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| issue 20|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| C O N T E N T S <> |
| <> |
| o Editorial & Disclaimer <> |
| <> When is a Man a Mason? |
| o Le Droit Humain <> |
| o The Admission of Women <> "When he knows how to pray, how |
| o The Supreme Council <> to love, how to hope. When he |
| o Anglophone Co-Freemasonry <> has kept faith with himself, |
| o European Co-Freemasonry <> and his fellow man, with his |
| o Additional Degrees <> God. In his hand a sword for |
| <> evil, in his heart a bit of |
| o Ritual 'For or Against' <> song, glad to live, but not |
| o Forty Winks <> afraid to die. In such a man, |
| o Time For Change <> whether he be rich or poor, |
| <> scholarly or unlearned, famous |
| o A Hospice Volunteer <> or obscure, Masonry has |
| o A Very Special Patient <> wrought her sweet ministry." |
| o Brother Ira <> |
| o Caring For Others <> |
| o Watching The Birds Eat <> Joseph Fort Newton |
| o Farewell My Brother <> |
| <> |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Editorial & Disclaimer |
| |
|Welcome to 1996, and Masonry Universal... issue 20. With the exception|
|of the front cover, this is a strong issue, with three longer articles|
|which are by turns informative, provocative and exemplary. The first |
|teaches us something about Co-Freemasonry, the second is a frank |
|opinion about Craft Freemasonry in Britain, and the third the spirit |
|of Masonry in action. |
| |
|With regards to the cover, I am afraid a nasty bout of the 'flu has |
|sapped my artistic drive, so I have plundered my stock of substandard |
|covers and found this to be the least worst. :-( |
| |
|Perhaps there are some budding ASCII artists lurking amongst the 940 |
|readers of MU who will leap to my assistance. I can only hope. ;-) |
| |
| Gordon |
|______________________________________________________________________|
|- MU is edited by Bro Gordon Charlton, <gordon@charlton.demon.co.uk> -|
|The views expressed in MU are those of the individuals who contribute |
|them, not of any Lodge or Grand Lodge, nor of the editor. Copyright is|
|with the editor unless otherwise noted. FAQ dated July '95 (c) 1996|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Le Droit Humain |
| |
|International Co-Freemasonry, Le Droit Humain, is a Masonic Obedience |
|differing from Ancient and Accepted Freemasonry chiefly in two ways. |
|First, it admits women on equal footing with men; and second, it |
|combines Craft Masonry, Scottish Rite Masonry, and York Rite Masonry |
|in a single international jurisdiction. |
| |
|These differences, which set it apart from most Masonic practice, |
|were adopted by Co-Freemasonry as matters of principle. |
| |
|Since Anderson's Constitutions of 1723, it has been generally held |
|that women may not be admitted into Freemasonry. The restriction of |
|Masonry to men has consequently been widely regarded as a Landmark. |
|However, Co-Freemasons argue, there is no obvious intrinsic reason why|
|women should not be initiated, and the fundamental principle of |
|Equality would seem to favor their admission, lest Equality be seen as|
|limited to half the human race. |
| |
|Therefore, Co-Freemasons, while respecting the older tradition of |
|masculine Masonry, believe that their practice is in accord with the |
|most basic values of the Craft. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Admission of Women |
| |
|The admission of women and the foundation of Co-Freemasonry came about|
|in this manner. |
| |
|In the 1880s the Brethren of a French lodge appropriately named "Les |
|Libres Penseurs" (The Free Thinkers) in the Orient of Le Pecq (near |
|Paris) came to the conclusion that the restriction of Masonry to males|
|was not a Landmark of the Order, but a social custom whose time had |
|passed. Accordingly, they initiated Marie Deraismes, a prominent |
|worker for women's rights in France. |
| |
|Thus was Co-Masonry conceived, but it took about ten years to become |
|established. |
| |
|In 1893, Dr. Georges Martin, a French Senator and advocate of equal |
|rights for women, joined Marie Deraismes and other male Masons in |
|founding in Paris La Respectable Loge, Le Droit Humain, Maconnerie |
|Mixte (Worshipful Lodge Human Rights, Co-Masonry). They initiated, |
|passed, and raised seventeen prominent French women. The |
|Co-Freemasonic Order traces its origin from this foundation. |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Supreme Council |
| |
|By 1901 a second French Co-Masonic lodge had come into existence, and |
|the government of the Order was changed from a Grand Lodge to a |
|Supreme Council. Thereafter the Order spread quickly elsewhere in |
|France and in England, Argentina, India, the Netherlands, Italy, and |
|the United States. The English social worker and champion of home rule|
|for India, Annie Besant, introduced Co-Masonry into England in 1902. |
| |
|The first American lodge was founded in 1903 in Charleroi, |
|Pennsylvania, among a group of French-speaking Belgian miners and |
|their wives. |
| |
|The second distinction of Co-Freemasonry, its international |
|jurisdiction and unification of rites under one governing body, |
|testifies to a conviction that Masonic brotherhood is an expression of|
|the essential unity of humanity. Each country of the world with an |
|adequate number of Co-Freemasonic Lodges is organized as a national |
|Federation. The chief governing body is the Supreme Council in Paris, |
|although each Federation has considerable autonomy under its |
|Consistory, which is headed by a Representative of the Supreme |
|Council, who is styled Grand Commander. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Anglophone Co-Freemasonry |
| |
|Because of its history, American Craft Co-Freemasonry differs in |
|certain respects from the practice of Ancient and Accepted Masonry in |
|this country. The first American Co-Masonic Lodge was French-speaking |
|and used French rituals. When the Order spread to Anglophone |
|Americans, rather than translate the French rituals or borrow from |
|American masculine practices, they adopted forms already developed |
|among Co-Masons in Britain based upon the traditions of the Grand |
|Lodge of England. Thus, for example, American Co-Masons use |
|English-style aprons and the three EA Tools of English custom. |
| |
|Despite the unification implied by international jurisdiction, there |
|is a good deal of variation in Co-Freemasonic ritual from one country |
|to another, and sometimes even within the same land. Most American |
|Craft lodges use a single ritual, but in England, a variety of Craft |
|rituals are in active use, which are of Scottish, Irish, and English |
|provenance. The Order is basically Scottish Rite in its degree |
|structure but, especially in Anglophone countries, works such |
|additional degrees as the Mark, Royal Arc Mariner, and Holy Royal |
|Arch. Even among Scottish Rite degrees, there is variation in which |
|are actively worked from one national Federation to another. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| European Co-Freemasonry |
| |
|The Order is extensive and populous in some countries of Europe, |
|especially France and Belgium. It is much smaller in the United |
|States, where most lodges consist of only a handful of Brethren. |
|(Although in France a woman Freemason is called "sister," in the |
|English-speaking world, masculine terms such as "brother" have |
|traditionally been applied to both sexes.) Because of their small |
|size, American Co-Masonic lodges generally meet in rented quarters |
|rather than in their own Temples. |
| |
|In Europe there is strong emphasis on social justice and fellowship |
|among Co-Freemasons. In America, because of their limited size, most |
|Co-Freemasonic lodges put relatively little emphasis on the social |
|aspects of Masonry and are unable to engage in large-scale charitable |
|work, comparable to the excellent service done by masculine Masonic |
|bodies. Although both social fellowship and charity are regarded as |
|essential aspects of Co-Masonry, as they are generally in Freemasonry,|
|Co-Masonic lodges tend to focus on ceremonial work and the symbolic |
|meaning of the ritual as a form of nonsectarian and ecumenical |
|spiritual exercise to enrich the lives of the Brethren. |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Additional Degrees |
| |
|In addition to its Craft lodges, the American Federation has Mark |
|Lodges, Chapters of the Holy Royal Arch and of the Rose Croix, |
|Areopagi, and the Consistory. An annual convention is held at which |
|Co-Masons from across America gather for business, ritual, and |
|instruction. |
| |
|Although few in numbers, Co-Freemasons are dedicated to preserving and|
|spreading the traditions of the Craft to all humanity without |
|distinction of sex, race, nationality, creed, or class. |
|______________________________________________________________________|
| |
| About the Author |
| |
|John Algeo 30* <algeo@ix.netcom.com> edits the bulletin of the |
|American Federation of International Co-Freemasonry. Professor |
|Emeritus of English at the University of Georgia, he is currently |
|President of the Dictionary Society of North America and President of |
|the Theosophical Society in America. Listed in the 1996 Who's Who in |
|America, he has been a Guggenheim Fellow and a Fulbright Senior |
|Research Fellow at the University of London. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Ritual 'For or Against' |
| |
|Well not exactly, but in his article for Masonic Square 'Is our Ritual|
|a Millstone' Pat Streams occasioned a stream of comment for both sides|
|of the argument. |
| |
|As a mature progressing Craft Mason who after several years as Lodge |
|Secretary finally progressed to Senior Warden I live in awe of |
|learning the necessary ritual required of a Worshipful Master. |
| |
|Through the medium of the Masonic Forum a number of kind brethren have|
|offered advice and my own Lodge members are willing to coach me, but |
|the fact remains that in the whole of my 64 years I have had a |
|shocking memory that has caused me many a sleepless night because I |
|have failed to discipline myself to write down an important note |
|following a business meeting with the result that I have spent the |
|early hours searching this shimmering mess which is alleged to be a |
|brain! |
| |
|Even whilst a child one teacher was prompted to add to my school |
|report 'Raymond needs to cultivate a memory.' |
| [continued]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Forty Winks |
| |
|Due to business pressures many brethren frequently arrive late for |
|meetings and in trying to accommodate them we start late and run late.|
|Tracing Boards are not explained, it's always 'At a later date' which |
|sadly rarely ever comes, with the result that I am now of the opinion |
|that parts of our ritual do need modernising and cutting back to a |
|more attainable and manageable level. |
| |
|It is interesting that many of the brethren who have thus far |
|protested at Pat Streams' views are themselves Ritualists or brethren |
|who having succeeded in remembering the ancient words are not now |
|inclined towards change of any kind. |
| |
|To be honest, after 30 years as a Mason, I have to admit that I have |
|always found parts of our ceremonies boring. When I look around the |
|Lodge I often see Brothers having a quick forty winks. |
| |
|In one of my Lodges there are several long standing elderly brethren |
|who have never progressed beyond Steward. Time and time again I am |
|told the ritual is the big sticking point with them. |
| [continued]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Time For Change |
| |
|We have the greatest of respect for those amongst us who are |
|Ritualists and possibly even more respect for those in office who |
|knowing that they are hopeless ritualists have the courage to have a |
|go but end up being prompted line after line throughout a ceremony. |
|However, I have to say I do not find such frequent prompting pleasant |
|and it is because of this that I have held back all these years not |
|wishing to embarrass the Lodge although I have finally been persuaded |
|otherwise. |
| |
|I believe the time is ripe for change and I support Pat Streams in his|
|views on this highly emotive subject. At least let us make a start by |
|looking at the ritual with a view to modernising it to a more |
|acceptable and manageable standard and if needs be put it to the vote.|
|There is nothing wrong in this, our ritual has been changed frequently|
|over the years, and in many areas that are officially recognised by |
|U.G.L.E. it is so different to our own particular U.K. working, so |
|change is nothing new within our great movement and change is now long|
|overdue. |
| Bro. Ray Whent <101375.1552@Compserve.com> |
|Euphrates Craft & Chapter 212 (London) William Fawcett 8612 (So'ton)|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A Hospice Volunteer |
| |
|I began working as a volunteer with the Delta Area Hospice in May '93.|
|I had been doing volunteer work for some time, usually in hospitals. |
|Now I have moved to Mississippi and wanted to continue my volunteer |
|work. When I went to the local hospital, I was told that there were |
|enough volunteers and to seek another organization. I heard a ad on |
|the radio asking for help and I called. It has been one of the most |
|rewarding jobs I've ever had. |
| |
|The Hospice organization takes care of the terminally ill. The US |
|Government states that a terminally ill patient is one with six months|
|or less to live. It is an in-home treatment; Registered Nurses visit |
|the home and provide the family with the proper care as prescribed by |
|a doctor. They teach the family to administer drugs, care for the |
|specific needs and give the patient all the help that they can to make|
|their lives comfortable until the end. As a volunteer, I would help |
|in all ways that I could. I would take the patient for a drive, set |
|with them while the family could get out to shop, or just get away for|
|awhile. I would read, tell jokes, anything that would take the |
|patients mind off their condition and put it on something else. |
| [continued]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A Very Special Patient |
| |
|Seems like most of the patients were ether part of the Masonic family |
|or there kinfolk was. I have visited a Thirty-Third degree mason and |
|read to him. |
| |
|Most of my patients have cancer, which is not the easiest way to die. |
|There is a lot of pain with some types of cancer. |
| |
|One of the patients that I had turned out to be very special. I |
|started caring for him in August 1993 and he died on May 8th, 1994. |
| |
|No-one will ever know the times I would drive home with tears in my |
|eyes, you see, I would never let the family know that I was worried |
|about him. I would try to look on the bright side while I was at there|
|house where Ira was staying. When he died, the family asked if I would|
|like to say something at the funeral. |
| |
|After some thought I realized what a honor had been placed on me and I|
|accepted the invitation to speak. The following is what I said at the |
|funeral... |
| [continued]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Brother Ira |
| |
|"When I first met Brother Ira, it was at a lodge meeting. He loved his|
|lodge brothers. I used to see him out at a local restaurant eating |
|lunch with his daughter. He loved to go out to eat. When he was having|
|unbearable pain, he went to the hospital. When I learned of this I |
|flew to his assistance because he was a Brother Mason. After I learned|
|his cancer was terminal, I told him and his family about Hospice care.|
|They seemed to think this would be best. So he went home under Hospice|
|care. Then I went to visit him as a Hospice Volunteer. |
| |
|"We talked, went places and visited friends. As time passed, we soon |
|became friends, but more than that, we were family. I no longer went |
|as a Hospice Volunteer, but as a member of his family. We used to go |
|see some of our brothers who were sick in the hospital. I would tell |
|Ira, "Come on, let's go visit some sick old folks." He would laugh and|
|we would go. |
| |
|"We talked a lot. To Ira, the most important thing in his life was |
|family. He loved his family. Ira had five daughters. He said he always|
|wanted a son, but now that his daughters were taking care of him, he |
|realized God knew he only needed daughters. [continued]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Caring For Others |
| |
|I would like to thank Ann, Beverly, Barbara and Debbie for taking such|
|good care of my friend and brother. And to the husbands, Bo, Eades, |
|Junior and Greg, for being so understanding to let your wives take |
|care of their Dad. These girls worked in shifts. One each week as Ira |
|was never left alone. You done a fine job. |
| |
|Ira reaffirmed to me the That the most important things are, love of |
|Christ, family and love of fellow man. I would tell Ira "I love you", |
|and he would say "I love you son." There was so much love in the |
|house, it was hard for him to let go. |
| |
|Ira cared about people. One time I told him about all that troubled me|
|and my problems, and before long he forgot about his pain and cancer |
|and was worried about me. Here is a man that was dying of cancer, and |
|would put that aside to care for others. |
| |
|He was a strong man. The physical and the emotional pain would bring |
|tears to his eyes, but he would see through it, with the help from |
|Christ, and be laughing and carrying on. Ira loved a good joke. |
| [continued]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Watching The Birds Eat |
| |
|"Ira was not a quitter. He kept on the move all he could. He loved to |
|go see his house or just go for a ride. The ice storm took a toll on |
|all of us, but especially my brother. I stopped over the day after and|
|there was fear in his eyes. He said "Jim, I can't get out of bed, I |
|can't move my legs." But he did not quit. With the help of his family |
|and friends, he would get out of bed everyday and sit in his lounge |
|chair or wheel chair and go outside. |
| |
|"He loved to watch the birds eat. He had a feeder on each side of his |
|room to watch. His room was a sunroom where there were windows on |
|three sides. |
| |
|"He was always aware of his appearance. He kept a comb in his pocket |
|and tried to look well. He always had on a clean shirt and looked |
|good. |
| |
|"Ira loved his grand children. "Pap Paw, can I borrow a dollar?" And |
|he would dig in his pocket. Every time one came or went he would get |
|a kiss and would exchange the words "I love you." Their friends would |
|come over and all would say, "Hi Pap Paw." [continued]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Farewell My Brother |
| |
|"Ira did not like to be alone. I'm sure many of us heard the words |
|"don't leave, stay and visit a while." But when you did go, you knew |
|he was in good and capable hands. It was better than having a full |
|time nurse, because he loved those who were taking care of him. |
| |
|"Ira left me with something, something more precious than all the |
|riches in the world could buy. Ira left me with love in my heart. |
|After all is said and done, Ira lived and Ira loved. |
| |
|"To the family we wish Gods blessings, to my passed friend, Farewell |
|my Brother." |
| |
| |
| Brother Jim Roberts |
| Sr. Warden Cleveland Lodge #470 |
| Cleveland Mississippi |
| <CUAI@msn.com> |
| |
| |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+