A resolution adopted at the 134th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Oregon, in June 1984, named the "Oregon Masonic News" the official organ of our jurisdiction. It was resolved that the publication be published monthly, except for the months of July and August. Since that time the goal of the Oregon Masonic News has been the same: to keep our members informed of activities and programs within this Grand Jurisdiction.

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Lodges are encouraged to submit stories of general interest to our membership. Stories should be timely. Events should be reported as soon as possible. People are not generally interested in stories that happened three months ago, unless there is some follow-up to the original story that makes it worthy of being mentioned again. The Oregon Masonic News receives many stories about installations of officers or 50-year emblems being presented. These are regular occurrences in our lodges. However, if the Master of the lodge is being installed by his father, the out-going Master, this is more unusual. Or if there are several 50-year emblems being given at one time, and you have a good black and white photograph of the recipients, this makes a better story than one about a single emblem being presented to one individual. Lodge members across the state are interested in how other lodges attract new members: by inviting the public to an open house, sponsoring student scholarships, helping to organize community events, sharing a Thanksgiving dinner or sponsoring a Christmas party for those in need - these are all ways a lodge might alert the public to the fellowship and charity of the lodge.

Lodges are also interested in special programs or speakers they might use during their own lodge meetings to interest members. If your lodge has attracted members by presenting an especially interesting program, other lodges will want to know about it. Presentations of 75-Year Emblems are also noteworthy, as are Hiram Award recipients. Outdoor Communications, visits to other lodges, fundraising ideas - these are all good ideas for articles for the Oregon Masonic News. And, if you want to really make a good impression with the typist and be sure your article ends up sounding the way you envisioned it in the first place, try using a typewriter or word processor and double space your copy. If you don't have a typewriter, print neatly. Take the time to read your article through at least three times. Ask yourself: "Have I made my story clear? Have I been accurate? Have I answered the basic questions What, Who, When, Where and Why? If the story is about a fundraiser or dinner, have you included the cost of the event? It is a good idea to have someone else read through your copy. Even editors need editors!

PHOTOGRAPHS

Black and white photographs are best, since they reproduce well. When you take the pictures, remember: dark subjects - for instance, gentlemen in suits or tuxedos - should be against light backgrounds. Obviously, lighter subjects should be contrasted against slightly darker backgrounds. With color photographs (which are acceptable if you cannot get black and white) you must be even more careful to follow these rules. Close-up photographs are preferred. Since photos in the Oregon Masonic News can rarely be reproduced in the original size, sometimes our readers are left squinting, trying to make out just who that is in the back row. If we take the original photograph and have our printers crop and enlarge it, the photo is going to be of poor quality - usually very "grainy," - so it's best to move in as close as possible. Prints are preferred, unless you only have the negative. In that case we can have a print made. Please be sure to identify everyone in the photo. Typing or writing their names and titles on a separate piece of paper is a good idea, since ink on the back of a photograph will sometimes transfer to the front of the photograph underneath it.

DEADLINES

The deadline for copy in the Oregon Masonic News is the preceding fifth of the month. For example: September 5 is the deadline for the October issue; October 5 is the deadline for the November issue, and so on. That means if your lodge is having a fundraising dinner on the fifth of March and you send an article to the Grand Lodge office on February 10 you have missed the deadline for the March newsletter. We might have space to get a small mention of it in, but when the March newsletter is mailed out at the end of February our readers will not have much advance notice of your dinner. The better way is to plan ahead and send notice in January. That way, we can have a larger article about the dinner in February and then a follow-up mention in the March issue to remind people. The Trustees of the Grand Lodge are the editors of the Oregon Masonic News. You may send articles of general interest and news of upcoming events, along with photographs, to : Grand Lodge Office, Attn: Jeanne, 2150 Masonic Way, Forest Grove, OR 97116; telephone, 503/ 357-3158.