Super Lodges of a Bygone Era We often hear of brethren in 242 talk about the halcyon days of large attendances. Indeed, the years of averages of over 100 were only about 20 years ago so in the last 20 we have lost about 40 plus per meeting. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the creation of new Masonic lodges continued at a rapid pace, and so did the closure of older ones. This fact seems to go somewhat unnoticed when statistics are being produced to discuss the apparent shrinkage of the Craft today. This constant state of evolutionary change seems to have come to an abrupt halt sometime around 1920. After 1920, Freemasonry entered into what I would describe as the era of, what had described as super lodges with a membership exceeding 500 – 242 was in this bracket.
At first it appeared that these trends may have followed the cycles of public interest in Freemasonry, but this turned out not to be the case. Even at times when Masonic membership declined, some of these lodges were growing. Why?
I think the answer lies in human nature and how we relate to those around us. Freemasonry is a fraternity that brings people together in one place (a lodge) for a meeting. What will be discussed at that meeting, the type of food consumed, and the level of personal comfort between the members will be determined by the nature of their relationships with one another. If the members of the lodge share little in common, other than Freemasonry, then the lodge will be socially dysfunctional because the How many brethren in Johnstone members never truly During the period fol- would travel to a lodge in Paisley if relate to one another. lowing 1920 there were There are many possi242 closed? a multitude of lodges ble sources of this that that had over 500 members. Across the globe, include, age, income, and philosophical views. and in particular in the US, some Lodges had a membership rolls exceeding a few thou- Society was becoming increasingly fragmentsand. The obvious question is, how is it possi- ed and separated by changes in culture, and ble that 500 men, (not to mention perhaps the advance of technology before Covid. Will 2,000) could actively participate in the same that view change post Covid? It is likely that lodge meeting? Did these men actually know the Craft will evolve in new ways that were one another, or were they merely going previously unknown. through a fraternal exercise in order to wear a Masonic ring, get a handshake, or did they The present social model used by American think there was some other benefit? 242 was Freemasonry was developed in the 1950’s no different – often it was described as being and is a monolithic cultural relic that cannot in too many cliques, but this was the only way adapt itself to the rapid pace of change. This it could function. When I joined in the 80s, I is a result of the failure of the institution to did not get to know many brethren as there understand the dynamic life cycles of lodges, were just too many. and the impact of the organizational changes that were implemented in the 1920’s to lodge European Freemasonry did not follow the model. The mega lodge relied on the industritrend into super lodges. The European form of al manufacturing concept of streamlining Freemasonry remained far more intimate, processes. The quality of production came in with most lodges having no more than fifty a far distant second to overall quality. The members. These small lodges appear very object was to “manufacture” as many Masons similar in make-up to the nineteenth century as possible in order to increase cash flow and, lodge in which 242 existed, often having an thereby increase the services provided to average of about 20. members such as charity and masonic homes. In this period, we lost the quality not quantity so often heard in EA degrees. Cross Keys September 2021
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