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The book History of The United Supreme Council, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Northern Jurisdiction, 1881 - 1998 is now available to members of the craft and the public to be better enlightened
The book is hardbound, with a durable binding, purple in color, printed on high grade glossy stock, with typesetting by Warren Printing Incorporated, Warren, Ohio; and printed by R.R. Donnelley & Sons, Chicago, Illinois.
The author is brother Joseph A. Walkes, well known Prince Hall masonic historian.
The book is an official publication of the Supreme Council, Northern Jurisdiction, and is sold directly by them. The cost is $30.00, which includes shipping and handling. The address is The Scottish Rite Cathedral Building, 1514-20 Fitzwater Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146-2123.
The book project was accomplished under the leadership and tenure of Sovereign Grand Commander Samuel Brogdon, Jr. Ohio Past Grand Master, 1969 -1971, Past Master, King Solomon Lodge No.87, Warren, Ohio ).
Sovereign Commander Samuel Brogden was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Wilberforce University in the Spring of 2000.
The author's (Walkes) acknowledgements includes Illustrious Edward B. Darnell (newly elected Potentate, Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of Mystic Shrine); Dr. Chrystine R. Shack, Project Editor; the Supreme Council administrative staff; Illustrious Andrew E. "Jack" Morris; Dr. Genys A. Waldman; and others in Philadelphia.
This review is not an official sanctioned activity of The United Supreme Council, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Northern Jurisdiction (Supreme Council, Northern Jurisdiction), (Supreme Council), but a literary review in the spirit of providing light and knowledge about Prince Hall masonry. No others had an input into the review.
The history of Prince Hall Masonry in the United States is a fascinating story of the rise and development in spite of group and individual opposition, of a Masonic organization with a legitimate historical background extending back to England and forward to the states of our nation. (Dr. Charles Wesley in Prince Hall: Life and Legacy, (Preface, page v.)
The author brings his particular informative style to the work. He is the founder of the Phylaxis Society. The official organization for Prince Hall Masonic Research is the Phylaxis Society, whose president is Joseph A. Walkes. The society may viewed at http://freemasonry.org/phylaxis. The address of the president Walkes is P.O. Box 3151, Ft. Leavenworth, KS 66207.
Brother Walkes is author of Black Square & Compass: 200 Years of Prince Hall Freemasonry, available from most masonic supply outlets.
This book has value to many people in the order. It can also provide valuable information to people outside the order.
This review shall refer to History of The United Supreme Council, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Northern Jurisdiction, 1881 - 1998 as The Supreme Council History.
Within the order there is a need to enlighten us and we need to know and have information provided to us.
For the young, and those new to Prince Hall masonry in the last 20 years- especially those not holding office and being passively involved in the craft, this book is valuable.
This book provides a valuable explanation of and account of the Scottish Rite in Prince Hall masonry. It does what many Prince Hall Grand Lodge web sites does in presenting Prince Hall symbolic masonry, as does Obelisk Temple No. 187, Okinawa in its presentation of Prince Hall Shrinedom at its web site.
Prince Hall masonry has been a struggle- and controversial from the beginning. There have been problems relating to racism- and even "classism". There has also been the "1849" problem and existence of the National Compact masons- which is covered (briefly) from an historical perspective by Dr. Charles Wesley in his books on the life of Prince Hall, Prince Hall Life and Legacy and the history of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, History of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, 1849- 1971. Dr. Wesley's book is available from the Ohio Grand Lodge. Contact Grand Secretary, William Young, 50 Hamilton Park, Columbus, Ohio 43203, call (614) 221-6197.Cost for the book, is $20.00, plus shipping. The U.S. Postal Service will ship the book priority mail for $3.25.
Illustrious Harry E. Davis in A History of Freemasonry Among Negroes in North America and The Prince Hall Counsellor by the Prince Hall Commission on Clandestine Masonry provide specific history on the development of Prince Hall Masonry. The latter two books are available from The Scottish Rite Cathedral, 1514-20 Fitzwater Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146-2123. Call, or write for details on current prices.
We Prince Hall masons like members of any other fraternal organization are members who operate on faith, indoctrination and tradition. We are not all expected to be academics, scholars or even well informed. Human conduct is such that we are the beneficiaries of what come to us.
This book is interwoven with the historical conflicts that often occur when some men become the head of symbolic masonry, which in Prince Hall masonry is Grand Master. There are also the recorded conflicts when the heads of symbolic masonry not understanding the Scottish Rite; being upset with protocols such as seating at functions.
The book provide information and knowledge to supplement degree work in symbolic masonry, which in Prince Hall masonry is generally good.
I can speak with pride at the degree work provided by my beloved Harmony Lodge No. 77, known throughout the Grand Lodges of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana for its fine degree work.
I can speak with pride with the extensive knowledge shared by the elders of the Craft in formal and informal gathering, including Shrine functions.
But knowledge of symbolic masonry is not enough to be a Prince Hall mason.
Some jurisdictions provide for enlightenment through formal training. The following is an excerpt from the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia:
The purpose of the College of Masonry is to train and develop all members, especially aspiring leaders, of the Prince Hall Family in the following course subject areas: __BUDGET, FINANCE, AND AUDITING,Chapter 3 covers the unification of several black Scottish Rite bodies in Pennsylvania, New York and the East Coast. Chapter 4 covers more unification and foundation issues.
Chapter 4 covers the advancement and further organization of what we know today as the Prince Hall Scottish Rite. The historic meeting of the New Northern Jurisdiction was held April 29, 1881. However, this chapter brings back Ill. John G. Jones (first mentioned in Chapter 1, page 12) and his competition for black freemasons all over the country. Ill. John G. Jones was the founder of several black masonic organizations that exist to this day. This chapter brings back into the framework, Dr. Peter W. Ray, whom many Scottish Rite groups in the black community , operating today, claim as their founder. Among them, some elements of the United Grand Lodge, the National Supreme Council and possibly, the National Compact.When you complete Chapter 4 you get a clue of what the whole controversy about black masonry in America is about to some: control and money. To some organizations and individuals, wittingly and unwittingly, masonry above the Master Mason level is money from fees from award of degrees and payment of additional annual (Consistory) dues. Thus far in the book the competition is at the "higher", or "advanced" degree level. Later, we get mention of the International Masons, a later group founded and lead by Attorney-businessman (reviewers emphasis) William V. Banks until his death.
In Chapter 5, page 47, author Walkes records: In 1895 John G. Jones declared himself as Sovereign Grand Commander over the United Supreme Council with territory and jurisdiction and jurisdiction over every State and Territory in the United States of America and the Dominion of Canada. Jones wrote that had expelled from the Supreme Council Il. [ ] Thornton Jackson and all of the 3 officers, and assumed the Office of Commander. How all of this had taken place, Jones never explains. A study of the records reveals that on October 21, 1895, at the election of officers of the Southern and Western Jurisdiction of the Supreme Council, Jones, the Lieutenant Grand Commander, was defeated for reelection. On the next night, October 22nd, Jones held a meeting at the residence of Dorsey F. Seville, and with 15 other persons, organized a bogus Supreme Council out of pure spite for his defeat by that group. Jones was the only one who had the 33rd degree. Four of those present had the 32nd degree, while the remaining were only Master Masons. The "Jones" masons are forever with us, and represent a score of black masonic bodies, dating back to the 1890s. They are different in origin that the so-called "Banks" masons, (International Masons), a group dating to 1947, established in Columbus, Ohio, and later headquartered out of Detroit. Brother Walkes "forgets" to point out that the same brother John G. Jones founded our Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Chapter 14, is must reading, titled Years of Distinction. The time covered is Sovereign Commander George W. Crawford's tenure (1949 - 1965), but what is covered is the late 1950s and early 1960s expansion of non-Prince Hall black masonic organizations. Further, it present examples of how these non-Prince Hall organizations made contact with the white grand lodges and attempted to get their "endorsements," only to have the communications shared with the Supreme Council. Of interest was, the International Masons and a Supreme Council operated by St. Andrews Grand Lodge of Louisiana. Chapter 15, titled Ill. [33rd] George R. Busnell 33rd, covers historical interactions between the Sovereign Grand Commander, George R. Busnell 33rd, of the white Northern Scottish Rite, at a crucial time. Chapter 16, covers the modern times of Illustrious Leland Dickerson French, beginning in October 1965. This is an era, which saw much cooperation with the Southern Jurisdiction. It was the era in which the Gold Medal of Achievement was established. The Republic of Liberia was also a major bastion of Prince Hall masonry. The author noted that "Though Prince Hall Freemasonry continued to grow outside of the United States, there continued the ever present growth of bogus Masonry." The Benevolent Foundation was established to make donations to the NAACP, Urban League, the Southern Leadership Conference, a distressed Illustrious Peer, and bona fide charitable organizations. Supreme Commander Booker T. Alexander made system and management changes in record keeping that brought business operations uniformity.. "whereby A Deputy in Alaska would be using the same equipment and system as the Deputy in Massachusetts, or any other Orient." (See Page 232). Chapters 17 - 20, cover Scottish Rite final and last degree classes and developments into the 1990s, the building of the Cathedral Headquarters building in Philadelphia, with mostly peace and harmony prevailing. Except for a case carefully crafted by author Walkes to reveal a common problem in the life and journey of Prince Hall masonry: Conflicts within the organization. The Supreme Council was shut down due to the actions of one individual, so the 132nd Annual Session was moved from Philadelphia the Holy See of the Supreme Council to Wilmington, Delaware. The Deputy of the Supreme Council had been suspended by the Pennsylvania Grand Master. These, and other issues, brought up the fact that at least one Grand Master, and possibly others, were trying to control that part of Prince Hall masonry which they had no control. (Pp. 202). Chapter 21, titled "Of Mice and Men" finds the Supreme Council moving along, making considerable progress in its program to build housing for the elderly and disabled, when, regrettably it found itself embroiled in a controversy not of its choosing, a conflict with a Grand Master in New York state. We Prince Hall masons like members of any other fraternal organization are members who operate on faith, indoctrination and tradition. We are not all expected to be academics, scholars or even well informed. Human conduct is such that we are the beneficiaries of what come to us. To be a Prince Hall mason requires an understanding of the past to be able to survive in the future. The new information age allows data and information to be easily accessed on the inherent, but sometimes because the web itself is a medium, information needs to be summarized. The answer to this problem goes back to the old fashion habit of reading books. Dr. Charles Wesley's History of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the State of Ohio 1849 - 1971, gives some light to brothers- sometimes calling themselves "Prince Hall Origin," in his book. This book does not do this. One criticism of Wesley was that he was too timid in exploring the relationship of National Compact matters. A criticism of the The Supreme Council History is that Brother Walkes muddles the issue and continues the timidity. Prince Hall masons offer an olive branch to all. Prince Hall masonry offers no apology for its heritage. Prince Hall offers the "healing process' to non-Prince Hall Masons. In Ohio that process is spelled out in summary on the official Grand Lodge web page at http://www.phaohio.org/mwphgloh.html. Non-Prince Hall black Masonry The subject of "bogus" black masonry is not thoroughly covered, because that was not the real purpose of the book, to give a history of the Prince Hall Supreme Council. Bogus black masonry exists in some cases because of possible honest mistakes. Other case include were black masonic organizations were set up for possible strictly business purpose. One organization was one of the earliest owners of a UHF television station (in Detroit) while the only other black controlled UHF station was at Howard University, which is "owned" by the United States Government. Significantly, when the 'head' of this masonic organization died his widow pronounced herself as his successor. So much for masonry in this case. The Phylaxis Society The International Phylaxis Society, a Society of Prince Hall Freemasons who seek light and have light to impart, is the most unique research body within the fraternity. Founded in 1973 by a handful of active duty and retired military personnel, the Society has grown to be a premier research society in Prince Hall Freemasonry. The magazine, The Phylaxis the flagship of the organization is received throughout the world. Like all Prince Hall organizations, the Society and magazine needs support, both financially and in active participation. The Phylaxis Society, which Brother Walkes is president has established The Non-Prince Hall Commission: which "attempts to track all groups claiming to be Masonic in the Black community across the country. All members are asked to support this effort, with Public Affairs Directors, and members of the Council of Representative sending in data on the various groups. The Commission publishes a quarterly newsletter." Other non-Prince Hall black masonic organizations have different structures, usually hierachial. They usually have different philosophies, characteristics and business plans than Prince Hall Masons. For example, the Modern Masons of the World organized in Opelika, Alabama in 1917. The following is their credo:
"Modern Free, Inc., was organized November 1, 1917 at Opelika, Alabama and incorporated December 3, 1921 at Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama. Being in active existence for more than eighty (80) years. Presently, we are registered in twenty-four states, Germany, Korea, and Caribbean, with operations based in Columbus, Georgia. Our Certificate of Incorporation gives us the right to practice fundamental principles of Masonry throughout the United States and in foreign territories; and the right to establish businesses to be operated for the mutual benefits of our members and the community."If one only casually views the Modern Free Masons of the World, men known (and women) only to themselves, their list of "outstanding masons in history" does not include any black men, but does include John Wayne, and just about every other white person of note, or notoriety, include Ku Klux Klan men. It also wise to note that the masonic symbol has a key underneath it- a meaning that author Walkes explains as being that this is not a true masonic organization within the context of Prince Hall masonry.(See Chapter 14, page 164, where the International Masons added a key above the square and compass. (See page 164) But for competition and gall, the The Supreme Council History has author Walkes records the Bulletin of February 15, 1956 reprinted the following letter from William V. Banks of the International Masons, Inc. of Detroit: "..that most fraternal orders have disregarded the Church and Church Leadership until they get ready to turn out in Church. The International Masons, besides having a Christian Program is asking every Religious Leader to help maintain a clean Christian Program the year round. To help in this, we offer every Pastor a Free Membership, and an opportunity to earn $$$s, while bringing a clean Fraternal Program to the community to cooperate with the Church. Here is what we will pay you. 1. Just for calling a meeting to organize a club for a Lodge, you as Pastor will receive 50 cents for each person attending. 2. You will receive $1.00 for each person attending who will join and pay at least $1.00 on his application, (if 10 persons join, you will receive $10.00). 3. For each person paying his joining fee in full, you will receive one half of it in cash. This is the greatest opportunity ever offered for you to make some real money. The Deputy will pay the Minister, and the Supreme Office will repay the 50 cents for each member4 attending. Return this letter today, with your name, address and telephone number, and we will get in touch with you to arrange for the meeting."
Nothing beats reading a book. That is why brother Walkes book is recommended.
For the future, The Scottish Rite Research Institute (Prince Hall Affiliation) goal is to research the Scottish Rite among Prince Hall Freemasonry and publish its Transactions named Hautes Grades annually. It Scottish Rite Research Institute also publishes a quarterly newsletter, named Ecossais. For details write Scottish Rite Research Institute , at P.O. Box 3151, Ft. Leavenworth, KS 66207.