Text Box: THE PREPARATION ROOM By Bro. Granvyl G. Hulse, Jr. P.M. (Published in The New Hampshire Freemason, Volume IV, Number I, Winter 1990) I don't believe that I have ever wandered into the preparation room in any lodge that didn't either look like Fibber McGee's closet or the attic space in an itinerant boarding house. And, you know, I wouldn't change that for the world. The candidate who enters there for the first time is standing knee-deep in his lodge's history. Nothing is ever thrown away. The old beards that would make a goat proud are shoved to the back of a shelf "just in case." At our lodge there is even a shoe box of white gloves all for the left hand. I think ours are retained in hopes that if another lodge should close we would get their cast-offs and might end up with matching pairs presuming that their members had been all left handed. Old costumes, new costumes, swords, top hats, bibles, coat hangers (definitely coat hangers,) staffs, flags, and the like adorn walls, fill closets, and are stuffed away in drawers. There will probably be a framed poem or an example of old Masonic art. An odd portrait or two of some ancient members whose name has been lost. Cluttering up the floor will be a broken chair, one of a pair of galoshes, several stray shoe-strings, and an old cigar stand. In all it has a homey look and will give the candidate something to ponder over while he is wondering what is in store for him later on. If the place were clean and antiseptic he might start getting nervous, and begin to Text Box: A man in your family is now a member of the Masonic Fraternity. He is a Mason and you are now a Mason’s Lady. Scioto Lodge #6 F. & A. M. Lodge would like to take this opportunity to extend its first greeting to you. While you personally have not joined our organization, there are certain things that might be helpful for you to know in the future. At the same time, there are matters of general interest about your Mason and his new Fraternity that we think you would like to know. The Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons (F.& A.M.) is the oldest and most widely known fraternal organization in the world. It has its roots in antiquity and is directly descended from the association of “operative masons,” the cathedral builders of the Middle Ages, who traveled through Europe employing the skills of their craft. The organization, as we know it today, began in 1717 in England where the cathedral building was on the decline and the “operative masons,” or “free masons” as they were known, started to accept members who were not members of the mason’s craft, calling them “speculative masons” or “accepted masons." Freemasonry was brought to the United States by our early settlers. Through out the world there are approximately five million Freemasons. Nearly three million of them reside in the United States. The basic purpose is to make “better men out of good men”, better fathers, better husbands, better brothers and better sons. We try to place emphasis on the individual man by strengthening his character, improving his moral and spiritual outlook and broadening his mental horizons. We try to build a better world . . . by building better men to work in our communities. Membership in Ohio is limited to adult males, 18 years of age or older, who can meet recognized qualifications and Text Box: Volume 6, Issue 2 Text Box: Page # Text Box: The Mason’s Lady Text Box: Participants in the upcoming Grand Master’s Class will have the opportunity to receive the York Rite Degree of Mark Master which is the first step in Royal Arch Masonry. Participation is by petition and may be filed with the Office of the Secretary of Chillicothe Chapter #4 or, the petition may be completed on the day of the Grand Master’s Class March 31, 2006. Text Box: 200th Anniversary Commemorative Coin and Lapel pins are still available for pick up at the office between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm Monday—Friday. Please call the Office of the Secretary before coming to the office. These items may be picked up at any stated meeting of Scioto Lodge #6 F. & A. M., Chillicothe Chapter #4, Chillicothe Council #4 or Chillicothe Commandery #8.