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Historical Figures
The Story of Jacques DeMolay
Frank S. Land, Founder of DeMolay
Louis Lower, The First DeMolay
Frank A. Marshall, Author of the Ritual
Facts and Stories
The story of the DeMolay Ritual in the Author's own words
Nine Boys and a Man
It has been said that a day can be changed or a great moment launched by a single phone call.
Such a call came in January of 1919. As Frank answered the telephone he recognized the voice of Sam Freet, newly installed Senior Warden of Ivanhoe Lodge. "Frank, I have a favor to ask. One of our members, Elmer E. Lower, who had been initiated as a Fellow Craft, died a year ago. Could you find a part-time job for the oldest boy, Louis? He is one of the finest young men I have ever seen.
"Sam, you called at just the right time. I would be glad to talk to this boy. Send Louis to me, say after school tomorrow if you can arrange it. I shall look forward to meeting him."
The next afternoon Louis arrived promptly for his interview. Shaking hands with this youth brought a response to Land that seemed to blend them into a common experience that would unite them for years to come. Louis radiated an honesty of character, a natural aptitude for leadership, and the grace of movement of the athlete. Frank thought, "If I had a son, I would want him to be just like this lad."
They talked for a while about school. Louis told him of his aspirations for a place on the track team, of his position as a pitcher on a baseball team, and in response to a question said, "I am a fairly good student. Even with the hard time we are having, I want to finish high school and then help with the education of the others."
Frank responded, "It is a good goal. You will meet the challenge. Now, tell me about your father. I knew him but only from very casual meetings."
Louis hesitated as though reluctant to look into the past but finally said, "My father was the finest father a boy ever had."
That evening, as Nell Land cleared the dinner dishes, she said, "Frankie, something happened today. You look like you have found a long, lost friend."
"Not a lost friend but a new young friend. This boy I talked to today is tremendous. One of the finest young men I have ever met. He is going to work with me in the office and I know I shall enjoy having him around. Perhaps we could take him to church with us Wednesday evening. The teachings of Christian Science would be good for him and you could meet Louis Lower."
"Yes, we should do just that," she said. "I suggest that you have him bring a few friends over to the apartment some evening. I would like to meet him."
It was not until the middle of February that the opportunity for such a meeting took place. "Louis," said Mr. Land, "who do you run around with?"
"I have some friends in my neighborhood," said Louis.
"How would you like to form a Club and meet here at the Temple?"
Louis thought the idea had possibilities and showed up the next week with eight other boys. That was February 19, 1919.
The boys came early that Wednesday evening and each in turn was introduced to Mr. Land by Louis Lower with, "I want you to meet Ralph Sewell, Elmer Dorsey, Edmund Marshall, Jerome Jacobson, William Steinhibler, Ivan Bentley, Gorman McBride, and Clyde Stream. There are nine of us."
They were a group destined to form a great youth organization and each was to advance through his efforts and determination to prominence in his chosen field of work.
Mr. Land acknowledged each introduction with a handshake and word of welcome. "Before we get down to business, let's make a tour of this building. I think you will find it just about right if we should decide to form a Club and use it as a meeting place."
It was a radiant group that gathered about the long table in one of the meeting rooms that night. There was no doubt that they should continue to meet as a Club. The only question was a name. One suggested they use Greek letters as the college fraternities did but this was instantly voted down as making them only a part of other organizations. The name must be distinctive and carry meaning. They turned to Land for suggestions. He pointed to a recent series of prints on the wall that showed the adventures of Sir Galahad and the Knights of the Round Table. There was a negative shaking of heads.
The greatest of wars had ended only a few months before and the adventures of knights of old seemed far away. Then names were mentioned from history and from the Bible. Stories such as Damon and Phythias, David and Jonathan and of Nathan Hale. Nothing seemed to click until one of the boys, Clyde Stream, said "Mr. Land, tell us something connected with Masonry. They must have great names and we are meeting here in one of their buildings."
Frank smiled, "This year I am serving as the head of one of the Masonic Groups. I am the Commander for the DeMolai Council of Kadosh. There are many names and stories directly connected with Masonry, but I think I should tell you about the last leader of the Knights Templar. His name was Jacques DeMolay or as they say in history books, James of Molay."
The story and the name caught the imagination of the boys. Here was heroism. Here was a great example of loyalty, of courage. Here was a theme from knighthood and chivalry, at its best, and the name of a martyr to fidelity and toleration. The boys were ready without further consideration to accept this name as the name of the group. But Land interrupted, "Now let's wait just a little bit and sleep over this. Let's not rush into it. Perhaps with a little more thought we can come up with a better name. One that might be more in keeping and more appropriate. It is growing late and you should all be going home. Come back next week and bring a few more of your friends. We will talk more together about it then. Good night and thanks for coming."
While the boys talked to Land about the Club when they came to the Temple, it was their long talks together at school and as they walked from school to home that heightened their interest and gave momentum to their organization. One afternoon after a chemistry class, Elmer Dorsey caught up with Louis Lower to ask, "Louis, I think this club idea is terrific. But what is it all about? What does Mr. Land get out of it? Do they want us to become junior Masons?" "I don't have all the answers, Elmer, I only know that Frank Land is one of the greatest. His only motive is the one he tells us. He likes to be with young people and sincerely believes that if we do form such a group each of us will benefit from it. How he ever talked the older boys into letting us use their temple is beyond me. They must be interested in us as Land is, because he has told me that we are not to be a junior Masonic group. He told me these men are concerned about only one thing and that is that we should grow into decent men who will be respected in the community."
March 24, 1919 was the day in history that launched the Order of DeMolay. During the next few years, however, the date of March 18, the date in the past that had witnessed the death of Jacques DeMolay, came to be more frequently used.
Thirty-one boys, all from the same high school, came to the Scottish Rite Temple that night. Frank Land made each boy welcome and then explained briefly his ideas of a Club. Land said, "This is your meeting. I will serve as Advisor but it is your meeting. Why not proceed with an organization and elect a few officers. I will take charge until you have completed your election."
During the next few months the group grew in numbers, in activities and interest. Then a fear came to some of them that they were growing into too large a Club.
Someone suggested that a committee talk with Mr. Land and endeavor to convince him that membership should be limited to 75. Land neither criticized or admonished the committee at the time. In fact they didn't know whether he agreed or disagreed to their suggestion.
Later when the meeting was called to order, the chairman reported and moved that the membership of DeMolay be limited to 75. The motion quickly received a second and was unanimously adopted. It was then that Dad Land rose from the back of the room where he had been more or less out of sight for he wasn't the type to take the spotlight, or the forefront in their meetings. He wanted them to conduct their own meetings.
As he came to the front of the room that night, he proceeded to tell them—and in no uncertain terms—how selfish and how inconsiderate they were. He told them that they were operating and thinking absolutely contrary to every idea that he had in mind for this organization. He reminded them that there were three other high schools in Kansas City which had young men who were just as capable, just as qualified, and just as upstanding as they were. In fact, he indicated he thought they were probably much, much better than what they thought they were. He said that if it was good for one boy, it must be good for all eligible boys. He reminded them that 'to become big, they must be big.' The motion to limit membership to 75 was rescinded. It was then that DeMolay was permitted to grow and develop.
And grew it did. DeMolay continued its growth initiating new member and instituting new chapters in all states of the continential USA. DeMolay then crossed the oceans and the organization was developed in many foreign countries. Thousands upon thousands of young men have had their life enriched by the recinding of the motion to limit the Order of DeMolay to just 75 members.
The namesake of the Order of DeMolay was born in Vitrey, Department of Haute Saone, France in the year 1244. At the age of 21, DeMolay joined the Order of Knights Templar.
The Knights Templar was an organization sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church in 1128 to guard the road between Jerusalem and Acre, an important port city on the Mediterranean Sea. The Order of Knights Templar participated in the Crusades and earned a name for valor and heroism.
With many nobles and princes sending their sons to join the Knights Templar, the Order also became very wealthy and popular throughout Europe.
In 1298, Jacques DeMolay was named Grand Master of the Knights Templar, a position of power and prestige. As Grand Master however, Jacques DeMolay was also in a difficult position. The Crusades were not achieving their goals. The non-Christian Saracens defeated the Crusaders in battle and captured many vital cities and posts. The Knights Templar and the Hospitalers (another Order of Knights) were the only groups remaining to confront the Saracens.
The Knights Templar decided to reorganize and regain their strength. They traveled to the island of Cyprus, waiting for the general public to rise up in support of another Crusade.
Instead of public support, however, the Knights attracted the attention of powerful lords, who were interested in obtaining their wealth and power. In 1305, Philip the Fair, King of France, set about to obtain control of the Knights Templars. They had been accountable only to the Church. To prevent a rise in the power of the Church, and to increase his own wealth, Philip set out to take over the Knights.
The year 1307 saw the beginning of the persecution of the Knights. Jacques DeMolay, along with hundreds of others, were seized and thrown into dungeons. For seven years, DeMolay and the Knights suffered torture and inhuman conditions. While the Knights did not end, Philip managed to force Pope Clement to condemn the Templars. Their wealth and property were confiscated and given to Philip's supporters.
During years of torture, Jacques DeMolay continued to be loyal to his friends and Knights. He refused to disclose the location of the funds of the Order and he refused to betray his comrades. On March 18, 1314, DeMolay was tried by a special court. As evidence, the court depended on a forged confession, allegedly signed by DeMolay.
Jacques DeMolay disavowed the forged confession. Under the laws of the time, the disavowal of a confession was punishable by death. Another Knight, Guy of Auvergne, likewise disavowed his confession and stood with Jacques DeMolay.
King Philip ordered them both to be burned at the stake that day, and thus the story of Jacques DeMolay became a testimonial to loyalty and friendship.
The Order of DeMolay was founded in 1919, in Kansas City, Missouri, by a young man named Frank S. Land. Land was a community leader who, at the age of 28, already had a successful business career as a restaurateur behind him.
The main event that lead to the founding of the DeMolay movement was World War I. This was a time when the nation was caught up with a passion and desire to bring democracy to the world. When the United States joined in the fight against German power, every resource of men and materials was poured into the war effort. America suffered not only the loss of its men who had fallen in battle, but on the homefront as well. A positive response to this critical situation came about with the development of many charitable organizations. Frank S. Land was selected to act as the director of the Masonic Relief and Employment Bureau of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. This charity would come to help hundreds and hundreds of families.
Near the end of the war, Land became concerned with the problems of boys who had lost their fathers. He thought "how lonely it must be for a boy not to have a man to talk with, or a man to provide some type of inspiration and direction." Frank decided there was a need for an organization where boys would have the opportunity to associate with other boys, a place they could share common interests, learn responsibility and other skills that would benefit them throughout their lives. His ideal model for this organization included having business or professional men, Masons, taking interest in the young people, being a friend to them, advising them, and perhaps even providing them with employment opportunities.
In March, 1919, Land met with young Louis Lower. Louis' father had died, leaving the young man without a father figure in his life. Land took the time to listen to Louis, learn about his dreams, and to help him. He learned that others, like Louis, sought companionship, leadership, inspiration and competition. He asked Louis to invite some friends to a meeting, the original group of nine DeMolays: Louis G. Lower, Ivan M. Bentley, Edmund Marshall, Gorman A. McBride, Jerome Jacobson, William W. Steinhilber, Elmer Dorsey, Clyde C. Stream, and Ralph Sewell. At the second meeting, there was a total of 31 young men present. They were excited about their new club!
The group needed its own identity and its own name. After Dad Land related the story of Jacques DeMolay, the group decided to name itself for this historical figure connected with Masonry.
Dad Land, as he came to be called, provided the philosophy and principles to be embodied. As interest in DeMolay spread, Land answered many requests for information and authority to start chapters. Initiations and ceremonies took place in all locations. By the fall of 1920, Mother Chapter had developed activities for its members as well. These included an outstanding baseball team, a DeMolay marching unit, and even a 100-piece band!
By the end of 1921, Dad Land realized he had to devote full time to this new organization and become a full time DeMolay employee. As DeMolay chapters grew in numbers and strength, the organization as a whole grew in prestige. With this greater prestige, interest developed in the Masonic fraternity. Official recognition and approval by Masonic groups began giving their seal of approval to foster DeMolay in their states. Many distinguished organizations endorsed DeMolay including the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, Grand Lodges, Knights Templar, etc.
A devoted champion of Freemasonry and of its teachings, Land would become a figure of international prominence within Masonry, eventually becoming Imperial Potentate of the Shrine of North America. He counted among his friends U.S. Congressmen, state governors, movie and radio stars, military leaders, leaders of industry, Presidents of the U.S. and a veritable legion of young men in their teens.
Dad Land worked tirelessly for the Order of DeMolay until his death on November 8, 1959. Hundreds of other devoted workers aided in the creation and extension of the Order of DeMolay, but looked to one man for guidance. Frank S. Land was the charismatic leader of the Order. Frank S. Land was truly a great man, a proud American, and a person who came to be known by millions, simply as "Dad". Frank Land's life touched, and continues to impact generation after generation of young people, young men looking to better themselves by emulating the lessons and examples by which he himself lived.
Louis Gordon Lower was born February 2, 1902. At the age of seventeen, Lower was first introduced to Frank S. Land. At that time, Louis was merely looking for a job to help out with family finances, but his demeanor piqued Land's interest. Land soon suggested that Lower could help him organize a young men's club—an organization to encourage and give direction to young men like Louis Lower.
Within a few weeks, the first unofficial meeting of the Order of DeMolay took place at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City. Lower was the first DeMolay—his patent, issued by Mother Chapter of Kansas City, Missouri is dated October 5, 1919 and bears the signature of Frank S. Land himself. Louis was also the first member of the Legion of Honor.
By 1943, Louis, a well regarded city official, was the Director of the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. On July 18, 1943, Louis Lower was murdered outside Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. He had stopped to question a drunken security guard who was directing traffic at a crowded intersection in the city street. When Lower reached out to inspect the guard's badge, he was deliberately shot in the chest. He was forty-one years of age. He was survived by his wife Mrs. Dazie B. Lower, his sisters Fredonia Lower and Mrs. J.E. Wasson, and his brother Elmer W. Lower.
Louis Lower was a man of ideals. He kept them to himself until the hour of fulfillment arrived. Some were the dreams of boyhood when he was an active DeMolay, from which he never departed.
His death was a deep loss to DeMolay, especially Frank S. Land, who had regarded him as a son.
"He was a symbol to millions of young men of the ideals and teachings of our Order. He wore the mantle of this stewardship with dignity and grace. He never forgot the responsibility that was his. The ethics of leadership taught him in DeMolay flowered in countless fields of endeavor. He was a man of ideals ... He loved God, his home, and his country. He was a knight errant in his daily life although he would never admit it—but it was there."
— Frank S. Land
Frank A. Marshall
Author of the DeMolay Ritual
The beautiful ritual of DeMolay was written by Frank A. Marshall of Kansas City, Missouri and the circumstances surrounding the writing of this marvelous work are very interesting, especially to those who have seen the exemplification of the Ritual.
Brother Marshall is one of those energetic, loyal and sincere members of the Fraternity, whom it is a pleasure to meet. He has been active in and received all of the official honors of both the York and Scottish Rite Bodies.
Brother Marshall and his wife are frequent visitors in St. Louis, spending time while here with their daughter, Mrs. Mamie Ocker, High Priest of Sprig of Acacia Conclave, U.D., True Kindred, wife of Wor. Bro. Erwin L. Ocker, W.M. of Magnolia Lodge No. 626.
One Hundred DeMolays
Of any 100 young men who join DeMolay, five of those 100 will become Master Councilor of their DeMolay chapters. And at least one of them will later say that he valued that experience above his college degree. Eighty or more of the 100 will go on to complete some form of post-high school education.
Many of the 100 will find their vocation through other DeMolay involvement, such as Merit Bar work. DeMolay has produced a good number of men, who after serving as chaplain of their local chapters, went on to become ministers or pastors. Along those same lines, several of the 100 DeMolays will first be introduced to some form of organized religion by attending some church or temple through a chapter function.
Of any 100 young men who become a DeMolay, thirty will drop out in their first year. Perhaps this may be regarded as a failure. But in later life, most of these will remember that they have been in DeMolay and speak well of the program and the lessons it teaches.
Of any 100 DeMolays, only rarely will one ever appear before a juvenile court judge or be in any trouble with the law. In fact, DeMolay produces a great many lawyers. And, although the percentages are not known, many of the 100 will join the military. Each of the 100 will learn something from DeMolay and most all will benefit from their association with the fraternity. Again, the percentages are not known, but a considerable number of the 100 will also go into the Masonic Lodge in later life. Of the 100 who join Masonry, many will serve as a head of one of the Masonic organizations.
A number of the 100 come from single parent families and look to their advisors (Masons) as positive role models. One out of the 100 will be awarded the rank and honor of Chevalier, the highest honor granted to an active DeMolay. Approximately sixteen of the 100 will value their time in DeMolay so much that they will "give back" to DeMolay by serving as an adult volunteer in later life.
Although only one out of every 1,000 young men in the United States, age 13 to 21, will join DeMolay, it is interesting to note that many of this nation's leaders in business, religion, and politics belonged to DeMolay in their teens. In fact, one out of every twelve State Governors is a Senior DeMolay and one out of every ten United States Senators is a Senior DeMolay.
One hundred DeMolays ... equals a high number of leaders.
Sources:
- 1990 United States Census
- 1992 International Supreme Council Proceedings
- 1992 DeMolay Year End Membership Status Report
- March, 1993 DeMolay Service & Leadership Center Reports
- Personal Interviews and Surveys
The DeMolay Stained Glass Window
Dad Frank S. Land passed away on November 8, 1959 and was buried with honored ceremonies at Mt. Moriah Cemetery.
On the night of the funeral, Active Members of the International Supreme Council who attended the services, met and discussed the future of DeMolay. At this meeting, H. Malvern Marks, Past Grand Master and then Executive Officer in Texas, suggested thinking about a memorial for Dad Land. They were to bring their recommendations to the next Executive Committee meeting.
In the fall of 1960, a Memorial Committee was appointed for this purpose. Members included H. Malvern Marks (Chairman), George M. Saunders, Stanley Garrity, Harold Schafer, Chandler Cohagen, Albert McNally, and Dr. Claude F. Long.
This committee recommended that Dad Land's office should remain as he left it, to be forever a shrine to his memory, and his work. They further recommended that the room adjoining his office should be converted into a museum or exhibit room to house his jewels, Masonic regalia, his painting, and the bronze head that was presented at his testimonial dinner.
The International Supreme Council authorized the committee to proceed with their plans. DeMolays also sent in donations for a Dad Land Memorial. The committee knew then that DeMolays all over the world wanted to have a memorial for Dad Land. In November, 1961 the two rooms were completed.
The idea for the stained glass window came from H. Malvern Marks. He had taken it from a drawing that was part of the Members Record Book. This record book was sent to all new members beginning in 1925.
The window was placed in the memorial room so it could be seen from the street. It was also lighted so that it would be visible at night. The window is in beautiful colors and shows a DeMolay young man robed and kneeling at the DeMolay altar, on which is the Crown of Youth, the Bible, and the school books. The bottom of the window reads, "I do so promise and vow..."
When the DeMolay Service & Leadership Center relocated in 1986, a decision was made to move the stained glass window inside. Through the generous donation of Past Grand Master Robert F. Hannon, the window was refurbished and dedicated on March 18, 1988.
The stained glass window is a representation of the most meaningful moment in our organization -- when a young man takes his vows as a DeMolay.
We are very happy to display the stained glass window at the DeMolay Service & Leadership Center.
The Story of the DeMolay Ritual
In the Author's Own Words
(Reprinted from St. Louis Masonic Journal, 1928)
The following history of the Ritual of DeMolay is in Brother Marshall's own words:
"I have often been asked, 'How did you happen to write the DeMolay ritual? The bare facts can be briefly stated. I wrote it because Frank S. Land asked me to do so and because Almighty God, whom I have thanked in my heart a thousand times, gave me the impulse to respond to the opportunity which the request involved."
"But behind the bare facts, there are others which might be of interest to the tens of thousands of DeMolays to whom my name means something less than nothing, and the Order and its ritual means everything."
"I knew Brother Land when—that is to say he was an earnest and devoted member of Ivanhoe Lodge No. 446 A.F. & A.M. of Kansas City, Junior Deacon in the line and the proprietor of a business far removed from either Masonic or DeMolay activities. I prized his friendship which was cemented by the associations formed when I did considerable ritualistic work in Ivanhoe."
"Soon after becoming acquainted with Brother Land, he gave up his private business to become secretary of the Scottish Rite employment and relief association. Our personal relations became close through association in the official line of DeMolai Council, Knights Kadosh in the Scottish Rite bodies of the Valley of Kansas City."
DeMolay His Hero
"Let me say parenthetically that many years before I became a Freemason, Jacques DeMolay was one of my heroes. Forty years ago and more, I wrote a little private 'creed' in which I gave DeMolay a high place as an exemplar of loyalty to conscience."
"When, therefore, I became a member of DeMolai Council (it will be noted in passing that the name of the Consistory Body is spelled with an 'i' instead of 'y'), DeMolay appealed especially to my imagination. As a member of the line, while Brother Land was a commander, I became more and more closely drawn to DeMolay, perhaps unconsciously preparing for the work that was to come."
"Early in the summer of 1919, Brother Land invited me to write a ritual for the little club of boys whom he had drawn about him in the course of his work, which frequently brought him into contact with homes where the need of an uplifting influence was sharply defined. He explained in a general way, as well as in some detail, just what he had in mind and impressed upon me the dramatic instinct of the boy's nature which craved expression through a ritual. As I have previously suggested, I have thanked God a thousand times that Brother Land should have honored me with the invitation, but especially that He put it into my heart to feel the need and to try to meet it to the best of my ability. In a way, I was the logical selection for such a task, from Brother Land's standpoint, for I was one of the few newspaper men in the Scottish Rite bodies, though by no means the only writer. However, whatever the fitness of the situation, I was invited, accepted and wrote a ritual which none of us ever dreamed would be one of the rallying points for an army hundreds of American boys and lads in other lands."
"I had no sons of my own, though my home had been blessed with two dear girls. I had dreamed Ingersoll's beautiful dream of 'daughter's babes upon my knee,' and this wonderful dream has been beautifully realized as the years have gone by. I have two grandsons whom I pray I will live to see DeMolays."
Drafting the Ritual
"I have had many sweet moments in my life, but one of the greatest joys I have ever experienced was vouchsafed me when I read my first draft of the Opening and Closing and the Initiatory and DeMolay Degrees to Brother Land. The very spot where I read it has a sanctity for me. Brother Land sat at the secretary's desk in the auditorium of the Scottish Rite Temple at Fifteenth Street and Troost Avenue in Kansas City, and I sat on the step."
"It seemed to me that I could see the great vision which was to become a reality forming in Brother Land's mind as I unfolded the ritual to him as far as it had progressed. His remarkable genius for executive detail later enabled him to develop the floorwork and the splendid boys who exemplified the ritual breathed into it the breath of life which made my first witnessing of the degree work another of the landmarks in my life."
"The auditorium of the Scottish Rite in Kansas City will always be a shrine to me. It was here I took the vows of the Rite; at its altar I received a ring presented to me by the boys of the Mother Chapter and which is one of my most treasured possessions. At the altar, I saw for the first time, splendid young fellows take the vows of DeMolay and the Ritual was unfolded in a manner which was a prophecy of the future growth of which none of us really dreamed at first."
"Perhaps my greatest task in the beginning was to avoid Masonic phraseology, for in the pioneer days the fear of copying Masonry was a very real one and there was a very definite opposition to anything that suggested any connection with Masonry or that DeMolay should appear as a preparation for future Masons."
The Crown of Youth
"I confess that for weeks nothing outstanding came to me until the little inspiration of the Crown of Youth furnished the keys to the Initiatory Degree. From that time on, the ritual virtually wrote itself. The East as in the morning of life; the South as the station of manhood and the West with its solemn lessons were fairly obvious."
"I purposely wrote the DeMolay degree in a key very different from the didactics of the Initiatory Degree. I tried to make it appeal to the dramatic instinct inherent in all boys and to make it avoid any monotony when compared with the Initiatory Degree."
"From time to time, Brother Land suggested verbal changes and interpolations in the foundation sections of the ritual. He later called for a memorial service, which is my personal favorite. He called for an Institution Service for starting new chapters and then requested a Majority Service to bid farewell to DeMolays who became of age. Still later, he asked for a Funeral Service, apart from the Memorial and last of all for the Legion of Honor degree. To all of these demands, I responded with all I had in me, and such as it is, the ritual of DeMolay is my most reverent contribution to the welfare of the community, state and nation."
"My modest little home at 4506 Jefferson Street and especially the pine and great hedge trees in the front yard are sacred places to me because in my home and under those trees, the DeMolay ritual was forged on the anvil of my heart and soul during the summer months of 1919, as I found time from the exacting daily duties of my profession."
"Originally, I called the units 'Councils', instead of 'chapters,' but as I was a member of DeMolai Council, it was most logical to call the principal officers 'Councilors': symbolizing the advisory functions of leadership."
"Perhaps if we had dreamed of the future proportions of the Order of DeMolay, I would have been appalled at the task I undertook. However, I did what I could. I tried to plant a little acorn which I hoped might grow into a tree beneath which a few hundred or a few thousand boys would find the helpful shade of an inspiration to a better life. That it has grown into a great forest of shade is the great joy of my life and of Brother Land's and all others associated with the movement in early and later days."
"I have also thanked Almighty God a thousand times that he brought to the aid of DeMolay in its beginning days, the great brain—the great heart and soul and the wonderful influence of the late illustrious Brother Alexander G. Cochran of St. Louis, Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Scottish Rite for Missouri and Grand Master Councilor of the Order of DeMolay."
"At a time when even indifference in high quarters, for any reason, would have meant oblivion for DeMolay, he was fired by the vision of Brother Land and his kind words of commendation for my own efforts have been among the most precious memories of my association with the Order."
"As it occurs to me in this random and rambling fashion, the foregoing is the answer to the question, "How did you happen to write the DeMolay Ritual?"