The Journal of The Masonic Society, Issue #10

dly Apathy Michael R. Poll

The Journal

have all read or heard stories of individuals who have taken drastic steps to save their own lives. Recently I read of a man who w g some repair work on his water heater. He needed to reach far into the tank while lying on his back. While working in that posit rm became wedged in the tank and he found that it was impossible to remove it. He screamed for help, but was alone in the hous no one was near enough outside to hear his cries. The man had spent several days trapped with his arm hopelessly wedged when ced a disturbing smell coming from inside the tank and around his arm. The man later recounted that instinct must have taken ov managed to reach a saw and began to cut off his arm. The next day, several family members – concerned at not being able to reac – found him unconscious on the floor in a pool of blood, his arm severed at the elbow. The man was taken to the hospital where vered, but the doctors gave him a sobering report. Gangrene had set into his arm, and he was told that if he had not removed it w id, he would have died. The doctors a d that if he had waited any longer t ove the arm, it would have been to The poison would have spread throug y and nothing then would have saved h man’s life was saved not just beca took action, but when he took actio

Of The Masonic Society

ined Masonry in number of my Masons, I knew osophy or history ew was that it was ok my joining to nt. Such ignorance masonry prior e of the exception y of the young dy know much read the popular, Freemasonry. of the Lodge derful, mysterious, p of seekers. They part of such an is not exactly what join.

the mid-’70s. Whil family members ha next to nothing of t of Freemasonry. Al a “good” organizat find out what “goo of the philosophy o to joining is becom than the rule today. men who join Mas of its philosophy. T new and exciting b They arrive at the with an awareness moral and enlighte want to share in an organization. But, s they always find w

numbers of participation are The new reports new members etimes in very m to be having why is this o?

demits, NPD, and growing at an alarm paint a dismal pictu are coming fast, an good numbers, but trouble keeping the happening and wha

t seems to be happening is the young men come to Freemasonry with an idea of what it should be and find that it is something v rent. Many come with the hopes of finding enlightening discussions, intellectual programs designed to lift us to10 new heights and Autumn 2010 Issue arn more of ourselves and our world. Yet, sometimes all they find is “good ole boys” seeking to add another title, gain a bit more ority or power, and be more of the “big fish” in whatever pond they thrive. There is lots of coffee, but little real enlightenment. T ng Masons become upset at the reality of their Masonry when they compare it to what they believed of Masonry before they join e make their displeasure known – loudly. At times, such pointed objections by the young brothers are met with disapproval. It is

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Sections 4 President’s Message

ISSN 2155-4145

Editor in Chief Christopher L. Hodapp Phone: 317-842-1103 editor@themasonicsociety.com

1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248 Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 Editorial Committee Jay Hochberg - Submissions Editor Randy Williams - Assistant Editor Submit articles by email to: articles@themasonicsociety.com Officers Michael R. Poll, President John R. Cline, 1st Vice President James R. Dillman, 2nd Vice President Nathan C. Brindle, Secretary/Treasurer Christopher L. Hodapp, Editor-in-Chief Directors Ronald Blaisdell Kenneth W. Davis Jay Hochberg James W. Hogg David Naughton-Shires Mark Tabbert Randy Williams These guidelines apply to the reuse of articles, figures, charts and photos in the Journal of The Masonic Society. Authors need NOT contact the Journal to obtain rights to reuse their own material. They are automatically granted permission to do the following: Reuse the article in print collections of their own writing; Present a work orally in its entirety; Use an article in a thesis and/or dissertation; Reuse a figure, photo and/or table in future commercial and noncommercial works; Post a copy of the article electronically.

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News of the Society

7 Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings 8

Masonic News

Published quarterly by The Masonic Society Inc. 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248, Indianapolis IN 46260-2103.

Full membership for Master Masons in good standing of a lodge chartered by a grand lodge that is a member of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons of North America (CGMMNA), or recognized by a CGMMNA member grand lodge. (includes Prince Hall Grand Lodges recognized by their counterpart CGMMNA state Grand Lodge): $39/ yr., ($49 outside US/Canada). Subscription for nonmembers: $39/yr., ($49 outside US/Canada).

Issue 10 Articles 16 Wordcraft: How

To Build a Solid Masonic paper or Presentation

by Randy Williams-

21 Online Catalogs

For Masonic Research

by Brian Rountree

31 Books, Arts, Styles & Manners 35 From the Editor

Special Reports

24 Secret in the

Passage: Casanova’s Reflections on Freemasonry

12 France’s Museum of Freemasonry

by Christopher L. Hodapp

26 Was Freemasonry

a Tudor Invention?

By Gene Hutloff

Poetry 20 Perishing on the Rise

by Rob Morris

33 A Century

of Craft Freemasonry in England

By Yasha beresiner

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Journal of The Masonic Society, 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248, Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 © 2010 by The Masonic Society, Inc. All rights reserved.

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COVER: This issue’s cover features a small portion of a mural depicting the Fellowcraft appearing before King Solomon. It is located in the Cumberland Masonic Temple, built in 1911, in Cumberland, Maryland.

Photo by Christopher L. Hodapp

AUTUMN 2010 • 3

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Deadly Apathy

by Michael R. Poll, FMS

W

e have all read or heard stories of individuals who have taken drastic steps to save their own lives. Recently I read of a man who was doing some repair work on his water heater. He needed to reach far into the tank while lying on his back. While working in that position, his arm became wedged in the tank and he found that it was impossible to remove it. He screamed for help, but was alone in the house and no one was near enough outside to hear his cries. The man had spent several days trapped with his arm hopelessly wedged when he noticed a disturbing smell coming from inside the tank and around his arm. The man later recounted that instinct must have taken over. He managed to reach a saw and began to cut off his arm. The next day, several family members – concerned at not being able to reach him – found him unconscious on the floor in a pool of blood, his arm severed at the elbow. The man was taken to the hospital where he recovered, but the doctors gave him a sobering report. Gangrene had set into his arm, and he was told that if he had not removed it when he did, he would have died. The doctors also noted that if he had waited any longer to remove the arm, it would have been too late. The poison would have spread through his body and nothing then would have saved him. The man’s life was saved not just because he took action, but when he took action.

I joined Masonry in the mid-’70s. While a number of my family members had been Masons, I knew next to nothing of the philosophy or history of Freemasonry. All that I knew was that it was a “good” organization. It took my joining to find out what “good” meant. Such ignorance of the philosophy of Freemasonry prior to joining is becoming more of the exception than the rule today. Many of the young men who join Masonry already know much of its philosophy. They have read the popular, new and exciting books on Freemasonry. They arrive at the door of the Lodge with an awareness of a wonderful, mysterious, moral and enlightened group of seekers. They want to share in and be a part of such an organization. But, sadly, this is not exactly what they always find when they join.

The numbers of demits, NPD, and non-participation are growing at an alarming rate. The new reports paint a dismal picture. Yes, new members are coming fast, and sometimes in very good numbers, but we seem to be having trouble keeping them. So, why is this happening and what do we do?

What seems to be happening is the young men come to Freemasonry with an idea of what it should be and find that it is something very different. Many come with the hopes of finding enlightening discussions, intellectual programs designed to lift us to new heights and help us learn more of ourselves and our world. Yet, sometimes all they find is “good ole boys” seeking to add another title, gain a bit more authority or power, and be more of the “big fish” in whatever pond they thrive. There is lots of coffee, but little real enlightenment.

The young Masons become upset at the reality of their Masonry when they compare it to what they believed of Masonry before they joined. Some make their displeasure known – loudly. At times, such pointed objections by the young brothers are met with disapproval. It is perceived that the young Masons know nothing of what they are talking about, are out of place, need to “get with the program” and stop “being so negative.” The upset young Masons are viewed as the troublemakers and their cries for Masonry as they believe it should be are viewed more as the cries of malcontents. They are often ignored and sometimes ostracized. The Masons become disillusioned and wonder why they ever joined.

What happens next takes us back to the man with his arm wedged in the tank of the water heater. At the moment he began to smell something very bad, he had a choice. He could act or he could wait and see. Acting in a decisive manner saved his life; waiting to see if the situation changed on its own would have cost him his life. As in many cases, timing is everything. In Freemasonry, our gangrene is apathy. If apathy towards Freemasonry, or any body of Freemasonry, sets into anyone then they stop caring. Once they stop caring, Masonry does not matter to them and they turn their back, demit, stop paying their dues or just live as a card carrier. The positive force that could have been dies. We all lose.

And, whose fault is it if a Mason stops caring about Masonry? If we believe or say that it is in some way the fault of the disillusioned Mason, that he would “do better to bring about changes on the inside” or some other such criticism designed to shame him into remaining a member, then we add insult to injury.

We have missed the point and are only making a bad situation worse. It would be the same as if we saw the man with his arm wedged in the tank and we advised him to be patient and hang on a bit longer as things will certainly get better if he just waits out the unpleasant situation. When does “hanging on” 4 • AUTUMN 2010

reach the point of gangrene and result in death no matter what is done after?

In all cases, objectivity, recognition of the actual situation and the courage to do what needs to be done must be paramount. If a dedicated, serious Mason ceases to care about some Masonic body, then the “blame game” of identifying who is at fault is pointless. Apathy has won and Masonry loses.

The time to act is when we see the first signs of actual trouble. The first thing the man with his arm wedged did was try to free his arm. He twisted it, moved it this way and that and did everything he could do to free it. This is the same as if we belong to a dysfunctional Masonic body and we try to suggest ways to improve the body, work for changes and do all we can to correct the situation as a member. If nothing works, then we must take the next step.

When all his own efforts could not free his arm, the man began yelling for help. He was clearly not in a position to effect any positive change in the situation; maybe someone else could render him aid. In Masonry, the calling for help would come in the form of seeking out superiors who might be able to correct the situation. When our own best efforts fail, and they sometimes do, we need to seek help from those in a position who might be able to grant what we need.

And what do we do if no help comes? In all cases, we need to act responsibly.

We can not act in haste, foolishly or without considered thought. But at some point we need to act. Failure to take any action is often just as reckless and foolish as an action taken too quickly. At some point, the man with his arm wedged knew that something was very wrong. He may not have known all the details or possessed all the medical knowledge of the situation, but he knew that he needed to take drastic action to correct the situation. Oh yes, help did arrive just the next day. But, it was too late. The doctors told him that if he had waited those additional hours, the poison would have gone through his body and then nothing would have been able to save him. He took the necessary action and he took it in time to save his life.

No one told us that being a Mason was always going to be easy. If someone did, they told us a story. Throughout our degrees, we are given lessons of honor, integrity and courage. We are given lessons that are sometimes very difficult to put into practice. In my Craft Masonry, we use the Scottish Rite Craft ritual.

We are taught that the three “villains” in craft Masonry represent ignorance, falsehood and ambition. If we have a deficiency of the former or allow any of the later to gain hold of us, then we do not live Freemasonry as we were taught.

Our goal is to control and advance ourselves. We must live our own lives as Masonry teaches us. We have no control over another, even our closest brother, but we must always have total control over ourselves.

Freemasonry is going through a revolution of sorts. Gone are the days of the “good ole boy” clubs, the power brokers or the joining of one organization only because it is viewed as a prerequisite for another organization. The young Masons come to us with an understanding of the value of what we teach, not the shiny trinkets we wear. The beauty of what is taught in the various bodies is desired. The leadership of every single body in Masonry must provide quality education, leadership and teach what is supposed to be learned by the new members. If it is in any way unclear as to what is supposed to be taught in any Masonic body, then that should give the clear signal that a change is in order in those bodies. When the ones who must teach don’t know themselves, the whole body suffers. Stand up, do the work that you need to do or allow another to do the work.

Luckily, in many cases we find that only the first step is necessary in dysfunctional Masonic bodies. We are finding more and more cases of the new members realizing that something is very lacking, standing up and taking control of the lacking Lodges and making the positive changes themselves. In those bodies where the membership is not in a position to make such changes on their own authority, then assistance from superiors is necessary or the body will crumble. Period.

Apathy is the cancer we can not allow to set into any Mason. Our new, young Masons have a foundation that brings with them a hope for our future that is too valuable to ignore. We must do all in our power to see that their interest, dedication and hunger for Masonry is not trampled by the unworthy or their death grip on their perceived power.

We are in new wonderful times. We must always look to tomorrow if we have any hope of a future than includes Freemasonry.

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

News of the Society

T

he Society’s 2010 Semi-Annual Meeting in New Orleans at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street was an outstanding gathering. Many thanks to President Michael Poll and Secretary/Treasurer Nathan Brindle who did the heavy lifting for this event. Mike slugged everything out with the hotel, while Nathan handled the million secretarial things that happen behind the scenes that no one ever things about. Also to Marc Conrad and the rest of the Louisiana brethren who worked so hard to present a great series of programs locally. Kudos and huzzahs go to all of the presenters.

And especially to everyone who turned out to make it a great weekend.

Brother Randy Williams delivered an excellent presentation on creating a solid Masonic research paper, which appears in this issue of the Journal.

Brother Mark Tabbert gave us updated information on the George Washington Masonic Memorial’s digitizing program. Mark’’s role will expanding, and he is getting trained to teach others how to load information into the database. That means grand lodge museums, individual lodges, and even private Masonic collections can be photographed, catalogued, and become part of the searchable, online database.

Brother Marc Conrad’s talk on early Louisiana Freemasonry was almost overwhelming in scope.

There is enough material for Marc to present an entire weekend all by himself. Louisiana’s Masonic history is complex and reflects the history of New Orleans itself, with French, Spanish and many other influences.

Brother Andrew Hammer and the brethren of Alexandria Washington Lodge No. 23 in Alexandria, Virginia have made exciting philosophical and operational changes at their lodge, taking Traditional Observance lodge aspects and combing them with their own personalization. His paper was a preview for his new book, Observing The Craft, which is a call for a reverent and philosophically serious approach to the practice of Freemasonry. The book is due October 11th.

Brother John R. “Bo” Cline, TMS vice-president and PGM of Alaska, and William Mollere, SGIG for the Scottish Rite Orient of Louisiana, hosted an open forum on the subject of “Masonic Unity” and the sometime lack of it. Interesting observations came out of the discussion about spreading ourselves too thin in terms of our time and participation, competition between Masonic charities Michael Poll, Bo Cline and Bill Mollere. (and the misunderstanding of the concept of Masonic “Charity” that has been translated into institutionalized giving), along with our saints and martyrs who give their whole lives o the fraternity and expect everyone else to do the same.

They didn’t solve the world’s problems, but it brought up topics little explored by our organizations.

Brother Christopher Hodapp presented a spirited talk about the current state of the Craft in the United States, and where he sees it heading, in a new age of growing interest in Freemasonry.

Brother Yasha Beresiner gave a presentation on developments in English Freemasonry during the last hundred years, in case you think English Freemasonry hasn’t changed much. His paper is also in this issue of the Journal. It was good to have Yasha attend—he was in New Orleans from his home in London, attending a playing card convention across town, and split his time between that event and ours.

Saturday afternoon was spent at Etoile Polaire (Polar Star) Lodge No. 1, a few blocks from the hotel. As was described by Marc Conrad in Issue 9 of the Journal, Etoile Polaire is one of just ten lodges in Louisiana that are allowed to work the French Rite version of Craft degrees, which are dramatically different from the Preston Webb workings most American Masons are familiar with. The brethren initiated a young man as an EA, and it was a fascinating ceremony to see. This is not just a few differences in words, it is a far more involved journey of trials and achievements for the candidate. If you missed this opportunity to see it, at some time in your Masonic life, you should witness this degree work that developed very differently from the English-derived versions.

While at Etoile Polaire, the Louisiana Lodge of Research was opened, and Dr. Michael Carpenter presented a detailed history of the French Rite in Louisiana Masonic history. The twists and turns of the development of these rituals are still being discovered today, as new documents are being found. And the gumbo at Etoile Polaire Lodge was outstanding.

Many, many thanks again to all. The 2011 TMS Semi-Annual Meeting will take place July 16th in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Society has been kindly invited by Utah’s Deputy Grand Master John Liley and PGM Glen Cook to be a part of the Rocky Mountain Masonic Conference weekend. And don’t forget our Annual Meeting and Banquet at Masonic Week in Alexandria, Virginia on February 11th.

Randy Williams, Mark Tabbert, Nathan Brindle, Chris Hodapp, Michael Poll and Bo Cline.

AUTUMN 2010 • 5

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

News of the Society ith great pride and appreciation, The Masonic Society welcomes the following brethren as our esteemed new members from July 1st through September 30th, 2010.

Henry G Abel III Gennaro Addesso Todd A Agostini Sr. Yasser A Al-Khatib Dr. Peter V. Babaian David L. Baker James Whitney Barr Dr. Brian Keith Bellinger Miguel A Berrios Jr. David I Bindel Torien J.L. Blackwolf Paul Jeffrey Bolds-Moorehead David C. Boyd Ted Brown Sorin V Bumbu III Richard Bradley Bunn William Michael Carter III Kent A Clark Malcolm Clissold Bryan Cotton Shane C. Crump James Leonard Cruz Robert T. Cunningham Sr.

Luciano Dagosto Stephen B Davis Gary M. Deck Mr Michael R DeFrance John Franklin Devos Arthur P. Drennan Connie Eckard Christopher M. Ellis Dr. Ronald E. Foore Andrew J. Garcia III Wayne Robert Gebhardt Christopher M. Hampton Edward J Hartman Bernhard W. Hoff Flint Cimmaron Hollars Geoffrey Daniel Howard William L. Huckabay Theodore Hutchinson Bobby Jefferson Rev. Mark T Jones H.P. Richard David Jones Sean Jones Dr. Thomas E Jordan

New Officers

R

ex Hutchens has left the office of First Vice President, effective July 29th, 2010. The time-consuming duties of the position proved to be beyond Rex’s cabletow, and he is moving on with our respect and thanks. We are deeply grateful to Rex for his commitment to The Masonic Society, and we know that he will continue to serve the Craft in many ways. Rex had some health problems in September that meant a short hospital stay, and we wish him a speedy recovery.

The office of First Vice President has been filled by John R. “Bo” Cline, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Alaska. We have all already met Bo and know of his many talents, qualifications and abilities. In the time that Bo has served as Second Vice President, he has impressed all with his leadership ability, enthusiasm, and dedication to The Masonic Society.

The office of Second Vice President has been filled by founding Board of Directors Member, James R. Dillman. Jim has been with TMS since it’s earliest days and has been one of the rocks upon which our foundation has been laid. Not only has Jim’s dedication and willingness to roll up his sleeves to do whatever is necessary been a source of inspiration, but his leadership ability is as impressive as his dedication. Jim has presided over numerous Masonic bodies and is currently President of the Indianapolis Masonic Temple Association, the organization that oversees the home of the Grand Lodge of Indiana. In 2008, Grand Master Duane L. Vaught awarded Jim with the Grand Lodge of Indiana’s Order of Service to Masonry.

The seat on the TMS Board of Directors vacated by Jim Dillman has been filled by Kenneth W. Davis. Ken is a Past Master of Lodge Vitruvian No. 767, a European Concept lodge in Indiana, and he is currently the 2nd Circle Chairman for New Mexico. Ken has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and is a former professor and chair of the English Department at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He has recently retired to Albuquerque, NM. Ken has more than 30 years experience as a business writer, editor, trainer for business communications, and is the author of the successful book, The McGrawHill 36-Hour Course in Business Writing and Communication.

And a long-vacant slot on the Board has been filled by Randy Williams of Edmonton, Alberta. Randy is well-known to readers of the Journal as the Assistant Editor and a regular contributor. He is also the co-editor (with Stephen Dafoe) of the recent book Esoteric Odyssey: Thomas Marryat’s Philosophy of Masons, and he is a busy speaker 6 • AUTUMN 2010

Gregory Kaminsky Ennis Kanawi Alan W Kaufman Brian Q. Kelley Dean Borden Kennedy Robert J Kirk Charles E. Knapp Jr. Bradley Edward Kohanke Chad C Kopenski Dan Kozlowski Christopher Joseph Landry Michael Layfield Evaristo A. Leviste John Madill Vincent A Marion Jr. Harry Sheppard May III Scott W. Maybury Keith A McCallum Christopher W Mis Rob Moore Dr. Dale C Moss Ph.D. Myles Anthony Oliver Art Priebe

Prof. Paul John Rich Ph.D. Donald Ray Ridge Daniel A Rivers Edwin L. Roswell III Scott A Schwartzberg John Leonard Sielke Gregory Errol Sleet Gorton Smith Richard A. Spray Don R Stannard Joseph Sticca Gregory V Sudmeier Brian C. Thomas Wendall Lee Trent Mark K. Trout Charles H Tupper Jason Elden Voyles Rick Watt Michael Wiseman Johnny Yates

in lodges throughout the province of Alberta. He comes to us with extensive experience in leadership and planning for Masonic events large and small, from serving as Sessions Chair for the annual Masonic Spring Workshop in Kananaskis, to steering an inter-lodge study group for Edmonton Masons. Randy is already jumping in to help with our planning and organizational development.

Please give all of our new officers and directors a warm welcome and deepest gratitude for dedicating their time and efforts to making the Masonic Society a growing success. — Michael Poll, FMS

Around the Society

W 2

e are always on the lookout for new Masonic advertisers for the Journal, and our goal is to use the revenue to add pages to the magazine, not to cut down on content. For very affordable pricing and details, see the website at www.themasonicsociety.com.

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nd Circle Chairmen are being added all the time, and are organizing local meetings of Masonic Society members in their areas.

More than 30 brethren and their ladies attended the New Mexico 2nd Circle dinner in Albuquerque in July. We are also counting on TMS members to promote the Society in their lodges, grand lodges, research groups, and appendant bodies. Brethren who would be interested in manning a TMS membership table or receiving TMS brochures, contact Secrtetary/Treasurer Nathan Brindle at secretary@themasonicsociety. com. To become a 2nd Circle Chairman in your region, or to inquire about 2nd Circle activities, contact Brother Martyn Greene at martyn. greene@ukmason.co.uk. And be sure to check the private Masonic Society online forum at www.themasonicsociety.com/forum for the latest news.

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If you haven’t signed on to the Masonic Society Forum, you are missing a big part of your membership!

Log on now at www.themasonicsociety.com/forum

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings November 16, 2010 Northern California Research Lodge Installation of Officers. Meets at San Francisco Scottish Rite Center. 2850 19th Ave., San Francisco. 6 p.m.

November 17, 2010 Anniversary Lodge of Research No. 175 in New Hampshire Meeting at Washington Lodge No. 61 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

November 25, 2010 (U.S. Thanksgiving) Texas Lodge of Research in the United Kingdom Texas Lodge of Research’s UK branch at the Masonic Hall, Chester-le-Street, Province of Durham, England. For information, contact Alan Bell at abell@criticalstrategy.com December 4, 2010 Civil War Lodge of Research, Virginia Meeting planned for Brandy Station, Virginia.

December 4, 2010 Pennsylvania Lodge of Research Meeting at George Washington Lodge No. 143, Chambersburg, PA. Opening at 10 a.m. Lunch to follow.

December 11, 2010 New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786 Installation of Officers. 10 a.m. at the Trenton Masonic Temple.

December 11, 2010 Tennessee Lodge of Research At Conlegium Ritus Austeri Lodge No. 779 in Nashville.

Lunch at noon. Election of officers.

December 20, 2010 Allied Lodge No. 1170, New York City Lecture on “First Degree Tools, Emblems, and Prayer.”

December 22, 2010 Masonic Lodge of Research of Connecticut Meets at the New Haven Masonic Temple, at 285 Whitney Ave., New Haven.

December 27, 2010 American Lodge of Research Installation of Officers at 8 p.m. at the Grand Lodge of New York.

January 3, 2011 Allied Lodge No. 1170, New York City Lecture on “Secrets of the Sphinx.”

Grand Lodge of New York, tenth floor, 7:30 p.m.

January 19, 2011 (Texas state holiday) Texas Lodge of Research in the United Kingdom Texas Lodge of Research’s UK branch at the Masonic Hall, Chester-le-Street, Province of Durham, England. For information, contact Alan Bell at abell@criticalstrategy.com January 22, 2011 Ohio Lodge of Research Time and location to be announced.

February 2011 Rose Circle Research Foundation, New York City Conference featuring Bro. Christopher “Kit” McIntosh, author of The Rose Cross and the Age of Reason: Eighteenth-Century Rosicrucianism in Central Europe and its Relationship to the Enlightenment. Date, location: TBA. February 9-12, 2011 Masonic Week Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel, Alexandria, VA For information updates, see http://www.yorkrite.com/ MasonicWeek/index.html

February 11, 2011 Masonic Society Annual Meeting & Banquet Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel, Alexandria, VA February 11, 2011 Anniversary Lodge of Research No. 175 in New Hampshire Meeting at Pulpit Rock Lodge No. 103, Pelham, New Hampshire.

February 12, 2011 Hermann-Humboldt Lodge No. 125 in Pennsylvania Bicentennial celebration of the German-language lodge at the Grand Lodge in Philadelphia.

February 17, 2011 Scottish Rite Research Guild, Valley of South Bend, Indiana MW Bro. Craig S. Campbell from the Silas H. Shepherd Research Lodge will speak on Colonial Masonry. The 20° (Master ad Vitam) of the AASR to follow. 6 p.m.

February 27, 2011 George Washington Masonic Stamp Club Annual Meeting and 55th Anniversary. “Master of Philately Degree” to be conferred on Life Members.

George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia. 1:30 p.m.

March 2, 2011 (Texas Independence Day) Texas Lodge of Research in the United Kingdom Texas Lodge of Research’s UK branch at the Masonic Hall, Chester-le-Street, Province of Durham, England. For information, contact Alan Bell at abell@criticalstrategy.com March 7, 2011 Allied Lodge No. 1170, New York City Fellowship Night with Shakespeare Lodge No. 750, GLNY; and Boyer Lodge No. 1, MWPHGLNY. Lecture on “Second Degree Tools, Emblems, and Prayer.”

Grand Lodge of New York, tenth floor, 7:30 p.m.

March 14, 2011 Kensington-Kadosh Commandery No. 54, Knights Templar Founding Member Jan L. Boggess to speak on “Historical Aspects of Pennsylvania Knights Templar.” Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.

April 4, 2011 Allied Lodge No. 1170, New York City Lecture on “The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences.”

Grand Lodge of New York, tenth floor, 7:30 p.m.

April 8-10, 2011 Midwest Conference on Masonic Education Detroit, MI April 14, 2011 Anniversary Lodge of Research No. 175 in New Hampshire Meeting at St. Peter’s Lodge No. 31, Bradford, New Hampshire.

April 15-17, 2011 46th Annual Masonic Spring Workshop, Kananaskis, Alberta “Drawing Aside the Veil.” Keynote speaker: Founding Fellow S. Brent Morris. Featured Author: Fellow Timothy Hogan. Other speakers to include Fellow Randy Williams and Member Bruce Zawalksky.

More info at http://www.masonicspringworkshop.ab.ca/ April 22, 2011 South Carolina Masonic Research Society The Society’s first Symposium and Banquet. Omar Shrine Temple in Mt. Pleasant, 7 p.m. $25 per person. Formal dress. Keynote speaker: Bro. Michael A. Halleran, author of The Better Angels of our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War.

May 2, 2011 Allied Lodge No. 1170, New York City Lecture on “The Sprig of Acacia and Walk about the Lodge.” Grand Lodge of New York, tenth floor, 7:30 p.m.

May 16, 2011 Allied Lodge No. 1170, New York City Lecture on “The Kabbalah.”

Grand Lodge of New York, tenth floor, 7:30 p.m.

May 26-30, 2011 Third International Conference on the History of Freemasonry George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia. Speakers thus far: Steven Bullock, Robert Cooper, Arturo de Hoyos, Andreas Onnerfors, and Chernoh Sesay, Jr. June 1-4, 2011 New Orleans Scottish Rite History and Research Symposium Sponsored by the A&ASR Southern Jurisdiction, the Valley of New Orleans, and co-hosted with The Masonic Society.

June 4, 2011 Scottish Rite Research Guild, Valley of South Bend, Indiana Founding Fellow S. Brent Morris to speak on “Trends Affecting American Masonry.” 12:30 p.m.

July 8, 2011 Anniversary Lodge of Research No. 175 in New Hampshire Annual Meeting and Installation of Officers, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

July 14, 2011 Scottish Rite Research Guild, Valley of South Bend, Indiana Kevin Townley will speak on Restoration of Masonic Geometry and Symbolry, the recently reprinted classic text authored by Henry P.H. Bromwell. 8 p.m.

June 1-4, 2011 New Orleans Scottish Rite History and Research Symposium.

Sponsored by the A&ASR Southern Jurisdiction, the Valley of New Orleans, and co-hosted with The Masonic Society.

July 11-13, 2011 74th Great Smokies York Rite Summer Assembly of York Rite Masons Maggie Valley, NC July 14-16, 2011 Rocky Mountain Masonic Conference Speakers: David Heathcote, Chris Hodapp, Brent Morris, Cliff Porter. Salt Lake City, UT See website for details: http://www.utahgrandlodge.org/RMMC2011/ July 15-16, 2011 The Masonic Society Semi-Annual Meeting Salt Lake City, UT August 28-30, 2011 Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction Supreme Council Annual Session Chicago, IL

Please send notices of your event to Jay Hochberg at articles@themasonicsociety.com AUTUMN 2010 • 7

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Masonic News

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reemasons in Hawaii were in mourning in the wake of a freak accident in August that left two brethren dead. Illustrious Brothers Dexter Lum, 68, and Martin H.Y. Wong, 77, of Kaneohe both died of multiple internal injuries after being pinned under an SUV driven by Grand Master Charles L. Wegener, Jr. Two other brethren were also hit—Abraham “Sonny” Nahale’a was hospitalized, and Tim Yuen was knocked down, but uninjured.

After a lunchtime meeting of the Red Cross of Constantine in Honolulu, brethren were in a congested restaurant parking lot. The car belonged to Brother Nahale’a, and Wegener offered to move it so Nahale’a could more easily get into the door. Witnesses said GM Wegener seemed unfamiliar with how to drive the Lexus SUV, which had been modified for a handicapped driver with a left-foot accelerator pedal. The vehicle accelerated suddenly, striking the three friends. We mourn their tragic loss.

in the far western part of the state.

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ational Camping Travelers is a Masonic family camping club that was formed in 1966 at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania by the late Brother Myron Fox and 21 other Masonic families. The idea was that a camping club for Freemasons and their families would be an added opportunity for fraternal fun and fellowship. Since then, Brother Fox’s idea has spread throughout the continental United States and Canada.

Annual dues are $25 per family, with a new member initiation fee of $10. There are also local chapters that sponsor monthly camp outs, and dinner meetings or “camp-ins” when the weather is inhospitable outdoors. For more information, see the NCT website at www.gonct.org

MS Founding Member Robert Wolfarth of Salt Lake City, Utah has been named as the new editor of the Scottish Rite Research Society’s quarterly newsletter, “The Plumbline.”

Anyone interested in submitting a manuscript should contact him at RWolfarth@ScottishRite.org.

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he assembled brethren at the 2010 annual communication of the Grand Lodge of Colorado AF&AM eliminated all budgeting for Masonic outreach programs, and cut many other programs, as well. The one notable exception? The Masonic Education budget was increased by $6,000, to $9,600. Moreover, the increase was proposed from the floor by brothers who were not members of the Masonic Education Committee. The Grand Lodge of Colorado’s per capita was increased to $42 per member. They have approximately 10,000 members statewide.

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f your lodge doesn’t have an alarm system, next meeting is a good time to vote for one. Unfortunately, with greater interest in the fraternity also comes interest of a less than desirable variety. The Rocky Mount Masonic Center in North Carolina was broken into the evening of July 29th., for the second time in two months. Uniforms, officers’ jewels, swords, and even the lodge’s Bible were stolen. Break-ins of Masonic buildings all around the U.S. seem to be on the rise.

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he Grand Lodge of Ohio F&AM is considering moving its offices and museum out of the 190-year old complex it shares with New England Lodge #4 in Worthington, Ohio.

New England #4 has the oldest Masonic temple west of the Appalachian Mountains, which is a museum today. Now, the Grand Lodge is contemplating a move to the Dayton Masonic Center.

Grand Lodge moved to the Worthington location in 1953 from Cincinnati, in an effort to be located closer to the center of the state. Now they are seeking ways to cut costs. According to an article in the Columbus Dispatch, Grand Secretary Michael Watson says moving to the Dayton Masonic Center would cut annual operating and maintenance costs by $100,000.

If they move, ownership of the Worthington site will fall to New England Lodge #4, which will then become responsible for the maintenance of the property. The Grand Secretary is not in favor of the move, and Worthington City Council president, Bro. Lou Goorey isn’t happy about it either.

The Dayton Masonic Center is home to six blue lodges, three RA Chapters, two Cryptic Councils, two Commanderies, a Scottish Rite Valley, and more. Moving there would place Grand Lodge 8 • AUTUMN 2010

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n September, an e-mail sent to the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma threatening multiple Masonic lodges across the state with violent attacks, combined with a suspicious box found outside of a temple in Kingston, brought out the bomb squad.

Police officers arrived after members reported a strange box outside of the lodge building. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol bomb squad discovered the suspicious box was just a case of bottled water. Investigators are looking into the source of the threatening e-mail, but say it appears the two events were unrelated.

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estoration Books has released two stunning editions of Albert Pike’s books, in heirloom-quality binding: Pike’s examination of the symbolism of the three lodge degrees, Esoterika; and a matching edition of Pike’s The Book of the Words Sephir H’Debarim.

These leather editions recreate the original binding that Pike commissioned for the single

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Masonic News manuscript copy of Esoterika housed at the Supreme Council’s Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite archives. Each one is bound in blue morocco goatskin, with hand-marbled endpapers, hand-tooled gold detailing, gold top edge gilt and a silk ribbon marker. Each is limited to just 100 copies, and are individually numbered.

Prior to 2005, Esoterika was known to only a handful of scholars at the Scottish Rite’s House of the Temple. Pike had only two hand-written manuscripts bound of the work, and few ever saw it. But much of the book is made up of voluminous explanatory notes by the Scottish Rite SJ’s Grand Archivist, Arturo De Hoyos, along with illustrations, an article on Pike’s personal faith, and even four early Masonic ritual exposures.

It was published in 2005 as the bonus book of the Scottish Rite Research Society.

The Book of the Words Sephir H’Debarim was originally published

by Pike in 1878 with a limited edition of just 100 copies. In 1999 the Scottish Rite Research Society reprinted it with additional material and an introduction by Bro. De Hoyos.

Arturo De Hoyos has signed each copy, along with official embossed foil stamps of both the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite, 33° and the Scottish Rite Research Society. Certainly less expensive versions of these books exist elsewhere, but these are truly collectible items. The price is $375 per book, or $750 per set. See the Restoration Books site at www.rarebookrestoration.com

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he irregular Grand Orient of France (GOF), that country’s largest Masonic obedience with approximately 50,000 members, has officially voted at its annual assembly to accept female members and become a co-Masonic organization. In April, the GO’s then Grand Master Pierre Lambicchi told L’Express Magazine, “We are not statutorily a mixed obedience.” That has now officially changed.

Lambicchi was succeeded at this meeting by the new Grand Master, Guy Arcizet.

Two years ago, six women were initiated into Grand Orient lodges largely as a test of the rules. In addition, an existing Mason within the Grand Orient underwent transsexual surgery and became a female. “Olivia Chaumont” was recognized as a sister within the Grand Orient in January 2010. This was considered a drastic innovation at that time, and previously the GO had directed brothers who became women to existing mixed or feminine Masonic orders. The new rules leave the decision to admit women up to the individual lodges, Some 17% of that France’s Masons are female. They do not have the Order of the Eastern Star in France, while female Masons have existed there since at least the 1780s, and possibly as early as the 1740s.

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he South Carolina Masonic Research Society will hold its first symposium and banquet on April 22nd, 2011 at 7:00 PM in the Omar Shrine Temple, 176 Patriots Point Street, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina 29464. The cost is $25.00 per person and this will be a formal or semi-formal dress event. The keynote speaker will be Brother Michael A. Halleran, author of The Better Angels of our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War and former editor of the Scottish Rite Research Society’s Plumbline.

Virginia’s Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 Hosts Historic Boy Scout Jamboree Meeting

by Greg Knott, MMS

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recently worked as a staff member for the National Scout Jamboree held at Ft. A. P. Hill in Caroline County Virginia. At Jamboree the National Association of Masonic Scouters worked with Virginia’s historic Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 to have a lodge meeting on the base for Jamboree participants.

The meeting was simply amazing as nearly 500 Masons attended. The Lodge was opened on the Entered Apprentice degree, so that all Masons could attend. Most of us were dressed in our full scout uniforms. Introductions were made and the wealth of Masonic knowledge in the room was impressive. Numerous Masters and Past Masters, past state Grand Masters, heads of Scottish Rite and York Rite bodies, etc.

The Grand Master of Virginia, William Earle Rorer, Jr was in attendance and gave remarks about the 100th Anniversary of Scouting in America. MWB Rorer received the Daniel Carter Beard award in recognition of his long association with both Masonry and Scouting. The Grand Master even had a special pin created commemorated the 100th Anniversary of Scouting.

As one brother commented at the meeting; “I have died and gone to heaven to be able to attend a meeting of this historic lodge (Fredericksburg No. 4), wearing his full scout uniform in a room full of fellow Masons and Scouters. It just doesn’t get any better than this.”

The value of Masonry and Scouting are very similar in nature.

Many Scout Packs and Troops are sponsored by local Masonic Lodges.

It was a true privilege to be a part of this historic meeting.

The purpose of the National Association of Masonic Scouters is to foster and develop support for the Boy Scouts of America by and among Freemasons while upholding the tenets of Freemasonry. This includes, but is not limited to, encouraging Masonic Lodges and other Masonic organizations to charter and support BSA units. NAMS seeks to provide opportunities for Masonic fellowship at Scouting events and encourage the awarding of the Daniel Carter Beard Award to deserving Masons while supporting the Scouting movement at all levels.

Greg Knott of is a member of Ogden Lodge #754 in Ogden, Illinois Photo: Richard Baumbach, II

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Masonic News

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rother Walter Breuning born on Sept. 21, 1896, in Melrose, Minnesota, and moved to Montana in 1918, where he worked as a clerk for the Great Northern Railway for 50 years. He celebrated his birthday this year at a retirement home in Great Falls, Montana. At 114 years old, he is the oldest living American, and the 7th oldest person in the world. Brother Breuning is a 32° Scottish Rite Mason who joined the fraternity in 1925.

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he Freemasons of New Zealand have lost their official tax status it had held since 1933 as a charitable organization.

Changes in the tax laws in 2008 have forced thousands of organizations to reapply for tax exemptions.

Inland Revenue officials argued the grand lodge’s activities primarily benefit its members, not the entire community, and that membership, limited to men over the age of 21, was too exclusive for a charity. Judge Simon France concluded that the activities of the Grand Lodge, and freemasonry in general, “do not benefit the public other than indirectly and intangibly by seeking to produce members who are better citizens.” The Grand Lodge will have to apply for separate charitable status for its Fund of Benevolence, which administered most of its charitable work.

Such challenges to Freemasonry’s charitable status will unfortunately become more commonplace everywhere as financially strapped local, state and federal governments seek new sources of tax revenue.

In the U.S., the Internal Revenue Service changed its regulations involving tax filing status for non-profit organizations in 2006.

Prior to the changes, non-profits making less than $25,000 annually didn’t have to file annual tax returns. However, new legislation was passed mandating almost all tax exempt organizations except churches file annual forms, starting in 2008. Thousands of such groups, including Masonic lodges and appendant body chapters, could be stripped of their tax-exempt status after October 15th, 2010. It is vital for all Masonic organizations in the U.S. to contact their grand lodges, grand chapters or other governing bodies to clarify whether individual lodges and groups need to file the new 990-N “e-postcard” form. Some are covered by their statewide or national bodies’ tax status, but many are not. Such an error could wind up costing a lodge thousands of dollars in taxes or fines.

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ndrew Hammer, Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22 has written a new book, Observing The Craft: The Pursuit of Excellence in Masonic Labour and Observance, and it is now available from Lulu.com and Amazon.com (ISBN: 0981831613, Paperback, 161 pages, $15.99). Observing the Craft is a manifesto of sorts for the observant Mason, who seeks quality over quality in every aspect of Freemasonry. It is a stringent argument for the Symbolic Lodge as being the whole of Masonry, calling for nothing but the utmost effort and commitment to be put into the operation of a Masonic lodge and its meetings.

Andrew presented a paper based on the book at the Masonic Society’s Semi-Annual Meeting in New Orleans in September.

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n October 23, 2010, in Fairfax, Virginia, a special communication of The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons in the Commonwealth of Virginia will convene, for the purpose of chartering under dispensation The Patriot Lodge U.D. The event will take place in the Edwin Meese Conference Room of Mason Hall at George Mason University. This will be the first academic lodge in the state, and the first new lodge to be established in almost 30 years in Virginia (apart from research and daylight Lodges).

An “academic” Lodge is a Lodge with close ties to a nearby institution of higher learning which is enabled by a strong partnership between a Grand Lodge and the representative university. The Patriot Lodge is founded upon the example of the Harvard lodge in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and other similar institutions. For more information see the Patriot Lodge website at www.thepatriotlodge. org The United Grand Lodge of England has strengthened its own “University Lodge Scheme” this past year, and has chartered more than 30 lodges attached to universities and colleges.

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nited Grand Lodge of England’s Pro Grand Master remarked in his July address that regular lodges of the UGLE and the Grand Loge National Français meeting in the tiny but prosperous principality of Monaco are interested in forming a grand lodge in that country. This comes in the wake of a scandal involving Monaco’s Prince Albert II and his former head of intelligence, Robert Eringer, who, in a fit of frustration, released private findings about foreign influences in the tiny country. Eringer alleged that the three primary French grand lodges are all intertwined with organized crime, and are all vying to influence Albert’s government.

In fact, Eringer resigned after the Prince failed to adopt a hard line against Freemasons holding government offices without publicly stating their membership. One of the flash points in an ongoing dispute between members of the Grand Loge National Françcais had to do with their Grand Master attempting to fast-track Masonic membership for the Prince.

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n the last issue we reported on an interview with the Grand Master of Serbia in that country’s edition of Playboy magazine. The most recent Pantagraph List of Lodges Masonic says most US grand lodges recognize “The Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia F&AM,” which lists Petar Kostic as GM. Their website refers to themselves as “The Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia AF&AM” (Regularna Velika Loza Srbije) http://www.rgls.org The GM who appeared in a recent Serbian interview in Playboy, Dr. Cedomir Vukic, is from a different group, also calling itself “The Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia,” the Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia (Regularna Velika Loza Srbije). Same exact name, but no “F&AM” or “AF&AM” is noted on their English or Serbian language websites, http://www.rglserbia.org They list links to UGLE, GLNF, and other regular, recognized GLs. (US GLs do not appear on their links).

Apparently the Playboy interview caused an uproar, and while there had been talk of uniting the two grand lodges, little progress has been made. Thanks to RWBro. Thomas W. Jackson for the clarification.

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he scene amidst which C

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SPECIAL REPORT

France’s Museum of Freemasonry

by Christopher L. Hodapp

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rench Freemasonry has a long and tumultuous Masonic heritage, with a confusing landscape of rival male, female and mixed gender grand lodges at work. The role of Freemasonry in French history has been trumpeted by its brethren, reviled by its enemies, and questioned by historians. Even today, it is not free from controversy.

collection was sent to Germany for use in anti-Masonic exhibitions. When the war ended, the documents and artifacts were captured by the Russians and sent to Moscow. It wasn’t until 1973 that the Russian KGB released the items and returned them to the Grand Orient. The Museum reopened that year, and in 2000, it became an officially supported museum of France.

Helped by a government grant from the Ministry of Culture of the Region Ile de France and the City of Paris, the Grand Orient’s new Museum of Freemasonry officially opened on February 11, 2010, and it takes its rightful place among the finest Masonic museums in the world. Its total collection comprises 10,000 items and almost 23,000 volumes in its archives.

Curator Ludovic Marcos makes the distinction that the museum is not completely public, like the Louvre, but because it has received funding from the Ministry of Cul-

The headquarters of the Grand Orient de France, in Paris’ 9th arrondissement.

The Grand Orient de France (GOF) is the largest Masonic jurisdiction in France, with 46,000 members, and 1,052 Lodges. The GOF makes its Paris headquarters at 16 rue Cadet, behind an anachronistic metal shell that looks bizarrely out of place, like the international terminal from Charles De Gaulle Airport got plopped down in an otherwise charming Haussmann façade-festooned Paris street. The deceptive frontage covering what was once the 19th century mansion of Maréchal de Richelieu, the Hotel Cadet, disguises a massive warren of offices, dining facilities, dozens of lodge rooms, and France’s new Museum of Freemasonry.

While Masonry in France has a long history, it has been marked by schisms and disputes. The other two principal grand bodies, the Grand Loge National Français (GLNF) and the Grand Loge de France (GLF), have large memberships and long histories, as well, along with impressive Paris buildings and museums that are well worth seeing. But it is the Grand Orient de France (GOF) that has long owned the mother lode of Masonic documents and artifacts in the country, and in fact, the GOF first opened a museum of Masonic displays in 1889.

During the German occupation of France in WWII, the Museum was destroyed by the Nazis, and most of its

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A faience ceramic Masonic urn from the Second Empire period.

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The modern design of the Museum’s new cases make the objects themselves the dramatic center of attention, and allow much to be displayed vertically in a compact area.

ture, it is no longer a private installation, either. Its mission is to inform not just Masons, but to educate the general public, and to make its collection available to the academic world, as well.

Masonic organizations contemplating the construction of their own museums to display the wide variety of objects created by and for the fraternity over the last three centuries would be wise to study the manner in which the Grand Orient has designed its installation. The Museum is entered through a thoroughly modern, stark lobby, but once you pass into the display area, the room is almost completely black, apart from the exhibits themselves. Overhead, LED lights provide the dramatic effect of a star-decked canopy, and the tall glass cases are designed to highlight the objects, and effectively disappear.

There are stunning collections of porcelain and glassware from 18th and 19th century festive boards. Original books such as a 1723 edition of Anderson’s Constitutions and a 1731 first edition of Abbe Jean Terrasson’s Egyptian-themed novel, Sethos are on display, along with charters, degree diplomas, coins, medals, lodge banners and regalia.

Dozens of beautiful hand-painted Masonic aprons from the 1700s are also shown throughout the exhibit area.

Much as American Masons venerate the Masonic membership of figures like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, the French do likewise with figures like the philosopher Voltaire and the Marquis de Lafayette. Two of the centerpiece items in the Museum are Voltaire’s painted apron, and Lafayette’s Masonic sword.

During the struggle to form the Third Republic in 1871, Freemasons took to the streets in support of the new government, carrying the banners

Voltaire was initiated into the Lodge Les Neuf Soeurs (Lodge of the Nine Muses) in Paris, on April 7, 1778, less than two months before his death on May 30th. He was very weak, and was assisted by two brothers, one of whom was Benjamin Franklin. Because of his frail health, he was exempted from the more rigorous tests experienced during the French rite of initiation. Voltaire was given a gift apron worn by the philosopher Claude Adrien Helvetius, one of the founders of The Lodge of the Nine Muses, who died in 1771.

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The flambergé-style Masonic sword of General Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, French hero and American Revolutionary War general. The wavy design is commonly found in Continental lodges, and is symbolic of the Archangel Uriel’s flaming sword, which guarded the gate to the Garden of Eden. French Masonry allows for all members to carry swords during portions of its rituals, not as an emblem of knighthood and nobility as in the profane world, but that all brethren are equally noble in the lodge. Lafayette is believed to have been initiated in a Paris lodge in 1774, before going to America. He was given this sword in 1830.

of their lodges to these often violent demonstrations. The image of Masonic lodge banners became an icon of the period, and many of these banners are on display, with their intricate design and embroidery.

Throughout the 20th century, Freemasonry in France suffered through long periods of anti-Masonic fervor, culminating with persecution and arrests of Masons during the Nazi occupation.

This is depicted in a series of cases that display newspapers, posters and cartoons attacking the Craft. Because Masons from almost every jurisdiction across occupied Europe were targeted by Nazi propaganda, risking arrest, and even death, post-WWII concerns about recognition and regularity were treated with less fervor here than in England and North America. The brethren of Europe were tried in a crucible unimaginable to most Masons these days. Today, it is common for Masons from different grand lodges that do not necessarily recognize each other officially to unofficially visit lodges throughout France without causing an uproar.

Because the Museum has been created to tell the story of all of French Freemasonry, the Grand Loge de France and the Grand Loge National Français are also represented, along with the mixed gender groups. Female Freemasonry appeared in Paris as early as the 1750s, and Napoleon’s wife, the Empress Josephine, was reputed

to have belonged to a female lodge. Today, women make up about 17% of the Masons in the country, and in fact, the GOF voted in September 2010 to admit women as members into its lodges. As a result, many items are also on display from the female orders, as well as curious and little known groups like the Mopses, a women’s organization that venerated pug dogs as part of their ritual. There are also artifacts portraying the influence of Egyptian rites that were introduced into Continental Masonry in the 18th and 19th centuries.

French Masonic legend claims they were originally organized under Charles Martel in the 8th century, predating English and Scottish stonemason guilds. Martel was the unifying general of the Francs, who kicked off the Middle Ages by booting out the invading Moors, and he is generally credited with developing the beginnings of knighthood, chivalry and feudalism. By claiming such an early link to Martel, French Freemasons allege more noble and chivalric origins than their scruffier, less noble English stonemason counterparts. And the claim beats the organization of English Masons at York by two hundred years or so.

The “Museum of Freemasonry” is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 2 to 6 PM. Admission is €6.

Grand Orient de France 16, rue Cadet - Paris 9th (Metro Cadet and Grands Boulevards).

A chamber of reflection depicted on an early 19th century plate.

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A graphic time line of French Masonic history is presented on a rail in front of one wall of paintings. Additional coins, aprons and medals can be seen in drawers accessible below the horizontal cases.

An 18th century book containing the degree obligations, illustrated with a Momento Mori and tears.

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egends aside, the three principal grand lodges at work in France descend from the British Isles. English gentlemen came to France and founded speculative lodges in the early 1700s. The first official French Masonic body, the English Grand Lodge of France, was formed in 1728, with the Duke of Wharton as their Grand Master. The English Grand Lodge of France installed its first French Grand Master in 1738, the Duke of Antin. However, some have argued that the first official Masonic lodges in France were started by Irish and Scottish guards of the exiled Stuart family in St Germain en Laye.

• During the 1750’s, the English Grand Lodge of France became autonomous and officially changed its name to the Grand Loge de France.

The Museum contains a large display of anti-Masonic pamphlets, posters, cartoons and propaganda, from the 19th century up through the Nazi period—much of it tying the Craft to Judaism.

• By 1773, a schism formed between French Masons seeking to practice what became the Scottish Rite degrees. The Grand Loge de France went on to pursue this so-called “higher” degree system, while the Grand Orient de France lodges stuck with the traditional system.

• The modern era of conspiracy theories have their roots in the wake of the French Revolution (1789-99). French Masons were accused of causing the worst upheavals of the Terror by working, in secret, with the Bavarian Illuminati.

• In 1805, the Grand Loge de France merged into a new Scottish Rite Supreme Council. Several name changes and splits occurred for another 89 years.

• The second French revolution that would create the Second Republic came along in the late 1840s, and the two principal competing Masonic bodies in France wrestled with the thorny question of separation of Church and State. The Supreme Council and its allies insisted that faith in a Grand Architect of the Universe was central to Masonry’s precepts, while the Grand Orient eventually dropped the requirement in 1877, in keeping with the Republic’s secular and decidedly anti-Catholic public policies.

• In 1894, the Grande Loge de France officially split off from the Supreme Council, and today has jurisdiction over the Scottish Rite’s three Blue Lodge degrees. It has always retained the requirement of a belief in a Supreme Being.

On Saturdays, visitors may also tour a few of the many lodge rooms in the massive complex. This is the Lafayette Lodge room.

• A Grand Orient lodge, Centre des Amis, objected to the GO’s secular rules, and with the help of the Duke of Connaught, Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, the lodge and several others proclaimed themselves as a new Grand Lodge in 1913: the Independent and Regular Grand Lodge for France and Colonies. It was immediately recognized as the sole regular grand lodge in France by the UGLE. After WWII, it changed its name to the Grand Loge National Français. Today, the GLNF is the grand lodge most universally recognized by North American and English-speaking grand lodges.

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RESEARCH

Wordcraft: How To Build a Solid Masonic paper or Presentation

by Randy Williams, FMS

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reemasonry presents such a rich experience of ritual, symbolism, tradition and history that many of us are drawn to the idea of creating a Lodge presentation or writing a research paper for publication. This article will cover some of the basics of good, solid writing – steps to take, options to consider, and differences between various types of written projects and oral presentations – with some specific suggestions for writing about the Craft. No one article can possibly address every aspect of the process of writing, so what follows is intended as an overview to guide and inspire budding Masonic scholars and scribes.

You can’t write a good paper, essay, article or presentation with an interesting flow of information if you don’t take your time to create solid sentences and paragraphs. Writing a good paragraph is very much like erecting a stone wall. Try to think of words and thoughts as stones for the paper/wall. First there is the gathering and selection of rocks.

Some, no matter how beautiful they appear on their own, just will not hold up under the weight and have to be discarded in favor of the practical needs of the project. Some of the strongest rocks have to be unearthed with concentrated effort – an onerous task, but one that is necessary to bolster the entire structure. Gathering your materials takes time, and only the best will do if you want the wall to last and not topple at the first push.

Once you’ve found all the stones you require, the real task begins.

You now have to piece them all together in a unified structure. There can’t be any gaping holes, an aesthetic balance must be achieved, and the design has to be suitable for the terrain and the material used.

While there is a certain amount of instinct at work – after all, very few people will set a boulder atop three pebbles – it helps to learn some technique before beginning any project that requires craftsmanship and expertise.

One of the best ways to pick up good writing technique is by being an active reader. Pay close attention when enjoying the work of effective writers, Masonic or otherwise, and take note of how those authors whose work you admire “build their walls.” As with so many things in life, good technique comes as the result of work and practice, and as is the case with virtually all jobs or tasks, the aspiring wordsmith must make sure to have his essential working tools close at hand. As a bare minimum, a working writer should have on his reference shelf a thick dictionary to shed light on nuances of meaning, and an upto-date thesaurus to help prevent overuse of pet words or phrases.

Spend the money to get authoritative editions with large varieties of definitions and synonyms. Masonic symbols often have more than one meaning, and the same is true of the many archaic words we encounter in Masonic ritual. Having a range of interpretations at your fingertips means you are more likely to appreciate the depth and subtlety of Freemasonry. My personal preferences are for the Concise Oxford English Dictionary and Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus. Your mileage may vary, but don’t skimp on crucial tools that you will be using on every project. It is also a good idea to keep other research volumes handy for those times when you need to add color, clarity or detail to your writing. These might include a book of famous quotations, a desk reference to history, and an Oxford Annotated Bible. Used bookstores can be a good source for these kinds of materials, and the convenience of Internet sites like Abebooks and Alibris has put affordable reference works within everyone’s reach.

Because Masonic scholars are honor-bound to properly cite their sources, and because we all need help from time to time with the finer points of grammar, style and punctuation, you should also consider investing in a decent writer’s handbook. I have used the Simon and Schuster Handbook for Writers by Lynn Troyka and Doug Hesse since my earliest university days, and it is still my favorite. The book, now 16 • AUTUMN 2010

Randy Williams presented this article in slightly different form at the semi-annual meeting of the Masonic Society in New Orleans in September 2010. in its 9th edition, gives clear examples of guidelines for writing and sourcing material in every conceivable style that is currently used for publication, including the Chicago Style adopted by our Journal of the Masonic Society. If you want to test the waters a bit before spending $50 and up for such a handbook, you can use one of the brief introductions to Chicago Style that are available online. The official site of the Chicago Manual of Style at www.chicagomanualofstyle. org includes a serviceable “quick guide,” and the Citation Machine webtool at www.citationmachine.net will even format your endnotes and bibliography for you, as long as you accurately input the required information (author, title, publisher, place and year of publication, and the page numbers of material you have used).

Now that we have a basic understanding of the craftsmanship involved in good writing and have gathered our tools, let’s expand our thinking to the paper as a whole. Rather than a stone wall, we will now construct a building.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION

There are a vast number of Masonic subjects that lend themselves to papers and presentations, including symbolism, traditions, history and unique local customs that vary from one jurisdiction to another.

That said, literally thousands of books and articles have already been published on many of these subjects. Before you begin gathering information, take a good hard look at your idea and ask yourself seriously, “Is there a need for this paper?” Brothers who have only recently begun Masonic reading are often dazzled by everything they encounter, but their intended audience may be thoroughly acquainted with the works of the late, great Alberts (Mackey and Pike) or the seemingly endless debate on which way to wear your Masonic ring (points in? points out?). Have you unearthed previously unpublished documents as a basis for fresh research? Or, if not, do you have something new to say – a strong thesis or argument, a unique perspective, an interesting synthesis of concepts or an intriguing comparison between ideas? If so, it’s time to start laying the foundation.

The first step is to write a thesis or “mission statement” for your work. What are you trying to state, establish, share or prove? Aim for

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25 words or fewer that clearly articulate the goals and major points to be covered by your paper or presentation. Consider, too, that your paper – no matter how well it may turn out – is unlikely to be the definitive take on a given subject. To position it as such could be seen as an unattractive act of hubris. A far better approach is to envision your work as one of many in a continuum of Masonic papers produced by the worthy scholars who have studied the Craft through the ages. It may be that you will discover at this early stage that you have bitten off a bit too much for one project. When in doubt, it is always better to tighten your focus and keep your goals for each paper modest.

One last word to keep in mind when drafting your thesis: universality. Is your topic one that will be of genuine interest to a diverse audience or to the international readership of the Journal of the Masonic Society? Avoid making your subject too personal or run the risk of alienating your audience. While your perspective is important and some of your own experiences may be relevant to the subject at hand, you must take care to keep the focus on Freemasonry and not on yourself. You don’t want to be seen as self-absorbed; this is hardly a Masonic trait, and too much navel-gazing works against the broad appeal of the Craft.

Once you have a thesis statement, you are ready to begin consulting appropriate resource materials. If you want your scholarship to be taken seriously, use reputable sources. Good starting points include: the excellent Masonic encyclopedia by Albert Mackey; established classics by Joseph Fort Newton, Oliver Day Street, Carl Claudy and others; modern overviews of the Craft such as Christopher Hodapp’s Freemasons for Dummies or Brent Morris’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry; and, of course, back issues of the Journal of the Masonic Society, Heredom, published transactions of Research Lodges, and the many other excellent Masonic publications that have built reputations for accuracy and reliability.

“H

Don’t let your research run away with you. Chances are good that you will choose a topic that fascinates you, something you wouldn’t mind learning a bit more about yourself. There is, however, a risk of spending more time on the research than on the writing of your paper.

Make specific deadlines for yourself and stick to them. Sometimes you have to begin writing to realize what information you still require, just as the builder of our stone wall may need to find some smaller stones to fill in the gaps. If you leave your writing to the eleventh hour, you will have no time for this crucial step.

As you are gathering material from your sources, be sure to carefully document where each piece of information was found – jot down the book title, author name, publisher, place and date of publication and the specific page numbers referenced as you go. You will need this information later to create endnotes and a bibliography, and you don’t want to be scrambling through a dozen or more books trying to figure out where you got that great quote or important statistic.

Once you have gathered enough material to support your thesis, it is time for one of the most important steps in any writing process: creating the outline. Beginning to write without first developing a clear outline is like heading off on a long journey without a map – while blindfolded. The outline for your paper is every bit as important as the blueprint for a building or the schematic for an electronic device. Start with your thesis in the first paragraph, and then arrange your ideas and information into a progression that supports your mission statement.

The order in which you describe things or introduce concepts is very important – you may even want to consider a visual “flow chart” for your outline to make sure the concepts follow one another smoothly and logically. Keep your audience in the loop: Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you’ve told them. This tight structure will help the reader or listener feel far more comfortable in going along with your writing, much the same way it

ave you unearthed previously unpublished documents as a basis for fresh research? Or, if not, do you have something new to say – a strong thesis or argument, a unique perspective, an interesting synthesis of concepts or an intriguing comparison between ideas?

If so, it’s time to start laying the foundation.

While a wealth of Masonic literature is now available on the Internet – particularly older books that have fallen into the public domain and articles from out-of-print magazines such as The Builder – one needs to exercise caution and good judgement when accessing information in this manner. There are two traps to avoid. First, be aware that some of the solid Masonic material found on the Web is not in the public domain, and its unauthorized use is both a violation of copyright law and an act of theft from the author who has painstakingly researched and crafted the work. There are far too many bootleg PDFs of copyrighted works floating around in cyberspace, and the use of such ill-gotten material in a paper touting Masonic virtues presents the sort of bitter irony a good scholar always seeks to avoid. Secondly, taking material directly from personal webpages and blogs is generally a bad idea. Over-use of Internet sources in a serious project will not convince anyone that your research process goes much beyond the efficient use of Google. Because these sorts of sites deal in speculation, personal observations and opinion, few of them offer much in the way of verifiable facts or statistics. One should probably limit use of these resources to occasional quotes that help illustrate a range of opinions or a contrast between older and more current schools of thought on a Masonic subject.

Not sure where to look for source material? This is where a research group like the Masonic Society can be a great help. Our online forum connects Masonic scholars from around the world, giving budding writers access to knowledgeable brothers who are eager to help. Post some information about your project in the “Research Room” subforum and you are certain to receive tips on resources you may not have known about – and perhaps even an offer to collaborate on a paper.

is easier to be a passenger in a car when the driver knows where he is going.

While it’s quite possible that the structure of your paper will change a bit after you start writing – some sections may end up needing more explanation and expansion, while others may benefit from judicious pruning along the way – you are almost certain to meander if you begin without a solid outline. Taking the time to plan ahead carefully is always a more efficient choice than trying to belatedly impose order on a sprawling, out-of-control project.

ERECTING THE PILLARS

Begin to follow your “blueprint” by putting your supporting paragraphs and research materials into place. Remember that the text you have taken from books and other resources must be properly cited to avoid dishonesty in the form of both outright plagiarism and intellectual theft. If you are using another writer’s exact words, you must put them in quotes and add an endnote identifying the source. Even if you are paraphrasing another author’s ideas, you must acknowledge that author’s influence on your own thinking in the notes and bibliography. Above all, bear in mind that your research material is meant to bolster your own thesis, synthesis or argument. Don’t stitch together a “Frankenpaper” by relying too heavily on the work of other authors, pasting one quote or paraphrase after another into “your” paragraphs. If the paper is lacking in original content, the reader would do far better to simply seek out the source material from which you have borrowed.

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As your work begins to take shape, stay on outline and in control.

How much detail should you go into? This is a good question; it is all too easy in Masonic writing to get sucked down the rabbit hole. If you indulge yourself by providing exhaustive detail about a relatively inconsequential tangent, you are in danger of letting the big picture become hazy. If you have difficulty being succinct, a handy mental trick can be to write as if each word you use is costing you another word you can’t use. Think in terms of sending your paper by telegraph, with each word costing ten cents. There is nothing like having to ration words to make you into a judicious editor. Weigh each sentence carefully. If your description is just as clear with one phrase as with two, say it in one. The economy with which you paint your vision will be appreciated and admired.

Many things Masonic come in threes, and the focus for a solid piece of scholarship is no exception. You have three loyalties when writing a Masonic paper. The most immediate and continuous loyalty is to your audience or readers. You have to make your information easy to attain and your prose lively and worth reading. Secondly, you have a loyalty to the information. You need to present it in a way that will be clear enough to keep the audience entranced, amazed, informed and pleased. And of course, you have a loyalty to the Craft and to Masonic principles. Always treat Freemasonry with honor, and show respect for other Masonic writers and thinkers, even those with whom you do not agree. That is, after all, the brotherly thing to do.

How does one achieve a flavor of the unique and personal while retaining enough formality to suggest that yours in an authoritative voice? Various rhetorical possibilities spring to mind. One can leaven formality with an analogy that explains an abstract concept along concrete lines; one can sprinkle a little humor into the mix to lighten the weight of the information; or one can structure the material to include a narrative, timeline or story aspect.

Let’s examine the analogy. It’s a useful rhetorical strategy, although you must take care to use analogies only to clarify information, not as focal points of your thesis. Suppose you have an argument that relies on some very abstract concepts to bring it all together. Perhaps the required knowledge base is obscure, uses unfamiliar terminology, or is difficult to articulate. This is the perfect situation for an analogy. Find a common experience or a concrete example that most readers will understand, one that can be likened to the concept you are trying to impart. For example, you could compare… oh, I don’t know… writing a paper to erecting a building.

Humor is another useful rhetorical strategy to employ when dealing with information-laden papers. However, there are people who equate levity with insincerity. You therefore need to be very conscious of your intended audience and avoid coming across as flip or impertinent. Use humor sparingly and remain properly respectful of your information.

One rule of thumb is to resist anything that might require underlining or exclamation marks, which always tend to come across as a bit too “nudge nudge wink wink” on the printed page.

The choice of a narrative can work well if you are explaining something that allows for a chronological progression. We are creatures of habit, and our habit is to start at the beginning. A story structure can provide a pleasing showcase for your ideas and information. Consider this possibility when ordering your information on your outline.

Narrative may not always work if your object is to persuade the reader to your way of thinking. Persuasive essays tend to take one of three strategies: appealing to the readers’ sense of logic and reason; playing to their sense of ethics; or pulling on their emotions. For Masonic papers, please be strongly cautioned against the third way, as blatant emotional appeals can have the same divisive effect as talking about religion or politics in Lodge.

If you think that your argument will require some fundamental change of position for your readers, or that they will already hold a contrary opinion, it is best to use as much reason and logic as possible to bolster your thesis. Back up all your statements with proof of some kind – statistical facts, expert opinion that supports your argument, or strong anecdotal evidence from your own research or observations.

An appeal to ethics is a strategy that one should use carefully 18 • AUTUMN 2010

and sparingly. This approach tends to highlight the writer’s attitudes, positioning the author as a decent, right-thinking sort of person who would never steer the reader wrong. The implied subtext is that people who agree with the author can also be considered decent, rightthinking people. In its most abject form, this approach can be likened to the homespun used car salesman who relies upon his personality to sell a vehicle that may or may not be a beater. If you achieve the right tone, this tactic can be incredibly effective – but it can also decimate your argument, no matter how logical, if the reader senses that he is being snowed into siding with you. Be wary of sounding as if you are up on a soapbox and talking down to your audience.

Now that you’ve determined what tone to take, it is useful to look at two ways of laying out your argument for the reader. There are two forms of argument: deductive and inductive. Either one can be effective, depending on the basis of your argument and the ideal reader you have in mind.

The deductive argument is one in which you present several facts that line up to make your thesis appear infallible. A logical syllogism is a simple example of a deductive argument, and can be considered the basis of all logical thought. A syllogism is an argument in which two facts are presented – a major and minor premise – and from them, a third supposition or conclusion is reached. One famous syllogism goes something like this: Hiram Abiff is a man.

All men are mortal.

THEREFORE, Hiram Abiff is mortal.

For the conclusion to be true, both premises must be unassailable.

There cannot be a false conclusion supported by two premises that are true. However, one must investigate to determine that the premises are indeed solid. Consider this syllogism: George Eliot wrote sensitive characterizations of women.

Many male Victorian writers were dismissive of female characters.

THEREFORE, George Eliot was an unusual man of his times.

Do you recognize anything wrong with this argument? The conclusion is faulty because George Eliot was the nom de plume of Victorian author Mary Ann Evans. When creating a deductive argument, be certain of your facts – and when examining a deductive argument that you find troubling in its conclusions, pay close attention to the premises on which it is founded.

An inductive argument goes beyond deductive fact and often relies on the reader’s ability to make cognitive leaps with the writer. The argument, while founded in fact, will push beyond the provable and venture into some hypothetical extensions – which, if argued properly, can be very effective. An analogy that might help demonstrate this form of argument is the scientific community’s trials on lab rats to determine what might be an equal or similar reaction in humans. While rats and humans differ in various respects, there are some similarities that allow scientists to examine results of their research with rodents and project the possible human consequences of exposure to the same stimuli. Likewise, an inductive argument will provide enough fact in some respects to allow the writer – and by extension, the reader – to make abstract conclusions in unproven areas.

Inductive arguments are not uncommon in Masonic writing, but the approach can be problematic, particularly for new writers who don’t have enough time and experience in the Craft to know all sides of a story. One pitfall to avoid is coming across as presumptuously prescriptive, assuming that what has worked in one Lodge is automatically the magic answer for all Lodges everywhere. While there is certainly value in sharing positive experiences, the writer should bear in mind that just because Masons were mad for it in Medicine Hat doesn’t mean it will play in Peoria.

Probably the most famous inductive argument in books related to Freemasonry is the one made by the late author John J. Robinson in his 1989 book Born in Blood, in which Robinson created hypothetical extensions from what is known about historical events to draw a straight line from the destruction of the medieval Knights Templar to the beginnings of speculative Masonry. The book is enjoyable, well written and, on the surface, persuasively argued. However, many of Robinson’s

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purported facts are drawn from questionable sources. For example, when writing about the origins of the Craft in Scotland and England, Robinson leans heavily on an inaccurate American “exposure” of the Craft rather than referencing actual historical records from across the pond. Many of his sources have been disputed by other historians and scholars, and the veracity of Robinson’s conclusions – which are lovely and romantic and say wonderful things about our Craft – has therefore been contested. If you are just starting out as a Masonic scholar, my best advice is to avoid diving headlong into such murky waters. Begin with arguments of the deductive variety: Choose a position to defend and provide some reputable proof of your conclusions. Eventually you may feel comfortable moving into inductive “leap of faith” arguments, which require the sort of confidence and mastery of rhetorical skills that come only with experience.

Now that you have chosen a subject and a rhetorical approach, there are matters of etiquette to consider – the sorts of ideas that both your mother and Emily Post tried to impress upon you from an early age, and which Masonic ritual also seeks to inculcate. When working to persuade others of your position, never insult your reader. People who feel that they have been put on the defensive will rarely retain the largeness of spirit to be open minded about your ideas. Further, it is important to understand that “present company” is never excepted.

This statement, often used to preface a biased or prejudicial statement, is unlikely to bring your reader over to your side if you are picking a fight with a big chunk of the Masonic world.

Remember, your task is to persuade, not to go on the attack. This goal requires you to walk a line of diplomacy and reason. You can disagree without getting personal; dispute the other person’s argument, not his character. Thrown stones tend to rebound in print. They also don’t win you readers or respect over the long run, even if they garner an easy laugh or two. Such caution is especially important when referring to the work of other Masonic scholars, past or present. Remember that these men are your brothers, and you have taken an obligation not to disparage their good names. Let your own conclusions speak for themselves without denigrating the intellect or personality of any other writer. Treat these other authors as you would a colleague, and walk on higher ground.

As a side note, this same word of caution applies to book reviews, which can also work well as the basis for short papers in Lodge or for publication in The Journal of the Masonic Society. A good review is an aesthetic barometer, a gauge by which a potential reader determines whether a book is worth his time. It should include a brief description of the book that does not give way too many of the “good bits.” Also useful is a comparison that ranks the book in terms of other works by the same author, or other works in the same genre. Then, offer some indication of how you, as a reader and reviewer, reacted to the book.

With these components in place, your reader can determine whether or not he will want to read that particular volume. Here is where you need to be cautious: Take care to be even-keeled in your reactions to a work. You do neither the book nor yourself any great favors by heaping on so much effusive praise that your review loses all objectivity (“Brother Hodapp’s new book is certain to outsell the Bible!”). By the same token, writers have to be sensitive to coming across as overly caustic about things we don’t like. Sometimes, when we find ourselves writing particularly stinging criticisms, it is useful to ask ourselves if we really feel this strongly about the work in question or whether we have merely fallen in love with our own cleverness. It is all too easy to declare that “trees died needlessly for this book,” but what is required of an objective review is thoughtful reasoning to explain our distaste. Stop to consider whether the subject matter (or perhaps even the author) is one for which you harbor a personal dislike. If so, you have to address that prejudice within your criticisms of the work if you are to be fair to the writer and to your own readers.

FINISHING TOUCHES: TIME TO POLISH AND ADORN

When you have worked your way through to the end of a complete working (or “rough”) draft, it’s time to review, rethink and rewrite.

One of the biggest favors you can do for yourself at this stage is to take comfort in the knowledge that no one – from first-time Masonic

scholar to long-time professional writer – gets it perfect in the initial draft. The other big favor you can do for yourself is to take a short break. Set the paper aside for a few days, give your brain a breather, and allow some distance between yourself and the work in which you have been so deeply immersed. When you come back to your paper with “fresh eyes,” you will be in better shape to spot problems that need addressing.

When you are ready to proceed, the best place to begin the redrafting process is to go back to your original 25-word thesis. Were you successful in communicating your point of view and fulfilling your mission statement? Did you get sidetracked with distracting tangents?

Are there redundancies or sections that go on too long? Are there holes in your arguments and explanations that still need filling? Is some of your wording still too close to the source material and in need of further paraphrasing to avoid plagiarism? Are there pet words or phrases that you repeat far too often? Oftentimes reading a paper out loud will help reveal awkward or unclear passages. Your loved ones are probably used to hearing strange mutterings from the basement when you practice ritual anyway, so try finding a private place to read the work aloud and identify sections that need work. Once you have done your own review, you should next get some help in determining where to chip away the remaining rough or excess matter.

Peer review and reader feedback are crucial to the writing process.

Just because you knew what you meant when you were writing, there is no guarantee that a reader or listener encountering the material for the first time will find it all as clear as you do. You should therefore share your cleaned-up draft with friends whose opinion you respect and whose constructive criticism you are genuinely willing to receive.

Reading a revised draft in Lodge and gauging reactions can also be an invaluable aid to improving your composition and fine-tuning it for publication. When you share your work with a wide range of listeners, you are likely to encounter a variety of illuminating responses. There may be questions, comments, confusion, disagreements, and hunger for more detail on certain parts of the work. Whatever response you get, try not to take it personally or as a sign that your work is without value. You may need to do some further rewriting, but the process can only make your work stronger.

Once you’ve got a final draft that you are ready to send out into the world, take some time to double- and triple-check the spelling, endnotes, bibliography and formatting. Always strive to make your paper look professional. If editors, publishers and readers can see that you take pride in your work, they are more likely to take it as seriously as you do.

RENOVATION AND CUSTOMIZATION: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS

Some things that work in an oral/visual presentation would be tedious on the page, just as print gives us room for a level of detail that would numb the mind if spoken.

The most common error made by someone who flounders when making an oral presentation is to fuss over the writing and underprepare for the speaking itself. For some reason, there is a presumption that preparing for a presentation requires less work than submitting a written piece. This is simply untrue.

One has to understand that there is a difference between the written and the spoken word. A reader has the luxury of re-reading a passage that he finds perplexing, but a listener doesn’t have that option.

However, a listener has the advantage of taking in the extra perceptions that body language, vocal tone and emphasis allow. These elements must therefore be built into your talk, not left to chance.

You’ve already heard the old saw of “tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you’ve told them” as a blueprint for structuring an essay. This structure is just as solid, if not more so, for an oral presentation. Your listener requires a clear flow of information because he will be hearing the material only once.

It’s a sad thing to admit, but most people do not listen very well.

That is why instructors write things on the board, marriages break AUTUMN 2010 • 19

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down, and parents turn blue in the face trying to get through to their kids. When speaking aloud, avoid long or complicated sentences.

People can’t hear a semi-colon, after all. While all your material is vital, work especially hard on your introductions and conclusions.

You have to create an explicit structure and use “signpost” language to carry your listener along with your presentation. Pause between the major points in your argument and allow them to sink in. This device also helps to underline for your listener that what you have just stated is of major importance. Signpost language, such as “the second crisis point” or “the three things we must remember” or “from this supposition, we naturally move to” must be built into your talk to give the audience explicit transitions from one point to the next.

If your presentation would benefit from handouts or a PowerPoint type of slide presentation, remember to use them sparingly, perhaps only to highlight major points or transitions. Rely on them too much and you run the risk of their becoming a crutch – or worse, of losing the audience’s attention to an unnecessary distraction.

Give yourself every advantage possible and prepare your text for ease of presentation. If you are using cue cards, organize them so that each card contains just one major point. If you are using a manuscript, double- or triple-space the document for easy legibility and use a larger font if necessary. This preparation should allow you to make eye contact with your audience without losing your place in the text. Whether you use cards or a manuscript, place page numbers in a top corner in case you drop or shuffle them in a fit of nerves.

Mark the places in your presentation where you intend to pause with (PAUSE) set into the body of your text. Underline words that should be emphasized when speaking the sentence. And above all, practice the presentation aloud to help identify potential stumbling blocks and awkward passages.

CONCLUSION

To sum up, and to prove that I can follow my own advice, I will now conclude by “telling you what I have told you.”

When choosing interesting subject matter, remember to retain a tight focus. Keep the scope of your topic modest, write with economy, and try to build each paragraph as solidly as a stone wall. Take care to construct and follow a solid outline, and to use reputable sources without relying on them overmuch. To keep your work original, appealing and interesting, consider the use of a rhetorical device such as analogy, humor or narrative. If the goal of your paper is to persuade, determine whether to appeal to logic, ethics or emotion and whether your thesis is best served by a deductive or inductive argument. Safeguard your reputation by avoiding plagiarism and documenting thoroughly all sources you have used, whether for direct quotes or merely for inspiration. Take the time to seek honest feedback and peer reviews of your work. Show pride in your finished product by polishing your prose, debugging your documentation and fine-tuning your formatting. If you will be sharing the material aloud, customize and prepare the text for oral presentation. Above all, ensure that your work upholds the dignity of the Craft and of your fellow Masonic scholars.

Ernest Hemingway, one of the greatest authors of the 20th century, once said of writers, “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” Freemasonry always has a place for hard-working, humble craftsmen – insightful scholars who are willing to make the sacrifices required to journey down the path of research and enlightenment. May this article inspire you to take that journey and provide you with practical advice to assist in taking those allimportant first steps.

Randy Williams is Assistant Editor of The Journal and a member of the Masonic Society’s Board of Directors. He has been a professional writer and editor for two decades, and has taught writing at every level from Grade 2 to university – and even beyond, by running workshops for adult learners at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Extensions.

20 • AUTUMN 2010

POETRY

Perishing On The Rise

by Rob Morris

ld Jephtha Hoys had drilled his boys With gavel, plumb and square, sir, Till every craft a perfect shaft Stood perpendicular, sir.

Each Friday night ‘twas his delight To call them to the hall, sir, And catechise the willing boys, Till each could “cut and call”, sir.

One evening late it was his fate In leaning back his chair, sir, The window glass right through to pass, And push the thing too far, sir; In fact, he fled, heels over head, Clear down unto the ground, sir; With mighty noise old Jephtha Hoys A broken neck had found, sir.

The neighbors there, with tender care, Prepared him for the tomb, sir, And on the way, a long array Went out with grief and gloom, sir; Yet many said, with whispering dread, “No Mason here is seen, sir!

“Strange to declare, not one was there, To cast the mystic green, sir!

I’ll tell you where those Masons were,-Prepare for much surprise, sir,-When Jephtha Hoys forsook his boys, He left them ON THE RISE, sir!

The Brethren stood straight as they could, Till he should bid them sit, sir; And as he’s gone with no return, Why, there they’re standing yet, sir.

The Tyler bore, outside the door, The pangs of cold and thirst, sir; The Wardens twain do still remain, And will till they are dust, sir; The Deacons stand with rod in hand, Not one will budge the least, sir; And, strange to own, each skeleton, Is FACING TO THE EAST, sir.

Then be my task humbly to ask Each Master this to read, sir, And beg and pray to them, that they The moral well may heed, sir; When calling up the mystic group, To stand and catechise, sir, Think of those boys of Jephtha Hoys, Who PERISHED ON THE RISE, sir.

Rob Morris (1818-1888) became a Mason in Mississippi in 1845, and later served as Grand Master of Kentucky. He is best remembered today for creating the ritual for the Order of the Eastern Star, and for his posthumous collection, The Poetry of Freemasonry. He was named the “Poet Laureate of Freemasonry” in New York in 1884.

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RESEARCH

Online Catalogs For Masonic Research

by Brian Rountree

W

hat is the common element among these texts: The Lost Symbol, a Master’s thesis about a fraternity prior to 1900, and Builders of Empire? In The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown uses Freemasonry as a tool to tell his fictional story. The Master’s thesis has the title, “A System of Morality Veiled in Allegory: The Private and Public Performances of Freemasonry.” In Builders of Empire, Jessica Harland-Jacobs examines the spread of the British Empire and of Freemasonry. These are just three examples that demonstrate a recent surge in interest about the fraternity of Freemasons.

They beg the question: What is Freemasonry and how can we find out more about it?

Organized Freemasonry traces its rise to a meeting held in June 1717 in London, England. From that time, Lodges were established throughout England and around the world. As quickly as 1738 the first Masonic Lodge in Canada was duly constituted at Annapolis, Nova Scotia.1 The earliest recorded Lodge in the American colonies was St. John’s Lodge in Philadelphia; the first entry in its account book is for June 24, 1731.2 Lodges have since been set up across both countries.

When three or more Lodges exist in one political area, the usual practice is to organize a Grand Lodge to look after the governance of the Craft. Freemasonry has never been a “secret society” as its opponents claim, because Lodges and Grand Lodges are easily identified: their buildings are clearly identified, and they can be found in the phone book – and, more recently, on the Internet.

This writer began to catalog the collection of the Library of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba in the summer of 2004 and quickly realized that standard resources, such as the Library of Congress catalog,

I

House of the Temple, Washington, D.C.

t is not just the general public that is interested in learning more about the Craft. One of the recommendations that Freemasons hear in their ritual is that of making a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge.

As a result, they are eagerly studying the history and the treasures of their local Lodges and Grand Lodges.

were inadequate for his needs. As a result, he began to search for other Masonic library catalogs that might be available online.

There are currently 10 Grand Lodges in Canada and 51 in the United States, one for each of the states plus the District of Columbia.

Among the many services that each Masonic Grand Lodge may provide for its members is the establishment of a library. Where a library exists, it will usually collect material relating to Masonry inside and outside the jurisdiction. The library becomes a source of information on local Masons, a fact that pleases genealogists and is also useful to local historians. Because Grand Lodges operate without external financial support, these libraries have little or no funding for the purchase of new materials. Fundraising efforts are often undertaken by Freemasons to boost the budget and buying power of the library. In addition, Masonic libraries may be staffed by volunteers, many of whom might not know anything about the field of library work but who are eager to learn.

Over the years, Masonic libraries have followed the example of other libraries by using card catalogs to help their patrons find materials. Books and periodicals dealing with Freemasonry cover a wide variety of topics from history to symbolism to social studies. Today, many researchers use the online catalogs of local and distant libraries to

discover materials that may be appropriate to their topics. As more and more articles and books are being written about the Craft, especially by non-Masons, it is increasingly important for Masonic library collections to be accessible, and some libraries are now making their catalogs available online.

Mark Tabbert, Director of Collections at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia, wrote, “Some Masonic libraries… are producing online library catalogs, databases of Masonic artifacts and highly informative websites. Other Grand Lodge libraries and museums are moving by fits and starts into the digital age, while some remain no more than rooms full of old books and proceedings that go unused or unappreciated.”3 Which active libraries are producing online catalogs? A Google search on October 23, 2009, yielded more than 19,000 results for a search of “Masonic library online catalog.” For this initial study, a smaller, manageable number was desired. Because he was working at his Grand Lodge library, the author surveyed the online websites of those Grand Lodges within the Conference of Grand Masters of North America. Currently that membership include the Grand Lodges of the Provinces of Canada, the States of the United States of America (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico), the States of AUTUMN 2010 • 21

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Mexico, and the American-Canadian Grand Lodge of Germany.4 That membership translates to 64 bodies, as seen in Table 1.

Table 1: Conference Membership CONSTITUENCY

NUMBER OF GRAND LODGES

Canada 10 United States 52 Mexico 1 Germany 64

An investigation of Masonic libraries is not new. In 1937 the Masonic Service Association (MSA) published the results of a questionnaire of 69 items that was sent out to every Grand Lodge library in the then-49 jurisdictions of the United States: 48 states plus the District of Columbia.5 The response rate to this survey was 100 percent.

In 1998, the MSA presented an updated digest about Masonic libraries with the subtitle “A Listing of Masonic Libraries in the United States, Canada and England.” The contents listed libraries in other Masonic bodies as well as the Grand Lodges.6 Outside of Grand Lodge libraries, Freemasonry sometimes appears as the subject of an article in an academic journal. Typically, those articles can be searched in an academic database. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for articles in the various Masonic magazines that have been produced throughout the world, because there is no database dedicated to Masonic works. Articles about Masonic libraries are, in most cases, written by the librarian to advertise new acquisitions; occasionally, the reader might also find an article explaining how to set up a Masonic library.7 Sometimes a publication makes a library announcement that is of benefit to all Masons with Internet access. An example follows: “The Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library of Grand Lodge is pleased to announce that Masons across the state and browsers across the world may now access our library catalog and view artifacts from the museum collection through our website at www.nymasoniclibrary.org.”8 Announcements like this one refer to individual libraries only. There appears to be nothing in the Masonic literature that discusses multiple libraries. Nor is there any article that focuses upon the catalogs of those libraries.

The catalog of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba was made available over the Internet in May 2007. In creating the records for this library during the several years leading up to its online launch, the author consulted the online services of several Grand Lodge libraries and of several other Masonic bodies and began a study to determine how many other Grand Lodges had libraries with online catalogs.

The particular objectives of this study were to learn: 1. How many Grand Lodges mention that they have libraries; 2. How many of those libraries have websites indicating that a catalog is available; and 3. What automated systems those online libraries used.

The locus of the research was the World Wide Web. To achieve Objective 1, a scan was made of the Internet addresses of the 64 Grand Lodges in the study group. If the Grand Lodge website included mention of a library and a link to its page, then it was possible to move to Objective 2 to discover mention of a catalog, and then to Objective 3 to find out the type of software used for the catalog. The research was conducted during October 2009. Of the 64 Grand Lodges in the Conference of Grand Masters of North America, all except Puerto Rico, which did not operate a website, were available.

Objective 1: In looking for an online catalog, the author searched for a mention of a library on the Grand Lodge home page. In some cases a library, or perhaps library and museum, appeared on the home page. Sometimes it was necessary to go to a committee page before finding mention of a library. Twenty-three Grand Lodge 22 • AUTUMN 2010

websites, or 35.9 percent, mentioned that they had a library.

Objective 2: Of those 23 that mentioned a library, a further look at each website showed that 19, or 29.7 percent of the study group of Grand Lodges, had websites for their libraries.

Objective 3: The 19 library sites identified from Objective 2 were then scanned for mention of an active online catalog. Ten of those 19 libraries, or 15.6 percent of the study group of Grand Lodges, had a catalog online.

As the reader might suspect, a variety of formats for the catalogs can be viewed over the Internet. Table 2 provides a breakdown of the automated library systems, and other programs, in use at Grand Lodge libraries up to October 31, 2009.

Table 2: Library Catalogs Online INTEGRATED LIBRARY SYSTEM

NUMBER PERCENTAGE

Library World Sagebrush Corp.

ITS for Windows

3 2 1

4.8% 3.1% 1.6%

OTHER PROGRAMS Past Perfect FileMaker pro Microsoft Access

1 1 1

1.6% 1.6% 1.6%

OTHER FORMATS HTML Page None

1 54

1.6% 84%

Note that of the 10 libraries with online catalogs available, only six were integrated library systems.

Interest in Freemasonry abounds beyond Grand Lodge websites.

The Canonbury Masonic Center9 was established in London, England, with a focus on the “study of western esotericism and related fields, in particular that of Freemasonry and the traditions linked to it.” The “About Us” page gives information about several similar establishments, including the University of Sheffield, which is host to the Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism.10 In 2009, the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario established a two-year project to raise funds towards the creation of a Centre for Masonic Studies in conjunction with Brock University in St. Catherine’s, Ontario.11 Articles and books are also published on Masonic topics by nonMasons. Examples include Steven G. Bullock, author of Revolutionary Brotherhood, and Margaret C. Jacob, author of The Radical Enlightenment: Pantheists, Freemasons and Republicans. Fiction writers use the Craft as background to their stories, as seen in popular novels such as Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code and The Lost Symbol, and in movies such as National Treasure. Freemasonry forms the backdrop in older works such as The Artifact by Gregory Benford (a Mason) and is hinted at in many of the works of Robert A. Heinlein (not a Mason).

Where do authors locate their information about Freemasonry?

While they may travel to gather their information, modern authors frequently rely upon the online library catalog as a starting point, whether it is to access a public or a university library.

It is not just the general public that is interested in learning more about the Craft. One of the recommendations that Freemasons hear in their ritual is that of making a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge. As a result, they are eagerly studying the history and the treasures of their local Lodges and Grand Lodges. In 2010, a new academic publication appeared that welcomed “contributions in the special field of Freemasonry as much as in the wider field of fraternalism.”12 Sometimes articles that give tips for conducting research might recommend that the researcher go to a Masonic library, such as this one

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by Paul M. Bessel in 2000: Some Masons are worried that they do not have enough money or space for large Masonic libraries in their homes, and they do not know where or how they can find other resources for Masonic research. However, every Mason in America can do Masonic research right where they are. There are many large and small Masonic libraries throughout the United States. Some of the largest are in Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Washington, and other large cities. Masons may be surprised to find out that the largest Masonic library is the United States is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa…. Some Masonic libraries may be hidden treasures, including many maintained by individual Lodges or Scottish Rite bodies, that are hardly known or used. Any Mason should be able to ask around to find out where you can find a Masonic library nearby.13 This advice comes from a Mason to his brother Masons, but does it apply to everyone writing about Freemasonry? As mentioned at the beginning of this article, a Master’s level paper entitled “A System of Morality Veiled in Allegory: The Private and Public Performances of Freemasonry” was recently written and presented to a Canadian university’s history department.14 The topic concerned Freemasonry in a provincial capital at the turn of the 20th century. There were a few problems with this paper: • • • •

the writer mentioned that her grandfather was the only Mason she knew; the sources used were mostly from another province; the sources were for Orange Lodges, not Masonic Lodges; and there was no mention, therefore no visit to or contact with, the Grand Lodge office, archives or library, all of which were located in the city where the student lived and went to school.

The student was awarded her Master’s degree. It is unfortunate that the panel members who reviewed the paper did not ask for an external review from someone who was knowledgeable about the fraternity.

Individual Grand Lodges are paying attention to the interest from within and from without the Craft, and they are increasingly making their collections available by establishing libraries and publishing their collections online. Ten Grand Lodge libraries of the survey group have made the move to the Internet within the past decade: indeed, three were established in 2007 and one in 2009. Local universities are also increasingly likely to have some Masonic books in their collections. A partnership with the local Grand Lodge library can provide a context as well as supplement, augment and enhance the research of students for the benefit of all.

Endnotes 1 Donald O’Neill, “1855-2005: Then and Now,” Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, http://grandlodge.on.ca/150thAnniversary/GL_ History.htm.

2 S. Brent Morris, “Early Freemasonry in America,” in Masonic Philanthropies: A Tradition of Caring (The Supreme Council, 33°, A.&A.S.R. of Freemasonry, S.J., USA, 1997), http://www.srmason-sj.org/mp2/newpage3.htm.

3 Mark A. Tabbert, “Freemasonry and the Digital Revolution,” Hibiscus Masonic Review 2 (2008): 257.

4 Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America, http://www. cgmna.org.

5 Masonic Service Association, Masonic Libraries of the Forty-Nine Grand Jurisdictions of the United States (Washington DC: MSA, 1937).

6 Masonic Service Association, Masonic Libraries: A Listing of Masonic Libraries in the United States, Canada and England (Silver Spring, MD: MSA, 1998).

7 Lodgeroom International Magazine, “The Lodge Library,” Lodgeroom, August 2006, http://www.lodgeroomus.net.

8 Empire State Mason, “Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library of Grand Lodge,” http://www.esmason.com/rrllibrary.html.

9 Canonbury Masonic Research Centre, http://www.canonbury.ac.uk/aims.

htm.

10 University of Sheffield Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism, http://www.freemasonry.dept.shef.ac.uk.

11 Raymond S. J. Daniels, “Project for 2009-2011,” Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, http://www.grandlodge.on.ca.

12 Journal for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism, http://www. equinoxjournals.com/JRFF/index.

13 Paul M. Bessel, “Suggestions About How to Do Interesting and Informative Masonic Research,” Transactions of A. Douglas Smith Jr. Lodge of Research No. 1949, 4 (1998-2001): 103-109.

14 “A system of morality veiled in allegory”: The Private Rituals and Public Performances of Freemasons in Winnipeg, 1864--1900

by Covernton, Gillian, M.A., University of Manitoba (Canada), 2005, 107 pages Brian Rountree is an instructor in the Library and Information Technology Program at Red River College in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where he teaches cataloging and other subjects. RWBro. Rountree was initiated in Dominion Lodge No. 598 in Windsor, Ontario, in 1971. He has been the Grand Librarian for Manitoba since 2005. He is a member of several Research Lodges and concordant bodies, is the Grand Chaplain for the Allied Masonic Degrees of Canada, and also serves as secretary of the Masonic Library and Museum Association.

The Masonic Library and Museum Association is an International organization of librarians, archivists, curators, and directors. The association was founded in 1995 by a group of Masonic librarians and museum directors to share their common experiences, interests and ideas.

The mission of the Masonic Library and Museum Association is to assist and support individuals charged with the collection, management, and preservation of the Masonic heritage through education, facilitation of communication, coordination of effort, and other means.

Membership in the Masonic fraternity is not a requirement for MLMA membership.

The United Grand Lodge of England was a charter member, and there are, or have been, members from Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Curaçao, France, Germany, Mexico, and Scotland.

Some of these colleagues were, or are, members of our older sister organization, the Association of Masonic Museums, Libraries and Archives in Europe (AMMLA) founded in 1989 at the German Masonic Museum (Deutsches Freimaurermuseum) in Bayreuth, with its administrative office in Brussels.

The MLMA’s annual meeting is held in a different location each year, usually in conjunction with a Masonic library or museum. It normally takes place in October or November.

For more information or a membership application, see the MLMA website at www.masoniclibraries.org

AUTUMN 2010 • 23

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HISTORY

Secret in the Passage: Casanova’s Reflections on Freemasonry

by Brad Bunn, MMS

H

is name has been immortalized on and off the rolls of the Craft. It has become synonymous with the word womanizer; even the Oxford English Dictionary defines the name as “a man notorious for seducing women.” But Giacomo Casanova’s passions were not limited to the fairer sex; they encompassed literature, art, music, gambling, medicine, mathematics, law, philosophy, cabala, alchemy, and, yes, Freemasonry. And if his passions were never subdued, then perhaps the words of William Blake are apropos: “The Road of Excess leads to the Palace of Wisdom.1 Traditionally dismissed by Masonic authors as little more than an opportunist unworthy of the rank of Mason, Casanova and his insightful observations on the nature of Masonic mystery have been either casually passed over or purposefully ignored. The purpose of this article is not to vindicate Casanova’s character, but is to draw attention to some of his remarks about Freemasonry; to show that his observations were insightful, relevant to his times, and still relevant today. There is much to be gleaned from Casanova’s Masonic thinking.

Casanova put to paper his thoughts on Freemasonry after he had set foot firmly on that Third Step in the Master Mason Degree, when “as Master Masons, we may enjoy the happy reflections consequent on a well-spent life.” What follows is not the rakish young adventurer wooing us in the candlelit drawing-room of a Venetian palazzo with the

hose who decide to become Masons only to learn the secret may well be deceiving themselves, for a man can be a Master Mason for fifty years and never learn the secret of the brotherhood.” – Casanova muffled excitement of Carnavale heard from the streets below, nor the seasoned cosmopolitan spouting sophisms in some fashionable Parisian coffeehouse. These are the words of a wizened sage who, from his desk in a damp baroque-style castle in Bohemia where he is to live out his remaining days far from his beloved native Venice, occupies himself with the writing of his “Memoirs” to stave off the boredom in those provincial surroundings and his post as librarian to Count Waldstein, who had been neglecting him more and more of late. It is under these circumstances that Casanova shares Masonic wisdom. Reflecting on his Masonic past he writes: “A respectable personage whom I met at the house of Monsieur de Rochebaron procured me the privilege of being admitted into the company of those who see the light. I became an apprentice Freemason.

Two months later at Paris I received the second degree, and some months later the third, which is the mastership. It is the highest. All the other titles which were conferred on me in the course of time are pleasing fictions which though symbolic, add nothing to the dignity of the Master.

“There is not a man on earth who succeeds in knowing everything; but every man should aspire to know everything. Every young man who travels, who wishes to know society, who does not wish to be inferior to another and excluded from the company of his equals in the age in which we live, should be initiated into what is called Freemasonry, if only to acquire a superficial knowledge of what it is. However, he must be careful to make the right choice of the lodge of which he wishes to become a member, for though evil company cannot act in the lodge, 24 • AUTUMN 2010

it may be present in it, and the candidate must beware of dangerous connections. Those who decide to become Masons only to learn the secret may well be deceiving themselves, for a man can be a Master Mason for fifty years and never learn the secret of the brotherhood.

“The secret of Masonry is inviolable by its own nature, since the Mason who knows it, knows it only because he as divined it. He has learned it from no one. He has discovered it by virtue of going to the lodge, observing, reasoning, and deducing. When he has arrived at it, he takes great care not to share his discovery with anyone, were it his best friend and a Mason, because if he has not the ability to find it out, he will by the same token not have the ability to profit by it if he learns it by word of mouth. The secret, then, will always be a secret.” 2 Although originally educated and trained for a career in the Church, even receiving minor orders, it became apparent that the quiet confinement of the cloister was not for Casanova and he left the seminary of San Cipriano for the boundless world beyond. “I never aimed at a set goal,” he writes, “the only system I followed, if system it may be called, was to let myself go wherever the wind which was blowing drove me.” Thus Casanova became what in the 18th century was termed an adventurer – that is, an opportunist. The winds that would take him across the whole of Europe carried him to France, and what better place for a young epicurean to experience the world in all its richest flavors? This was the age of Voltaire, Diderot and Rousseau, and like them, Casanova put his faith in the rational and reasoning powers of man, which he considered to be nothing less than divine. In fact, Casanova believed reason to be the true source of man’s freedom.

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“Casanova claims to have been initiated in the latter part of 1750 at Lyons, on his way to Paris, where he was made a Master Mason. At Venice in 1755 he was arrested on charges of sorcery and of being a Freemason, his Masonic clothing being found by police and deemed incriminating. Not only does he tell of meeting prominent Freemasons in various countries but in Rome itself he asserts that several prelates and cardinals were secretly members of the Craft.” —Albert Mackey “Man is a free agent,” he writes, “but he is not free if he does not believe it, for the more power he attributes to Destiny, the more he deprives himself of the power which God granted him when he gave him reason.” 3 This attitude is consistent in what he says about Masonry, insisting that it is only by this divine yet wonderfully human faculty of reason that a Freemason might discover, or “profit” from the secrets of the Craft. Casanova’s approach to Freemasonry was not mystical, but rational and scientific, which kept with his Enlightenment views of relying on observation and deduction. A century later, Albert Pike would laud this same method when he wrote, “It is for each individual Mason to discover the secret of Masonry, by reflection upon its symbols and a wise consideration and analysis of what is said and done in the work.”4 According to Casanova, “the secret of Masonry is inviolable by its own nature.” One might ask what is it that makes a secret inviolable?

When something is inviolable it may be said to be sacred or sacrosanct.

A secret that is inviolable is one which cannot be penetrated. Casanova alludes to this principle earlier in a passage when he says, “those who decide to become Masons only to learn the secret may well be deceiving themselves.” Did Casanova mean to imply that the secret of Masonry is there is no secret? That there is no official or singular secret for the Brotherhood? This writer believes so, because he says the Mason who knows the secret “has learned it from no one.” In fact, Casanova says a Mason knows it only by virtue of having “divined it,” which is an interesting choice of words since divined carries with it mystical connotations. This statement appears to contradict his typically rational outlook.

Today many Masons view the secret of Masonry as being one’s individual interpretation based on personal experience in searching and researching. For them, the Masonic journey or quest is the most important aspect of Freemasonry, far greater in value than the recovery of the Lost Word. The notion of a Lost Word and the possibility of its recovery do serve as impetus to the search, but a Mason can save himself a great deal of time by realizing early on that the initiatic process is only the outward expression of an inner journey. It is for this reason that the secret, by its nature, is individualistic; one Word cannot adequately express everyone’s conceptions of what they will discover on their particular Masonic journeys, which might explain why the Third Degree says the secret Word imparted is only a substitute.

Casanova began his discourse on Masonry by assuring would-be Masons that Masonry has the extraordinary ability to make a man level with those who otherwise might be deemed his superiors. Today’s Masons may fail to appreciate how revolutionary Freemasonry was in Casanova’s time, and how the institution embodied in its tenets the Enlightenment’s high ideal of equality. The world at that time had not yet caught up with Masonry’s teachings, and even though it was the Age of Enlightenment, there still existed a strong presence of class distinction in society. Casanova, as the son of two actors, was decisively on the modest end of that divide, but by using Masonic credentials,

he and other adventurers such as Count Cagliostro and St. Germain, whom Casanova knew personally, were able to interact in the highest echelons of society, even obtaining audiences with monarchs and other royal figures.

“And thus acquaintance grew, at noble routs, And diplomatic dinners, or at other For Juan stood well both with Ins and Outs, As in Freemasonry a higher brother.” 5 William Preston, the leading English Masonic ritualist and author of Casanova’s time, wrote in his Illustrations of Masonry, a book from which many subsequent Masonic monitors have been derived: “Masons are brethren by a double tie, and among them as brothers no invidious distinctions exist; merit being always respected, and honor rendered to whom it is due. A king in the Lodge is reminded, that although a crown may adorn his head, or scepter the hand, the blood in his veins is derived from the common parent of mankind, and is no better than that of the meanest subject. The statesman, the senator, and the artist, are there taught that, equally with others, they are by nature exposed to infirmities and disease, and that an unforeseen misfortune, or a disordered frame, may impair their faculties, and level them with the most ignorant of the species.” 6 This passage defines the Masonic maxim that in the Lodge Masons are to meet on the level. The son of an actor or a cobbler then might stand alongside a member the aristocracy, an atmosphere in which both new social connections might be cemented and nefarious connections might be more easily concealed.

In the 18th century, Freemasonry was often a key which could be used to open doors and purses, and a number of Casanova’s fellow adventures used this connection to their advantage. Ian Kelly, in his biography of Casanova, writes that Freemasonry as well as Rosicrucianism “tied” Casanova “more securely into an international elite of fellow travelers.”7 Essentially being a Freemason in Casanova’s day, especially one who was traveling, was like carrying a letter of introduction that could be used to enter into good society. This is why Casanova recommends the fraternity to “every young man who travels.” The traveler had to be wary, however, because Masonry could be dangerous to one’s health depending on the view of Masonry taken by the authorities of the country where one found himself. In Venice, Casanova faced the Inquisition, which arrested and imprisoned him, partially on the charge of being a Freemason (and a magician).

Prison walls proved unable to hold Casanova for long, even walls as formidable as those of the infamous Leads, so named because they lay under the lead roof of the Doge’s Palace. He was the first man in history to successfully escape them, a feat accomplished at the stroke of midnight on October 31, 1756, a date Casanova kabbalistically chose from the epic poem “Orlando Furioso” by his favorite Italian poet Continued on page 28 AUTUMN 2010 • 25

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SPECULATION

Was Freemasonry a Tudor Invention?

By Gene Hutloff

F

ew subjects provoke more discussion than the origins of Freemasonry. Although most Masons have become habituated to taking pronouncements beginning with “Masonic tradition informs us” with more than a grain of salt, there yet remain substantial disagreements between the proponents of the Authentic School and all others, especially the champions of the Templar School, with its romantic associations with Scotland and Rosslyn Chapel. The origins theory presented in this paper suggests another time than either the 14th or the 18th centuries, and another place than either Scotland or the London tavern where the first Grand Lodge was formed in 1717. Rather, we will examine the time of Elizabeth I and a world of conspiracies, secret organizations, cipher codes and the beginnings of the Scientific Enlightenment.

Central to the story of what subsequently became Freemasonry is the putative Grand Master himself, Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626).

Said to be the secret son of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester,1 he was supposedly not told of his royal birth until shortly before his journey to France in 1577.2 He was hailed as one of the greatest men of his time, only to be later disgraced by charges of bribery and corruption, and sentenced to imprisonment in the Tower of London. His death in 1626 is disputed by some Baconians, who believe that his fatal illness was feigned and that he was spirited away to France to live out his remaining years in peaceful obscurity.3 Sir Nicholas Bacon, into whose care the infant Francis was said to have been placed, raised the child as his own. His fortunes and property increased greatly from the time Francis was added to the household, and the belief is that these better times were occasioned by royal assistance.

He was known as a good man, deeply philosophical, well connected on the Continent and in England with the best minds of his time.

Nicholas Bacon saw to it that the young Francis was surrounded by the finest and brightest youths of England and France, his companions in learning during the formative years. He died in 1579, while Francis was in France.4 Sir Nicholas, having built a new home at Gorhambury, was visited

by Queen Elizabeth when Francis was seven years old, and told that more space was needed to accomplish the educational program that she had directed her personal tutor, Sir Roger Ascham, to devise. Room was required for the visiting scholars who were to be the companions in learning to young Francis. Extensive gardens of royal dimensions were to be planted so that the mysteries of nature could be observed, and which would serve as academic groves through which the young scholars and their masters might stroll, discussing philosophical matters in the Platonic mode. Because the Queen planned frequent visits to Gorhambury in order to oversee the education of young Francis, Sir Nicholas was also charged with the task of building an additional wing to accommodate the royal visits. When Gorhambury was completed, it displayed Masonic pillars at its front entrance. These were of the Tuscan order, with examples of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian elsewhere.

Within, paintings depicted the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, reminders to Francis and his associates of what were the purposes of the daily study. Quite naturally, this place of light and learning came to be known as The Temple.5 Of special interest to Masons is the name of a certain meeting place, a Lodge if you will, where Francis Bacon and his secret organizations were wont to meet during his adult years: the Priory of St. John of Jerusalem. There were several Lodges that met in the old priory, the entrances to which were closely guarded by outer and inner guards to prevent the approach of cowans and eavesdroppers. The labors of Bacon and his circle involved the writing, rehearsal and production of plays. The plays were destined for performance before the Queen, and were often for the purpose of pointing out to her just where she might be in need of correction – a role not unlike that of the Jester, who was shielded by his office from the royal wrath, it being considered 26 • AUTUMN 2010

Sir Francis Bacon

in the Queen’s interest that someone had to be empowered to speak the truth. And so, the play was frequently the thing wherein to catch the conscience of a queen. Comedies served this purpose with greater success than tragedies, although there were times when the monarch was not amused, in which case the Lodge would be placed under a royal edict of inhibition, during which time the company was forbidden to produce or perform plays.

Neither the production of the plays nor their rehearsal was stopped by the inhibitions. However, to evade capture and arrest, the outer guards kept strict watch for the approach of the queen’s men; at the alarm, the company would flee to the tunnel connecting the Priory with Canonbury Tower across the way, thereby making their escape.6 The final inhibition came in 1591, lasting until 1599, thereby closing down the Lodge of St John of Jerusalem.

During the course of his life, Bacon either directed, devised or inherited at least three secret organizations; the Knights of the Helmet, the Fra Rosi Crosse Society, and the Acception Masons. The thesis set forth in this paper is that Freemasonry as we know it is a survival and further development of the Acception Masons. The proponents of this thesis explain the secret organizations as representing stages of Francis Bacon’s personal vision, starting with the French Academy in his youth and ending with the prototype of Freemasonry that survived until the emergence of the Grand Lodge of 1717.

The Knights of the Helmet may have actually been begun by Nicolas Bacon during the time of the French Academy and the Platonic Gardens. By the time Francis was fifteen, however, he had already manifested those qualities of leadership that would entitle him to take over the direction of the organization. The helmet of the title was that of the goddess Athena, more often called Minerva. Her helmet had the power to bestow invisibility on its wearer, invisibility being the watchword for the society. The members were to pursue their projects on behalf of Bacon’s great plans with invisibility; avoiding all public

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notice, and staying in the background rather than seeking honors or recognition for good works. Of course, their very identity as members of Bacon’s society was to remain unknown or invisible to the profane.

As goddess of Wisdom, Minerva typified Bacon’s lifelong commitment to the advancement of learning.7 The Fra Rosi Crosse Society maintained the vow of invisibility but emphasized a practical and experimental approach to the quest for knowledge, taking as their model the alchemy and healing arts associated with the Rosicrucians, knowledge for the sake of benefiting mankind. The New Atlantis, a utopian novel8, was never completed, but it gives an indication of the social, political and scientific directions in which Bacon’s ideas were taking him. It was during this time that the activities at the Lodge of St. John of Jerusalem may have flourished, carrying over to the time of the Acceptance Masons.9 With the inauguration of the Acception Masons, Bacon settled on the most mature, complete form of his vision for the betterment of mankind. His great work, The Advancement of Learning, is his manifesto of what he called “the Great Instauration”10, a comprehensive model for ensuring continuous progress in human knowledge that addressed every level of human activity – physical, mental and spiritual. The theory of Bacon Masonry is not so much that speculative Masons infiltrated operative lodges of Free and Accepted Masons, but that men of learning and position, having infiltrated operative lodges had then sought initiation into Bacon’s Acception Masonry.

The classic example was “The Great Instauration” Nicholas Stone, Master Mason to King James VI of Scotland (James I of England). Stone, who was already noted as an enrolled member of a Company of Masons in 1621, was granted admission to a Lodge of the Acceptance in 1639.11 Proponents of the Bacon theory of Masonic origins cite resemblances between the facts and rumors of Bacon’s life and the rites and lectures of modern Freemasonry. These include the high place given by modern Freemasonry to the Liberal Arts and Sciences, compared with Bacon’s advocacy of the universal advancement of learning; the noble qualities and cruel fate of Hiram the widow’s son, compared with the refusal of the Virgin Queen to acknowledge her own son and his right to the throne; the similarity of symbols and tools of the Bacon secret societies with those of modern Freemasonry; and the use of plays

by Bacon’s brothers of the Lodge of St John of Jerusalem to carry a moral message, compared with the drama of the Builder comprising the latter half of modern Freemasonry’s Third Degree. The relatively high level of educational achievement of modern Freemasons compares favorably with that of the initiates of Bacon’s Order of Acceptance, in contrast to the lower levels of education common to members of the Craft in the Operative Lodges. No single one of these points of comparison and contrast, taken by itself, is especially compelling; but collectively, a profile of reasonable arguments seems to emerge. Further investigation of this emerging profile adds yet more weight to the claim.

There was much more to fear, as a member of one of Bacon’s secret societies, than the mere loss of secrets of the builder’s trade. The fact that Francis was an heir to the throne made him an immediate target for assassination. His associates would also have been marked men, considered to be members of a conspiracy to frustrate other would-be monarchs. The invisible work of the Bacon circle, the advancement of the cause of learning and the diffusion of scientific knowledge,

was considered the exclusive domain of the Crown; one had to ask permission simply to ask questions, and any visible attempt to conduct experiments would have been considered a punishable offense. For such a circle of Brothers and Companions, it was a matter of life and death to see that the Lodge was tyled.

Francis Bacon had his joys as well as his fears. His greatest joy was the pursuit of his life mission, that of discovering the concealed mysteries of Nature, thereby creating a store of useful knowledge for the benefit of mankind. He understood this mission to be the acting out of the Divine Plan. A passage from the 25th chapter of Proverbs served him throughout his life as his Pattern upon the Trestleboard: “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings to search out a matter. The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.”

How like another familiar passage from yet another familiar source: “By geometry we may curiously trace nature through her various windings to her most concealed recesses. By it we discover the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Great Artificer of the Universe and view with delight the proportions which connect this vast machine.”

Geometry and the tools of geometry played a vital role in the symbolic work of Bacon’s secret societies. The square and compass figured prominently, and they were arranged in the regular Masonic manner. Frequent mention of Solomon’s temple is found in Bacon’s writings, and Bacon himself is often referred to as King Solomon. In connection with the square and compass, one often finds three rods in the usual place of the “G.” Elsewhere, and later in Bacon’s career, the rods are actually replaced by the “G.” The All-Seeing Eye appears regularly on engravings that illustrate Bacon’s books, and there is mention of the metaphorical Raising of the Dead.

The three rods refer to a legend of Bacon Masonry in which King Solomon possessed a rod five feet in length; the rod of Hiram, King of Tyre was four feet long; and Hiram Abif ’s, three feet. When placed together, the three rods formed a right angle triangle; and with that figure the Master Architect could lay out perfect squares of any size for building the Temple. The rods symbolically represented the three parts of the Syllogism – the fundamental premise, the secondary premise and the conclusion. In the search for a reasoned basis for discovering truth, especially moral truth, Bacon held the Syllogism in high regard. It was only after experiencing the inevitable frustrations that accompany the exclusive use of the Syllogism – the faulty premise – that Bacon abandoned that method and instituted the process of Induction. It was then that Bacon replaced the three rods with the “G,” representing the newly preferred reasoning. Induction, according to Bacon, was based on the joyful insight that Creation was limitless in its concealed mysteries, and that God’s help was required to aid the searcher in uncovering the treasures which He had concealed. After all, was it not the glory of God to conceal and the honour of kings to search out that which, though apparently lost, was merely concealed, awaiting discovery?

The All-Seeing Eye is generally considered as symbolic of the infinite vision of God, whose eye is on the sparrow as well as on everything and everyone else. Such was not the interpretation given

by Bacon. To Bacon and to his fellow searchers, the All-Seeing Eye represented man in his endless search for that which was not lost but concealed. As the quest for greater knowledge proceeds, the eye of man becomes more all-seeing, searching for the knowledge that the Divine Plan calls him to lay up in store for the good of all.

That search for knowledge to which mankind is called by his Creator is further represented in the metaphor of raising the dead. In J.M.S. Ward’s Freemasonry and the Ancient Gods, there is a plate of a painting by Guercino from the mid-17th century, entitled “The Raising of the Master.” The original is in the possession of the Supreme Holy Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland. The painting depicts one man leaning over a dead body, taking the measurement of the corpse with a rod.

Another man is leaning over an adjacent wall, taking the dimensions of the grave with the compasses. A third man, beside the man with the compasses, stands with his arms raised as if in great grief or distress. All this in a painting from the time of Bacon, long before Masonic scholars of the Authentic School would ever admit to a second part of the Third AUTUMN 2010 • 27

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proponents of the Rosslyn Chapel school, reading some Baconians can lead one into mental dialogues with a few writers who might seem to have taken leave of their senses. Nevertheless, such conversations can point the seeker after Masonic light in the direction of true induction — the sort of light which led Sir Francis Bacon through the dark and dangerous places of what might have been his proto-Masonic life.

ENDNOTES 1

Alfred Dodd, The Marriage of Elizabeth Tudor (London: Rider & Co.,1940), 13.

William T. Smedley, The Mystery of Francis Bacon (London: Robert Banks & Son, 1912), 36.

2

Giovanni Francesco Guercino’s “The Raising of the Master.”

Degree! Bacon’s thoughts on this matter were such that in searching for the knowledge to which kings are called, it is not sufficient to limit one’s search to what is presently available for observation or experiment. It is also necessary to consult the wisdom of the ancients – to “raise the dead,” as Bacon would say, to see what knowledge the Past Masters of mankind might have to help future generations in the search for more Light. It would not, in this sense, have been out of order for Bacon, as King Solomon, to order his Fellows to search diligently on or about the bodies of the ancient masters for the secrets of a Master Mason or a key thereto.12 One of the joys of Masonic research, or even the sort of casual inquiry represented by this paper, is the pleasure of role playing.

Clothing oneself with the Tudor costume of a Baconian and pursuing a line of inquiry wherever one’s fancy may lead him, can give rise to a renewed interest in history and a zest for what may become true scholarly pursuit. Besides, any pretext which leads one to read or reread Shakespeare is sufficient cause for celebration. As with the less rational

Secret in the Passage: Continued from page 26 Lodivico Aristo. As a consequence, Casanova was catapulted to celebrity status in Parisian salons while simultaneously becoming a fugitive in his beloved city. Others were not so lucky. Casanova’s counterpart, the equally beloved and reviled Freemason and adventurer Count Cagliostro, died in an Inquisition dungeon because he attempted to open his own Masonic lodge in Rome 33 years later. Although Venice and Rome were hostile to the fraternity, France was not. There Masonry was received with a more liberal mindset. It had become fashionable, thanks largely to its patronage by the aristocracy. J.M. Roberts, in The Mythology of the Secret Societies, writes: “[France] was the first continental country in which Freemasonry enjoyed the widespread and fashionable success it had already achieved in England.” 8 John Robison, the father of Masonic conspiracy theories, was made a Mason at Liege. He writes that when Freemasonry was exported to the continent, it “was immediately received by the French, and was cultivated with great zeal in a manner suited to the taste and habits of that highly polished people.” 9 It was precisely in such a milieu that Casanova took the degrees of Masonry and, considering he said he had received “other titles,” it is possible he received some of the “Hauts Grades,” or “High Degrees” that had proliferated in France and were eagerly sought by the aristocrats in the fraternity. By “pleasing fictions,” Casanova may have been alluding to the additional degrees, with their tales of knightly glories. Still, it is telling that Casanova held the Master Mason Degree to be the highest, exhibiting a very modern attitude toward side degrees and orders.

In his Memoirs, Casanova writes “The same impression which the Brotherhood of Masons produces today on many who have not been initiated into it was produced in ancient times by the great mysteries which were celebrated at Eleusis in honor of Ceres. They aroused the interest of all of Greece, and the greatest men in the world aspired to be initiated into them.”

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3

Alfred Dodd, Francis Bacon’s Personal Life Story (London: Rider & Co., 1938), 356.

4

Smedley, 42.

5

Dodd, Francis Bacon’s Personal Life Story, 57.

R.Warwick Bond, The Complete Works of John Lyly (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1902), 38.

6

7

George V. Tudhope, Bacon Masonry (Berkeley: Kessinger, 1954), 24.

8

Ibid., 31.

9

Ibid., 32.

Francis Bacon, Advancement of Learning, ed. Joseph P. Devey (New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1905), 9-10.

10

F. L. Pick and G.N. Knight, The Pocket History of Freemasonry (London: Frederick Muller Limited, 1953), 9, 45.

11

12

Tudhope, 47-51.

Gene Hutloff is the Worshipful Master of Hispanos Unidos Lodge #83 in Glendale, Arizona, the Orator of Adobe Lodge No. 41 in Tuscon, and the Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Arizona.

ENDNOTES William Blake, “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,” in Blake’s Poetry and Designs: A Norton Critical Edition, ed. Marylynn Lynn Johnson and John E. Grant (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1979), 89.

1

Giacomo Casanova, History of My Life, translated by Willard R. Trask (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997), Vol. 3, 116-17.

2

Giacomo Casanova, History of My Life, translated by Willard R. Trask (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997), Vol. 1, 26.

3

4 Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma (Richmond, VA.: L. H. Jenkins, INC., 1920), 218.

George Gordon Byron, “Don Juan,” in Byron’s Poetry And Prose: A Norton Critical Edition, ed. Alice Levine (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010), 610.

5

William Preston, Illustrations of Masonry (Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2003), 45.

6

Ian Kelly, Casanova Actor Lover Priest Spy (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2008), 219.

7

J. M. Roberts, The Mythology of the Secret Societies (London: Watkins Publishing, 2008), 47.

8

John Robison, Proofs of a Conspiracy Against All Religions and Governments of Europe Carried on in the Secret Meetings of Freemasons, Illuminati and Reading Societies (Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2003), 15.

9

R. Bradley Bunn is a Past Master of Queen City Lodge No. 602 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Raised in October of 2003, he is a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Raleigh, the York Rite, the Allied Masonic Degrees, the M.S.R.I.C.F. and other appendant Masonic research bodies. His spare time is devoted to research focusing on Masonic history, symbolism, and ritual. He can be reached at faustus13137@gmail.com.

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

HISTORY

A Century of Craft Freemasonry in England

By Yasha beresiner, fms

(Paper delivered at The Masonic Society’s Semi-Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Saturday, September 25, 2010)

exception of their gender!).

INTRODUCTION

MASONIC RANKING SYSTEM (1908)

It is always a pleasure to have the opportunity to address members of the Masonic Society, even if it is only a coincidence that finds me in New Orleans on the same dates as this Semi-Annual Meeting of the Society. My good fortune!

In selecting the topic of “A Century of Freemasonry in England,” I keep in mind the huge subject that I have chosen. Rather than attempt a comprehensive coverage, I have therefore selected a few key events of particular consequence to the development of Freemasonry in the last 100 years (plus or minus 10%).

ROYALTY (1901)

The year 1901 is an apt starting point in this chronology. It was the end of the reign, lasting for more than a quarter of a century, of a Grand Master whose popularity had brought the Craft into fashion and prominence. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (1841-1910), to be crowned King Edward VII, was initiated in Stockholm in 1868 by Prince Oscar, future King of Sweden. In 1874, Edward was made Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England (hereafter referred to as the UGLE), and his dedication to the Craft and personal fun-loving approach to life made Freemasonry a stylish pursuit. Britain as a whole, in this first decade of the 20th Century, was enjoying a sense of prosperity, even invincibility, and Freemasonry swept along in the same vein. Many Royals and aristocrats were joining the Craft.

CHURCHILL (1901)

It was within this ambiance of popularity that Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (1874-1965) was initiated into the Studholme Lodge No. 1591 on May 24th, 1901. He came from a family of Freemasons. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill (1849-1895), and his uncle, Randolph’s elder brother, George Charles Spencer-Churchill (1844-1892), were both initiated in the Churchill Lodge in 1871 – as was his first cousin, Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill (1871–1934), 9th Duke of Marlborough.

It is not therefore surprising that Churchill should follow in family tradition, even if his interest in the Craft was far from being enthusiastic. He never went beyond his status as a Master Mason and resigned in October 1911 on being appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. Churchill’s membership is reflective of a large number of prominent men joining the Craft due to expectation, or for no other reason than it being fashionable to do so.

WOMEN (1902)

It was in this first decade of the 20th century that Britain witnessed the emergence of Freemasonry amongst women. Following the 1882 initiation in France of the distinguished feminist author Mlle. Maria Deraismes (1828-1894), and the subsequent 1889 foundation of the Droit Humaine, the International Order of Co-Masonry, London consecrated Human Duty Lodge No 6 in 1902. The new and first co-Masonic body in Britain had the famed Mrs. Annie Besant (1847-1933) as its first Grand Commander. It has always remained closely associated with the Theosophical Society, founded in 1875. As recently as March 2010, the Order consecrated a Lodge in Central London.

In 1908, the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Masonry, under the guidance of the Rev. Dr. William Cobb (1857-1941), seceded and would soon change its name to the Order of Women Freemasons, which, as the name suggests, was restricted to women alone. The current Grand Master, MW Bro. Brenda Fleming-Taylor, presided at the centenary celebrations of the Order in June 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. There were no fewer than 4,000 Brethren of the Order present. Another breakaway group, also restricted to women alone, was named The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons and consecrated in 1913. The first Grand Master was Mrs. Elizabeth Boswell-Reid, who held the Office until 1933; she was succeeded by her daughter, Mrs. Lily Seton Challen. The present Grand Master is MW Bro. Sheila Norden. The continued charitable contributions of these feminine orders are admirable and impressive.

The UGLE at first saw these bodies as irregular. Several applications made to Grand Lodge by the Order of Women Freemasons were refuted.

Only in 1998 did the UGLE, still refusing to give them any recognition, formally concede that The Order of Women Freemasons and The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons were regular in practice (with the sole

An interesting and important development in the first decade of the 20th century was the institution of the new London Rank. From time immemorial, so to speak, and until October 2003 (when the Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London was formed – an event about which we will hear more later), London Masons maintained a unique status by being directly responsible to the Grand Master. This position was in stark contrast to the standing of their colleagues in the Provinces, where power rested with the Provincial Grand Master and allegiance to him led to rewards of Provincial honors. In 1908, the establishment of the London Rank was a welcome compensation to bring London Masons, to some limited extent, in line with their Provincial colleagues.

The Grand Rank system – that is, the “national” awards granted to Masons in England – remains unique. At the Union in 1813, the right of nomination of all Grand Officers was vested in the Grand Master. Grand Officers are still appointed annually and invested by the Grand Master, or his representative, at an Annual Festival in April. The award of “past rank” was an English innovation, initially very sparingly awarding grand honors but not requiring the holder to have previously held active office.

WARTIME HOSPITAL (1916)

When war broke out in August 1914 and Freemasons were called to arms, they followed in a long and established Masonic military tradition.

In 1911, members of the Malmesbury Lodge No. 3156 first began to consider a Masonic Nursing home. In 1916, they purchased a property in Fulham, West London, and appropriately named it the Freemasons’ War Hospital and Nursing Home. The establishment dedicated itself to the treatment and welfare of servicemen wounded in the various theaters of war. The impetus thus given to what was intended as an initial temporary facility led to the formal opening of the Royal Masonic Hospital by King George V and Queen Mary on July 12th, 1933.

The hospital was functioning at its peak when the Second World War broke out. Once more the hospital successfully catered to more than 8,000 soldiers who were treated and rehabilitated in the premises. Following the war, however, with the establishment in 1948 of the National Health Service, the fortunes of all the hospitals in the country began to decline. The Royal Masonic Hospital was no exception. The remainder of this story is tragic. In his 1973 report, RW Bro. Mr. Justice Bagnall indicated that the facility could not continue to function as a general hospital, and by the 1980s the Hospital was incurring heavy losses. The Hospital finally went into liquidation in 1996, following an extended period of controversy and acrimony. The functions of the Hospital are today filled by the New Samaritan Fund.

FREEMASONS’ HALL (1933)

In the three years following the end of the First World War in November 1918, some 350 new Lodges were consecrated in England. In 1919, a decision was made to erect a Masonic Peace Memorial, honoring the 3,225 Brethren who had fallen during the war. This project was to become the present Freemasons’ Hall. The foundation-stone was laid on June 14, 1927 and the Hall was completed and dedicated in 1933. It was the third hall built on the same site. The art-deco architecture of the building, its Grand Temple and stylized Lodge rooms, and the Museum and Library of Freemasonry which it houses are a source of great pride to all English Freemasons.

250TH ANNIVERSARY (1967)

In England, charity is the pivot on which Freemasonry rotates, and it is rich in history and traditions. In America, by way of contrast, organizations beyond the Craft – the Shriners being a primary example – place emphasis on care in the community with hands-on activities more in the style of Rotarians than English Freemasons.

The long-standing English tradition of charitable giving was manifest in the 250th anniversary of Grand Lodge, celebrated on June 14, 1967 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The centerpiece of the celebration was the installation of our present Grand Master, His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, grandson of George V and thus first cousin to Queen Elizabeth II. Some 25 years on – on June 10, 1992 – 12,500 Freemasons and their guests gathered at West London’s Earls Court to celebrate the 275th anniversary of Grand Lodge. For the first time, press and television were present at a meeting of Grand Lodge. The event was featured on television newscasts around the world. The year also celebrated, in addition to the 25th Anniversary of HRH The Duke of Kent as Grand AUTUMN 2010 • 29

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Master, the 40th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s accession to the throne.

A MAJOR REVIEW (1971)

The many aspects of the charitable face of Freemasonry, which developed and surfaced over the last two centuries, reached a climax in 1971.

A committee was set up to consider the rationalizing of existing Masonic charities. The historic context for the dramatic changes that were now to take place can be traced back to the Union of the Antients and Moderns in 1813. The general funds of both Grand Lodges were at that time combined into a Board of Benevolence and Charity, which continued as the predominant priority of the newly formed United Grand Lodge of England. In January 1981, the independent Grand Charity was given its own President, Council and Committees, and continues today the most senior of the charities. Its annual donations (exceeding £ 6.8 million in 2008) are dispensed equally within and without Freemasonry. The Royal Masonic Institution for Girls (RMIG) and the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys (RMIB) were amalgamated in 1986 to form the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys. Today, only the independent Masonic School for Girls survives, and it is highly successful. It provides for the education of all children and grandchildren of Freemasons up to university level. It is responsible for more than 1,600 young people, including children with no Masonic connections.

OPENNESS (1983)

In 1983, the publication of The Brotherhood by Stephen Knight (1951-1985) had major repercussions for English Freemasonry. It brought about a fundamental change to the manner in which post-war Freemasonry presented itself to the public. In the 1980s, conspiracy theories were rife and popular, and the suggestion that the police and judiciary were under complete control of Freemasons in England was received with credulity. Until 1984, and since its foundation in 1717, the policy of Grand Lodge had been one of “no comment.” Today, the function of our Director of Communications is to ensure that what the press says is accurate and factual. The radical changes, therefore, leading to the appointment of a Director of Communications, the nomination of provincial spokesmen, use of the services of a Public Relations company, and other measures to “open” Freemasonry to public scrutiny, was a dramatic change indeed.

Within the Craft, removal of the physical penalties from the ritual was formally approved by Grand Lodge and was a direct consequence of these unprecedented changes.

ITALIAN SUSPENSION (1993)

The Grand Orient of Italy won recognition from England in 1972 – having been established more than 100 years earlier. It was the first time England recognized any Masonic Grand Lodge in Italy. In April 1993, a week after his election as the Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Italy, Giuliano di Bernardo dramatically resigned from the Grand Orient. He simultaneously set up his own Regular Grand Lodge of Italy and applied for formal recognition. The response by the United Grand Lodge of England is unique in English Masonic history. Recognition of the Grand Orient was “suspended,” a term never before used, at the Quarterly Communication on June 9th, 1993 and withdrawn on September 8th. On December 8th, 1993 the Regular Grand Lodge of Italy was formally recognized by England, and recognition by Ireland and Scotland followed automatically.

In December 2001, MW Bro. Fabio Venzi (born1961) was installed as the Grand Master of the Regular Grand Lodge of Italy, and he continues to rule to this date.

PRINCE HALL (1994)

A long-standing and much-discussed issue worldwide reached its climax in England in 1994, when the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts was recognized by the UGLE. The origins of the tension date to 1775, when a black man named Prince Hall, together with 14 other AfricanAmericans, was initiated in Boston, Massachusetts. By 1813, though still listed on the register of the Grand Lodge of England, all contact with the African Lodge had been lost. In 1827, the African Lodge declared itself an independent Grand Lodge, later styled “Prince Hall Grand Lodge.”

In 1998, the Board of General Purposes of the UGLE, in considering the application from the Grand Master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts – from which, it was agreed, all Prince Hall Lodges derive their authority – the Board recommended that this Prince Hall Grand Lodge should be accepted as regular and recognized. The present philosophy of the UGLE is to favorably consider applications from Prince Hall Grand Lodges that have been recognized by the Grand Lodge in their own “territory.”

HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT COMMITTEE (1997)

Government interference in Masonic affairs in England has been mercifully moderate. Therefore, the December 1996 decision of the Home Affairs Select Committee to look into Freemasonry and its influence on the criminal justice system was received with considerable disparagement by the fraternity. The conclusion – that the perception that Freemasonry had interfered in the criminal justice system was “unjustified paranoia” – 30 • AUTUMN 2010

was received with relief and satisfaction. Nonetheless, the legislation was amended at the last moment to a recommendation calling for police officers, judges, magistrates and crown prosecutors to publicly register their membership in the society. This requirement was only lifted in November 2009.

LORD NORTHAMPTON BECOMES NEW PRO GRAND MASTER (2001)

If one single Brother has had an impact on changes in Freemasonry in the past 100 years, it would undoubtedly be the British Peer, Spencer “Spenny” Douglas David Compton, 7th Marquess of Northampton (born 1946). On March 14th, 2001, he was invested as Pro Grand Master in succession to Lord Farnham. In 1995, he was appointed Assistant Grand Master responsible for London and kept the post for five years. He was a popular and innovative Masonic leader and totally dedicated to the Craft. In March 2008, Lord Northampton retired as Pro Grand Master, having helped the fraternity survive through one of the most difficult periods in its history. MW Bro. Peter Lowndes has taken over as Pro Grand Master.

METROPOLITAN GRAND LODGE (2003)

On October 1st, 2003, the Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London was officially formed amid glittering ceremonies attended by a full house that packed the stalls, balconies and galleries of the Royal Albert Hall. The complexity of the set up, the new ranking system, and the appointment of Metropolitan Grand Officers (ten Group Chairmen and ten Deputies, Assistant Metropolitan Grand Masters, their Inspectors, etc.) soon had to be revised, and considerable heart-searching reforms continue to date.

EUROPEAN GRAND MASTERS IN LONDON (2007)

In the light of the age-old acrimony and criticism endured by the UGLE on the subject of recognition and regularity, the London Conference of Grand Masters, held in November 2007, must have been regarded as a revolutionary and courageous event. It came about by the invitation of the UGLE to European Grand Masters – including several from unrecognized constitutions – to meet and discuss aspects of sovereignty, communications, regularity and recognition. The 44 Grand Masters who accepted the invitation were formally welcomed by the Grand Master, HRH the Duke of Kent, at a highly cordial dinner. The two-day conference that followed was chaired by the then-Deputy Grand Master, Peter Lowndes. The speakers included the Pro Grand Master, Lord Northampton, the Grand Master of Austria, Michael Kraus, and Gustavo Raffi, Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Italy. It was an unqualified success that has opened the door to similar conferences in the future.

THE INTERNET AGE (2010)

Our forefathers could not have visualized the success and universal expansion of Freemasonry, let alone 21st-century technology, which is beyond the comprehension of many Masons today. Nonetheless, looking at present trends and recent developments, Freemasonry appears well placed in this virtual age of cyberspace. The first Masonic bulletin board was set up in 1978; by that time, some Masons had already been communicating by e-mail – the earliest record of which, surprisingly, dates from 1966. What revolutionized the then-new communication media was the introduction of the modem in 1977. By 1995, we had the still active and popular “UK Mason” mailserv list and the foundation of the Internet Lodge No. 9659 – which today boasts a membership in excess of 1,100 Brethren – leading us to the road of no return. Lodge secretaries no longer need special dispensations to send minutes and summonses by e-mail, Grand Lodges worldwide have their own websites, and so do many private Lodges. So much is now so readily available on the World Wide Web that, subject to filtering the information for accuracy, life has become simpler and easier… even the writing of this article!

Bibliography Brown, Aubrey, Kevin Gembarosky, David Gray, and Nelson King. “Prince Hall: Myths, Legends and Facts,” Philalethes (October 2000).

Hamill, John M. “And the Greatest of These is Charity: The Development of Masonic Charity (Prestonian Lecture for 1993),” Ars Quatuor Coronatorum 108 (1995).

McKeown, Trevor W. “An Historical Outline of Freemasons on the Internet,” Ars Quatuor Coronatorum 121 (2008).

Pilcher-Dayton, Ann. The Open Door: The Order of Women Freemasons, 1908-2008. London: Lewis Masonic, 2008.

Smyth, Frederick. A Reference Book for Freemasons. London: QCCC Ltd., 1998.

Yasha Beresiner is a Past Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076. He is an antiquarian in London and was the speaker at the Masonic Society’s First Circle gathering in 2009.

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

THE GENTLEMAN MASON

Books, Arts, Styles & Manners BOOKS

The Castle in Transylvania

By Jules Verne, translated by Charlotte Mandell Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Melville House ISBN: 978-1935554080 Reviewed by Robert Blackburn

J

ules Verne is best known as the author of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in Eighty Days, and From the Earth to the Moon. His anticipation and use of technology in his stories to master the sea, air, and even outer space, have earned him the distinction “Father of Science Fiction.” What often is less appreciated are Verne’s veiled allusions to Freemasonry and the use of Masonic symbols in his original book covers and print designs. Reading Verne with an eye for such details can lead to curious surprises.

The Castle in Transylvania was first published in book form in 1892, and this new English translation is the first since 1894.

Billed by the publisher as “Back from the dead: The original zombie story,” Verne indeed detours from his more familiar science fiction, entering the realm of Gothic horror. He also beats Bram Stoker’s Dracula by five years in seizing upon Transylvania and the Carpathian mountains as the appropriate backdrop for his tale of credulous peasants, competing counts, and love won and lost.

Verne begins his narrative with a romanticized portrait of Transylvania: its almost primordial beauty, natural resources, picturesque peoples, and, most important for this story, its isolation.

To drive home the point and set unfolding events in motion, the first character Verne introduces is the shepherd Frik, a man who could not be more a part of the Carpathian Mountains had he been a stone or a tree. Indeed, in this highly superstitious environment, shepherds are themselves thought to possess supernatural powers. Meeting a traveling peddler, Frik dismisses as useless the “technology” – clocks, thermometers, and barometers – offered for sale. A man like Frik knows all he needs from the world around him. Almost by accident, however, the shepherd notices a small metal cylinder. It is a spyglass, a device Frik had never encountered.

It is while Frik is examining the spyglass that he discovers smoke rising from the looming “Castle of the Carpathians,” the news of which strikes terror into the people of Werst.

The Castle in Transylvania is devoid of secret societies, mysterious rituals, or anything else which might overtly seem “Masonic.”

Nor is the reader lead to believe that any of the characters may be Freemasons. That said, Verne touches on operative masonry and architectural imagery to convey a sense of civilization and human enlightenment in an otherwise untamed wilderness. Verne muses about the mysterious castle, “What architect built it on this plateau, at this height? We do not know, and that bold artist remains anonymous, unless he is the Romanian master mason Manole, so gloriously sung in the Wallachian legends, who built the famous Monastery of Curtea de Arges for Neagoe Basarab, the Black Prince.” And, about the surrounding countryside, “Here it seems, is a district very well favored by nature, and yet this wealth scarcely improves the well-being of its population. In any case, though most of the important centers …have some installations in keeping with the comfort of modern industry, though these hamlets have conventional constructions, subject to the uniformity of the T-square and plumb-line, warehouses, stores, veritable worker’s cities, though they are endowed with a certain number of dwellings with balconies and verandas, there’s no use looking for these things in either the village of Vulkan, or the village of Werst,” which lie,

the reader is told, within the castle’s shadow.

The Castle in Transylvania may strike modern readers as contrived and stilted, particularly with Verne’s insistence on providing scientific rationales for his characters’ experiences. In Verne’s defense, he was helping to develop this genre and the sensibilities and proprieties of his age were not those of today.

Those seeking brain-munching action, consequently, would do well to look elsewhere. It is also regrettable that Verne’s narrative reveals certain anti-Semitic assumptions common at the time attitudes which would soon explode in the notorious Dreyfus Affair in France. Nevertheless, The Castle in Transylvania delivers the requisite Gothic goods – a decrepit castle, terrified peasants, brash heroes, a dangerous villain, a lost love returned, and a mad scientist.

Thanks are due to Charlotte Mandell for resurrecting this forgotten novel from its literary grave.

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War

By Michael A. Halleran Hardcover, 232 pages University of Alabama Press, 2010 ISBN: 978-0-8173-1695-2 Reviewed by Christopher Hodapp

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ichael Halleran is no stranger to many Masons. He writes the humorous “Brother Brother” stories for the Scottish Rite Journal and The Square magazine, and has been the editor of The Plumbline, the quarterly newsletter of the Scottish Rite Research Society.

Halleran’s book, The Better Angels of Our Nature, is an in-depth study of interactions between Freemasons during the American Civil War. Masonic authors in the past who have related Civil War stories for the benefit of the Craft, notably Allen Roberts and Richard Eugene Shields, Jr., rarely cited their sources or dug deeper than a repetition of heroic and compassionate tales told around the campfire. This outstanding work explores the legends and longtold tall tales of the fraternity in an academic fashion, with both dispassionate analysis of the facts, and an obvious passion for the subject.

Personal accounts from both sides of the Civil War bring the experience to life for modern readers, instead of being able to hold it at a polite distance—perhaps because it was the first war that had, not just commanders, but so many enlisted men who were educated enough to write letters and diaries. There was a formality and love of the language during this period that has left us a wealth of material to discover.

Halleran has carefully examined some of the most common Masonic anecdotes from the Civil War, tracking down their sources and the real history behind them. He starts with what is perhaps the most famous Masonic story of the death of Brig. General Lewis Armistead on the field against his Masonic brother, Union Gen. Winfield Scott, at Gettysburg. Halleran’s mission is not to be some blunt mallet of debunkery, but he is on the dedicated historian’s trail of the truth. This is not a sentimental book of apocrypha, but a well-researched and referenced work, published as much for Masons as it is for academics. In some cases, he tramples on some long-cherished fables the fraternity has endlessly repeated over the years, but in others he finds the humanity and truth behind the events. The result is a stirring affirmation of the bond between warring Masonic brothers, in the conflict that brought more of AUTUMN 2010 • 31

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

them together on opposing sides of the battlefield than any in our history.

The book’s poetic title comes from Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address on March 4, 1861, as he argued passionately before his audience and the nation to keep the Union together: “We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

Restorations of Masonic Symbology

By Henry P.H. Bromwell Hardcover, 559 pages Lovers of the Craft, 2010 ISBN: 0-9713441-5-9

Geometry

n 1903, Colorado Mason and Illinois Past Grand Master Henry Pelham Holmes Bromwell finished what may well be the largest and most detailed book on the subject of Freemasonry and geometry. Restorations of Masonic Geometry and Symbology is a complex, articulate and deeply thoughtful—albeit confusingly presented and organized—exploration of higher mathematical concepts and Masonic ritual.

Bromwell’s stated purpose was “to restore the knowledge of some portion of that which, having been lost in the vicissitudes of time, has left the science of the Lodge, and consequently the work, in a broken and incomplete condition, which restoration can only be effected by first reproducing the original order, and as far as this shall be done in a demonstrable manner, the lost parts reappearing must assert themselves under the infallible warrant of scientific and philosophic principles.” This gives you some idea of the ponderous style of the author, a common element of 19th century writers. He is writing about mathematics, astronomy, astrology and geometry, while wrapping Masonic symbolism around the package, and the result is a complex mix of charts, tables, drawings, biblical references, and fanciful assertions about what he believes to be the genesis of Masonic forms, symbols and ritual. This is not a book for the casual reader, and certain chapters will have many staring at them until beads of blood form on their foreheads.

That’s not to say this is not an important book. Bromwell tackled the role of geometry in Freemasonry, something that our rituals talk a lot about, but don’t really explain. He takes the topic seriously and explores geometric aspects of the lodge itself and the three Blue Lodge degrees. When ritual describes the form of a lodge as long as from East to West, as broad as from North to South, as high as the heavens, and as deep as the center of the Earth, Bromwell seeks to place such an infinite concept into a mathematical universe.

He also discusses symbolism introduced into the York Rite degrees from the Book of Enoch, particularly in the Royal Arch degree.

According to his notes, Bromwell worked nonstop for over six years on the manuscript, and one chapter took him more than two years to complete. Bromwell originated an obscure appendant order in 1862 based on his Masonic geometry theories, called the Ancient, Free and Accepted Architects. This book was actually published in 1905 after his death by enthusiastic brethren involved in the Architects. Their lodges and grand lodge largely fizzled out after Bromwell died, eventually handing their rituals and records over to the Grand College of Rites for preservation in 1959.

This beautiful version has been published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Grand Lodge of Colorado, and it was the very personal project of Brother Keven Townley, who is a

32 • AUTUMN 2010

restoration-of-masonic-geometry-and-symb

Masonic Traveler

By Greg Stewart Paperback, 190 pages Gregory B. Stewart, 2010 ISBN: 978-0615359182

and

Reviewed by Christopher Hodapp

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longtime researcher of the Western Mystery traditions. Unlike the virtually unreadable Kessinger reprints that have been available for many years, this new edition is a high quality hardback, with all of the original drawings perfectly rendered, including fifteen color plates not seen since the first edition, that help to make Bromwell’s points clearer. It is available for $75, plus $10.50 shipping, directly from Kevin Townley at www.kevintownley.com/products/books/

Reviewed by Christopher Hodapp

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rother Greg Stewart has been an active Internet Mason since 2003 when he started the Masonic Traveler blog.

Since then, he has expanded his endeavors into the FreemasonInformation.com website. He is also a talented artist, creating modern tracing boards (his EA tracing board, along with an essay about it, appeared in Issue #2 of the Journal). And he and Canadian Mason Dean Kennedy joined forces to create the long-running Masonic Central online podcast.

In Masonic Traveler, Stewart has collected some of his best online essays, and in it you will find plenty that is thought provoking.

He discusses symbolism and ritual, and there is much about the balancing of faith and tolerance with the philosophy of the Craft.

He has a strong interest in Hermetica and alchemy, and the esoteric side of the fraternity. Stewart is less interested in the history of the fraternity, and a whole lot more in what it means to be a Mason­— not so much about how or when speculative Masonry came to be, but why it exists, and what it is truly made of. Those are worthy questions for all of us to ponder. You may disagree with some of his conclusions, but he has provided an excellent place from which to start the discussion.

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Reviewed by Christopher Hodapp

ipe puffers have reason to rejoice. After an absence of more than two years, Dunhill Pipe Tobacco is being reintroduced in the U.S. market by the trademark owners, British American Tobacco. Early Morning Pipe, My Mixture 965, Night Cap, Royal Yacht, and Standard Mixture are all reappearing in tobacconists. “Brothers of the Briar” will be certain to find one of these to suit their tastes. While there are no plans to bring back the legendary Dunhill custom mixture service, these tinned selections have been among the most popular tobaccos on the market for decades, and it’s good to have them back. They are available in 50 gram tins.

More are promised in 2011, including Deluxe Navy Rolls, Standard Mixture, London Mixture,Three Year Mature Virginia, Stardard Mixture Mild, Flake, and Light Flake.

Christopher Hodapp is the editor of the Journal of the Masonic Society

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THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

FROM THE EDITOR

“Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand”

by Christopher L. Hodapp, fms

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good friend called me one afternoon and wanted some advice.

He was writing what he described as a “rant” about Freemasonry and its various failings, and he was hunting up suggestions about how to get it published and circulated. He wanted it to be anonymous, since he knew that the sort of pitiless tirade he was penning would undoubtedly result in the prompt conferral of his Grand Master’s Order of the Boot, but he felt it was important to tell the Masonic world what he saw going wrong in our lodges and grand lodges, in the strongest possible terms.

My advice was to use his delete key. And not for the reason you might think. Heck, I’ve been guilty of writing a few intemperate screeds myself.

The ceaseless litany of what is wrong with Freemasonry, filled with solemn, trademarked canards like “We Must Guard The West Gate!” has been going on since time immemorial (and I don’t mean 1968). I have a Masonic newspaper article published in 1860, in which a Worshipful Master excoriated his members and the Craft as a whole for failing to show up for stated meetings. I came across a nasty letter from a Masonic Temple Association president in 1955, complaining that no one was showing at meetings, and that television was to blame. Recall that in 1955, we had more Masons in North America than at any time before or since, proving that insipid lodge programming is nothing new, and that guilt makes a lousy motivator.

I just feel that the fraternity has been adequately flogged, and our beadles’ whips must surely be sufficiently bloodied by now. Our motto cannot be “Making good men bitter.”

History is what happens when you aren’t paying attention, and any Mason who trots out the hoary bromide, “What we need are a few more Masonic funerals” needs to ask himself if others aren’t saying that about him behind his back. The truth is this fraternity is very different than it was just a dozen years ago when I joined, and it’s changing faster with each passing year. Part of it is cultural, part is technological, and part is generational, but the Freemasonry we are living through today is definitely not our grandfather’s fraternity.

Just like so many other cultural references to Freemasonry, we are not in control of the images non-Masons increasingly serve up to the public. The Executive Secretary of a North American Masonic organization was on a National Public Radio show in August. He was asked about Masonic references found in recent popular music and videos by Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and JayZ. He replied that he didn’t know anything about Lady Gaga or JayZ. We’d all better learn, and fast. Those influences and others, from Dan Brown and Brad Meltzer, to video games and Old Navy tee-shirt logos, are affecting the image new candidates have of us when they knock on our doors. More important, new candidates mean new officers who are making changes to Masonry, from what they found in their lodges, into what they sought when they joined.

A link to a website for a Prince Hall lodge, Olive Branch No. 94 in Chicago, was sent to me by a brother, who was aghast over a video that showed computer animation of Masonic symbolism, accompanied by a rap song about the lodge. Whether Olive Branch’s music or their video appeals to your taste or not, every single lodge has its own personality. It wasn’t meant to appeal to me, or even most of you. The brethren at Olive Branch Lodge understand something many of us don’t—that their new members come from their most active members.

They are usually neighbors, co-workers, relatives, and students who know their regularly participating members already.

Every lodge that has an active lineup of new candidates and a regular rotation of officers is going through a major evolution in programs, interests, vision and personality, right now. That means a lodge can be a very, very different place in as little as five years.

The Internet and social networking are allowing evolution to happen at a faster pace than ever before in the history of this fraternity, as ideas are shared all around the Masonic world, instantly. An experience in a Hoboken, New Jersey lodge can be shared with literally thousands of Masons in a matter of minutes, and inspire brethren in every corner

of the globe by the next morning. Long-forgotten Masonic books that haven’t been available in dozens and even hundreds of years are now available on Google, Kindle and iPad. We have greater opportunities for Masonic education than at any time in our history. I can pull out my iPhone in any city in North America and instantly find the closest lodge, map it, and see when they meet. And more grand lodges than ever before are developing sophisticated training courses for lodge officers—not just warmed over business management or motivational courses, but programs on the specific operation of Masonic lodges.

Pennsylvania’s Academy of Masonic Knowledge and the Scottish Rite’s (SJ) Craftsman Program are leading the way in motivating a whole new generation of Masonic scholars, and there is a growing call for similar resources for the AASR-NMJ and the York Rite bodies. The success of the Masonic Society itself is further proof of a burgeoning desire for knowledge of the fraternity: of our history, esotericism, symbolism, preservation efforts, rituals, and more.

Eight years ago, I believed that Traditional Observance and European Concept lodges would take North American Freemasonry by storm. A good friend told me it would never happen, just as soccer and Formula One racing would never catch on in the U.S. And, indeed, these lodges haven’t been raging successes on a large scale. However, they have attracted loads of visitors and Internet attention. And instead of a flood of new T.O. lodge charters being issued, Masons are cherry picking the concepts from them and making changes in their existing lodges. Their influence has been enormous, and fast. As a result, we have greater variety in Masonry than at any time in our history.

Grand lodges in California, Oklahoma, Ontario and others are financing academic programs in universities for the study of Masonry’s role in history and culture. The United Grand Lodge of England is expanding their already successful University lodge program, and the Grand Lodge of Virginia is chartering a new lodge attached to George Washington University. In the U.S., Harvard Lodge in Massachusetts has become a model for Masonic lodges attached to universities, and the longtime fears from the past about the transient nature of members and officers in such lodges is fading.

Mainstream grand lodges have largely ignored a concept that helped the fraternity grow faster than any other: military lodges. That is a shame. A few Prince Hall, German and Canadian jurisdictions operate military lodges in the current war zones, and are often the first contact young servicemen have with the fraternity. Like the university lodge programs, there are ways to deal with the vicissitudes of unpredictable troop movements and officer transfers, and the Conference of Grand Masters should address this long-ignored situation. Again, technology and instant communication (along with some creative legislation and a forceful grand master or two) could reopen possibilities for the fraternity not seen since 18th century Irish regiments in the British Army expanded Masonry faster and farther than at any other time in our history.

I am the luckiest guy in Masonry. I get to travel the country and the world and talk to the men in the quarries who are shoveling as fast as they can. I tell Masons everywhere to work on their elevator pitch so they don’t get caught tongue-tied when someone asks what Masonry is about. And not a canned grand lodge speech memorized from the back of a brochure. Tell a man why YOU joined, why YOU come back to lodge every week and give up your free time to do it. Why it means what it means to you. Because THAT’S the story he wants to hear. He wants to know why a man he works with or admires would be involved with Freemasonry and go to lodge every Tuesday.

Next time you walk into your lodge, do it with the eyes and ears you had the first day you decided to become a Mason. Forget everything else you’ve experienced in Masonry, good and bad, and fix in your mind: Why did I join? What was I seeking? What did Freemasonry offer that I wanted to be part of? That’s the starting point to lead your own lodge to a successful future, to do all you can to make it the lodge you expected it to be. Instead of ranting, let’s give the beadle’s whip arm a rest for a while and get to work.

AUTUMN 2010 • 35

The Masonic Society 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248 Indianapolis, IN 46260-2103

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Masonic Treasures

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he annual Great Smokey Mountain York Rite Assembly in Maggie Valley, North Carolina each July draws hundreds of Masons and their families from all over North America for a weekend of education, food and entertainment, with a chance to rekindle old friendships and make new ones.

One of the traditions of the event is a pilgrimage to the Masonic Marker at Black Camp Gap in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. First erected in 1936, it was the vision of Grand Master Troy Wyche to erect a monument that exemplified the universality of Masonry. The marker is constructed of hundreds of stones from every state and province in “the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Austrailiia, and the Isles of the Seas.�

Each year new stones are added to the Marker, the surrounding walls, the floor, or the stairway leading up to the site (in 2010, a step was added by the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of the United States).

The 2011 event will take place July 9-12.

- Christopher L. Hodapp