Radio Script #50
Little Talks On Common Things
January 8, 1950
An unusual and highly appreciated gift came to me on Christmas eve. It was presented by one of the most helpful of the listeners to this program, Mr. Chester Hussey of Walnut Street. It is a very old book, printed at Worcester, Massachusetts in 1798. But it is more than just an old book; it is a precious historical record. Its title is “Constitutions of the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons”. If the book contain only the constitutions and regulations of early masonic lodges in this country, it would be valuable enough, but its inclusion of a carefully compiled and fully documented history of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts enhances its value.
The book was compiled by Rev. Thaddeus Harris, who was then chaplain of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge and an influential member of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Mr. Harris had worked under instructions from’ a committee of the Grand Lodge, all of whom were doubtless estimable gentlemen, but only one of whom gained a place in history. That one was Paul Revere.
Now all members of the Masonic order and many non-II\embe.rs are aware that there are two so-called roads to the higher ranks of Masonry, roads known as the York Rite and the Scottish Rite, deriving their privileges respectively from the Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of Scotland. What few Masons know, and what this old book clearly reveals, is that while Masonry in America began under the York Rite by virtue of a charter from the Grand Master of Masons in England, it was a rival grand lodge of the Scottish Rite, chartered later by the Grand Master of Scotland, which numbered among its members most of the famous New Englanders of the Revolution. What is even more interesting and suggestive of some historical perplexity is the fact that this grand lodge which contained the most distinguished New England patriots was actually founded by the British Army stationed in Boston. In that army were three so-called travelling lodges of the Scottish Rite. They petitioned the Most Worshipful George, Earl of Dalhousie, Grand Master of Masons in Scotland, to charter a grand lodge in New England. The Grand Master sent them a charter, dated May 30, 1769, appointing as New England Grand Master a young man of 29 years, Joseph Warren. So it came about that the hero of Bunker Hill, the man who said, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes II , who still a young man of 35 died under the charge of British bayonets, was the first Grand Master of the first Scottish Rite lodge in America.
If, as legend long contended, any Masonic lodge of Boston was mixed up in the famous Boston Tea Party, it must have been Paul Revere’s own lodge of the Scottish Rite. To that branch of Masonry belonged also Samuel Adams and John Hancock, James Otis and Josiah Quincy. Masonry itself in America was much older than the Grand Lodge of the Scottish Rite, with its dynamic patriot, Paul Revere, and its martyred hero, Joseph Warren. The earliest American masonry is of the York Rite. As this old book puts it, “in consequence of an application from several brethren residing in New England to the Most Worshipful Anthony, Lord Viscount Montague, Grand Master of Masons in England, he was pleased in the year 1733 to constitute the Right Worshipful Henry price, Provincial Grand Master of New England. II Thus began St. John’ s Grand Lodge, from which derived most of the masonic lodges in the other American colonies.
For instance, in the following year 1734, they granted a charter for a lodge in Philadelphia, appointing as the first master of that lodge none other than Benjamin Franklin. On March 20,1762 they issued a charter for a lodge at Falmouth on Casco Bay, which was of course the present City of Portland.
The old book also records: “In December, 1735 sundry brethren, going from Boston to South Carolina, and meeting with Masons there, formed a lodge at Charleston; from whence sprung masonry in those parts.”
The Revolution seems to have hit the older York Rite Grand Lodge harder than it did the young Grand Lodge of the Scottish Rite. To discover reason for this would make an interesting bit of historical research, for it might reveal much about relations between those lodges travelling in the,British Army stationed in Boston and the lodges that included men like John Hancock and Paul Revere. At any rate this old book shows the records of the older English Grand Lodge closing at the minutes of the meeting and election of officers on January 27, 1775, and not resuming until February 17, 1787. Between the two minutes the historian has inserted these words: “On April 19th hostilities commenced between Great Britain and America. From which period a chasm is made in this history. War, with its attendant distractions, interfered with the peaceful plans of this philanthropic institution. Boston became a garrison and was abandoned by many of its former inhabitants. The regular meetings of the Grand Lodge were terminated, and the brethren held no assembly until after the conclusion of the contest and the establishment of peace. ”
On the other hand the Scottish Grand Lodge kept going, after a fashion, right through the turbulent days of the Revolution. The record states: “The political events of the year 1775 produced affecting changes in the state of masonry. How to convene the Grand Lodge with regularity became a serious question, especially since with the death of Grand Master Warren at Bunker Hill the commission of Grand Master had died with him. Communications among the brethren were held at various times and places until on March 8, 1777, for the purpose of setting up a proper establishment and of softening the rigors of a distressing war, they formed an independent grand lodge.” That lodge succeeded in holding regular meetings straight through the war.
In 1792 the two grand lodges, York Rite and Scottish Rite, agreed to unite into one independent grand lodge, which has ever since been known as the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. The new constitution of the united lodge was dedicated to “our illustrious brother, George Washington, the friend of masonry, of his country and of man”. In 1794 the United Grand Lodge elected as its master one who had served the old Scottish Grand Lodge successively as junipr grand warden, senior grand warden and deputy grand master. He was none other than the silversmith and bell founder who had made the famous midnight ride 19 years before — Master Paul Revere.
How much do individual Americans spend in a year? About $180 billion,an average of $1,200 for every man, woman and child in the United states.
This is exclusive of taxes. In 1950 individual spending is expected to reach the highest level in our history. The prediction of both government and private analysts is that this year the total spendable funds will be boosted to an extent of 2, billions by refund on veterans’ insurance and other factors. But, lest we get too complacent,. what will corne after 1950? While the answer is anyone’s guess, common sense tells us that there will corne a day when our people will have all the automobiles and appliances they can pay for, or even mortgage the future for, as many of them do now. Steadily rising production may somewhere reach a saturation point. Then will come the real test to determine whether the united States had found the answer to stable prosperity. That is why some of us keep shouting against continued government deficits in good times. There can be no stable prosperity in a bankrupt state. If government spending increases year after year in time of rising production, what is going to happen when production begins to decline, when unemployment sets in? The wise householder tries to have something laid aside for a rainy day_ Uncle Sam, on the contrary, seems to be ripping off the shingles in fair weather, to give the rain a better chance to soak the house.
In spite of the signs, that we are moving into the welfare state, there are other signs that indicate the American people’s steadfast belief that the care of dependents rests first upon the head of the family, not on the welfare worker in Augusta or Washington. This program is devoted to common things, and one of the commonest in our day is life insurance. It is one of America’s biggest businesses. A lot of us pay premiums regularly into the treasuries of the insurance compan’ies. While those companies wait for the day when they must make payment to our beneficiaries, what do they do with our money? Right now 49 companies have $52 billions of that money. They have invested $36 billions of it in bonds, of which $14 billions is in government bonds. They have $10 billions in mortgages, a billion in stocks, another billion in real estate, and three billions in other assets.
Policies now in force amount to more than $200 billions. The average amount of insurance per family is $4,800. There are two policy holders for every family in the country. Obviously the American people believe in life insurance.
One of the most common, exciting incidents of half a century ago was the runaway horse. Several times a year such an occurrence would stimulate the rather dull life of a country village. Even larger towns, like Waterville, had their exciting runaways. One of my neighbors recently called my attention to an item in the Waterville Mail of September 25, 1901. It reads:
“Saturday a horse belonging to C. A. Hill’s stable and attached to a buggy standing on Common Street near Main gave a sudden start, freed himself from the carriage, and ran up Main Street to his stable. When he started, a young lady was thrown violently out. She struck with some force, but except for the mud which clung to her clothes, she apparently sustained no injury. She took the thing very calmly, got up and brushed herself as if it were a common occurrence, said she was not hurt, and indulged in no hysteria.”
Now let us get back to some of those old-time happenings in Waterville and vicinity. How many of our listeners remember the mail robbery at the waterville station about 60 years ago? Herbert Simpson of Winslow recalls it well, for he was one of the young boys who found letters scattered in the pine grove on the east bank of the river, where part of the H & W mill now stands. A mail bag had been snatched from the station platform, carried across the river on the ice, and ripped open by the robbers in the old pine grove.
Mr. Simpson also remembers the spring and fall when the local people were frightened and mystified by weird sounds that issued from the river banks above the college. Frightened horses ran away, and posses spent many nights investigating with lanterns, but the mystery, says Mr. Simpson, was never solved. However, Bert Drummond, who was himself in college a few years after the incident, says it was no mystery at all. The fact that the noises which issued so weirdly on the spring air stopped during the summer. but resumed in the fall, should have been enough evidence that college pranksters were at work. If one wants further evidence, let it be recalled that a young fellow who never let himself be left out of any lively event was then in college. He was J. Frederick Hill.
The copy of the waterville Mail to which I have already referred -issued half a century ago — contained some interesting advertisements. Daily summer service was advertised for steamers from Augusta to Boston. In the Thayer block was a garment cutting school, which advertised: “Ladies can receive personal instruction drafting all styles of garments by accurate and scientific measurements. Cording, tucking and featherboning taught without extra charge.” Humphrey 1 s Medicine was advertised to “cure fever. infants’ diseases, rheumatism, whooping cough, kidney disease, colds and grip”. The grand opening of Clukey-Libby Company’s new department store was announced. When I first came to Waterville in 1909 that store was in full swing at the corner of Main and Silver Streets.
The railroads were having their troubles fifty years ago. That old issue of the Waterville Mail contains the following item:
“The Maine Central has been having hard luck with its freight trains of late, and is not likely to have smooth sailing until all the cars are equipped with air brakes. Stopping the front end of a train while the rear end proceeds merrily along on its way is pretty sure to cause trouble.”
Who can come up with the tallest story about fantastic animals of the Maine woods? There are some great yarns about the rat-tailed bambaloosa and the purple fillyoo. Then there was the famous red-backed, horse-tailed buck, commonly known by Maine guides and shown by them to distinguished visitors from out of state.
But one of the most versatile of those animals was the ring-tailed plunkus which my great grandmother used to tell about down on the old farm at West Gorham. She claimed that her uncle over in Buxton once tamed one of the critters and used it for three seasons to thresh out his grain with its tail. Then the poor critter died of the measles.
Year: 1950