MASONIC EDUCATION COURSE - PART TWO
The Fellowcraft
“You have been directed to study the liberal arts and sciences. That should assist you to polish and adorn
your mind and to appreciate the symbolism and mysteries of our ceremonies.”
Developed by Kent Henderson & Tony Pahl
Adapted by Kris Stevens & David De Forest
2007 Version
Property of Bro.
Date Passed to the Degree of Fellowcraft:
PUBLICATIONS OF HAN YANG LODGE NO. 1048 S.C.
Masonic Education Course Part 1: The Entered Apprentice
Masonic Education Course Part 2: The Fellowcraft
Masonic Education Course Part 3: The Master Mason
Masonry in Korea: The Story of Han Yang Lodge No. 1048
Continuity Manual: Han Yang Lodge No. 1048
The Fellowcraft
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction & Overview
iii
The Masonic Education Course
iv
Syllabus
v
References
vi
Video References
vii
Introduction to the Fellowcraft Degree
viii
Glossary
1
Verbal Requirements
6
The Obligation
7
Questions & Answers Demonstrating Proficiency In This Degree
8
2nd Degree Catechism [Part 1]
9
2nd Degree Catechism [Part 2]
10
Written Requirements
11
The 2nd Degree - Its Teachings & Symbolism
12
Historical Background
16
The Spread of the Craft Worldwide
20
The Future of Freemasonry
22
Readings
27
Excerpt from “Sons of Light” (pages 16-25)
28
Excerpt from “Understanding Freemasonry” (Chapter 5, Part 3)
35
Excerpt from “Masonic Perspectives - The Collected Papers of John Hamill” (Chapter 1)
42
Excerpt from “Introducing Freemasonry” (pages 102-119)
48
Excerpt from “The Masonic Grand Masters of Australia”(A Brief History of the Masonic Order) 55
Excerpt from “Prosper The Art” (Chapter 5)
58
Excerpt from “Masonic Perspectives - The Collected Papers of John Hamill” (Chapter 2)
63
Excerpt from “Prosper The Art” (Chapter 8)
66
Excerpt from “Prosper The Art” (Chapter 10)
69
Excerpt from “A Masonic Panorama – Selected Papers of The Rev. Neville Cryer (Chapter 10)
74
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INTRODUCTION &
OVERVIEW
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The Fellowcraft
THE MASONIC EDUCATION COURSE
After a considerable time in planning, the Masonic Education Course for "European Concept" lodges was introduced in
1996. The course is simple in concept and application, yet comprehensive. Its aim is to provide new brethren with a broad,
yet thorough knowledge of the Craft. The Course is divided into three sections, for the Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and
Master Mason. For each section, candidates are presented with the course material. They are asked to read the reference
material provided and answer the comprehension questions applicable to each.
Each candidate is additionally required to learn the answers to the "verbal" questions set for each degree. The rules for
promotion in Han Yang Lodge are as follows:
(1)
No candidate can be approved for promotion to the next degree until having:
(a) satisfactorily completed the relevant components of the Education Course, and
(b) proven his competency in the answers to the relevant "verbal" questions to the satisfaction of the Lodge
Education Committee, or a delegated member(s).
(2)
A newly-raised Master Mason cannot receive his Grand Lodge Certificate, nor be invested in any lodge office other
than Steward, until he has satisfactorily completed Section Three of the Course.
ABOUT THE COURSE AUTHORS
Kent Henderson, PGSwdB, is current (1996) Secretary of both Lodge Epicurean No. 906 and Lodge Amalthea No. 914. A
trained educator, he is a Past Master of The Scotland Lodge of Research No. 218 and co-editor of its annual Transactions. He
is a graduate of the Grand Lodge of South Australia's Masonic Education Course, and the author of many papers and books
on freemasonry including Masonic World Guide (Lewis Masonic, London, 1984) and The Masonic Grand Masters of
Australia (Drakeford, Melbourne, 1989). He is a member of most other Masonic Degrees and Orders, and a past master in
many.
Tony Pahl, a Vietnam Veteran who served in the Royal Australian Air Force for 20 years, is a foundation petitioner and
Immediate Past Master of Lodge Epicurean No. 906. He is a Chairman of the Lodge's Education Committee and a key
member of its Promotions & Ceremonial Committee and possesses a wide knowledge of freemasonry, particularly its ritual
and ceremonial aspects.
NOTES FOR CANDIDATES
Candidates will be presented with Section One of the Course on their Night of Initiation, with Section Two on their Night of
Passing to the Second Degree and Section Three upon their Night of Raising to the Third Degree.
Candidates are welcome to proceed through each section of the course at their own speed. Candidates will be individually
advised and assisted by their appointed tutor for the course, which in most cases will be their Lodge Mentor.
It will be necessary for each candidate to attain a reasonable standard of response to the questions posed in each Section of
the Course, prior to being approved for promotion to the next degree.
A candidate's tutor/mentor will also assist in attaining proficiency in the Verbal Requirements for each degree, in
addition to the written Course Requirements.
Successful candidates will receive a Certificate upon the completion of each of the three parts of the Course. Upon the
completion of the total course, a Certificate of Masonic Education will be presented in Open Lodge.
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SYLLABUS - FELLOW CRAFT CERTIFICATE
Part 1: The 2nd Degree - Its Teachings & Symbolism
Sons of Light, by K. Linton
Pages 16-25: "A Journey Through the Second Degree".
Understanding Freemasonry, by R.A. Wells.
Chapter 5, Part 3.
Part 2: Historical Background of Freemasonry
Masonic Perspectives - The Collected Papers of John Hamill,
by J. M. Hamill.
Chapter 1: "Whence Come We?"
Introducing Freemasonry, by M. de Pace.
Pages 102-119: "Historical Background".
Part 3: The Spread of the Craft Worldwide
The Masonic Grand Masters of Australia, by K. W. Henderson
Pages 7-12: "A Brief History of the Masonic Order".
Prosper the Art, by J. G .Sullivan
Chapter 5 - "Freemasonry Universal".
Part 4: The Future of Freemasonry
Masonic Perspectives - The Collected Papers of John Hamill,
by J. M. Hamill. Chapter 2: "Whither are we Going?
Prosper the Art, by J. G .Sullivan
Chapter 8 - "Religion & Politics in relation to Freemasonry",
Chapter 10: "Women in Freemasonry".
A Masonic Panorama - Selected Papers of Rev. Neville
Cryer, by N. B. Cryer. Chapter 10: "Women in Freemasonry"
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REFERENCES
The references used in the course are as follows:
Cryer, Rev. N. B.
A Masonic Panorama - Selected Papers the Rev. Neville Barker Cryer
Australian Masonic Research Council, Melbourne, 1995.
de Pace, M.
Introducing Freemasonry
Lewis Masonic, London, 1983.
Hamill, J. M.
Masonic Perspectives - The Collected Papers of John Hamill
Australian Masonic Research Council, Melbourne, 1992.
Hamill, J. M. & Gilbert, R. A.
Freemasonry, A Celebration of the Craft
McKenzie, London, 1992.
Henderson, K. W.
Masonic World Guide
Lewis Masonic, London. 1984
Henderson, K. W.
The Masonic Grand Masters of Australia
Drakeford, Melbourne. 1989.
Jones, B. E.
Freemasons Guide & Compendium
Harrap, London, 1950.
Linton, K
Sons of Light
United Grand Lodge of Scotland, Melbourne, 1983.
Mc Coll, J. B.
The Allied Masonic Degrees
in Henderson, K.W. & Love, G. C. (Ed.), Masonic Discoveries
Lodge of Research No. 218, Melbourne, 1988.
Sullivan, J. G.
Prosper the Art
Square One Publications, Melbourne. 1986.
Wells, R. A.
Understanding Freemasonry
Lewis Masonic, London. 1991
Some Other Useful References (there are many more):
Carr, H.
The Freemason at Work. 6th Edition
Lewis Masonic, London, 1981.
Henderson, K. W. & Love, G. C.
Transactions (various titles)
Scotland Lodge of Research No. 218. Melbourne, 1988-1996.
Hepburn, R.
Questions & Answers. 2nd Edition
Masters' & Past Masters Lodge No. 130, Christchurch, New Zealand, 1983.
Jackson, K. B.
Beyond the Craft. 3rd Edition
Lewis Masonic, London, 1987.
Pick, F. L., & Knight, G. N.
The Pocket History of Freemasonry. 7th Edition
Muller, London, 1983.
Thornton, P.T.
A Century of Union
United Grand Lodge of Scotland, 1989.
Thornton, P.T.
The History of Freemasonry in Scotland
United Grand Lodge of Scotland, 1978.
Various Editors
Ars Quatuor Coronatorum
Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No.2076 (EC)
London. Volumes 1 - 107. 1884-1995.
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VIDEO REFERENCES
Centennial Celebrations 1990 - GL of New Zealand
Gratefully received & Faithfully applied - GL of NZ
Grand Installation, 1990 - GL of New Zealand
Grand Installation, 1994 - GL of South Australia
Grand Installation, 1991 - GL of South Australia
Grand Installation, 1993 - GL of Western Australia
Friend to Friend (Ontario, Canada)
To Measure & Fit (Netherlands)
Freemasons (England) - UGL of England
Angelo’s Story - UGL of New South Wales
UGL of Scotland, 1889 - 1989 - UGL of Scotland
Beechworth Re-enactment - UGL of Scotland
Centenary Grand Installation, 1989 - UGL of Scotland
Echuca – Riverboats, Redgums, Romance - UGL of Scotland
Grand Installation, 1995 - UGL of Scotland
Lowan Re-consecration - UGL of Scotland
Opening the Mind to the Future - GL of New Zealand
Freemasonry Today & Tomorrow - UGL of England
Freemasonry in N. S. W. - UGL of New South Wale
The Freemasons – Toth and Parsons Productions
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INTRODUCTION TO THE FELLOWCRAFT DEGREE
As the Entered Apprentice Degree as a whole is symbolic of infancy and youth, a period of learning fundamentals, a
beginning, so the Fellowcraft Degree is emblematic of manhood. But it is a manhood of continued schooling; of renewed
research; of further instruction. The Fellowcraft has passed his early Masonic youth, but he lacks the wisdom of age which he
can attain only by use of the teachings of his first degree, broadened, strengthened, added to, by those experiences which
come to men as distinguished from children.
Of the many symbols of this degree three stand out beyond all others as most beautiful and most important. They are the
brazen Pillars; the Flight of Winding Stairs as a means of reaching the Middle Chamber by the teachings of the three, the
five, and the seven steps; and the Letter "G" and all that it means to the Freemason.
Very obviously the Fellowcraft Degree is a call to learning, an urge to study, a glorification of education. The early authors
of the degree evidently intended it as a foundation for that liberal education which in its classic form was so esteemed by the
educated of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century England. The explanations of the Five Orders of Architecture, the Five
Senses and the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences no longer embrace the essentials of a first-class education, but think not less
of the degree on that account, since it is to be understood symbolically, not literally. While the degree contains moral
teaching and a spiritual content only surpassed by that of the Sublime Degree, as a whole it is a call to books and study. If the
Fellowcraft takes that to mean Masonic books and Masonic study he will find in this degree the touchstone which will make
all three degrees a never-ending happiness for their fortunate possessor.
•
A Mason remains a Fellowcraft, in a real sense, as long as he lives. Taking the First Degree is like drawing a circle, the
Second Degree is a circle drawn around the first, the Third Degree is still a larger circle drawn around the other two, and
containing both. A portion of Freemasonry is contained within the first; another part is in the second, still a third in the last.
Being a Master Mason includes being also an Entered Apprentice and a Fellowcraft. The Entered Apprentice’s and Fellow
Craft’s Degrees are not like stages left behind in a journey to be abandoned or forgotten; rather are they preserved and
incorporated in the Master Mason’s Degree and form the foundation on which it rests.
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GLOSSARY
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The Fellowcraft
CORN, WINE AND OIL
The wages which our ancient brethren received for their labours in the building of King Solomon's Temple are paid no more.
We use them only as symbols, save in the dedication, constitution, and consecration of a new lodge and in the laying of
cornerstones, when once again the fruit of the land, the brew of the grape and the essence of the olive are poured to launch a
new unit of brotherhood into the fellowship of lodges; to begin a new structure dedicated to public or Masonic use. In the
Great Light are many references to these particular forms of wealth. In ancient days the grapes in the vineyard, the olives in
the grove and the grain of the field were not only wealth but the measure of trade; so many skins of wine, so many cruses of
oil, so many bushels of corn were then as are dollars and cents to-day. Thus when our ancient brethren received wages in
corn, wine, and oil they were paid for their labours in coin of the realm. The oil pressed from the olive was as important to
the Jews in Palestine as butter and other fats are among Occidentals. Because it was so necessary and hence so valuable it
became an important part of sacrificial rites. Oil was also used not only as a food but also for lighting purposes within the
house, not in the open air where the torch was more effective. Oil was also an article of the toilet; mixed with perfume it was
used in the ceremonies of anointment and in preparation for ceremonial appearances. The "precious ointment which ran down
upon the beard, even Aaron's beard" was doubtless made of olive oil suitably mixed with such perfumes and spices as myrrh,
cinnamon, galbanum and frankincense. Probably oil was also used as a surgical dressing; nomadic peoples, subject to
injuries, could hardly avoid knowledge of the value of soothing oil. The corn of the Old Testament is not the corn we know.
In the majority of the uses of the word a more understandable translation would be "grain." The principal grains of the Old
Testament days were barley and wheat and "corn" represents not only both of these but all the grains which the Jews
cultivated. An ear of grain has been an emblem of plenty since the mists of antiquity shrouded the beginnings of mythology.
Ceres, goddess of abundance, survives today in our cereals. The Greeks called her Demeter, a corruption of Gemeter, our
mother earth. She wore a garland of grain and carried ears of grain in her hand. The Hebrew Shibboleth means both an ear of
corn and a flood of water. Both are symbols of abundance, plenty, wealth. Scarcely less important to our ancient brethren
than their corn and oil was wine. Vineyards were highly esteemed both as wealth and as comfort - the pleasant shade of the
vine and fig tree was a part of ancient hospitality. Vineyards on mountainsides or hills were most carefully tended and
protected against washing by terraces and walls, as even to-day one may see on the hillsides of the Rhine. Thorn hedges kept
cattle from the grapes. The vineyardist frequently lived in a watchtower or hut on an elevation to keep sharp look out that
neither predatory man nor beast took his ripening wealth. Thus corn, wine, and oil were the wages of a Fellowcraft in the
days of King Solomon. Freemasons receive no material wages for their labours, but if the work done in a lodge is paid for
only in coin of the heart such wages are no less real. They may sustain as does the grain, refresh as does the wine, and give
joy and gladness as does the oil. How much we receive, what we do with our wages, depends entirely on our Masonic work.
Our ancient brethren were paid for their physical labours. Whether their wages were paid for work performed upon the
mountains and in the quarries, or whether they received corn, wine, and oil because they laboured in the fields and vineyards,
it was true then and it is true now that only "in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." To receive the Masonic equivalent
of the ancient corn, wine, and oil, a brother must labour. He must till the fields of his own heart or build the temple of his
own house not made with hands. He must give labour to his neighbour or carry stones for his brother's temple. If he stand and
wait and watch and wonder, he will not be able to ascend into the Middle Chamber where our ancient brethren received their
wages. If he works for the joy of working, does his part in his lodge work, takes his place among the labourers of
Freemasonry, he will receive corn, wine, and oil in measures pressed down and running over and know a fraternal joy as
substantial in fact as it is ethereal in quality; as real in his heart as it is intangible to the profane world. For all Fellowcrafts aye, for all Freemasons - corn, wine, and oil are symbols of sacrifice, of the fruits of labour, of wages earned.
DIFFIDENCE
(Archaic) Having or showing distrust.
FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE
The five orders of architecture include the Doric, the Tuscan, the Ionic, the Corinthian, and the Composite.
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F.C.F.
Fellowcraft Freemason.
KEYSTONE
1: The wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch that locks the other pieces in place.
2: Something on which associated things depend for support.
PROFANE
From Latin profanus, from pro - before + fanum - temple.
1: Not being among the initiated.
2: Not possessing esoteric or expert knowledge.
SEVEN LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES
The seven liberal arts and sciences are comprised of grammar, rhetoric and logic, called the trivium, and arithmetic,
geometry, music, and astronomy, called the quadrivium.
SCRUPLE
From the Latin scrupulus, diminutive of scrupus, meaning source of uneasiness, literally a sharp stone.
1: An ethical consideration or principle that inhibits action.
2: The quality or state of being scrupulous.
SOLOMON
This celebrated monarch was the son of David by Bathsheba, through whose influence he inherited the Jewish throne, in
preference to his elder brothers. During his long and peaceful reign – from B.C. E. 1015-975 – the Hebrews enjoyed their
golden age. His remarkable judicial decisions, and his completion of the political institutions of David, were two of his
greatest achievements. Perhaps his greatest achievement, however, was building the Temple, which exceeded in splendour
and beauty all previous works of architecture.
SPECIE
From the Latin in specie, meaning in kind, also money in coin.
TEMPLE
An edifice erected for religious purposes. From the Latin templum, which seems to have been derived from the old Latin verb
templari, meaning to contemplate.
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THE FIVE SENSES
If the Fellowcraft, climbing his three, five, and seven steps to a Middle Chamber of unknown proportions, containing an
unknown wage, is overweighted with the emphasis put upon the spiritual side of life, he may here be comforted. Freemasonry
is not an ascetic organization. It recognizes that the physical is as much a part of normal life as the mental and spiritual upon
which so much emphasis is put. The Fellowcraft Degree is a glorification of education, the gaining of knowledge, the study
of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences and all that they connote. Therefore it is wholly logical that the degree should make
special reference to the five means by which man has acquired all his knowledge; aye, by which he will ever acquire any
knowledge. All learning is sense-bound. Inspiring examples have been given the world by unfortunates deprived of one or
more senses. Blind men often make as great a success as those who see; deaf men often overcome the handicap until it
appears nonexistent. Helen Keller is blind, deaf, and was dumb as well; all that she has accomplished - and it would be a
great accomplishment with all five senses - has been done through feeling and tasting and smelling. But take away all five
senses and a man is no more a man; perhaps his mind is no more a mind. With no contact whatever with the material world
he can learn nothing of it. As man reaches up through the material to the spiritual, he could learn nothing of ethics without
contact with the physical. If there are limits beyond which human investigations and explorations into the unknown may not
go, it is because of the limitations of the five senses.
THE NUMBER THREE
The first three steps represent the three principal officers of a lodge, and - though not stated in the ritual - must always refer
to Deity, of which three, the triangle, is the most ancient symbol. Their principal implication here is to assure the Fellowcraft
just starting his ascent that he does not climb alone. The Worshipful Master, Senior, and Junior Wardens are themselves
symbolic of the lodge as a whole, and thus (as a lodge is a symbol of the world) of the Masonic world - the Fraternity. The
Fellowcraft is surrounded by the Craft. The brethren are present to help him climb. In his search for truth, in his quest of his
wages in the Middle Chamber, the Fellowcraft is to receive the support and assistance of all in the Mystic Circle; surely an
impressive symbol.
THE NUMBER FIVE
Five has always been a sacred and mystical number; Pythagoras made of it a symbol of life, since it rejected unity by the
addition of the first even and the first odd number. It was therefore symbolic of happiness and misery, birth and death, order
and disorder - in other words, life as it was lived. Egypt knew five minor planets, five elements, and five elementary powers.
The Greeks had four elements and added ether, the unknown, making a cosmos of five. At the time of the formation of the
Mother Grand Lodge in London (1717) the Fellowcrafts formed the body of Masonry, as Master Masons do to day. Five is
peculiarly the number of the Fellowcraft's Degree; it represents the central group of the three which form the stairs; it refers
to the five orders of architecture; five are required to hold a Fellowcraft's Lodge; there are five human senses; geometry is the
fifth science, and so on. In the Winding Stairs the number five represents first the five orders of architecture.
THE NUMBER SEVEN
Most potent of numbers in the ancient religions, the number seven has deep significance. The Pythagoreans called it the
perfect number, as made up of three and four, the two perfect figures, triangle and square. It was the virgin number because it
cannot be multiplied to produce any number within ten, as can two and two, two and three, and two and four, three and three.
Nor can it be produced by the multiplication of any whole numbers. Our ancient ancestors knew seven planets, seven
Pleiades, seven Hyades, and seven lights burned before the Altar of Mithras. The Goths had seven deities: Sun, Moon,
Tuisco, Woden, Thor, Friga, and Seatur or Saturn, from which we derive the names of the seven days of our week. In the
Gothic mysteries the candidate met with seven obstructions. The ancient Jews swore by seven, because seven witnesses were
used to confirm, and seven sacrifices offered to attest truth. The Sabbath is the seventh day; Noah had seven days' notice of
the flood; God created the heaven and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh day; the walls of Jericho were
encompassed seven times by seven priests bearing seven rams' horns; the Temple was seven years in building, and so on
through a thousand references. It is only necessary to refer to the seven necessary to open an Entered Apprentice's lodge, the
seven original officers of a lodge (some now have nine or ten or even more) and the seven steps which complete the Winding
Stairs to show that seven is an important number in the Fraternity.
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The Fellowcraft
THE WINDING STAIRS
Like so much else in Freemasonry, the Middle Chamber is wholly symbolic. It seems obvious that Solomon the Wise would
not have permitted any practice so time wasting and uneconomic as sending many thousand workmen up a flight of stairs to a
small Middle Chamber to receive corn, wine, and oil which had to be brought up in advance, only to be carried down in small
lots by each workman as he received his wages. If we are to accept the Scriptural account of the Temple as accurate, there
actually were winding stairs. "And they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber" is stated in I Kings. That the
stairs had the three, five, and seven steps by which we rise is not stated in the Scriptures. Only in this country have the
Winding Stairs fifteen steps. In older days the stairs had but five, sometimes seven steps. Preston had thirty-six steps in his
Winding Stairs in a series of one, three, five, seven, nine, and eleven. But this violated a Pythagorean principle - and
Freemasonry has adopted much in its system from the science of numbers as exemplified by Pythagoras as the Fellowcraft
will discover when - if - he receives the Sublime Degree. The great philosopher Pythagoras taught that odd numbers were
more perfect than even; indeed, the temple builders who wrought long before Pythagoras always built their stairs with an odd
number of steps, so that, starting with the right foot at the bottom the climber might enter the sacred place at the top with the
same foot in advance. Freemasonry uses only odd numbers, with particular reliance on three: three degrees, three principal
officers, three steps, three Lesser Lights, and so on. Hence the English system later eliminated the number eleven from
Preston's thirty-six, making twenty-five steps in all. The stairs as a whole are a representation of life; not the physical life of
eating, drinking, sleeping and working, but the mental and spiritual life, of both the lodge and the world without; of learning,
studying, enlarging mental horizons, increasing the spiritual outlook. Freemasons divide the fifteen steps into three, referring
to the officers of a lodge; five, concerned with the orders of architecture and the human senses; and seven, the Liberal Arts
and Sciences.
T.G.G.O.T.U.
The name given to the Deity in a Fellowcraft Lodge, symbolically represented in the Lodge room by the letter “G”.
WORKING TOOLS
The working tools of a Fellowcraft are the Plumb, the Square, and the Level. The Entered Apprentice has learned of them as
the Immovable Jewels, but in the Fellowcraft's Degree they have a double significance. They are still the Jewels of the three
principal officers, still immovably fixed in the East, the West, and the South, but they are also given into the hands of the
Fellowcraft with instructions the more impressive for their brevity. The tools represent an advance in knowledge. The
Entered Apprentice received a Twenty-four Inch Gauge and a Common Gavel with which to measure and lay out a rough
ashlar and chip off its edges to fit a stone ready for the builders' use. But that is all he may do. Not with gauge or gavel may
be build; only prepare material for another. He is still but a beginner, a student; to his hands are intrusted only such tasks as if
ill done will not materially affect the whole. The Fellowcraft uses the Plumb, the Square, and the Level. With the Square he
tests the work of the Apprentice; with the Level he lays the courses of the wall he builds; with the Plumb he raises
perpendicular columns. If he uses his tools aright he demonstrates that he is worthy to be a Fellow of the Craft and no
Apprentice; that he can lay a wall and build a tower, which will stand. Hence the symbolism of the three tools as taught in the
monitorial work. The Plumb admonishes us to walk uprightly; that is, not leaning over, not awry with the world or ourselves,
but straight and square with the base of life on which we tread. We are to square our actions by the Square of Virtue. Every
man has a conscience, be it ever so dead; every Freemason is expected to carry the conscience of a Fellowcraft's Square of
Virtue in his breast and build no act, no matter how small, which does not fit within its right angle. The operative Fellow of
the Craft builds his wall course-by-course, each level and straight. We build upon the level of time, a fearsome level indeed.
The Fellow of the Craft whose wall stands not true on a physical level may take down his stones, retemper his mortar and try
again. But the Freemason can never unbuild that which is erected on the level of time; once gone, the opportunity is gone
forever. Omar said, "The moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on." The poet Oxenham phrased it ... "No man travels
twice the great highway which winds through darkness up to light, through night, to day." Therefore does it behoove the
Fellowcraft to build on his level of time with a true Plumb and a right Square. In its interweaving of emblem with emblem,
teaching with teaching, symbol with symbol, Freemasonry is like the latticework atop the Pillars in the Porch of King
Solomon's Temple, the several parts of which are so intimately connected as to denote unity. Here the Plumb as a Jewel, the
Plumb as a working tool of the Fellowcraft, and the Heavenly Plumb in the hand of Jehovah, as told in Amos vii, are so
inextricably mingled that while references to them occur in different parts of the degree, symbolically they must be
considered together.
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VERBAL REQUIREMENTS
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THE OBLIGATION OF A FELLOWCRAFT
I, A.B., in the presence of T.G.G.O.T.U. and in the body of this chartered and right worshipful l… of F.C.F.s, regularly
assembled and properly constituted, of my own free will and accord, do hereby and hereon solemnly promise and swear that I
shall always hele, conceal and never improperly reveal, any of the secrets or mysteries of, or belonging to, the 2nd Degree in
Fy., usually denominated the Fellowcraft Degree, to him who is but an E.A., any more that I would any of them, to the
uninitiated or those of the outer world. I further pledge myself to act as a true and faithful craftsman, to acknowledge s…s,
obey summonses, and maintain the principles inculcated in the 1st Degree. I shall encourage industry and reward merit;
supply the wants or relieve the necessities of worthy brethren to the utmost of my power; and on no account wrong them or
see them wronged, but shall view their interests as inseparable from my own. To all these points I solemnly swear fidelity,
without evasion, equivocation, or any mental reservation whatsoever, under no less a penalty on the violation of any of them,
than that of being branded as a wilfully perjured individual, void of all moral worth. So help me T.G.G.O.T.U. and keep me
steadfast in this, my solemn obligation as a F.C.F.
THE TRADITIONAL PENALTIES
Brethren remember your obligation! These notes are provided to assist you in remembering the traditional penalties which
neither could nor would be enacted nowadays. Rather we rely on the fact that if you were to reveal secrets of our art, you
would become a willfully perjured individual void of all moral worth and totally unfit to be accepted into the society of men
and particularly the Brotherhood of Freemasons. Be cautious Brethren.
That of having…
T_ _ L_ _ _ B_ _ _ _ _ T_ _ _ O_ _ _,
the H_ _ _ _ T_ _ _ _ T_ _ _ _ F_ _ _,
and C_ _ _ _ to the R_ _ _ _ _ _ _
B_ _ _ s O_ the A_ _ O_ the
D_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ B_ _ _ _ s of T_ _
F_ _ _ _ A_ J_ _ _ and L_ _ _ _ _ P_ _ _ .
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QUESTIONS WHICH WILL BE ASKED on the 2nd DEGREE
1.
How were you prepared to be passed to the 2nd Degree?
Answer: In a manner somewhat similar to the former save that I was only h… h…w… and had no c…
t… about my n…. My l… a…, r… b… and k… were made b… and my l… h… s…s…
2.
On what were you admitted?
Answer: The s…
3.
What is a s…?
Answer: An angle of ninety degrees or the fourth part of a circle.
4.
What are the peculiar objects of research in this degree?
Answer: The hidden mysteries and nature of our science.
5.
As the hope of award at all times sweetens labour, where did our ancient brethren go to receive their wages?
Answer: To the middle chamber of K… S…’s T…
6.
How did they receive them?
Answer:
7.
Without scruple and without diffidence.
Why in that peculiar manner?
Answer: Without scruple, knowing they were justly entitled to them and without diffidence, from the great
reliance they placed in the integrity of their employers.
8.
Name the two great pillars at the p… w… or e… to K… S…’s T…
Answer: That on the left …; that on the right ….
9.
What are their separate and conjoint significations?
Answer: The former denotes …, the latter …, and when conjoined …, for God said of King Solomon, “He
shall build me an House, and I will stablish his Throne for ever.”
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2nd DEGREE CATECHISM
[Part 1]
WJW – Have you anything to communicate?
FC – I have. (FC gives the p… g…)
WJW – What is that?
FC – The p… g… leading to the 2nd Degree.
WJW – What does that p… g… demand?
FC – A p… w…
WJW – Give me that p… w….
FC - ….
WJW – What is the import of that p… w…?
FC - ….
WJW – How is it usually depicted in our l…s?
FC – By an e… of c… near a f… of w…, in other words s… to e… and to d…
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2nd DEGREE CATECHISM
[PART 2]
WSW – Bro. AB you will advance to me as a FCF. (FC takes the s...s)
WSW – What is that?
FC – That is the s… r… s… in Fy.
WSW – Do you bring anything with you?
FC – I do. (FC gives the s… of f…)
WSW – What is that?
FC – The s… of f…, emblematical of guarding the repository of our s…s from the attacks of the insidious.
WSW – Do you bring anything else?
FC – I do. (FC gives the h… s… or s… of p…)
WSW – What is that?
FC – The h… s… or s… of p….
WSW – Do you bring anything more?
FC – I do. (Drops the l… h… and gives the p… s…)
WSW – What is that?
FC – The p… s….
WSW – To what does it allude?
FC – To the ancient penalty of the obligation when the candidates used to swear that they would rather have ….
WSW – Have you anything to communicate?
FC – I have. (FC gives the g…)
WSW – What is that?
FC – the g… or t… of a FCF
WSW – What does that g… demand?
FC – A w….
WSW – Give me that w…
FC – In this degree as well as in the former I was taught to be cautious, but with you, as a brother, I shall l… it or d… it.
WSW – L… it and begin.
FC – Being the interrogator, you begin. (That is done)
WSW – D… it and begin.
FC – Again, being the interrogator, you begin. (That is done)
WSW – Whence is the w…derived?
FC – From the r… h… p… at the p… or e…, to K… S…’s T…, so named after …, the assistant H… P…, who officiated at
its dedication.
WSW – What is the import of the w…?
FC - ….
WSW – And when conjoined with the w… in the former degree, … for God said of King Solomon, “ He shall build Me an
House, and I will stablish his Throne for ever.”
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WRITTEN REQUIREMENTS
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PART 1 - THE 2ND DEGREE - ITS TEACHINGS & SYMBOLISM
Reference
"SONS OF LIGHT" by RWBro. K.G. Linton
Pages 16 to 25 - "A JOURNEY THROUGH THE SECOND DEGREE"
1.
Linton states that the 1st Degree represents "sunrise, birth, beginning". What does he consider the 2nd Degree
represents?
2.
What does Linton consider to be the purpose of the 2nd Degree?
3.
A 2nd Degree Lodge is opened on the Square. What does the Square symbolise?
4.
The number "5" is the predominant number used in the 2nd Degree. Give three examples of the use of this number
in the ceremony.
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5.
What are the Working Tools of a Fellowcraft Freemason? Briefly describe the importance that Linton attaches to
each.
6.
In the final Charge of the 2nd Degree, we are told that "as a Craftsman, in our private assemblies, you may offer
your sentiments and opinions on such subjects as are regularly introduced in the lecture". To what does this refer
and when may we expect to receive this privilege?
7.
Linton considers the greatest symbol in the 2nd Degree to be the Winding Staircase. Why?
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Reference
"UNDERSTANDING FREEMASONRY" by Roy A. Wells
Chapter 5 - "UNDERSTANDING FREEMASONRY - Part 3"
8.
What are the three "movable" jewels in a Masonic lodge, and why are they called "movable"?
9.
Which Lodge Officers wear each of these jewels?
10.
What are the three "immovable" jewels, why are they called "immovable", and where are they found in the Lodge?
11.
Originally the Tracing Board was often called a Trestle Board, and in some lodges, was a floor drawing. Who
placed the drawing on the floor of the lodge and how and by whom was it later erased?
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12.
What is the difference between the two types of Ashlars and what was their use to operative masons?
13.
Why, in the 1st Degree ceremony, is the candidate placed in the northeast part of the Lodge, and in the 2nd
Degree, in the southeast part?
14.
The letter "G" is prominent in the lodge and in the 2nd Degree ceremony. What does the letter "G" historically
denote, and what does it denote today?
15.
Wells states that historically "the man in the street became even more acquainted with the activities of
freemasonry". What is he talking about here?
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PART 2 - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Reference
"MASONIC PERSPECTIVES - THE COLLECTED PAPERS OF JOHN HAMILL" by WBro. John Hamill
Chapter 1 - "WHENCE COME WE?"
1.
What does Hamill state as the purpose of Masonic Ritual and why it cannot be treated as history?
2.
What did the early official histories of freemasonry consider to be the historical origins of the Craft?
3.
Three theories of origin concern the Knights Templar, the Rosicrucians, and the Ancient Mysteries. Briefly
describe these theories.
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4.
Historically, the popular theory of our origins was a direct link with operative lodges. What are some of the
problems with this theory?
5.
Briefly describe the "indirect link" theory.
6.
Do you think that this theory has any validity?
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Reference
"INTRODUCING FREEMASONRY" by M. de Pace
Pages 102 to 119 - "HISTORICAL BACKGROUND"
7.
What, apart from their practical work, were the concerns of operative masons?
8.
What are some of the explanations that de Pace gives for the rise of Speculative Freemasonry?
9.
What were the Old Charges and what was their importance to operative lodges?
10.
The first Grand Lodge was founded in London in 1717. What were some of the problems in its early development?
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11.
What are the reasons that de Pace gives as to why the rival Grand Lodge, popularly known as "The Antients", was
formed?
12.
de Pace gives some theories as to why the two rival Grand Lodges united into one in 1813. What are they?
13.
Anderson's Constitutions contained, aside from regulations for the government of the Craft, a fanciful historical
account of the origins of freemasonry, yet both editions were approved by Grand Lodge. Why?
14.
There were numerous exposures of the Masonic ritual in the 18th Century. What does de Pace consider to be their
importance?
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PART 3 - THE SPREAD OF THE CRAFT WORLDWIDE
Reference
"THE MASONIC GRAND MASTERS OF AUSTRALIA" by WBro. K. Henderson
Pages 7 to 12 - "A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MASONIC ORDER"
1.
Henderson describes the operative stonemasons’ lodges as being different from other mediaeval trades. How were
they different?
2.
What does Henderson consider to be the reasons for the decline of operative masonry and the rise of Speculative
Masonry?
3.
What does Henderson describe as the attitude of ordinary masons towards the rivalry between the "Antients" and
"Moderns" Grand Lodges?
4.
What are The Ancient Landmarks of the Order, and what does Henderson state these to be?
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Reference
"PROSPER THE ART" by RWBro. J.G. Sullivan
Chapter 5 - "FREEMASONRY UNIVERSAL"
5.
The United Grand Lodge of England has many lodges around the world. How does it govern these lodges?
Note: Although Sullivan uses the example of the United Grand Lodge of England; the method of governance
detailed equally applies to the Grand Lodge of Scotland.
8.
What does Sullivan believe that there is about Freemasonry that appeals to men on a multi-national basis?
9.
Sullivan lists over a dozen differences in Masonic practices across the world. Choose five that interest you and
briefly describe them.
10.
In his "The Conclusion of the Matter", Sullivan considers the worldwide variety of Masonic practice is desirable.
Why do you think he holds this opinion and do you agree with him?
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PART 4 - THE FUTURE OF FREEMASONRY
Reference
"MASONIC PERSPECTIVES - THE COLLECTED PAPERS OF JOHN HAMILL" by WBro. John Hamill
Chapter 2 - "WHITHER ARE WE GOING?"
1.
Hamill states that changes are necessary in freemasonry. What is your view?
2.
Hamill states that freemasonry has a twofold problem. What are the problems?
3.
Recently, a national survey of public attitudes to Freemasonry was undertaken in America. What were the results
of this survey?
4.
How does Hamill believe we should handle the public misconception that Freemasonry is a secret society?
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5.
How does Hamill consider we should be treating newer members of the Craft?
6.
What are some of the problems that Hamill identifies with the role of Past Masters in lodges?
7.
What other areas does Hamill see as important in ensuring the future of Freemasonry?
8.
Hamill asks the question "is Freemasonry relevant". Summarise Hamill's views and then give your own.
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Reference
"PROSPER THE ART" by RWBro. J.G. Sullivan
Chapter 8 - "RELIGION AND POLITICS IN RELATION TO FREEMASONRY"
9.
Why do you think Masons are charged, whilst in the lodge, to abstain from every topic of religious and political
discussion?
10.
Sullivan states that Freemasonry is not a religious entity, but that it is religious in character. He lists eight points to
support this view. Briefly relate the three that you think are the most important.
11.
Sullivan considers it utterly necessary for Freemasonry to be non-sectarian in character. Do you support this view?
Why?
12.
The Roman Catholic Church has historically had difficulties with its members becoming Freemasons. What is your
view in this matter?
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Reference
"PROSPER THE ART" by RWBro. J.G. Sullivan
Chapter 10 - "WOMEN IN FREEMASONRY"
13.
Sullivan summarises the changing role of women in society, and then discusses difficulties in the way of lodges
admitting women. Describe some of these difficulties.
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Reference
"A MASONIC PANORAMA - SELECTED PAPERS OF THE REVEREND NEVILLE BARKER CRYER"
by VWBro. N.B. Cryer
Chapter 2- "WOMEN IN FREEMASONRY"
13.
Cryer gives a historical and anecdotal account of women in Freemasonry, and concludes with "three points for the
future". Summarise these points.
15.
In having read the views of Sullivan and Cryer, do you think women should be admitted into Freemasonry? Justify
your view.
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READINGS
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PART 1 -THE 2ND DEGREE - ITS TEACHINGS & SYMBOLISM
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE SECOND DEGREE
- From “Sons of Light” by K. Linton.
It seems a misnomer to call this chapter ''A Journey through the Second Degree'' as the Second Degree is itself a journey; in
fact it is the Masonic journey/ The First represents sunrise birth, beginning; the Third represents sunset death, the end; but the
Second represents the time between sunrise and sunset, between birth and death, the distance between the beginning and the
end, However it is intended to conduct the reader through the Second Degree following the order of the ceremony, touching
on its highlights, and adding some Interpretation and explanation, as we did in the First Degree. As we make this journey let
us keep in mind the main aim and purpose of the Second Degree, which is to inculcate the importance of developing the
intellectual faculty, so that its attainments may lift us to a truer and fuller appreciation of the wonderful works of the
Almighty Creator.
In the Second Degree the Lodge is opened on the Square, that great Masonic emblem of the Golden Rule, of doing unto
others as in similar cases we would wish that they should do to us; or as we Freemasons put it, of acting on the Square. This
is the way of life that Freemasonry teaches, and has ever taught, that is, to so harmonise our conduct in this life as to render
us acceptable to that Divine Being, from whom all goodness springs. It is thus fitting that the candidate for the Second
Degree should gain admission by the assistance of the Square.
In the First Degree the Brethren are asked to take notice that the candidate is about to pass in view before them, but in this
Degree the word ''now'' is added -- "is now about to pass in view before them" -- reminding us that now is the time to
remember our Creator; and that now is the time to perform our allotted task while it is yet day. In the Second Degree the sun
is always at its meridian.
The predominating number of this degree is five, and so the candidate advances to the East by five steps, as though ascending
a winding staircase. The Winding Staircase, to my mind, is the greatest symbol in the Second Degree. However, we will deal
with that when we come to the Tracing Board, and then you can judge for yourself.
As the candidate kneels for the obligation, the number five again predominates for in doing so he forms five squares, thus:
the first with his r .. l..; the second with his l... 1 .., the third with his r.. h ... , the fourth with his l...a... and the fifth with his
t.... In numerology five is the number of social relations thus identifying it with the Masonic Square and the five points of
fellowship, but that of course, belongs to the Third Degree.
In the Secrets we are told: "for it was in this position that Moses prayed fervently to the Almighty." This alludes to the time
when an army of Israelites under the command of Joshua were engaged in battle with the Amalekites. Now, even though
they were greatly outnumbered, the Almighty had assured Moses that the Israelites would prevail as long as Moses held his
hand in this position as a sign of prayer and a token of the faith of Israel that numbers were of no importance when the
Almighty was on their side. This incident is recorded in the Book of Exodus 17: 11-12, where we read: "And it came to pass,
when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands
were heavy; and they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one
on the one side, and the other on the other side, and his hands were steady till the going down of the sun,"
The word of the degree is a Hebrew word, the meaning of which is w . . . e . . ., and when conjoined with that in the former
degree forms the key to God's covenant with Israel as we will readily see, when we repeat the covenant: "in the strength of
Jehovah shall the king rejoice, for He will establish the throne of David and his kingdom to his seed forever." This is the real
importance of the word; the fact that the Assistant High Priest bore the same name as the southern pillar is incidental, but it
did provide our ancient Brethren with a ready means of remembering the name of the Pillar.
There is no account of the dedication of the Temple in the Bible, but that event is amply recorded by the Jewish historian,
Flavius Josephus, in his work, Jewish Antiquities. In his account we find that Zadok has become the sole High Priest of
Israel, whereas in the reign of King David he shared that office with Abiathar. Abiathar, however, was later found guilty of
treason by King Solomon for aiding and abetting Adonijah in his abortive attempt to seize the throne. The King could not, of
course, put to death anyone who had borne the Ark of the Covenant, but Solomon did banish Abiathar, and that is the last
mention of him in the Sacred Volume. Josephus states quite clearly that Zadok, as the High Priest of Israel, officiated at the
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dedication of the Temple, but he makes no mention of an assistant high priest. If he had one, and he probably did, that
assistant's name could have been the same as the southern pillar, because King David appointed a man by that name as one of
his twenty-four section leaders or concourses, as they are called in the Sacred Volume, when he re-organized the priesthood,
and it would be from their ranks that we could expect such a promotion to come. It could well be that one of our Masonic
legends has preserved a name that history has recorded nowhere else. Our ritual does not refer to the name of Zadok, the
High Priest, but only to that of his assistant, who assisted him at the dedication, and only because his name was the same as
the southern pillar.
In the Southeast Charge we are told: "You are now placed in the South-east part (of the Lodge), to mark the progress you
have made." This is the fifth time that the word "progress" is heard in this degree. The first time was when it was used by the
Tyler, when he reports: "who has been regularly initiated into Freemasonry, and has made such progress" the second time is
when those words are repeated by the Inner Guard in his report to the Master; the third time it comes from the Master
himself, when he announces: "Your progress in Freemasonry is marked''; and the fourth time it is spoken by the S.W., when
he says: "I invest you with the distinguishing badge of a F.C. Freemason to mark the progress". Thus we hear the word
"progress" five times in the Second Degree - five is the predominating number of the Degree and progress, of course, is the
central theme of this Degree - progress from sunrise to sunset, from birth to death, from beginning to end.
The working tools of an E.A Freemason are those used to prepare the stone for the hands of the more expert workman, but
the working tools of the Second Degree - the Square, the level, and the Plumb Rule -- are the tools of the expert craftsman,
the skilled mason responsible for the correct interpretation of the architect's designs, and for their faithful execution in the
building. His, therefore, are the most important of all the tools, and the charge in which they are presented to the candidate is
probably the most inspiring in all our Masonic ritual. The candidate who really absorbs its philosophy can hardly fail to
become a worthy Freemason. Let me now present to you those tools in the reverse order.
The Plumb Rule, giving us the true vertical line, is the emblem of integrity, which embraces the attributes of kindness,
moderation, justice and truth, the essential virtues of the just, upright and steadfast man, of whom the Roman poet, Horace,
over two thousand years ago:
The man of firm and righteous will;
No rabble clamorous for the wrong;
Nor tyrant's brow, whose frown may kill,
Can shake the power that makes him strong.
Odes 111. 3,1-4
The Level, giving us the true horizontal line, is the emblem of equality, and teaches at all men are equal, inasmuch as they are
all subject to the same infirmities, all hastening to the same goal, and all to be judged by the same immutable law, regardless
of race, colour, creed or tongue. In this sense the Level is the perfect emblem of brotherhood Thus, the Plumb Rule gives us
the true vertical line, and the Level gives us the true horizontal line; and when the true vertical and the true horizontal meet,
they form an angle of ninety degrees, or the fourth part of a circle, which, of course, is the Square. Now we see that the Level
and Plumb Rule are complementary to the Square, and understand the reason that these tools are worn by the three principal
officers -- the Master and his two Wardens.
And that brings us to the Square, but we have already mentioned it when we dealt with the opening of the Lodge, However,
there are two comments that could be added at this juncture.
In the earliest known Masonic catechism there is this question: "How many make a Lodge?" and the answer is given as: "God
and the Square, and five or seven right or perfect Masons". This sounds like a riddle, but it is easily explained. "God and the
Square": knowing the meaning of the Square, we are immediately reminded of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of
man. To love God and our neighbour is to keep all the commandments, which, of course, is what Christ meant when he said,
"On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." And now for the rest of the answer: "with five or seven
right or perfect Masons". Five is right and seven is perfect, because "five hold a lodge" and so five is the right number to
form a Masonic quorum; and seven is perfect because, as the First Tracing Board tells us: that is the number of "regularly
made Masons, without which number no lodge is perfect".
The second comment is that in the year 1830, when a very ancient bridge was being rebuilt near Limerick in Ireland, the
architect found under the foundation stone an old corroded brass square with this inscription (cited in The Builders, p. 56):
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"I will strive to live with love and care,
Upon the level and by the square"
In the Final Charge of this Degree we are told that: "as a Craftsman, in our private assemblies, you may offer your sentiments
and opinions on such subjects as are regularly introduced in the lecture." To what lecture does this refer, and when may we
expect to receive this privilege? This is a question we are all entitled to ask, and there is, of course, an explanation. Our ritual,
adopted in 1889, at the time of the union of the four constitutions then operating in this State, is basically the English
Emulation Ritual, but with modifications borrowed from the Scottish, Irish, and Victorian rituals then in use. This was done
with the object of appeasing the Brethren belonging to the other constitutions; but the added enrichment gained from the
inclusion of the gems selected from these other rituals has given us what is generally considered to be the finest Masonic
ritual in the world. The lectures mentioned are the Catechetical Lectures which, although part of the Emulation Ritual, were
not incorporated in our present ritual, an omission which is to be regretted, as they are not only an essential part of
Freemasonry, but also because we are thereby denied a valuable privilege. Our Grand Lodge, however, has copies of these
Catechetical Lectures and encourages their use. The "third, last, and grand reason" mentioned in the First Tracing Board is
found in these same lectures, and has recently been included in our ritual.
We will deal with just one thing in the Tracing Board, which has been purposely left to the end, and that is the Winding
Staircase which, as I have already claimed, is the greatest symbol in the Fellowcraft Degree, Its seven steps, the seven liberal
arts and sciences -- grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy -- symbolise the ultimate attainment
of a F.C. Freemason, starting from the very beginning of man's intellectual progress. Our first intellectual advance is made
possible by the development of language, thus enabling us to communicate with our neighbour, and so widen the field of our
knowledge, which would otherwise be restricted to our own personal experience.
Grammar is the foundation of language, and so it must be the first step on the intellectual ladder. It is not enough, however, to
master the structure of language; we must be able to put it into practice, and the art which teaches us to speak copiously and
fluently on a subject is rhetoric, and so we move to the second step. Even the most grammatically correct and skilfully
delivered language is just an empty senseless flow of words unless it contains logic, and so we continue to rise to the third
step.
Having climbed these three steps, we are then equipped to exchange knowledge with our neighbour. The F.C. were paid their
wages in specie, that is coin or money, which here is a symbol for knowledge, because knowledge, like money, increases
with usage and exchange. This exchange of knowledge enables us to compare -- to compare what we know with what our
neighbour knows. The science of comparison is arithmetic; its ciphers and measurements are but the means that it uses; and
so arithmetic, the fourth step, symbolises the beginning of knowledge
Our acquisition of knowledge brings us to step number five, the predominating number of this Degree, and there we find
geometry, which is established as the basis of our art. Geometry, the science of harmony in space, presides over everything.
We find it in the arrangement of a fir cone, in the spiral of a snail shell, in the chaplet of a spider's web, and in the orbit of a
planet. It is everywhere, as perfect in the world of atoms as in the world of immensities. The snowflake is a perfect example
of the geometry of God: circles, triangles, pentagons, hexagons, and parallelograms, more exact and delicate than the deftest
hand could trace. And this Universal Geometry tells us of a Universal Geometrician, whose divine compasses have measured
all things, and so we realise that the development of the intellectual faculty is assuredly leading us even to the throne of God.
Then Geometry leads us to the next step, because music is the geometry of sound. Every note in the musical scale is exactly
double the wavelength of the corresponding note in the preceding octave, and each note in a chord is in logarithmic
progression. Music moves with measured step and cannot free itself from geometry without dying away in discord. Music is
the concord of sweet sounds, and concord is all the law of God. Geometry brought us close to God, but music brings us
closer still:
There is music in the sighing of the breeze;
There is music in the gushing of a stream;
There is music in all things, if men have ears;
This Earth is but an echo of the spheres.
Byron.
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Seven is the number of completion, and on the seventh and uppermost step we find astronomy by which we are taught to read
the wisdom, power and goodness of the Grand Geometrician of the Universe in the wonder of the heavens. With the aid of
astronomy we may observe the motions of the heavenly bodies; we may measure their distances, and calculate their periods
and eclipses; but our finite minds may not even hope to comprehend the magnitude of God's handiwork. In the words of the
poet, Dryden:
How can the less the greater comprehend?
Or finite reason reach infinity?
Reach infinity! We cannot even contemplate it. We can, however, extend our researches into the hidden mysteries of nature
and science; so let us do just that, and merely contemplate the magnitude of God's handiwork, and see how far our finite mind
can extend. For example to travel the enormous distance of 1 million kilometres would be to completely circle the earth 25
times, and if we could maintain a constant speed of 114 kilometres per hour, it would take us the whole year to complete the
journey; and yet the speed of light is so great, that it can traverse 1 million kilometres in a fraction over three seconds. If we
could travel at this impossible speed for just eight minutes, we would reach the sun, a distance of 154 million kilometres; but
to reach the outer edge of our own home galaxy, the Milky Way, we would need to maintain this fantastic speed for 80,000
years. It is quite impossible, of course, for us to comprehend the extent of 80,000 years, having no experience with which to
make a comparison; suffice it to say, that just one-tenth of that period would take us back to the year 6017 B.C., before the
Nile Valley was settled by the people who would later build the pyramids, the oldest construction in the world. Then, when
we consider that this galaxy, whose magnitude is so far beyond our comprehension, is just a tiny speck in the known
universe, our finite mind is completely overwhelmed.
And beyond the known universe stretches the vaster unknown, of which we are but dimly aware through our most powerful
modern telescopes receiving light that started on its journey before this planet was born. All this vaster than vast universe
with its incalculable billions of stars, each many millions of times the size of this earth, moves and revolves in obedience to a
great unseen power with a precision that is perfect. No! We can never hope to comprehend; but it is here on the seventh step
of the winding staircase that we may really contemplate the wonderful works of the Almighty Creator.
As F.C. Freemasons we are expected to make the liberal arts and sciences our constant study, that we may better be enabled
to discharge our duty as Freemasons, and estimate the wonderful works of the Almighty Creator. When we reach the
uppermost step of the Winding Staircase, astronomy conducts us through the paths of heavenly science till we stand at the
very foot of the throne of God, of which we are as yet granted but the merest glimpse.
The winding staircase leads us up
By steps of four plus three;
Four is of earth and three's divine,
A perfect unity.
First step is Grammar, and beyond
There follow orderly
Six other steps until on high,
We find Astronomy.
And as we climb step after step,
One thing is plain to see;
It is the greatest symbol,
In the Fellowcraft Degree.
We tread its steps one by one, ever onward, ever upward, without moving away from the centre, that point from which we
cannot err; with our horizons ever widening, but the way ahead always out of sight. Then we reach the door of the Middle
Chamber, which we find open. It is open only because the experience of the climb has trained our mind to see God in His
Universe; and so we enter and find the letter "G".
Brethren, it is only by climbing these stairs -- it is only by developing the intellectual faculty -- that we may reach the summit
and find the letter "G" in the Middle Chamber. That is to find God in our own heart, and be filled with a consciousness of His
infinite wisdom, of His incomprehensible power, His boundless love and mercy, and the awesome eternity of the time and
space of His Universe. When we can do this, we have completed our journey through the Second Degree. It is then, and only
then, that we can claim to be Fellowcraft Freemasons.
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KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE
"As it is the hope of reward that sweetens labour, where did our ancient Brethren go to receive their wages?"
"Into the middle chamber of King Solomon's Temple."
And where was the middle chamber? To answer that question it is necessary to explain the architecture of the Temple, and
the compilers of our ritual, somewhere between 1611 and 1881, obviously took many of these things from the Authorised
Version of the Bible. However, I will do that from the Revised Standard Version, which is much more reliable, and point out
the differences between them as we go. The Authorised Version was published in 1611, the Revised Standard Version in
1881.
The architecture of the Temple is explained in the First Book of Kings, so let us begin at Verse 2 in chapter 6: "The house
which King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and thirty cubits high." Using present day
units of measurements we can now give the size as approximately 30 metres long, 10 metres wide and 15 metres high. Our
immediate reaction is that it was not a very large structure. That is quite correct, but we must remember that the congregation
did not enter that Temple, but performed their worship in the inner court to the East of the Temple. Actually, the Temple was
a little larger than those measurements, as you will soon see. Moreover, it was not its size, but its magnificence, which so
distinguished the Temple.
Verse 3: "The vestibule in front of the nave was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in
front of the house." So the vestibule, or porch, as it is called in the Authorised Version and in our ritual, was the full width of
the Temple, and five metres out of the total length of 30 metres, leaving 25 metres still to be accounted for.
As verse 4 merely describes the windows we will omit that and proceed to the next verse.
Verse 5: "He also built a structure against the wall of the house, running round the walls of the house, both the nave and the
inner sanctuary, and he made side chambers all round." We see from this verse that the outside of the building was actually
greater than 30 metres by 10 metres, as these side chambers added to both the length and the width. When the text says "all
around" that, of course, would add to both sides and to the back.
Verse 6: (Here we find a description of the side chambers): "The lowest story was five cubits broad, the middle one was six
cubits, and the third was seven cubits broad; for around the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting
beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house." The important thing we have to learn from this verse is that the side
chambers were three storeys high, of which there is further proof.
Verse 7: This verse we have already quoted in the "Journey through the First Degree", but, as we are now reading from the
Revised Version, let us repeat it: "When the house was built, it was with stone prepared in the quarry; so that neither hammer
nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built."
Verse 8: "The entrance to the lowest storey was on the south side of the house, and one went up by stairs to the middle storey,
and from the middle into the third." The Authorised Version translates "middle chamber" instead of "Lowest storey", "right
side" instead of "south side", "winding stairs" instead of "stairs", and "middle chamber" instead of "middle storey". If the next
floor above the ground floor was the middle storey, then those side chambers were definitely three storeys high.
I will omit verse 9, as it is irrelevant, and just quote seven words in Verse 10: "each storey was five cubits high". This means
that the side chambers were three times 2.5 metres, which is 7.5 metres or 2.5 metres lower than the main or central part of
the building.
From there we pass over five verses to Verse 16, which tells us: "He built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with boards
of cedar from the floor to the rafters, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary as the most holy place." In our ritual we
refer to this "inner sanctuary" as the "Sanctum Sanctorum", Latin words which mean "holy of holies".
Verse 17 tells us: "The house, that is the nave in front, was forty cubits long". If the whole length is 30 metres, less the 10
metres of the inner sanctuary, then the remaining 20 metres must include the 5 metres of the vestibule, leaving 15 metres for
the "holy place" which was between the inner sanctuary and the vestibule.
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Verse 20 repeats the dimensions of the inner sanctuary but mentions also the height of the inner sanctuary as twenty cubits,
which is about 10 metres, or two-thirds of the height of the building.
So we see from all this that the winding stairs were not in the vestibule as depicted on the vast majority of our Tracing
Boards, but in the side chambers, which were reached via a door leading from the vestibule. This door we refer to in the
Second Tracing Board with the words: "they got there by the porchway or entrance on the south side". Thus we see that this
entrance was on the south side of the vestibule, and not on the south side of the Temple. Then to get to the "middle chamber"
or second storey, one had to enter the Temple through the only entrance, which was between the pillars on the east, turn left,
pass through the arch, and climb the stairs to that floor. The Tracing Board in No. 4 Lodge Room in our Masonic Centre in
East Melbourne is the best I know, although those in rooms 5, 6 and 7 are also good. This Tracing Board, however, depicts
the stairs as spiral, which seems very doubtful to me: winding stairs, yes, but I do not believe that spiral stairs were built
nearly three thousand years ago.
However, there are some other things in the Second Tracing Board, which really need some explanation.
"The height of these pillars was seventeen cubits and a half each." Our word "cubit" is derived from the Latin word cubits,
meaning "elbow", because the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger is the length of a cubit,
which on the average man is about 45 centimetres. That makes the pillars about 7.9 metres high.
"They were made of molten brass". These words have obviously been taken from the Authorised Version of the Bible,
because brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The latter was unknown in those days, whereas bronze is an alloy of copper and
tin, and it is known that Phoenicians operated a tin mine in Cornwall, a mine that is still yielding tin to this day. As Tyre was
the chief city of Phoenicia, it was Phoenician craftsmen that were sent by Hiram, King of Tyre, to Solomon for the building
of the Temple. We read in the First Book of Kings 7:15: "For he cast two pillars of brass." In the Revised Standard Version
this is changed to: "For he cast two pillars of bronze."
With the weight of 8.41 grams per cubic centimetre, it is easy enough to calculate that their weight would be nearly 40 tonnes
each. To cast them in one piece would greatly tax the capacity of the most modern foundry. Hence we must assume that they
were cast in sections and assembled on the site.
According to the book Timna by Beno Rothenberg, (Thames and Hudson, 1972), the copper for this bronze was mined in
Mount Timna, near the Wadi Araba south of the Dead Sea. Archaeologists have proved that these mines have been operated
for over six thousand years and they are still yielding copper today.
"They were cast in the plain of Jordan, in the clayground between Succoth and Zeredatha". This would place their casting
near the junction of the Jabbok and the Jordan rivers, the latter of which flows into the Dead Sea.
"They were further adorned with two spherical balls". This would seem to be a flight of someone's imagination, as there is no
mention of them in the Sacred Volume. The point has been made that in those days it was not known that the world was
round. We cannot place too much reliance on that assumption, because Eratosthenes measured the circumference of the Earth
rather exactly about 250 B.C., and according to the account of his action, it was merely to confirm a theory that was already
held. "Spherical balls" look like a misunderstanding of the word "pommels" in the Second Book of Chronicles 4:12, where it
means chapiters -- the head of the columns.
The kings of Israel were crowned in front of the South Pillar and the priests were anointed in front of the North Pillar.
"Here depicted by an ear of corn". Our Tracing Boards were designed by a man named Harris, who generally speaking, has
done a very good job, as it is impossible to depict both inside and outside of the Temple, except in the ingenious manner to
which I have already referred. Not knowing the Hebrew language, Harris asked for the meaning of the word, so that he could
depict it on the Tracing Board, and when told that it was a homonym, that is a word with two distinct meanings, he adopted
the obvious course, and depicted both meanings. I do take exception to the fall of water outside the main entrance to King
Solomon's Temple, which stood on top of Mount Moriah. That other Tracing Board also surmounts that difficulty.
"Jephtha, the renowned Gileaditish general". Jephtha was a Gileadite in two ways. First, he was a descendant of Gilead, who
was a grandson of Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob, and who became such a famous man in Egypt; and secondly, Jephtha's
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own father was named Gilead. He was his father's firstborn, but he was illegitimate, and his two stepbrothers, born in
wedlock, one day drove him from the paternal abode. He journeyed to the land of Tob, where he eventually became famous
as a soldier. Not long after he had left home the Gileadites were defeated in battle by the Ammonites, and after eighteen years
of subjection the Gileadites sought the assistance of Jephtha to effect their liberation At first Jephtha attempted to raise an
army from his own kinsmen, the Ephraimites, but, finding them unwilling, he raised his army without their aid. He not only
defeated the Ammonites, but he took from them the valuable treasure as spoils of war. When the Ephraimites heard of this,
they became covetous, and claimed a share of the spoil, with the result that Jephtha had to turn round and defend himself
against his own kinsmen.
"Five hold a Lodge in allusion to the five noble orders of architecture". I have already mentioned four of these in the chapter
entitled "The Three Great Pillars", but not in their correct order. They are the Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and
Composite; of these three are Grecian in development and two Roman. It is the three of Grecian origin -- the Doric, Ionic and
Corinthian -- that are used in our Lodges.
Our Tracing Boards took the place of the old Trestle Board, which had been removed from the floor of the Lodge to the wall,
and in older rituals, was known as the Tarsel Board.
"When our ancient Brethren were in the Middle chamber, their attention was peculiarly drawn to certain Hebrew characters,
here depicted by a letter G, denoting God, the Grand Geometrician of the Universe." The Hebrew character that immediately
comes to mind is the letter gimmel, the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is in the form of a gallows square, as is also the
letter gamma, the third letter of the Greek alphabet used by Pythagoras to denote "geometry".
Both gimmel and gamma have the same sound as the English letter G. Records show that in the early days after the formation
of the Grand Lodge of England, when working the Second Degree, it was the custom to place a gallows square over the
Blazing Star of Glory in the Centre, but somewhere since the gallows square has evidently been replaced by its English
equivalent. The letter G has come to be closely associated with the Blazing Star, giving rise to the impression that the G
denotes God. Actually the letter belongs strictly to the Fellowcraft Degree, and for this reason F.C. Freemasons were once
known as "Letter G Men". In Freemasonry the letter G denotes geometry, just as it did in the system of Pythagoras. It does
denote God, of course, but only in His role as Grand Geometrician of the Universe.
King Solomon's Temple is the theme of the whole of Craft Masonry, but more particularly in the Fellowcraft Degree, whose
working tools are the Square, the Level, and the Plumb Rule, the instruments for squaring the stone and so perfecting it as to
render it fit for the intended structure. We are the stones in this Temple, and every living stone should strive to become the
perfect ashlar.
"The Temple made of wood and stone must crumble and decay, But there's an unseen fabric, which shall never pass away;
Age after age the Masons strive to consummate the plan. But still the work's unfinished which our forebears began; None but
immortal eyes may view, complete in all its parts, The Temple formed of living stones -- the structure made of hearts."
-"Temple of Living Stones", Lawrence Greenleaf.
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“Understanding Freemasonry”
Chapter 5, Part 3
By R.A. Wells
Jewels
In Part 2 of this paper, under the subheading 'Ornaments, Furniture, and Jewels’, there was time and space for examination
only of the first two items but Jewels had to he deferred until now. However, let us recall that the subject was introduced with
this extract from the Fifth Section of the First Lecture of the craft
Q.
A.
Of what is the interior of a Freemasons Lodge composed?
Ornaments, Furniture, and Jewels.
Later in that catechism is the following:
Q.
A.
You speak of Jewels and seem careful of them how many are there in the Lodge?
Three movable, and three immovable.
Q.
A.
Name the movable Jewels.
The Square, Level and Plumb Rule.
Q.
Why are they called movable?
A.
Because they are worn by the Master and his Wardens and are transferable to their successors on nights of
Installation.
Our earliest record of investing with those movable jewels, although they were then called Instruments, comes from
Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723. From his account of Installation we learn that it was already an established practice as it
states:
Here follows the Manner of constituting a News Lodge, as practised by His Grace the Duke of Wharton, the present
Right Worshipful Grand Master according to the ancient Usages of Masons.
Then the Grand Master, placing the Candidate on his left Hand having asked and obtained the unanimous Consent
of all the Brethren, shall say; I constitute and form these good Brethren into a new lodge and appoint you the Master
of it, not doubting of your Capacity and Care to preserve the Cement of the Lodge, etc. with some other Expressions
that are proper and usual on that Occasion, but not proper to be written.
Upon this the Deputy shall rehearse the Charges of a Master, and the Grand Master shall ask the Candidate, saving,
do you submit to these Charges, as Masters have done in all Ages. And the Candidate signifying his Cordial
Submission thereunto, the Grand-Master shall, by certain significant Ceremonies and Ancient Usages, install him,
and present him with the Constitutions, the Lodge-Book, and the instruments of his Office, not all together, but one
after another; and after each of them, the Grand-Master, or his Deputy, shall rehearse the short and pithy Charge that
is suitable to the thing presented. Then the Grand Master desires the new Master to enter immediately upon the
Exercise of his Office, in choosing his Wardens…and the candidates being solemnly asked by the new Master, shall
signify their submission thereunto. Upon which the New Master, presenting them with the instruments of their
Office, shall in due Form, install them in their proper Places.
So commences the symbolical lives of the Square, Level, and Plumb Rule as Movable Jewels in a newly constituted lodge.
The Three Immovable Jewels are stated in later versions of the Craft Lectures to be ‘The Tracing Board, the Rough and
Perfect Ashlars’ and are classified as ‘Immovable’: ‘Because they lie open and Immovable in the Lodge for the Brethren to
moralise on.’ Prior to those, however, some rather quaint terms were in use.
Manuscripts up to 1730, some of which contained only fragments of ritual, mainly expressed in catechetical form, have
sparse reference to these ‘Jewels’ which even then were sometimes called ‘Lights’; there was no separation into Movable or
Immovable.’ Prichard’s Masonry Dissected, which was published in 1730, is being used for comparative purposes. It was
translated into French, considerable licence being taken in that process, but from 1760 onwards the French translations were
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re-translated into English and from those certain features were planted into standard practice, traces of which survived the
revision of Craft ritual and procedure that took place in the early 19th century. Regarding ‘Immovable Jewels’, Prichard had:
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
What are the Immovable jewels?
A Trasel Board, Rough Ashlar, and Broach’d Thurnel.
What are their Uses?
Trasel Board for the Master to draw his Designs upon, Rough Ashlar for the Fellow-Craft to try their Jewels upon,
and the Broach’d Thurnel for the Enter’d ‘Prentice to learn to work upon.
His word ‘Trasel’ was what we now read as ‘Trestle’. It has come into use in U.S.A. as a title for a Manual of the Craft
Degrees called Masonic Trestle Board. But the Lodge Board, upon which was drawn or painted the various Masonic
symbols, was placed upon trestles for the convenience of the Master to explain to the Candidate according to his degree; it
was a later development the Floor Drawing in chalk upon the floor of the lodge executed by the Tyler, but erased after the
degree by the Candidate, and that in turn was succeeded by a painted oilcloth which could be rolled and put away until next
required. The 19th century anti present-day painted Tracing Boards, although of various designs and styles have become
normal equipment of a lodge.
In one of the French Masonic exposures Catechisme Des Franc-Macons published in 1744, the three Immovable Jewels are
described thus:
The rough stone for the Apprentices, the pointed stone for the Fellows to sharpen their Tools on, & the tracing
Board on which the Masters draw their Designs.
In another French publication of 1745 (L’Ordre des Franc-Macon Trahi) is a diagram entitled ‘The Plan of the ApprenticeFellows Lodge’ which shows ‘A Rough Stone’ or 'Block of Limestone’, but the Pierre Cubique or ‘Pointed Cubed Stone’ in
that Plan is not the Perfect Ashlar known today; it is a squared, shaped stone, with the top surface rising to a pyramid and is
shown with an axe above it Probably the axe was intended to represent the 'Broaching ‘Tool and two references in that
respect are worth quoting; the first from the English Dialect Dictionary (1898) which states:
BROACH. A narrow, pointed, iron instrument in die form of a chisel used by masons in hewing stones, hence
Broached of stones, hewed, dressed.
The second quote is from the Oxford English Dictionary, which cites an example, dated 1703 where the adjective is
described:
To Broach as Mast ons an Atchler when with the small point if their axe they make it full of little pits or small holes
Prichard’s description ‘Broach’d Thurnel’ lent itself to such wide interpretations including the positioning of a particular
stone in course in a building, but it is much more likely that he intended to mean a kind of soft white building stone which is
the explanation given in the Oxford English Dictionary where it appears with a variety of spellings: Thurnel, Urnell, Ornell,
Urnall. An example is quoted from the building accounts of Rochester Cast I where, in 1368, the term ‘urnel’ occurs, and
another when ‘Ornell’ was in use in 1442, when ‘ten tons of Ornell was carted from London to Cambridge College’.
By the time we reach William Preston’s Craft Lectures, compiled c. 1772, the ‘pointed cubic stone for the Fellows to sharpen
their Tools on’ had become the ‘Smooth Ashlar’ to complement the ‘Rough Ashlar’ and he described them thus:
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Q.
Name the immoveable Jewels.
The rough ashlar, smooth ashlar and the tracing board.
What is their use?
The first is the representation of the brute stone taken from the quarry, which is assigned to the apprentice or
Brethren of the First Degree whose time is least valuable; that by their industry it might be brought into due form
and made it for use. The second is the smooth stone, or polished ashlar, which has undergone the skill of the
Craftsman and is used by him to adjust his tools and implements, as the criterion of truth and accuracy. The third is
the implement on which the designs of Masters are formed, which there is restricted to the Overseers, whose duty it
is to arrange and distribute the plans of the building amongst the Craftsmen that the work may be properly executed
according to the rules of symmetry and proportion. Thus in the use of these Jewels we find the Brethren of all three
Degrees usefully employed in their separate departments.
Why are these tools and implements called Jewels?
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A.
On account of their moral tendency which renders jewels of inestimable value amongst Masons.
After the Entered Apprentice has been invested with the appropriate apron, his situation in the lodge is described in Preston’s
Craft Lectures as follows:
Q.
A.
Entrusted and invested in the manner described what is his proper situation in the Lodge?
At the northeast corner of the Lodge or at the right hand of the Master.
Q.
A.
Why is he so placed?
That he may tread sure and obey the commands of the Master.
Q.
A.
Why does he tread sure at the northeast corner rather than at any other part of the Lodge?
Because there he treads on the foundation stone of the building.
Q.
A.
To what does it allude?
To an established custom of laying the foundation stone of all capital buildings at the northeast corner.
Q.
A.
In what form does he appear?
With his feet formed into a square, body erect, and eyes fixed on the master.
And, of the position for the Fellowcraft it states:
Q.
A.
What is the proper situation of the newly accepted Fellow-Craft?
In the S.E. Corner of the Lodge at the left hand of the Ruler in his proper situation.
Q.
A.
Why?
To mark a distinction from the preceding Degree and to show he has been regularly accepted a Fellow-Craft in that
situation which is usually assigned to the Second Degree of the Order.
Q.
A.
In what form?
With his feet formed in a square, his body erect, and his eves fixed on the Ruler...
They are the positions in which the Entered Apprentice and the Fellow Craft are placed after being invested with their
distinguishing aprons, but in Masonic progress, there is a third position yet to arise. In some Craft Workings the Deacon is
instructed to place the Candidate at the centre of the lodge, and by so doing the Candidate will have stood, figuratively
speaking, at the three angles of a triangle; a geometrical figure that at one time abounded in symbolical Freemasonry, now
prominently displayed, perhaps even reserved, in the Royal Arch.
The Letter G
In many lodge rooms, suspended from the ceiling in a central position, is the letter G, the appearance of which has given rise
to various explanations, but it is under that symbol the Brother is then positioned. But now let us return to the catechism
recorded by Prichard in particular:
Q.
A.
Why were you made a Fellow-Craft?
For the sake of the Letter G.
Q.
A.
What does G denote?
Geometry, or the fifth Science.
Q.
A.
Can you repeat the Letter G?
I’ll do my endeavour.
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THE REPEATING OF THE LETTER G
In the midst of Solomon’s Temple there stands a G,
A Letter fair for all to read and see,
But few there be that understands
What means that Letter G?
That stanza is followed by others, which are of little interest for our subject, but the final one is relevant:
By Letters Four and Science Five
The G aright doth stand,
Q.
A:
What is the proper situation of the newly accepted Fellow-Craft?
In a due art and Proportion, You have your answer friend.
N. B. Four Letters are Boaz. Fifth Science Geometry.
Whoever was responsible for that effort was preserving two routes one of a Biblical nature and the other geometry itself. In
the pamphlet, Dialogue between Simon and Philip published in 1740 we find:
Phil: Why Geometry?
Simon: Because it is the Root and foundation of all Arts and Science.
And in that document are two line drawings of the form of a lodge. One 'the form of the old lodge’ and the other the new
lodge under Desaguliers regulation. Desaguliers was the third Grand Master in the premier Grand Lodge founded in 17I7; he
presided in he year 1719, and died in 1744. Both line drawings have the letter G in the centre, the one with the G enclosed in
a lozenge shaped diagram, and the G in the other enclosed in an irradiated circle. They were and are pictorial representations
of cherished ideas in symbolical form and, as a result, became the portrayal of the fancies of their designers.
The Masonic Magazine, August 1881, carried details of an article written by W. W. Whytehead, which he had read before
Eboracum Lodge, No. 1611 meeting at York. The author observed:
It has often been a matter of speculation among Masonic students as to what were the real secrets of the medieval
masons ... I am inclined to submit that the science rediscovered by Monge, and called by him descriptive geometry
constituted the real secrets of our ancient brethren and that it was this knowledge which they carefully concealed
from the profane.
Let us take a few extracts from the Buchanan Scroll, which has an attributed date between 1660 and 1680, to see just how
much the liberal arts and sciences were valued. It commences with an invocation to the Holy Trinity and proceeds to deal
with certain biblical characters in their historical and/or their creative roles. Eventually it leads on to the Liberal Sciences and
refers to Geometry as:
The fifth is Geometrye and it teaches a man to mete and measure the Earth and other things of which is masonry:
These be seven sciences which are all founded by one science which is Geometry, Thus may you prove that all the
sciences of the world were found by the is science of Geometrye and grounded thereon for it teacheth mete and
measure ponderation add weight of all manner of kind of the earth for there is noe man that worketh by some mete
or measure nor any man that buyeth or selleth but he may use mete measure or weight and belongeth to Geometrye
and these Marchants and Craft of Geometrye doe find all other of the six sciences. Especially the ploweman and
tiller of the ground for all manner or come and grayne vynes plants and setters of other fruits. For Grammar nor
Music neither Astronomye nor any of time other six sciences can find mete measure or weight without Geometrye
wherefor that Science may well be called the most worthyest of all sciences which findeth mete measure to all the
Rest.
The contrived ‘history’ includes the family of Tubalcain who were responsible for certain sciences. Eventually it introduces
Euclid who, it is claimed, mastered all seven. It also claims that Euclid took the sons of noblemen:
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And taught them time science of Geometric in practise for to worke all manner of worthy worke that belong to
building of Temples Churches Castles mannors Towers houses and all manner of buildings.
Among the Charges contained in that document we find:
That they should come and assemble themselves together once every yeare. That they might take Advice and
Councell together how they might worke best to serve theire Lord and Master for his proffitt and theire own Credit
and honestie and to correct amongst themselves him or them that Erred and Trespassed. And thus was the craft or
Science of Geometrie grounded there and this worthy Master gave it the name of Geometrie and now it is called
Masonrie.
It ends with the following statement:
These charges that you have received you shall well and truly keepe
not disclosing the secresy of our Lodge to man, woman, nor child…
so God you helpe and his holy Doome Amen.
We have now seen how the science of Geometry and Masonry were deemed to be synonymous but, from a ritual exposure
published in France in 1744 (1. ‘Ordre’ Des Francs-Macons Trahi) we have another treatment for the Letter G.
Q
A
Are you a Fellow?
Yes, I am
Q.
A.
How were you made a Fellow?
By the Square, the Letter G. and the Compasses
Q.
A.
Why were you made a Fellow?
For the Letter G.
Q.
A.
What does that letter signify?
Geometry, or the fifth Science.
(If it is a Master. who is being asked the meaning of the Letter G, he replies: A thing greater than you Question: What can
this thing be which is greater than I, who am a Freemason & Master? Answer: God).
With regard to the reply ‘A thing greater than you’, it was a portion of Prichard’s work that received only superficial
treatment as his catechism at that point had:
Q.
A
Who doth that G denote?
One that’s greater than you
Q.
A.
Who’s greater than I, that am a Free and Accepted mason, the Master of a Lodge?
The Grand Architect and Contriver of the Universe, or He that was taken up to the top of the Pinnacle of the Holy
Temple.
But, when we compare that with the Sloane MS 3329, with an attributed date of c. 1 700, having the title A Narrative of the
Freemasons Word and Signes, we find that Prichard also had inserted a variation:
Q.
A.
From whom do you derive your principalls?
From a greater than you.
Q.
A.
Who is on earth that is greater than a Freemason?
He [That] was carried to ye highest pinnicall of the Temple of Jerusalem.
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The MS stated ‘greater than a Freemason’ whereas Prichard specified ‘The Master of a Lodge’.
Just what is meant by all this? Once again we have to refer to the New Testament in the Bible in which two accounts are
worth quoting:
And Jesus answered and saith unto him, Get thee behind me Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy
God, and him only shalt thou serve.
And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, if thou be the Son of
God, cast thyself down from hence. (Luke IV, 9, vii, 9)
But he answered and said, It is written Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of
the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple. And
saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give his charge concerning
thee; and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest it any time thou dash thy foot against a stone Jesus said unto him
It is written again Thou shalt not tempt him the Lord thy God. (Matthew IV, 4-6)
So, we may see the plain letter G hanging in a lodge, or within a Diamond or lozenge outline, or within a circle, sometimes
irradiated, and adapted in symbolism for Entered Apprentice, or Fellowcraft or Master Mason. According to the manner in
which it was depicted, such individuality having faded almost to vanishing point. But there was in the 18th century another
place where the Letter G was prominently displayed, the most public of all in the satirical street processions of mock masons.
From Guild histories we learn that it was a long established custom for craftsmen of all organised trades to form processions
to attend church service when observing the Festival of their particular Patron Saint it created a spin-off into the behaviour of
Grand Lodge on the days of installation of a new Grand Master each year an excellent example of which is contained in the
Minutes of the premier Grand Lodge on 28 April 1737, but we must bear in mind that, at the previous meeting following his
election, the Grand Master Elect had invited brethren to his residence for Breakfast at 12 noon on the appointed day then to
go in procession to fishmongers' Hall in Thames Street, where the installation was to take place. An extract from the account
is follows:
At the house of the Right Honourable Edward, Earl & Viscount Darnley &c. in Pall Mall on Thursday the 28th Day
of April 1737.
Present
The Earl of Laudon, G.M.
John Ward Esq. D.G.M.
Sir Robert Lawley Batt and William Graeme. M.D. F.R.S. G.W.
Duke Rich
Earl of Crauford P.G.M.
George Payne Esq, P.G.M.
John Theophilus Desaguliers L.I.D. F.R.S. P.G.M.
Earl of Weymes
Lord Grey
Twelve Stewards
Together with a vast appearance of former Grand Officers & other brethren as well of the Nobility as others
properly cloathed who proceeded in a regular manner in Coaches & Chariots to Fishmongers Hall in Thames Street
The Grand Master being in a Chariot richly carved & gilt drawn by six beautiful Grey Horses having three setts of
Musick properly disposed playing before them that preceeding the Grand Master consisting of a pair of Kettle
Drums four Trumpets & four French Horns the others of pair of Kettle Drums two Trumpets & two French Horns
each
It was in that manner the man in the street became even more acquainted with the activity of Freemasons and
Freemasonry, for there was ample material available in ritual exposures, broadsheets against the Craft, Masonic skits
on the stage, and cartoons. It was no great effort for a mock—Masonic procession to be organised to take place on
the same day and at the same time. Perhaps the best known of these is the one that was held on 27 April 1742, of
which a later engraving, designed by one Antoine Benoist, is preserved for posterity. He gave it the title — A
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Geometrical View of the Grand Procession of the Scald Miserable Masons, designed as they were drawn up over
against Somerset House in the Strand. The key to his illustration listed the participants, the banners, and the various
items carried and it is from that we note just two items:
8.
The letter G famous in Masonry for differencing the Fellow—Craft’s Lodge from that of Prentices
(And his use of the word ‘Lodge’ in that context meant a Tracing Board so large that it required a group of
men to keep it upright).
12
‘Two Trophies one being that of a Black-shoe Boy and a Link Boy, the other that of a chimney-sweeper
(And for that two urchins each carry on high a Trophy composed of shoe-brushes, shovels, links and
sweeps’ brushes. They are followed by another band of mummers mostly boys, preceding a banner’ upon
which is shewn an irradiated sun, with the letter G in its centre)
The word ‘Scald’ in those days meant ‘infected’, ‘paltry’, ‘shabby’, and there is no question that those concerned in
the procession are well portrayed as such, in that respect the word is now obsolete
On 3 May the St. Jame's Evening Post carried a full report which commenced with:
Yesterday the Cavalcade of Scald Miserable—Masons went in Procession from the Place of Meeting thro the Strand
to Temple Bar, and on returning back to meet Free and Accepted masons, they were put into disorder near Somerset
House by the High Constable of Westminster attended by a large Body of inferior Officers who press'd Dag A-e
Jack Pony and several others to the number of 20 who they secur'd in St Clement’s Church and Round House, for
His Majesty’s Service
behalf of the lengthy preamble presumably written by or on behalf of the organizers to justify their action, it listed
the order of the procession. Again, we select the portion most applicable to this paper:
Three great lights
Mystically resembling the Sun and Moon, and the’ Master Mason the Sun: to Rule the Day
Hieroglyphical.
The moon: to Rule the Night
Emblematical
A Master Mason. To Rule his Lodge Political
The Letter G The Fellow Craft‘s Token
The Fellow—Craft — or Letter G, Men
A footnote has the following:
NB. After the Procession was over £5 was spent at one of the Lodges
£4 19s 4d in Geneva Gin and 3d in Bread and Cheese so the Night was
concluded with Drinking Swearing Fighting amid all other Demonstrations of
Disturbance
The official attitude towards such demonstrations can only lie described as dignity personified, for on 20 March
1741 the London Daily Post provided the following report of yet another satirical demonstration:
Yesterday some mock Freemasons marched through Pall Mall and the Strand as far as Temple Bar, in procession
They stayed without Temple Bar till the Masons came by and paid their Compliments to them Who returned the
same with an agreeable humour that possibly disappointed the witty contriver of this Mock-Scene whose Misfortune
is that though he had some wit his subjects are so generally ill-chosen that he loses by it as many Friends as other
People of more Judgement gain.
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Pursuit of further employment of the Letter G will lead us to a subject that must wait for attention in the next part of this
paper.
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PART 2 - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
WHENCE COME WE?
From Masonic Perspectives, by John Hamill.
Chapter One.
Introduction
The honest answers to the questions when, where and why did Freemasonry originate are that we do not know. A great deal
of time, effort, ink and paper have been expended in producing answers to those questions, but these answers are simply
theories and, like Darwin’s Theory of Evolution they have missing links which would need to be found before those theories
became realities. The purpose of this paper is to look at the various theories of origin and to suggest an alternative view as to
why Freemasonry.
Ritual as history
So persuasive is the ritual that we all pass through from our entry into the Craft to our becoming Master Masons that
candidates can be forgiven for initially believing that Freemasonry existed in the time of King Solomon, that there was a
Grand Lodge at Jerusalem and that the Masons who built the Temple were divided into lodges of Entered Apprentices and
Fellowcrafts, and that only the three Grand Masters (Solomon, Hiram of Tyre and Hiram Abif) possessed the Master’s
secrets. In this high tech age and very practical, material world in which we live we have almost lost the use of allegory and
symbolism and it is easy to forget that that is exactly what our ritual is made up of - allegory and symbolism used to point
moral lessons and firmly impress them upon our minds. The content of the ritual, then, is not a source of Masonic history.
Early official histories
The first ‘histories’ of Masonry - and I deliberately say Masonry and not Freemasonry - are found in a series of documents
stretching from the late 1300s to the mid-18th century which are now collectively known as the Old Charges. Some 120
versions have been traced of which over 100 are still in existence. Although the versions have differences they have a
common form: a history of Masonry followed by a series of charges giving the relationship between the duties of Masters,
Fellows and Apprentices. The history, in the fashion of the times, is a combination of fact, Biblical stories and pure legends.
It traces Masonry back to Adam in the Garden of Eden and follows it through ancient times to Egypt, Greece and Rome, its
spread throughout Europe and its introduction into England where the Gothic style was master until it was eclipsed by the
revival of classicism. It is essentially a history of building and architecture and makes no mention of Freemasonry, as we
know it.
In 1723 the Rev. Dr. James Anderson, a Scots Presbyterian Minister in London, at the request of the premier Grand Lodge
“digested” the Old Charges and produced the first Masonic Constitutions. He prefaced the rules and regulations with the
history from the Old Charges bringing it down to the formation of Grand Lodge in 1717. That would have been fine but in
1738 he produced a second edition of the Constitutions in which he greatly expanded the historical introduction, introducing
all manner of legendary, biblical and historical figures as Grand Masters, Patrons or, simply, lovers of Masonry. He
continued the history by describing the formation of Grand Lodge in 1717, which he stated was a revival, and listing the
principle activities of the Grand Lodge from 1717 to 1738. He made no distinction between operative and speculative and
that, combined with his claim that the events of 1717 were a revival caused by Sir Christopher Wren having neglected his
duties as Grand Master, gave birth to the idea that speculative Masonry was a natural outgrowth from the operative craft.
The two editions of Anderson’s Constitutions were the most influential Masonic works published in their time. They were
circulated throughout the English-speaking world wherever lodges were set up, were translated into French, Dutch and
German and the 1723 edition was plagiarised by Spratt for the first Irish Constitutions in 1731. Anderson’s history was given
even more currency when William Preston included it in the second and subsequent editions of his Illustrations of Masonry
which were to have the widest circulation of any Masonic book until the appearance of Gould’s History of Freemasonry in
1882. As the Constitutions were official publications and Preston’s work had been sanctioned by Grand Lodge it is not
surprising that the idea of Freemasonry naturally growing out of operative Masonry took hold and was never really
questioned until the late 19th century. As we shall see it certainly needed questioning.
The Templar origin theory
In fact the operative origin was to be challenged in Europe shortly after Anderson’s Constitutions appeared. In France in
1737 the Chevalier Ramsay gave an oration in the Grand Lodge of France in which he made reference to Orders of Chivalry.
He was followed in Germany by the Baron von Hund who set up the Strict Observance, a curious amalgam of Freemasonry,
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Chivalry and what today we would call occultism. The Strict Observance claimed that Freemasonry had its origins in the
medieval Knights Templar. The story ran that after the destruction of the Templar Order and the execution of Jaques de
Molay, its Grand Master, a number of Knights Templar escaped, came together on the mysterious Mount Heredom near
Kilwinning where, to avoid persecution, they turned themselves into Freemasons and transferred the Templar secrets into the
secrets of Freemasonry.
It is always a pity to spoil a good story but there are a number of factual errors in this one. First, the Templars were never
persecuted in Scotland. Indeed the senior Scottish Templar, the Prior of Torpichen, was by virtue of that office a senior
member of the Scottish government, ranking as a Baron, until the Protestant Reformation in Scotland when the then Prior
swapped his religious chivalric position for a Barony and the Torpichen lands! Thus had any Knights indeed escaped to
Scotland there would have been no need for them to translate themselves into anything else. Secondly, the mysterious Mount
Heredom never existed, although Heredom was to be a popular name in many degrees invented in Europe in the 18th century.
Thirdly, the Templars had no “secrets” and the only “secrets” in Freemasonry have always been our modes of recognition. It
seems hardly likely that a group of desperate men would go to the extent of changing themselves into a new organization and
to risk their lives simply to protect a series of signs, tokens and words.
Despite the frequent debunking of the Templar origin theory it continues to attract attention, mainly from romantics. In recent
years two books, by non-Masons, have appeared claiming to prove the Templars origin and to have discovered the true
Templar, and thus Masonic secret. To anyone wishing to follow this line of research I would recommend a recent book by
Peter Partner, which sweeps away the legends, which have surrounded the medieval Templars, and examines the many
groups who have claimed to be their successors.
The Rosicrucian Theory
Whether or not the Rosicrucian Brotherhood ever existed is a question too large to be dealt with in this paper. That the idea
of Rosicucianism caught hold after the publication of the anonymous Manifestos in 1614 and 1615 is beyond doubt. That
some of the early gentlemen Masons (eg. Sir Robert Moray and Elias Ashmole) were considered to be Rosicrucians is put
forward as some sort of proof that Freemasonry was the public face of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood. If we look, however, at
the complex philosophical and spiritual ideas put forward in the Manifestos and compare them with the simple practicality of
the early Masonic ritual and catechisms it quickly becomes apparent that there was no connection between the two.
Ancient Mysteries
In the 19th and early 20th centuries a number of writers attempted to trace Freemasonry back to the ancient mysteries of Egypt
and the classical Greece and Rome. They took what they thought were similarities between Masonic ritual and the symbolism
and those of ancient times and immediately assumed a link between the two. What they appear to have forgotten is that none
of the symbolism employed in Freemasonry is peculiar to Freemasonry. It has all been borrowed; what makes it Masonic is
the interpretation we put on it. The height of absurdity was reached when it was suggested that because in some Egyptian
temple paintings male figures were wearing apron-like loincloths and had their arms in certain positions a two-degree system
of Freemasonry must have existed in ancient Egypt! What was also forgotten was that the ancient mysteries all claimed to
impart secret knowledge to their adherents. Freemasonry has never done this. The only secrets that have ever existed in
Freemasonry are the traditional modes of recognition, which we use as proofs of membership.
Workable theories
Having dismissed the fanciful theories, what does the “authentic” school of Masonic history have to put in their place? There
is a general consensus that Freemasonry links back in one way or another to the medieval operative masons who built the
great cathedrals and castles. But there is also a fierce argument as to whether or not that linking back is, in fact, a direct
descent from operative masonry or if those who evolved Freemasonry had no actual links with operative masonry but
deliberately adopted forms and tools of the operative craft for their own ends.
The 19th century was a great age of discovery and exploration and that spirit of exploration and the intellectual curiosity
spilled over into Freemasonry. In the 1860s and 1870s in Great Britain amongst Freemasons there was a sudden interest in
collecting old records and artefacts and a desire to seek out the development of Freemasonry. That desire led in 1886 to the
consecration of Quatuor Lodge No. 2076, the premier lodge of Masonic research, and the birth of what its founders called the
authentic or scientific school of Masonic research. Like scientists these Masonic researchers searched everywhere for
evidence and minutely examined and tested it and sought to fix it in the grand design. Unlike scientists, however, they began
with a belief and searched for evidence to prove it rather than taking the evidence and seeing what came out of it. They did
not question the idea that Freemasonry grew out of operative masonry, and simply looked for the evidence to fill in what they
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believed were the gaps in the line of descent. We should, perhaps, start by looking at the theory of a direct descent from
operative to speculative.
A direct link?
Put simply the theory of a direct descent states that as the medieval stone masons began to organise themselves they gathered
in lodges as a means of protecting the craft. In the lodges they were divided into apprentices and fellows; developed simple
entrance ceremonies; and had secret modes of recognition so that when stonemasons moved from one building site to another
they could prove that they were of the “fellowship” and were worthy to be set to work. In the late 1500s and the early 1600s
these operative lodges began to admit non-operative or gentleman masons who gradually began to out-number the operative
members and took control of the lodges and turned them into lodges of Free and Accepted or Speculative Masons. Thus you
had operative lodges, transitional lodges and speculative lodges. The founders of the authentic school of Masonic history
found a great deal of evidence, which, at first sight, appears to prove that that was the early development of Freemasonry.
When we come to examine evidence, however, and place it in its geographical and time contexts it does not hang together
quite so well.
Operative Lodges
The lodge was originally a lean-to on the building site where the masons kept their tools, took their refreshments and spent
their leisure. It soon became the name for the group who used the lean-to and the lodge became a unit for controlling the
trade. In English medieval building accounts there are many references to the lodge but by the end of the 1400s they had
disappeared leaving only the Masons’ Guilds in some of the principal towns and cities. No evidence has come to light of the
English operative lodges having any ceremonies or secret modes of recognition.
In Scotland matters were much more organised. The operative lodges became geographically defined units whose authority in
craft matters was governed by statute, in particular the Schaw Statutes of 1598 and 1599. It is clear that the purpose of the
lodge was to govern the mason craft in its location. In the 1600s we find evidence of these operative lodges admitting men
who had no connection with the operative Masonic craft - gentlemen masons or accepted masons. This is claimed as the
beginnings of speculative Freemasonry - the gentlemen masons, so it was claimed, gradually took over the lodges and
transformed them from operative to speculative lodges. This claim has simply been accepted without qualification but, to my
mind, a number of questions have not been asked or researched. How did the acceptance of non-operatives affect the lodges?
How often did they attend after their acceptance and what part did they play in the lodge? Did they come in under the same
ceremony as operative apprentices? Why did they come in and why did they take over the lodges? None of these questions
have been answered and until further research is carried out I am of the mind that these gentlemen masons were no more than
honorary members of a trade guild who joined for reasons of curiosity and patronage.
There is no evidence for similar lodges existing in England, which would have been capable of admitting gentlemen masons,
with the possible exception of the London Masons’ Company. Yet there is evidence for speculative Freemasonry in the
1600s.
The English evidence
From the early 1620s there is evidence in the account books of the London Masons Company of non-operatives and
operatives being accepted into an inner circle, known today as the Acception. It has been claimed that this is evidence of a
transitional lodge in England but the accounts appear to show that both sorts were joining a separate group, not gentlemen
joining the London Masons Company. The evidence is, to say the least, confusing.
In 1646 we come onto safer ground. Elias Ashmole, the antiquary and founder of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, records
in his diary that on 6 October 1646 he was made a Freemason at his father-in-law’s house at Warrington. Happily he
recorded those present, none of whom had any connection with the operative craft. So here we have the first definite
evidence of the making of a speculative Freemason, at the same time that Scottish operative lodges were admitting gentlemen
as operatives. It is clear that the lodge at Warrington was not a standing lodge but a group of Freemasons who met simply for
the purpose of making new Masons, the lodge then breaking up. From the little evidence we have it would seem that this was
the English practice throughout the 1600s.
Randle Holme in his Academy of Armourie (1688) and Dr. Robert Plot in his Natural History of Staffordshire (1686) make a
very firm distinction between the Fellowship of Freemasons (the operatives) and the Society of Freemasons (the accepted).
Holme stated that he had the honour to be of the Society and Plot stated that it was well known over the country and gives the
indications of what the ceremony of making a Mason was.
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Thus we have in Scotland operative lodges admitting gentlemen and in England no evidence for operative lodges but
evidence of a non-operative Society of Freemasons. In my estimation Freemasonry began in England and was taken to
Scotland and grafted on to the operative/gentlemen system. It was not until after accepted Masonry had appeared in England
that the gentlemen Masons began to take over the Scottish operative lodges. If we look at the Old Charges, which appear to
have been essential to a speculative “making” in England, the few copies known to have been used in Scotland are all late
17th century and are derived from English originals.
The whole question of a Scottish or English origin, however, becomes academic if we reject the idea of a direct link between
operative and speculative masonry and consider the theory of an indirect link to operative masonry.
The indirect link
Those who support the indirect link theory have looked at the subject from a slightly different viewpoint. In addition to
looking for evidence for early Freemasonry they have addressed the question of why Freemasonry should have developed.
The principal figure in the development of the indirect link theory was the late Brother Colin Dyer who in a paper to Quatuor
Coronati Lodge examined the differences between the oldest and the third oldest versions of the manuscript Old Charges, the
Regius MS of c. 1390 and the Grand Lodge No. 1 MS of 1583. The Regius MS definitely has a purely operative content but
the Grand Lodge MS contains much that had no relevance to operative masonry but a great deal of relevance to Freemasonry.
He then looked at the basic idea behind Freemasonry and the period in which the later versions of the Old Charges began to
appear.
The period in which these altered versions of the Old Charges began to appear and in which supporters of the indirect link
theory believe that Freemasonry originated, the late 1500s and early 1600s, was one of great intolerance in matters of politics
and religion in England. Men of differing views of religion and politics were unable to meet in harmony. Indeed so divisive
were those subjects that families and friendships were broken because of different views and eventually England was torn by
bloody civil war fought over those differences.
As far as can be established the ban on the discussion of religion and politics has always existed in Freemasonry. Similarly,
brother love, or as we might express it today tolerance, has always been one of the three great principles which are the
foundation of Freemasonry. Thus those who formulated the theory of an indirect link between operative and speculative
masonry believe that those who formed Freemasonry were men of peace who wished to bring an end to religious and political
strife, to achieve which they founded a brotherhood in which politics and religion had no part and dedicated themselves to a
belief in God and the three great principles of Brotherly Love, relief and Truth. In practical terms they wished to form a
society, which would enable men of differing views to meet in harmony and to work for the betterment of mankind.
In the period in which they were working, the late 1500s and early 1600s the method of teaching and passing on of
philosophical ideas was by means of allegory and symbolism. As the central message of Freemasonry was the building of a
better man in a better world, what better way to arrange the society than to take over the form of the old operative lodges and
to use the working tools of the operative craft as symbols upon which to moralise. Again, to match the central message what
better allegory than an actual building. Despite high levels of illiteracy the one book with which the great majority of the
population was intimately familiar was the Bible, which was a central source of allegory. The only building described in any
detail in the Bible is King Solomon’s Temple, of which there are slightly conflicting detailed descriptions in the Book of
Kings and the Book of Chronicles. Additionally the idea of King Solomon’s Temple as a cosmic symbol had long fascinated
artists and philosophers.
In an intolerant world any attempt to promote toleration would have to be done quietly to avoid the suspicion that those of
differing views were meeting together for subversive reasons. By clothing themselves in the guise of a philosophical and
charitable organization which also indulged in conviviality, so the indirect theory runs, the originators of Freemasonry hoped
to achieve by means of example their aim of promoting tolerance.
The initiation of Elias Ashmole in 1646 is significant in the indirect link theory. It should be remembered that it took place in
the heat of the English Civil War. Ashmole was a Royalist who had been captured by the Parliamentarians and was on parole
at the house of his father-in-law, a leading supporter of the Parliamentarians in the North West of England. Those who
formed the lodge to initiate Ashmole were a mixed group of Royalists and Parliamentarians.
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The theory of an indirect link is very new and needs much work to give it equal force of argument with the theory of a direct
link with operative masonry. Despite its highly speculative nature the theory of an indirect link has an importance because it
is the first to ask not how and where Freemasonry originated but why.
In all the work that has been done to try and prove the direct link theory no one has asked the questions why did the nonoperatives wish to become accepted Masons and why did they turn a trade-orientated organization into a speculative art?
Another view
A newer theory, seeing the origins of Freemasonry in its charitable aspect, is being examined by economic and social
historians. In a sense it is not a new theory but an alternative theory of a direct link with operative masonry. In 17th century
England there was no welfare state. Anyone who fell on hard times had to rely on the charity of friends or the harshly run
state Poor Laws. There is much evidence that in the 17th century many trades and crafts would hold weekly social evenings in
the local tavern. During the evening those present would put money into a box in the knowledge that if they fell ill, had an
accident or fell on hard times they could apply for assistance from “the box”. Hence the groups became known as box clubs.
There is evidence that these social gatherings became more formalised. The collecting of money and its disbursement
required some form of simple administration with officers to preside at the meetings, look after funds and keep records. There
is also evidence that in some trades the box clubs began to use simple initiation ceremonies and that towards the end of the
17th century, like the operative lodges in Scotland, they began to admit members who were not of their trade or craft. The
suggestion is that Freemasonry emerged from just such a series of box clubs limited originally to operative masons in the
absence of an operative lodge system in England.
Some credence seems to be given to this theory in Henry Sadler’s seminal work Masonic Facts and Fictions (1887).
Although dealing mainly with the origins of the Ancients Grand Lodge (1751) in England, Sadler discusses the formation and
early development of the premier Grand Lodge, formed in 1717. Sadler suggests that the founding lodges and early members
of the Grand Lodge were basically trade orientated with the addition of a number of accepted masons. He suggests that a
conflict arose in the early 1720s when members of the nobility, professions and landed gentry began to interest themselves in
the lodges and to see them as vehicles for promoting a system of morality. Sadler saw the conflict between the two factions
being resolved in 1722-23 when the non-operative members gained the ascendancy, began to formalise the organization of
the society, produced formal Constitutions (1723) and extended the simple entry rituals to a formal three-degree system with
the introduction of the Hiramic Legend.
At the beginning of this paper I commented that there were two principal factors, which complicated our search for our
origins. There is, in fact, a third; the tendency of Freemasons writing Masonic history as though it has existed in a vacuum,
uninfluenced by the society in which exists. They have invested early Freemasonry with a mystique, which suggests that the
lodges and their practices were unique, and without parallel. Brother Andy Durr, a professional Economic and Social
Historian, in a recent paper, Rituals of Association, has shown that, far from being unique, Freemasonry was only one of
many organizations with a tradition of ritual and morality. What is unique about Freemasonry is that it has survived.
Future research
As a professional Masonic historian I should expect others to ask me what my view is on the genesis of Freemasonry. To that
question I have to give an honest answer: I cannot make up my own mind. I have already stated in this paper that, on the
basis of present evidence. I cannot accept the theory of a continuous, lineal descent from operative to speculative masonry.
The indirect link theory has the most appeal to me, if only for the reason that it actually addresses the question of why
Freemasonry originated rather than just looking for when and how it originated.
Will we ever find the origins of Freemasonry? Again there can be no positive answers. The present Grand Secretary of
England, RW Bro. Cdr. M.B.S. Higham, RN, gave a new answer to this question in an address to a public meeting in
London. He queried if Masonic historians were looking for that which did not exist. Those who originated Freemasonry can
have had no conception of what they were beginning. From the evidence we have already discovered it seems that early
Freemasonry was very informal. We only know of Ashmole’s initiation because he entered it in his diary, and later evidence
is all from private papers and odd references in printed works. Did the originators of Freemasonry keep records, or did they
even feel that they should? There was, after all, no central organization to which they had to report.
This raises one of my hobbyhorses - have we, in fact, been looking in the wrong places for evidence of early Freemasonry.
So simple and clean is the theory of a direct lineal descent from operative to speculative masonry that it is only in recent
years that it has been challenged by serious Masonic historians. I came under a certain amount of attack when, in my
Inaugural Address to Quatuor Coronti Lodge, I accused the great historians of the authentic school of Masonic research of
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not being scientific in their approach to our origins. So much did they favour the direct link with operative Masonry that they
searched for evidence to prove it, rather than searching for evidence of early Freemasonry and seeing what they could build
from it. In doing so they scoured the archives of building and architecture but left great areas of other material in England
untouched. Is it not time that we broadened the search to see what other evidence we can find?
Do we actually want to find out our origins? If we did the event would be greeted with great joy by Masonic historians. But it
would be joy tinged with sadness for were our origins I and many other Masonic students would be deprived of the great fun
and enjoyment of the search for, and the argument over, that great question - what was the origin of Freemasonry?
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"INTRODUCING FREEMASONRY" by M. de Pace
Pages 102 to 119 - "HISTORICAL BACKGROUND"
THE AGE OF THE MASONIC TRADITION
By means of a variety of references in our ceremonies to antiquity, we may be led to suppose that Masonry dates back to
biblical days, particularly to the building of King Solomon’s temple. The evidence available, however, points strongly to the
fact that speculative Freemasonry dates back only as far as the seventeenth century, or just possible as far back as the reign of
Elizabeth 1. This evidence will be discussed shortly. Operative masonry does, of course, date further into the past, in England
certainly to the period immediately following the Norman conquest in the eleventh century, when the major buildings of the
Norman style were begun, such as the cathedrals and abbey churches at Canterbury, Lincoln, St Albans, Winchester and
Gloucester to name but a few. Operative masons, however, apart from their practical work, were concerned with the moral
and professional behavior of practicing craftsmen as well as matters such as rates of pay and keeping out unskilled workers.
What then does operative masonry have to do with speculative Masonry and why are our ceremonies based on the traditions
and vocabulary of medieval builders? Part of the answer lies in the fact that manuscripts exist which indicates that these
medieval builders had not only a set of articles and ordinances which prescribed their behavior, but also a history of masonry
which places its origins in biblical days and which told of the approval of masonry by a variety of illustrious persons from
Solomon in c950 BC to King Athelstan in the tenth century AD. A version of the articles, ordinances, and history exists today
in a literary work which dates from c1390, known as the Regius MS. Another manuscript, the Cooke, containing a more
extensive history, dates from c1420. From references contained in the Cooke Manuscript such as those to the Polychronicon a
Latin history whose author died in 1364, and which was translated into English in 1387, it seems unlikely that the history was
a product of a period earlier than the mid-fourteenth century. The Regius Manuscript gives the impression of being one of the
several English literary efforts of the fourteenth century which marked the supersedure of French as the written language, in
this case based on an account of the traditions of operative masons.
The medieval history and code of conduct, the latter subsequently becoming known as the Charges were in later centuries
repeated in a whole series of manuscripts numbering well over a hundred, and dating from 1583 to the nineteenth century.
The later manuscripts clearly belong to speculative Masonry, several containing additional articles of a speculative nature,
while the earlier seventeenth century manuscripts do not contain any internal evidence that they were necessarily other than
documents used by operative masons, although there is a strong possibility that they reflect the emergence of speculative
Masonry.
Certainly, the manuscript dating from 1583 and those that follow, contain two elements which foreshadow the future
development of speculative Masonry. One is a statement to the effect that the history is to be read or told at the time when a
Mason ‘should be made, for to give him his Charge’. The second is a Latin phrase which indicates that the person being made
places his hand upon a Book (probably the Holy Bible) while he listens to the Charges.
Quite how or why speculative Masonry arose is not clear. Explanations range from the purely social, to reasons bedded in the
emergence of intellectual freedom during the Renaissance which came late to England. We have to assume that there existed
an attraction to men of reason in the traditions of operative masonry. These included the charges, the legendary history, the
admission rite, and possibly the recital from memory of the manuscript contents. Later, possibly in the wake of James I of
England, came the traditions of Scottish operative masonry including secret modes of recognition.
The evidence relating to the existence of speculative Masonry in the seventeenth century is contained, amongst others, in the
following two sources:
The earliest reference we have to an activity which may be differentiated from the practices of operative masons
occurs in a 1621 account book of the London Company of Masons, a guild which had been founded in 1376 and
received its Grant of Arms in 1472—73. The entry in the 1621 account book refers to ‘making masons’ of seven
men, three of whom were already members of the Company. Later entries use the term ‘accepted’ or ‘Acceptance’~
an entry in 1648 referring to someone who was already a Warden of the Company ‘Coming on The Accepcon’.
The next reference is dated 1646 and is found in the diary of a man who was clearly not connected with the building
trade. Elias Ashmole, who had been admitted a solicitor at the age of 21, and later founded the Asmolean museum at
Oxford, as a young man of 29 wrote in his diary for October 16, 1646 that he was ‘made a Freemason at Warrington
in Lancashire’. He gives the names of others present, none of whom can be said to be operative masons.
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There is further evidence during the seventeenth century but the above is sufficient to make the point that there was in
existence, during the first half of the seventeenth century, a Masonic practice which was separate from that of the operatives.
The records of the London Masons’ Company prior to 1621 unfortunately have not survived and we are unable to trace
further back the practice of making of masons of men who were already in the Company.
What we are left with is the fact that speculative Masonry, although dating back a mere three to four centuries, is founded on
traditions of operative masonry which date back to the fourteenth century. There are, of course, other possibilities but these
must, until further evidence is uncovered, remain speculation.
THE OLD CHARGES
In everyday terms, the ‘ancient charges’ are brought to our attention by the Installation Ceremony in which the Master Elect
has read to him certain Ancient Charges and Regulations printed in the Book of Constitutions. These ancient charges are
derived from manuscript documents, commonly referred to as the Old Charges, or Manuscript Constitutions. The earliest two
manuscripts date back to the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, and relate to medieval operative masons.
The manuscripts usually consist of two sections. One contains a series of moral and professional charges such as ‘no Master
or Fellow shall take upon him any Lord’s work nor any other man’s work unless he knows himself able and sufficient to
perform the same. . or, ‘no Mason shall be a thief, or conceal any such unjust action, so far forth as he may wit or know.
These charges are preceded by a legendary history which explains the origin of the charges and the beginnings of the craft of
masonry in biblical days, tracing it to its development in England. The history is called ‘legendary because it bears little
relation to historical fact. For example, Euclid, a noted geometrician of the third century BC, is referred to as the clerk of
Abraham (approximately 2000 BC) from whom he received Masonic instruction. Of particular interest is the appearance in its
narration of Solomon’s Temple, together with a reference to his master mason from Tyre. In later years, speculative Masonry
expanded this episode during the formulation of what today is the third degree. The contents of one of the early manuscripts
is given at the end of this book.
There are over 100 of the Old Charges known today. They descend from one another in the sense that each appears to have
been copied from an earlier version. We do not, of course, possess all the Old Charges created, but it is possible to draw up a
table of descent using similarities in the account of the legendary history, copying errors, and the introduction of new
material. In this way a kind of family tree has been drawn up. This, together with actual dates of the documents, where
known, has made it possible to arrange them chronologically and to trace the development of its contents. The legendary
history was revised on several occasions, but in its earliest form it probably dates from the fourteenth century.
The following will give an idea of the distribution of the Old Charges over the period up to the end of the sixteenth century:
c1390 :
Regius Poem
c1410 :
Cooke Manuscript
1583
:
Grand Lodge No I Manuscript
c1600 :
Lansdowne Manuscript
Following these, there are seven Old Charges dated to the first half of the seventeenth century, and about 40 dated to the
second half of the seventeenth century.
Judged by their content, those of the sixteenth century and later were used when ‘any Mason should be made’. They clearly
contain an obligation in the sense of placing the hand on a Bible while the Charges are given. This practice would not have
been unique to those in the mason’s trade since it was common guild practice for newcomers to swear upon the Bible to
observe the ordinances of the guild. Gradually, however, the Old Charges changed character as new material crept in. Some
Old Charges were expanded to contain conditions on which a person may be accepted as a Freemason, and these are quite
definitely related to speculative Freemasonry. One condition attaching to the entry to a Lodge stipulates the person bringing a
‘Certificate of the Time and Place of his Acception’. At some stage, then, the legendary history and charges were borrowed
by speculative Masonry and developed. With the exception of additional material such as the speculative conditions and
revisions of the legendary history the later Old Charges remained in the same mould as those of the earlier period, and we
have to turn to other material for information on the development of speculative Masonry (see The Development of the Ceremonies).
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THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRAND LODGE
The development of Grand Lodge covers three separate stages:
i.
The formation of the original Grand Lodge in 1717 and its subsequent existence;
ii
the inception of a separate Grand Lodge in 1751 followed by a long period of rivalry between the two bodies; and,
iii
the union of the two Grand Lodges in 1813 and the period of expansion running up to the present time.
The premier Grand Lodge was founded by a small group of London Lodges. Unfortunately no minutes were kept until those
of 1723, but it appears from the account given by Anderson in his second Constitutions (1738) that four Lodges meeting in
ale-houses and taverns in St Paul’s Church-Yard. Drury Lane. Covent Garden and Westminster determined to form a Grand
Lodge and selected from amongst themselves a Grand Master. They restricted their jurisdiction to Lodges in London and
Westminster, an area of no more than a few square miles. However, they were joined by existing Lodges or themselves
constituted new Lodges, for within a short period the number of Lodges associated with the new Grand Lodge had grown
considerably.
In 1721 the first nobleman was chosen as Grand Master, and the tradition of a noble or royal occupying the office has
continued ever since. Within twenty years, both Ireland and Scotland followed the example of the first Grand Lodge and
constituted their own Grand Lodges.
In 1727 a committee was appointed to administer a charity fund and contributions from private Lodges began in 1729.
Gradually this committee had its powers enlarged until it became almost a Board of General Purposes. The first Provincial
Grand Masters had been appointed by 1726. It was by no means an office of delegated authority equal to that of the present
organization, but it demonstrates the speed with which the concept of a Grand Lodge took hold in outlying areas such as
Wales and Cheshire. By 1728, overseas Lodges had been constituted in Gibraltar, Madrid and Bengal.
The initial impetus, certainly at government level, died out shortly afterwards and a long period of lack-luster administration
followed. A series of Grand Masters showed little interest in their duties. Also, following Prichard’s Masonry Dissected in
1730, an exposure which provided details of the ceremonies sufficient to alarm Grand Lodge, it was decided to implement
certain variations ‘in the established forms’ to detect imposters. These were not popular with those who were against any
innovation in Masonry. Thus the ground was prepared for the formation of a second, and rival, Grand Lodge in 1751.
It consisted initially of some 80 Masons, many of them Irish, who took care to specify both in their title and their rules, that
they were an ‘Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons’ who desired to ‘revise the Ancient Craft upon
true Masonical principles~. Possibly, however, they simply wanted to be free to organize themselves outside of the control of
the indigenous Grand Lodge. They were assured of a place in posterity when, in the second year of their existence, they
elected Laurence Dermott as Grand Secretary. In the same way that Anderson had popularized the original Grand Lodge and
Masonry as a whole, Dermott employed his talents and energy to create ascendancy for the 1751 Grand Lodge. He produced
a set of by-laws for private Lodges, and in 1756 issued the first edition of the Constitutions of his Grand Lodge, Ahiman
Rezon. Seven further editions followed, the final one in 1813. Dermott is also credited with popularizing the terms Antients’
which describes the new Grand Lodge and ‘Moderns’ describing the original Grand Lodge. The terms had appeared in a
satire by Swift. The Battle of the Books, published in 1704 and on the whole Swift supports the ancients, represented by
Homer, Aristotle, Plato, etc., against the moderns represented by Milton, Dryden, Descartes, etc.
The Antients, as they became known, had within 20 years some 200 Lodges on their Register, which represented just under
half that of the premier Grand Lodge. In 1771 the third Duke of Atholl was installed Grand Master and, except for a 10 year
interval, he and his son, the fourth Duke, reigned until the Union in 1813.
Moves towards a reconciliation began during the closing years of the eighteenth century. There was some incentive from the
political situation following the French Revolution, and the outbreak of war with the French, when societies requiring an oath
not authorized by law were being suppressed. Freemasons’ Lodges were exempted but it had been demonstrated that a united
body of Freemasons would be more effective.
A Lodge of Promulgation was formed in 1809 by the original Grand Lodge to report on the differences of ritual between the
Lodges of the two bodies.
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In 1813 the fourth Duke of Atholl was succeeded as Grand Master of the Antients by the Duke of Kent, brother of the Duke
of Sussex who was then the new Grand Master of the original Grand Lodge. The two Grand Lodges signed their Articles of
Union in the same year. The Duke of Kent proposed his brother, the Duke of Sussex, as first Grand Master of the United
Grand Lodge, and the latter was formally elected following the ceremony of Union on 27 December 1813.
The Duke of Sussex remained Grand Master for 30 years. Throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century, which saw
only four Grand Masters, this pattern of stability was maintained, culminating in the Grand Mastership of the Prince of Wales
up to his enthronement as King Edward VII in 1901. The twentieth century has provided an equally steady period beginning
with the Duke of Connaught, who was Grand Master for 38 years, and apart from the war years and those immediately
following, bringing us up to date with the Earl of Scarborough who was Grand Master from 1951 to 1967, and the present
Grand Master, the Duke of Kent who took office in 1967.
The brief summary below gives some idea of the major events, other than those already mentioned, which occurred during
the existence of Grand Lodge:
1724
1776
1788
1798
1837
1838
1902
1913
1933
1933
1934
Committee of Charity appointed
First Freemasons’ Hall in Great Queen Street
Royal Masonic Institution for Girls founded
Royal Masonic institution for Boys established (by the Antients)
Grand Lodge Library started
Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution founded
Boys’ school at Bushey completed
Grand Lodge approves the opening of Masonic Nursing Homes, the predecessors to the Masonic Hospital
Present Freemasons’ Hall opened
Royal Masonic Hospital opened
Girls’ school at Rickmansworth opened
The growth of Freemasonry under the United Grand Lodge can be seen from the following table, which shows the number of
Lodges constituted during each of the following periods:
by 1820
1820 to 1840
1840 to 1860
1860 to 1880
1880 to 1900
1900 to 1920
1920to 1940
1940 to 1960
1960 to 1980
363
109
394
995
938
1.243
1.782
1.890
1.218
This growth was in no small measure attributable to the influence and control exercised by Grand Lodge, which enabled
Masonry to retain its purity and stability.
ANDERSON’S CONSTITUTIONS AND LA TER
Anderson’s Constitutions, published in 1723, was the forerunner of the present Book of Constitutions. In it were published
the first General Regulations, and while these occupied a mere 12 pages out of a total of 91, they represent the beginnings of
a set of Rules which today governs the Craft.
Anderson came to London from Scotland and served as a Minister of the Church of Scotland. In 1721 he started work on a
history of the Order based loosely on the material in such of the Old Charges as were known to him. The history eventually
occupied some 48 pages of his Book. To this he added the General Regulations, credited to George Payne when he was
Grand Master in 1720: a summary of the ancient charges: a postscript which detailed the manner of constituting a new
Lodge: and several pages of songs, The General Regulations were particularly concerned with Grand Lodge and the Grand
Master, but amongst the references to private Lodges one or two are to be found which are familiar to us today, for example:
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But no Man can be enter’d a Brother in any particular Lodge, or admitted to be a Member thereof, without the
unanimous Consent of all the Members of that Lodge then present when the Candidate is propos’d. . . . Nor is this
inherent Privilege subject to a Dispensation: because the Members of a particular Lodge are the best Judges of it.
In 1738 Anderson produced a second and enlarged Book of Constitutions. The History much extended, and more fanciful,
and the General Regulations had been amended. Both the old and the new form of the Regulations were given, although the
new form consisted more of annotations and amendments to the original. In the above example, the Regulation had been
amended to allow a Lodge ‘to admit a Member, if not above 3 Ballots are against him. However, the old form in the 1738
edition does not match precisely the text of the 1723 edition. Either Anderson was quoting from a later text, or in typical style
he was not too concerned with accuracy.
Nevertheless, both editions of the Constitutions issued by Anderson had the approval of Grand Lodge, and had been perused
by a Grand Lodge committee. No doubt they were concerned less with the History and past Regulations, than with the
accurate presentation of the rules then in force.
In 1754, another Committee was appointed to revise the 1738 Constitutions (Anderson had died in 1739), and the revised
third edition, under the editorship of John Entick, appeared in 1756. Two more editions followed before the Union in 1813.
The present Book of Constitutions lists the 1815 edition, i.e. the sixth, as the first of the principal editions to have been
published under the authority of the United Grand Lodge.
The 1841 edition omitted the History and began the regular form used since. A thorough revision took place with the issue of
the 1884 edition. Considerable attention had been given to the task by the Board of General Purposes, and the proposed
changes were circulated in 1882 by order of Grand Lodge before being accepted to the satisfaction of all.
The present Book of Constitutions (1979) is almost entirely taken up with the Laws and Regulations for the Government of
the Craft together with illustrations of the Jewels, Chains, Collars, and Aprons of the various Offices. It is the twenty-eighth
edition to have appeared since the formation of the United Grand Lodge.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CEREMONIES
Charting the development of the ceremonies is an extremely difficult task due to the lack of evidence. It seems advisable,
therefore, to work backwards as far as it is possible to do so, and progress our understanding from the familiar to the
unfamiliar.
Printed Rituals
These are a comparatively recent innovation. For example, the Emulation Lodge of improvement did not authorize the
production of its own ritual until as late as 1969, although printed rituals had begun to find general acceptance during the
closing decade of the previous century.
The earliest complete record in printed form of the three ceremonies was published in 1838 by George Claret. The
ceremonies as portrayed by Claret are substantially as we know them today. In 1870 The Perfect Ceremonies of Craft
Masonry published by A Lewis appeared. This went through several editions, before incorporating changes in 1898 which
brought it closer to Emulation upon which it claimed to have been based. It became a very popular book, and several other
printed rituals followed in its wake.
Lodges of Instruction
Several lodges of instruction were in existence soon after the Union in 1813, but the most famous, Stability and Emulation,
were founded in 1817 and 1823 respectively. Both had a proud tradition of handing down orally an unchanged ritual, and
while the purity of each body’s tradition was at times hotly contested, they have each delivered to us a ritual which is
essentially the same and, moreover, substantially agrees with that presented by Claret in 1836.
The Lodge of Reconciliation (1813—16~I
This Lodge was appointed by the United Grand Lodge to settle the ritual procedure to be used by its Lodges. The Lodge
contained an equal number of representatives from each of the former Grand Lodges. By late 1814, the ritual procedure they
had formulated was being demonstrated, and final approval by Grand Lodge was obtained in 1816. We may assume that the
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The Fellowcraft
accepted procedures were much as those portrayed by Claret and handed down by Emulation and Stability. We have less
evidence, however, of the forms which were in existence in the Lodges of the two Grand Lodges during the previous century.
The Exposures of the Eighteenth Century
There were numerous exposures published during the eighteenth century. Amongst the best known are Prichard’s Masonry
Dissected of 1730, Three Distinct Knocks of 1760, and J & B of 1762.
These exposures are important in two respects: they shed light on the ritual of Lodges of the period, albeit only those from
which the authors derived their material: and they contributed hugely to the standardization of ritual. Their content became,
in time, representative of a large number of Lodges. Masonry Dissected ran to three editions within the first two weeks of its
appearance, and by the time Three Distinct Knocks (TDK) arrived in 1760, a further 14 editions had been brought out. TDK
itself went to six editions before the end of the century, and its pirated offspring J & B ran to 30 editions during the same
period.
In terms of providing information on contemporary ritual there is evidence that the 1760s exposures do reflect the practice of
Lodges of the period. This evidence resides in an annotated copy of J & B by a member of an Irish Lodge. In the margins of
his copy he noted the differences between the ceremonies he witnessed, and that contained in the printed version. The
differences are slight, tending to support the view that these exposures are representative of ‘Antient’ working in England. J
& B itself, however, contains additions to its plagiarized original (TDK) which were in keeping with the practice of the
‘Moderns’.
There also appeared in France during the 30 years preceding TDK and J & B. a whole series of exposures of French Masonic
practice. These were sold in England either in French or in translation, and will also have had an influence on the
development of the English ritual.
Three Distinct Knocks and J & B
These exposures of 1760 and 1762 contain elements of which there is no earlier evidence in English documents. The new
elements include:
A formal Opening and Closing of the Lodge (not each degree) - very reminiscent of today's first degree work.
Calling off and Calling on.
Three separate obligations.
Symbolical explanation of the working tools.
And, the Presentation of an Apron
The following provides a very brief outline of the ritual in J & B: The admission meeting starts with a short ceremony in
which the candidate is conducted hoodwinked round the floor, has the hoodwink removed after he states that he desires to
become a Mason of his own free will and choice, takes an obligation similar to that we use today, is taught the sign, grip and
password of an EA, and is given an apron.
This ceremony is followed by a lecture (probably taken in comfort at table with refreshments) which employs a catechism,
i.e. question and answer, to communicate the remainder of the information concerned with the degree. It includes, for
example, a description of the Working Tools, which for this degree consists of the 24-inch gauge, the square, and common
gavel.
The second degree includes the present-day password and an obligation and penalty similar to that of today. The sign too is
the same and the catechism includes a very familiar description of the pillars.
The third degree again has the present-day password, a similar penalty and includes in its catechism the legend of Hiram Abif
and the five points of fellowship.
Prichard’s Masonry Dissected
The first edition of this exposure was published on the 20 October 1730. It is a 32-page pamphlet of which the larger part is
concerned with giving an account of the ceremonies. This is given in the form of a catechism, which describes in part what
happened or was learned at each of the three ceremonies. Masonry Dissected depicts a very rudimentary ceremony, possibly
concerned only with sketching the broad outlines. Reference to a 1735 Charge to the Initiate (see Appendix) will show that
certain parts of the ceremony, at least, were well developed and not in keeping with the brevity of the ceremonies described
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The Fellowcraft
by Prichard’s exposure. However, taking Masonry Dissected as it stands, it does provide us with an insight into some of the
features of the ritual of the period:
Three degrees were worked
ii
The ‘Enter’d ‘Prentice’s Degree’ contains an obligation which, while shorter, contains the major elements of today’s
first degree obligation.
iii
The Fellow-Craft’s Degree’ contains references to the Temple, the Pillars, the letter G. etc but not a separate
obligation.
iv
The ‘Masters Degree’ contains much of the Hiram legend but almost no description of the ceremony itself.
Earlier Eighteenth Century Documents
There are 16 other surviving documents, dating from 196 to 1730, which contain catechisms and descriptions of Lodge work.
Six of these appeared in print in newspapers or as pamphlets. The remainder are manuscripts, some a mere page or two in
length. Some of these portray events in Scotland, and probably do not reflect contemporary practices in England, while others
may represent procedure in different parts of the country, It is worth remembering that Masonry was not organized until the
advent of Grand Lodge, and then only gradually. Different practices existed in different parts and there was no reason, other
than that of following fashion, for uniformity in Masonic custom. New developments in some areas co-existed with
unchanged practices in others.
The documents mentioned above may be consulted in The Early Masonic Catechisms by Knoop, Jones and Hamer (see
Recommended Books). Most of them contain a description of versions of the five points of fellowship. All of them provide
some information related to the procedure of admission to a Lodge.
Other references to ritual include the following:
The Trinity College Dublin, Manuscript dated 1711 indicates three classes of mason, i.e. ‘Enterprentice’, ‘fellow craftsman’,
and ‘Master’, each with a different token and word.
The earliest reference to a raising occurs in the Graham MS of 1726, and includes mention of substituted secrets. The grave,
however, was not that of Hiram but of Noah.
The earliest mention of Hiram’s grave occurs in the Wilkinson MS of c1727.
Q: What is the form of your Lodge?
A: An Oblong Square.
Q: Why so?
A: The Manner of our Great Master Hiram’s grave.
The Old Charges
And so we are back at the Old Charges as our only lead to what took place, in a ritual sense, in the seventeenth century. One
circumstantial piece of evidence points strongly to the fact that these manuscripts were used during ceremonies at which
Masons were made: the Sloane 3848 MS is dated 16 October 1646 and inscribed as having been written by an Edward
Sankey. On that day, at Warrington, Ashmole was initiated and one of those ‘of the Lodge’ was Mr Richard Sankey, a
Warrington landowner, who had a son named Edward. It is possible to conclude, from the foregoing, that the Old Charges
were copied to provide versions to be used at actual ceremonies, and that as the practice spread, an increasing number of
copies were required. Indeed, by 1722 the first printed version (Roberts) probably provided the answer to a greater demand
brought about by a growing number of Lodges.
Quite what form these ceremonies took we do not know. Perhaps the best answer is to quote from the Grand Lodge No I MS
of c1583:
And he made a booke thereof howe the Craft was founde, and he himself bade and commanded that it should be
redd or told when any Masson should be made, and for to give him his Chardges.
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PART 3 - THE SPREAD OF THE CRAFT WORLDWIDE
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MASONIC ORDER
From THE MASONIC GRAND MASTERS OF AUSTRALIA, by K. Henderson.
In a biography dealing with the leadership of Freemasonry, it is useful to look not only at the nature and purpose of that
institution, but also at its history. Clearly, historical reflection is necessary in order to anchor and enhance the understanding
of what a Grand Master is, what he does and where he comes from. A discourse on Masonic history, in the context of this
book, must be brief, even though the subject itself is vast, as testified by the huge number of books and publications which
have been dedicated to its study. That which follows here, therefore, can only be a Spartan and unelaborated attempt on the
subject.
Freemasonry originated from the guilds of operative stonemasons (known as lodges) which flourished in Europe, and Britain
in particular, during the middle Ages. Stonemasonry was then a most important craft, the manifestation of which can still be
seen today in the many cathedrals, churches, castles and manors which survive from those times.
However, operative lodges were somewhat different from the guilds associated with other medieval trades. Stonemasons
were itinerant workers who were forced to travel to renew their employment as each building project was completed. The
fluid nature of the operative craft, therefore, posed many problems in the determination and recognition of qualifications and
skills. In the largely illiterate society that then prevailed, lodges acted as trade regulatory bodies, not only in the area of
professional skills and the recognition of practical qualifications, but also in the moral and religious standards of their
members. In response to these needs the operative craft, through its lodges, evolved a system of instruction that combined
practical knowledge and morality. The medieval lodge system also, of necessity, involved a degree of privacy and secrecy, so
that the supposed skills of a newly- arriving stranger could be readily checked.
The march of technology in building saw the decline of stone construction in the late Middle Ages, and with it the steady
demise of the stonemason's craft and the operative lodges. As a reaction to this decline, the passage of time saw increasing
numbers of men who were not stonemasons being received into lodges. By the eighteenth century lodges had largely ceased
to be composed of stonemasons. These non-operative members became known as 'speculative' or 'symbolic' Masons.'
The decline of operative Masonry and the rise of the 'speculative' kind also heralded the end of the itinerant nature of some
lodges. All lodges could now find permanent homes in urban locations. The premier Grand Lodge of England was formed on
24 June 1717 by four London lodges. No records remain of the event. Our knowledge of this foundation meeting comes
largely from Anderson's 1738 edition of the 'Constitutions' of the Grand Lodge. According to Anderson, representatives of
the four lodges met in 1716 and determined upon a meeting in the following year to revive the Annual Assembly and Feast,
at which they would 'chuse a Grand Master from among themselves till they should have the Honour of a Noble Brother at
their Head'.2
The first meeting was duly held and one Anthony Sayer, Gentleman, was elected as the initial Grand Master. He thereupon
'commanded the Master and Wardens of Lodges to meet the Grand Officers every Quarter in Communication'. Nonetheless,
for the first four years of its existence the Grand Lodge only met annually, with its only business being the election of its
Grand Master and Grand Wardens.3 There would seem little doubt, therefore, that the formation of the Grand Lodge was not
prompted by a perceived need of central organization, but simply to enable the London lodges to meet together socially -bearing in mind that members were now largely of the 'speculative' kind. The only other discernible reason was a desire to
elect a 'noble brother' as their leader with, one suspects, the view of raising the social status of their organization. Success
first occurred in 1721, with the election of John, 2nd Duke of Montagu, as Grand Master. Since then the Grand Lodge of
England has continuously had either a Peer of the Realm or Prince of Royal Blood as Grand Master.
It was not until the 1720s that the Grand Lodge commenced its emergence as a regulatory body. In 1723 the first secretary to
Grand Lodge was appointed, and regular minutes kept. Grand Lodge started to meet more frequently, and its Constitutions
were published. The membership of nobles attracted press publicity, and the number of lodges rapidly expanded - not only in
England, but overseas as well. An independent Grand Lodge was formed in Ireland in 1725, followed by a new counterpart
in Scotland in 1736.
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The early years of organised English Masonry, however, proved far from harmonious, and the eighteenth century saw six
rival Grand Lodges emerging at various times to claim jurisdiction over England or part of it. Only two of these persisted
with any substantial following. These were the Premier Grand Lodge of England (often referred to as the 'Moderns Grand
Lodge', or 'Moderns'), and the Grand Lodge of England According to the Old Constitutions (known as the 'Atholl Grand
Lodge', or 'Antients'). The Moderns according to their opponents, introduced unacceptable changes into the rituals and
practices of Freemasonry.4
The Antients Grand Lodge, apparently spawned by their opposition to these 'innovations', had emerged by 1751. It was
originally established by Irish Masons then living in England who were 'unhappy' with the Premier Grand Lodge. Both these
Grand Lodges developed and expanded their lodges and membership over succeeding years. This occurred quite
independently of each other. Both Grand Lodges were rivals, often bitter rivals, and each considered the other to be irregular.
Generally, the Moderns tended to attract more 'upper class' members, while the Antients had a broader membership base. The
two Grand Lodges developed quite a number of divergent practices. However, except at official level, ordinary Masons were
not particularly interested in this rivalry, and most members on both sides either ignored these divergences or paid little heed
to them.
As Freemasonry spread rapidly around the world, the passage of time saw the old discords largely disappear. Newer members
on both sides had no understanding of the issues involved, and even less interest in them. The pressure for union increased,
and the chance of such an occurrence was greatly enhanced on the election of HRH the Duke of Sussex as Grand Master of
the Moderns, and his brother HRH the Duke of Kent as Grand Master of the Antients. Joint committees of the two Grand
Lodges met and overcame remaining problems, and the union was happily effected on 13 May 1813. The title United Grand
Lodge of England was adopted, and the Duke of Sussex became its first Grand Master 5
The United Grand Lodge of England subsequently developed into the largest Masonic body in the world, having lodges
chartered on every continent. English Freemasonry has directly or indirectly been the source of all Grand Lodges elsewhere
on the globe. The Grand Lodges of Ireland and Scotland, respectively the second and third Grand Lodges formed, have also
chartered lodges all over the world. As Masonry grew in strength in various localities, other Grand Lodges were formed.
Most Western European countries possess a Grand Lodge, as do virtually all the provinces of Canada, and the States of
America. Similarly, most South and Central American countries have at least one Grand Lodge each. Diverse countries such
as Israel, South Africa, India, Japan and the Philippines are likewise blessed. In Australia, each of the six states has long
possessed a Grand Lodge, with the first being formed in South Australia in 1884.
It needs to be appreciated that Freemasonry is not one worldwide confederation. There are more than a hundred independent
Masonic Grand Lodges in the world, most of which maintain 'fraternal relations' with each other - diplomatic relations, to put
it in non-Masonic terms. Originally, relations between Grand Lodges were handled by what are known as ‘Grand
Representatives'. These were senior Grand Lodge officers who acted as something akin to ambassadors. This system has long
fallen into practical disuse, with business between Grand lodges being handled by their respective Grand Secretaries.
Nonetheless, most Grand Lodges still appoint Grand Representatives, who act on an honorary basis.6
There are also quite a number of differences in the constitutional, operational and ritualistic practices between Grand Lodges.
They are only limited by a set of basic notions known as 'The Ancient Landmarks of the Order'. Even so, there is far from
universal agreement as to what these are, or their number. Noted Masonic author Harry Carr defines a landmark as a principle
or tenet that has 'always existed' in Masonic practice, and as an element in the form of the Society of such importance that, if
removed, Freemasonry would no longer be Freemasonry. These are:
1. That a Mason possesses a belief in God, the Supreme Being, the Great Architect of the Universe.
2. That the Volume of the Sacred Law is an essential and indispensable part of the lodge, to be open in full view when the
brethren are at labour.
3. That a Mason must be male, free-born and of mature age.
4. That a Mason, by his tenure, owes allegiance to the Sovereign and to the Craft.
5. That a Mason believes in the immortality of the soul.
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These items, he states, largely date back to the Old Charges, which were the written laws of the Operative Masons. The oldest
of these documents dates from about 1390.7
There are other authors, such as the American authority Dr Albert Mackey, who prescribed a larger range of Landmarks.
What is, or is not, a 'Landmark of the Order' is to some extent academic. Clearly, there are quite a number of customs which
are observable norms across the gamut of world Freemasonry. These include the division of symbolic craft Masonry into
three degrees, the modes of recognition observed amongst members, the legend associated with the Third Degree Ceremony,
the necessity of Masons to congregate in lodges, the government of a craft lodge by its Master and Wardens, the government
of the fraternity by a Grand Master, and a number of others.8
REFERENCES:
1 Pick, F.L. & Knight, G.N., The Freemasons' Pocket Reference Book, 3rd Edition
(Frederick Muller, London, 1983), p.37; pp.224 et seq.
2 Hamill, John, The Craft (Aquarian Press, England, 1985), p.41.
3 Op. cit., p.42.
4 Henderson, K.W., Masonic World Guide (A. Lewis, London, 1985), p.129.
5 Ibid.
6 Op. cit., p.26
7 Carr, Harry, The Freemasons at Work (A. Lewis, London, 1976), p.263.
8 Coil, H.W., Coil's Masonic Encyclopaedia (Macoy, USA, 1961), p.335 et seq.
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FREEMASONRY UNIVERSAL
From PROSPER THE ART, by J, Sullivan
Early in my Masonic career, I was struck by the statement contained in the northeast charge in the initiation ceremony to the
effect that the branches of Freemasonry are spread over the whole surface of the habitable globe. Likewise, in the tracing
board lecture in the first degree, I was interested in a further reference to the world-wide nature of the order, which reads as
Freemasons will know: "Let me first call your attention to the form of the Lodge, which is a parallelepipedon, in length from
east to west, in breadth between north and south, in depth from the surface of the earth to the centre and even as high as the
heavens. The reason a Freemason's Lodge is described of this vast extent is to show the universality of the science."
For some time, I felt that these references may have been an exaggeration or an over-emphasis of the real situation and the
truth would be that Freemasonry was, in the main, a British institution with lodges functioning in the United Kingdom, In
some countries formerly members of the British Empire, in parts of America and, perhaps, in a few other English-speaking
areas around the world. It was with these feelings in mind that I decided to conduct an examination into this aspect of the
Craft's operations. My research was carried out under the following four main headings:
(i) Is Freemasonry really spread over the whole surface of the habitable globe?
(ii) If so, why?
(iii) Is Freemasonry the same the whole world over?
(iv) The conclusion of the matter!
This, now, is as I see the universality question.
(i) Is Freemasonry really spread over the whole surface of the habitable globe?
For a start, there are more than 750 lodges on the register of our own United Grand Lodge of Victoria with two-thirds of
these meeting in the metropolitan area of Melbourne and the remaining one-third in country districts. Within the six state
Masonic jurisdictions in Australia, there is a total of some 2500 lodges. Outside Australia, the United Grand Lodge of
Victoria recognises and enjoys fraternal relations with 110 Grand Lodges representing countries and states in other parts of
the world.
But this is not the full story because there are many other countries where Freemasonry lives. Mainly because these areas are
not large enough Masonically, they do not have their own Grand Lodges, but Masonic Lodges do function in these places
under the aegis of what might be called "parent" or home Grand Lodges which have their headquarters in, for example,
England, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and the Philippines. Some of the lodges were formed in small communities by
early settlers migrating to overseas colonies. Others were constituted under the sponsorship or authority of travelling military
lodges, i.e., lodges which were attached to British military regiments which saw service in many parts of the world in the
18th and 19th centuries.
In the matter of "parent" Grand Lodges and taking, as an example, the United Grand Lodge of England, which is the largest
of them, this Grand Lodge has constituted some 47 Provincial Grand Lodges in various counties in England and Wales as
well as in the Channel Isles and on the Isle of Wight. In Kent, Lancashire and Yorkshire, the counties are of such size that
they have been split geographically and two Provincial Grand Lodges operate in each case.
The United Grand Lodge of England has also created a number of District Grand Lodges in certain countries to control the
operations of groups of lodges formed under the English Constitution. These, in the same way as the Provincial Grand
Lodges, do not have the status of full Grand Lodges. The United Grand Lodge also exercises control over smaller groups of
lodges in other areas by appointing Grand Inspectors in a supervising capacity. There is a further smaller category of cases
where lodges meet under the English constitution as single lodges in isolation, so to speak. A somewhat similar situation
obtains under the other "parent" constitutions to which reference has been made.
Looking at the overall situation, my researches have indicated that there are Masonic lodges in all states of Australia,
including the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory; all states of the United States of America; all provinces
of Canada, including the maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island; somewhat
surprisingly, perhaps, the Central American states, including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador; the
Caribbean including Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic and even in the small areas of the
Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands; all countries in South America; the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and most
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countries in Europe outside the so-called Iron Curtain (although in the latter regard, Freemasonry was a strong force in most
of those countries years ago, and there are current reports that in some of those areas clandestine meetings of Freemasons
take place from time to time); many countries in Africa, including some nations now regarded as "emerging" such as
Botswana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Togo; the Mediterranean area including Gibraltar, Cyprus and Malta; the
Middle East in Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan; various parts of Asia, including Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Taiwan; and the Pacific area, including New Zealand, Papua/New
Guinea, New Britain and in smaller islands such as Fiji, Guam and Vanuatu.
In the old Masonic catechetical lectures, Freemasons are told that our ancient brethren "assembled on high hills and low
vales, even in the valleys of Jehosophat and many other secret places."
Today, Masonic lodges are active from Alaska, Iceland, Newfoundland and Finland in the frozen north to Argentina, Chile
and New Zealand in the south, in the west and east, in the mountainous areas, in valleys, on the plains, by lakes, on the
equator and on large and small islands.
To quote a few examples, there is a Lodge Polaris in Goose Bay, Labrador, Lodge Star of the South in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, Lodge Mt Everest -- Lebong in Darjeeling, India, Lodge San Lorenzo Valley in Boulder Creek, California, City of
the Plains Lodge in Bathurst, New South Wales, Lodge of the Lakes in Baldwin, Michigan, Lodge Equator in Kisuma,
Kenya, and Lodge St Helena meeting in Jamestown on the tiny island of St Helena in the south Atlantic Ocean.
There are approximately 40,000 lodges throughout the world with a total membership in excess of five million. The Craft has
spread through all strata of society -- kings, princes and other royal personages, presidents, statesmen, churchmen, military
and civic leaders, men of all professions, crafts and trades, men of all races and cultures.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that Freemasonry is spread, indeed, over the whole surface of the habitable globe.
(ii) If so, why?
What is there about Freemasonry that appeals to men on a multi-national basis!
Do men join our Masonic ranks because of mere inquisitiveness, because father was a Freemason and it might be a nice
family gesture to continue the association, because it could be a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) organization or
because it could tend to improve one's personal status and possibly lead to some social or business advancement?
Or, on the other hand, do many of our candidates join because they have had the opportunity of mixing with Freemasons and
their families or, as we are told, of developing a preconceived favourable opinion of the institution, a general desire for
knowledge or a sincere wish to render themselves more serviceable to their fellow men!
Certainly, I believe, there have been men who have become members for one or other of the first group of reasons. But,
because we do not solicit or coerce men to join our order, I hold the view that Freemasonry has flourished because there is a
worldwide belief that Freemasons are respectable men. In the face of prejudice, disbelief, scorn and sometimes prohibition,
the Craft has attracted members over its long history despite the aura of secrecy which has been allowed to cloak its activities.
Freemasons were seen to be men of goodwill, doing good and providing balance in the community.
It could be that many have sought to enter our portals because of our professed special regard for the equality of man,
irrespective of colour, class, caste or creed -- a world brotherhood transcending individual states and individual nationalities.
We hope that people are coming to the realisation that Freemasonry is not an organization that has something to hide but is,
in fact, a rather special fraternity of men dedicated to the development of character, social conscience and true charity in all
men.
(iii) Is Freemasonry the same the whole world over?
To this question, there must be two answers -- Yes and No.
Yes, it is the same everywhere in the sense that all Masonic jurisdictions agree on:
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· the fundamental nature of the Masonic concept
· the historical part played by the ancient stonemasons in relation to the
development of our speculative art
· recognition of the presence of a Supreme Being, a Great Architect, a
Grand Geometer from whom all goodness springs
· the use of a Sacred Volume to act as a rule to guide our faith and actions
· the principles and tenets on which the order is based, namely brotherly
love, relief and truth and the other human virtues
· the use of a ritual and associated ceremonial as the means of presenting the Masonic message
No it is not the same in all constitutions in relation to the detailed nature of procedures, practices and general operations.
There are substantial differences in approach in many matters, including modes of recognition, method of appointment of
Grand Lodge officers, form of dress, regalia, types of symbols employed, lodge officers' titles, layout of temples, frequency
of meetings, means of advising brethren regarding meetings, entrance of brethren into the temple, time lapse between the
taking of degrees, proficiency tests for candidates before progression through degrees, toast lists at festive boards and in the
use of alcohol or otherwise at festive boards.
For purposes of illustration and as a matter of interest, a number of special examples of differences are set out hereunder:
The ritual varies in matter of detail from one constitution to another. In England, for instance, there are some 20 or more
rituals in use due, no doubt, to the reluctance to commit any part of Masonic workings to paper for many years. It was all left
to memory, even after an agreed upon ritual was laid down in 1813, and variations have inevitably arisen from differing
interpretations in different areas and, also, from a desire to retain certain long-observed customs in particular places. The Irish
constitution is unusual in that it does not authorise a printed ritual but relies on an oral tradition.
In some constitutions, but particularly in lodges operating under the Grand Lodge of Scotland, all brethren, irrespective of
Masonic rank, are addressed as "Brother". In many constitutions in the United States of America, Masonic lodges sponsor
and give moral support to young people's organizations, namely, the Order of De Molay for young lads up to the age of 18
years, and the Orders of the Rainbow and Job's Daughters for girls. Representatives of these orders often are invited to attend
Craft communications. The Grand Lodge of Ohio, in particular, makes annual "Excellence in Youth" awards to outstanding
leaders in these three youth organizations.
The installation ceremony in many English lodges, by design, has a certain degree of informality built into it contrasting
with the ceremony in Victoria which, especially when carried out by Grand Lodge teams, is made an occasion of formal
pageantry. There is a somewhat similar difference of approach in degree work. On the other hand, visitors to English lodges
are "proved" more diligently than in Victoria.
Informality is taken in some of the USA constitutions to an extent that Victorian brethren would find a little difficult to
understand. In some lodges, the wearing of sports shirts with open-necked collars predominate and smoking during
ceremonies is regarded as normal.
The membership roll of some lodges in south-cast Asian countries includes brethren of different religions, such as
Mohammedans, Sikhs, Hindus, Parsees, Zoroastrians and Christians. In these lodges, the Sacred Volume of each religion
represented is displayed during meetings.
In the USA, Masonic lodges are more involved in community service work than our Victorian lodges. American
Freemasonry has sought to develop an overt image in society by active participation in community projects such as schools,
children's homes, retirement villages, libraries and other public buildings. Often, Freemasons are invited to lay foundation
stones, or corner stones as they are termed in America, for these buildings. In the past, Victoria has adopted a rather low
profile attitude in the matter of community involvement, preferring to proceed on the basis that Freemasonry's responsibility
is to prepare brethren in a philosophical manner to appreciate the virtue of displaying charity and benevolence to one's
fellows and to stimulate them to wish to join organizations working for worthy community causes. But, our approach is
clearly changing and we may be drawing nearer to the American Freemason's way of thinking in this aspect of Masonic
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operations. The work of our newly-formed Masonic disaster task force as a unit member of the State's Emergency Services
organization in times of bushfires and floods and other catastrophes is a significant development in this respect.
In various countries and in some of the other states of Australia, master masons are permitted to present a number of the
degree charges and addresses. Victoria differs in this regard and allows only past masters, in their role as rulers in the Craft,
to make these presentations. This policy has been followed on the principal score of not wishing to do anything that could
possibly endanger standards. Master masons in Victoria, however, are permitted to deliver the tracing board lectures and the
wardens, of course, present the working tools.
To encourage lodges to aim for high standards of efficiency in their operations, the Grand Lodge of Ohio issues Grand
Master's awards to lodges complying with a large number of stipulated requirements. This Grand Lodge also presents each
year a distinguished service award to a member of the Constitution for notable service to the Order.
In many German lodges, at the point in the first degree when light is restored, the senior warden stamps his foot hard on the
floor at which all brethren call out "God punishes the villain." The second degree ceremony is a joyful one with rose garlands
wound around the pillars and three roses, coloured white, pink and red, are placed on the master's pedestal. For third degree
ceremonies, the lodge room and furniture are completely shrouded in black with a black carpet to absorb all noise. All
brethren wear a black funeral cloak.
In the Grand Orient of Brazil, the candidate at his initiation, amongst other procedures of a relatively unusual nature, is
required to drink from two bottles, the first containing a sweet liquid, the other a bitter one. When his face distorts after the
second drink, he is informed that Freemasons should be able to "take the bitter with the sweet." Later, his hands are washed
and dried by his proposer and then passed through an open flame. After the initiation is concluded, the atmosphere changes
somewhat and the candidate receives a bouquet of flowers to take home to his lady or family.
In certain constitutions, some Masonic meetings are permitted to be held in places other than temples. For example, meetings
are held from time to time in the open air in some states of the USA, including Arizona, Kentucky, Maryland and Georgia.
On the other side of the world, meetings have been conducted in Israel in King Solomon's Quarries or the Caves of Hezekiah
which are located close to the Damascus Gate under the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. In Australia, combined meetings
of lodges have taken place in the Jenolan Caves near the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.
There are many constitutions with lodges working in different languages. For example, the Grand Lodge of Quebec
comprises approximately 100 lodges including a number of lodges where only French is spoken. These are referred to as
Francophone lodges, the others using English being called Anglophone lodges. In the Grand Lodge of Israel, there are lodges
working in Hebrew, English, French, Arabic, German and Rumanian.
In the Grand Lodge of Florida, there are four Spanish-speaking lodges. In the Grand Lodge of Turkey, there are lodges
working in Turkish, English, French and German. Many other cases could be quoted.
In some overseas constitutions, the festival days of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist are observed as special
Masonic days. These days are of special significance in Masonic history. The inaugural meeting of the Grand Lodge of
England was held on 24 June 1717 (St John the Baptist's Day) and the meeting formally establishing the United Grand Lodge
of England was held on 27 December 1813 (St John the Evangelist's Day). In the past, Freemasons in some parts of England
were known as St John's Men. Why the two St Johns were so honoured by the early Freemasons is not clear, as it does not
appear that either had any special connection with building or the craft of the stonemason.
In a number of North American constitutions, regalia may be worn at divine service on special occasions and at Masonic
funerals. One of these constitutions, the Grand Lodge of Florida, has four lodges on its register formed for the sole purpose of
conducting funerals.
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(iv) The conclusion of the matter
Freemasonry is certainly entitled to claim that the Craft is of a worldwide character with only a few countries without a
Masonic influence. As has been shown, it has to be acknowledged that there are many procedural and attitudinal differences
in operations in the various Grand Lodges but these differences between "what we do and what they do" are not differences
that divide. All constitutions agree unreservedly on the basics.
The fact that there are variations in approach from one country to another, from one state to another, from one district to
another, is nor at all a matter for concern. Rather, the variations have developed in each area as part of local Masonic history
and development, a sort of local Masonic folklore, and from a blending of the feelings and opinions of Masonic personalities
in each jurisdiction over a long time, and give each area a refreshing and welcome uniqueness. This is far better than a dull
uniformity which could blunt enterprise and initiative to the overall detriment of the order. It would merely be a case of
uniformity for uniformity's sake and this could be inimical to our best interests.
To sum up, the all-important thing is that as we pursue our Masonic duties and activities in our own areas and endeavour to
apply the principles and tenets of the Craft to our daily lives, we can gain great confidence from the knowledge that we do
not work in isolation. We have brothers in Masonry all over the world all aiming for the same basic goals.
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PART 4 - THE FUTURE OF FREEMASONRY
WHITHER ARE WE GOING?
From Masonic Perspectives, by John Hamill.
Chapter Two.
In 1992 we in England will celebrate the 275th Anniversary of the formation, on 24 June 1717, of the Grand Lodge of
England and the 25th Anniversary of the Installation as Grand master of HRH the Duke of Kent. Events of which we are
enormously proud and events which will be shared by the whole family of regular Freemasonry as the birth of the Grand
Lodge of England marked the birth of organised Freemasonry. Such anniversaries are cause for great celebration and
congratulation but they should also give us cause for thought and the opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved and
to consider what needs to be done to ensure the continuance of our Institution.
Freemasonry is so steeped in tradition that there is a tendency to view it as unaltering and unalterable. Our last great
celebration in England was the 250th Anniversary of Grand Lodge in 1967, which was, in retrospect, the ending of an era and
the beginning of a new. After the great upheaval brought about by the Union of the two Grand Lodges of England in 1813
the English Craft went through an extended period of calm and quiet growth which culminated in the great celebrations of
1967. In the relatively short period since 1967 e have gone through a number of major changes: the Bagnall Report and the
resultant re-organization of the great Masonic charities; the debate on the physical penalties in the obligations and the
subsequent alterations in the ritual; the major policy change on public comment on Freemasonry and the educating of the
non-Masonic public; the tightening up and bringing to the fore of disciplinary proceedings against those who break our rules
and bring Freemasonry into disrepute; and in the Royal Arch the long discussions culminating in the major revision of the
ritual in 1990. Coming after such a long period in which no major changes had occurred this seemingly endless succession of
changes met with little or no resistance.
To my mind, the resistance was born of a misunderstanding or a lack of knowledge of how Freemasonry has developed. As I
said a few moments ago Freemasonry is steeped in tradition and many members believe that it has existed “from time
immemorial” as it is practiced today. Those who have had the opportunity of researching or reading about our history know
that nothing is further from the truth. One of the great strengths of Freemasonry is that over 275 years of its organised
existence it has, without altering its basic nature or its fundamental principles and tenets, had a capacity for adapting itself to
the changing society in which it exists. As such it has remained a living organization true to its basic principles. Had it not
that capacity for change it would have been ossified and died. Occasionally those changes have been major and accompanied
by much discussion but, in the main, they have been gradual, natural and achieved without a great deal of fuss and often
without it being realised that the change is taking place.
Change is a natural and healthy thing if the impulse comes from within and if the change progresses our Institution. Change
for change’s sake or changes brought about by pressure from outside is not. Nor is clinging to outmoded customs and
practices simply because they are old. I would not advocate a modernisation programme simply to remove old customs but
there are often things which we do in Freemasonry which work against us today and we continue to do them in a mistaken
belief that they have always been done that way when an examination of their origin shows that they are, in fact, relatively
new in historical terms. Complacency is an enemy in any part of life. The attitude that “it will do because it always has done”
is a killer. We need to stop every generation and look at ourselves to see what needs to be done to preserve our Institution for
future generations.
The current problem
One of the tasks I do for my Grand Secretary is to review the Proceedings of our sister Grand Lodges as they come into the
Library each year. From that review over the last few years it has become all too apparent that the pressing problem in
Freemasonry worldwide is falling membership. We have been lucky in England in that despite a period of sustained antiMasonry in the media we have been holding our own and have not experienced a major drop in membership. We have been
holding steady but we do not appear to have been increasing the number of new members each year. Aware of the problems
in our sister Grand Lodges and seeking to stem the problem before it arises in England we have been looking at ways of
avoiding it. We have come to a general conclusion that the problem is twofold: the internal organization of the Craft and the
public’s perceived reaction to Freemasonry. In short terms Freemasonry has to offer something to its members and retain
their participation and it must also have a good public image to attract members in the first place.
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Candidates
The question most often asked is how, without active recruiting, do we attract the right sort of candidate? You do not do it by
hiding your light under a bushel. For too long we have been over-protective of our privacy, refusing to talk about
Freemasonry to non-Masons and gradually withdrawing from public view. By remaining silent we have allowed a body of
misconception and conspiracy theory to develop which can only be off-putting to possible candidates. Our American brethren
are probably the most open about their membership of Freemasonry yet even they have been reticent when asked questions
by non-Masons. So concerned were they about falling membership and the lack of young members coming forward that a
number of American Masonic bodies jointly commissioned a market research group to conduct a national survey of public
attitudes to Freemasonry. The result did not please them. Freemasonry was seen as secretive, an old man’s pursuit, selfserving and open to accusations of conspiracy and malpractice.
We all know that Freemasonry is a force for good in society and that its principles provide a practical guide to living a life
worthy in the eyes of God and of service to our fellow man. We all enjoy our Freemasonry and are proud to be members of it.
Why, then, are we shy of sharing that pride and enjoyment? One of the surprising things that we found out in dealing with the
anti-Masonic problems in England in the mid-1980s was that not only the public but many of our members believed that they
should not disclose their membership or discuss Freemasonry with outsiders. They were, of course, wrong. Our obligation
bind us to preserve the secrets of freemasonry - the traditional modes of recognition - but there is nothing which says you
must keep silent about everything. Can we really expect to attract candidates if we are not prepared to discuss Freemasonry in
general terms with them? Can we really be surprised at accusations of secrecy?
Solicitation
Candidates must come into Freemasonry “of their own free will and accord”. They must ask; they are not invited. To ask
someone to join is improper solicitation. Many of us will know of men who would have been good Freemasons and either
come into the Craft late in life or not at all because they were waiting to be invited. Logically if there is improper solicitation
then there must also be proper solicitation. England looked at this idea a decade ago, decided that there could indeed be
proper solicitation and issued guidelines. In broad terms it is not improper solicitation to make a neutrally worded approach
to someone you think will be a good member of the Craft. Once done he must then be allowed to think. If there is no
response you may give a gentle reminder but if that elicits no response then the subject must be dropped. The crucial words
are neutrally worded. It is still contrary to the principles and rules to ask someone to join, but an informal discussion can
often lead to the right question being asked, which is surely better than losing potentially good candidates capable of giving
good service to the Craft.
The new member
One of the contributions to falling membership is new members dropping out within a short time. In some cases this is
because they have found Freemasonry was not what they were looking for but, regrettably, in other cases it’s because of
neglect. All too often the new member finds that, having been the centre of attraction whilst going through the ceremonies
leading to becoming a Master Mason, once he achieves that he becomes just another member of the lodge with nothing to do
and little interest shown in him until he begins to work through the offices. The Provincial Grand Master for Antrim, under
the Grand Lodge of Ireland, and for Yorkshire North and East Ridings, under the United Grand Lodge of England,
independently set up a Committee of Young Master Masons in their Provinces to look at the current state of the Craft within
their Provinces. Both committees identified this point as a danger point. The key words which they used were participation
and education. The younger men coming into Freemasonry today are not only keen to take part in the ceremonial and
administrative work of the lodge but want to know more about Freemasonry in general. Being spectators at ceremony after
ceremony with nothing to do until they took office brought neither satisfaction nor enjoyment.
In larger lodges years of waiting to get into the Officer Line fund dissatisfaction and led to resignations. The Grand Master
himself addressed this problem in his address to Grand Lodge in 1989 when he suggested that lodges should be of a size
whereby the members knew each other as individuals, not just faces and names, and a new member, if he so wished, could go
from initiation to the Chair within a reasonable time span. In his view a reasonable time was ten years, which would enable
the brother concerned to work through the progressive offices and gain the necessary experience to rule the lodge as Master.
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The PM problem
Another problem point arises with Past Masters. Having worked through the offices, served as Master and IPM, a Past Master
suddenly finds himself back as spectator on the back benches waiting for one of the permanent office holders to give up or
die before he has any hope of giving further service to the lodge. A bad tradition in Freemasonry has been that of Treasurers,
Secretaries and Director of Ceremonies hanging on to office for twenty or more years. Again, in a recent address to Grand
Lodge our Grand Master suggested that this was not a good tradition as it prevented Past Masters giving further service. He
suggested that eight years was long enough. Longevity in permanent offices is also unhealthy for a lodge. With the best will
in the world it is impossible for long serving officers not to begin to regard the lodge as their personal bailiwick and for the
members, in turn, to believe that these officers run the lodge and have the final say. That cannot be healthy for a lodge.
Another tradition is that the brunt of the ritual work falls on the Master, which in a busy year can make life difficult for the
Master. In England we have a certain amount of freedom in ritual matters. The basic ritual was agreed by grand Lodge in
1816 but we do not have an official ritual or Grand Lodge ritual committee and the detail is left to the individual lodge,
resulting in over fifty different English workings. As a result the Master can do all the Chair work or he can divide it up and
invite Past Masters to assist. At a recent meeting of the staff lodge at Freemason’s Hall, London, we initiated a new member
and the work was divided in such a way that the Master and five Past Masters carried out the Chair work. You, I believe,
have a Grand Lodge controlled ritual and may not be able to do the same but I offer it as a way of maintaining interest in the
Past Masters.
Education
I commented earlier that the younger members coming in were not satisfied simply by ritual work but had a genuine curiosity
about Freemasonry which needed to be satisfied. Another old tradition is that the purpose of a lodge is to make, pass and
raise Masons. That is certainly the basic purpose of a lodge but what is the point of a lodge being a degree factory if the
producers have no idea of what they are involved in? Over seventy years ago Lord Ampthill, then Pro Grand master of
England, said that what was needed was not more men in Freemasonry but more freemasonry in men. That still stands today.
There seems to me no reason why the occasional meeting should not be set aside for a lecture or a structural discussion on
some Masonic topic. Indeed, participation and education can be joined together by getting lodge members to prepare a five
minute talk on a particular point at each meeting, thus both increasing knowledge and enabling someone to actively
participate in the meeting.
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RELIGION AND POLITICS IN
RELATION TO FREEMASONRY
From Prosper the Art, by J. Sullivan.
Chapter Eight.
In the final charge in the first degree, brethren are directed that their obedience to the Masonic philosophy must be proved in
several ways. One of the expressed requirements is that brethren, whilst in the lodge, are to abstain from every topic of
religious or political discussion.
But is not Freemasonry religious to some extent? And is not the order concerned with politics in the sense that political
policies, discussions, controversies and decisions appear to touch on most aspects of everyday life? What then is the reason
for the very definite restraint imposed on brethren!
Freemasonry is certainly not a religious entity nor denomination. The Craft, however, must be said to be religious or quasireligious in character in that it:
-requires all candidates to express a belief in the existence of a Supreme Being (God) and to acknowledge that in all
cases of difficulty and danger they will put their trust in God;
-requires all candidates to take certain firm obligations on the Volume of the Sacred Law -- the particular sacred
volume depending on the candidate's personal religion and the book held by the candidate's creed to impart sanctity
to an oath or promise taken upon it;
-requires the Volume of the Sacred Law to be open in every lodge during meetings (or more than one Volume if
more than one religion is represented in the lodge membership);
-nominates the Volume of the Sacred Law as a Freemason's greatest light, guide or example in relation to his
conduct in life;
-prescribes that all Masonic meetings will be conducted on the basis that Freemasons in attendance acknowledge the
continuous presence of the Supreme Being under the various titles of Great Architect of the Universe, Grand
Geometrician of the Universe, Most High or other form;
-requires all temples to be solemnly dedicated in the name of the Supreme Being;
-requires all lodges to be consecrated in the name of the Supreme Being; and,
-requires the appointment of a chaplain in all lodges with the responsibility of presenting prayers and supplications
to the Supreme Being at lodge meetings.
While Freemasonry does not pretend to be a religion in a sectarian or denominational sense, it can, nevertheless, represent a
means of enforcing and illustrating general religious and ethical principles and precepts.
Freemasonry, basically, is a philosophical system of morality and candidates are entitled to hold whatever religious principles
and beliefs they choose. All that the order asks is that each candidate brings with him from his particular religion an essential
belief in a Supreme Being -- a Being who has been called masonically, "A Glorious Architect of Heaven and Earth".
It seems that, originally, there were diverse religious views held by some senior Freemasons in the United Kingdom, and, in
such circumstances, it was agreed in the early days of the order that the only means of preserving harmony in this sensitive
area was to prohibit religious discussion in lodges.
The utter necessity for the Masonic order to be of a non-sectarian character was emphasised by Dr James Anderson in his
famous Constitutions published in 1723 when, in his charge entitled "Concerning God and Religion", he wrote “ . . . our
Religion (is) the Law of Nature and to love God above all things and our neighbour as our self; this is the true, primitive,
catholic and universal Religion, agreed to be so in all Times and Ages".
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Some comment is necessary regarding the relationship between Freemasonry and one particular branch of the Christian
religion, namely, Roman Catholicism, because of an obvious lack of understanding of the real position by many in the
community (including some Freemasons) who have the idea that Freemasonry actively adopts an anti-Roman Catholic stance.
The first of Freemasonry's three grand principles is brotherly love – a fundamental love of mankind which bars the exclusion
of any group. To preclude the admission of members of any particular section of society would undermine our very
foundations and cause us to look hypocritical and false in the eyes of the world.
To gain a better understanding of the real position, it is necessary to go back into the past. Over the many years since the
Craft's beginnings, but particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries, several Papal Bulls were issued placing bans on members
of the Roman Catholic Church joining our order. The precise reasons for the promulgation of these edicts have faded in the
mists of time, but Freemasonry may have to concede that, in the early formative and developmental years, there may have
been happenings involving some members of the order which could have provided sufficient substance to cause the Church
to act as it did.
Unfortunately, as the years went by, Church and Craft attitudes polarised and, here too, we have to admit that there was some
degree of over-reaction by some members of the Craft which could have helped to maintain the gulf. But Freemasonry's
conscience is clear in that at no time was any restriction placed on Roman Catholics becoming members of our order.
In the event, it was not until the 1960s following the enthronement. Of Pope John XXIII that any relaxation of the Church's
hard-line attitude emerged. Pope John was responsible for a considerable liberalisation in many areas of church doctrine, and
Freemasonry gained as the result of a more tolerant viewpoint adopted by the Church. This welcome development was to
result in more and more members of the Roman Catholic faith coming forward to seek membership of the Masonic order and
all seemed well.
It is sad to relate, however, that in the last two or three years, the Church has again become more rigid in its attitude to the
Craft. The situation now appears to be that, while the fact of a Roman Catholic joining our order will not be regarded by the
Church as an excommunicable sin, the Church still has Freemasonry listed as an organization hostile to Roman Catholicism.
This cannot be so, and it is unbelievable that the Church hierarchy would not know this truth. From the Masonic side, it
should be mentioned that intending Roman Catholic candidates are normally advised to discuss their intentions with their
families and their local priest(s) before coming to a final decision. This reflects Freemasonry's concern for harmony on both
sides.
It is of interest that the present pontiff, during a recent visit to South Korea, expressed the hope that there would develop a
greater degree of brotherly love in the future between the two Koreas. He has voiced similar thoughts in relation to his native
Poland. As an organization dedicated to the principle of brotherly love, it does not seem out of place for Freemasonry to
expect a more kindly attitude towards it from the Roman Catholic authorities, a greater sense of rapport, in the days ahead.
Surely, we are at one with the Church in seeking "a Brotherhood of Man under a Fatherhood of God".
In the same way that no candidate is rejected from admission into the Masonic order on denominational grounds, so no
candidate is refused entry on account of his political beliefs. Because of this, many religious denominations and political
parties are represented in the world Masonic membership. This is a healthy situation and Freemasons can feel proud that their
organization is, indeed, a fraternal fellowship which can bring together men with quite differing viewpoints in these two
fundamental aspects of life. To quote from the Ancient Charges, Freemasonry is said to be able to represent "the centre of
good men and true, and the happy means of conciliating friendship amongst those who must otherwise have remained at a
perpetual distance".
But politics, as well as religion, are matters which can divide if enthusiasm and keenness are allowed to develop into
fanaticism and permitted to override prudence and temperance. Therefore, it is wise and sensible that our order, in seeking to
foster and maintain a spirit of harmony of the highest possible order, should proscribe discussion in such sensitive areas in
our Masonic gatherings.
The founders of our order also deemed it vital that Freemasonry, as an organization, should not seek formally to associate
with any particular political entity or religious body. In the outside world, however, the position is different and, politically,
brethren may espouse any political cause and may be members of and, indeed, very dedicated adherents of any political
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group which, to them, appears to offer the best and most equitable and effective means of facing up to and solving the various
social and other problems besetting mankind.
What is expected by the Craft, however, is that, because of their Masonic association and training, brethren with a strong
interest in an attachment to particular streams of political thought, extending even into the governmental and parliamentary
arena, would work and act in this field of endeavour with the highest degree of responsibility and propriety, holding fast to
Masonic principles at all times.
To conclude, it is not intended to be at all controversial in adding that our order would not expect any Freemason to be
associated with the Communist element in politics for the simple reason that Communism, by definition, is a godless society
with no allegiance offered to any spiritual being. One can be a Freemason or a Communist but not both at the one time.
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WOMEN AND FREEMASONRY
From Prosper the Art, by J. Sullivan
Chapter Ten.
In speaking of the other sex in the same breath as Freemasonry, I am aware that I could be regarded by brethren as
committing sacrilege. Perhaps readers, however, should bide their time until the chapter has been completed.
Undoubtedly, the role of women in society has changed dramatically in recent times. Women now take their place in areas of
activity which would have been denied to them only a very short time ago. More and more women are making their presence
felt in the political arena, the business world, the various professions, sport, television in all manner of places.
For example, the number of women candidates standing in Government elections is steadily increasing, and a good
proportion are being elected. There are now 13 women in the Commonwealth Senate, six in the House of Representatives and
a total of over 50 women in the various State Parliaments. In other countries, such as the United Kingdom, India, Israel, Sri
Lanka and Portugal, there have been women Prime Ministers.
In the judiciary, there are female judges. Not long ago, there was a proposal for the appointment of a female judge to our
highest Court, the High Court of Australia. There are increasing numbers of women being appointed to senior managerial
posts in the commercial world. Nowadays, women cannot be discriminated against on grounds of sex when appointments are
made to positions in industry and commerce. And under recently passed Federal legislation, the principle of nondiscrimination has been extended to many other spheres of community life. In some churches, there is now provision for
women to serve on governing bodies; in some, there are female ministers and deacons. Young women can now join the Surf
Life Saving Association. Girls can join the scouting movement! And so we could go on. The transformation that is taking
place could have received particular stimulus from the efforts of active feminists with their anti-chauvinistic theme. Perhaps it
would have come about anyway as a natural development in the evolution process. Despite the biological differences
between men and women, it now appears that in many areas of every-day living, members of both sexes must be bracketed
together as similar beings.
It seems inescapable that men will be forced to allow for even greater participation by women in various spheres of activity.
While women, for their part, may have to make allowances also, and seriously consider how far they can afford to follow the
exciting, heady pace now being set in the quest for equality, the breaches made in male bastions seem permanent. Women are
not likely to give up any of the progress already achieved.
Coupled with the significant basic change taking place in women's role in today's world, we are experiencing another great
social change affecting male/female relationships -- the increasingly high incidence throughout the world of divorce, with its
accompanying shattering effect: on many lives. In their formative years many children now will have a close affinity with
only one parent and even this relationship will not be on a one hundred per cent basis. Some will have an association with the
other parent as well although it may be a relatively remote one in many cases. Often, a third adult, even a fourth, will enter
the picture at some stage. Accordingly, many children of today -- the adult generation of tomorrow -- must grow up in the
midst of confused relationships.
Because of this growing state of affairs and associated worrying social factors, it may be that greater emphasis will have to be
laid on the importance of the family unit in the overall scheme of life. Men and women may have to make the contract of
marriage a more stable estate. Both sexes may have to strive harder to develop more efficient living relationships, not only for
the satisfaction of their own needs but also those of their children and following generations. In putting forward the
proposition that the world may need to give more concentrated attention to the preservation of the family unit, it is not overdramatic to suggest that the survival of mankind may well depend on it.
It is with these rather sad thoughts in mind that I have found myself pondering whether there may be advantage in a male
moralistic institution such as our Craft changing course and developing more into a family body -- and I am well aware of the
raised eyebrows that would greet such a suggestion.
There are a number of difficulties -- mountainous ones -- in the way. Freemasonry stems from the all-male culture of the
ancient stonemason where the presence of women was unknown. Subsequently, the constitution of our speculative order was
so framed as to forbid the admission of females into Masonic assemblies. The inclusion of women in the Masonic
organization is expressly prohibited as referred to in our ritual and, also, as stated in the laid-down basic principles of
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recognition between Grand Lodges, the relevant clause of which states, "that the membership of the Grand Lodge and
individual Lodges shall be composed exclusively of men; and that each Grand Lodge shall have no Masonic intercourse of
any kind with mixed Lodges or bodies which admit women to membership." The Masonic authority, Mackey, in the 18th of
his 25 Landmarks stated ". . . that certain qualifications of a candidate for initiation shall be that he is a man
Because, however, it was not considered appropriate in days past for women to join with men in a particular organization, it
should not necessarily mean that they be barred from such association forever - especially when one realises how the status of
women and the degree of their participation in so many streams of community life have changed so comprehensively. Is
tradition to be the principal objection to the entry of women into an order such as Freemasonry!
Another aspect that warrants consideration is that Freemasonry today is not proving completely satisfying, not only to the
male population at large but also to many brethren. For the last 20 years, as indicated earlier, the dropout from the order,
universally, has been alarming.
The proposal relating to women, however, is not advanced merely for the shallow purpose of trying to restore our sagging
numbers. It is submitted because I wonder whether there is a possibility that the introduction of; bi-sexual basis into our
order, in other words, the injection of what could be called the beginning of a family concept in Freemasonry, may be just
what our institution needs at this particular period of its existence.
Freemasons are bound by their professed beliefs to adhere to a number of laid-down principles and virtues in the conduct of
their lives. But, many women, probably more women than men, also believe in basing their lives on similar values.
Might there not be, therefore, much to be gained by providing a forum where both sexes can work together for their mutual
benefit and for the development of a more powerful organization, an organization which could set an example to the
community by spreading the principles of morality virtue and goodness throughout a world which needs as much moral
leadership as it can get at all levels of society?
Some women have already acted on their ideals and joined organizations of a moralistic, quasi-religious and, in some cases,
Masonic nature developed principally for women. At least five such bodies exist in Victoria, namely, The Order of the
Eastern Star, The Order of the Amaranth, The White Shrine of Jerusalem, The Order of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masonry
for Women, and International Co-Freemasonry.
These five organizations function in different overseas countries especially in the United States, and in varying degrees in the
Australian States. The orders are designed mainly for women but in all but one case there is a small male membership.
In the United States all or most of these organizations are recognised as "Bodies identified with Freemasonry" or "Appendant
Bodies". Thinking again of the family concept, it is of interest that United States recognition extends, in many cases, to two
organizations for girls (the Orders of the Rainbow, and Job's Daughters) and to the De Molay Order for boys. It is of interest,
also, that a significant proportion of the De Molay membership moves on later to join the Masonic order.
The following basic particulars are now presented concerning the predominantly female orders:
(i) ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR
This order, which has it origins in Scotland, dates back some 200 years. The ritual is based on the lives of five Biblical
heroines. Three come from the Old Testament, Adah - the daughter, Ruth - the widow, and Esther -- the wife, and two from
the New Testament, Martha"- the sister, and Electa - the mother. While its rites contain only one ceremony, that of the
initiation, the ritual incorporates five degrees which teach the lessons of fidelity, constancy, purity, hope and charity. The
order's great theme is womanhood. Its lessons are described as scriptural, its teachings as moral and its purposes as
beneficent. The order has "signs" and "words".
The aim of the order is for its members to become co-workers in the service of humanity, giving comfort in affliction,
sympathy in sorrow and aid in misfortune. Members are expected to cultivate the moral virtues and promote the interests of
true religion, based on a belief in the existence of a Supreme Being.
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Membership is available to both women and men. Any woman seeking membership must be a daughter, widow, wife, sister
or mother of a Freemason, while men must be master masons in good standing, including unaffiliated brethren.
For many years the order required a direct degree of collaboration from the Masonic order in that Freemasons in good
standing were needed to preside at meetings and were also necessarily involved in the sponsorship of candidates. These
requirements, however, have been modified in more recent times.
For a long period, Grand Lodges generally, including our own in Victoria, placed a ban on Freemasons associating in any
way with the order. But, today, the United Grand Lodge of Victoria and many other Grand Lodges have removed the bans,
and now recognise the Eastern Star as a worthy community organization alongside such bodies as Red Cross, Legacy, Carry
On, etc. Freemasons are now permitted to associate with the order in a private capacity.
The change of approach from the Masonic side has been adopted by all Australian Masonic jurisdictions, excepting Western
Australia, where brethren are still banned from any association with the order.
The order has 11 chapters in Victoria. No regalia is worn but officers wear jewels of office on multi-coloured ribbons
together with sashes. Ladies wear white dresses and men wear dinner jackets or suits. Much work is done for community
charities. Chapters meet in various halls; two, in fact, meet in the Masonic temples at Fairfield and Frankston. The order is
not short of candidates.
(ii) THE ORDER OF THE AMARANTH
This order, originally, was a chivalric and equestrian order founded by Queen Christina of Sweden in 1653. It consisted of 15
knights, 15 ladies and the Queen.
Historically, the next relevant development appears to have been the creation of what was called French Adoptive Masonry
early in the 18th century when several French Freemasons conceived the idea of a movement designed to provide a practical
means of giving their wives and daughters a share of what they had experienced and enjoyed in their Masonic assemblies.
The term "Adoptive" was used as part of the title on the basis that the Freemasons were to formally adopt the ladies to whom
the mysteries of the degrees were imparted.
This development, however, did not arouse any particular degree of interest and approximately another 150 years passed
before two Prominent American Freemasons introduced an imitation of the French rite, calling it the American Adoptive
Rite. Their stated aim was "to associate in one common bond with master masons their wives, widows, daughters and
sisters".
A Supreme Council was established in New York in 1873, and a ritual was devised incorporating three degrees called by the
following names:
· Eastern Star
· Queen of the South (about which little is known)
· Order of the Amaranth
The Order of the Amaranth was incorporated in its own right in 1915 with its own ritual, emblems, etc. Its units are called
"Courts", and membership is available to the wives, widows, mothers, daughters and sisters of Freemasons and master
masons in good standing (as is the case with the Order of the Eastern Star).
The order has a ritual and ceremonial which had its origins in the proceedings at Queen Christina's Court. There is an
initiation ceremony only.
The ideals of the order relate to home, friendship and hospitality. The principal objects are fraternal, social and charitable,
and the cardinal virtues are truth, faith, wisdom and charity. No regalia is worn. Women wear formal evening gowns with
long white gloves and men wear dinner jackets. There are some 15 Amaranth Courts in Queensland and a further 15 in New
South Wales, three in Western Australia and one each in South Australia and Victoria. The Victorian Court, formed about 35
years ago, has a membership of some 80, including approximately 10 men, mostly husbands of women members. The
Amaranth has a dictionary meaning of "everlasting flower".
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(iii) THE WHITE SHRINE OF JERUSALEM
This organization operates only in a small way in Victoria. There is at present only one local Shrine, named "Ruth".
Membership is restricted to members of the Order of the Eastern Star. It is understood that the operations of the order are
based on the birth of Christ.
(iv) ORDER OF ANCIENT, FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONRY FOR WOMEN
This order, which is exclusively for women, originated in France just over 100 years ago. A Supreme Grand Council was
formed in the United Kingdom in 1925, and the order commenced operations in Australia two years later. The Australian
headquarters are in Sydney.
There are a number of lodges meeting in New South Wales and Queensland. In Victoria, there are two Craft lodges and one
Mark lodge. The organization is of a direct Masonic nature, and its workings are based on the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite -- 10 to 330.
While the order is a small one, its members are said to have a most dedicated belief in Masonic principles. Although clearly
of a strictly Masonic character, the organization regards itself as an exclusive and independent order, and has introduced
various modifications of its own into
(v) INTERNATIONAL CO-MASONRY ("LE DROIT HUMAIN")
This order, which also had its birth in France just over 90 years ago, affirms the essential quality of man and woman. It is
composed of so-called Freemasons of both sexes, and has prescribed a ceremonial and symbolic method by which members
can "raise their Temple to the perfection and the glory of humanity or to the Glory of the Great Architect of the Universe".
Members of the order are encouraged to seek the greatest degree of moral and intellectual development. Its aims are said to
be closely related to those of male speculative Freemasonry. The motto of the order is "Ordo ab Chao", meaning order out of
chaos.
Co-Masonry was introduced into Victoria in 1911. In Victoria, there are six lodges corresponding to our Craft lodges, two
Mark, two Chapters, two Royal Ark Mariners, one - 180 and one - 300. In the Craft lodges, five are called "white" and the
remaining one "black". The term "black" refers to the colour of the dressing worn by the women members.
Membership is open to any woman or man regularly proposed and accepted. Any Freemason wishing to join is expected to
give up his Craft association. While any man can join, male visitors to Co-Masonic lodges must be Freemasons and are
"proved" before admission.
The ritual and ceremonial are very similar to that used in the male Craft. Regalia is also similar. Because of the almost
identical nature of the operations of Co-Masonry, Freemasons are not permitted to associate with it. To do so would be
regarded as a breach of a Freemason's obligations. This can, of course, make for awkward situations where wives and other
female relatives of Freemasons are members of Co-Masonry.
It will be appreciated that the foregoing presents only a brief and sketchy picture of the women's organizations. The research
I have been able to pursue in this area leads me to the firm opinion that all of these bodies and their members are imbued with
the highest of ideals. All, in their own particular ways, are searching for light, for betterment of the human soul, and are
actively working for the spread of goodwill, charity and happiness throughout society.
In relation to our own womenfolk, we have made sure that our ladies have not been forgotten in the measures taken to
achieve a greater degree of acceptability and understanding of the Craft's activities. Official sanction was given some years
ago to the holding of "Ladies in the South" nights where our ladies are not only entertained but are offered explanations of
Masonic aims. Lodges may also have their ladies join with the brethren at installation banquets. Generally speaking, Masonic
womenfolk, today, are much more conversant with the workings of the order than hitherto. And, in passing, it is of interest to
report that many of the members of the women's orders are wives or other female relatives of Masonic brethren. Following
my review of this matter, my feelings may be summarised in the following way.
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If Freemasonry's numerical decline is merely a cyclical phenomenon soon likely to pass away with man moving from the
present fetish of materialism and the mindless "knocking" of established institutions, and seeing the Masonic environment as
something special, membership of which may enable him to get a sense of real purpose and balance into living, then we may
all feel happy and relieved that the art of the masculine mystic tie has prevailed and will continue, in its existing form, to
maintain the stabilising influence on society that it has exercised over many generations.
On the other hand, if interest in Masonic principles continues to deteriorate, membership continues to dwindle and, hand in
hand, standards of community morality continue to waver, should serious thought be given to examining the basic structure
of our order? The Craft has slipped. Some strengthening action seems necessary. Operational and procedural modifications to
Craft processes have not succeeded in reversing the trend.
We need a new enthusiasm, a new dedication. In all the circumstances, could there be value in examining a proposition that
possesses a good deal of realism in modern times! Should we amend our entry qualifications from "male only" to a bi-sexual
or more family-oriented basis, although at the same time, restricting admission to close female relatives of Freemasons at this
stage? We could, perhaps, endeavour to establish what could be called an Australian Adoptive Rite as the Craft (and the
world) enters what is being described as the age of the nuclear family.
If, however, such thinking is regarded as too radical and unacceptable, should we look at the American approach and, in
relation to at least some of the mainly female organizations referred to herein, consider providing some form of practical
recognition of their existence and endeavours? This would be a timely gesture to organizations whose aims and purposes
seem so linked with our own.
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WOMEN AND FREEMASONRY
From Masonic Panorama, By Rev. N. B. Cryer.
Chapter Two.
It is some 15 years ago now that I was rung up one evening by a rather distressed wife of a Freemason who wanted my
advice. She had heard my name mentioned by another wife and she therefore determined to make this contact.
'Just what is this Freemasonry', she asked, 'in which my husband is so deeply involved but about which he will tell me
nothing? In every other respect we are a normally married couple who share so much but in this regard he shuts up like a
clam and refuses to say a word. You are a clergyman and a Freemason so I cannot believe that the movement is something
disreputable. If that is the case then why cannot my husband share things about it with me? I am really upset about this and
1would value your advice.’
I start with this incident not only because it touches on one important aspect of the subject on which you have invited me to
talk to you today but also because I am sure that it represents, and has for long represented, a concern that women have felt
about our Order. Not only will that heartfelt appeal never leave me, I then began to be, and have since been, all too well
aware that to imagine that 'Women and Freemasonry' is a taboo subject or even an apparent non-starter, is seeking to avoid
reality.
Whilst it may be a fact, and one that 1 believe will remain a fact for the foreseeable future, that our form of Freemasonry is
one into which women will not be admitted as members, it cannot any longer be contended that Freemasonry has no place
whatever for some participation by women. What I hope to have amply demonstrated, or it may be for some present 'brought
again to mind', by the end of this talk, is that not only do we now need to involve women in this movement but also that for
long enough they have established their connection with it. This lecture therefore now divides into evidence from the past,
the present situation and some possible prospects for the future.
GLIMPSES OF THE PAST
It may not be generally known that in the Ordinances of the London Masons dated 1481 we find mention of a practice that
was even then apparently well-established The operative brethren were commanded to go to Mass every year on the feast of
the Quatuor Coronati (the Four Crowned Martyrs) and every other year on the Octave (that is, a week after) the Feast of Holy
Trinity, and following worship they were 'to keep dinner or honest recreation ... and any to have their wives with them if they
will. The mason`s dinner cost twelve pence and his wife's eight pence, and the two sums together represented just under half
a week's wages for a Master Mason, Having the ladies Present was not therefore something idly undertaken. Medieval
masons counted their coins just as we do.
By the 18th century we have ample evidence that not only were ladies often present at the Annual Service in the Parish
Church on the day of the lodge Installation but they were also invited to the dinner that used to follow. Sometimes the
minutes give a strange impression as to what exactly was intended, for the Kent Lodge No 15 recorded that 'wives' were
invited to dinner in 1797; the next year it was 'sisters'; and the year following it was 'partners or sweethearts'. You must draw
your own conclusions about who came.
The brethren of the well-named True Love and Unity Lodge at Brixham in Devon met at the lodge room at 9 am on St John's
Day in 1811, opened the lodge, did essential business, closed it and then walked to church in procession wearing regalia
'with their wives or such female or friend they may chuse to bring with them', afterwards adjourning to the lodge room for
dinner. In 1818 we know that for that occasion they had at least half a gallon of rum and half a gallon of gin. Moving further
west and earlier, to Penrhyn in Cornwall in 1793, we are told that though the ladies only joined their menfolk after the former
had dined, yet the 50 ladies were formally welcomed by the Master and brethren. Furthermore, 'the M.W. Grand Master
called for a Charge and on Bro. Turner to render the Entered Apprentice's song, after which the M.W. Grand Master directed
his Deputy to return thanks to the Ladies with three.'
Mind you, the brethren could sometimes be a little mean. At Redruth in Cornwall in 1815 it was decided that as the wine and
fruit, provided on such an occasion for the ladies, increased the expenses of the day beyond what many in the lodge could
afford, these items would be dispensed with in future, as the ladies come only to 'behold their Husbands, Sons and Brothers
met together for charitable purposes in Love and Harmony' and not to eat and drink. Out of a total bill for the last occasion of
£78 the ladies had cost them £2. Not very hospitable or charitable, methinks.
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In some of the oldest lodges in Cheshire there was another interesting custom. On St John's Day, 1789, and in the lodge at
the Coach and Horses Inn, Chester, it was announced that a Miss Edwards was appointed Lady Patroness of the Society of
Masons, whilst in 1823, presumably on the former lady's decease or marriage, a Miss Mainwaring was nominated for this
role by no less than the Rev Philip Egerton, a relative of the noble family that was to provide many of the Grand Masters of
this Province.
In 1836 a new lodge was consecrated in Chester and this was immediately followed by a service in St John's Church, where
the new floor cloth of the lodge was suspended from the pulpit. The Provincial Grand Chaplain preached from above this
revealing object which was said to provoke much talk amongst the ladies, who also accompanied their men to the following
banquet, albeit they sat at a separate pair of tables. In Cheshire, as in York and elsewhere, it was quite normal for the ladies to
accompany their men when Masonic performances were given in local theatres and where not only did the brethren wear
aprons but even took parts sometimes in the production.
Whilst these are examples of the 'social' engagement of women in their menfolk's activities, there are other cases of
something that looks more involved. In the records of the Corpus Christi Guild at York in 1408 it is noted that an Apprentice
had to swear to obey 'the Master, or Dame, or any other Freemason'; and, in case anyone should think that such a title meant
perhaps only the Master's living partner, it is worth noting that as late as 1683 the records of the Lodge of Mary's Chapel in
Edinburgh provide an instance of a female occupying the position of ‘Dame' or 'Mistress' in a Masonic sense. She was a
widow of a mason but she exercised an equal right with other operative masons and took the same ceremonies.
In 1693 we have the York MS No 4 belonging to the Grand Lodge of York, which relates how when an Apprentice is
admitted the 'elders taking the Booke, he or she that is to be made mason shall lay their hands thereon, and the charge shall be
given'. That this could have been the case seems all the more likely in that in 1696 two widows are named as members in the
Court Book. Away in the south of England we read in 1714 of Mary Bannister, the daughter of a barber in the town of
Barking, being apprenticed as a mason for seven years with a fee of five shillings paid to the Company.
Of course it can be claimed that even these cases were rather with operative than speculative Freemasonry, but this is no
longer so with some other women. The first, I am sure, you are well aware of. She was called the Hon Mrs Elizabeth
Aldworth, though she is more frequently referred to by her maiden name of Elizabeth St Leger, daughter of the 1st Viscount
Doneraile. The truest version of how this lady became involved with a lodge is that she was busy in her father's house when
the lodge that he summoned was meeting in the next room. As the wall between the two chambers was being repaired and
there were some loose bricks, she was not only able to hear but actually to see some of the activities next door.
When she had heard sufficient she tried to withdraw but, on opening her room's door, found the armed Tyler in the corridor
without. He challenged her, whereupon she screamed and collapsed to the floor. The lodge members emerged and though
some actually proposed death as a solution to the dilemma others, including the lady's father, proposed that she be obligated
and thus held to keep inviolate what she had heard and seen. All this, states her tombstone, took place in the County of Cork
AD 1712.
Another woman to discover some of the secrets was a Mrs. Beaton who lived in Norfolk in the middle of the 18th century.
She is said to have been able to enter a locked room next to the lodge meeting place and by careful hearing to have learned all
the secrets of the first degree. She made her discovery known and was then offered initiation which she accepted--and paid
for.
There was also the unscrupulous Mrs. Bell, the landlady of the Crown Inn, Newgate, near Newcastle upon Tyne, who
claimed to have discovered the secrets of Freemasonry by the following stratagem that was announced in an advertisement
placed in the Weekly Chronicle:
This is to acquaint the public that on Monday, the
1st inst, being the Lodge or monthly meeting-night
of the Free and Accepted Masons of the 22nd
Regiment, Mrs. Bell, the landlady of the house,
broke open the door with a poker, by which means
she got into an adjacent room, made two holes
through the wall and by that means discovered the
secrets of Masonry, and knowing herself to be the
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first woman in the world that ever found out the
secret, is willing to make it known to all her sex.
Any lady that is desirous of learning the secrets of
Freemasonry may do so by applying to that welllearned woman who has lived 15 years in or about Newgate.
In Dorset, about 1779, a woman is said to have hidden herself in a clock case so as to overhear proceedings, whilst in
Chatham a few years later another lady chose a cupboard as her silent witness-box. She was sadly discovered through her pet
dog scenting her out and she also was made a member of the Craft to preserve her silence. Though the minutes of the Lodge
do not record the incident, it is known that this latter event took place in connection with the Royal Kent Lodge of Antiquity,
No 20.
It was likewise a native of Kent, England whose career in the Craft, though short, is revealed in a scarce print entitled 'The
Freemasons Surprised, or the Secret Discovered: a True Tale from a Masons’. Lodge in Canterbury'. The item consists of a
poem below an engraving which shows the interior of a large tavern in which a Masonic meeting is in progress. On a central
table are three candlesticks, one overturned (or is it laid down to indicate a meeting in progress?) and one broken, a bowl of
punch, glasses, rummers, pipes and tobacco. The ceiling has been broken through by the weight of a young woman who had
been concealed in the loft. Her legs in stockings and shoes are exposed as far as her hips and suggest that she was struggling
in mid-air above the astonished and confused Freemasons, some of whom are angry but others are convulsed with laughter.
Whether this was fact or fiction we cannot be certain, but there is no questioning the story of 1783 in New Brunswick where
10,000 refugees from the United States were settled. Meetings of Masons were held in private homes and James Sproule
invited brethren to use his log cabin. This humble abode had only two rooms so when the men arrived James's wife, Mary
picked up her knitting and went through the curtains that separated off the other room. However subdued the working was
that night, Mary heard enough to let it be known that she was acquainted with their doings and was herself subsequently
initiated. She is said to be Canada's only woman Mason but she never attended another meeting, though her gravestone was
adorned with the square and compasses. It is worth recording, perhaps, that one of her descendants became Grand Master of
the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick in 1954. In the USA we have the story of Catherine Babington of Princess Furnace in
Kentucky. In 1831 she began, at the age of 16, to hide in the pulpit [sic] of the lodge room, and did so for several months
until at last found out by her uncle. She was entered, passed and raised in the blue degrees and when she died in 1886 it was
claimed that she was the only female 'Master Mason' in the USA.
In Taylorsville, North Carolina, a woman named Catherine Sweet concealed herself at meetings of Lee Lodge No 253, for
more than a year. When she was finally discovered she could answer the whole of the extensive catechisms for the three
degrees and in 1840 she was initiated in the lodge where five of her uncles were members. She never visited a lodge again
but she is reported as having retained her interest in the Craft for the rest of her life.
Not all female acquaintance with Freemasonry is intentional. When waiting in a lodge dining room in a small town in Surrey,
England, whilst the lodge opened in the temple above, I was addressed by the wife of the hall caretaker whilst she was
beginning to set the cutlery for the later meal. 'You know, Sir,' she said, 'that new Master always makes a mess of opening the
Lodge. I sometimes think I ought to go up there and do it for him.
Yet, if this is enough of such female 'discoveries', it is not the only kind of activity in which women were involved in
ceremonies that had some kind of Masonic association and content. Time and space prevent our next section from being
exhaustive but I hope that what I here describe will give the correct impression of the variety, the persistence and the
enthusiasm with which forms of female Masonry flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries.
There first appeared in France in the 1730s a form of Masonry called Adoptive because it included certain degrees for the
ladies who had male relatives in the regular Order. At that time there were already four degrees of Apprentice, Companion,
Mistress and Perfect Mistress. The principal Officers were a Grand Master and Grand Mistress conjointly and they wore blue
collars with a gold trowel pendant, white aprons and gloves. The jewel worn on the breast was a golden ladder with five
rungs.
In 1740 we learn of an Order of Amazons that began its life in South America and then migrated to the northern continent
where it flourished until at least 1800. There were lodges of men and women separately.
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In 1745 there was again in France an Order of the Knights and Ladies of the Anchor where a nautical spirit prevailed. The
Grand Orient was called 'the Roadstead', the Lodge was 'a Squadron' and the ladies made their voyage to the island of Felicity
' under the sails’ of the brethren. One hesitates to ask what exactly was the content of their ritual.
The mood changed for others when in 1747 the Chevalier Beauchene (which name means 'Glorious Oaktree'), a famous
Masonic Master in Paris, formed the Order of Woodcutters (or Fendeurs) It was open to both sexes and the forms of ritual
were in many respects a copy of those used by the Italian secret societies called the 'Carbonari' (or Charcoal burners). The
Lodge here was a wood-vard which represented a forest, the Brethren were called Cousins, the candidate a 'Brick' and the
whole rite was held in a garden at a place called 'New France near Paris. The Father Master took up his place on a log, was
crowned with leaves, and had a green cordon with a wedge of boxwood hanging from it, an axe in his hand and a pipe in his
mouth. Largely patronised by the upper bourgeoisie, its aim was to teach virtue, caring love, friendship and help for poorer
folk.
Adoptive Masonry was given a still stronger boost when it was formally taken over by the Grand Orient of France in 1760.
Although we cannot here enter into the details of this form of association it ought to be said that each lodge of women was
under the care of a male lodge and only regular Masons of the Grand Orient could be invited to visit the female units. The
latter had a female President or Mistress to rule over them. That this was not merely a French phenomenon is shown by the
following title page of a booklet published in London in 1765. It reads:
WOMEN’S MASONRY
OR Masonry by Adoption
Explaining the making of a Masoness
with the form and furniture of the Lodge
the working of their Lectures &c
with their signs, Tokens clearly explained
by a Sister Mason.
The booklet was printed for V. Hookham in Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields (where the present United Grand Lodge
has for two centuries had its headquarters and V Street at the Bible & Crown, Little Tower Hill.
An early member of the French branch was the Duchess of Chartres, wife of the Grand Master of the Grand Orient. She was
succeeded by the Duchess of Bourbon in 1775 and in 1780 the Grand Mistress was the Princesse de Lamballe, a personal
friend of Marie Antoinette. The Princess was put in prison in 1792 and, on refusing to take the Revolutionary oath against the
monarchy, she was torn to pieces by the mob in that same year. In due time the wife of Napoleon, the Empress Josephine,
joined the Order, as later did her successor, Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.
Meanwhile, a society which was deliberately modelled on Freemasonry was founded at Versailles in 1784 and known as the
'Knights and Ladies of the Dove'. It was especially favoured by the Bourbon monarchy and, strange to say, was able to
survive the Revolution and continued until the middle of the 19th century.
It can thus be seen that the Adoptive Masonry that began to flourish in the USA in the 19th century had a strong background
of female interest and involvement to support it. Any idea that the share of women in bodies that were copies of, or closely
allied to, Freemasonry: is a 20th century development is seen to be totally incorrect.
What developed from these early: stages we shall now look at in more detail, but no one who studies the topic of ‘Women
and Freemasonry' should ever forget that as far as the speculative Craft is concerned the ladies have been on the scene for a
very long time - and some very influential ladies amongst others.
THE PRESENT SCENE
There are those Masons in England and Wales who still speak today as if the idea of women being involved with
Freemasonry is something quite unthinkable. This may explain why those who are critics of the Craft include some who point
a finger of scorn at this 'all male' organization and ask why there is no place for women in the operation. It is as well therefore
that any paper on this subject should specify once and for all the fact that women are already involved in Freemasonry and
there is really ample opportunity for more women to be so engaged if they wish.
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It is not easy for an English Freemason to grasp that this is the case. I can well remember my surprise, as I went on a tour of
some 80 Masonic Halls in Scotland, at noticing in almost all of them the provision made for 'The Rite of the Eastern Star'.
Some of the halls were actually set up on the day I called, for a meeting that afternoon or evening and I realised just how
integrated male and female forms of Freemasonry were in that land. Here was an active Masonic movement in which the
wives, widows, sisters and daughters of Freemasons were participating and on the very premises that were alternately
occupied by their husbands, blood brothers and so on.
I knew when I was in North America that I had no need to spell out the details of this Rite (especially as some present would
be members of it) but, just in case there are some present today who do not know anything about it, I think I should state that
since the idea began in the mid-19th century there have been five degrees which cater in sensible fashion for a daughter, a
widow, a wife, a sister and a general benevolent concern. For those who want to learn more may I commend the
comprehensive article which my late lamented friend, Roy Wells, wrote in the 1993 issue of our Quatuor Coronati
Transactions. What is certain is that the 'Eastern Star' shows no signs of waning and is happily shining forth at least on both
sides of the Atlantic as well as elsewhere.
Flourishing also in England and Wales today is the Order of Women Freemasons which provides, for women only, the
almost exact counterpart to regular male Masonry. It has been growing steadily in the years since 1950 and most of the cities
and main towns in the kingdom have one, if not two, lodges of this Order. What is interesting to know is that many of our
keenest male Masons are the husbands of no less eager officers of this Fraternity and I am sure that there are some
households in which the husband and wife do not need to rehearse their rituals by themselves. What is certain, from all
accounts that I have been able to acquire, is that the women are, if anything, more particular than we men in insisting on the
correct presentation of the degree rituals. Certainly I have first-hand knowledge of some of the ladies involved, and those
who bear Grand or Provincial office take it very seriously indeed. What is absolutely clear is that this form of Freemasonry is
here, and here to stay, and it is both odd and sad to note how some survey the Masonic scene in my land without accepting
the fact that 'Women and Freemasonry' has here one of its strongest expressions.
There is of course also Co-Masonry in which men and women, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, can participate
together in a form of Freemasonry, again very similar to our own My first acquaintance with it was some 35 years ago when I
was sent as part of a lodge deputation to interview a possible candidate, meeting also with his wife at their home. We were
most graciously received, allowed to start asking questions, and then the wife said, ‘I do assure you that my husband would
make an excellent candidate because I have seen him at work with ritual.’ We were all flabbergasted and then, recovering,
asked her what she meant.
‘Well’, she said, ‘I am a Past Master in our lodge and my husband has just finished as Senior Deacon and that is how I
know’.
She revealed, of course, that the lodge was a Co-Masonic one, which we had never encountered before. For us it was a
conundrum, as no one who has participated in any other Masonic or quasi-Masonic organization is normally allowed to apply
for membership, let alone join. We asked for time to consider the matter, and discovered that the Province would allow his
application if he gave up his Co-Masonic membership and if his wife was agreeable to this. She was, and the man has long
since been through the chair of my first Surrey lodge.
The organization was really begun in France and took its effective rise from the initiation of a Mlle Maria Deraismes in 1882.
Lodges began to be formed into which men or women could be freely admitted and one of the added problems between our
own Grand Lodge and the Grand Orient of France is precisely that the latter will accept 'members' of the Co-Masonry lodges
as members also of their Order. That the Order of Co-Masons has persisted is evidenced by the production for them in 1982
of a bronze medallion to commemorate the centenary of Maria Deraismes's initiation. What is also interesting is that in 1918
Miss Alicia St Leger Aldworth, a direct descendant of our first woman 'initiate', was a candidate for the Order of Universal
Co-Masonry.
Looking at the present-day scene, then, confirms that in addition to the organizations in the USA involving wives and
daughters socially, and allowing for those wives still in England and Wales who cook the meals and in some case wait at
table on their menfolk, there is plenty of scope for Women in Freemasonry. What needs to be recognised by those outside our
movement is that such opportunities already exist.
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THREE POINTS FOR THE FUTURE
Is there yet a way forward, in addition to this present involvement? I believe that there is and here, of course, I can only speak
from an English and Welsh point of view. Any comments that you, the audience, may care to add as to possible Australian
developments will be welcomed for my general enlightenment.
I am sure that the wives and relatives of present day Freemasons deserve more involvement than simply as cooks, dancing or
dining partners on Ladies' nights, or organisers and helpers at charity functions. In my present Province of Yorkshire, North
and East Ridings, the ladies are invited into the temple; sit with their husbands who are in full regalia and in their normal
places in lodge, and someone like myself explains to them basic facts about the Craft and its history or meaning. After 13
such presentations in two years I know that this works and the wife whom I first mentioned would now be much more
satisfied
The time surely has to come when we recognise the Order of Women Freemasons. In 1933 Elsie Anderson wrote as follows:
‘So far the United Grand Lodge of England has not officially recognised Women Freemasons. I am sure, however, that their
attitude cannot be maintained forever. The Honourable Fraternity would only wish to be recognised as the Women's branch.
They have no wish to actually work with men in the lodges. After all, if a woman is good enough to be the wife, mother,
sister or daughter of a Mason she ought to be good enough to be his 'brother'. The Men's Order recognises the coloured races
but refuses recognition of their own kith and kin’. Perhaps the new decision of our Grand Lodge to recognise Prince Hall
Masonry may be just the step that will open wider the acknowledgement that would embrace, if not admit, Women
Freemasons. I personally hope so.
Lastly, I am sure, the new social atmosphere, in which husbands and wives naturally share more of their time, possessions
and interests than was the case even 50 years ago, will - unless women are allowed to participate and learn more fully about
our Movement - result in fewer candidates, much more heartache and unnecessary antagonism. What is needed is a broader
mind, some inventive programmes and the awareness of what speculative Freemasonry sought to achieve at the very outset to enable those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance to be drawn into regular fellowship. That once
referred to sects and political opinions; now it also includes gender.
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