Opus Dei of the Midwest -or- sweet old men who like to dress up?
Have you ever wondered what mysteries (if any) are contained within the walls of the Scottish Rite building, located in Uptown on the corner of Dupont and Franklin? I walk by there weekly on my constitutional to check out new arrivals at Patina, and always stop and stare, pondering the correlation between religious symbology and the tenets of the Masonic orders. Are there members that live in Uptown? Is that wacky old man on the bicycle who almost hits me every day one of them? And how is the Scottish Rite adapting to the technology of modern day architecture and masonry...I mean, is cutting stone by hand (with a hammer, hopefully) really a "craft" anymore? Hasn't that been outsourced to robots? And if so, does it still make sense to dress up in robes and burn stuff together?

Alright, so above are displayed my questions about the building, the order, and the fashion. I might pitch some kind of story about them to a local magazine, but my question for you (I'm assuming there's only one of you right now) is what do you wonder about the Scottish Rite?

*After much research, of which none was hard to come by (apparently the Scottish Rite has determined it proactive to have almost all information about its inter-workings on the internet- and to present it in the most boring way possible so that a researcher will pass out from the exhaustion of trying to find a story), I'm still looking for an angle. It seems like the Scottish Rite is just a "fraternity" for men who need a sense of community and service (and who like to dress up in "full costume" as the Minneapolis division's website promises prospective members). Is it really just a bunch of nice, unassuming men who don't find a productive outlet in non-masonic social interactions? More than that, I think: it's like where boy scouts go when the uniform gets too tight. They trade badges for a cute, quasi-shriner-esque chapeau, and then practice ceremonies "with full scenery" (another promise to prospective knights). Hrrumph. I just spent three hours reading about this, and I'm bored now, so I'm going to stop. I will find my angle, though! I am determined, like the Scottish Rite Creed declares, to advance the cause of "human progress!" Whatever that means.