Recollections of a Masonic Veteran

1995 Book. S. Brent Morris’s latest offering to Masonic history is the republication of a series of articles Robert Folger wrote for the New York Dispatch in 1873–74. Morris stumbled across the columns during his research into Folger’s life and mysterious Manuscript (a book reviewed here in September 1994). As with that volume, Recollections of a Masonic Veteran is published by The Masonic Book Club. First, don’t let the term “veteran” confuse you. It is not the journal of a soldier, although Folger’s Masonic career was often confrontational and involved many battles. It is his memory of 50 years in Freemasonry — a complex 50 years. These are not philosophical noodlings on the meaning of ritual or the origins of the Craft. There are 170 pages of warm, personal, authentic reminiscences of people, places, and occasions. You’ll hear about typical Lodge meetings in the 19th century. You’ll know what the best lodges served after meetings and how they managed to build their lodges and membership. There are stories of charity and brotherhood gone awry. There are personal recollections and conversations of some of the important personalities in Masonic history, Jeremy Cross among others. While Folger may not have been the most reliable of historians, he certainly offers the flavor of the times in an unequaled fashion.