Posted on Monday the 5th of October 2009.
Just to show you that I am not spending my whole day trying to clear my name against the lies and corruption of the leaders of Grand Lodge, here is a very interesting article which I recommend for your perusal.
It is about Dr. William Dodd who died in 1777 aged 48 years.
Here are a few quick facts about him first..................
Born:
29 May 1729
Born In:
Bourne, Lincolnshire, England
Died:
27 June 1777
(Execution by hanging)
Died In:
Tyburn, Middlesex, England
Became a Freemason:
1775
This is the story of William Dodd…
William Dodd was born on 29-May-1729 and his father was the vicar of Bourne in Lincolnshire. Not much is known about his early years, but he attended the Claire Hall at the University of Cambridge from 1745 to 1750. During his years at Cambridge he attained a BA and honours in Mathematics.
After graduating he moved to London and became known to be extremely spend-thrift and was soon laden with debts. On April 1751 he was married to Mary Perkins, the daughter of a domestic servant, which left his finances in an even worse position.
At the urging of his father he took to the Priesthood and in 1751 was ordained a deacon and a priest in 1753. He served as a curate in a church in West Ham, then as a preacher at St. James Garlickhythe, followed by St Olave Hart Street. He also founded “Magdalene Home” in Streatham which was a home in which former prostitutes were reformed and rehabilitated.
During this time, he became a very popular preacher and was appointed in 1763 as one of George III’s chaplains and was appointed a Canon of Priory Church of St. John in Brecon.
In the 1750-1760s he authored several publications, Commentary on the Bible, Sermon to a Young Man and a rather sexually explicit novel called “The Sisters” which gained him no favours from the other members of the clergy.
During this time Dodd was a tutor to Philip Stanhope, later the fourth Earl of Chesterfield. Around 1765-1766 he won 1000 Pounds in a lottery and became known as “Macaroni Parson” (roughly: Fashion Priest) for his extravagant lifestyle and clothing.
Up until 1774 he seemed to be doing pretty well, until the debts started accumulate and his greed got the better of him. In February 1774 he heard that the vicar of St George’s, Hanover Square, had been appointed to Bishop of Bath and Wells. This very well paid position in Hanover Square was now available and he formulated a scheme to attain it.
The position was to be appointed by Lord Chancellor Lord Apsley, so Dodd wrote an anonymous letter to Lady Apsley offering to pay to 3,000 Pounds if she could persuade her husband to give the position to a person who would be named later.
This attempt to bribe Lady Apsley offended her and an investigation was launched to find out who would make such a ridiculous attempt to gain the Hanover Square position. Dodd, not having taken precautions to hide the origins of his attempted bribery was found out and the Lord Chancellor told the King, who insisted that Dodd be dismissed as a royal chaplain.
Despite the disgrace, his former student Philip Stanhope, the now Earl of Chesterfield helped Dodd by offering him vicarage of Wing in Bedfordshire. Though there was a lot of negative attention facing Dodd at the time, a stroke of luck would help to subdue some of those criticisms.
While returning in a carriage from Barnet to London, he and his wife were attacked near St. Pancras by a highwayman who shot at the carriage. The shots broke the glass, but no one was injured. The thief was caught and Dodd gave evidence for the prosecution which ended in the criminal’s death by hanging.
With the scandal of bribing Lady Apsley behind him, he decided to join Freemasonry, petitioning at a lodge in St Albans. The Freemasons did not hesitate to accept him and in fact the Grand Lodge gave him a special distinction as Grand Chaplain on 1 May 1775. On 3 June 1776 at the dedication of a hall on the site of the inn on Queen street, Dodd was reappointed Grand Chaplain for a second term.
Shortly after he started his second term he went on vacation to Paris. Rumours of his spending in Paris made their way back to England and when he returned in January 1777 he held a party which was reported in the Press. On February 4 1777 he contacted a money lender for a loan of 4200 pounds, offering a bond endorsed by Lord Chesterfield, his former student.
The money lender paid out the money, but was suspicious about the bond and took it to Lord Chesterfield who told him that the bond was fraudulent and the signature was not his own. Dodd quickly admitted to the fraud, offering to pay back the money, hoping to hush the situation. Lord Chesterfield however was understandably angry at Dodd for attempting to cheat him out of 4,200 pounds, after he so generously helped him after the Hanover Square scandal.
Dodd was tried for forgery in the Court of King’s Bench before three judges and a jury and was found guilty. He was sentenced to be hanged for forgery, a felony punishable by death.
Dr Johnson, a friend of Dodd’s organized a petition, signed by over 32,000 people in an attempt to seek a reprieve for Dodd. This petition however failed, as the judges recommended to the King, that if pardoned it may look as if favoritism had helped a prominent member of society escape the rule of law.
During the trial Dodd was imprisoned in Wood Street Compter and upon conviction was publicly hanged at Tyburn on 27 June 1777.
A large crowd came to Tyburn that day and several stories have since arisen. One being that after his body was cut down from the gallows, the Freemasons seized it and took it to a house where Dodd, who was not quite dead, was restored to life and that the Masons smuggled him to France to live out his days. The others said that thousands of spectators prevented the Masons from reaching the house in time to save the life of Dodd.
Posted 5th October 2009
A Freemasons engagement in Romania
Brother James Howe has been a member of Keys of Münster Lodge for 20 years. He found Masonry quite late in life but has repeatedly shown to those of us who know him personally, that he has embraced it’s principles in many aspects of life. The one aspect in particular which this article deals with is charity. Not just the “giving money” kind of charity practised by all of us, but more the “making things change through actions” kind that sometimes can go unnoticed.
I have decided that the efforts of Brother James cannot go unnoticed and have asked James, or Jim as I have known him for 25 years, to write down in his own words, his great Romanian adventure which has lasted over 17 years already and continues in spite of Brother Jim approaching his 74th birthday.
Please enjoy Brother Jim’s story, reflect on the magnitude of his efforts over the years and let’s make sure his efforts go unnoticed no longer.
VWBroJohn Kellas PJGW May 2006
FORGET ME NOT
This is a short account of my first introduction to a country coming out of the throws of a revolution. Freed from dictatorship and communism these are my first tastes and experiences of poverty and deprivation in the institutions of Romania.
In 1989 I had heard of the revolution that was taking place in Romania. The miners and steelworkers had taken to the streets to protest against the communist government and the conditions they were forced to work under. Whispers were coming out of the country that thousands of children were starving in the orphanages and many were dying due to lack of food and medicine. I had seen much suffering in many countries but had never really been in a position to help anybody. Now that I was older and had a good business I thought that maybe it was now time that I could give back in life some of what I had taken out of it.
My friends said I was crazy to even think about going to a country like Romania which had been a communist country for the past 50 years, bordered on the Russian Federation and was two thousand kilometres away. My mind had been made up however by some pictures I had seen of a Romanian Orphanage that reminded me of the concentration camps in Nazi Germany. I heard that a group of people were going to Romania from Herford and I decided to tag along.
My first journey never seemed to end, through Bavaria and Austria, then a thousand questions and hours of waiting at the Hungarian border. The Hungarian Borger Guards didn’t like the idea of us travelling through their country to get to Romania; “Why help the Romanians when we need help ourselves”? they asked. But the journey continued until we reached the Romanian border at Satu Mara.
Well, what an eye-opener that was! Most of the Border Guards were half-drunk and demanded coffee, chocolate or alcohol or else we were not going to get into Romania! The guards were a shock enough but the delapidated hut which served as the Border Crossing Office was an even bigger shock! Little did we know that worse was to come.
After the first two kilometres into the country I was convinced that Romania had no proper roads, only holes that were joined together! There was no street lighting as they had no bulbs. Horses, carts, cows, dogs and drunks were to be found wondering all over the main roads. The casualties to both people and animals were terrible and I was informed that this was only due to the small number of motorised vehicles on the roads, otherwise there could have been even more casualties!!
Nighttime arrived and it was getting cold so we stopped and slept in the vehicles. In the morning we moved towards the town of Baia Mare, just a few kilometres from the Russian Border. We were stopped in just about every village by locals who offered us tea and cakes which they really could ill afford. The joy and happiness they showed to our arrival was unbelievable. We gave the village kids a few sweets and chocolate and it was then I noticed the real gratitude in a childs eyes.. As we travelled on it seemed as if I was in a time lag, my life was travelling backwards. To see buffaloes pulling ploughs or a pig slaughtered by the side of the road outside the little village house was amazing. Water was still being drwn from wells in the front garden and the buildings were in such a terrible state of disrepair. It brought back memories of the former East Germany.
At last we were entering the town of Baia Mare and were immediately struck by the stench of the air pollution. It hit the back of our throats and tasted like lead! We later found out that practically everybody suffered from some sort of breathing problems and many had damaged liver or suffered from anemia. We were taken under the wing of a Romanian family who could speak some English.
That night we slept in the seats in our vehicles or on the floor of the house of the family we befriended. It was a shock to discover that cold water was only available from 6 to 8 in the morning and again from 6 to 8 in the evening. If you were lucky there was two or three hours each week when hot water was available! There was no proper central heating and there was no coal to burn. You can only begin to imagine the rush for the bathroom every morning and evening when the water was on! On future trips to Romania our cases included a plug for the sink, soap, a plastic bucket and because of the abraisive nature of the Romanian version-Toilet Paper! Still we were here to look at what could be done for the children, old people and the sick.
The following week unfolded into a turning point in my life. The two sons of our Romanian family, Nicko and Radu, took us off to show us around the town. Baia Mare is an industrial town situated in the mountain region of Transylvania, famous for the Count Dracula saga. Mining gold and metals were big business as well as tool making for this industry. Due to an abundance of forestry areas, many wooden items had been made in the area but due to the disrepair of the delapidated factories most production had long since stopped. Due to corruption and lack of any investment the people had no future and many of the male population had already long since turned to alcohol in an attempt to forget their plight. Alcolhol was illegally distilled everywhere and a local brew known as Palinka was 75 to 80% proof and cost about two Euros a bottle!
On this trip we visited various orphanages and old peoples homes. The first orphanage we visited was in the town itself and housed 74 small children between the ages of 3 and 5. The building was cold and damp and many rooms had wet ceilings and walls from leaking pipes or just holes in the building. The kitchen range was broken and looked very dangerous. The children were having a meal of cabbage and potato soupand a piece of dry bread. This seemed like it was straight out of Oliver Twist!. The little metal plate, spoon and cup of water. The children were clothed in smocks and with them all having shaven heads, you couldn’t tell the difference between the boys and girls. These children would be in such an institution from very young until they reached 18 years of age. Then they were put out on the streets. Many boys joined the army at 18 and most girls tried to get married, probably to somebody they didn’t love, just to get a roof over their heads, otherwise they woukld head into the world of prostitution.
Our second visit was to a village called Girdani which was about 25-30 Kilometres outside Baia Mare. The orphanage had been taken away from the local owner by the communist government. An impressive driveway with trees either side, outbuildings, barns and the house was a veritable mansion. We were shown into an office which was warm and furnished with some old desks and chairs. The Director of the orphanage spoke German and informed us that her husband was the local doctor and also treated the orphans. There were approxomately 140 children with over half of them mentally and/or physically handicapped. These children were between 10 and 16 years old. They were not segregated and had their own school on the premesis. The staff were mostly recruited from outside the village and were not trained in any way to look after these children and their behaiviour was more akin to herdsmen rounding up the cattle than children. The facilities were catastrophic! Twenty children to a room or even more! Children slept two or three to a bed according to their size! This was also due to the lack of heating and the fact that the children would keep one another warm. The fact that many of them wet the bed didn’t seem to worry either children or staff. On a later visit I discovered that the beds were infested with bed bugs and lice.
On visiting the kitchen I was amazed to see rats running around freely and their droppings were everywhere. It was obvious that they had been eating the potatoes and carrots and even some of the bread. The place was absolutely filthy. The kitchen was dilapedated and the dining room was a collection of broken tables and benches. The Director was terribly embarrassed and close to tears. She explained that the government system had broken down and no repairs had been carried out for years. They had no medicine, no cleaning materials and the staff hadn’t been paid for months. She was trying to feed the children on vegetables contributed by local farmers and old bread, still edible, donated by local bakers. I didn’t think it could get any worse!
I decided to visit the local shops to see just what could be purchased. The main shop was four storeys high and boasted that they were “international”, but had the windows decorated with empty boxes. Inside it was really dark and people had torches on! I thought there was a power cut but then I saw a couple of small lights burning and some people wearing overcoats moving around. It was very cold and the people moving around and wearing overcoats were the staff! The lifts were not working and you had to walk up and down the stationary escalators. This was the “show-piece” shop in Baia Mare so you can imagine what the smaller ones were like!
I was able to order 74 pairs of shoes for the chilkdren in the first orphanage we had visited. I was told they would be delivered from the Government Shoe Factory two days later. Imagine my surprise when two days later the shoes arrived! I zipped round the orphanage and felt like Father Christmas, fitting shoes on 74 happy children-my good deed for the day was done!
By now I had a list of requirements as long as your arm and I was determined to bring these things back to Romania. My fate was sealed-nobody could see children suffer like this without wanting to help and I was already planning my next visit.
The next orphanage was called “The Valley” and was set halfway up the side of a valley! It was also an old manor house which had been confiscated from it’s owner by the government. This house had one great problem-the water supply was at the bottom of the valley and the pump which sent it to the orphanage was out of action. The orphans had no water to wash or bathe, not even to mention what a lack of water does to toilet facilities! Some of the older boys were sent to a natural well with pots and pans to fetch water for cooking with. There were around 90 children in this orphanage and so a lot of water was needed. This old house was now only used for storage space and laundry as the roof had collapsed with the weight of snow and had killed three children and injured a dozen more. The accomodation that they were now in was a concrete block house but at least it was dry. No heating in the winter had left over half the children with with bad chests and the other half with bad colds. Without any fresh running water and no real nourishment it was a wonder any of the children survived at all!
The Orphans in Romania are as hard as nails. When the boys go into the army they thought it was heaven!
The next day a workshop lorry arrived from England and the two mechanics who arrived with it were able to fix the water pump. After five weeks without water it finally began to flow again. The children then all bathed in cold water but they loved it. What was even better is that after much brute force and ignorance we were able to clean out the toilets too.
More lists were then made of things that we needed to buy and things needed for repairs. light bulbs, brushes, clother, food and medicine etc. This was guaranteeing me some two years work at least! It was time to start trying to teach some of the oldere children skills they could use when they finally had to leave the orphanage. When they left they usually couldn’t sew a button or boil an egg. We set about putting them to work with a pot of paint and paintbrush.
We left The Valley with a promise that we would be back. When that would be was very difficult to say but I knew at least I would be back. By now I had a picture in my mind about what was needed and what I could do personally to help. I really never believed that it would take me the next 15 years to realise, but it did!
The next place we visited was in the Translyvanian Mountains, a babies orphanage in a village named Cavnic. It consisted of a mine surrounded by a forest and concrete appartment blocks which were built to house the mine workers. A road ran through the centre of the village and on either side were tenement buildings badly in need of repair, a few shops and a small market. A God forsaken place, drab and dreary and about as exciting as toothache! Here we found that the orphanage was part of an old hospital. We had to go up some stairs and I noticed that all the bannisters were draped with pieces of dirty looking material. On the landing I noticed there were more of these pieces of dirty cloth. The air was damp and smelled of urine. I was later told that these pieces of cloth were makeshift nappies made out of old sheets and because there was no heating they were hung out on the landing and bannisters in the hope that they would dry out in a couple of days. The fact that they were washed in cold water without any washing powder didn’t help. They didn’t realise that damp clothes take so much longer to dry in a cold atmosphere.
The big surprise was trhat although the babies were crammed some twenty to a room, they were quite clean. Some of the ceilings and walls were wet, but we now knew that this was a common thing. The roofs were mostly flat and due to a lack of building materials could not be repaired. We then met two French Canadian nurses working there and they had really got a grip on the place. They told us however, that they needed dried milk, disinfectant, cleaning materials and a long list of medicines. They were waiting for a delivery from the Canadian organisation “Terre des Homeies” but this was long overdue and had probably been stolen. There wasn’t much we could do immediately except make yet another list and promise to come back as soon as possible.
Our fact finding trip was coming to an end. We decided to celebrate by going out for a decent meal. There were no resaurants in Baia Mare so we decided to pool our food and Nick and Radu’s parents were kind enough to cook us a meal.
The next day we visited an old peoples home in the village of Baia Spria. We entered through a small courtyard and were immediately hit by the smell of pigs. The stench was horrendous and the flies were everywhere in huge swarms. The smell followed us inside the low building as did most of the flies. The Director, a lady of about 50 years of age, showed us around. There were old people packed into every available space. Little old ladies had tried to make their spaces look nicer by decorating them with coloured paper, scarves and small pictures. The mens rooms were furnished with chairs and beds but nothing else and no decorations. Amongst the men was one who thought he was Jesus and continually chanted songs and prayers. He was told by the other men to keep quiet and was beaten quite often but didn’t seem to take much notice. The Director treated this as if it were perfectly normal. I was appalled.
The midday meal was layed out in the dining area. There was a little bit of salad, a piece of sausage and a piece of dry bread. The flies were having a fantastic time feeding on the food before the old folk could get to it. I asked what time lunch was served and was told at 12 midday. I said that it was only 10:30 so why had the food already been laid out. I was told by the Director that this was due to a shortage of staff. Most had left because they were owed wages. When I asked about the health of the inmates I was told that apart from those who died of bad illnesses or just old age, the majority of them were pretty strong and immune from most other things!
I questioned the fact that pigs are being kept in the back and she told me that the farmer who owned them let them have some meat every time he slaughtered some pigs. We left them with a collection of items we had in our vehicles and promised to return later to help them. We left with a very heavy heart and I am certain that a few of us prayed that we might never end up like that!
I thought to myself, “so this is Romania”. The revolution had been a success and the President and his wife had been taken out and shot. The state of things just couldn’t get worse, or could they? In years to come I was to see and experience things I could never have imagined.
The first trip was a true eye-opener. After 15 years of visiting Romania to help and work with the orphans, the sick and lame and last but not least the gypsies, I have travelled over 260.000 kilometres, delivered huge amounts of toys, pillows, blankets, sheets, furniture, knives forks and spoons, plates, cups, cooking utensils and medicines. I have delivered a fully fitted and working dentists room. I have opened a carpentry workshop to give a sense of purpose to the young men as well as producing much needed items of basic furnishings. I have supplied tons of paint and paintbrushes and have built one huge adventure playground.
Obviously I didn’t do all of this on my own and many thanks have to go to the military community in Germany with their help in supplying household goods. For money contributed for the past 5 years by my neice Linda. Thanks to Hazel Bongert for supplying lovely coloured blankets which she knitted herself. A dear old lady in England who has knitted literally thousands of baby clothes, hats and scarves. Thanks to Susan Salisbury for collecting money through her shops to support this effort. Finally to Bill Fletcher who has shared the driving with me over the past six years and also become an acomplished painter and decorater in the meantime!
I would also like to thank all brother Masons who have helped, particularly the then Grand Charity Steward in prolonging young Eric Cosma’s life by keeping his leukemia at bay with their generous donations.
Last but not least, my hosts and guides Nick and Radu Oanta and their family.
I could write volumes about what has happened over the last 15 years in Romania. The trials and tribulations, highs and lows, laughter and tears. To now know that most of the orphanages are closing and the children going to fostering and that their suffering is coming to an end, that’s the best memory of all.
As one Romanian family said to me in the beginning “please don’t stop coming-it may go back to what it used to be”
Brother James Howe
Brother James is presently relocating to Portugal.
He is a supporter of John Kellas.
Lecture on the state of our Freemasonry in Germany given by
VWBro John T. Kellas PJGW in Münster dated October 2007
WHEN THE WM ASKED ME TO PREPARE A TALK FOR PRESENTING THIS EVENING, HE GAVE ME CARTE BLANCHE AS TO WHAT SUBJECT MATTER I COULD CHOOSE. THIS WOULD NORMALLY BE TAKING A BIT OF A RISK KNOWING THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT I AM ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT AND I MUST ADMIT, I THOUGHT ABOUT USING THIS OPPORTUNITY AS A MEANS OF PUTTING ACROSS SOME OF MY MORE OUTRAGEOUS OPINIONS, BUT THEN REALISED THAT AS I AM ALWAYS PUTTING ACROSS MY OUTRAGEOUS OPINIONS, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN HEARING ANYTHING NEW. AND SO BREATHE EASY BRETHREN, MY SUBJECT MATTER THIS EVENING IS CERTAINLY NOT OUTRAGEOUS BUT EXTREMELY IMPORTANT- BROADLY SPEAKING THE SUBJECT IS THE FUTURE OF OUR FREEMASONRY IN GERMANY –AS I SEE IT.
AS WITH ALL ORGANISATIONS A MASONIC GRAND LODGE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS IT’S MEMBERSHIP AND IT'S LEADERSHIP. SO LET’S LOOK FIRST AT WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN THE WAY OF MEMBERS BEFORE ADDRESSING THE MATTER OF THE HUGE ENGLISH SPEAKING MEMBERSHIP POTENTIAL WE KNOW WE HAVE OUT THERE. BEGINNING WITH OUR IMMEDIATE PROBLEM OF THE NUMBERS ATTENDING LODGES. WHAT CAN WE DO WITH WHAT WE’VE ALREADY GOT BEFORE ADDRESSING NEW MEMBERSHIP POTENTIAL. IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A PROBLEM INITIATING NEW MEMBERS IN SOME AREAS, BUT KEEPING THEM CERTAINLY IS.
I REMEMBER BEING INITIATED ON A FRIDAY IN THE KEYS OF MÜNSTER LODGE NEARLY A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AGO AND ON THE FOLLOWING MONDAY I WAS IN DÜSSELDORF WITNESSING AN INITIATION WITH MY EYES WIDE OPEN. I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS ONE VISIT CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO MY APPITITE AND SUBSEQUENT LOVE OF MASONRY AND I AM GLAD I WAS ABLE TO MAKE SUCH A VISIT SO SOON AFTER BEING INITIATED. WHO TOOK ME? MY PROPOSER OF COURSE!
THE PROPOSER AND SECONDER OF A CANDIDATE MUST BE TAUGHT THAT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES ARE LIFE LONG THEY DON’T END ONCE THE GENTLEMAN IS MADE A MASON. THEY DON’T END ONCE THE BROTHER HAS ATTAINED THE MASTERS CHAIR. IT IS A CONTINUAL RESPONSIBILITY AND IF PERFORMED CORRECTLY WILL ADD TO THE GENERAL QUALITY OF FREEMASON AMONGST US. WE MUST ALL ENSURE THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING BEFORE PROPOSING OR SECONDING ANY GENTLEMAN TO JOIN OUR ORGANISATION. EVEN IF YOU ARE ONLY SECONDING A CANDIDATE BECAUSE A WELL KNOWN BROTHER HAS ASKED YOU TO, YOU MUST STILL HOLD DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PROPOSER AND THE POTENTIAL CANDIDATE HIMSELF BEFORE YOU SAY YES! IN GENERAL I AM VERY MUCH IN FAVOUR OF TELLING THE POTENTIAL CANDIDATE EVEN MORE THAN WE DO. WHAT KIND OF AN ORGANISATION MUST HE THINK HE IS GETTING HIMSELF INTO WHEN THE MEMBERS OF IT SEEM RELUCTANT TO EXPLAIN FULLY WHAT IT ENTAILS. THERE IS VERY LITTLE THAT YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO TELL A CANDIDATE.
I AM NOT IN FAVOUR OF SUBSTITUTING THIS LIFE LONG RESPONSIBILITY BY A WELCOMING LETTER FROM THE GRAND MASTER, LAMINATED LIKE SOME KIND OF GIFT CERTIFICATE. ANY SUCH CORRESPONDENCE, IF IT IS TO BE EFFECTIVE, SHOULD BE DIRECT TO THE CANDIDATE AND WRITTEN INDIVIDUALLY AND NOT JUST “PRESENTED” IN OPEN LODGE. IN MY OPINION THIS IS PRESENTLY A GOOD IDEA BADLY EXECUTED AND IS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
ONCE THE NEW BROTHER IS AMONGST US, WHAT DOES HE EXPERIENCE? WELL, VERY LITTLE I AM AFRAID. OUR LODGES HAVE COMPLETELY STOPPED HOLDING LODGES OF INSTRUCTION. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT JUST APPLIES TO THIS LODGE. THERE ARE HARDLY ANY LODGES WITHIN OUR GRAND LODGE WHO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP THIS MOST IMPORTANT PART OF MASONRY GOING. THIS IS THE REAL DISASTER AS NOT ONLY DOES IT TAKE AWAY THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN OUTSIDE THE TIME CONSTRAINTS AT A REGULAR MEETING, BUT IT ALSO GIVES US ANOTHER CHANCE FOR MORE OF THE SOCIAL INTERCOURSE WHICH I BELIEVE IS PRESENTLY LACKING IN OUR MASONIC LIVES AND THIS CONTRIBUTES GREATLY TO THE APATHY AND CONFLICTS AMONGST AND BETWEEN OUR MEMBERSHIP IN THIS GRAND LODGE. IT IS REMARKABLE THAT WHEN ALL OF THE PROBLEMS BEING EXPERIENCED IN OUR GRAND LODGE CURRENTLY, THIS MOST IMPORTANT PROBLEM HAS LARGELY BEEN LEFT TO JUST DIE OUT. TEACHING FREEMASONRY. A TRAGEDY THAT THIS, WHICH SHOULD BE OUR MASSIVE PRIORITY, IS DEEMED NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO WARRANT ANY FORTHCOMING INITIATIVE FROM GRAND LODGE.
THE KEYS OF MÜNSTER LODGE USED TO HAVE A WBRO CALLED FRED PIERCE. WHEN I WAS INITIATED HE WAS THE DC AND IT WAS ALMOST A LEGAL REQUIREMENT THAT YOU ATTENDED THE LOI AND LEARNED. FRED WAS OUR DC FOR YEARS AND ALTHOUGH ONE OF THE “OLD SCHOOL” WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO MAKE LOI’S DIFFERENT AND THEREFORE INTERESTING AND INSTILLED A PRIDE INTO THE BRETHREN PERFORMING THE WORK. HE USED THE PHRASE “LET’S GET SERIOUS” A LOT. WE DON’T HAVE MANY “FREDS” ANYMORE AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE OUR LOI’S AS A LASTING MEMORY TO HIS DEDICATION TO THE CRAFT AND PARTICULARY TO YOUNG MASONS. WE HAD A REPUTATION FOR BEING TOP NOTCH AT THE KEYS OF MÜNSTER AND WERE PROUD OF IT. ALMOST EVERYBODY CAME TO OUR INSTALLATION MEETING TO WATCH IN BOTH AWE AND ENVY. WE DESPERATELY NEED TO WORK TOWARDS THESE GOALS AND STANDARDS AGAIN BRETHREN. I HAVE BEEN BEATING THE DRUM ABOUT THIS IN MY MOTHER LODGE SINCE LAST YEAR, WHEN OUR PERFORMANCE LEFT A LOT TO BE DESIRED AND ANY OF YOU ATTENDING THE INSTALLATION TOMORROW WILL HOPEFULLY RECOGNISE HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE THE EFFORT AND PRACTISE WE HAVE PUT IN THIS YEAR CAN MAKE TO A MASONIC CEREMONY! WE START AT 3 O'CLOCK.
WE MUST THEREFORE, STEADFASTLY CONTINUE SUMMONING BRETHREN TO LODGES OF INSTRUCTION AND ENSURE THAT WHEN A CANDIDATE COMES IN FRONT OF THE COMMITTEE PRIOR TO INITIATION, HE IS TOLD MORE ABOUT WHAT TIME HE WILL BE EXPECTED TO DEVOTE TO FREEMASONRY. PROPOSERS AND SECONDERS MUST LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
LODGES OF INSTRUCTION MUST BE PLANNED ACCORDING TO THEMES. THEY MUST BE INTERESTING. FREEMASONRY IS SO COMPREHENSIVE IN IT’S CONTENT THAT IT SHOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT TO MAKE THE LODGE OF INSTRUCTION A MEETING THAT THE BRETHREN LOOK FORWARD TO AND ENJOY. IT MUST MAKE SENSE THAT WE LEARN MORE ABOUT FREEMASONRY AND HERE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PAST MASTERS OF THE LODGE TO ENSURE THIS IS DONE REGULARLY. THE ADDED AND MOST NECESSARY BONUS OF A LOI IS THAT WE ALSO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH OTHER. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME THAN NOW TO BEGIN WITH THIS . NOW IS THE TIME BRETHREN
OUR LODGES OF INSTRUCTION MUST BE PLANNED TO UTILISE THE TIME SO THAT THE BRETHREN GET THE BEST ADVANTAGE OUT OF IT. WHAT CAN WE LEARN? *WELL, OUR HISTORY CAN BE EXPLAINED. FREEMASONRY IN OTHER COUNTRIES CAN BE EXTREMELY INTERESTING AS SUBJECT MATTER. OR:
DISCUSSIONS ON WHY CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CEREMONIES ARE PERFORMED THE WAY THEY ARE. HOW DOES OUR GRAND LODGE OPERATE? HOW DOES IT OPERATE BRETHREN, DO YOU KNOW?
HOW DOES OUR GRAND LODGE FIT INTO GERMAN MASONRY. I HAVE ACTUALLY HEARD BRETHREN SAY THAT THEY THOUGHT WE CAME UNDER THE UGLE!
WHAT TO DO WHEN WE GO BACK TO UK.?
EXPLANATIONS ABOUT MASONIC CUSTOMS AND BEHAVIOUR.
BASIC DISCUSSIONS ABOUT BASIC MASONIC PRINCIPLES CAN BE MOST INTERESTING, PARTICULARLY IF THE SUBJECT MATTER IS CHARITY OR TOLERANCE & UNDERSTANDING.
AN EXPLANATION OF THE INNER GUARDS JOB, WHERE HOPEFULLY MANY OF THE YOUNGER BRETHREN WILL START ON THE LADDER. VARIOUS YOUNGER BRETHREN MUST BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACT OUT THIS PART DURING OUR INSTRUCTION PERIOD, NEVER KNOWING WHEN THEY MAY BE CALLED UPON TO TAKE THIS OFFICE AT SHORT NOTICE. IT IS NOTICABLE THAT MOST STAND IN INNER GUARDS REQUIRE A BOOK TO READ OUT OF AND HERE IS A STARTING POINT FOR ALL YOUNGER MASONS TO BEGIN LEARNING THE IG’S LINES.
FURTHER EXPLANATIONS OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OTHER OFFICERS.
THERE REALLY ARE ENDLESS MATTERS WHICH CAN BE THE SUBJECT OF A LODGE OF INSTRUCTION.
THIS YEAR IT IS MY PLAN THAT LODGE BRIDGE OF FELLOWSHIP WILL HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE MIX OF INSTRUCTION, EITHER AS A WHOLE EVENINGS WORK OR AS PART OF THE EVENING. DIFFERENT THEMES FOR LODGES OF INSTRUCTION FOR THIS LODGE CAN BE EASILY IMPLEMENTED BY THE PAST MASTERS AND IN OTHER LODGES IT SHOULD BE EXACTLY THE SAME. I AM CERTAIN THE WM AND HIS SUCCESSOR WOULD WELCOME MORE DIALOGUE FROM US ALL ON THIS MATTER! SO COME ON PAST MASTERS
UNFORTUNATELY WE DON’T EVEN SEEM TO VISIT ANYMORE, EVEN IN CASES WHERE DISTANCE IS HARDLY RELEVANT. HOW ON EARTH DID IT COME ABOUT THAT FROM BEING A GRAND LODGE WHICH REGULARLY SAW MEMBERS FROM OTHER LODGES VISITING EACH OTHER IN LARGE NUMBERS, WE HAVE NOW BECOME ONE WHERE VISITING IS ALMOST NON-EXISTENT.
THERE ARE MANY FACTORS INFLUENCING THIS DESTRUCTIVE TREND BUT MAINLY THERE ARE THREE.
FIRSTLY WE HAVE CONSIDERABLY LESS MEMBERS THAN WE HAD SAY 10 YEARS AGO, BUT THIS WOULD SURELY ONLY REFLECT ON VISITING ON A PERCENTAGE BASIS, WE WOULD STILL HAVE AS MUCH VISITING TAKING PLACE BUT THE NUMBER OF VISITORS WOULD BE LESS. THIS ISN’T THE CASE THOUGH. THE NUMBER OF VISITS HAS DETERIORATED TO ALMOST ZERO. EVEN AT THE INSTALLATION OF KEYS OF MÜNSTER LASAT YEAR WE ONLY HAD A TOTAL OF 40 BRETHREN ATTENDING, WHICH INCLUDED VISITORS!!. THIS IS DISASTROUS BRETHREN - I HAVE PERSONALLY SAT IN THE KEYS OF MÜNSTER LODGE WHEN WE HAVE SQUEEZED OVER 90 BRETHREN INTO AN INSTALLATION MEETING AND THIS WAS NOT TOO LONG AGO, CERTAINLY WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS..
AT THE SEPTEMBER MEETING OF THE KEYS, TWO VISITORS FROM BEAVER LODGE ATTENDED AFTER I HAD ASKED THEM IF THEY WANTED TO COME WITH ME. THEY WERE VERY KEEN AND HAVE BEEN BACK ON MORE OCCASIONS SINCE. IT WAS AS THOUGH THEY WERE HOPING SOMEBODY WOULD ASK THEM SOMETHING LIKE THIS, BUT WERE NOT EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT THEY REALLY DIDN’T NEED TO WAIT UNTIL ASKED!. NATURALLY IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO INVITE VISITORS FROM A PROTOCOL POINT OF VIEW, BUT PERHAPS HERE IS PART OF THE PROBLEM WHICH WE ARE NOT ADDRESSING. INEXPERIENCED BRETHREN MAY WISH TO GO VISITING BUT DON’T KNOW ABOUT HOW AND THEY DON’T ASK! THEIR PROPOSERS AND SECONDERS ARE PERHAPS GUILTY OF NOT TAKING PROPER CARE OF THEM! IN ANY EVENT WE SHOULD BE ASKING OUR YOUNGER BRETHREN IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO VISIT ANOTHER LODGE AND WE ARE NOT DOING THIS ENOUGH! THIS IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THEIR PROPOSERS AND SECONDERS.
WE NEED TO SPEAK MORE REGULARLY ABOUT GOING VISITING AND PLAN VISITS. IF EACH LODGE TOOK IT UPON THEMSELVES TO MAKE A VISIT WITH SAY 3 OR 4 BRETHREN TO ANOTHER LODGE’S MEETING AND MADE THAT SAME KIND OF VISIT ONLY TWICE PER YEAR, IT WOULD HAVE SUCH A POSITIVE EFFECT ON ALL OF OUR MEETINGS IN ALL OF OUR LODGES. IT ALSO MEANS WE MEET NEW FRIENDS AND BRETHREN AND THIS CAN ONLY BE POSITIVE. OF COURSE THIS IS WHAT WE COULD EXPECT IN AN IDEAL WORLD, BUT LET’S FACE IT, WE DON’T LIVE IN SUCH A WORLD BUT IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE THIS MEASURE OF VISITING. WHY DON’T WE ALL DO IT? WHY DON'T WE NOT ONLY VISIT INSTALLATION MEETINGS BUT ALSO REGULAR LODGE MEETINGS AND REMAINING FOR THE FESTIVE BOARD..
SECONDLY HOWEVER, WE HAVE THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF MANY OF OUR BRETHREN NOWADAYS, WHICH DOESN’T ALWAYS PERMIT MUCH MORE THAN ONE LODGE MEETING PER MONTH.
CIRCUMSTANCES WITH MANY OF US HAVE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE PAST DECADE AND IT COSTS MONEY TO BE A FREEMASON, MONEY WHICH INFLATION HAS NOT IGNORED - ALTHOUGH IN MOST CASES ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS CONCERNING EXPENDITURE WHICH UNFORTUNATELY FOR A VARIETY OF POLITICAL REASONS WE ARE NOT ADDRESSING, IS CAUSED BY BRETHREN BECOMING MEMBERS OF SOMETIMES MULTIPLE OTHER MASONIC “SIDE ORDERS” INVARIABLY CAJOULED BY PEER PRESSURE TO JOIN, AND THESE MAKE ADDITIONAL CLAIMS ON TIME AND PARTICULARLY FINANCES AND I’LL DEFINITELY TALK MORE ABOUT THIS LATER ;-))
THIRDLY WE JUST DON’T SEEM TO HAVE THE GENERAL TOGETHERNESS THAT AN ORGANISATION SUCH AS OURS SHOULD HAVE AND HERE I HAVE TO BE PARTICULARLY CAREFUL IN NOT MENTIONING ANYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS IN OUR GRAND LODGE IN CASE IT INCRIMINATES ME! THAT IN ITSELF IS CERTAINLY ONE OF OUR BIGGEST PROBLEMS. WE JUST DON’T SEEM ABLE TO TALK OPENLY ABOUT OUR PROBLEMS EITHER AS A GRAND LODGE ORGANISATION OR AT PRIVATE LODGE LEVEL. WE MUST BE ABLE TO SHOW CHARITABLE FEELINGS, UNDERSTANDING, TOLERANCE AND BROTHERLY LOVE TOWARDS OUR FELLOW MEMBERS IN THE SAME WAY AS WAS THE NORM 20 YEARS AGO. NOWADAYS THERE SEEM TO BE MANY MORE THINGS INFLUENCING A MASONS BEHAVIOUR OTHER THAT THE URGE TO RELIEVE ANOTHERS NECESSITY AND SOOTH HIS AFFLICTIONS AS WE ARE FUNDEMENTALLY TAUGHT. SO WHAT HAS GONE WRONG?
IN MY OPINION THIS ALL STARTED WITH THE GRADUAL ERODING OF PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAIL COUPLED WITH A CHANGE IN THE DEMOGRAPHIC OF OUR MEMBERSHIP.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL INVOLVES MANY THINGS WHICH WE NO LONGER TAKE CARE TO CONSIDER. AT LODGE LEVEL THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF BRETHREN LEAVING PRIOR TO THE FESTIVE BOARD HIGHLIGHTS MY POINT ENTIRELY. WE ALL KNOW THAT THE MASONIC EVENING INCLUDES THE FESTIVE BOARD AND IT REALLY SHOULD NOT HAVE BECOME AN OPTION AS TO WHETHER A BROTHER STAYS OR NOT:
I HAVE NEVER LEFT A LODGE WITHOUT ATTENDING THE FESTIVE BOARD, IT’S LIKE LEAVING HALF WAY THROUGH! THE FESTIVE BOARD IS THE ONLY TIME DURING THE EVENING WHEN WE REALLY HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT EACH OTHER AND LISTEN TO BRETHREN WHO MIGHT HAVE OPINIONS OR SUGGESTIONS REGARDING MASONRY OR THE LODGE IN PARTICULAR. WE DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY THAT OUR COUNTERPARTS IN ENGLAND DO; TO REGULARLY MEET OUR BRETHREN OUTSIDE THE LODGE. THIS MAKES OUR PARTICIPATION AT THE FESTIVE BOARD EVEN MORE IMPORTANT.
THE RITUAL, WHICH OUR REGULATIONS POINT OUT MUST BE LEARNED, IS NOWADAYS MORE OFTEN THAN NOT READ FROM THE BOOK. I HAVE MY OWN STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT THIS.
I REALISE WE HAVE BRETHREN WHO ARE CAPABLE OF LEARNING THE RITUAL TO A HIGH STANDARD AND THEN THERE ARE THOSE WHO CANNOT, BUT BY ALMOST ACCEPTING THAT READING IS OK WE HAVE PERHAPS MADE IT TOO EASY FOR BRETHREN TO ADMIT THEY FIND IT HARD TO LEARN AND THEREFORE INADVERTENTLY HAVE ACTUALLY PROMOTED THE READING OF RITUAL.
YOU KNOW, IT MUST HAVE BEEN AT THE BACK OF THE MINDS OF OUR FORFATHERS IN MASONRY THAT THE PRINTING OF THE RITUAL WOULD EVENTUALLY MEAN THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE READ. BECAUSE OF THIS, EMULATION RITUAL DIDN’T OFFICIALLY PUBLISH IT’S FIRST PRINTED RITUAL UNTIL 1969! YES BRETHREN 1969. PRIOR TO THAT A VARIETY OF RITUALS WERE AVAILABLE IN PRINT BUT OUR RITUAL WIDELY USED THROUGHOUT THE UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND, EMULATION, HAS ONLY BEEN OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE IN PRINT SINCE THEN. UNFORTUNATELY IT APPEARS IN THE MEANTIME THAT THE FEARS OF OUR FORFATHERS WERE RIGHT .
I WILL ALWAYS TRY AND INSTILL INTO NEW MADE MASONS, THAT LEARNING THE RITUAL IS A PART OF THE DEAL. IT IS THE DISCIPLINARY TRAINING OF OUR MIND AT THE SAME TIME LEARNING MORE ABOUT FREEMASONRY. IN MY OPINION IT MAKES SURE THAT OUR “MENTAL FACULTIES ARE PRESERVED IN THEIR FULLEST ENERGY, THEREBY ENABLING US TO EXERT THOSE TALENTS WHEREWITH GOD HAS BLESSED US, AS WELL TO HIS GLORY AS THE WELFARE OF OUR FELLOW CREATURES”. YOU SURELY RECOGNISE THAT LAST BIT? YOU SHOULD DO AS IT’S FROM THE MASSIVELY INFLUENTIAL PIECE OF RITUAL, THE CHARGE AFTER INITIATION.
IMAGINE IF IN THE FUTURE, THIS IMPORTANT PIECE OF RITUAL WOULD BE READ TO THE INITIATE FROM THE BOOK. IT JUST WOULD NOT BE THE SAME.
OUR ADOPTION OF THE DJ AS THE REQUISITE ATTIRE FOR A FREEMASON BEGAN TO DISAPPEAR WITH THE CHANGE IN DEMOGRAPHIC MENTIONED EARLIER. NO LONGER ARE 70%+ OF OUR MILITARY INITIATES OFFICERS AS WAS THE CASE IN THE 50's, 60's and 70's, BUT NOW PREDOMINANTLY SNCO's WHO CERTAINLY HAVE A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE TO DJ's AND THE TRANSFER FROM THESE TO DARK SUITS TOOK PLACE AROUND 10-12 YEARS AGO ALMOST UNNOTICED-I NOTICED IT BRETHREN AND FELT THAT IT WAS A GREAT TRADITION TAKING LEAVE OF US! THIS IS ONE OF THESE MASONIC TRADITIONS THAT, ONCE GONE AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR MASONRY, WILL NEVER RETURN. I AM NOT AGAINST CHANGE FOR THE BEST, BUT ALLOW ME ALSO TO SHOW MY SADNESS THAT SUCH TRADITIONS HAVE JUST BEEN ALLOWED TO DISAPPEAR. THIS IS PRESENTLY HAPPENING WITH THE LEARNING OF THE RITUAL BUT HERE WE STILL HAVE THE CHANCE HERE TO DO ALL WE CAN TO PREVENT IT. THE DJ IS GONE FOREVER I FEAR.
WE SHOULD HOWEVER ALSO ENSURE THAT WE DO NOT LOSE OUR PERSPECTIVE REGARDING WHAT WE AS A GRAND LODGE ACTUALLY ARE.
HERE IN GERMANY THIS LODGE IS A CONSTITUENT LODGE OF A GRAND LODGE WHICH MASONICALLY SPEAKING, CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS A MINUSCULE ORGANISATION. IT IS NOT A SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR GRAND LODGE RECOGNITION ISSUED BY THE UGLE AND USED AS A BENCHMARK FOR ALMOST ALL INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION MATTERS. IT IS NEVER MENTIONED BY THE UGLE WHEN TALKING ABOUT GERMAN FREEMASONRY. HERE ONLY THE UGLG IS MENTIONED. SO WE ARE IN THE UNUSUAL SITUATION OF BEING A GRAND LODGE THAT DOESN’T HAVE JURISDICTION OVER IT’S OWN NATIONAL TERRITORY, ISN’T RECOGNISED BY OTHER GRAND LODGES EXPLICITLY AND ONLY IS ALLOWED TO EXIST AT ALL BY VIRTUE OF OUR BINDING ADHERENCE TO THE MAGNA CHARTA OF GERMAN FREEMASONS. THE MAKE UP OF THE UNITED GRAND LODGES OF GERMANY AND ALL IT ENTAILS MAKES A VERY INTERESTING SUBJECT FOR A FUTURE TALK, PERHAPS AT A LODGE OF INSTRUCTION? I WOULD BE MOST HAPPY TO PRESENT SUCH A PAPER AT A LATER DATE IF THE LODGE SO WISHES. OUR GRAND LODGE IS FURTHER ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY VERY LOW MEMBERSHIP AND THE VAST GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD OF OUR LODGE LOCATIONS.
TO PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE, THE TOWN OF BRIDLINGTON IN EAST YORKSHIRE HAS A POPULATION OF AROUND 30.000 AND IT’S 5 LODGES HAVE A COMBINED MEMBERSHIP NUMBER HIGHER THAN OUR GRAND LODGE. IT IS THEREFORE HIGHLY LIKELY THAT A MASON WILL BUMP INTO ANOTHER BROTHER SOMETIME DURING A NORMAL WORKING DAY IN AND AROUND BRIDLINGTON! THIS GIVES A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ASPECT TO FREEMASONRY AND UNFORTUNATELY ONE WHICH WE HARDLY EXPERIENCE AT ALL HERE IN GERMANY. LOCAL BINDING FRIENDSHIPS. IF WE TAKE THIS LODGE AS AN EXAMPLE, EVEN THOSE MEMBERS WHO LIVE IN AND AROUND HANNOVER HARDLY EVER SEE EACH OTHER BY CHANCE OUTSIDE OF THE LODGE. I TRAVELLED NEARLY 200KMS TO BE HERE TONIGHT AND WE HAVE HAD BRETHREN IN THE PAST TRAVELLING SIMILAR DISTANCES IMAGINE IF YOU MISSED ONE MEETING AND YOUR FRIEND MISSED THE FOLLOWING. IT MIGHT BE ALMOST 4 MONTHS BEFORE YOU MEET EACH OTHER!!
HERE IN GERMANY, EVEN MÜNSTER TO OSNABRÜCK MEANS A 75 MILE ROUND TRIP AND THEN ONLY IF YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THOSE LOCATIONS.! PHOENIX LODGE IN BERLIN HARDLY GET ANY VISITORS FROM OUR LODGES AT ALL AND THE CHANCES OF AN ANGLO HANSEATIC BROTHER FROM HAMBURG POPPING INTO SOUTHERN STAR LODGE IN MUNICH ON A FRATERNAL VISIT IS ALMOST ZERO. THIS, COUPLED WITH THE FACT THAT A GREAT MANY OF OUR BRETHREN ARE ALREADY MEMBERS OF MORE THAN ONE OF OUR LODGES, MEANS THAT WHAT HAPPENS IN UK AND TO A LARGE EXTENT IN GERMAN SPEAKING LODGES TOO, JUST CANNOT PHYSICALLY HAPPEN IN OUR LODGES. WE SEE EACH OTHER AT LODGE MEETINGS AND WITH VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS, NOWHERE ELSE.
THIS PUTS US AT A DISADVANTAGE WHEN LOOKING TO CEMENT RELATIONSHIPS AND JUST BECOME MORE BROTHERLY TOWARDS EACH OTHER.
NOT ONLY OUR DRASTIC DROP IN MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS IS OF GREAT CONCERN BUT ALSO THE ALARMING LACK OF COORDINATED IDEAS AND INITIATIVES COMING FROM BOTH OURSELVES IN PRIVATE LODGES AND FROM GRAND LODGE TO NOT ONLY STEM THE FLOW, BUT TO INCREASE OUR MEMBERSHIP.
WE NEED TO TAKE SOME HARD AND FAST DECISIONS FOR EXAMPLE REGARDING THE EFFECTS FURTHER TROOP WITHDRAWAL WILL HAVE ON US.
IT IS QUITE REMARKABLE THAT NOW, SOME 15 YEARS AFTER THE INITIAL DRAWDOWN OF FORCES, WE HAVE NOT COME UP WITH ANY KIND OF PLAN AS TO HOW WE CAN ENSURE OUR FUTURE EXISTENCE AS AN ORGANISATION. IMAGINE THIS BRETHREN; THE SOURCE FROM WHENCE WE DERIVED OUR INITIAL MEMBERSHIP AND THAT WHICH HAS SUPPLIED OVER 80% OF OUR INITIATES SINCE FORMATION HAS ALREADY HALVED AND IS CERTAIN TO ALMOST HALVE AGAIN OVER THE NEXT 5 YEARS AND YET WE STILL HAVE NO CO ORDINATED PLAN OF ACTION IN PLACE. I REMEMBER SITTING AT A FESTIVE BOARD NEXT TO A BROTHER WHO WAS AN ARMY OFFICER IN OSNABRUCK SOME 15 YEARS AGO. HIS VIEW WAS THAT ONCE THE FORCES HAD GONE COMPLETELY, THE GL OF BFG WOULD COLLAPSE. I WAS OF COURSE EXTREMELY VOCIFEROUS IN MY PROTESTS THAT THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN, BUT IN RECENT YEARS I FEEL THAT I WAS PERHAPS GUILTY OF BEING VERY NAÏVE ON THAT DAY
OSNABRÜCK AS A GARRISON TOWN WILL GO IN LESS THAN A YEAR AND I AM SHOCKED THAT DORIC LODGE STILL DOESN’T HAVE ANY KIND OF PLAN OR INITIATIVES IN PLACE TO ENSURE IT’S EXISTENCE THEREAFTER! THE OPINION IS THAT “EVERYTHING WILL BE OK-WE HAVE ENOUGH MEMBERS!” THIS IS SO SHORTSIGHTED IT IS A TRAGEDY BRETHREN.
MORE PARTICULARLY, IN A COUPLE OF YEARS TIME, ONCE JHQ RHEINDAHLEN IS NO MORE, WHERE WILL WE BE? WE HAVE TWO LODGES THERE AND I AM CERTAIN ONLY ONE CAN POSSIBLY SURVIVE. ! WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS SITUATION NOW. THE SOONER WE DO THIS THE BETTER!
IT MUST BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THOSE WHO LEAD US TO GRASP THE NETTLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS IT IS THE ONE MAJOR FACTOR WHICH HAS A DIRECT AND DAMAGING EFFECT ON OUR FUTURE. IT IS INCUMBENT ON THE GRAND LODGE TO ENSURE THAT EVERYTHING IS BEING DONE TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T SEE IT HAPPENING BRETHREN.
SO IS OUR GENERAL POSITION REGARDING MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP POTENTIAL REALLY DIFFERENT TO THAT OF SAY THE UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND? WELL YES AND NO! THAT BODY BOASTS SOME 340.000 MASONS FROM A POPULATION OF ALMOST 50 MILLION(ENGLAND). THAT EQUATES TO 1.4% OF THE MALE POPULATION BEING FREEMASONS. OUR OWN POSITION IS ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME IF YOU APPLY THE PERCENTAGE TO THE NUMBER OF HM FORCES AND DEPENDANTS PRESENTLY STATIONED HERE IN GERMANY, BUT OF COURSE THERE ARE MANY MORE POTENTIAL MASONS IN ENGLAND THAN THERE ARE OVER HERE. OR ARE THERE?
WHAT WE HAVE HERE IN GERMANY ARE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ENGLISH SPEAKING MALE ADULTS LIVING IN THIS FOREIGN COUNTRY AND RESIDING IN OUR AREAS WITH NO MILITARY OR OTHER SUCH CONNECTIONS WHATSOEVER. THIS IS OUR EQUIVELANT OF THE POTENTIAL MALE POPULATION IN ENGLAND BUT THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE IS THAT WE HAVE SOMETHING WE CAN OFFER WHICH ENGLAND CAN’T. AS WE ARE EXPATRIATES AND LIVING IN A FOREIGN LAND, ANY TYPE OF ORGANISATION WHICH CAN OFFER COMMUNICATION AND FELLOWSHIP WITH “LIKE-TONGUED” MEN HAS TO HAVE AN EXTRA ADVANTAGE IN BEING ABLE TO INTEREST THOSE MEN. WE JUST HAVE TO PROMOTE OUR EXISTENCE A GREAT DEAL MORE.
THIS IS OUR TRUMP CARD. THIS IS WHERE OUR FUTURE LIES. THIS IS HOW WE CAN REALISTICALLY SAVE OUR GRAND LODGE FROM POTENTIAL EXTINCTION. IF YOU HALVE THE UGLE YOU STILL HAVE 175.000 MASONS; HALVE OUR GL AND YOU’RE DOWN TO 175 BRETHREN! FRIGHTENING ISN’T IT, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT NEW ABSALOM LODGE ALONE HAD OVER 120 MEMBERS IN THE MID 80’s. WE HAVE TO DO MUCH MUCH MORE TO PROMOTE THE EXISTENCE OF OUR GRAND LODGE.
FURTHERMORE WE PRESENTLY HAVE LODGES ALMOST DEVIOD OF MEMBERS SUCH AS BEAVER LODGE, NEW ABSALOM LODGE, PHOENIX LODGE AND BRIDGE OF FELLOWSHIP, TO NAME BUT FOUR WHO ARE ALREADY DOWN TO SINGLE FIGURE ATTENDANCES AT MANY MEETINGS!! HERE IS WHERE WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOOK TOWARDS OUR GRAND LODGE FOR INITIATIVES AND SUGGESTIONS.
INSTEAD OF SUCH IMPORTANT INITIATIVES BEING PRESENTED BY THEM, WE PRESENTLY HAVE TO ENDURE A GRAND LODGE MORE AKIN TO A POLITICAL BODY IN CHARGE OF THE PROLETARIAT. THE RECENT OPEN FORUM HELD IN HERFORD HAS NOT APPARENTLY RESULTED IN ANY HARD AND FAST CONCLUSIONS, SUGGESTIONS OR INITIATIVES ON MEASURES TO INCREASE MEMBERSHIP I AM NOT EVEN AWARE OF ANY MINUTES OR REPORT BEING ISSUED AND IT TOOK PLACE 6 MONTHS AGO. WE CANNOT CONTINUE PAYING LIP SERVICE TO ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS LIKE THIS. WE SHOULD IMMEDIATELY URGE OUR GL, THROUGH THE BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES, TO PUT THOUGHT AND ACTIONS INTO OUR PLIGHT, FOR A PLIGHT IT IS AS IN MY OPINION WITHOUT GROWTH IN MEMBERSHIP WE WILL ONLY SUFFER CLOSURES AND ULTIMATELY WILL BE NO MORE.
THIS IS TRULY UNTHINKABLE AND MAKES IT MORE OF A MYSTERY AS TO WHY NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT. ANY INITIATIVES WHICH INCLUDE PROMOTING OUR CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY AWARENESS PROGRAMMES ARE TO BE WARMLY WELCOMED AND PUT INTO EFFECT. THESE MUST BE PLANNED CENTRALLY HOWEVER AND WHILST CENTRAL PLANNING CAN BE FRUITFUL THE GL MUST ALSO HELP INDIVIDUAL LODGES WITH SUPPORT IN THEIR LOCAL AREAS WHERE REQUIRED.
THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN BRETHREN. WHY ON EARTH SHOULDN’T THE GRAND LODGE MAKE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO MAKE IT’S PRESENCE MORE WIDELY KNOWN AMONGST NON MASONS IN GERMANY. IN OTHER WORDS PROMOTE OR MARKET ITSELF TO THE PUBLIC.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS WE COULD DO THIS.
WE COULD DO THIS BY GIVING TALKS TO OTHER ENGLISH SPEAKING ORGANISATIONS IN OUR AREAS. THERE ARE MANY ANGLO-GERMAN AND EXPATRIATE CLUBS AND ORGANISATIONS, THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION SHOULD BE OFFERED MORE INFORMATION ABOUT US AND OUR AIMS AND STRUCTURES. WE SHOULD HOLD INFORMATION EVENINGS, PROPERLY ORGANISED AND CO-ORDINATED AND WELL SUPPORTED BY KNOWLEDGABLE BRETHREN IN ORDER TO MAKE THE MOST OF EXPLAINING ABOUT FREEMASONRY TO ANY GENTLEMEN WHO ATTENDED. THIS IS SOMETHING ELSE I WOULD BE PLEASED TO SEE IN THE LODGES WITHIN THIS GRAND LODGE OVER THE ENSUING YEAR. INDEED I WOULD BE PLEASED TO ASSIST IN ORGANISING SUCH EVENINGS.
WE COULD HAVE AN INFORMATION DESK OR BOOTH AT ANGLO-GERMAN EVENTS UNDER THE AUSPECIES OF THE GRAND LODGE..
WE COULD ORGANISE SPORTING EVENTS AGAINST OTHER ORGANISATIONS, ANYTHING FROM GOLF TO DARTS!.
WE COULD EVEN ORGANISE A GRAND LODGE QUIZ TEAM AND CHALLENGE BOTH MILITARY MESSES AND OTHER ANGLOPHILE ORGANISATIONS TO COMPETITIONS!! THIS IS NOT AS DAFT AS IT MAY INITIALLY SOUND BRETHREN BELIEVE ME! THINK ABOUT IT.
OUR CHARITABLE WORK AS A GRAND LODGE DEFINITELY NEEDS A GREAT DEAL MORE FOCUS. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO OPENLY PROMOTE OUR CHARITABLE WORK AMONGST NON MASONS, PARTICULARLY POTENTIAL MASONS! LAST YEAR SAW BFBS MAKING IT’S FINAL WFTB APPEAL-SURELY A HIGH PROFILE CHARITY SUCH AS THIS HAS BECOME IS WORTH TAKING A LONG HARD LOOK AT? WE SEEM TO BE STICKING WITH KATIES SKI TRACKS AS NOBODY HAS PUT UP A SUITABLE ALTERNATIVE BUT WE RUN THE RISK OF KATIES SKI TRACKS BECOMING FAR TOO DEPENDANT ON OUR CONTRIBUTIONS SO THAT WE SHY OFF CONSIDERING GIVING DONATIONS ELSEWHERE!
BUT THERE DOESN’T SEEM TO BE MUCH IMPETUS COMING FROM OUR GRAND LODGE AS THE LAST GRAND CHARITY STEWARD’S FINAL REPORT CLEARLY SHOWED, TAKING MORE THE FORM OF A LETTER OF COMPLAINT THAN A REPORT ON CHARITY. I THINK THE POINT WAS MISSED. NOW THERE IS A NEW GRAND CHARITY STEWARD AND AGAIN I FEEL THAT THERE IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE CHARITY AND ALL IT ENTAILS, A MUCH MORE IMPORTANT PART OF OUR PRINCIPLES AND ACTIVITIES AND THAT WE CAN USE OUR CHARITABLE EFFORTS TO MARKET OUR GRAND LODGE TO POTENTIAL MEMBERS.
WE SEEM TO HAVE BECOME HAMPERED IN OUR ACTIONS TO ACTIVELY PROMOTE OUR FREMASONRY BY A BOUT OF TALKING THE TALK BUT NOT WALKING THE WALK OR TO BE MORE PERTINENT-TELLING OTHERS TO DO WHAT WE ARE NOT ALWAYS ABLE TO DO OURSELVES.
I CAN BEST ILLUSTRATE THIS IN A JOKE; HUMOUR BEING A KIND OF UNIVERSAL TRAIT THAT LENDS ITSELF IN MANY WAYS TO GETTING OVER A PARTICULAR POINT:
Won't you kiss me, doctor?" asks a beautiful woman.
"No, it would be against my code of ethics." says the doctor.
"Please, just one kiss." begs the woman.
"It's completely out of the question." he goes on.
"In fact, I shouldn't really be having intercourse with you at all."
PERHAPS THIS IS FUNNY IF TAKEN AS AN INDIVIDUAL PIECE OF HUMOUR BUT IF THE DOCTORS DESPERATELY TRYING TO SHOW INTEGRITY HE DISMALLY FAILS. WE HAVE A SIMILAR SITUATION WITHIN OUR ORGANISATION.
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF MY MOST USED PHRASES WITH RESPECT TO OUR GRAND LODGE, WE TALK THE TALK BUT DO NOT WALK THE WALK!
THE FIRST MILITARY DRAWDOWN SAW US ESCAPE RELATIVELY UNSCATHED, AND THIS IS PROBABLY WHY NOBODY GAVE MUCH THOUGHT TO THE FUTURE THEN. TO DO THE SAME NOW IS A BIG MISTAKE.
THE BUFFS(EXPLAIN A BIT) HAD OVER 20 LODGES HERE IN GERMANY PRIOR TO THE 1993 DRAWDOWN. THEY WERE ORGANISED INTO 3 PROVINCES. THEY WERE SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE GLE THAT THEIR GRAND PRIMO(GM) WAS INSTALLED IN JHQ RHEINDAHLEN IN THIS WAS REDUCED TO TWO LODGES IMMEDIATELY AFTER DRAWDOWN, SHOWING THE DEVASTATION WHICH CAN OCCUR TO ANY ORGANISATION WHICH DEPENDS HEAVILY ON FORCES MEMBERSHIP.
WE HAVE SPREAD OURSELVES OUT INTO OTHER MASONIC ORDERS OVER THE YEARS, BE THEY MARK, KNIGHTS TEMPLAR, ROYAL ARK MARINER, ROYAL ORDER OF SCOTLAND, KNIGHTS TEMPLAR PRIESTS OR RED CROSS OF CONSTANTINE, THEY ALL MAKE EXTRA CLAIMS ON OUR TIME AND FINANCES. MORE ORGANISATIONS BEING SUPPORTED BY A DECREASING NMEMBERSHIP ONLY SERVES TO DILUTE OUR NUMBERS ATTENDING AND UNFORTUNATELY THE QUALITY THEREOF TOO.
I HAVE ALWAYS HELD THE VIEW THAT AS LONG AS FREEMASONRY HAD ENOUGH TO KEEP ME KEEN AND INTERESTED IN IT, I WOULD NOT CONSIDER JOIINING ANY OF THE ABOVE. NOW, AFTER ALMOST A QUARTER OF A CENTURY, I FIND THAT I AM STILL LEARNING FROM REGULAR CRAFT FREEMASONRY AND ALTHOUGH I AM FULL OF ADMIRATION FOR THOSE BRETHREN WHO CAN SUCCESSFULLY DEVOTE THEIR TIME TO A PLETHERA OF MASONIC ORDERS, I DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH RICH MEN OF LEISURE AMONGST US WHO HAVE TRULY GLEANED EVERYTHING THERE IS FROM CRAFT FREEMASONRY AND ARE NOW ABLE TO JOIN EVERYTHING ELSE! IN FACT THEY CAN’T. EVERYTHING SUFFERS AND WITH FEW EXEPTIONS BRETHREN FIND THEMSELVES CAUGHT IN THE TRAP OF BEING GIVEN OFFICE IN THESE SIDE ORDERS AND WITH THAT COMES THE PRESSURE NOT TO LET THE SIDE DOWN.
THE VICTIM IN THIS IS CRAFT FREEMASONRY.
A FURTHER DOWNSIDE WHICH INEVITABLY CONTRIBUTES TO OUR DEMISE IS THE WAY OTHER ORDERS HAVE STARTING HOLDING MEETINGS ON DAYS WHERE OUR CRAFT LODGES HOLD MEETINGS. THIS NEVER USED TO HAPPEN AS THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING CRAFT MASONRY AS THE No.1 WAS NEVER IN DOUBT. NOWADAYS WE HAVE GRAND OFFICERS WHO CANNOT SUPPORT THE GM AT A LODGE INSTALLATION DUE TO ANOTHER ORDER MEETING ON THE SAME DAY. THIS ONE EXAMPLE ALONE SHOWS HOW LITTLE IMPORTANCE SOME GRAND OFFICERS APPEAR TO GIVE TO THE ORGANISATION WITHOUT WHICH THERE WOULDN’T BE ANY SIDE ORDERS AND CERTAINLY NO GRAND OFFICERS TO WEAR IT’S REGALIA!
I AM NOT HAVING A GO FOR NO REASON. IF IT WERE POSSIBLE FOR EVERY BROTHER WHO HAS JOINED A SIDE ORDER TO STILL GIVE 100% TO HIS CRAFT LODGE THEN YOU’D HEAR NO MORE FROM ME ON THE SUBJECT! BUT IT IS NOT.
PERHAPS IF WE HAD PROPERLY STRUCTURED LODGES OF INSTRUCTION AND A CLEARLY DEFINED PLANS REGARDING VISITING AND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES WE MIGHT NOT SEE SO MANY BRETHREN JOINING THESE OTHER ORDERS. DON’T GET ME WRONG BRETHREN, IT IS UP TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL TO MAKE HIS OWN DECISIONS REGARDING THIS BUT I ASK AGAIN, HOW MANY OF US HAVE REALLY EXPERIENCED EVERYTHING CRAFT MASONRY HAS TO GIVE? IF YOU CAN SAY YOU HAVE THEN THE WHOLE IDEAL OF FREEMASONRY HAS PASSED YOU BY BRETHREN!
AS A VERY SMALL GRAND LODGE WE HAVE FALLEN INTO THE TRAP OF BEING TOO LIBERAL WITH OUR GRAND RANK. WE HAVE MORE PAST JUNIOR GRAND WARDENS THAN THE UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND WHICH HAS 1000 TIMES THE MEMBERSHIP WE HAVE!! THE TIME INVOLVED IN ACHIEVING A REASONABLY HIGH GRAND RANK HAS BECOME LESS AND LESS OVER RECENT YEARS: THIS CONTRIBUTES TO OUR NOT BEING TAKEN TOO SERIOUSLY BY OTHER CONSTITUTIONS. WE HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT EVEN A PAST GRAND TYLER OF OUR GL IS MASONICALLY SPEAKING SENIOR TO A PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER IN AN ENGLISH PROVINCE, WHICH MAY HAVE 300 LODGES IN IT. THE PROVINCIAL GM MAY HAVE TAKEN OVER 25 YEARS TO ATTAIN HIS POSITION AND A PAST GRAND TYLER IN OUR GRAND LODGE MAY HAVE BEEN A MASON FOR ONLY 6 YEARS.
THIS INEVITABLY LEADS TO A DILUTION OF QUALITY AND TOO MANY OF OUR GRAND OFFICERS ARE NOT ABLE TO COMMUNICATE MASONIC KNOWLEDGE AND INSTRUCTION. IT IS NOT ALWAYS THEIR FAULT BUT IT WOULD HELP US IF PAST GRAND RANKS WERE NOT GIVEN OUT SO FREELY.
ONCE WE HAVE REACHED THE STAGE OF THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND IT IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO REVERSE THE TREND AND OF COURSE IF THE WILL IS NOT THERE IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.
ALL THIS MEANS THAT THE FUTURE OF OUR FREEMASONRY IN GERMANY IS IN A VERY PRECARIOUS POSITION.
IN CONCLUSION, IN MY OPINION WHAT WE NEED IS:
More reverting to the basics of brotherly love, tolerance and just plain friendship
Less in fighting and vying for position within Grand Lodge
More instruction in the basics of Craft Freemasonry at lodge level, assisted by our PM’s and GL
A greater effort in marketing our existence to English speaking men in our areas
Less blind dependence on military Initiates
More focus on our charitable work and using it in promoting our existence to others.
IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THIS WE NEED TO MOBILISE ALL OF OUR MEMBERSHIP TO BE ALERT TO THE PROBLEMS AND TO REACT AT GRASS ROOT LEVELS. I WOULDN’T LIKE TO THINK THAT THE BROTHER ARMY OFFICER FROM OSNABRÜCK I MENTIONED EARLIER WAS RIGHT IN HIS PREDICTION.
WE COULD TALK ABOUT THESE MATTERS OVER AND OVER BUT UNLESS WE ACT IT DOESN’T HELP TALKING.
I HAVE OFFERED TO DO SOMETHING WHICH WILL BE POSITIVE FOR THE LODGE BY ORGANISING THEMES FOR LOI’S AND VISITS TO OTHER LODGES. ALL WE NEED NOW IS MORE SUPPORT FROM OUR MEMBERS. IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS THAT YOU FEEL MIGHT HELP STABILISE OR INCREASE OUR MEMBERSHIP YOU MUST SPEAK OUT. THERE ARE NO SILLY IDEAS!!
THIS LITTLE TALK TONIGHT WAS CERTAINLY NOT MEANT TO THROW OUT CRITICISM PARTICULARLY, BUT TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO OUR PLIGHT IN BOTH THIS LODGE AND GRAND LODGE AS I SEE IT. IF IT HAS BEEN EVEN SLIGHTLY THOUGHT PROVOKING THEN I HAVE ACHIEVED MY AIM.
IF ANYBODY HAS ANY POINTS TO MAKE OR QUESTIONS TO ASK PLEASE GO AHEAD:
John Kellas 2007 given in Keys of Münster Lodge, New Absalom Lodge and Lodge Bridge of Fellowship.
