Freemasonry in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
from- story
By Bro. Insp. E. Brokefield-Moore, R.C.M.P. N.W.M.P. Lodge No. 11, Regina (Superintendent E.
Brakefield-Moore was born in Dixville, P.Q., in 1910. Educated in Sherbrooke
schools and at Bishop's College, Lennoxville, leaving with an M.A. degree in
1930. Attended U.N.B. Law School and graduated with B.C.L. in 1939; called to
the Bar of New Brunswick in the same year. Joined the R.C.M. Police in 1933 and
has since served in 8 of the Provinces of Canada; commissioned in 1943 and
promoted to Superintendent in 1952. Is at present Senior Training Officer of the
Force, stationed in Ottawa. Made a Mason in North West Mounted Police Lodge No.
11, Regina in 1935.) Many of the lofty ideals of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police are those of Freemasonry and conversely most of the high principles of
Masonry are practised daily by all members of the famed FederalForce. The motto
of the R.C.M.P. "Maintiens le Droit" means "uphold the law"
or "maintain the right." And Masonry teaches that rectitude is one of
the fundamental marks of a Mason. Brotherly love, relief, truth-these are the
teachings of Freemasonry: they are too, practised by members of the R.C.M.P. and
have been followed throughout our 78 year history. In any body representative of
the Canadian democracy as a whole there are persons of many races and creed.
This is so with the Federal law enforcement body. Every member of the R.C.M.P.
is a citizen of Canada, with vital interests, wholesome training, and a good
sense of responsibility. It is only natural, therefore, that from the earliest
days of the North West Mounted Police to our present day R.C.M.P. there have
been in our ranks members, some of them eminent in various fraternal societies.
Each society has high ideals which have appealed to the policeman's sense of
responsibility, of social endeavour of moral rectitude, or of esprit de corps.
And so various reputable fraternal societies and organizations have added to the
stature of the R.C.M.P., and in return we to feel that the policeman's
participation in these groups has furthered their noble causes. Today we find
members of the R.C.M.P. playing a prominent part in Freemasonry, in the Knights
of Columbus, in the Oddfellows, the Elks, Rotary, Kiwanis, Kinsmen, Lions,
Y.M.C.A. and various other great fraternal or community groups. The story of the
development of the Canadian West is well integrated with the history of the
North West Mounted Police. The story of the one is incomplete without that of
the other. Among the early settlers of the West were many Masons, of whom W.Bro.
William Douglas will speak tonight. As the first members of the N.W.M.P.,
several of them Masons, performed their duties in the West, our stories will
overlap. The work of the Fathers of Confederation was rewarded in 1867 with the
formation of the first four Provinces into the Dominion of Canada. The
Psalmist's words "He shall have dominion from sea to sea" was not,
however, yet achieved as British Columbia did not join Confederation right away;
the building of a transcontinental railway was to be the price of union. Between
the new Dominion and British Columbia were the great rolling prairies, for
countless years the homeland of Indians and aborigines and then for nearly 200
years the hunting preserve of fur companies. Thus between Canada and the colony
of British Columbia was Rupert's Land whose title belonged to "The Governor
and Company of the Adventurers of England trading into Hudson Bay." The
Dominion Government purchased the holdings of the Company in 1870, and so the
Hudson Bay Company was no longer responsible for the maintenance of law and
order. Unrest developed among the Indians, and they rebelled under Louis Riel.
Murder and whiskey smuggling were prevalent; in 1871 eighty-one Blackfeet
Indians were killed in drunken brawls. The following year Sir John A. Macdonald,
Prime Minister of Canada, heard with concern these alarming reports of the
North-West. He sent Colonel Robertson, Adjutant-General, to make a
reconnaissance of the territory. The Colonel arrived safely in Edmonton
(present-day South Edmonton?), and found that things were bad, particularly to
the south. He returned east and at once reported to the Prime Minister and his
Cabinet. As a result, it was decided to send a mobile force, not wholly a
constabulary, but a composite troop, to the NorthWest. In April, 1873, a Federal
Act was passed for the formation of a mounted constabulary. The command was
offered to Colonel French. Commandant of the R.H.A. at Kingston. Thus was the
North West Mounted Police established, and 150 men were sent to the West. They
spent that winter at Lower Fort Garry. Col. French soon realized that he had too
few men, and so the following year he was joined by 150 more members who came
West via the U.S.A. and entered Canada through Fargo, N.D. The enlarged Force
travelled over the Old Boundary Commission Trail through Roche Percee, near
Estevan, Sask., and on to the foothills of the Rockies. A fort, or barracks, was
built at Fort MacLeod. Inspector Brisboy went north to the Bow River and set up
"Fort Brisboy"; but when Col. MacLeod came he renamed the location
after his birthplace in Scotland-Calgarry. The Commissioner and half of the men
moved eastward from here, leaving Col. MacLeod in command. He and his
headquarters staff returned to Fort Pelly, and then Dufferin. Col. MacLeod had
his work cut out pacifying the Indians. He and his men routed out the American
whiskey traders and smugglers, and assisted in the making of treaties with the
Blackfeet, the Blood and other Indian tribes. As a result of trouble on the
U.S.A. side, thousands of Indians and Sitting Bull moved northward into Canada.
Fort Walsh and Wood Mountain (Sask.) posts were established by the N.W.M.P. at
this time. I am passing over our early history rather sketchily, because in a
comparatively short paper such as this, it is impossible to tell the full story.
The N.W.M.P. was deployed, rather thinly in places, across the vast prairies,
and did much to bring law and order to the territories of the North-West. The
scarlet tunics were symbolical, especially to the Indians, of the good faith and
fairness of the police who represented their Great White Mother, the Queen. The
natural rights of the native tribes to the North-West territories were
relinquished by seven great treaties between 1871 and 1877. Five years after
Confederation, British Columbia joined the Dominion, and ten years later, as
promised, the trans-continental railway, with the protective assistance of the
N.W.M.P., had just about forged its steel link between east and west. At Wascana
Creek and the tent town Pile O' Bones, Lieutenant Governor Dewdney decided to
set up his new capital of the North-West Territories on June 30, 1882. Almost
two months later the railway reached the Wascana crossing, and Pile O' Bones was
renamed Regina, the Queen City of the Plains. On May 13, 1883, "The
Barracks," headquarters of the N.W.M.P., the Indian offices and the
Lieutenant-Governor's residence were established in Regina. Some three months
before the N.W.M.P. barracks were set up in Regina, the Grand Lodge of Manitoba,
which had jurisdiction over all the North-West Territories, granted a
dispensation for the formation of a Masonic Lodge in Regina; this was Wascana
No. 23. Among the members of the N.W.M.P., were Masons; several affiliated with
the new Lodge and others were initiated into it. By 1894 there were some 14
Masons at the Barracks. Following the suppression of the second Riel Rebellion
in 1885 and the performance of other duties which are now history, there was a
period of comparative relaxation, and consequently much thought was given to the
formation of a lodge in which the first qualification should be membership in
the N.W.M.P. After careful preparations, the new Lodge was formed on October 1,
1894, and the first officers were duly installed by M.W.Bro. Goggin, P.G.M. It
was known as N.W.M.P. Lodge No. 61, G.R.M. I now quote from the historical
record prepared by Bros. F. Smith and G. Bates which was included in the first
printed by-laws of 1895: "The history of the first Masonic Lodge organized
by members of this force must be a subject of deep interest to all Brethren of
the Craft who have served, may be at present serving, or who may become members
later on; therefore the following facts are briefly stated for their general
information. "In a large body of men such as the N.W.M. Police, whose
members are scattered over such a vast extent of territory, and who are gathered
from almost every civilized country in the world, a certain percentage of Masons
are bound to be found, and it would not have been consistent with the usual
perseverance and enlightened teachings of Freemasonry had the members of the
Order failed to organize a Lodge among themselves, and so be in a better
position to carry out the precepts and tenets of the Order than could otherwise
have been done while so many different Lodges were represented by them. "A
Mounted Policeman's duties are various, and his continued place of residence
(with a few exceptions) uncertain. Principally for this latter reason it was
thought that a Lodge at Headquarters, Regina, would relieve a Brother from the
necessity of continually changing his allegiance from one Lodge to another, and
so be the means of concentrating his energies in a more systematic manner
towards the good of the Craft in general. "It is said with truth that 'from
small beginnings great things often accrue'. So in the present case the above
idea having once been expressed by some zealous brother, it quickly became a
source of conversation by many, until finally it was decided to hold a meeting
of all members of the Craft then present at Headquarters and discuss the subject
in detail. "The meeting was accordingly held on the 6th of July, 1894. The
matter was thoroughly discussed, and some of the preliminary arrangements made;
another meeting, however, was necessary before the final steps could be taken.
"A most essential requisite, a suitable room in which to hold our meetings,
had to be secured in the first place, and in this matter we are to be
congratulated on our successful endeavours. "Commissioner Herchmer, having
been consulted on the subject, very kindly allowed us the privilege of using a
large room in barracks, and thereby earned the sincere gratitude of all members
of the Lodge. "At a little later period a lodge of the A.O.U.W. was
organized by members of the Force at Headquarters, and the use of an additional
room was granted by the Commissioner for an ante-room, to be utilized by the two
societies. "The benefit to the Lodge by these concessions becomes apparent
to all when the expenses which would otherwise have been incurred for rent,
fuel, light, etc., are taken into consideration. "Our final meeting to
complete arrangements, preparatory to forwarding our application for a
Dispensation, took place on the 24th August, 1894, when the following brethren
affixed their signatures to the petition, and therefore became charter members
of the Lodge: Bro.R.Belcher...................Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina
Bro.M.H.Hayne...................Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina Bro.H.Des
Barres................Wascana
Lodge, No.23, Regina Bro.G.Bates.....................Wascama Lodge, No.23,
Regina Bro.F.Smith.....................Ancient St.John's,No.3, G.R.C.
Bro.A.Stewart...................Wascana Lodge. No.23, Regina
Bro.R.Crory.....................Wascana
Lodge, No.23, Regina Bro.J.A.Martin..................Wascana Lodge, No.23,
Regina Bro.H.T.Ayre....................Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina
Bro.P.Wolters...................Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina
Bro.J.Ritchie............Lodge
St. John, No.175, Greenock, Scotland Bro.E.A.Faulds..................Wascana
Lodge, No.23, Regina Bro.H.T.Otis..................Bow River Lodge, No.28,
Calgary Bro.S.G.Main....................Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina "In
the earlier stages of all organizations some prominent figures are always to be
noticed as taking the initiative in the work to be done. In the case of this
Lodge the names of Brothers Murray Hayne, John Alfred Martin, and others of the
charter members, will always stand pre-eminent in this respect, they having
worked indefatigably to bring the project to a successful issue. "The
selection of officers, as follows, was made at a meeting held on the 26th
September, 1894: W.M. .................................Bro. Belcher S.W.
.................................Bro. Martin J.W.
.................................Bro. Hayne Treasurer
............................Bro. Stewart Secretary
............................Bro. Ritchie Chaplain
.............................Bro. Cochrane S.D.
.................................Bro. Main J.D.
.................................Bro. Wolters D.ofC.
...............................Bro. Robinson S. Steward
...........................Bro. Otis J. Steward ...........................Bro.
Cummings I.G. .................................Bro. Bates Tyler
................................Bro. Faulds "All the above were duly
installed in their respective positions on the first day of October, 1894, with
the exception of Brothers Martin and Hayne, who were presented from taking
offices selected for them on account of matters of duty taking them away to
other posts. Bros. Smith and Ayre were therefore elected to take the vacant
positions. "The ceremony of installing the first officers of the Lodge
working under Dispensation, was conducted by M.W. Bro. Goggin, P.G.M., assisted
by W. Bro. Chatwin, the Lodge room having been suitably prepared and nicely
decorated by the Brethren for the occasion, and to celebrate the event
refreshments were provided after the conclusion of the business, when a couple
of hours of social intercourse were very pleasantly passed. "The
instructive and highly interesting address delivered by M.W. Bro.Goggin on this
occasion will ever be remembered with pleasure by those who were fortunate
enough to be present. "At this time, when the experience of older members
of the Craft was of the utmost assistance to us, the Brethren of Wascana Lodge
No. 23, were ever ready with the helping hand, and for their sympathetic and
cheerful compliance with our requests they will ever be held in kind remembrance
by the members of the N.W.M P. Lodge. The Wascana Lodge has always been closely
identified with, the N.W.M.P. in respect to Masonry, more members of the Force
having been connected with it than with any other in the N.W. Territories or
Manitoba." Here are a few facts about some of the early members of N.W.M.P.
Lodge, the first ten of which were the original officers as mentioned
previously: Regmental No. 3, Robert Belcher, engaged at Lower Fort Garry on Nov.
3, 1873, having previously been a member of a British cavalry regiment: rose
through the ranks, was commissioned in 1893, and retired to pension in 1907.
Reg. No. 41. John Alfred Martin, engaged at Toronto from "A" Battery,
Kingston, on Nov. 3, 1873; rose to Staff Sergeant, was stationed at Macleod,
Battleford, Regina and elsewhere before retiring in 1898. Reg. No. 869, Murray
Henry Edward Hayne, joined Nov. 4, 1882, and later pioneered in the Yukon and
Hudson Bay areas; died as S/Sgt. at Fullerton in 1906; was commissioned as
Inspector after death but before H.Q. had received word of his death. Reg. No.
400, Alfred Stewart, engaged at Winnipeg May 8, 1875, and rose to the rank of
Sergeant Major; at his own request he reverted to Staff Sergeant; died in 1921.
Reg. No. 2734, James Ritchie, engaged at Winnipeg on Sept. 4, 1891: rose through
the ranks, commissioned as Inspector in 1904 and promoted Superintendent in
1920, retiring ten years later. Reg. No. 1204, James Gordon Main, joined in
Ottawa on April 27, 1885; rose to Sergeant and was Canteen Manager in Regina;
discharged in 1895, and died in 1926 at Winnipeg. Reg. No. 2429, Paul Wolters,
engaged at Regina April 8, 1890; was from Saxony, and had served for six years
in the German Army; was Orderly Room Clerk in "Depot" Division; rose
to Staff Sergtant in 1893, was pensioned in 1910 and died ten years later. Reg.
No. 2478, Henry Otis, engaged at Medicine Hat July 12, 1890; promoted Corporal
in 1893, and later served in Alberta and was stationed in Banff; discharged
1897. Reg. No. 2299, George Bates, joined at Winnipeg April 27, 1889, promoted
Corporal the following year, and Sergeant then Staff Sergeant the next; was
Hospital Steward in Regina; also served as Hospital Sergeant in Dawson, Yukon;
died at Regina in 1908. Reg. No. 2664, Edward Arthur Faulds, engaged at Calgary
May 5, 1891, promoted Corporal two years later; served in Regina, Calgary and
elsewhere; purchased discharge in 1895. Reg. No. 858, Henry Thomas Ayre, joined
at Qu'Appelle July 26, 1882; became Veterinary Staff Sergeant at Regina in 1891,
was pensioned in 1903, and died seven years later. Reg. No. 1034, Herman Des
Barres, engaged at Regina May 31, 1884, having previously served in the Prussian
Army; stationed in the Yukon, Regina, Calgary and elsewhere; rose to Sergeant
Major but asked to revert to Staff Sergeant as he preferred prairie and police
work; pensioned in 1904 and died in 1926. Reg. No. 1888, Frederick Smith, joined
in Regina Dec. 18, 1886, having previously served for eight years in
"A" Battery, R.C.A., Kingston; stationed in Regina, Lethbridge and
Prince Albert; discharged as Sergeant in 1897 and died the next year. Reg. No.
2496, Robert James Crory, engaged at Regina Aug. 13, 1890; promoted Corporal the
next year and Sergeant three years later; purchased discharge in London,
England, in 1897. Among other early N.W.M.P. members of the Lodge were Sergeants
C. H. Dee, W. W. Haslett, W. W. DeRossiter and J. Mills, Corporals R.F. Liston
and A. Robinson, and Constables E. Cochrane, T. F. Burnett and J. H. Heffernan.
The original altar, pedestals and columns were made at the Regina Barracks by
Constable Phillips for $15.00, and were painted white and trimmed with the
N.W.M.P. colors blue and god. The pillars were later grained golden oak and may
now be seen in the Red Room of the Regina Masonic Temple. The Volume of the
Sacred Law was presented to the Lodge in 1894 by Bro. Louis Castellain. The
first Worshipful Master's regalia was given by Bro. S/Sgt. J. Martin in 1895.
The original sword was presented by Inspector Church who originated the famed
Musical Ride; his father had carried the sword in the Charge of the light
Brigade at Balaclava. In the Blue Room of the Regina Temple may be seen the
original ashlars, hewn by the first members when the N.W.M.P. Lodge was formed.
It was not until 1924, howver, that the crest of the North West Mounted Police
was officially adopted by the Lodge; permission to use it was granted by the
acting Minister of Justice, the late Hon. Ernest A. Lapointe. With the huge
Dominion Government immigration policy starting in 1896, the discovery of gold
in the Yukon in 1898, and the Boer War, members of the N.W.M.P. were exceedingly
busy serving in all spheres and assuming manifold responsibilities. The number
of members at Regina H.Q. became comparatively small, and of these only two
Masons remained to keep the Lodge alive. The Grand Master of Manitoba moved to
arrest the Charter. But the brethren wished to save the Charter, and to do so
relaxed the custom whereby only police members could enrol in the Lodge. Thus in
1906 it was decided to hold future meetings in the City of Regina. D.D.G.M.
Isaac Forbes, himself a member of the Force, reported to Grand Lodge in the
following words: "N.W.M.P. Lodge No. 11 (G.R.S.), Regina. I paid my
official visit to this Lodge on MAy 2nd. This being my own Lodge, and attending
regularly myself, I take great interest in it. Owing to the fact that all
members belonged to the N.W.M.Police, and that the majority of them had been
transferred to different places, leaving the Lodge short of members with whom to
hold meetings, for the last four years it has been going down hill. I am pleased
to say that this is now a thing of the past. The removal of the place of meeting
from the N.W.M.P. Barracks to the City of Regina, which took place on October
4th, 1906, has proved to be of great welfare to Masonry. Since the meeting on
October 4th the Lodge has increased from sixteen to fifty. The Lodge is now
N.W.M. Police in name only, but the name will be a landmark when the Police have
gone from the Province of Saskatchewan." A personal note: I recall with
pride during my own raising to the Third degree in 1936, on the occasion of a
Police Night, witnessing some of the degree work done by Isaac Forbes, in his
R.N.W.M.P. uniform. In 1904 King Edward VII honored the Force by conferring the
title "Royal," so that our service became the Royal North West Mounted
Police. The Lodge, however, retained the name N.W.M.P. I seem to have dwelt at
length on the early story of the N.W.M.P. Lodge, but this is because it seems to
be indicative of the staunch showing made by early members of the Force as
regards Freemasonry. As Masonry builds truly, uprightly and boldly, so did the
North West Mounted Police on the great golden plains of Western Canada. But it
must be stressed strongly that there were many Masons in the Force attending
Lodges at the same time or later in Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, Battleford,
Saskatoon, Winnipeg and perhaps nearly every Lodge across the Prairies at one
time or another. We of the Force, however, look upon Regina as being the cradle
of the R.C.M.P. and so it is fitting that the N.W.M.P. Lodge should be regarded
as the mother, as it were, of Masonry in the Force. Starting off with its 14
charter members, the Lodge has during the past 57 years initiated well over 500
members and affiliated some 250 others; almost 150 members of the Force own
N.W.M.P. as their Mother Lodge, and of course many hundreds more have visited
during the time they were stationed in Regina. Even as the Force grew in
stature, privilege and scope of duties, so Masonry flourished, and more and more
members of the R.N.W.M.P. became members of the fraternity by initiation. This
was a natural development, as the high ideals of the one are similar to and
intermingled with those of the other. By 1920 the Force was Canada-wide in
scope, and hence it was renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police when the old
Dominion Police and the Preventive Service were absorbed. A few years later the
Provinces asked the R.C.M.P. to take over their provinial police work. Therefore
by 1932 the Federal force had contracts with Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta,
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to police their provinces.
Newfoundland entered Confederation in 1949 (as foreseen in 1867), and on August
1, 1950, that Province contracted with the R.C.M.P. for us to perform its police
duties. Fifteen days later British Columbia made a similar agreement, and so
today former Newfoundland Rangers, Newfoundland Constabulary and British
Columbia Police members are proudly wearing the R.C.M.P. uniform as full-fledged
members of the great Federal force. One of the most colorful events in several
Lodges is what has become the annual Police Night. This function commenced, as
far as I can learn, about twenty years ago. On a Police Night all officers of
the Lodge are members of the R.C.M.P. in full dress uniform including scarlet
serge; work in the East is done by members who are Past Masters. The work is
always done with military precision and clear, meaningful enunciation; the
spoken parts are word-perfect. To my knowledge, Police Nights have been held in
Edmonton, Calgary, Swift Current, Shaunavon, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg,
Ottawa, Halifax and very likely other points. Prominent visitors from all over
Canada and the U.S.A. have attended and have been glowing in their praise. I
recall two tangible tokens of appreciation: a beautiful American flag and a neon
"G" were presented to N.W.M.P. Lodge by prominent U.S.A. Masons; a
large portrait of M.W. Bro. Harry Truman, in full regalia, was given to the
Shaunavon Lodge following a Police Night there when the ritual was further
beautified by an R.C.M.P. male quartet singing the hymns, etc. The Flag Ceremony
was introduced soon after the institution of Police Nights. This ceremony at the
commencement of Lodge meetings is indeed beautiful, done as it is with military
precision. The words are stirring, and for those who may not have heard them, I
quote them here: "I now present our Flag-the Union Jack-the emblem of
freedom and democracy. As its component crosses were successively combined to
symbolize the voluntary unions of free peoples, so may it contitue to typify the
greater unities of our wider Commonwealth. "May the red, the color of the
sacrificial blood of the martyrs; the white, like the snowy lambskin of Masonry;
and the blue of the changeless vault of the sky, symbolically depict Courage,
Purity and Truth, blend wherever it floats the wide world round to blaze forth a
sure pledge of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity for all peoples everywhere. Long
may it wave. So mote it be." A few years ago on the annual ceremony of the
Presentation of Empire Flags in Empire Lodge, Edmonton, by members of the
R.C.M.P., I was asked to compose a ritual for each flag. The ritual so written
for the Canadian flag has since been used along with that of the Union Jack at
Police Night in various Lodges: "I present the Flag of Canada-the Red
Ensign. Canada, as the senior partner of the British Commonwealth of nations,
proudly displays the Union Jack on her Flag. The Arms indicate the commingling
of the great British and French peoples, and the supporting and unifying Maple
Leaves-our national emblem. The red field reminds us of Canada's sons who have
shed their blood on the field of honor. Long may this Flag wave over our
homeland, our ships at sea, and our territory abroad. So mote it be." For
many years members of the R.C.M.P. have been interesting themselves in the young
people of Canada, fully realizing that "the hope of tomorrow is the Youth
of today." They have worked with boys and girls, coaching them in sports,
teaching them handicrafts, acting as Cub and Scoutmasters, speaking to them in
Church and School groups, and so on. In 1946 our Commissioner, S.T.Wood, C.M.G.,
gave his personal blessing to this fine work and under his direction a
comprehensive Preventative Policing among Youth programme was instituted, not in
opposition to existing youth work agencies, but in full co-operation with them.
The work by R.C.M.P., members, working mostly in their spare time, among young
people has been phenomenal; as an example talks on citizenship, safety,
courtesy, etc., have been given to almost 2 million children during the past
five years. The number of juvenile offenders has correspondingly decreased, and
already young men of eminence in Canadian affairs today recall with pride that
their feet were set in the right path by a Mounted Policeman. As I have said,
our youth programme is carried out in conjunction with existing agencies which
work with young people. Therefore it is only natural that from the start
R.C.M.P.
members threw themselves wholeheartedly into the Masonic Youth Night programme,
especially (because I am more familiar with it) in Saskatchewan. These Youth
Nights are held in nearly every Lodge in the jurisdiction approximately once a
year. A Youth Night as you may know, consists of each Mason bringing a boy,
regardless of his race or creed. The ceremony is opened with the presentation of
the flag or flags by R.C.M.P. members in scarlet tunic, and a simplified ritual
which shows the youths that Masonry is beautiful and sincere. Then ensues the
showing of Department of Education, National Film Board or R.C.M.P. made films,
concert, games, a guest speaker talking on some phase of citizenship; the
speaker is very often a member of the R.C.M.P. The evening always concludes with
the growing boy's delight-a hearty lunch. A year or two ago I was privileged to
be invited to visit just about every, Lodge in three Districts in Saskatchewan
giving talks at Masonic Youth Nights. These I was able to give during trips
inspecting my various detachments, and at one time I was speaker at as many as
four Youth Nights in a week. It was exacting work, but as a member of our Grand
Lodge Commiittee on Freemasonry and Youth, I had a pace to set. The results are
always heart-warming and make any small sacrifices well worth while. And
hundreds of R.C.M.P. members are doing exactly the same thing across Canada. Yes
there is a notable community of interest and high ideals between Freemasonry and
the R.C.M.P. One could not hazard a guess as to the number of Masons in the
Force. What we do know is that there are many hundred, perhaps a thousand or
more, from Commissioner Wood, himself a 32nd Degree Mason, and our King who is
also Honorary Commissioner of the R.C.M.P to many scores of young Constables. In
a Sub-Division I commanded until recently we had some 50 uniformed members of
the Force; of these 21 were Masons-one a sitting Master, four of them Past
Masters, and others were officers of local Lodges. While N.W.M.P. Lodge, Regina,
is the only Police Lodge, but members patronize and do considerable work in
various lodges elsewhere in large numbers-Unity Lodge, Edmonton; Defenders
Lodge, Ottawa; Lodge of Antiquity, Montreal; Composite Lodge, Halifax, to name
but a few. Many Mounted Policemen have become prominent in Masonic circles from
St. John's, Newfoundland, to Victoria, British Columbia. A man who is ever
faithful to the grand principles of Freemasonry and to the high ideals of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police cannot help but be a credit as a Mason, as a
policeman, and as a good citizen of the great Canadian democracy. May the Great
Architect of the Universe who moved his representative on earth so nobly and
firmly to build the Temple, ever guide and aid us in building for Canada, in
upholding our Royal Canadian Mounted Police motto "Maintiens le Droit."
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