Meet The Press

"The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers."
Thomas Jefferson

I love the brethren of Madison Lodge No. 44, which sits about 20 miles northeast of the outer ring of Indianapolis' I-465. I like the quaint town of Pendleton, which has a darling downtown—my wife's cousin lives there. I like Wbro. Robert Himes, this year's Master of Madison Lodge No. 44. Heck, I even like their building, which was built 20 years ago after they sold their downtown lodge. And I'm proud of them that they were able to get an article about themselves into the Herald Bulletin, which is based up the road in Anderson.

But is this not the worst article you've ever read? Or at least the Miss Congeniality to the worst article you've ever read, which allows it to assume the tasks of the worst article you've ever read, should it be unable to perform those duties?

I-69 (Exit 19) Masonic lodge keeps history alive in new building

PENDLETON — For most of its 166-year history, members of Madison Lodge 44 held regular meetings in downtown Pendleton. But in 1989, the group moved to a brand new building west of town near Exit 19 to take advantage of the open space and better access to the interstate.

Robert Himes, a 37-year Mason and lifelong area resident, said future development at the exit should help, not hurt, his organization and area residents “as long as it’s done properly.”

Instead of more antique stores and gift shops, he’d like to see nicer restaurants open on that end of Madison County. The fast-food restaurants and subdivisions don’t concern him yet, but he would like to see more upscale businesses that offer a greater variety of services.

“I guess you can’t argue with progress,” he said.

Himes, who wears a leather cell phone case on his belt showing the emblem of the Free Masons, said his lodge is the oldest order of Freemasons in Madison County. The group has helped start 10 more lodges in the county.

Membership at the lodge is holding at 200, Himes said, down from about 400 in 1980. Despite the declining numbers, the group continues to meet monthly.

A nineteen year old building described as new? The Master of Pendleton's oldest, best-known gentleman's fraternity, with a legendary heritage and a mythic past, being asked about strip center development? Sterling powers of observation and in-depth reportage brought to bear, only to discover that Hines wears a cellphone holster with a square and compasses on it? And one of the most in-apropos and non-sequitureous closing lines ever written? As though if they drop to 199 they'll have to chuck in their charter and go join the Elks?

I'm shaking my head over this because it is the only daily newspaper cage liner I have had at my disposal to advertise my business in for six and a half years. Each year the ad price skyrockets, the quality plummets, and the subscribers vanish.

And the articles apparently don't even have authors anymore.