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BACK NEXT Winter 2003 Issue 23 Letter from the Editor News Briefing News and Views On The Level International News Julian Rees The Green Man The Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London From the Rough to the Smooth Off the Record At A Perpetual Distance Egyptomania The NZEF Masonic Association Freemasonry - Beyond the Craft Snuff and Silver Brother Lightfoote's Journal Letters to the Editor Review: Freemasonry on Both Sides of the Atlantic Review: The New Jerusalem Review: What Do You Know About the Royal Arch? Review: Masonic Memorabilia for Collectors Review: A Mighty Good Man Canon Richard Tydeman Copyright 1997-2008 Grand Lodge Publications Ltd Designed and Maintained by: Cyberpoint Limited

FREEMASONRY TODAY Winter 2003 - Issue 23 - Index Michael Baigent - Letter from the Editor Ignorance is a curse. And the more so, since it never seems to have the wit to hide its faulty light under a decently opaque bushel. Sadly, ignorance about Freemasonry still emerges. Our "Week of Action" in the Summer helped change a number of faulty perceptions of the Craft. But ignorance will out: during November the new Archbishop of Canterbury revealed his antipathy to Freemasonry: he questioned its compatibility with Christianity, and revealed his refusal to promote known Freemasons to senior posts in the Church. Furthermore, a spokesman for him, in an aside, even introduced the fear of "some" that masonic ritual might be satanically inspired. How far this reflects the view of his master, the Archbishop, is not clear. You can read the report on page 6 of this issue ... News Briefing New Archbishop of Canterbury Opposes Freemasonry — Welsh Assembly Takes Dramatic U-Turn : Anti-Masonic Clause Retained — Masonic Tie : Winning Design Announced — Staffordshire Festival Concludes With £2,539,294 for Charity — Dean of Salisbury Speaks of a ‘Common Commitment’ On The Level More Talks at Lunchtimes in Freemasons’ Hall, London — Canonbury Masonic Research Centre — Centre for Research into Freemasonry, Sheffield University — The Cornerstone Society — Quatuor Coronati Lodge News and Views Conference at Sheffield: The Influence of Fraternal Organisations — Spine Boards for Manx Motor Sport Ambulance Service — The Cornerstone Society Conference — In Total Harmony — On Lookout for Haunted Lodges — Picnic Time for 20,000 Essex Teddy Bears — Freemasonry Ringing out the Changes — Blackpool Lodges in Symphony for Old Tradition — Driving Force for Charity — Cornwall: Wonderful Relationship Shared — Freemasons in Dorset: Gift for School for Disabled Children International News India Hosts World Conference of Grand Lodges — New York Governor Now a Mason — Monitor for New Zealand Rescue Helicopter — Spanish Retirement Was Just the Beginning And Crown Thy Good with Brotherhood Have you read Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar recently? It’s what they call a cracking good tale. But there is a passage which, for many years, I found profoundly depressing. It is this: ‘The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.’ I found in these words a huge measure of despair. They are certainly true of such as Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler or any serial murderer. My youngest son read Julius Caesar for A level English Literature, and I told him then how profoundly nihilist I found this statement. He disagreed, pointing out that Mark Antony, or Shakespeare, was in fact expressing no more than a deeply-held irony. How much we do learn from ... The Green Man An enigmatic figure is to be found in thousands of images carved in stone in the Medieval churches of Europe. It appears normally as just a face, usually male, sprouting foliage, becoming foliage, or growing from foliage. It has been suggested that this figure, now known as the Green Man, was a special sign for the stonemasons but there are probably just as many in wood as in stone. He is, though, almost confined to the building trades ... The Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London At a convocation of Grand Chapter on Wednesday 13th November, a notice of motion was given for changes to the Royal Arch Regulations in order to allow for the formation of a Metropolitan Grand Chapter. On December 11th a similar motion was put forward at the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge in order to make it possible to form a Metropolitan Grand Lodge. These are radical moves: even though the first Grand Lodge was formed by four London Lodges, London has never before had a Grand Lodge or its own Ruler as have the Provinces since ... From the Rough to the Smooth By the late sixteenth century Birmingham was renowned for its manufacturing industry, an industry founded upon metal work and typified by many small premises run by independent craftsmen. Over the next two centuries these craftsmen produced guns, swords, knives, locks and keys, buttons and buckles, boxes and toys, and jewellery: Birmingham became renowned for skilled work in silver, gold and precious gems. It also pioneered the use of machines in jewellery manufacturing, producing the first machine cut diamonds in England ... Off the Record From 1983 to 1999 , I served on the Board of General Purposes of the United Grand Lodge of England; during the latter years I was Chairman of its Information Committee. That Committee was set up in the 1980s in an early attempt to promote the public relations of the Craft, at a time when, despite the Grand Master’s call for openness, that concept was still unfashionable and a majority of Lodge members were nervous about countenancing it. The first Chairman of the Information Committee was Jim Davis and I was a founder member. One of our first projects was to commission the making of a Video about the Craft and, after massive opposition and scepticism from ... At A Perpetual Distance Since the beginning of the 20th century, Western man has become increasingly aware of the importance of what is called ‘myth’. But myth is not confined to the legends of antiquity. More recent people, places, and events have assumed the status of myth – the ‘Wild West’ for America, Napoleon in France, John F. Kennedy and the unanswered questions pertaining to his death, and Diana, Princess of Wales. The creation of myths is a spontaneous activity of the human psyche – as spontaneous as the generation of dreams. By means of myths, man not only ... Egyptomania Decorative motifs, artefacts, and designs derived from ancient Egyptian precedents have been known in Western Europe for a very long time: the Mediterranean Sea was a great highway in Antiquity and there were many cultural influences that flowed from Egypt. This tendency became more potent when Alexander the Great ... The NZEF Masonic Association In a display mounted in a Torquay hotel as part of the Freemasonry in the Community "Week of Action", Torquay Mike Chittenden, Librarian of Jordan Lodge, No.1402 and his colleague, masonic historian and Past Master of Jordan Lodge, John Taylor, caused considerable local interest by mounting a display of photographs and documents illustrating the contribution of Freemasonry to one aspect of the First World War. Their display struck a chord ... Freemasonry - Beyond the Craft What has been the effect of Freemasonry on society? Why have men joined Freemasonry? What sort of men have joined? Have their masonic beliefs been translated into action? The social impact of Freemasonry is very hard to quantify. This is one of the reasons that masonic historians have, in the main, spent their time on biography or research into masonic origins; the sociology and anthropology has generally been avoided. In line with its aim to bring together masonic and non-masonic academic scholarship, the Canonbury Masonic Research Centre ... Snuff and Silver It is always a delight to meet up with old friends. I had not seen Peter Marks, now Chairman of the Dorset Masonic Museum and Library, for the best part of 10 years. He reminded me that we had last met at the wonderful surroundings of the Masonic Hall in St Hélier, Jersey. Since then there have been interesting developments. Situated almost exactly half way between Poole and Bournemouth, and a walking distance from ... Brother Lightfoote's Journal Saint Agnes, blessings be upon her, laid down her life rather than give up her purity and that one must admire. She refused marriage at the age of thirteen as she had dedicated her life to Our Lord and for this she was placed in a brothel. A man who gazed upon her nakedness was instantly struck blind, which served him right! The similarity of her name to the Latin agnus has given rise to the association of the lamb with which her and lambs are still blessed, on her feast day, in Rome. I read also, in Hutton's Curiosities of Christendom, that the wool from these creatures is woven ... Letters to the Editor The Archbishop and Freemasonry — Mass Masonic Ceremonies — War Hero Honoured — The Roots of Terrorism — Demanding Donations — Black Ties — Standards of Dress — Symbolism and Memory — A Half-Lewis? Review: Freemasonry on Both Sides of the Atlantic Review: The New Jerusalem Review: What Do You Know About the Royal Arch? Review: Masonic Memorabilia for Collectors Review: A Mighty Good Man Festive Bored? It has become customary, in many Lodges, to refer to the meal after the meeting as "The Festive Board". Festive no doubt it is, but it is followed by speeches, and men who have arrived feeling festive are in danger of departing feeling bored. I do not say this is bound to happen, but the danger is always there. Do we, perhaps, take as much trouble about the speeches as we do about the work in Lodge? We hold Lodges of Instruction and Rehearsals, and give young Masons help and encouragement in learning and putting over the ritual, but when it comes to speech-making it is every man for himself! Now I do not profess to be an expert, nor would I dare to offer advice to ...   Issue 23, Winter 2003 © Grand Lodge Publications Ltd 1997-2008