Growing Atheist Population May Affect Future Freemasonry

The Grand Lodge of Scotland is looking into the future about a subject that rarely occurs to most of us within the fraternity - the decreasing population of men who actually believe in a Supreme Being. And the numbers don't look good in the UK, at least, and Scotland in particular.

From the Herald Scotland website Friday:

Scotland's Freemasons have admitted that their future may be under threat because of the rise of atheism.

Senior figures in the organisation have reportedly expressed concern over the number of people turning their backs on religion, with about half the country now saying they do not attend church.

Individuals can only be initiated into the Grand Lodge of Scotland if they state their belief in a "supreme being", something at odds with an increasingly Godless society.

The lodge posted a chart based on the 2011 census on its official Facebook page, showing that people living north of the border are most likely to declare they follow no particular faith.

The page stated: "This graphic fortells of a looming problem and it is one that will be upon us sooner or later." The Grand Lodge declined to comment further, but key figures within the organisation are believed to consider the census findings a long-term problem.

Last year the male-only organisation revealed that its number of new recruits had fallen to around 2,000 today from a high of 45,000 a century ago.

The [United] Grand Lodge of England acknowledged the concerns of its sister organisation, but said that it was more upbeat about its own future.

Mike Baker, its director of communications, said: "Our present experience is that whilst formal religious observance is on the delcine, most people still have some form of personal faith or belief system."

The actual article referenced on the GL of Scotland's Facebook page reads:

 DIVINING THE FUTURE

Freemasons are not all that good at planning, at least not long term planning. That is one reason why, despite the insistence of the conspiracy theorists, we don't rule the world! We couldn't even if we wanted to!!

This graphic foretells of a looming problem and is one that will be upon us sooner rather than later. The younger generations of Freemasons will be the ones who will have to deal with the problem - unless some thought is given to it now.

To avoid prejudicing the debate we make no comment at this time but please have a look at the graphic and let us know that you think the future of Regular Freemasonry will be...

(Click chart to enlarge.)

Habemus Papam! AASR-NMJ Announces Next Sovereign Grand Commander

The Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite - Northern Masonic Jurisdiction  has officially announced the next Sovereign Grand Commander who will succeed Illustrious John W. McNaughton when he retires next year: Illus. David A. Glattly, 33° of New Jersey.

From the Supreme Council's website today:

Scottish Rite Sovereign Grand Commander John William McNaughton has the pleasure to announce to the membership today that Active Member, David A. Glattly, 33°, will succeed him as leader of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction upon his retirement in August 2017. 

“To our valued members and Brothers,” said Commander McNaughton, “I could not be more pleased to inform you that the Supreme Council’s nominating committee has named David Glattly as your next Sovereign Grand Commander. Brother Glattly has been an active and honored Freemason for more than 40 years, and a member of the Scottish Rite for nearly three decades. Our fraternity will be led by a good man who serves from his heart. He will shoulder great responsibility with intelligence, experience, dedication, and grace.” 

The appointment of Brother Glattly marks the first time a new Scottish Rite leader has been announced a year prior to taking office. “These are challenging times for Freemasonry,” said Commander McNaughton. “Your Scottish Rite leadership and I feel it is important to have a thorough and seamless transition for our Fraternity.” Commander McNaughton and Brother Glattly will consult together over the next 12 months to continue the work “we began a decade ago—shifting the priorities of Northern Masonic Jurisdiction back to caring for our members, and bringing compassion to the forefront of our Fraternity,” he said. 

Said Brother Glattly, “I am extremely proud and humbled to be nominated as the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction’s new Sovereign Grand Commander. It is truly the honor of my lifetime. From my time as a young man in DeMolay, the ideals and ageless standards of our Craft have been central to my life. I can vow to all members that I will work to my highest abilities to serve you, and champion the future of this vibrant, historic, and vital organization.” 

Brother Glattly began his Masonic career by joining Clifton Chapter, Order of DeMolay in 1970, eventually serving as State Master Councilor of New Jersey. He was raised a Master Mason in Clifton Lodge #203, Clifton, New Jersey in 1975. He served as Worshipful Master in 1995, and as the Grand Marshal of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey in 1998. He became an Active Member of the DeMolay Supreme Council in 1994 and served as Executive Officer in New Jersey from 1999-2004. In New Jersey Freemasonry, he was awarded the prestigious Daniel Coxe Medal for distinguished service to the Craft. 

Glattly completed the degrees of the Scottish Rite in 1987. He was created a Sovereign Grand Inspector General, 33°, Honorary Member of the Supreme Council in 2000 at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He was crowned an Active Member at Boston, Massachusetts in 2002. He is also a member of Salaam Temple, AAONMS; Hugh DePaynes Commandery #1, St. Joseph Conclave, Red Cross of Constantine, among numerous other Masonic organizations. 

He and his wife Monica live in Hawthorne, New Jersey. They have two children, son Matthew and daughter Jessica.

This is simply the decision of the nominating committee. The actual official election for the position will take place next year at the  2017 Annual Meeting in Rochester, New York. 

MSA Establishes Disaster Relief Fund for Louisiana

The Masonic Service Association has established a Disaster Relief Fund for Louisiana, following drenching rainstorms and massive flooding. Thousands of homes and buildings have been damaged or destroyed, with 70,000 persons reportedly displaced.

The magnitude of the storm was described by the America Red Cross as the “worst natural disaster in the United States” since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Recovery is expected to take months, and the lack of communication in flooded areas continues to cause issues in finding information and victims. 

The Grand Lodge of Louisiana reported that two Lodge buildings have been heavily flooded, and the building of the Scottish Rite Valley of Baton Rouge, which houses three additional Lodges, incurred significant amounts of flooding and damage. Many Masons and Masonic families are among the 70,000 displaced. 

More information and details to send in donations are on their webpage, and donations may be made on the webpage with the use of a credit card. This allows funds to reach their destination faster.

CLICK HERE

Nude Trump Statues Appear With Masonic Rings

PLEASE TAKE NOTE: I am taking no public sides in the current political debate regarding the run for the presidency. I am simply reporting this peculiar development.

The latest exhibits of intelligent political commentary and discourse this election cycle have mysteriously appeared in several major cities across the U.S. today in the form of portly, nude caricature statues of Donald Trump. I will bypass the low-hanging fruit of commenting on the common criticisms among more purportedly "progressive" members of society against those who engage in "body shaming."  But one does wonder what the public reaction would be to a similar erection of Mrs. Clinton. 

I will simply leave it to your own discretion to search for more revealing images of them online.

But I am posting this carefully cropped image of one of these alleged artistic representations to point out that the reputed Las Vegas-based sculptor included a Masonic ring on the right hand of Mr. Trump. I suspect it is supposed to make a visual accusation of the common "New World Order" cliché that traditionally pops up around political candidates every four years. (If you really feel the inclination, click the image above to enlarge.)

The statues were installed by an "activist collective" that goes by the name INDECLINE. 

In any case, just for the record, Mr. Trump is not known to actually be a member of the Masonic fraternity.

(By the way, don't bother attempting to post a link to this story on Facebook. Mr. Zuckerberg's robotic censors have had a sudden, unexpected attack of good taste and are blocking it.)

UPDATE 8/28/16:

Brother Greg Stewart over at the Freemason Information blogsite actually got in touch with the artist, "Ginger" (aka Joshua Monroe) who sculpted the statues to personally find out why the Masonic ring was included on Trump's finger.

Read it here.

MM Degree Aboard USS Lexington 9/10

On Saturday, September 10th, Oso Naval Lodge No. 1282 in Corpus Christi, Texas will confer the Master Mason degree aboard the U.S.S. Lexington CV-16. Masonic degrees have previously been performed on board the aircraft carrier since she was permanently docked in 1992. The event is in conjunction with the Grand Lodge's Officers Leadership Training Program. 

The degree will be presented in the onboard three-story tall Mega-theater, built in the original forward aircraft elevator, which has seating for 193.

Lodge will open onboard at 8:00PM, and the degree will begin at 8:15PM. 

Tell the admissions office that you are with the Masons, and you will be required to present a current dues card.  Aprons will be provided, but please bring your own in case the supply runs low.

The Lexington was commissioned February 17, 1943, serving the United States longer and setting more records than any other aircraft carrier in the history of naval aviation. The Japanese erroneously reported Lexington sunk on four different occasions during WWII, leading Tokyo Rose to nickname her "The Blue Ghost." Lexington was the oldest working carrier in the U.S. Navy when decommissioned in 1991.

For more information contact District Instructor Mike King at 361-696-1585.

Click the flier below for details.

St. Patrick's Lodge #4 in Johnstown, NY Celebrates 250th This Weekend

This weekend, St. Patrick's Lodge No. 4 in Johnstown, New York will celebrate its historic 250th anniversary of receiving their charter. 

From the Leader Herald website:

This year is the 250th anniversary of one of the oldest Masonic lodges in New York state, and it stands in the heart of the city.

St. Patrick's Lodge No. 4 - the stately structure at 22 N. Perry St. [in Johnstown, NY] - has been a fraternal meeting place for countless area Masons. The lodge was chartered on May 23, 1766.

[snip]

"We're unique in that we have the original jewels, the original charter and the original minutes from 1766 to the present," Schermerhorn said.

St. Patrick's Lodge Secretary Sean Gittens said St. Patrick's Lodge No. 4 is the fourth oldest lodge in New York state. He said each state has what is considered a Grand Lodge, and the Johnstown lodge is even older than New York state's Grand Lodge, which is located in New York City.

Gittens said the local lodge has a current roster of 133 members.

"It was going down," Schermerhorn said of membership. "We've had a resurgence the last few years."

Traditionally, Masonic lodges don't actively recruit new members, but men who hear about Masonry through word of mouth and express an interest are welcome to inquire about joining.

The three original officers named in St. Patrick's Lodge charter included Sir William Johnson as master; Guy Johnson as senior warden; Daniel Claus as junior warden; and John Butler as secretary.

The first recorded meeting of the lodge was held on Aug. 23, 1766. Except for a period of time during the Revolutionary War - May 5, 1774, to Feb. 2, 1786 - the lodge has met continuously ever since. There was a lull in its activities during the anti-Masonic period. The lodge met but once a year to elect officers, and no new candidates were initiated from 1831 to 1843.

The local lodge plans to celebrate its history.

"We've got a busy weekend planned," Gittens said.

From 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Friends of Johnson Hall will host a reception and tours of the Johnson Hall State Historic Site for Masonic brethren.

Members will assemble at the lodge at 8:30 a.m. Saturday for a 9 a.m.parade in the city. The parade will be around one block from the lodge, and members will stop at St. John's Episcopal Church's Courtyard for a memorial service for Sir William Johnson at his gravesite.

"He created St. Patrick's Lodge," Gittens noted.

After that, the parade marches back to the lodge.

A ceremonial event will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday at the original lodge and original rooms where it was formed at Johnson Hall in 1766. Grand Lodge officers will preside. It is anticipated only Grand Lodge and St. Patrick's Lodge officers and special guests will be admitted as there is only room for a maximum of 40 to 50 people.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, there will be a rededication of St. Patrick's Lodge by the grand master and grand line officers of the Grand Lodge of New York. The charter will be read. A historical lecture will also be presented by two guest speakers from Hamilton College.

The lodge will conduct a banquet for members at 5 p.m. in the lodge dining room.

A breakfast at the dining room will be conducted from 6:30 to 10 a.m. Aug. 21.

A lecture by Joscelyn Godwin and Christian Goodwillie will be given at 1 p.m. Aug. 21 at Johnson Hall. They will discuss early New York Freemasonry and examples of Masonic architecture and symbolic artwork. An open house featuring an exhibit of the original jewels, minutes book and charter of St. Patrick's Lodge, a book signing by the authors of "Symbols in the Wilderness: Early Masonic Survivals in Upstate New York" and light refreshments will follow the lecture.

For the rest of the article, CLICK HERE. 

The event page on Facebook is HERE. Reservations for Friday's Johnson Hall event and Saturday evening's banquet are needed BY TODAY, August 15th (my apologies, I just found out about it). Contact Michael Millias or Sean Gittens directly. Sean's email is HERE.

225th Anniversary of Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge #2 in Cincinnati 9/10

On September 8, 1791, the Grand Lodge of New Jersey granted a charter to a small group of pioneers living in Cincinnati, a newly settled town tucked in the southwest corner of the untamed Ohio Valley.  The dangers of the frontier delayed the charter for more than three years, but in December of 1794, the first members of Nova Caesarea Lodge No. 10 met to elect their officers. 

Subsequently, Cincinnati Lodge No. 13 was chartered in 1806 by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, made up of members who had originally formed Nova Caesarea Lodge No. 10 under their New Jersey charter fifteen years before. They returned the charter to that grand lodge prior to requesting a new one from the closer Grand Lodge of Kentucky.

Even though Ohio had statehood approved by Thomas Jefferson in 1803, it would take until 1808 for Cincinnati Lodge to join with five others to form the new Grand Lodge of Ohio. But at 225 years old, the renumbered and renamed Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge No. 2, as it has been known since 1813, is one of Ohio’s oldest Lodges, predating the Grand Lodge and even Ohio’s own admission into statehood. 

On September 10th, 2016, the Grand Lodges of Ohio, New Jersey and Kentucky will come together and celebrate the 225th anniversary of the founding of the original Nova Caesarea Lodge No. 10 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Lodge will open at noon, and the keynote speaker for the event will be RW Moises Gomez, Past Grand Historian of the Grand lodge of New Jersey.

Dinner will be at the Glendale Lyceum at 6PM, and a cash bar will be available. The venue is located at 865 Congress Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio.

For reservations, please call (513) 771-8383. Reservations MUST BE MADE no later than August 20th. There is no charge for members of the lodge, but other Masons and their guests will be charged $15 per person, or $25 per couple.

For more information, contact RW Moises Gomez at gomez1rego@aol.com

2016 Masonic Society Conference: "Freemasonry on the Frontier" 10/7-9

The 2016 conference of The Masonic Society will take place this year October 7-9, at Morgan Hill Masonic Lodge in Morgan Hill, California (just twenty minutes from the San Jose International Airport). The theme of the conference will be “FREEMASONRY ON THE FRONTIER,” the role of Masonry in the westward expansion of the US and Canada.

The conference will begin Friday evening with an informal dinner and end with lunch on Sunday. A tour of the Winchester Mystery House—possibly haunted and with Masonic connections—will be offered Sunday at 2.

More information is available at the Conference website HERE.

Scheduled Speakers:

Samuel Langhorn Clemens: Brother Samuel Clemens was made a Mason in 1861, at Polar Star Lodge 79, St. Louis, MO. His many literary works (often published under the pen name Mark Twain) include “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” (set less than 135 miles from the site of this conference) and Roughing It, an account of Clemens’s life and travel on the Western frontier. Clemens’s 'appearance' is made possible by WB Jefferson H. Jordan, Jr., immediate past grand master of Masons in New Mexico and an authority on Clemens’s life and work.

Mark A. Tabbert: "George Washington and the Masonic Frontiers of the 1700's"Worshipful Brother Mark Tabbert has served as curator of the Scottish Rite National Heritage Museum, and is currently director of collections at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, VA. He is past master of Mystic Valley Lodge, Arlington, MA, and the Lodge of Nine Muses 1776, Washington DC. He is a full member of Quatour Coronati Lodge 2076, London, and a member of the Society of Blue Friars.

John Bizzack, PhD: "The Expansion of Freemasonry into the West: The Pivotal Role of Kentucky, 1788-1810"Worshipful Brother John Bizzack is a twenty-five-year veteran of the Lexington (KY) Police Department and, more recently, Commissioner of the Department of Criminal Justice Training for the Kentucky Justice Cabinet.

John Cooper, PhD: "Freemasonry and Nation-Building on the Pacific Coast: The California Experience"MWB John Cooper is a past grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of California, having served for almost eighteen years when he retired in 2008. In 2013-2014 he served as grand master of Masons in California. He holds a PhD in education from Claremont Graduate School, and before becoming grand secretary, he held various teaching and administrative posts in the public schools of California.

Prices vary, from $100 for the complete weekend's program, to $50 for the speakers' sessions without meals.  PLEASE REGISTER ONLINE VIA THE EVENTBRITE WEBSITE, HERE.

A discounted hotel rate of $139.00 per night is available at the Courtyard by Marriott Morgan Hill, 18610 Madrone Pkwy, Morgan Hill, CA 95037. Telephone: 408-782-6034 and mention The Masonic Society to get the discounted rate. (NOTE: the hotel link on the current TMS website for the Conference appears to be incorrect at this time, so telephone the hotel. I will change this here if I get updated information.)

For questions, contact the Conference coordinator at conference2016@themasonicsociety.com

The Unsung Heroes of Online Masonic Education & Research

Over the years, several websites have quietly become the repository of an astonishing pile of research material about Freemasonry that are a godsend for anyone hunting quick information on myriad Masonic topics. Seasoned researchers know about them, but newer Masons may not be aware of them. So I wanted to take the opportunity to give a shout out to several of them and their dedicated content creators. These brethren provide an incredible resource and are unsung heroes for it.

First is the amazing website of the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, and their longtime webmaster Trevor McKeown. The range of topics  on the site can be seen HERE, and it explores well researched articles of biographies, customs, paraphernalia, anti-Masonry, symbolism, ritual, jurisprudence, and much, much more. If you are stuck for an answer to a general question about Freemasonry, this is a good place to start. 

Brother McKeown is not that widely known outside of his jurisdiction, and his name doesn't often pop up when the best known living Masonic scholars are discussed. That's a crying shame, because he is dedicated and meticulous at what he does, and deserves the thanks of all of us.

Next up is Brother Ed King's Anti-Masonry Points of View website. His extensive site has been online since 1998 and is largely dedicated to the eternal struggle against anti-Masonry and bogus pseudo-masonic organizations. He is opinionated, occasionally sarcastic - and absolutely indefatigable at tracking down Masonry's detractors and frauds.  On the side, he has also reviewed a wide variety of Masonic books, and they are available on the site, as well. 

Ed has slowed down a little bit in recent years, along with being drafted into more work for the Grand Lodge of Maine, so updates have not been as regular lately. Nevertheless, his site is a great one for peering into a world most of us don't encounter on a daily basis, but flourishes largely unfettered online. Ed calls them like he sees them. It's a thankless crusade, and he handles it with a sense of humor.

Third up is Paul M. Bessel's Homepage. His Masonic topics START HERE. Like Ed, Brother Paul started his Masonic pages in 1998, and his site tends to be more historically and statistically oriented. He is a member of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, and is the go to source of information featuring stats and graphs about Masonry in DC, the US, Europe, and Prince Hall jurisdictions, including recognition issues. He also explores historical topics, such as Founding fathers who were and were not Masons, and those involved in pivotal roles during and after the American Revolution. There is much, much more buried in the site. It suffers a bit from odd formatting, so you have to poke around to find hidden gems. 

Unfortunately, Paul has curtailed most of his Masonic activities recently and has stopped updating the site. That's a shame for us all, but we should be grateful for the massive work he accomplished before losing interest. He does remain a member, so perhaps he will return in future. He has been a dedicated contributor to Masonic research, and deserves our deepest appreciation.

And no mention of online Masonic resources would be complete without pointing to David Lettelier's Phoenixmasonry Masonic Museum and Library. Over many years, he and his fellow contributors have amassed an enormous online collection of images of Masonic objects, collectables, and other ephemera, along with online texts of rare books and magazines like the famous The Builder, and many more. If you are hunting an image or description of an unidentifiable piece of Masonic collectanea, it's likely to be here.

There are certainly many other sites that are great repositories of great Masonic information, like the Masonic Renewal Committee, the Online Masonic Research Institute, the Knights of the North's Masonic Dictionary, the Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry, the Educator, the Masonic Awareness at the Speed of Light lecture series, Guy Chassagnard's The Old Charges collection, 3-5-7 Productions' Masonic Education Papers, Gary Dryfoos' A Page About Freemasonry (one of the first), the Phylaxis Society Prince Hall Masonic Research pages (especially their very detailed Commission on Bogus Masonic Practices section), and many, many more.  Forgive me if I've left out your favorite, although many others are listed in the Links column over on the right side of this page, down a little ways.

These brethren all deserve our deepest appreciation for their work, so if you visit their sites - and especially if you use their information in papers, books, or websites - please acknowledge them as a source, and take a moment to drop them a quick e-mail and thank them for their labors.

Vancouver, WA Masonic Center Lost Due To Embezzlement

A Masonic center in Vancouver, Washington has lost its building and charity funds from internal theft by an unscrupulous treasurer, who has subsequently been sentenced to three years in prison. Over a six year period, Jay Garland stole over $800,000 from the temple association. The center was home to 13 lodges, youth groups, and other Masonic organizations and charities.  

From The Columbian website:

Jesten Jay Galland III

A former mortgage adviser was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for embezzling nearly $800,000 from the Vancouver Masonic Temple while serving as the organization’s treasurer.

Just before Jesten Jay Galland III, 47, was sentenced, the organization’s leaders revealed that the monetary loss from his thefts has forced them to put the Vancouver Masonic Center, 2500 N.E. 78th St., up for sale.

“That building is not really financially viable right now,” said Leigh Cahill, master of Washington Lodge No. 4. “That doesn’t mean there won’t be a Masonic Center. It just won’t be that building.”

Washington Lodge No. 4 is one of four Masonic lodges that call the center home. The others are Mount Hood Lodge No. 32, Ridgefield Daylight No. 237 and Vancouver No. 47 — Prince Hall Mason.

About 30 people associated with the Masonic Center attended Galland’s sentencing hearing Wednesday. Those who spoke asked the judge to give Galland the maximum sentence allowed by the law. They also described some of the ripple effects of Galland’s crimes.

In addition to selling the Masonic Center, Masons have been unable to fund their college scholarship programs and charitable contributions, including to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Relay for Life, youth groups and local high school fundraisers, Cahill said.

“He always came across to me as a model of what I wanted to be,” Mason Steven Thompson said of Galland. “That trust is now violated.”

Galland faced up to three years and seven months in prison for the crime. However, Deputy Prosecutor Michelle Nisle agreed to recommend the three-year sentence and to dismiss 46 charges in exchange for Galland’s admission of guilt. 

Galland pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court on Aug. 27 to nine counts of second-degree identity theft and agreed to repay the $800,000 he stole in the form of restitution. The dismissed charges included seven counts of first-degree theft, seven counts of first-degree identity theft, 16 counts of forgery, eight counts of unlawful possession of payment instruments and eight counts of money laundering.

Judge Greg Gonzales said that in deference to the hard work of Nisle and Galland’s defense attorney, W. Todd Pascoe, he would reluctantly follow the recommended sentence of three years.

“You were there to lead, to organize these people, and you let them down by your conduct,” Gonzales told Galland.

Mason Jonathan Gill said the sentence was too lenient.

“Restitution is a joke,” Gill said. “We’ll never get that money back.”

To read the rest of the article, CLICK HERE.

The lodges are now renting space in the lower level of the Vancouver Elks Lodge hall at 11605 SE McGillivary Blvd, and are making renovations to that space to make it suitable for Masonic activities. For information about how to help the Vancouver Masonic Temple, visit www.vancouvermasoniccenter.org 

And if your Masonic organization (or ANY volunteer organization) doesn't have a policy in place for annual audit committees, RIGHT NOW is the time to demand them. If your lodge put you on an audit committee and you don't have the first clue how to go about it, here's a thumbnail guide from January's Masonic Service Association bulletin. CLICK HERE.

UGLE Meets the Press, With Predictable Results

The danger of going to the press to discuss Freemasonry can best be illustrated by what appeared this morning in Britain.

Something tells me that the United Grand Lodge of England had the very best of intentions when they invited the Independent reporter in to have a chin wag about their future plans and the upcoming tricentennial celebration next year. They were quite open and honest with the guy about declining membership numbers and their programs and policies designed to interest and retain potential millennial Masons in the fraternity. Indeed, the reporter included those strategies down in the article: the upcoming video, the Universities Scheme's 55 lodges, reduced dues prices, the redesigned logo (oy!), and all the rest did, in fact, get into print. 

But in the very finest Fleet Street journalistic tradition, the playbook always requires a big sneer at Masonry right off the bat, and a few smaller ones sprinkled throughout (such as the obligatory "rolled up trouser leg" reference that is in almost every single story you can find in the UK press, the hidden inclusion of the word "conspiracy" in the hyperlink of the story, and of course, the requisite no-women mention). In this case it starts with the very headline that might just as well have been written for the Past Bastard parody website:

Older freemasons told to smile and stop criticising in bid to attract millennials: Senior brethren told to look like they are enjoying themselves as recruiting younger members is hailed as the new hope for halting the decline of freemasonry 

According to the file name of the image, they had to go back to 1992 to find a photo to illustrate their headline of a clot of grim faced, old white guys in their regalia glowering for the camera at the apparently constipating notion of actually having to sit in lodge with someone who's not a pensioner with one foot in the grave.  And just to make sure it brings home their preconceived notion, they kick it right off in the lede:

Older freemasons are being told to smile, look like they are enjoying themselves, and avoid criticising as the movement seeks to keep millennial masons happy and halt a decline in membership that has seen lodges closing at a rate of nearly 100 a year for the past decade.

Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes, second only to the Grand Master the Duke of Kent, the Queen’s cousin, told senior brethren gathered in the Grand Temple, wearing white gloves, aprons and, if suitably qualified, the Royal Arch Breast Jewel: “I am not for one minute suggesting we try to turn our meetings into a pantomime, but most certainly I am saying there is no harm in being seen to enjoy ourselves.”

Mr Lowndes, 68, an Old Etonian chartered surveyor, issued his plea as English and Welsh freemasonry takes the extraordinary step of welcoming in a documentary film crew while preparing to celebrate its 300th anniversary against a backdrop of steadily declining membership numbers.
Figures seen by The Independent show that the number of lodges on the register of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), the governing body of English and Welsh freemasonry, has gone down from 8,389 in 2006 to 7,401 today – equivalent to a loss of almost 99 lodges a year.

UGLE documents show that in the second quarter of this year alone, 37 lodges closed while only two new lodges opened, a net loss of 35.

While the UGLE reported 270,000 individual masons in 2007, the current membership is 204,775 – a drop of 24 per cent to well below half the peak of more than 500,000 masons that freemasonry experienced in the immediate post-war years.

But while membership has declined among all other age groups, among millennials aged 21 to 30 it has increased by 7.65 per cent in the past two years.

Although still only 2 per cent of the total membership, 21- to 30-year-olds have now been described by Freemasonry Today, the official journal of the UGLE, as “a significant reprieve from a death knell for us all".

Already efforts to attract the younger age group, and to resolve at least one worshipful brother’s complaint that “some lodges look like God’s waiting room”, have included creating 55 new university lodges since 2005.

There was also the consecration last year, in a Novotel in Southampton, of the Lodge of Brevity, where younger, time-poor working masons can enjoy meetings that are kept short by dispensing with items like reading the minutes, which are instead scrutinised online.

Membership fees have been reduced for under-25s and millennial masons have themselves suggested freemasonry could benefit from “an advance in the use of social media”.

The recruitment drive has not yet gone as far as the UGLE admitting women members, but Pro Grand Master Lowndes now seems to have used his most recent Quarterly Communication speech to throw his full weight behind attempts at attracting millennial men into freemasonry.

The rest of this depressing obituary may be read HERE.  The drive-by assailant of this piece is Adam Lusher, in case you want to ask for someone else to cover your tercentenary officer installation.

Somehow he left out the usual "dodgy handshake" reference, but the comments section took care of that.

This kind of offal is pretty standard in Britain and France, so it's not surprising. We are very fortunate indeed in the U.S. that we aren't usually handled this way by reporters and editors. Here, Masonry is generally pretty respected, if a little misunderstood, when we appear in print. Most articles in the mainstream press stateside these days will make a "peek behind secret doors" reference and bring up the occasional founding father or two.  And there's no getting around the demographic issue. But sadly, the European press continues to follow in the worn footsteps of Abbé Barruel and Leo Taxil.

I suspect in the continued run-up to 2017 in England and the anniversary celebrations across the country, this kind of treatment will be the rule rather than the exception. Sympathetic or celebratory stories about Freemasonry there don't sell papers, I'm afraid. 

Somebody tell the handsome maid Hannah to freshen up their drinks all round. They're going to need it.

Detroit Masonic Temple Hosts 16th Theatre Bizarre

For the last 5 years, the incredible Detroit Masonic Temple has been the home of a massive art installation, performance, attraction and costume party called Theatre Bizarre.  It takes over eight floors of lodge rooms, the Commandery asylum, and ballroom and welcomes thousands of people. It takes weeks to install the different displays and decor, and lodges change their rooms and meeting schedules to accommodate the show.

The crew started installing their sets and decor this week and it will take place in October. 

Last year's show was reported in the Detroit Free Press. 

Theatre Bizarre’s mission is to create the “greatest masquerade on earth,” and this weekend, it sure looked like it.

Held at Detroit’s Masonic Temple, the sold-out event — in its 16th year running — kicked off Friday night with a 450-guest Grand Preview Gala and continued into Saturday with a bigger costume party for a crowd of 4,500. It encompassed eight floors, each very different from the last, starting with the Crystal Ballroom on the first and ending with a photo booth on the eighth.

With 26 performance spaces and dozens of extravagant exhibitions, the event was a visual masterpiece — as were many costumes, which some guests spent months brainstorming and putting together.

For more of the article and photos, CLICK HERE. 

And if you're in the Detroit area and want information about the event, check out the Theatre Bizarre website.

H/T Russ Spice

(Just as an aside, if you've never visited or seen the Detroit Masonic Center, it is the largest Masonic building in the world. Interestingly, one of the biggest online collections of current photos of the building is available on a total nutcases' website, HERE. Lots of pictures, just completely ignore the idiot's comments.)

Alphonse Mucha, Artist and Freemason

Fans of art nouveau will immediately recognize the name of artist Alphonse Mucha, and if you don't recognize the name, you more than likely have seen his artwork (or imitations of it). He came to prominence outside of his home country of what would become Czechoslovakia at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, and despite the waxing and waning popularity of art nouveau over the passing decades, his work has always been a standout. 

When the Republic of Czechoslovakia was formed as an independent state in 1918, Mucha’s artwork played a key role in helping to shape the new state’s national identity - he designed its new banknotes and postage stamps.

What makes him important here is that he is considered to be the father of Czechoslovakian Freemasonry. Mucha joined a lodge in Paris in 1898, and after his return to Prague, he helped establish the first Czech-speaking Lodge, the Komensky Lodge. In 1923, Mucha became Grand Master of the new Grand Lodge of Czechoslovakia, and in 1930 was made the second Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in Czechoslovakia. He famously designed an apron and jewels for the Grand Lodge, marked with his unique style. (After Masonry was banned during WWII by the Nazis, it reemerged and the fraternity there today is led by the Grand Lodge of the Czech Republic.) 

Combined with his longstanding interest in spiritualism, Masonic symbolism appears in what many have felt was one of his most important works, Le Pater, published the same year he joined the lodge in Paris. 

From a description by the Mucha Foundation:

Le Pater is an illustrated edition of The Lord’s Prayer created by Mucha. Published in Paris on 20th December 1899 at the passing of the old century, it was meant to be Mucha’s message to future generations about the progress of mankind. Through the archetypal Christian prayer, he wished to present the way for man to reach the Divine Ideal, the highest state in the spiritual world. 

Mucha conceived this project at a turning point in his career.  According to his own account, Mucha was at that time increasingly dissatisfied with unending commercial commissions and was longing for an artistic work with a more elevated mission. He was also influenced by his long-standing interest in Spiritualism since the early 1890s and, above all, by Masonic philosophy. In January 1898, almost two years before the publication of Le Pater, Mucha was initiated into the Paris Lodge of Freemasons as an apprentice and after the independence of his homeland he was to become Grand Master of the Freemasons of Czechoslovakia.  Mucha’s freemasonry was an outcome of his Spiritualism – the pursuit of a deeper Truth beyond the visible world. Through his spiritual journey Mucha came to believe that the three virtues – Beauty, Truth and Love – were the ‘cornerstones’ of humanity and that the dissemination of this message through his art would contribute towards the improvement of human life and, eventually, the progress of mankind.

In order to visualise his vision, Mucha analysed each of the seven verses of the model Christian prayer and reconstructed it in a set of three pages. The first page of each set, in colour, is the relevant verse in French and Latin, framed in a border sumptuously decorated with flowers and a symbolic female figure. The second page, also in colour, is Mucha’s own text, interpreting the verse and decorated with floral patterns. The third monochromatic page, printed in photogravure, contains a full-page allegorical drawing illustrating Mucha’s philosophical response to the verse. Throughout the pages, Mucha’s designs feature an abundance of Masonic symbols. The outcome was an exquisite book published in an edition of 510 copies.

Le Pater was Mucha’s first manifest as an artist-philosopher and he regarded the book as his finest work. In 1900 Mucha exhibited the book and the preparatory drawings at the Paris International Exhibition and was deeply gratified when the illustrations attracted the attention of Emperor Francis Joseph I. 

Only 510 copies of this collection of illustrations were printed at the time, and the printing plates were then destroyed to prevent pirating of his art. For decades, Le Pater has been rarely seen as one complete work. Now, after over a century, Century Guild has announced a new high quality printing of Le Pater will be made available in two limited editions, using a folio of Mucha's original artwork.

The story of Mucha's later life was not a pleasant one. His close association with Freemasonry made him a target for the Gestapo  when the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939. They tore through Bohemia and Moravia with savagery, and with the express orders to completely wipe out the Slavs and Jews there—Hitler declared both peoples to be "sub-human." Since Freemasons were deemed handmaidens of Jewry, Masons were targets, too. Mucha's importance within the Grand Lodge made him a valuable prize. Betrayed by a collaborator named Arved Smichkovsky, he was arrested and subjected to harsh interrogation by the Gestapo at the age of 79. He was soon diagnosed with pneumonia and released in frail condition. Mucha passed away on July 14, 1939. In open defiance of the Nazi ban on public assemblies, over 100,000 Czechs attended his funeral, and he was eulogized in speeches given by his fellow anti-fascists.

H/T Adam Kendall

Update About Turkey: PLEASE READ

The coup attempt in Turkey and the subsequent crackdown (which has included the shuttering of newspaper and television operations, arrests of employees, and the blocking of some Western websites) has unleashed much misinformation. Given the nature of earlier warnings I received yesterday from European Masons, coupled with ongoing mainstream news coming out of Turkey, AND combined with the ongoing propaganda war between the Erdogan versus Gulen supporters and detractors both inside and outside of that country, it has been difficult to correctly ascertain what can be believed concerning the current situation with Freemasonry in Turkey. 

This morning, I have been in contact with a Mason in Turkey who is well placed and experienced (in a manner that we can accept as trustworthy), and communicates in English extremely well. There is no language barrier in our exchanges. 

A few lodges in Turkey have voluntarily cancelled their August meetings, but the Grand Lodge of Turkey is still operating openly (one clue from yesterday is that their website is still up and running). According to him, there is no current government persecution or official hounding of Masons going on in the country. The Deputy Prime Minister's statement yesterday calling the Gulen-aligned FETO "masonic" is part of a common attempt by some conservative supporters to brand Gulen and his organization with something widely perceived to be "complex and secret," and is not meant to  necessarily connect the fraternity itself with those who are suspected of fomenting the coup.

In the wake of any coup, the winners are always nervous about the losers, and they carry out their nervousness in varying degrees. But according to the Brother in Turkey, he sees no danger at this time for Turkish Freemasons from the government. However, the brethren there are keeping a low profile until the post-coup hysteria calms down. That is completely understandable. The military is still actively scouring the countryside for coup sympathizers, and no one wants to get caught in that crossfire.

Because the first warnings that were sent to me were so alarming, and due to the nature of them saying to not mention the Craft in any way to Masons in Turkey, I was in a difficult position yesterday of not being able to verify anything until I was contacted by Turkish Masons - which could only happen if I posted the story in the first place. I thought long and hard before hitting the "post" button. 

So, I extend my deepest apologies to everyone who read my story from yesterday for spreading false information. It is never my intention to do so at any time, and the fault lies entirely with me.  It has concerned Masons inside of Turkey and all over the world, and I urge everyone who reads this message to PLEASE circulate it as widely today as you may have done with the previous story so that the correct information is received by all.

This blog is read by between 10,000 and 20,000 Masons every day, and I take my responsibility to the entire fraternity very seriously. I do not violate trusts, but I also try not to spread false rumors, either. I don't engage in click-bait stories. I was not trying to "get a scoop" yesterday - or any day - but was attempting to give due and timely notice as we are all obligated to do. I beg everyone's forgiveness for erring.