| Los Altos Lodge No. 712: | Last Updated on October 25, 2009 |
Return to the Los Altos Lodge Trestleboard TOC Page
Return to the Los Altos Lodge Papers Page
Brethren—
August has been interesting to say the least. Your officers have passed their proficiency for the 1st Degree and Wor. Byers has been through the exercise of showing his excellence in the Master’s lecture of the 3rd Degree. Next will be the 2nd degree and then brushing up on the entire 3rd Degree and demonstrating our work for the Inspector.
October 2, 3, and 4 will be the annual communication of Grand Lodge and the expected election of Wor. Ken Nagel as the Grand Master for the ensuing Masonic year. The sessions are always interesting and I urge all Master Masons to attend.
At our stated meeting in October, we have scheduled three Golden Veteran’s Award presentations. Brothers Michael Heeger, Roger Lawler, and Laszio Junos have reached this point in time by their own volition and the will and pleasure of the Supreme Grand Master. I trust that you will make time to join us for the evening’s festivities and we promise to try to keep the stated meeting short and sweet. Thank you Brother Ed Clarke for assisting in getting this event properly set.
Fraternally,
Bob Rowan - Master
A friend recently asked me why I became a Mason and this was my answer. I joined the Masonic fraternity because my father was a mason and he was someone I admired and respected more than any other. Dad never talked about masonry at home but, I figured that if it was good enough for him it was good enough for me. I remember the day I told him that I would like to find out about joining a Lodge. He was all smiles and could hardly wait to help me on my journey. I told my friend that in my early years, I was brought up to believe in what I found out later to be the universal principles of Masonry (brotherly love, relief and truth). These principles were instilled in me at an early age and even though I did not know anything about Masonry at the time they guided me through childhood. I learned that the love of mankind makes masons special and to this day, I am very proud to belong to a society of brothers who share like ideas. I told him that Masonic principles are indeed universal and easily understood in any language or culture and are practiced in almost every country.
I discovered that masonry teaches one to behave like a civilized intelligent person, always seeking better understanding and knowledge. I was taught to never forget that we are all traveling toward that undiscovered country where we will all eventually have our day. As we grow older and wiser and learn our Masonic lessons, we will surely find peace with the help of our moral studies. When asked if masonry teaches a specific religion I told him that as masons, we practice the teachings of universal truths set forth in those great books of nature and revelation. We expound no specific religion; however, we do require the belief in a supreme being.
What will you tell someone who asks about joining the greatest fraternity that ever existed?
Invite the conversation and who knows what will happen. In the case of my friend he is now a brother and Shrine clown.
Are you succeeding?
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
Bobbie Byers
Senior Warden
About Labor Day
“As the Industrial Revolution took hold of the nation, the average American in the late 1800s worked 12-hour days, seven days a week in order to make a basic living. Children were also working, as they provided cheap labor to employers and laws against child labor were not strongly enforced.
With the long hours and terrible working conditions, American unions became more prominent and voiced their demands for a better way of life. On Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers marched from city hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first-ever Labor Day parade. Participants took an unpaid day-off to honor the workers of America, as well as vocalize issues they had with employers. As years passed, more states began to hold these parades, but Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later.
On May 11, 1894, workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago struck to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. They sought support from their union led by Eugene V. Debs and on June 26 the American Railroad Union called a boycott of all Pullman railway cars. Within days, 50,000 rail workers complied and railroad traffic out of Chicago came to a halt. On July 4, President Grover Cleveland dispatched troops to Chicago. Much rioting and bloodshed ensued, but the government's actions broke the strike and the boycott soon collapsed. Debs and three other union officials were jailed for disobeying the injunction. The strike brought worker's rights to the public eye and Congress declared, in 1894, that the first Monday in September would be the holiday for workers, known as Labor Day.
The founder of Labor Day remains unclear, but some credit either Peter McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, or Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, for proposing the holiday. Although Labor Day is meant as a celebration of the labor movement and its achievements, it has come to be celebrated as the last, long summer weekend before Autumn.”
David Anderson
Jr. Warden
Don’t forget to fly your Flag at half-staff on 9/11/09 — Patriot’s Day.
Go to the Last Trestleboard Issue
Go to the Next Trestleboard Issue
Return to the Los Altos Lodge Trestleboard TOC Page
Return to the Los Altos Lodge Papers Page