SEEING
Of the five senses, the first three; hearing, seeing and feeling "are deemed
most essential by Masons" for reasons which all Master Masons understand.
Masonry teaches more by hearing than by seeing. "The attentive ear " we are
told "receives the word (sound) from the instructive tongue." But no blind man
may be made a Mason. Vision, even if not used as much as audition, is employed
by Masonry in educating her sons in knowledge of her light.
There are certain things in education which seeing can accomplish with much
less difficulty than hearing. Words are at best symbols, and all symbols have
many interpretations. It is not possible for one Masons to describe a scene to
another so that both have the same mental picture; one cannot describe a perfume
so that another may smell it, nor a pain or joy that another may feel it. But
one can show in a picture a scene which another can thus see eye to eye with the
instructor. Because both see the same thing, one can obtain from the other a
better understanding of its meaning.
With this idea, Masonry has long taught to some extent by pictures; the
familiar chart used in many lodges to show pictures of the various emblems is an
example. In other lodges, stereopticons showing pictures from glass lantern
slides take the place of the chart. Both have their objectionable features; the
chart, if inexpensive, is also inefficient; the lantern, if efficient, is
expensive and hard to operate, and the glass slides are breakable, subject to
disarrangement as to their order, and are usually more or less monstrosities at
to the art work; they have little of the Pillar of Beauty about them.
The stereopticon in lodge work is seldom or never developed to its full
power, because of the difficulty of obtaining slides for lectures, talks and
expositions of Masonic subjects. It is a great illustrations plant with a
tremendous overhead, because of its small and limited amount of use.
Masons of today are hungry for education. But they want their education in an
attractive form; in a form easy to understand and pleasant to absorb. Masons
will flock to an illustrated lecture on Freemasonry, when they'll leave the
benches empty before the average speaker.
With all of these facts in mind, The Masonicscope, subject of this Bulletin,
has been developed by The Masonic Service association, and is now offered to the
Craft at a price far below that at which similar instruments can be bought in
the commercial market. The Masoniscope is a small, compact, well made and
efficient projection lantern. It uses any sort of electrical current;
alternating, direct, Delco, storage battery, even an automobile battery current.
It projects pictures as large as eight by ten feet from non-flammable motion
picture film, each foot of film having sixteen separate pictures. It has and
requires no rheostat or other current control device. It uses a special glass
bulb lamp, not an open arc. It has condensers, reflector, projection lens, like
any other projector, but differs from most of them in that it requires no
special knowledge to operate. Films are threaded into the machine in an instant,
and changed, from one picture to another by the touch of a thumb screw.
It projects all the emblems for all three of the lectures of the Three
Degrees, so that the chart, the stereopticon and expensive glass slides are no
longer needed. It can be used by the lecturer while delivering the lecture, or
operated by a brother. It makes the lectures more readily understood, and longer
remembered, than the same lecture with just a chart.
In addition to this it provides a constant source of education and
entertainment. The Masonic Service Association will issue a minimum of four, and
probably six, illustrated lectures on some Masonic or Patriotic topic, every
year. These lectures will be printed in booklet form, and accompanied by a strip
of film containing the illustrations. With the printed lecture and the film, any
brother can deliver one of these lectures for the benefit of his brethren. All
he need do is to read from the booklet and turn the screw at the points
indicated in the text.
These educational lectures will cover a wide range of Masonic, patriotic and
civic subjects. The first of them, titled, "What Seest Thou?" is now ready. It
is a lecture on three of the great symbols of the Fellowcraft Degree; the
Plumbline, the two Pillars and the Winding stairs. Thirty-three illustrations
make the text interesting, and the whole is highly instructive to Masons on some
of the hidden meanings of these important symbols. Other lectures , with
illustrations, on symbols of the First and Third Degrees will follow shortly.
These lectures are not intended as substitutes for the ritual lectures; they
are to be given, not during the a degree, but afterwards, or before; for the
benefit and entertainment of the brethren. Being printed, it is obvious that
there is nothing secret in any of these lectures, and they may, therefore, be
given elsewhere than an in a tiled lodge.
An illustrated lecture on the George Washington National Memorial as well as
one upon The Masonic Service Association, and the films for the emblems of the
Three Degrees, accompany each Masoniscope as part of its equipment.
Lectures upon "Civilian Patriots of the American Revolution" and "Military
Patriots of the American Revolution," with text and pictures, are also now
ready.
These supplementary lectures - booklets and film - are sold to Masoniscope
owners at the nominal price of two dollars each. There is practically no "wear
out" to the film at all, so, it may be used over and over again.
The Masonic Service Association is prepared to render a special service to
Grand Lodges or individuals desiring special lectures of their own. Several
Grand Lodges have already ordered films made in qualities to show to their
subordinate lodges the work being done in their Masonic Homes. The Masonic
Service Association takes the original photographs supplied by such Grand
Lodges, Lodges or individuals; does the necessary re-touching, makes the
negatives and as many prints on strips of non-inflammable film as may be needed;
edits, prepares for the printer and prints the lecture to go with them; and
supplies the whole at a most modest fee, which covers the cost of handling only.
The amount will vary, of course, with the number of pictures to be filmed, and
the amount of re-touching necessary to make the photographs give brilliant
reproductions. It is probably not wise to prophesy just what Masoniscope and
this extra service will mean to Grand Lodges. but it at least opens a long
sought way by which Grand Lodges may place before the membership of their
subordinate lodges the pictorial as well as the verbal story of their practical
achievements in homes, orphanages, schools, colleges and hospitals.
The Masoniscope comes as a complete outfit: Masoniscope Lens Lamp Cord
(fifteen feet) Switch Extra Lamp Carrying Case Roll of film with emblems of the
Three degrees. Roll of film to accompany printed lecture on George Washington
Masonic National Memorial. Roll of film to accompany printed lecture on The
Masonic service Association of the united States. "Cricket" or signal, to use
when one brother reads and another operates the Masoniscope. Inside Case for
accessories. Printed Lectures (2)
The price is $57.50 net, carriage extra, no discount for qualities. It is to
emphasized that the Masoniscope and all its accessories are of the highest
grade, built to last and to wear. The instrument is made by one of the leading
optical firms of the nation, and must not be confused with some of the cheaper
"tin" projectors which can be bought.
Beyond its use as a projector of pictures of the emblems in the ritual
lectures of the Three Degrees; its employment to illustrate talks upon Masonic
and patriotic subjects, and to show forth the accomplishments of the Craft; the
Masoniscope has a power of entertainment which is of great value. There are
large libraries of films available, at a minimum cost, from which Entertainment
Committees may select. These films cover almost every imaginable subject;
Travel, biography, history, science, etc., etc. As the Masoniscope uses standard
motion picture film, any subject from any of these libraries may be obtained and
used.
It should be understood that the Masoniscope is not a motion picture
projector, and does not use reels of films, such as are used in moving picture
machines. But these libraries of lecture subjects of which mention is made, are
printed on stripes of standard film, on which are from twenty-five to
seventy-five pictures to be used as illustrations for talks on a thousand and
one subjects.
The Masonic Service Association believes that the use of the Masoniscope in
lodges, with the supplementary lecture and film service it will provide, will
add greatly not only to the education and information of the brethren, but to
their entertainment and interest in the lodge.
We all like pictures of one sort or another; none of us ever grow too old to
enjoy looking at them. The illustrated lectures, both historical and Masonic,
which The Association is offering are well illustrated. Pictures for the lecture
"What Seest Thou?" for instance, were secured from several ancient books, from a
Dore Bible, from works on Masonry, from collections of pictures in the library
of Congress; found, one by one, as a result of painstaking research, and fitted
into a lecture on symbolism of which glowing words of praise are coming from
lodges which have heard and seen it.
It is intended to present in these lectures all sides of Masonic study which
lend themselves to illustration. Lodges which get the whole series, one after
another; in a short time will have a library of lectures and films which will
enable them to entertain visiting lodges, or to stage evening of fraternal
intercourse with other lodges, in a most appropriate manner.
It is suggested that, while individual ownership of the Masoniscope is
advisable, it is not necessary. Two or more lodges on one locality may purchase
a Masoniscope between them, and each have the benefit of its use at half the
price.
Correspondence is invited regarding this instrument. If your lodge is
interested in education; if your lodge likes illustrated lectures; if your
entertainment committee can use an aid to lodge refreshment which can be
employed over and over again at scarcely any cost and still be ever new; if your
lodge desires to improve presentation of the emblems to the candidates; if your
lodge has a study club or literary circle; if your lodge wants to hear the
latest word from well informed Masonic teachers on matters of interest and value
to the Craft, and see pictures which explain and make more vivid those words at
the same time, your lodge needs a Masoniscope!
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