‘A look inside Strict Observance Lodge’

      

GCR

Did you know the Grand College of Rites has aprons? They are available, at $70, by mailing your check(!), payable to the Grand College of Rites, to PO Box 550, Black Mountain, NC 28711-0550. We certainly may wear these at the Annual Convocation in Virginia during Masonic Week each February, says Grand Registrar Rick, and also where your grand lodge permits diversity in clothing when, for example, we present educational talks based on Collectanea, and about the GCR, etc.

The new Collectanea, the annual transactions of the Grand College of Rites, has been reaching mailboxes lately. Volume 26, Part 3, titled History and Ritual of the Strict Observance Lodge St. Andrew of the Three Sea-Leaves (1767-90), contains the history and ritual of the Strict Observance Lodge &c., &c. And there are “bye-laws” too. This is a hefty volume of more than 200 pages, as opposed to the skinny editions of recent years. It is very interesting though, even to me, and I’m not drawn to Templar and Templar-derivative stuff, like Strict Observance. (Here in New York City, we used to have Lodge of Strict Observance 94, but I don’t know its origins or fate.)

A few items that stand out:

In the Ritual of the First Degree, the Rite of Destitution is described by the lodge Master: “You were then stripped bare and deprived of all metal. Money, honor, treasures are external things which are subject to corruption and changes of fortune. Anything that is subject to external accident and change cannot possibly constitute our true happiness. We therefore undressed you in order to lead you back to yourself alone, so that you might seek your only happiness in yourself, in the true greatness of your soul.”

The correct book cover, albeit with a typo.

An alternative version in the footnotes reads: “By your discarding and leaving behind all metals, we sought to remind you of the state of innocence, when you did not need them; at the same time, we wanted to give you the warning not to build your happiness on a perishable and destructible treasure.”

In the Apprentice Degree, the initiate receives the name Tubal Cain.

The “symbol of the Apprentices” is “A column shattered at the top, but standing firm on its base, with the inscription: adhuc stat.” [“It still stands.”]

Emperor Joseph II’s historic decree on Freemasonry, called Freimaurerpatent, is quoted. Regulation 2 is interesting:

Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor

Masonic gatherings shall not be permitted in any county town where there is no regional government office, still less in the countryside or, in the case of a private individual, at his country-seat, and in respect of the holding of such gatherings the same bounty shall be set for their detection and punishment as exists by charter for games of chance, because every assembly of different classes of people cannot be left to itself, but must be under the known direction and supervision of tried and tested men, and those who act contrary to this should also be personally punished for disobedience.

And in that Code of Lodge Bye-Laws we find scores of detailed instructions on acceptable behavior. And there are detailed job descriptions for officers. Being in my final weeks as Tiler of The American Lodge of Research, I was attracted to:

Instructions for the Brother Tyler

or Decorator

1. The Brother Tyler or Decorator shall arrange the decoration and lighting of the Lodge.

2. If any decorative items are missing or damaged, he shall report it to the Brother Steward.

3. He is assigned to the Brother Steward, whose orders he must carry out.

4. He is subordinate to the Master of Ceremonies, whose orders he must carry out.

5. He shall instruct the Serving Brethren, indicate to them their proper places at Reception and Table Lodges, and hire them to serve at them, but he must also see to it that at Table Lodges they receive a little entertainment and are not forgotten.

6. When one Lodge has something to communicate to another, or a Visiting Brother of distinction has been invited, then it is his duty to deliver the tickets to the proper place.

Collectanea for 2025 is an engrossing read thanks to the intricate details that show us how a late eighteenth century lodge in Europe operated. The Templar aspect isn’t distracting at all. In fact, I doubt a modern commandery member would have any interest in reading this book. Even the seventy “bye-laws” of Lodge St. Andrew of the Three Sea-Leaves, which are said to originate “from the period of the Templar System,” read like Masonic regulations one would expect from that time and place.

If you are not a member (our members are styled Fellows) of the Grand College of Rites, but you are interested in quirky Masonic history and rituals, please consider joining. The GCR keeps things simple: one meeting per annum, $20 dues, one mission, perfect. Click here.