At the writing of this article, we have raised two master masons, brother Kevin Mattson and brother Mike Forte. I would like to welcome our newly raised brother's to Arcana Lodge. They are two great assets to our Lodge as both do excellent degree work. Again, welcome!
A hardy thank you goes out to all the members who worked time from their busy schedules to make these degrees a success. Everyone did a great job!
Gentlemen, our annual meeting and elections of next year's officers are just around the corner. It looks like there's an opportunity for as many as five men to step forward and fill-in both speaking and non-speaking offices. I'm sure you all agree that it's important to keep our Lodge going in the right direction so that we can continue into the next millennium. Arcana Lodge was around at the turn of the last century, and with your help we'll be here for the next century and beyond. In the last 20-some years that I've been coming to this lodge either as a Mason, or a DeMolay, I've had numerous fond memories and a lot of fun, and I will continue to enjoy Arcana into the approaching millennium. So let's ensure that the Lodge stays strong and continues to grow by coming to our meetings and joining the line so we can all meet some new friends.
The line officers are working on some new ideas for next year. We hope to have a calendar set for next year to be handed out at our annual meeting on Monday, December 13th, starting at 7:30 PM. That's the night of elections and following the meeting we'll be serving our traditional oyster stew. Mark that day on your calendars now, and plan to attend.
We are planning to start our first set of degrees starting in February. Please remember to get your petitions in early because they have to be read by the second meeting in January 2000.
October is over and winter is around the corner. All the snowbirds are heading south. Where has the time gone? We had our open house and pumpkin give-away on Saturday, October 23rd, where we passed out over 400 pumpkins to local children. This year we also hosted the Kid-ID program sponsored by the Grand Lodge and we made ID flyers and Internet ready computer disks for almost 50 children. Thanks to all the brothers, the Jobs Daughters, Eastern Star, and DeMolay who helped make that day a great success. And a special thanks goes out to the brothers who donated use of their trucks and helped pick-up and load all those pumpkins!
Also on the evening of the 23rd, Lincoln Chapter DeMolay and Jobs Bethel #19 had their annual Halloween Dance at JE Meyers Camp on Lake Minnetonka where they were host to over 90 Job's and DeMolay from all around the state.
 Arcana 50-Year Members for 1999. From Left: David Sibben, Master, WB Edmund P. Theisen, Einnar Anderson, and WB Jerry Block, Grand Lodge District Representative. |
 Arcana 50-Year and 25-Year Members for 1999. |
Also in October Arcana Lodge honored our 25 and 50-year members. It was my pleasure and honor to present a 50-Year Pin and certificate to our Senior Past Master, WB Edmund P. Theisen and to brother Einnar Anderson.
Thanks for a great year,
David Sibben, Master
Wow, the Lodge has been very busy in the past few months. I would like to thank all the Arcana members who helped Minnehaha Lodge put on an all Senior DeMolay Third Degree on Tuesday, October 26th. It was a great treat to see the fine ritual work that was performed by the Senior DeMolay's. It was something I know the candidates, including our own candidate Michael Forte will never forget.
The DeMolay's Grand Masters Class was held on November 6th, 1999 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Minneapolis to honor the Grand Master of Masons in Minnesota, Most Worshipful Jeffery N. Lewis. Seven young men received the Initiatory and DeMolay Degrees, and two brothers received the Chevalier Degree. The Cross of Honor was presented to one Advisor and three others received the Legion of Honor. The new member witnessed an exceptional presentation of the Flower Talk, after which MWB Jeff Lewis congratulated the new DeMolay's and thanked everyone who helped make the day a huge success.
With nothing else to report I will close.
Fraternally yours,
John Fosdick, Junior Warden
Masons regard the 47th Problem of Euclid or
Pythagorean Theorem as an important lesson of the third degree because it
teaches Masons to be general lovers of the arts and sciences. In ancient times
it was important in building, and one of its uses was to square a room. Builders
used the theorem to square the corners of rooms by using the ratio of the
numbers 
three,
four and five, since three squared plus four squared equals five squared (9 + 16
= 25). Thus, using Euclid's 47th problem, a builder will mark a
point, call it point A, three feet down one wall from a selected corner of the
room, and then mark another spot, call it point B, four feet from the same
corner down the other wall, and then measure the distance between points A and
B. If the distance from A to B is exactly five feet, the distance of the
predicted hypotenuse, then the corner is an exact right angle and the room is
squared.
Applying what we know about the 47th problem, we can readily see that since the Entered Apprentice reaches the Northeast corner of the lodge three times, and that the Fellow craft reaches that corner four times, and that the Master reaches it five times during their respective circumambulations, the candidates are in fact symbolically "squaring the lodge". Any Mason, after having been raised, has reproduced by circumambulation the numbers three, four and five in the most significant corner of the Lodge, the Northeast, and thereby has unknowingly recited with his feet the formula which is contained in the 47th problem, and thereby has "squared the Lodge".
Portions reproduced from:
"Circumambulation and Euclid's 47th Proposition"
by Reid McInvale
Holland Lodge No. 1
Houston, Texas
Start of Freemasonry
Some very startling information has just come into my possession, information that will shake the very foundations of what we today know as Ancient Freemasonry, information that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ancient Freemasonry did not originate in Great Britain, but was started in the United States of America, and not by stone masons, but by the Plains Indians, many many years ago.
For you see that on the great plains an Indian Chief took for himself three wives. For the first wife, he built in one corner of the teepee a bed on the skin of a wolf. For the second wife, he built in another corner on the skin of a deer, and the third wife was built a bed on the skin of a hippopotamus.
Lo and behold, some nine months later, the miracle of life unfolded. The wife whose bed was on the skin of a wolf gave birth to a son, also the wife on the skin of a deer gave birth to a son. But all things were not equal. The wife whose bed was on the skin of the hippopotamus gave birth to twin boys.
This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ancient Freemasonry was started by that Indian Chief many, many years ago on the great plains of the United States of America.
For there we have demonstrated Pythagoras' 47th Problem of Euclid, that the sons of the squaw on the hippopotamus are equal to the sons of the squaws on the other two hides.
Credited to Nelson King, FPS, The Philalethes.
Contributed by RW Curtis N. Balmer,
PGC, Harmony #8, Kittatinny #164
The Child Identification program was held at Arcana Lodge on Saturday, October 23rd, 1999, and almost 50 children participated. This program has already been used at several other lodge and community events and at least one county fair. The response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive. This includes the response from the local lodges working on the events and the response of the families the program has served.
Arcana Masonic Lodge #187 AF & AM |
Jane Q. Doe1234 Mockingbird Lane Somewhereville, MN 55418
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My Fingerprints |
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| This document was created 10/23/99 | CompuKid Copyright © 1998 CompuCard, Inc |
This is a great program and it was a huge success for Arcana. Please direct any questions about the Child Identification Program to the event coordinator, WB Doug Roswold via email at webmaster@arcana187.org.
A One Day Class for the Three Degrees of a Master Mason
November 20th, 1999 - 8:00 AM - Scottish Rite Temple, 2011 Dupont Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55405
