INSTALLATION NIGHT AT HERITAGE LODGE

Wor. Bro. Jim Harrison

Park Lodge No. 63
Mount Moriah No. 82
GL of British Columbia, CDN

There was a warm light breeze blowing even though it was late fall, and the sun was setting behind the Lodge hall, as I pulled into the parking lot filled with the works of lodge members Henry Ford, Ransom Olds, Walter Chrysler, John Willys, and Andre Citroen. The only vehicle Missing was Wor. Bro. Hart Massey's tractor.

Entering the hall I was greeted by jovial Brothers Cliff Arquette of Charley Weaver fame, and Ed Wynn. In the Boardroom a group of Senior Demolays, consisting of Walt Disney, Chet Huntley, Wendell Corey, Van Johnson, Robert Cummings, John Stienback Fred MacMurray and John Cameron Swayze, nervously reviewing their address to the Brethren.

King Gillett, razor in hand, made his way passed the lodge caretaker Monte Blue who was standing near the men's room discussing a problem with his Hoover vacuum cleaner with it's inventor Bro. Frank Hoover, while at the other end of the hallway, Bros. Emmett Kelly, Clyde Beatty and all seven of the Ringling Bros. were discussing the Shrine Circus.

Taking a quick look into the banquet hall, Bros. John Molson, Fredrick Pabst, and Joseph Shlitz were busy rolling in some kegs for Mr. Sam who was busy setting up his bar. Mr. Sam is better known as Bro. Samuel Bronfman, C.E.O. & president of Seagrams Distillers.

Bro. Harland Sanders was cooking up a storm in the kitchen, one could guess what this evenings festive board would consist of. The Steward, Sir Thomas Lipton was serving tea to Canadian media mogels Bros. George Bell, John MacLean of MacLean's magazine, and Lord Thomson of Fleet, who were discussing the accomplishments of Bros. Andrew Bell the founder of The Encyclopaedia Brittania and Richard Hoe, the inventor of the Rotary and Webb presses.

The orchestra members were tuning up for the dance to follow this evening formal ceremonies. Members of the All-star group included leader Paul Whiteman, W.C. Handy, Nat King Cole, Irving Berlin, George M Cohen, Cyril Stapelton, Edward " Duke " Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Eddy Peabody, Jimmy Rodgers, and Al Jolson. Bros. Arthur Godfrey, and Danny Thomas will M.C. Tonight's performance.

Magical Bros. Harry Blackstone, and Harry H Bros. W.C. Fields, Oliver Hardy, Bud Abbott tuning their comedy routines for tonight's show, produced by Bros. DeMille, Ziegfeld, Mayer Wallis, and Griffiths.

It was time to make my way to the Lodge Room, at the top of the stairs sportsmen Bros. A Saperstein, the creator of the world famous Harlem Globetrotters basket ball team, was explaining his version of the game to the inventor of Basketball, Canadian born Dr. James Naismith.

Charles Ebbetts, Ty Cobb, Branch Rickey, and Bro. " Cy " Young the grand old man of baseball and the first pitcher to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, were discussing sports ethics with Supreme Court Judge Bro. Thurgood Marshall.

In the foyer, was an array of freemasons dressed in knee breeches, lace cuffs, powdered wigs and others in tuxedos, Bros. Kit Carson, Davey Crockett, and Buffalo Bill Cody are clad in their familiar Buckskins, Chief's Crazy Bull, Tecumseh in their native attire. Most colourful are the military uniforms of Lord Nelson, Pierre Beauregard, Lord Cornwallis, John Paul Jones, The Duke Of Wellington, and Captain James Cook. Some of the men are clean shaven, others have sideburns, whiskers, or neatly trimmed beards.

I was gazing in awe at these members of Heritage Lodge when appeared from the preparation room the Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Harry S. Truman. In his suite where Bros. John Jacob Astor, Luther Burbank, J.C. Penny, Adli Stevenson, William Jennings Bryan, and Robert Treat Paine.

Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, who had just signed the porch book with one of Bro. Walter Sheaffer's pens, was surrounded by fellow Canadian Prime Ministers John Abbott, MacKenzie Bowell, Robert Borden, and R. B. Bennett.

Over to one corner, Entered Apprentice's Lyndon Johnson and Sam Rayburn where trying to remember the Due Guards and penal signs. Senators Sam Ervin, Wilbur Mills, and Everett Dirksen were coaching them along. At this time the Tyler, Bro. J. Edgar Hoover informed the brethren that the meeting was about to come to order.

Upon entering the Lodge Room, the brethren were greeted by the Inner Guard Bro. Paul Revere Sitting to the side of the Inner Guard are polar explorers Robert F. Scott of England of Richard E. Byrd of the United States, Matthew G. Perry and Canada's Henry Larsen. Colonel Charles Lindbergh is in deep conversation with Bros. Hap Arnold, Virgil "Guss" Grissom, Eddie Rickenbaker, and Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith.

From the Junior Wardens station, came a burst of laughter, Bro. Will Rogers had brought broad smiles to the faces of the Royal personages gathered around him, that include George I, George II, Fredrick The Great, Gustav V, King George Vl, who created the precedent of the English sovereigns active participation in Freemasonry.

To the right of the Junior Warden's chair, architects Sir Christopher Wren (St. Pauls Cathederal; and James Hobart ( The White House) are joined by the Statue of Liberty sculpture Fredric Bartholdi, and Gutzon Borglum creator of Mount Rushmore. Sir Sanford Fleming was in conversation with Lord Carnarvon, Lord Salisbury and Australian Prime Minister Sir Robt Menzies.

Brothers, the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale and Peter Marshall, who will assume the Chaplains duties this evening, noticed the DuPonts, Peter and Victor, were in conversation with the Rothschilds, James and Nathan.

Gathered around the Secretary's desk, Bro. Rudyard Kipling is discussing tonight's proceedings with Bros. Robert Burns, who will read the Ancient Charges, and Mark Twain, who will give the Charge to the Brethren. Sir Arthur Connan Doyle, Sir Walter Scott, Samuel Johnson, Alexander Pope and Robert Service are gathered around French philosopher Bro. Francois VoItaire.

In the West, the Board of installed Masters, which consists of H.R.H Edward VII presiding, assisted by: H.R.H. Prince George, for whom Prince George B.C. is named, as Sr. Warden H.R.H. Prince Albert, Jr. Warden, H.R.H. The Duke of Windsor, Chaplain, and Lord Mountbatten Inner Guard, are busy conferring with the Director of Ceremonies, H.R.H Edward VIII.

The Organist, Bro. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is discussing last minute arrangements to the musical portion of tonight's ceremonial with Bros. Gilbert & Sullivan. Inventors Samual Morse, Sir Alexander Fleming, Richard Gatling, and Samuel Colt, where busy greeting the three generations of Mayo's, grandfather William, son Charles H. who founded the famous Mayo Foundation, and grandson Charles.

Bro. Clark Gable, Peter Sellers, Wallace Beery, Douglas Fairbanks, and Brian Donlevy discussing boxing with Champions Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnston, and Sugar Ray Robinson, his real name is Walker Smith. Bros. John Wayne, Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, a Cill Wills are listening with an intensive ear as Bro. William Thadaeus Phillips tells of daring exploits, you see Bro. Phillips is also know as that daring rogue... BUTCH CASSIDY, of the Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Fame.

The Generals, Omar Bradley, Jimmy Doolittle, George C Marshall, John Pershing, and Douglas MacArthur, take seats next to Franklin Roosevelt and Sir Winston Churchill, who were conversing with America's most decorated soldier Bro. Audie Murphy, while to his left General James Wolfe was adjusting his apron. The Lodge Treasurer, Major General Henry Knox was busy collecting dues from Bros. Thomas E Dewey, and William McKinley.

The founding members, George Washington, Sir Jobn A MacDonald, Guisep Garabaldi, Simon Bolivar, Benito Juarez, Ben Franklin, and John Hancock, are seated in the East. They have just been joined by Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore.

Standing near the Great Lights of Masonry is Teddy Roosevelt, relating to Vice-president Hubert Humphries, James Boswell, and Booker T Washington, his famous charge up San Juan Hill.

The Master, M.W. Bro. H.R.H Duke of Connaught has rapped his gavel to call the meeting to order and we must now depart, for it is time for Heritage Lodge to open and it is not for us to know who has been selected to sit in the East, in the West, and in the South. With one last look at this brilliant assemblage of truly great men, one wonders what the public's perception of Freemasonry would be if they were able to tour such a lodge.