Masonic Monday Question
Answer
for the week of September 1 , 2014
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Dear Masonic Student,
Last week’s question was:
Labor Day has been officially celebrated in the United States since 1887, when it
was adopted as a national holiday. Before that date, there were a number of labor
unions that heavily promoted a day to celebrate laborers, one of which had,
during its earliest period of growth, adopted a Masonic styled initiation ritual and
this “chivalrous” name. Your question, what is the name of this labor union, who
founded it, and what was its ritual book’s title?
Congratulations to:
Jack Roberts of St John’s Lodge No. 1 (GL of MN)
Chris Boyce of Mankato Lodge No. 12 (GL of MN)
Mark Robbins of Mankato Lodge No. 12 (GL of MN)
Glenn Kiecker of Cataract Lodge No. 2 (GL of MN)
William Neher of Phoenix Daylight Lodge No. 350 (GL of MN)
Alan Mackenzie of Euclid Lodge No. 198 (GL of MN)
Al Farmer of Ionic Lodge No. 186 (GL of MN)
Mark Campbell of Cataract Lodge No. 2 (GL of MN)
Tim Bryce of Dunedin Lodge No. 192 (GL of FL)
Art Ingersoll of Corinthian Lodge No. 67 (GL of MN)
7 Brothers of Excelsior Lodge No. 113 (GL of MN)
The Answer is:
The Knights of Labor or officially, the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor. The
founder, and first Grand Master Workman, was Uriah Stephens, an active Freemason, Odd
Fellow and Knight of Pythias, who wrote the initial ritual for the newly formed union, which he
titled, Adelphon Kruptos, translated from Greek, “Secret Brotherhood.” The ritualistic parts of
the Knights of Labor were ended by the second Grand Master Workman, Terence Powderly.
Source:
http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/fraternalism/knights_of_labor.htm
Fraternally,
Nick Johnson