Published Monthly by The
Phylaxis Society Public Affairs Office
and Masonic Information Center
September 1998
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Harmony Lodge No. 88, Chicago, Illinois who is President Clinton's family spiritual advisor, recently met with the first lady and their daughter, Chelsea in the wake of the Presidents recent scandal, to offer spiritual comfort. Legendary soul singer, Jerry Butler, a Cook County Commissioner and Prince Hall Master Mason from the Jurisdiction of Illinois, served as master of ceremonies for the recent Chicago Inter-Alumni Council of the College Fund/UNCF Recognition brunch in honor of its founder. In a blistering comment in the new issue of Emerge magazine, former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals and currently a public service professor of Jurisprudence at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, A. Leon Higginbothm, Jr. 33' a member of Campbell-Wash-Joppa Lodge No 37 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania registered his frustration with the National Bar Association invitation to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to speak at its convention, saying "...it makes no sense to invite Thomas than it would have been to have invited George Wallace for dinner the day after he had stood in the schoolhouse door and had shouted "...segregation now and segregation forever." It makes no more sense than it would have been to invite Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas or Governor Ross Barnett of Mississippi for afternoon tea, after one had attempted to close the Little Rock Central High School to African-American students, and the other had attempted to disregard the court ordered admission of James Meredith to the University of Mississippi." Interesting enough all three, Wallace, Faubus and Barnett were Freemasons. Kansas City Missouri presented its Mayor, Bro. Emanuel Cleaver of Eureka Lodge No. 170, an award to honor his work to support a year-long program marking the 50th anniversary of Israel's founding. Bro. Cleaver led a delegation to Kansas City's sister city of Ramle, Israel, and to Kibbutz Gezer, a settlement with ties to the local Jewish Community in Kansas City. Bro. Richard Pryor will get the first Mark Twain prize for humor announced the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Bro. Pryor is remembered for paying ten years of dues after he was raised as a Master Mason in the Jurisdiction of Illinois. At the recent Rainbow/Push Coalition held its 27th annual national conference in Chicago, with founder and President Jesse Jackson, found many Prince Hall Freemasons in attendance, to include Bro. John H. Johnson 33, publisher, chairman and CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, civil rights leader, Rev. Al Sharpton, Jurisdiction of New York, former U.N. Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Bro. Andrew Young, St. James Lodge No. 4, Atlanta, Georgia, Bro. Kweisi Mfume, President and CEO of the NAACP and a member of Mount Olive Lodge No. 25, Baltimore, Maryland, Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY) of Joppa Lodge No. 55, New York. They also attended the National Baptist Convention USA in Kansas City, Missouri where its President the Rev. Henry J. Lyons said to church members that he was sorry for his mistakes. Lyons has been indicted on federal theft and fraud charges, a member of St. Petersburg Lodge No. 109 in Florida listened as NAACP National Chairman Bro. Julian Bond of St. James Lodge No. 4, Atlanta , noted that the National Baptist Convention must "deal with it, and the quicker and in the most open fashion the better off they'll be. My advice is for them to pray on it, as it is extremely hard to get things done when this is going on." Rev. Robert L. Uzzel FPS, Phylaxis Society Book Reviewer had a article published in The Scottish Rite Journal of the white Southern Jurisdiction of the Supreme Council, on George Jacob Mecherle and Joseph Cullen Root, he founder's of State Farm and Modem Woodmen of America. The million Youth March in New York City did not have the support of a number of Prince Hall Freemasons to include Congressman Charles Rangel who was among the first Black public official to declare that he could not endorse the march. Bro. Al Sharpton was concerned over the safety of the youth. The march turned out to be a disaster, as a confrontation between the marchers and the police, brought the day to a close. M.W. Samuel T. Daniels Grand Master of Maryland for three decades stepped down and turned the reins over to the Deputy Grand Master Bro. Sheldon Redden MPS. The Conference of Prince Hall Grand Master praised Daniels for his long service and dedication to Prince Hall Freemasonry. Most Prince Hall Freemasons across the country was surprised to learn that Bro Daniels had stepped down. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland has dedicated The Samuel T. Daniels sanctuary in The Willard W. Allen Masonic Temple on the 20th of September 1998.
From the minutes of United Grand Lodge of England, June 10, 1998: (13) The Grand Lodge of Indiana recognized the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana at its Annual meeting held in May. (14) It is understood that a compact of mutual recognition between the Grand Lodge of Kansas and the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Kansas, will be effective 3 June 1998. (15) The list of recognized North American Grand Lodges (Phylaxis note: white) allowing at least reciprocal intervisiting with unrecognized Prince Hall Grand Lodges which operate within their jurisdiction, should therefore be adjusted. They are Indiana, Kansas, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. (6) Resolution for the Grand Lodge: Recognition of a Foreign Grand Lodge: The Grand Registrar to move that the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana be recognized. (3.14) The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana was formed on 16 September 1856 from six lodges meeting in Indiana under the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio. (3.15) Having shown that it is a descendant of a duly recognized Grand Lodge and that it conforms to the Principles for Grand Lodge recognition a resolution that it be recognized will be moved accordingly. . . Welcome: M.W. Pro Grand Master: Brethren, before I close Grand Lodge I would like on your behalf to welcome the distinguished Brethren from overseas who are with us today: From the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Washington and its Jurisdiction the District Grand Master for Europe R.W. Bro. Andrew Morgan (who is our Grand Representative near his Grand Lodge) and the Special District Deputy Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Dr. William Hall.