INSTALLATION NIGHT AT THE CELESTIAL LODGE

Talk No.20

Peter Taylor is a Past Master of Lodge Albert No.448 and Discovery No.1789

The Meeting of Famous Freemasons
aka The Celestial Lodge
(A bit of Imagination is required)

First delivered by Peter at Lodge Albert Lochee 448 on the 22nd February 2007

As we are all well aware, and as is pointed out in the North East Corner lecture in part of our Ritual, it cannot be denied that we always had many members of rank and affluence. Over the centuries many well-known men have been members of our Noble Craft.
For a few moments, please allow your imaginations to run wild and consider what may take place at the Installation of The Celestial Lodge, otherwise known as the Grand Lodge Above.
Even though it was late autumn, there was a warm breeze blowing and the sun was setting behind the Lodge Hall. Gathered in the parking lot filled with their works were Bros Henry Ford, Ransom Olds, Walter Chrysler, Andre Citroen and John Willys, another automotive pioneer; the only vehicle missing was Bro Hart Massey's tractor.
Greeting members in the entrance hall was Bro Cliff Arquette of Charley Weaver fame a renowned comedian, actor, pianist, composer and songwriter and Bro Ed Wynn, comedian and father of Keenan Wynn. In the boardroom, a group of senior Brothers were gathered including Bros Walter Disney, Chet Huntley, Wendell Corey, Van Johnson, John Steinbeck, Fred McMurray and John Cameron Swayze, famous for Timex TV adverts and news reporter. Also Robert Cummings of TV sitcom fame, going on about his life-long devotion to healthy eating: "I'd love to tell all those critics how well I feel today because of my diet. But they're all dead." He quoted!

King Gillette, razor in hand, passed the lodge caretaker who was having a minor problem with his vacuum cleaner, which was quickly cleared up with the help of its inventor, Bro Frank Hoover, while at the other end of the hallway Bros Emmett Kelly, the Weary Willie clown, Clyde Beatty, world famous lion tamer and all seven of the Ringling Bros were discussing the Circus. Taking a quick look into the Banquet Hall, Bros John Molson, a Brit brewing beer in Canada, Frederick Pabst and Joseph Schlitz, both Germans brewing beer in the USA, were busy rolling in some kegs for Bro Sam Bronfman, late President of Seagrams Distillers, who was setting up the bar for the Festive Board to follow the Ceremony. Bro Colonel Harland Sanders was cooking up a storm in the kitchen and it was an easy guess that the evening meal would consist of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
The orchestra members for the dance to follow the Banquet were tuning. Members of this All-Star group included leader Paul Whiteman, known as the King of Jazz, WC Hardy, Nat King Cole, Irving Berlin, George Cohan, Cyril Stapleton, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Al Jolson as well as Danny Thomas, who starred in the 1952 remake of the Jazz Singer. Tonight's performance would be M.C.ed by Bro Arthur Godfrey, minus his Talent Scouts of course!

Magical Bros Harry Houdini and Harry Blackstone were setting up their props while Bros WC Fields, Oliver Hardy, Bud Abbott, Harpo Marx, and Foster Brooks, were fine-tuning their comedy routines for tonight's show which was being produced by Bros Cecil B DeMille, Flo Ziegfeld, Louis B Mayer, Hall Wallis and DW Griffiths.
A number of sports celebrities were gathering together, including Bros Abe Saperstein, creator of the Harlem Globetrotters, who was explaining his version of the game to Bro James Naismith, the inventor of the game. They were joined by baseballers Bros Charles Ebbetts, Ty Cobb, Branch Rickey and Cy Young, the first pitcher to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
A little further along the hall was an array of masons dressed in knee breeches, lace cuffs and powdered wigs, others in tuxedos, including Bros Kit Carson, Davey Crockett and Buffalo Bill Cody, clad in their familiar buckskins. Chiefs Crazy Bull of the Sioux nation, Tecumseh, of the Shawneeand Joseph Brant, of the Mohawk Indians were in their native attire. Most colourful are the military uniforms of Lord Nelson, Lord Cornwallis, Captain James Cook, the Duke of Wellington and John Paul Jones. Brother Robert Dollar, Shipping Magnate and Scotsman, was taking names for a boat trip later on!
I was gazing in awe at these members of Celestial Lodge, when the Grand Master, MW Bro Winston Churchill, appeared from the preparation room accompanied by John Jacob Astor a fur trader, and who made money from real estate and opium, Luther Burbank, botanist, JC Penney, a department store tycoon, Adlai Stevenson and Jennings Bryan., both US congressmen and statesmen.

Bro John Diefenbaker, ex Canadian PM, had just signed the Tyle with one of Bro John Shaeffer's pens. He was accompanied by Robert Borden and RB Bennett; fellow Canadian Prime Ministers, and by Bro Joe Smallwood of Newfoundland.
At this time, the Director of Ceremonies, Bro J Edgar Hoover, informed the brethren that the meeting was about to come to order.
On entering the lodge room the brethren were greeted by the Inner Guard, Bro Paul Revere. Seated already were polar explorers, Robert F Scott and Bro Richard E Bird of the United States, together with Norway’s Henry Larsen, the North West Passage explorer.
Bro Charles Lindbergh could be seen in deep conversation with Hap Arnold, Chief of the US Air Corps, Gus Grissom the second American astronaut, Eddie Rickenbacker, the WW1 fighter pilot and Charles Kingsford-smith, another aviation pioneer. Bazil Gordon, another Scot who became America's first millionaire, was looking forward to buying them all a drink during the Harmony to follow!
From the Junior Warden's station came a burst of laughter. Scotsman Egbert Williams of vaudeville fame was cracking jokes with Bro Will Rogers and had brought broad smiles to the faces of the Royal personages gathered around him, including George 1, Frederick the Great, Gustav V of Sweden and George VI.

To the right of the Junior Warden's chair, architects Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Adam, famous for Scottish architecture, was joined by the Statue of Liberty sculptor, Frederic Bartholdi.
Bro Norman Vincent Peale, a Christian preacher, had asked Scots Peter Marshall, who became Chaplain to the Whitehouse, and John McCormick, Moderator of Assembly of the Church of Scotland, to assume the Chaplain's duties this evening. They were in deep conversation with the DuPonts, Peter and Victor, and the Rothschilds, James and Nathan, as well as Scottish Philanthropist Bro Archibald Russell who was also lending an attentive ear.
Gathered around the Secretary's desk, Bro Rudyard Kipling was discussing the evening's proceedings with the Immortal Bro Robert Burns, who was to give one of the Charges assisted by Bro Mark Twain. Also taking part were Bros Conan Doyle, Walter Scott, Samuel Johnson, Alexander Pope and Robert Service. Andrew Bell of Edinburgh with Colin MacFarquar an Edinburgh printer was discussing publishing their material, along with Encyclopaedia Britannica editor and fellow Scotsman Bro William Smillie.

The Grand Organist, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was discussing last minute changes with Bros Gilbert and Sullivan. Of course, Bro Harry Lauder was reminding them that he was the first ever entertainer to sell a million records!
Bros Clark Gable, Peter Sellers, Wallace Beery, Douglas Fairbanks and Brian Donleavy were discussing boxing with champions Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson and Sugar Ray Robinson. Another small group, in the persons of Bros John Wayne, Hoot Gibson and Tom Mix, were listening to the exploits of Bro William Thaddeus Phillips, also known as Butch Cassidy.
The founding members, Bros George Washington, Guiseppe Garibaldi, Italian general and freedom fighter, Benito Juarez, 5 times Mexican President, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, (both their signatures are on the American Declaration of Independence), and Sir John A MacDonald, the Glaswegian who became Canada’s 1st Prime Minister were seated in the East. Along with special places which had been created for Bros John Forbes and John Skene of the Aberdeen Lodge who were the first known Freemasons in America!

They have been joined by Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore. Generals, Omar Bradley, Jimmy Doolittle, George C Marshall, John Pershing and Douglas McArthur, take their seats next to Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. The Lodge Treasurer, Bro Henry Knox, a book seller who became the US Secretary of State for War was busy collecting dues, like all good Treasurers, from Bros Thomas E Dewey and William McKinley, watched carefully by yet another Scot Arthur D Hay the ex Justice of the Supreme Court of Oregon.
The Master, Bro HRH the Duke of Connaught, has rapped the gavel to call the Lodge to order and it is now time for us, the living, to depart.
Standing in the shadows was another Aberdonian, John Anderson, writer of the GLoE’s first Constitutions, mumbling to himself that it was never like this in his day!
With one last took at this brilliant assembly, one wonders what the public's perception of Freemasonry might be if they were able to visit such a lodge.

Peter Taylor 2007.