‘Recap of the researchers conference’

    

I’m still catching up on What I Did on My Summer Vacation blogging and, since it’s been two months already, let me report on William O. Ware Lodge of Research’s long anticipated “Exploring the Role of Masonic Research Lodges in the 21st Century” conference in Lexington, Kentucky nine Saturdays ago. Produced with the assistance of Lexington Lodge 1, the Rubicon Masonic Society, the Philalethes Society, and others, this day of panel discussions addressed six topics that mostly were for consideration of the future of these peculiar lodges we love so much.

New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786 was represented by Bro. Sal Corelli and myself. (He and I had been bumping into each other all summer, first at the Masonic Restoration Foundation in Ontario, then the John Skene Conference, and again in Kentucky.) I guess I was representing The American Lodge of Research and Civil War Lodge of Research also.

The banquet room.

The night before the conference, we gathered at Spindletop Hall for Rubicon’s Thirteenth Annual Festive Board. We guests were sad to hear how keynote speaker John L. Cooper, Past Grand Master of California, wouldn’t be joining us, but our hosts adroitly surrogated MW David Cameron of Ontario. He presented a most encouraging talk—a true story of his lodge’s efforts to prove the provenance of a cherished gavel gifted by Rudyard Kipling. I am kicking myself now because I didn’t take notes. Seating was crowded in the banquet room and I wasn’t planning on continuing all this blogging, so I ruled against pressing my notebook into my salad and elbowing my unlucky neighbor to the right while jotting down details. Nor did I shoot photos.

MW David Cameron

From what I can recall, Bro. David’s lodge possesses a gavel that, according to lore, was presented by the eminent author during the 1930s. It’s not that there were skeptics rejecting the tale, but the story was so lacking in details that current lodge brothers wondered about its accuracy. Fortunately, the lodge archives its books of minutes, correspondence, and other records that excite research Masons, so into the vault the seekers went. These records were not organized systematically, so finding the meeting minutes that noted receipt of the gift took time. Also, not a lot of information in that but, equipped with a date, the researchers dived into the lodge’s ancient mail to hunt for a letter that might explain what happened. In the end, notes to Kipling and, later, from his widow provided the facts behind how our historic brother sent the gavel to this lodge. (This is blogging malpractice. The story related that night was pregnant with particulars and was revealed with building suspense. I apologize for not having more to share, but the memory fails.)

The Festive Board was enthralling. Not everyone knows how to do this but, believe me, if every lodge hosted a monthly Festive Board of this excellence, any worries of membership retention would dissolve. Great food, the toasts, the Good Fire ritual, the songs, the fellowship, prayer, the chain of union are ingredients of a cheerful time together that only can inspire more time together.

Rubicon Masonic Society

The following morning, back at Spindletop Hall, was the conference. To ease everybody into the forward-leaning subjects, Bro. S. Brent Morris led the first talk, “The Historical Role of Research Lodges & Societies: Lessons from the Past.” It was a comprehensive review. Since you are reading this, I trust you have some knowledge of the history and purposes of research lodges—how Quatuor Coronati 2076 in London was the first and was devoted to debunking the myths and legends that long had passed for Craft history, followed by a few others in England and Ireland, and then several in the United States in the 1930s. The newest, I assume, is Virginia’s Blue Ridge Lodge of Research 1738, set to labor several months ago. I’ll omit all that chronology and instead highlight something he said about some of our earliest literature being expressions of historiography. We’ve all read Rev. James Anderson’s take on Masonic history in his 1723 book The Constitutions of the Free-Masons, and probably all scratched our heads wondering how anyone could begin Freemasonry’s story with Adam, the first man, but that, after all, is one understanding of our history, demonstrating a desire for insights into our past at the start of the grand lodge era.

Session Two brought Bro. David L. Daugherty to the lectern to discuss “Bridging the Gap: Connecting Research Lodges with Regular Lodges.” Daugherty, of Ohio Lodge of Research, wanted us to understand how research is not necessarily education. The former, he says, concerns gaining understanding, and the latter is about sharing. (New Jersey’s lodge is named Lodge of Masonic Research and Education.) Do research lodges have a responsibility to build fundamental understandings for all Masons? He noted how some research lodges have warrants that allow them to travel about their jurisdictions. Audience member Bro. James Buckhorn of Indiana said his grand lodge gives new Master Masons a year’s free membership in their lodge of research. (Something other research lodges should emulate?) “We need to become better educators,” Daugherty said in encouragement. Perhaps that will guarantee the future of research lodges and grand lodges.

MW David Cameron of Ontario.

Bro. David Cameron, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, moderated the next discussion on “Modernizing Masonic Research: Embracing Technology and Digital Tools.” Tech is not my thing, to put it simply, so I was relieved to hear the talk was in language I understood. Cameron urged us all to spend the necessary funds to digitize our research and make it available on the web. Bro. Buckhorn reminded us that digital data are not the ultimate answer some may think, because data can be saved with technologies that inevitably will become obsolete, therefore inventorying physical documents is a must. The platform TeamReach was praised. Bro. Adam Kendall, the new Senior Warden at QC2076, summarized Artificial Intelligence thusly: “A.I. is a shrimp trawler. It scoops from the bottom of the ocean.” Take heed.

For Session Four, Bro. Rich Hanson led us in conversation of “Relevance in the 21st Century: Addressing Contemporary Issues Through Masonic Research.” This was one I dreaded somewhat, having seen “researchers” cherry-pick Masonic historical notes to vindicate their personal politics. (By contrast, when I delve into our past, I’m not above smoking a clay pipe while wearing a yellow jacket and blue breeches.) But my fear was unfounded. Hanson spoke of research lodges as places for sociology where our work might find alignment with today’s issues outside the temple. The goal would be to gain understanding of young people so that Freemasonry might serve the next generation, rather than allow a demographic fate run its course.

Rubicon Masonic Society

Bro. Adam Kendall of QC2076, Philalethes, SRRS, etc. fame.

Next, Bro. Kendall had his own subject to moderate: “The Art of Masonic Research: Developing and Sharing High Quality Work.” Adam should know. As editor of Heredom, a Blue Friar, an author of masterpiece papers, president of Philalethes, and an Honorary Member of Rubicon, he spoke firmly of best practices in conducting research and in writing and presenting research. Objective quality-control, passion, and the “Five C’s of Historical Thinking”—Causality, Change Over Time, Complexity, Context, and Contingency—are secrets to good work, square work.

Bro. Andrew Hammer

Closing the day was Bro. Andrew Hammer, certainly best known as president of the Masonic Restoration Foundation, who presented “The Future of Masonic Research Lodges: A Call to Action.” This was less a group discussion and more of Andrew exploring a tangent to his Observant model of lodge life. He urged everyone to bring our talents and works back to the Craft lodge, that birthplace and nexus of everything Masonic. “Our ritual and the learning that goes along with it—if you break them apart, you break Masonry apart,” he said, recalling to our minds how William Preston authored the text in the 1770s that shaped Masonic thinking as we have it today.

After the conference, the Magpie Mason was invited to dine at the Lexington Club. Feeling like a pair of wet Chuck Taylors at a white tie affair, I nevertheless enjoyed an outstanding meal and conversation with the principals of the Rubicon Society and stars of the conference.

My deep thanks to Bro. John Bizzack, Master of W.O.W.; to Bro. Dan Kemble, the lodge’s Chaplain; to Rubicon Chairman Brian Evans; and to all who made the amazing weekend possible.

Finally, for more on the conference from its participants, just click the image at top. Also, a census of Masonic research lodge Masons is available for your consideration. I’m one of the team that’ll crunch the data, so please participate here.

Our hotel was across from The Square, a city block
of retail, dining, entertainment and more.

     

‘The Mother Lodge’

    

Via Twitter

It’s Mother’s Day here in the United States, so I thought I’d share with you Bro. Rudyard Kipling’s “The Mother Lodge.” (Copied and pasted from the Kipling Society website. Click here for the poem’s context and history.) Kipling was from Lodge Hope and Perseverance 782 (EC) in Punjab, India.

The Mother Lodge

There was Rundle, Station Master,

An’ Beazeley of the Rail,

An’ ’Ackman, Commissariat,

An’ Donkin’ o’ the Jail;

An’ Blake, Conductor-Sergeant,

Our Master twice was ’e,

With im that kept the Europe-shop,

Old Framjee Eduljee.

Outside - “Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!”

Inside - “Brother,” an’ it doesn’t do no ’arm.

We met upon the Level an’ we parted on the Square,

An’ I was Junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!

We’d Bola Nath, Accountant,

An’ Saul the Aden Jew,

An’ Din Mohammed, draughtsman

Of the Survey Office too;

There was Babu Chuckerbutty,

An’ Amir Singh the Sikh,

An’ Castro from the fittin’-sheds,

The Roman Catholick!

We ’adn’t good regalia,

An’ our Lodge was old an’ bare,

But we knew the Ancient Landmarks,

An’ we kep’ ’em to a hair;

An’ lookin’ on it backwards

It often strikes me thus,

There ain’t such things as infidels,

Excep’, per’aps, it’s us.

For monthly, after Labour,

We’d all sit down and smoke

(We dursn’t give no banquets,

Lest a Brother’s caste were broke),

An’ man on man got talkin’

Religion an’ the rest,

An’ every man comparin’

Of the God ’e knew the best.

So man on man got talkin’,

An’ not a Brother stirred

Till mornin’ waked the parrots

An’ that dam’ brain-fever-bird.

We’d say ’twas ’ighly curious,

An’ we’d all ride ’ome to bed,

With Mo’ammed, God, an’ Shiva

Changin’ pickets in our ’ead.

Full oft on Guv’ment service

This rovin’ foot ’ath pressed,

An’ bore fraternal greetin’s

To the Lodges east an’ west,

Accordin’ as commanded.

From Kohat to Singapore,

But I wish that I might see them

In my Mother-Lodge once more!

I wish that I might see them,

My Brethren black an’ brown,

With the trichies smellin’ pleasant

An’ the hog-darn passin’ down;

An’ the old khansamah snorin’

On the bottle-khana floor,

Like a Master in good standing

With my Mother-Lodge once more.

Outside - “Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!”

Inside - “Brother,” an’ it doesn’t do no ’arm.

We met upon the Level an’ we parted on the Square,

An’ I was Junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!

     

‘A ritual in all things.’

     

Bro. Rudyard Kipling

There are a number of reasons why Freemasons should appreciate Rudyard Kipling more than we do today. Of course he was one of Masonry’s great literary figures. He was one of literature’s great smokers. His stories often are so gloriously politically incorrect, one might wonder if such a time had been possible once.

Kipling published “In the Interests of the Brethren” in 1918—a time of disasters: the Great War, the worldwide influenza devastation, the bloodshed of Bolshevism. As you can see in the graphic below, it will be the subject of a reading and discussion done over the web to help keep up the fraternity’s spirits during this most unusual period of absenteeism. (Reason No. 4,267,822 why the Grand Lodge of New York is the center of the Masonic universe in the tri-state area.)

Click here for the text of Kipling’s story.

Click to enlarge.

     

‘The Man Who Would Be on Radio’

     
My compliments to Mt. Zion Masonic Lodge in New Jersey for hosting a novel event later this month: a “radio play” based on Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King. From the publicity:

The Man Who Would Be King—A Staged Radio Play and Immersive Masonic Experience (with themed snacks and drinks) will be presented by Raconteur Radio and Mt. Zion Lodge No. 135 of Free and Accepted Masons.

Tickets cost only $15 per person. Click here.

Based on Rudyard Kipling’s classic yarn, this rousing radio play tells the tall and timeless tale of two rogue soldiers and Freemasons who set off from 19th century British India in search of adventure, and end up as Kings of Kafiristan. It is a time of mission and mystery, of forbidden lands, and of wealth often described as untold. Royal soldiers-cum-con men, Danny and Peachy, climb mountains and cross glaciers to penetrate the forbidden territories where, through luck, battle, and a series of Masonic coincidences, they realize their wildest dreams.

Featuring Jeff Maschi as Brother Daniel Dravot, Carlyle Owens as Brother Peachy Carnehan, and Laurence Mintz as Rudyard Kipling and Billy Fish.

With theatrical lighting, vintage commercials, Golden Age radio equipment, special fog effects, and, of course, hundreds of sound effects.

Plus jazz vocalist Danielle Illario singing Kipling’s “Road to Manderlay.”

Also a special introduction by Lee Pfeiffer, editor of Cinema Retro, a British magazine devoted to the films of the 1960s and ’70s. Pfeffer, a renowned “James Bond scholar,” is the author of The Films of Sean Connery.” (Connery plays Dravot in the film version of the story.)

The event will be held in Metuchen’s own Masonic lodge, with only one showing, at 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 18. Ticket includes a tour of the lodge and Masonic artifacts, snacks, and drinks, (provided by the Borough Improvement League), and the play.

Raconteur Radio stages theatrical presentations of vintage radio plays, classic works of literature, and pop culture parodies for live audiences throughout the tri-state area. For more info, click here.