Arcana Lodge #187
Ancient Free & Accepted Masons

920 Lowry Avenue NE
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55418, USA

News From The East

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all of Arcana members for giving me the opportunity to preside over the most honorable and challenging chair, the oriental chair. There will be many challenges during this year, especially restoring memberships. When the subject of new members and their interest in the lodge is raised my mind invariably shifts to older members and their interest in the lodge. What, for instance causes one member to become involved and the next to never bother to attend a single meeting. Why, is the same meeting interesting to one member and totally boring to the next. How do we as leaders get members to contribute their talent on one occasion while the next member is refusing to lend his ability.

As leaders we try to do everything possible within our limitations to accommodate members and try innovations to encourage interest and participation. During the past month I have had many conversations with freemasons in an attempt to determine some of the factors that would raise the level of attendance. There were some interesting discussions, and I might say there is no unanimous opinion. Among the favorites to restore masonry to its original roots to become traditional lodge and to preserve and reinforce the ritualistic tradition of Freemasonry, and of course to bring back educational lectures. It is therefore but timely for me to encourage further all the brethren to please try to go out of your way to attend our meetings and participate in our degrees and rituals. I need not overemphasize that attending meetings is a part of our Masonic Obligations. We can understand that some of us have to pursue other endeavors that will make them absent once or twice but to be out of touch with the lodge consecutively for many months makes us wonder how we can disregard our basic fraternal duties.

Lastly, my Brethren, I would like to remind you of the cement of brotherly love and affection ... "that cement which unites us into one sacred band or society of friends and bothers, among whom no contention should ever exist, but that noble contention, or rather emulation”.

Sincerely and Fraternally,
Aleksandr Ivanov
Worshipful Master

News From The Secretary

I want to thank the members of Arcana Lodge for again electing me to be your lodge secretary in 2005. 

As we approach the end of the first quarter of this year, there are still a number of brothers who have not yet submitted their dues for 2005.  There are also quite a few members who are also in arrears for last years 2004 dues.  I strongly encourage all members to check their wallets for the blue dues card of 2005, and if not found to submit your obligation to the Arcana Lodge Secretary at PO Box 270181, St. Paul, MN 55127-0181.  Arcana Lodge depends on the prompt payment of its members dues for our normal operating capital, and at the time of this printing the total in arrears dues exceeds $9,600!

As long as I’m talking about lodge dues, it should be noted to all members that the increase in 2005 from $75 to $80 was due to the increase in our per-capita obligation to the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.  At our stated meeting on February 28, 2005 a committee was appointed to review by-law amendments that should be made which among other things will include an increase in the Arcana portion of the annual dues for 2006.  As many of you know, when Masonry was established in NE Minneapolis the Arcana Lodge dues were approximately 1 weeks wages for the typical member.  Obviously our dues have not kept up with inflation over the last 115 years, and it has been 4 years since we last raised the dues.

Some other areas we are considering amending in our by-laws are raising the fees for a petition, allowing the charity committee greater latitude in supporting a members need, and extending the authority of the Board of Trustees with respect to discretionary spending and the ability to secure rental leases.  The limits for these figures has not changed in decades and needs to be addressed for the efficient management of our building.

Before the amendments are made, published and voted on we would like to hear your comments by having you attend a meeting, or even sending them to the W.M. or secretary (email: secretary@arcana187.org.) 

One final note, I will be cooking a nice roasted or BBQ chicken dinner for our March 28th stated meeting.  The dinner will be at 6:30 and the meeting at 7:30.PM. 

Fraternally yours,

WB Doug Roswold, Secretary

Masonic Light

March 4, 1779

When was the last time you celebrated the 4^TH OF MARCH? Did you attend a company or family picnic where you ate hot dogs, drank soda pop, participated in potato-sack races, played horseshoes, watched a parade, listened to a brass band, and topped the day off by watching a fireworks display? No, I'm not talking about the 4th Of July Independence Day. Although, this day certainly merits our patriotic recognition; and we should contemplate and marvel over that masterful written document given to us by Thomas Jefferson, this is not the day in history I refer to.

A lasting victory was won for all Americans on March 4, 1779-a victory of intellect. A rare victory indeed. So rare that some historians maintain it has been accomplished only three times during all of human history: Old Testament Israel, The Golden Age Of Greece, and The Era Of Emergence Of The United States Of America. This is the date in history that the United States Constitution became the Supreme Law Of The Land.

Our form of government has now been in existence for a little over two-hundred years; making it, at present, the oldest continuous constitutional government based on a written constitution in the entire world.

A constitutional government has provided all of us with two important blessings: (1) It united the individual states (former British colonies) as a single entity, setting the stage for strength and growth not possible under smaller semi-independent units, thus providing for, and protecting us from tyranny abroad; and (2) it stated the rights of the individual and the limitation of government, thus protecting us from tyranny at home.

The United States Constitution is mostly eloquent in its simplicity and precision of language, though the language to us today might seem somewhat archaic. It is also eloquent for what it does not say, for it is this which makes it flexible, amendable, durable, and open to judicial interpretation.

We should all study the Constitution because it is the most important document aside from the Holy Writings in the lives of every person living in the United States Of America. Our very way of life is built around it, and our rights and privileges as United States citizens are protected by it. To be ignorant of the Constitution is to be ignorant of what this great country of ours is. Its truths are above all other relationships between human beings and government. March 4, 1779 the birthdate of the United States Constitution.

Trestleboard Tidbits

The clock of life is wound but once,

And no man has the power,

To tell just where the hands will stop,

At late or early hour,

Now, is the only time you own;

Live, Love and Toil with a will,

Place no faith in tomorrow,

For the clock may then be still.

§  §  §

• Every man has a chance to improve himself, but some just don’t believe in taking chances.

• Those who make a place in the sun for themselves are usually a shade better than the next person.

• The man who just fiddles around rarely gets to lead the orchestra.

• Be friendly to the folks you know.  Were it not for them you would be a total stranger.

• Old men love to give advice.  It consoles them for  being no longer able to set a bad example.

• Traveling in the right direction counts more than speed.

• Whenever there is a human cause, we are certain to find Freemasonry, for it is the fundamental basis of all true liberal association.  (Garibaldi)

Thoughts to Ponder

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