Page 287 - PGM Compendium

my will.” Following his return home, his daughter had come to visit him but she died from a heart
problem. Brother Ziegler closes his message with a description of these events by stating, “I am
not satisfied with my administration as Grand Master, and of course I cannot expect you to be; yet
I have this to say, I have done all I could for the time I had to work.” The brethren accepted this
unnecessary apology and re-elected him as Grand Master.

The 1887 communication of Grand Lodge was held in Vancouver and Grand Master Ziegler once
again begins by describing the scenic beauty of the area. He delivers an elegant and scholarly
description of the Columbia River where he follows its course from the mountains of British
Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. He likens the River’s course to the varied duties of human life.
The opening to this message concludes with the following exhortation, “if we but persevere in the
proper discharge of our duties, we shall emerge from the mysterious recesses of intellectual
darkness and enter that state of light and wisdom which is bestowed as an inheritance of perpetual
keeping on those who are faithful to every trust and obedient to the laws and duties of true
manhood.” Like his 1886 message, the opening to Grand Master Ziegler’s 1887 message is
considered by some to be a classic which is well worth reading in its entirety.

Much of the 1887 message is devoted to a description of the Kellinger/Mitchell affair and should
be read by anyone with an interest in Masonic jurisprudence. By this time the situation had become
so tangled that it now involved Temple Lodge #42 in Cheney in addition to Spokane #34. Because
of these events, Grand Master Ziegler lays out a valiant argument for the duties and powers of the
Grand Master.
Grand Master Ziegler’s philosophy is summarized in the following statement, “…during the recess
of this Grand Lodge the Grand Master is the only exponent of Masonic laws and principles, and
that this high prerogative must not be exercised by ignoramuses of the deepest die, who arrogate
themselves to the rare accomplishment of being Masonic jurists, with a view to leading the Craft
to insubordination and disobedience to the lawful powers that be.”

He argues that the Grand Master’s powers are derived from the Landmarks and ancient usages and
cannot be questioned by Lodges or Masons. He also argues that these powers cannot be abridged
or limited by Grand Lodges without perpetrating an innovation in the body of Masonry. In other
words, the Grand Master’s powers are absolute and cannot be questioned or constrained by anyone.
Here he is arguing for changes in the constitution which would allow the Grand Master to dispense
justice as he deemed appropriate rather than being muddied by, “legal technicalities and delays.”
The changes he argued for were never adopted and the Grand Master’s powers continue today in
much the same way as they did then.

Most Worshipful Brother Ziegler reiterates some of the topics in his 1886 message especially that
of making Masons too quickly. He makes the statement that, “Masonry is too cheap and easily
attained,” which is fascinating to hear in the year 1887. He also again argues against the joint
occupancy of Masonic Halls with other groups arguing that, “The design of Masonry is of an
exclusive character and it cannot be associated or mixed with other societies without marring its
beauty and purposes.”

Following his service as Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother Ziegler continued to be a pillar