Life is a great adventure. The acquirement of useful knowledge is its perpetual challenge. The search for Truth which has been the theme of many allegories, from the earliest mythologies of Ancient Greece to the present search for “the lost word,” is one of the most alluring and fascinating occupations of man. This is beautifully exemplified in the work of the Third Degree, in which the officers and members of the degree team of Masters Lodge have always taken great pride.

Many of the lodges in this and other jurisdictions have created quite a colorful bit of pageantry in the symbolism of the building of King Solomon's temple with appropriate Oriental costumes in keeping with the ancient legends. Masters Lodge, however, has kept the second section of the degree on a very dignified level; the members of the team being attired in modern evening dress, which creates an impressive touch of unity between the speculative and operative aspects of Masonry. It does not take too vivid an imagination to reconstruct the physical characteristics of the ancient King Solomon's temple, and some lodges, dramatizing the story, go into considerable detail to establish a visible concept of this mighty undertaking the building of which covered a span of seven years.

It is probably not known by many Masons that there is a natural lodge room, the only known one in the world built entirely by nature, within a short motor trip from Albany. It is situated on a mountain called Owl's Head, beside Lake Memphremagog, on the border between Vermont and Canada. At its summit, it is 3,500 feet high. Owl's Head Lodge Room is hidden away in a cleft of the hills and was discovered nearly 100 years ago by the very ancient Golden Rule Lodge of Standstead, Canada. This group became very enthusiastic about its possibilities, and applied for a charter permitting them to perform the work of the Third Degree of Masonry. This was granted in 1853 by the Grand Lodge of Canada, and once a year, on June 24th, which is St. John's Day, they climb the mountain and perform the accepted ritual.

Only a trail leads to the lodge room. The sides of the mountain are almost perpendicular; but the venerable Masons gladly endure the hardships of the ascent, and, rain or shine, the annual pilgrimage is made. The lodge room is a wonderful place. Its walls are of sheer rock, towering up 500 feet. Its floors, made of moss, are as level as an ordinary pavement and softer then carpet. The seats for the officers are of natural stone, placed there by nature. The roof is the sky.

It is perfectly tiled; the points of the compass are correct and the rooms run east and west. The climb is a tedious one, and is generally reached by noon. Many prominent Masons, old and young, attend. The sky is blue and at the foot of the mountain stretches the most beautiful lake imaginable. On one side there are green fields which stretch out until they are lost in the foothills of Quebec. Conforming with ancient Masonry, the service on the mountain is held in the afternoon, with the ancient customs being followed to the letter.

A visit to this unique Masonic lodge room during the coming years might be of inestimable value to all students of the craft in establishing a visible concept, in miniature, of that ancient building destroyed by the Chaldeans in the year 588 B. C.