[Jason]

With"Angels and Demons," Dan Brown's novel about secret societies and ancient rites, on the big screen, talk has turned to which shadowy organization the best-selling author will train his sights on next. Rumors have placed him in the District, scoping out sites related to the Freemasons.
The Masons are a natural choice for Mr. Brown. Freemasonry, perceived by many to be a secret society, is an organization with deep ties to American history - 14 presidents have been confirmed as master Masons, including George Washington; nine signers of the Declaration of Independence were Masons, including Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock; and 13 signatories to the Constitution were Masons - leading conspiracy theorists naturally to assert the group had some sort of unholy influence over America's institutions.
But the biggest impact the Masons have had on America is no real secret, and it can be discovered simply by walking into the temple on 16th Street Northwest and asking a few questions.
"The Masons spend over $2 million a day, over three-quarters of a billion dollars a year, in philanthropy," Brent Morris says when asked about the impact of his organization's charitable giving. Mr. Morris is the managing editor of the Scottish Rite Journal and author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry." During a recent tour of the museum and library at the temple, Mr. Morris went into greater detail about the organization's charitable work.
"The main philanthropy of the Scottish Rite, the Southern jurisdiction, is speech pathology," he explains. "We've got a network of 170 clinics," while the Northern jurisdiction has "35 or 40 clinics up there."
"We provide speech and language training and intervention for children of all ages, usually at no cost or at a modest cost," he says.



Secrets of giving: Masonic Philanthropies over the years - Washington Times