who created the Tower of Babel.

It is here the Cooke Manuscript comes back together with the Regius Manuscript, although not completely, with the details of the story. In the Cooke Manuscript the knowledge is passed to the Egyptians and to Euclid and eventually to the court of Athelstan in England where the same nine articles, rules for the job site, and nine points, rules for the Freemason, are put down.

Unlike the other ancient masonic documents, the charges and constitutions are not put down on a scroll or rolls. Instead the Cooke Manuscript is written on pieces of vellum and then placed in a book which is covered by two pieces of oak.

James Anderson of Anderson's Constitutions, written in 1723, had access to the Cooke Manuscript when he wrote his constitutions. In a footnote at the end of Anderson's Constitutions he quotes the last 60 lines of the Cooke Manuscript describing the assembly in York in the court of Athelstan.

The Cooke Manuscript is dated at 1450. Early attempts to date the manuscript had it at 1482, although it was dated this way due to a translation error by Cooke. It is believed due to some obvious transcription errors in the document, it was copied from another manuscript. It is believed the original manuscript was a contemporary document of the Cooke Manuscript and unlikely a work from earlier as Freemasons were banned from meeting together for fear they might demand higher wages.

On line 603 of the Manuscript the line is found: For of specculatyfe he was a master and he lovyd well masonry and masons. And he bicome a mason hym selfe. It is believed this is reference to the King's son having joined Freemasonry as a speculative mason.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.

From masonrytoday.com

02/19/2026

Today in Masonic History we ask what is a symbol?

A symbols is a person, concept or object which stands for another idea, belief or entity.

Freemasonry is rich with symbols. One need only look on the outside of most lodge buildings to see the symbol of Freemasonry the square and compasses. Symbols can be difficult though, their meaning confused by personal beliefs or biases. A non-masonic and very dark example of this is the Sw****ka. For most in Western culture it conjures up thoughts of one of the darkest times in human history when millions were killed simply for who they were and what they believed. The Sw****ka has been used throughout the world though. In Hinduism it's a symbol of good fortune and was used for thousands of years prior to becoming a dark symbol in western culture. Depending on your personal experience you may view a particular symbol in a positive or negative way and your interpretation may have no bearing on what the next person sees in the symbol.

For Freemasonry, the same can be said for the symbols we regularly use. A perfect example is the letter G. Often seen in English speaking countries in the center of the square and compasses. Depending on the jurisdiction and who you ask you may hear the G represents geometry, God or the Grand Architect of the Universe. I am sure there are other examples. Regardless of which a Freemason believes, it illustrates the point. A symbol is something unique to the person who views it. It therefore is easily misinterpreted by someone without the proper context or understanding. Often our symbols are twisted either intentionally or unintentionally by outside observers. There are those who see pentagrams in the square and compasses saying it has a dark or sinister meaning. In mathematics the pentagram can be used to illustrate the golden ratio.

In Freemasonry, regardless of jurisdiction, we are all about symbols. It is through education about those symbols we can properly interpret the lessons of the Fraternity. Despite our best efforts to explain those symbols to the world at large, we are stuck with the nearly impossible task of convincing others to see those symbols through our eyes. A difficult task. We best accomplish this through our actions. How we exemplify the meaning of these symbols outside our lodges, best shows the world their meaning.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.

From masonrytoday.com

02/18/2026

Today in Masonic History we discuss Freemasonry on Film.

Freemasonry has appeared both accurately and fictitiously in film since the early days of the genre.

Freemasons have played their part in the development of the Movie industry. Louis B. Mayer and the Warner Brothers helped to establish the industry. Actors such as Clark Gable and John Wayne worked in front of the cameras delighting fans the world over.

Freemasonry as an organization, depending on the film, has been treated harshly, fairly, accurately and inaccurately. Much of this is made easier by the perceived nature of our "secret society". In fact it is such a secret society every day more and more websites like this one pop up all across the Internet to inform members and non-members about the inner workings of our organization.

There are far too many movies to list which mention Freemasonry, casting us as the heroes or villains. Instead I am going to tell you about three of my personal favorites.

Let's start with the easy one, National Treasure released in 2004. The movie actually played on the connection made by Andrew Michael Ramsay when he made a veiled connection between the Knights Templar and Freemasonry. In the film, Freemasons receive from the Knights Templar, after they are arrested by the King France (a real event), the treasure the Knights Templar are thought to have uncovered on the temple mount when they controled Jerusalem (a partially real event). The treasure is hidden on American soil and the founding fathers, some of whom were mason (not as many as Freemasons like to believe), left clues on the Declaration of Independence and other prominent landmarks associated with the founding of the country. Like most films involving Freemasonry it has it's parts where a mason will say "yeah, kind of." Still if you are looking for a fun movie for a lodge movie night, it is a good way to go.

The next is From Hell. The story follows a detective assigned the Jack the Ripper case in 19th century London. As he pursues the killer he discovers a conspiracy and Freemasonry is at its center. In the film, the main character has to deal with the Commissioner of Police Sir Charles Warren a real individual and mason who was the first Worshipful Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge. As the movie progresses, the involvement of the Freemasons becomes more apparent and includes a scene toward the end which is now infamous in Masonic lore. It is the moment when writing is found on a wall, allegedly written by Jack the Ripper blaming the the "Jues" fault. Some have connected the word "Jues" to the three villains in Masonic ritual. The moment in the film is historically accurate when Warren who orders the writing removed. The real Warren later indicated he did it because, despite the misspelling of the word Jews, he feared attacks on the Jewish community. This is another good movie for a masonic movie night. A warning it is rather graphic.

The final film is, in my opinion, the best film for any Freemason to see. The Man Who Would Be King is based on the short story (you can read it here) by Rudyard Kipling. In the movie Kipling encounters a man who steals his pocket watch and quickly returns it to him when he realizes he has stolen from a brother mason. The story follows the man who Kipling encounters and his friend as they make their way into a country bordering on India and try to make their fortune. Along the way a series of misunderstandings and the discovery of a city founded by Alexander the Great, who in the film is claimed to be a mason, the two men rise to power only to have their deceptions revealed and punished. There is probably no other film out there with such a strong masonic overtone. Not to mention the movie is fun with many funny parts between the two stars Michael Caine and Sean Connery (to my knowledge neither are masons).

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.

From masonrytoday.com

02/17/2026

Today in Masonic History we discuss On the Level.

The Level is a tool used in construction.

Just about every mason hears the phrase 'On the Level' when they attend their lodge meeting. It is one of most basic ideas put forth in Freemasonry.

At it's core on the level indicates an object is the same distance from a common surface no matter where you measure from. This is critical in construction to make sure a house or structure will stand. To prove floors do not slope and things will not roll or slide across the floor. Generally in construction when something is level, it has more to do with the ground on which it stands and gravity as a whole.

In Freemasonry a level not only refers to things of equal distance from a common surface, it refers to many other things.

The first thing it refers to is what the phrase most commonly translates to outside of the fraternity. When someone is 'on the level' they are honest, they deal with someone fairly. This also can have another allusion most commonly held with one of the Cardinal Virtues of Freemasonry, Justice. The balance scale, which is a common symbol to indicate Justice, has a level as it's core element. With both sides being equal, a balance scale will be level across indicating both sides are equal.

The second thing, is it is a reminder we are all equal in the eyes of death, often referred to in masonry as the "Great Leveler." It means death comes for us all no matter what station we have attained in life, no matter what we attained as status in the fraternity, we will all look upon the face of death. It is a reminder for all of us we are no different from the person walking beside us on the street or standing next to us in our lodge room.

Third and most importantly, it is a reminder to Freemasons, no matter what we do inside the fraternity, no matter what position we hold or have held, we have a responsibility to our brothers and to the world to treat each others as equals. No one person is more important than another in the fraternity, even when someone briefly achieves the position of Most Worshipful Grand Master, the highest position and leader in any Grand Jurisdiction. All must be held to the same standards and all must be treated as equals.

It is for all these reasons most lodges will end their meeting with everyone standing on the same surface. It symbolizes we are all standing together equally and no one, no matter their position is exempted from standing shoulder to shoulder with their brothers. One of the best examples of on the level comes from an installation ceremony. In it is stated, "From the ranks you have risen and to the ranks you shall return." It is a reminder some of us may be called to lead from time to time, we must always remember we are still 'on the level' with our brothers.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.

From masonrytoday.com

02/16/2026

02/13/2026

Today in Masonic History we present Corn, Wine, Oil by Rob Morris.

They come from many a pleasant home
To do the Ancient Work they come,
With cheerful hearts and light
They leave the world without, apace,
And gathering here in secret place,
They spend the social night
They earn the meed of honest toil,
Wages of Corn, and Wine, and Oil.

Upon the sacred Altar lies,
Ah, many a precious sacrifice
Made by these working men:
The passions curbed, the lusts restrained,
And hands with human gore unstained,
And hearts from envy clean
They earn the meed of honest toil,
Wages of Corn, and Wine, and Oil.

They do the deeds Their Master did
The naked clothe, the hungry feed
They warm the shivering poor
They wipe from fevered eyes the tear
A Brother's joys and griefs they share,
As One has done before
They earn the meed of honest toil,
Wages of Corn, and Wine, and Oil.

Show them how Masons, Masons know,
The land of strangers journeying through
Show them how Masons love,
And let admiring spirits see
How reaches Masons' charity
From earth to Heaven above
Give them the meed of honest toil,
Wages of Corn, and Wine, and Oil.

Then will each Brother's tongue declare
How bounteous his wages are,
And Peace will reign within
Your walls with skillful hands will grow,
And coming generations know
Your Temple is Divine
Then give the meed of honest toil,
Wages of Corn, and Wine, and Oil.

Yes, pay these men their just desert,
Let none dissatisfied depart,
But give them full reward
Give Light, that longing eyes may see
Give Truth, that doth from error free:
Give them to know the Lord!
Give them the meed of honest toil,
Wages of Corn, and Wine, and Oil.

From masonrytoday.com

02/12/2026

Today in Masonic History we present Mason or not?

In the course of writing the articles for this site we have come upon some interesting tid bits when it comes to researching the individuals we write about.

The first and most important thing to realize is no one source is most accurate. You have to sift through a variety of information before you find what appears to be the truth about the individual being researched. I have also come to realize there are certain classifications for individuals who are claimed to be Freemasons. I have broken this down into three categories for the purpose of this article, actual Freemasons, alleged Freemasons (positive) and alleged Freemasons (negative).

The actual Freemasons are fairly self explanatory. These are individuals who are listed as members of a lodge or lodges and have a very real tie to the fraternity.

Alleged Freemasons (positive) are individuals who are claimed as Freemasons, generally by Freemasons. They are people of some sort of fame around the world and of good character. We as Freemasons want to believe the person was a member. A perfect example is Johannes Brahms, he is listed in many publications as a Freemasons. Depending on how deep you dig you can even find places where his music has been pulled apart to justify the argument. Unfortunately it is unlikely Brahms was a Freemasons. He lived much of his life in Austria where Freemasonry was outlawed. Regardless of the facts, it makes Freemasons feel good to think we have such interesting membership. Another example is the claim about the signers of the Declaration of Independence or the early United States Presidents. Often it's claimed "all" were Freemasons, when in fact for both groupings of people the number is in the teens. In fact one of our early Presidents, John Quincy Adams, was an anti-mason and played a part in the Morgan Affair and in the Anti-Masonic Party.

The last category, Alleged Freemasons (negative), is a bit more sinister. There are many individuals on various sites and in books who are claimed to be a Freemason as an attempt to discredit the fraternity or to discredit the individual. The placement of individuals into the two sub-categories has everything to do with the deeds of the individual. Often it is claimed someone is a Freemasons because of horrible acts they preformed. Jack the Ripper is a good example of this classification. It is unclear who Jack the Ripper really was, it hasn't stopped conspiracy theorists from writing the fraternity into the stories of the Ripper. There was even a movie made starring Johnny Depp called From Hell. It puts Freemasonry at the center of the Ripper murders and cover up (an excellent movie by the way, a good lodge movie night, no kids allowed). Footnote: Charles Warren

who was Commissioner of Police at the time of the murders was a mason. The other category generally has a political motivation. The idea of exposing opponents as Freemasons, has been a long tradition. In the more modern era it plays into the "One World Order" claims. If a politician is pinned as a Freemason in some countries it becomes easier to paint the person as up to no good, especially in the minds of those who believe Freemasons are out to rule the world. For the record, we are not.
So how do we separate the wheat from chaff, the Master Mason from the Clandestine Mason. It can be tough, here are some tips I generally use when verifying whether a man was a mason. First, if they are someone of significance like Buzz Aldrin (he is easy to verify, I use him just as example), often there will be other articles about the person in prominent Masonic publications, giving you his home lodge. From there you can check the website for his home lodge, if it exists. Most lodges will happily show off their famous brethren. If it is someone less famous, it may take some more digging around in Online content. Many Grand Lodge proceedings are available in digital form through Google books. Second, you can go to the Grand Lodge you believe the person belonged to. This can be hit or miss though, not about the quality of the information, about whether you will get a response. Some Grand Lodges do not give the information out, no matter how long deceased the brother may be, most of them will tell you if they have such a policy. Some do not respond at all or will ask what is the purpose of your inquiry and what you will do with the information. For the most part you will get some level of response from a Grand Lodge. I have found you get the best luck with European Grand Lodges when you request information.

No matter what, information out there can be faked or distorted so it is always best to find multiple sources to verify the persons membership in the fraternity. If it doesn't smell right, it probably isn't right.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.

From masonrytoday.com

02/11/2026

Today in Masonic History we present Freemasonry V. Catholicism.

Freemasonry and Catholicism have had a bad relationship for many centuries. The purpose of this article is not to place "blame" for these issues, it is merely to make them known, there is already too much hate in the world.

Freemasonry and the Catholic church are arguably two of the oldest organizations in the World. Speculative Freemasonry and the Catholic church have never gotten along. I say Speculative since it is probable Operative Freemasons did on some level "get along" with the Catholic church since they were the ones building the cathedrals of Europe. It is unclear where the friction between Freemasonry and Catholicism comes from, although there may be some who will post on social media why they think it is, the real reason is lost in time.

One possible reason given, is due to Pope Clement XII. He issued the first papal bull against Freemasonry stating "For which reason the temporal and spiritual communities are enjoined, in the name of holy obedience, neither to enter the society of Freemasons, to disseminate its principles, to defend it, nor to admit nor conceal it within their houses or places, or elsewhere, under the pain of excommunication ipso facto, for all acting in contradiction to this, and from which the pope only can absolve the dying." Although this still does not answer why. A cardinal-nephew of Clement XII wrote in a letter it had nothing to do with ideology and everything to do with the fact a lodge in Florence was corrupt. This claim is interesting since a cardinal nephew of Pope Clement XI, Clement XI and Clement XII are only separated by nine years, Phillip Von Stosch, is the person who started the lodge. It's claimed prior to condemning Freemasonry, Clement XII petitioned the lodge for membership, there is no evidence it ever happened.

Despite the fact Pope Clement XII was the one who officially created the papal bull, there were previous statements from the Catholic church stating it's dislike for Freemasonry. As early as the 1500's there are statements being made by clergy referring to Freemasonry as Judeo-Freemasonry, more than likely trying to tie Judaism with Freemasonry as there was an anti-semitic sentiment in Europe at the time. Again this doesn't tell us the why, merely Freemasonry is, in the eyes of the church, not good.

In more modern times it is has been stated a Freemason has secrets he cannot tell his priest, which violates the Confessional. From a historical perspective it is unclear when private confession became a sacrament. It is first mentioned in the council of Trent in 1551. At the time they stated "private confession has always been a part of the Catholic church." There are those, even within the Catholic Church, who question this assertion. The statement coincides with some of the anti-masonic rhetoric occurring in the 1500's.

It has also been said the papal bull was about secret societies as a whole. The fact is Freemasonry is not a secret society, it is a society with secrets, just like the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic sponsored fraternal organization.

Regardless of the reason for the papal bull, it became a source for hate between the two organizations. In the 1800's a man named Leo Taxil put himself at the center of the issue of Freemasonry V. Catholicism. Taxil tried to join a Masonic lodge because of his anti-Catholic and anti-cleric views. When his motives were discovered he was told he could not progress in the fraternity, he had only attained his first degree, and left the fraternity. Taxil became enraged and began writing anti-Masonic books, claiming he was privy to the horrible secrets of Freemasonry. To this day, Taxil's book are cited as proof of the horrific things going on in Freemasonry even though Taxil, in an attempt to embarrass the Catholic Church, held a press conference and admitted he made everything up.

Up to this point I am sure people reading this article are saying I am writing this in defense of Freemasonry, so let's change the tone. Freemasonry does not have a Pope, there is not even a central authority for Freemasonry around the World. While some jurisdictions I am sure have policies about Catholics not being allowed to join. Some masons, out of spite, may want Catholics banned from joining. This is wholly unmasonic in my view. It has become a situation where people who don't understand the history, make assumptions and declare Catholics need not apply. I recently read an article where someone wrote negatively about the Catholic church, largely because of the ban on it's members joining the fraternity. The article itself was fairly hostile blaming Catholics themselves for supporting the ban.

Freemasonry can do nothing to change the ban on Catholics joining the fraternity, it is something, in my opinion Freemasons need to let it go. As I stated at the start of this article there is plenty of hate already. Not long ago I read a Catholic forum where someone asked the question what they should do with some Masonic books they found belonging to their grandfather or great-grandfather. The vast majority of people responding to the post told the person to burn the books and anything else appearing masonic. Much of the rhetoric was hate filled and the mini-book burning turned into other hate filled rants toward the Masonic fraternity. Although I have not personally seen them, I have little doubt similar rants exist going in the other direction.

Regardless of the reason for the papal bull banning Freemasons from the Catholic church, Freemasons should always remember we are admonished not to allow ourselves to be drawn into arguments with those who may not understand the Masonic fraternity. We should also practice the hidden jewel in Freemasonry, Tolerance.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.

From masonrytoday.com