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BACK NEXT Winter 1999/2000 Issue 11 Tobias Churton - Letter from the Editor Masons at Work Plumblines As Time Goes By Was Jesus a Mason? Dare to Know Le Droit Humain Freemasonry in Borneo Lost and Found The Cloisters, Letchworth A Consecration in Bristol Making a Manx Mason at Sight The Grand Secretary The Central Importance of the Second Degree One Big Happy Family The Grand Master and the York Institute I Greet You Well Summing Up At The Festive Board Review: From the Canon's Mouth Review: The Freemasons Review: The Inquisition Brother Lightfoote's Journal The Hand That Fed...? Stiletto Letters to the Editor Early Newspapers Copyright 1997-2008 Grand Lodge Publications Ltd Designed and Maintained by: Cyberpoint Limited

FREEMASONRY TODAY Winter 1999/2000 - Issue 11 - Index Tobias Churton - Letter from the Editor Well, the sky has not fallen, and we can all see that the greater part of the media-generated millennial fervour was as empty and baseless as most New-year resolutions. However, Masonry does have something to say on the subject - hardly surprising, since good men have espoused our principles for many thousands of years and, we trust, will do so for many thousands to come. Masonry stands both in time and eternity. Using the turn-over to another century as blinding background, our present government seems very keen to impose its ideas of ‘modernisation’ ... Masons at Work Lord Chancellor accepts Freemasonry is not a ‘secret society’ — He was Monty’s (other) double — Brother Jim entertains Dorset — Craft praised after £405,000 grant — Aussie Masons’ Credit Union — PM visits former hermitage — Bikers revving up for charity — Shooting stars — Texas Home Centennial Year — Yorick’s time — Olde Tyme on the Island — Masons on TV — Webmaster — Caring for young carers — Tatton Royal Arch Centenary — Cruising to Barbados — £10,000 for National Youth Orchestra Plumblines Towering glory — Top of the world — Masonic hall destroyed by fire — Hospice help — Open house — Heart Circle — Generous kick-off — Visit by MP — Splashing out — Russian ceremony — Flying high — Double event — In remembrance — Fine century — Chair for Sabash — Nairobi consecration — Open House — Lodge of note — Top guns — Flying the flag — Welcome boost — Full circle — Golden years As Time Goes By I am one of that rare breed - now an endangered species: a Pre-War Mason. Having been initiated in 1937 when the Duke of Connaught was still our Grand Master, it makes me now by far the oldest member of my Mother Lodge, a position which has the disadvantage that there is nobody left to share my memories of things as they were then. And how were things then? Well, to start with, at every meeting we wore full evening dress or dinner jackets with stiff shirt-front, bow tie and stand-up collar - none of your soft shirt stuff. Lodge meetings couldn’t start before six ... Was Jesus a Mason? Was Jesus a Mason? What an absurd question, some may think. But don’t blame me! The question was put to me, some time before I entered Freemasonry, by an old Yorkshire Brother. He clearly found the question significant. I recall smiling and then, with a twinkle, uttering something like, “In the eyes of some masons, it might well be so.” Knowing that past attempts to trace the Craft to remote antiquity have fallen well outside the realm of historical evidence ... Dare to Know After I suggested that we were ‘about to reveal the clear, dynamic and powerful force of Freemasonry for the good of mankind and of society’, a Brother said that he had turned the page looking for the changes I was proposing, and was disappointed not to find any. I share his frustration. Our inability to change back to our true spiritual home, this great inertia of the Craft which ensures that we seem to be forever rooted in the 19th century, is actually based on a myth. It is based on a myth because the greatest period of change in Freemasonry actually occurred in the 19th century ... Le Droit Humain The United Grand Lodge of England has always maintained that its membership is open to men of good standing and sound judgement. International Co-Freemasonry, Le Droit-Humain, having its British headquarters in Surbiton, near London, admits both men and women. From the point of view of the United Grand Lodge of England, International Co-Freemasonry is not a regular masonic organisation. Firstly, because it admits both men and women, and, secondly, since it adopts the system of Freemasonry prevalent in the country in which each Federation exists. In France ... Freemasonry in Borneo Prior to my departure for North Borneo in the summer of 1997, I had already decided that I would endeavour to make masonic contact, assuming that such links would meet the approval of our own Grand Lodge. There were no problems, as I soon learned that the District of the Eastern Archipelago, with contact headquarters in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, was not only fraternally connected with England but was well known and respected. This District covers Singapore and Malaysia, the latter comprising Peninsular Malaysia (formerly Malaya), and eastern Malaysia ... Lost and Found Finding masonic jewels is often a case of being in the right place at the right time. Whilst collecting some items from an antique dealer recently, I was informed of a continental dealer with a substantial stock of masonic items. Having been given the gentleman’s business card, I eagerly requested a catalogue. Within a week I received a reply informing me that the stock was too large to list but nonetheless he enclosed a brochure of a forthcoming auction. What a surprise it was! 12 pages full of jewels, porcelain, glass, bronze, books, aprons, sashes: an endless supply ... The Cloisters, Letchworth In 1907, when Sir Ebenezer Howard’s dream of a first Garden City was in embryo, an eminent Quaker lady from London with a Quaker’s social conscience came to Letchworth. This was Miss Annie Jane Lawrence, the daughter of Mary and Alfred Lawrence whose prosperous forebears had all distinguished themselves by social and civic deeds - one becoming Lord Mayor of London, another being instrumental in the formation of the City and Guilds Institute. Alfred Lawrence himself, a staunch upholder of responsibility to the poor and needy, died young of consumption ... A Consecration in Bristol We have the privilege this morning to participate in the consecration of a new lodge, The Matthew Lodge No 9688. Consecration of a new lodge within the illustrious Province of Bristol is an occasion for the Founders to rejoice and reflect. Rejoice in your success in bringing together a body of like-minded brethren desirous of exchanging masonic fellowship at a common venue. Secondly, rejoice in your collective conviction that there are in your community at large men receptive to the ideals of Freemasonry. Thirdly, rejoice in your successful petition ... Making a Manx Mason at Sight Making a Mason at Sight is unknown in English Freemasonry, although up to the end of the First World War many examples are known where to do so was regarded as a ‘landmark’ by most American Grand Lodges. It is intriguing therefore that in the museum of the Province of the Isle of Man we have minutes recording how a Manx ship’s captain came to be Made a Mason at Sight while in port in Mississippi. On 1 June 1894, JL Spinks, Grand Master of Mississippi, together with five other brethren, had been invited by JF McCormick, Inspector of Customs for the Port of Biloxi ... The Grand Secretary It isn’t easy to get an interview with the new Grand Secretary. Not because he isn’t willing to talk, but because, since taking over from Michael Higham on 1 June 1998, Jim Daniel has been incredibly busy. However, he is well aware that many masons simply do not know who he is, and at a time of many changes in the government of the Craft, and of severe challenges to the Craft in the public realm, this lack of knowledge is something he is keen to correct. One thing becomes immediately clear when speaking to Jim Daniel. He is no éminence grise or mere bureaucrat ... The Central Importance of the Second Degree The Second Degree is regarded as the easiest degree; it is also the shortest and the least dramatic. The candidate, having proven some understanding of his initiation and of Freemasonry, is simply passed into the secrets of the Second Degree without any real explanation of what is so special about being made a Fellowcraft. But the clues are there. The Master tells him that “as a Craftsman, you are expected to make the liberal Arts and Sciences your future study, that you may the better be enabled to discharge your duties as a Mason and estimate the wonderful works of the Almighty ...” One Big Happy Family It would be easy to call upon a myriad of gushing adjectives to describe the care, attention and love the 1,500 staff of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution put into their workaday lives. The fine-sounding ‘statement of purpose’ by the RMBI declares that, “as an organisation offering degrees of care, support and assistance appropriate to individual needs, we are committed to ensuring the individual’s right to dignity, respect, choice and control over their own lives.” Admirable words indeed, but only if the residents of the 20 or so residential and nursing homes run by RMBI ... The Grand Master and the York Institute Wednesday 18 July 1883 and York was en fête. The Prince of Wales, Grand Master, was to lay the foundation stone of the new Mechanics Institute with masonic honours after a procession through the streets of York in full masonic regalia. Thousands of visitors flocked into York : 45,000 by special excursion trains and 20,000 by ordinary trains. The newspapers waxed lyrical about the pending masonic event. As one paper reported, “Next to the Holy City itself there is no place whose traditions are so closely mixed up with those of Freemasonry ..." I Greet You Well Letting somebody else know that you are a Freemason can be a tricky business. It can be even more difficult seeking fellow brethren when we find ourselves in new environments. It is those occasional or casual remarks that we make, often in unfamiliar surroundings, that sometimes bring out the most amazing replies. Here are a few anecdotes from brethren who wrote to me after reading Are you one of us? in the winter 98/99 issue. While recovering in hospital, Bro Morris Saxby-Taylor was quickly up and about helping with little jobs around the ward ... Summing Up Silence in Court! Mr Justice Stephen Knight-Hannah will now sum up in the case of Regina -v- Tyler, Deacon and Guard. Members of the jury. The accused are charged with several serious offences. They include attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm, assault, unlawful imprisonment, possession of offensive weapons, conspiracy, and incitement. You have listened patiently to the evidence. It is now my duty to sum up and to direct you on the law. It is for you to decide on the facts whether the offences specified in the indictment have been committed ... At The Festive Board It is the natural ambition of many, if not most of us, to occupy the Master’s chair sometime in our masonic lives. Consequently, we spend countless hours over the years learning the ritual off by heart in preparation for that coveted office. However, when the great day dawns, some Masters Elect suddenly discover that ritual alone will not suffice, and additional skills have to be ‘plugged in’ to ensure all the proceedings run smoothly. Presiding over the Festive Board is such an example where a competent Master is put to the test ... Review: From the Canon's Mouth Review: The Freemasons Review: The Inquisition Brother Lightfoote's Journal St. George, I am informed, was probably a Greek. Shakespeare, who was undoubtedly an Englishman, was also, by general consent, the greatest poet and dramatist as ever lived. This is the received opinion of every scholar and critic as has lived since Shakespeare died, having been passed down from one generation of blatherskites to the next, unchanged, unchallenged and unrevised. Lightfoote, however, is unimpressed. I first advanced the opinion that most of Shakespeare’s plays are about as pleasurable as a dose of the pox when I was a schoolboy ... The Hand That Fed...? Yes, I have been at it again. I am never slow to criticise my friends when they indulge in booze cruises, and those of you who remember my cautionary tale of my one time drinking companion who was caught up with the French lorry drivers’ blockade of Calais, will have noticed a hint of ‘served him right’ in my telling of the story. So how can I unashamedly do it myself? Well, I just happened to be in Burgundy, just happened to have a relatively empty car, and just happened to remember that in Jambles, just next door to Givry, lives Michael Sarrazin, about 15 minutes from ... Stiletto Stiletto is so anxious to pick up curious information about Freemasonry that she is reduced to asking unsuspecting men about the origins of their cufflinks. This has proved so far fruitless, in that as yet it has only yielded a number of wordy expositions on the founders, mottos and coats of arms of various Oxford colleges. (One friend confided her husband insisted on changing his socks immediately before meetings, but hopefully this practice is not specifically related to Freemasonry.) I asked my mother. She, usefully, has lived all her life alongside Freemasons ... Letters to the Editor Challenges — Prince Hall — Rosslyn Chapel — Fly the Square — Israel — Passing of the Port — Port Out — Adding interest to a ceremony — A definite ring about It — Grand Rank — The Women’s Lodge — Masons and Biographers Early Newspapers The first mention of Freemasonry in a newspaper can be found in The Tatler for Tuesday 7 June 1711. It is an anonymous letter addressed to Isaac Bickerstaff, pseudonym for Richard Steele, who established The Tatler on 12 April 1709. Referring to ongoing correspondence, the relevant text reads: ...But my Reason for troubling you at this present is, to put a Stop, if it may be, to an insinuating, increasing Set of People, who sticking to the Letter of your Treatise, and not to the Spirit of it, do assume the Name of Pretty fellows; nay, and even get new Names, as you very well hint ...   Issue 11, Winter 1999/2000 © Grand Lodge Publications Ltd 1997-2008