246 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
246 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
SHORT TALK BULLETIN - Vol.XIII November, 1935 No.11
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UNIVERSALITY
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by; Unknown
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The initiate is taught. “via” ritual and information given by fellow
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members, that Masonry is a universal Fraternity, world wide in its
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ramifications, admitting to its privileges worthy men of every
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country, sect and opinion, and providing a Fraternal intercourse
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based on common ideals which extend to all men, in all lands.
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How far from the fact of this beautiful conception is well known to
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all who have occasion to study Freemasonry in its international
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aspects. Only occasionally does the average Mason come in contact
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with the absence of universality; then it is usually with something
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of a shock that he learns that while his brother from a neighboring
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state may visit and hold Masonic intercourse with a certain foreign
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Lodge and brother, he is forbidden the same privilege, “vice versa.”
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Neither the prophet nor son of a prophet, this Bulletin can not state
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with any authority that a genuinely universal Craft may not be
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developed at some time in the future. But it can be said without
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fear of contradiction that while diverse peoples hold diverse ideas
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as to what constitutes Freemasonry, a genuinely universal Fraternity,
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without bars or restrictions of any kind, is not likely soon to come
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into being.
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According to the theory, ass man initiated, passed and raised in any
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legitimate Grand Lodge in the United States (of which there are
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forty-nine) has the “right of visitation” into any symbolic Lodge in
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the world, and may and should recognize his brother Mason regardless
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of race, creed or religion.
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But according to the facts, in some Grand Jurisdictions Masons are
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expressly forbidden to visit the Lodges of certain other Grand
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Lodges; in other Jurisdictions they may visit the Lodges of all Grand
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Lodges from which recognition has not been specifically withheld by
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their own Grand Lodge. Put another way, some Grand Jurisdictions
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warn: “You can visit only the Lodges of Grand Jurisdictions we
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recognize and with which we have Fraternal relations,: while others
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say” “You may visit Lodges in all Grand Jurisdictions of the world
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except those we have expressly forbidden you to visit.”
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In neither class, of course, is there “real” universality.
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These pages are not to be taken as an argument that there “should” be
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universality in the full meaning of the word. It is impossible for
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the majority of Masons, Lodges and Grand Lodges to admit that certain
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other Grand Lodges and their brethren are Masonic, because of a
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fundamental difference of opinion as to what Masonry really is.
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The classic instance, of course, is the Grand Orient of France, from
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which the large majority of English speaking Grand Lodges have
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withdrawn recognition.
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In 1877 the Grand Orient of France eliminated from its constitutions
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the following:
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“Freemasonry has for its principles the existence of God, the
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immortality of the soul and the solidarity of mankind.
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“In place, it adopted:
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“Whereas Freemasonry is not a religion and has therefore no doctrine
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or dogma to affirm in its Constitution, this assembly has decided and
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decreed that the second paragraph of Article 1 of the Constitution,
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(quoted above) shall be erased and that for the words of said article
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the following shall be substituted:
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“Being an Institution essentially philanthropic, philosophic and
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progressive; Freemasonry has for its object, search after truth,
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study of universal morality, science and art; and the practice of
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benevolence. It has for principles absolute liberty of conscious and
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human solidarity. It excludes no person on account of his belief and
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its motto is ‘Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.,”
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New rituals were adopted from which all mention of God, a Supreme
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Architect, a Great Ruler of the Universe were deleted; and the Volume
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of Sacred Law was removed from the altar.
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No man was excluded from the Lodges of the Grand Orient of France
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“because” he believed n God, but neither was any man “required to
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believe in God.
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It was this which brought down upon the Grand Orient the withdrawal
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of Fraternal recognition by practically all English speaking Grand
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Lodges.
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It seems only fair to clarify the position of the Grand Orient by
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quoting a few words said in defense of this revolutionary action, by
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one of its officials:
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The Grand Orient of France, while it respects all philosophical
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beliefs, insists upon an absolute liberty of belief. This does not
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mean that we banish from our Lodges the belief in God. The United
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Grand Lodge of England, on the contrary, desires to make a belief in
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God in some manner compulsory. The Grand Orient of France is much
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more liberal, since in proclaiming the absolute liberty to believe or
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not to believe in God, and by so doing desires to respect its members
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in their convictions, their doctrines and their beliefs.”
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English speaking Freemasonry is universal in its insistence upon a
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belief in a G.A.O.T.U.; the presence of a Volume of Sacred Law upon
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the Altar as indispensable to a Lodge at work; the division of
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Ancient Craft Masonry into three degrees; secrecy; the legend of the
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Third Degree, that Masons can be made of men only. Let any Grand
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Lodge try to introduce a fourth degree or cut the list to two, remove
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the Holy Book, fail to require initiates to state a belief in Deity,
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make the ritual and the meetings public, substitute another subject
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for the Hiramic Legend or initiate a woman; and every English
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speaking Grand Lodge would immediately withdraw recognition, just as
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recognition of the Grand Orient of France was withdrawn by
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practically every Anglo Saxon Lodge in the world when that body
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declared for freedom to believe or not to believe; and the Volume of
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Sacred Law was not necessary. The Grand Orient of France became, to
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those Grand Lodges which would have none of it, no longer a Masonic
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body.
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Today a number of other matters are concerned in “recognition” of one
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Grand Lodge by another; other hurdles to get over before
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“universality” is practiced as between any two Grand Lodges.
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Important as many of these are, however, failure to recognize Grand A
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by Grand Lodge B because Grand Lodge A does not conform to all the
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requirements, does not necessarily mean that Grand Lodge B declares
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Grand Lodge A without pale, unMasonic, outlawed. It but sets forth
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that Grand Lodge B does not yet know, is not yet satisfied, whether
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or not Grand Lodge A fulfills all those conditions as well as
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practices all those principles which Grand Lodge B demands of those
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Grand Lodges it is willing to recognize.
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If these additional requirements were all alike for all Grand Lodges,
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the Masonic world would be so much nearer the ideal of universality.
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They have grown more and more alike as the years have gone by, but
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the several Grand Lodges of this nation are not entirely of one mind
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as to what they demand of a foreign Grand Lodge before recognition
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can be extended. Indeed, a number of American Grand Lodges have “no”
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standards of recognition whatever; such usually consider each case on
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its merits, and generally blindly follow the report of the committee
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on Foreign Correspondence.
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This results in certain anomalies; a Committee composed of brethren
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of very broad and liberal tendencies, for instance, will recommend
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recognition of a Grand Lodge which another committee, composed of
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brethren with very strict ideas, would have none of. Hence it is not
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infrequent that two neighboring Jurisdictions will differ, one
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recognizing a certain foreign Grand Lodge, and another refusing that
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recognition.
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Standards of recognition of the Grand Lodges of the United States
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which have such instruments follow fairly well in principle, often in
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words also, the standards set up by New York and Massachusetts.
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These are given herewith:
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MASSACHUSETTS
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“Fraternal recognition may be extended to a foreign Grand Lodge when
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(a committee having first considered and reported thereon), it
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appears to the satisfaction of this Grand Lodge:
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1. That the foreign Grand Lodge in question represents a
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substantial unity of the Freemasons of the territory over which
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it assumes jurisdiction; i.e., the Country, Province, or State;
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or else shares such territory Jurisdiction with another Grand
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Lodge by mutual consent.
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2. That it has been lawfully organized by three or more regular
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Lodges, or that it has been legalized by this Grand Lodge, or by
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a Grand Lodge recognized by this Grand Lodge.
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3. That it is an independent self-governing organization, having
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sovereign Masonic authority within its Jurisdiction.
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4. That its ritual is fundamentally in accord with the Ancient
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Landmarks, customs and usages of the Craft. This involves:
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A. Monotheism;
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B. The Volume of the Sacred Law a part of the furniture of the
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Lodge;
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C. Secrecy;
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D. The Symbolism of the operative art;
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E. The division of Symbolic Masonry into the three adherers of
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Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason;
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F. The Legend of the Third degree;
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5. That it makes Masons of men only;
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6. That it is non-sectarian and non-political; i.e., that its
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dominant purposes are charitable, benevolent, educational and
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religious.
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NEW YORK
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Before a recommendation of Fraternal recognition of a foreign Grand
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Body may be submitted, it shall be ascertained by the committee on
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Foreign Correspondence:
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I. That such Grand Body has been formed lawfully by at least three
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just and duly constituted Lodges, or that it has been legalized
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by charter or other valid act issuing from the Grand Lodge of
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New York or from a Grand Body in fraternal relations with this
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Grand Lodge;
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II. That it is a responsible, independent, self-governing
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organization with sole, undisputed and exclusive authority over
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the Symbolic Lodges of its Jurisdiction, and not in any sense
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whatever subject to, or dividing such authority with, a Supreme
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Council or other Power claiming ritualistic or other supervision
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or control;
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III. That its membership is composed of men exclusively, and
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that it entertains no Masonic relations with Mixed Lodges or
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Bodies admitting women into their fellowship;
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IV. That it adheres in principle to the Ancient Landmarks,
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traditions, customs and usages of the Craft; as set forth in the
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Constitutions adopted by the Grand Lodge of England in 1723;
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V. That it meets in particular the following tests which the Grand
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Lodge of New York considers essential to acceptance of a foreign
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Grand Body into its fellowship;
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(1) Acknowledgment of a belief in God, the Father of men,
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(2) Belief in immortality,
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(3) Presence of the Three Great Lights of Masonry in the
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Lodges while at work, chief among them the Sacred Book of
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Divine Law,
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(4) Exclusion of controversial, political and sectarian
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religious discussions from the Lodges and from all meetings
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held under the auspices of a Lodge.
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VI. While the Grand Lodge of New York claims exclusive Jurisdiction
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in the territory in which it is the Supreme Masonic authority,
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it recognizes that the law of exclusive territorial
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Jurisdiction, while firmly established in the United States and
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many other countries, is not universally accepted and does not
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constitute an Ancient Landmark of the Universal Craft. To the
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end that no unwarranted impediment may exclude from our
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fellowship such Grand Bodies as are sharing the same territory
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with others by mutual consent, we shall accept such mutual
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consent as entitling the several Grand Bodies included therein
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to Fraternal consideration, providing the applicant for
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recognition does not presume to establish Lodges in, a territory
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occupied by a lawful Grand Lodge, without the expressed assent
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of such Supreme Governing Body.
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It is to be noted that all Grand Lodges of the continental United
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States recognize and are in Fraternal relations with all the others.
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This state of affairs has not always existed - indeed, the last two
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“sore spots” were removed within the last few years. But the
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differences which at one time separated some of our Grand Lodges from
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others have all disappeared, been adjusted or are better understood,
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so that peace and harmony prevails Masonically in this Nation.
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One United States Grand Lodge, for reasons which to her are wise and
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sufficient, has severed relations with the Grand Lodge of the
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Philippine Islands (as have the Grand Lodges of England, Ireland and
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Scotland) but all Grand Lodges in this nation unite in hoping the
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differences can be healed.
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The period of rapid spread of Freemasonry from land to land, or
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course, is over, but with new political divisions resulting from a
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remaking of the world’s maps, new Grand Lodges are still coming into
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being, many of them not recognized by many of the older
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Jurisdictions, and as such, not on the “visiting list” of Masons of
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these obedience.
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American Masonic universality exists; it is possible for a Mason from
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any Lodge in the Continental United States (including Alaska) to
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knock upon the door of any other Lodge in the United States
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(including Alaska) and, if he proves himself, and the brethren and
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Master are willing to receive him, visit. But any United States
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Freemason desiring to visit Lodges abroad is wise if he first
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satisfies himself - which he mat do by reading his current Grand
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Lodge “Proceedings”, or asking his Grand Secretary - that the Lodge
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or Lodges he proposes to visit owe obedience to a Grand Lodge with
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which his own Grand Lodge is in Fraternal relations.
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