Russell an unnoticed freemason ?
According to the partisans of Russell's membership of the freemasonry, the Russells, father and son, would have been particularly important masons, proves by the fact that Russell would have build an masonic organization to realize the claimed purpose of the the freemasonry: A plot to destroy Christianity.
Obviously in support of their thesis, these partisans do not bring any masonic document proving the membership of the Father and the son to the masonry. They take refuge behind their faith that the masonic’s works are secret so it is impossible to find something. From then on, they use indirect "proofs": the use of emblems renowned only masonic, the fact that the first students of the Bible organized public meetings in temple masonic, etc. …
There are numerous books of history on the masonry which explain in the detail the functioning of a masonic hall and give the names of the main responsibles and sometimes the list of all the members.
Allegheny's county, county where Russell lived and organized its movement until 1909, has also its own books treating the history of the local masonry. If Russell had been a prominent member of this masonry, one can think that there were some tracks of him in the life of this community.
Here is a book talking about Allegheny's masonic fund society charged of the construction, and the maintenance of the masonic temple of the city:
The history of the Masonic fund society for the county of Allegheny from the year 1847 to 1923; with biographical sketches of deceased members of the Board of trustees ... / By Hiram Schock
Pittsburgh, Pa. : 1923.
You will find it on the net atthis link:
http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/pitttext-idx.pl?notisid=00hc05183m&type=header
Besides the construction of the various temples during times ( 1811,1845,1889,1914 ), it describes the dayly management of these temples and supplies the names of the various mason responsibles for this time.
Without waiting much longer for the readers, let us say at once: At any moment any member of the Russell’s family is quoted. If Russells, fathers and son, were mason, they were only rank and file, not important masons of this city. None of these two man were considered deserving being mentioned, even a line.
It is a question now of talking about an often lifted(raised) point:
Russell has given speeches in Temples masonic, so it was in fact that he came to visit his mason brothers at the same time as he came to give speeches for the public.
In fact, the history of the temple of Allegheny show another picture: in effort to cover the loads resulting in maintenance and renovation of a temple, the masons rented a room in their temple for public meetings, religious movements (YMCA, Baptist), plays or concerts.
In the page 126 of this document for example, the author declares:
"It is interesting to note at this time the evidences of the continued popularity of the Auditorium, or "Concert Room" of the masonic Hall as a place convenient for the meeting of various organisation”
On this same page, it is explained that the masons will rent their room every day of the week to the local YMCA.In the course of the book, other movements are evoked as using the masonic Temple as place of meeting:
Page 125: The second Church Baptist rented the room for its religious meetings
Page 133: concerts and the meetings of charity of the ladies of the Episcopal Church of the Trinity
Page 146: Here, we learn that before the construction of the Opera, the masonic temple was the most appreciated cultural place where happened all the theatre performances and the public readings.
Here is so, the reason why Russell gave his speeches in this kind of room: the masons rented their room to pay their loads.
Let us note now another absence: the period which covers the book extends 1847's to 1923. At any moment is reported any donation of ground or even a sale made by Russell to the local masonry, while the functioning of the Masonic found Society which administers the real estates of the masonry is the main subject of this book.
The book shows also to find a small error of the author amateur of plot, Springmeier, but which will have its importance below:
There is no lodge number 223 in Pittsburgh, but there is one of it in Allegheny.
This French Springmeier’s like site says (http: // www.microtec.net/mleblank/occulte/demas quons.html)
" But then, did his father frequent also lodeg? Effectively, her father was a mason both of the lodge n ° 223 of Pittsburgh, on Jefferson Street, and the lodge Mizpah n ° 288, of Allegheny. These lodge were moreover in the close neighborhood of his business. And it is as well in one of these lodge that the young Charles " will be Introduced " to what we look for all to know "
On the other hand, The lodge Mizpah seems existed in 1913. But in 1897 it is not called Mizpah but Jefferson Lodge. In 1913, Russell has already left Allegheny, for his) father it would be necessary to know when he died, if Russell or his father belonged to the lodge 288, it was not called Mizpah.
Here is a complete masonic list of all the lodge in 1897, you can verify by yourself:
http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/pitt/viewitem.stable/00aee6163m/v0000/i000/0162a054.tif?main=http%3a%2f%2fdigital.library.pitt.edu%2fpittsburgh%2f&cite=%2fcgi-bin%2fpitttext-idx.pl%3fnotisid%3d00aee6163m%26type%3dheader&config=pitt&booknotis=00aee
Why the identification of the lodge 223 is so important? Look:
ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/allegheny/xmisc/lodge.txt
This is the list of the members of the lodge number 223 of Allegheny in 1874, at this date, the father of Russell is still alive and is supposed to be an active mason in this same lodge as asserts it mister Leblanc's site. There is no Russell in this list in 1874. On the other hand in 1874, Russell’s son does not seem to be introduced neither.
This is only a small outline of what you can find in all the archives digitalized by the city of Pittsburgh:
http://digital.library.pitt.edu/pittsburgh/mainpage.html
Try now to search “Joseph Russell”, in two days I did not find anything. And now “Charles Taze Russell”, I did not again find anything but i’m still searching. Nevertheless by making your own searchs, you will find an incalculable number of biographies of important people of the city of Pittsburgh and even in all the county of allegheny, in every biography, you will find that the membership in masonry of the person is brightly write and in what lodge he belonged to.
If Russell was mason, he was not really recognized by his peers who forgot to speak about it, in the same way, even in the history of the city and the County, Russells father and son did not stand out the history of their city.Then Russell an unnoticed mason? Maybe not a mason at all.
According to the partisans of Russell's membership of the freemasonry, the Russells, father and son, would have been particularly important masons, proves by the fact that Russell would have build an masonic organization to realize the claimed purpose of the the freemasonry: A plot to destroy Christianity.
Obviously in support of their thesis, these partisans do not bring any masonic document proving the membership of the Father and the son to the masonry. They take refuge behind their faith that the masonic’s works are secret so it is impossible to find something. From then on, they use indirect "proofs": the use of emblems renowned only masonic, the fact that the first students of the Bible organized public meetings in temple masonic, etc. …
There are numerous books of history on the masonry which explain in the detail the functioning of a masonic hall and give the names of the main responsibles and sometimes the list of all the members.
Allegheny's county, county where Russell lived and organized its movement until 1909, has also its own books treating the history of the local masonry. If Russell had been a prominent member of this masonry, one can think that there were some tracks of him in the life of this community.
Here is a book talking about Allegheny's masonic fund society charged of the construction, and the maintenance of the masonic temple of the city:
The history of the Masonic fund society for the county of Allegheny from the year 1847 to 1923; with biographical sketches of deceased members of the Board of trustees ... / By Hiram Schock
Pittsburgh, Pa. : 1923.
You will find it on the net atthis link:
http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/pitttext-idx.pl?notisid=00hc05183m&type=header
Besides the construction of the various temples during times ( 1811,1845,1889,1914 ), it describes the dayly management of these temples and supplies the names of the various mason responsibles for this time.
Without waiting much longer for the readers, let us say at once: At any moment any member of the Russell’s family is quoted. If Russells, fathers and son, were mason, they were only rank and file, not important masons of this city. None of these two man were considered deserving being mentioned, even a line.
It is a question now of talking about an often lifted(raised) point:
Russell has given speeches in Temples masonic, so it was in fact that he came to visit his mason brothers at the same time as he came to give speeches for the public.
In fact, the history of the temple of Allegheny show another picture: in effort to cover the loads resulting in maintenance and renovation of a temple, the masons rented a room in their temple for public meetings, religious movements (YMCA, Baptist), plays or concerts.
In the page 126 of this document for example, the author declares:
"It is interesting to note at this time the evidences of the continued popularity of the Auditorium, or "Concert Room" of the masonic Hall as a place convenient for the meeting of various organisation”
On this same page, it is explained that the masons will rent their room every day of the week to the local YMCA.In the course of the book, other movements are evoked as using the masonic Temple as place of meeting:
Page 125: The second Church Baptist rented the room for its religious meetings
Page 133: concerts and the meetings of charity of the ladies of the Episcopal Church of the Trinity
Page 146: Here, we learn that before the construction of the Opera, the masonic temple was the most appreciated cultural place where happened all the theatre performances and the public readings.
Here is so, the reason why Russell gave his speeches in this kind of room: the masons rented their room to pay their loads.
Let us note now another absence: the period which covers the book extends 1847's to 1923. At any moment is reported any donation of ground or even a sale made by Russell to the local masonry, while the functioning of the Masonic found Society which administers the real estates of the masonry is the main subject of this book.
The book shows also to find a small error of the author amateur of plot, Springmeier, but which will have its importance below:
There is no lodge number 223 in Pittsburgh, but there is one of it in Allegheny.
This French Springmeier’s like site says (http: // www.microtec.net/mleblank/occulte/demas quons.html)
" But then, did his father frequent also lodeg? Effectively, her father was a mason both of the lodge n ° 223 of Pittsburgh, on Jefferson Street, and the lodge Mizpah n ° 288, of Allegheny. These lodge were moreover in the close neighborhood of his business. And it is as well in one of these lodge that the young Charles " will be Introduced " to what we look for all to know "
On the other hand, The lodge Mizpah seems existed in 1913. But in 1897 it is not called Mizpah but Jefferson Lodge. In 1913, Russell has already left Allegheny, for his) father it would be necessary to know when he died, if Russell or his father belonged to the lodge 288, it was not called Mizpah.
Here is a complete masonic list of all the lodge in 1897, you can verify by yourself:
http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/pitt/viewitem.stable/00aee6163m/v0000/i000/0162a054.tif?main=http%3a%2f%2fdigital.library.pitt.edu%2fpittsburgh%2f&cite=%2fcgi-bin%2fpitttext-idx.pl%3fnotisid%3d00aee6163m%26type%3dheader&config=pitt&booknotis=00aee
Why the identification of the lodge 223 is so important? Look:
ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/allegheny/xmisc/lodge.txt
This is the list of the members of the lodge number 223 of Allegheny in 1874, at this date, the father of Russell is still alive and is supposed to be an active mason in this same lodge as asserts it mister Leblanc's site. There is no Russell in this list in 1874. On the other hand in 1874, Russell’s son does not seem to be introduced neither.
This is only a small outline of what you can find in all the archives digitalized by the city of Pittsburgh:
http://digital.library.pitt.edu/pittsburgh/mainpage.html
Try now to search “Joseph Russell”, in two days I did not find anything. And now “Charles Taze Russell”, I did not again find anything but i’m still searching. Nevertheless by making your own searchs, you will find an incalculable number of biographies of important people of the city of Pittsburgh and even in all the county of allegheny, in every biography, you will find that the membership in masonry of the person is brightly write and in what lodge he belonged to.
If Russell was mason, he was not really recognized by his peers who forgot to speak about it, in the same way, even in the history of the city and the County, Russells father and son did not stand out the history of their city.Then Russell an unnoticed mason? Maybe not a mason at all.
What Larc is indicating is that Russell spoke negatively about Masonry in 
peace,