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Issue 52 page 1

Ha r a s h imThe Quarterly Newsletter of the

Austral ian & New ZealandMasonic Research Counci l

ISSN 1328-2735 Issue 52 October 2010

The 10t h B iennial Conferenc e

Part 1official report by Colin Heyward

Congratulations were deservedlybestowed upon the Western Australianorganisers of the Tenth BiennialConference held in the coastal city ofMandurah over the four days of well-planned activities in that first week ofSeptember. RWBro David Ganon andhis team certainly looked after thevisitors from not only Australia(interstate and local) and New Zealand,

but also from Thailand and England. The

transport, accommodation, venues,meetings, dinners and lunches were allcovered without a hitch. Mandurah 2010

was an outstanding success well done,

Western Australia!The Grand Master for Western

Australia, MWBro Frank Hayes,officiated at the opening of theConference that took place after ameeting of the Western Australian

Lodge of Research in MandurahsFreemasons Centre. The first of the twoguest keynote speakers, WBro YashaBeresiner, launched the Conference withan enthralling tale of early London,posing the question Was Jack theRipper a Freemason? Bro Beresinerstalk was given to about one hundred andtwenty brethren and ladies as part of thedinner proceedings after the research

(Continued on page 13)

The Stayers: of the 171 registrants for the conference, these are the ones with stamina, who turned up for the fourth and final day.

All conference photos used in this issue are courtesy of Dick DAbreu and Peter Verrall


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About HarashimHarashim, Hebrew for Craftsmen, is a

quarterly newsletter published by the

Australian and New Zealand Masonic

Research Council (10 Rose St, Waipawa 4210,

New Zealand) in January, April, July and

October each year.

It is supplied to Affiliates and Associates

in hard copy and/or PDF format. It is

available worldwide in PDF format as an

email attachment, upon application to the

Asst. Secretary, [email protected] the current issue is also displayed on

the website of the Grand Lodge of Tasmania

http://www.freemasonrytasmania.org/.

Copyright and reprintingCopyright is vested in ANZMRC and the

author of any article appearing inHarashim.Affiliates and Associates are encouraged to

reprint the entire newsletter (at their ownexpense) and circulate it to their own members,including their correspondence circles (if any)and to supply copies to public and Masoniclibraries within their jurisdictions.

Individual items from any issue may bereprinted by Associates and Affiliates, provided:

The item is reprinted in full;

The name of the author and the source of thearticle are included; and

A copy of the publication containing thereprint is sent to the editor.

Anyone else wishing to reprint material fromHarashim must first obtain permission from thecopyright holders via the editor.

Unless otherwise specified, authors

submitting original work for publication in

Harashim are deemed to grant permission for

their work to be published also on the Internet

websites of ANZMRChttp//anzmrc.org and the

Grand Lodge of Tasmania:

http://www.freemasonrytasmania.org/.

ContentsAffiliate and Associate members are encouragedto contribute material for the newsletter,including:

Their lecture programs for the year;

Any requests from their members forinformation on a research topic;

Research papers of more than local interestthat merit wider publication.

The newsletter also includes news, reports fromANZMRC, book reviews, extracts from otherpublications and a readers letters column, fromtime to time.

If the source of an item is not identified, it isby the editor. Opinions expressed are those of theauthor of the article, and should not be attributedto the Council.

Material submitted for publication must be ina digitised form by email or mailed on a CD orDVD, addressed to the editor, Alan Gale, POBox 619, Victoria Park, WA 6979, Australia,[email protected].

Clear illustrations, diagrams andphotographic prints suitable for scanning arewelcome, and most computer graphic (IBM)formats are acceptable. Photos of contributors(preferably not in regalia) would be useful.Contributors who require mailed material to be

returned should include a stamped, self-

addressed envelope.

General correspondenceAll other correspondence, including aboutpurchase of CDs and books, should be directed

to: The Secretary, ANZMRC10 Rose St, Waipawa 4210,New [email protected]

As my first comment in the role ofpresident I cannot go past the standardof organisation for our tenthConference. To Peter Verrall, David

Gannon, Kevin St Jack and all theother members of the organisingCommittee I award my personal GoldMedal for a job well done.

Others may write of perceivedflaws, but for me the organisation wasspot on. I spent a total of 14 days inPerth and Mandurah (Mandra, in WA-speak) and the treatment given to meby all I dealt with was in keeping withmy comments in the V-Ps notes Iwrote for Harashim when PeterVerrall was on the speaking tour of

New Zealand.One of the best parts of attending

our Conferences is the catching upwith long-time friends. In the main weonly meet physically every two years,but the bond of Masonic Brotherhoodhas become a very personal friendship:people like Yasha Beresiner, TonyPope, Graham Stead, Colin Heyward,Ed Robinson, Kent Henderson, the listcould fill this page. The memories ofthe shared activities would fill thisentire issue, and all of them good.

Having attended every Conferenceexcept the first one, and having hadsome job concerning the running of theCouncil since 1996, the first PerthConference, I feel extremely honouredto be elected your President.

The next two years will be apersonal challenge for me. I have someideas of how to make a useful markover those years but a lot of logistical

work is still to be done to see if theyare feasible. Future issues ofHarashimwill bring them to the forefront as theycan be listed.

One of the outstanding events of the

Conference was the election ofRWBro Peter Verrall as a Fellow ofthe ANZMRC. Well deserved, Peter!In Scouting terms, Bravo! I alsowelcome David Ganon and EdRobinson to the Committee, and amlooking forward to working with AlanGale as our new Editor. I must alsothank Tony Pope for his many years ofservitude as Editor; we have many

joint experiences over those years.Other matters from the General

Meeting were that overseas Associates

would have their fees reduced,commensurate with the service we cangive them. We always welcomeoverseas visitors, and on this occasion(in addition to Yasha) we also had acontingent from Thailand, led by JimSoutar who was an invited GuestSpeaker. He claimed that the rest ofthe team were sent by his wife to makesure he didnt stray.

Ed Robinson from Wellington hasdone a colossal job in creating aDigital Library of the published work

of member lodges who have agreed tohave their work listed. We hope in theNew Year to have Henderson &Popes Freemasonry Universal addedto the list.

We do need some mirror sites forthe Library, currently hosted by theGrand Lodge of New Zealand. Iunderstand the United Grand Lodge ofNew South Wales and the AustralianCapital Territory had agreed to be theAustralian mirror, and one perhaps inthe Northern hemisphere would not go

astray. I thank Bro Michael Leon,GLNZ webmaster, for his assistance inthis and other projects.

We could also use more volunteerswith the technical know-how tomaintain and expand this library. Ifyou feel you could be useful, talk toEd Robinson .

Andy Walker

Presidents Corner

Disclaimer

The new editor of ANZMRC publications is Alan Gale, but any brickbats for the currentedition ofHarashim should be directed at the (very) old editor, Tony Pope.

Farewell!


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IntroductionA review of Freemasonry in England inthe last century is a subject for an entirebook. In accepting this invitation toreview the period within the context of alimited article, the only logical method isto select some dates of importance in thepast 110 years, emphasizing, briefly, thesignificance and consequence of thehistoric events as they occurred in achronologic sequence.

Royalty (1901)The year 1901 is an apt start in thischronology. It was the end of the reign,for more than a quarter of a century, of aGrand Master whose popularity hadbrought the Craft into fashion andprominence. Albert Edward, Prince ofWales (18411910), to be crowned KingEdward VII, was initiated in Stockholmin 1868 by Prince Oscar, future King ofSweden. In 1874 Edward was made

Grand Master of the United GrandLodge of England (hereafter referred toas the UGLE) and his dedication to theCraft and personal fun-loving approachto life made Freemasonry a stylishpursuit. Britain as a whole, in this firstdecade of the 20th century, was enjoyinga sense of prosperity, even invincibility,and Freemasonry swept along in thesame vein. Notwithstanding the drop inlodge membership following theMasonic independence of Australia andCanada, Freemasonry prospered, with

many Royals and aristocrats joining theCraft.It was nothing new. In 1737 Frederick

Lewis, Prince of Wales (17071751),was the first member of the royal familyto be initiated by Dr Desaguliers (16831744) at Kew Palace. His youngerbrother, William Augustus, Duke ofCumberland (17211765), was initiatedin a military lodge in Belgium just sixyears later, in 1743, and an array ofmembers of the Royal family havepatronised our mysteries since. The

newly crowned King become the GrandProtector of the Order as QueenElizabeth II is today and HRH Arthur,

Duke of Connaught (18501942), hisbrother, initiated in 1874 in the Prince ofWales Lodge No 259, was installed asGrand Master in the Royal Albert Hall,serving until 1939.

Churchill (1901)

It was within this ambiance of popularitythat Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill(18741965) was initiated into theStudholme Lodge No 1591 on 24 May1901. He came from a family ofFreemasons: Lord Henry John Spencer-Churchill (17971840), the 4th son ofthe 5th Duke of Marlborough, becameDeputy Grand Master in 1835.Winstons father, Lord RandolphChurchill (18491895), and his uncle,Randolphs elder brother, GeorgeCharles Spencer-Churchill (18441892)

the Marquis of Blandford, were bothinitiated in the Churchill Lodge in 1871.Finally, Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill (18711934) 9th Duke ofMarlborough, and first cousin ofWinston, was initiated on 7 May 1894,aged 21. It is therefore not surprising thatChurchill should follow in the familytradition, even if his interest in the Craftwas far from enthusiastic. He never wentbeyond his status as a Master Mason andresigned in October 1911, on beingappointed First Lord of the Admiralty.

Churchills membership is reflective of alarge number of prominent men joiningthe Craft due to expectation or for no

other reason than that it was fashionableto do so.

Women (1902)It was in this first decade of the 20thcentury that Britain witnessed theemergence of Freemasonry amongwomen. Following on the initiation inFrance in 1882 of Mlle Maria Deraismes(18281894), the distinguished feminist

author, and the subsequent foundation in1889 of the Droit Humain, theInternational Order of Co-Masonry,London consecrated Human Duty LodgeNo 6 in 1902. The new and first co-Masonic body in Britain had the famedMrs Annie Besant (18471933) as itsfirst Grand Commander. It has alwaysremained closely associated with theTheosophical Society, founded in 1875.As recently as March 2010, the Orderconsecrated a lodge in central London.

In 1908 theHonourable Fraternity of

Ancient Masonry, under the guidance ofthe Rev Dr William Cobb (18571941),seceded, soon changing its name to theOrder of Women Freemasons, which, asthe name suggests, was restricted towomen alone. The current Grand Master,MWBro Brenda Fleming-Taylor,presided at the centenary celebrations ofthe Order in London in June 2008 at theRoyal Albert Hall. There were no fewerthan 4000 Brethren of the Order present.Another breakaway group, also restrictedto women alone, was named The

Honourable Fraternity of AncientFreemasons and consecrated in 1913.The first Grand Master was MrsElizabeth Boswell-Reid, who held theOffice until 1933 and was succeeded byher daughter, Mrs Lily Seton Challen.The present Grand Master is MWBroSheila Norden. The continued charitablecontributions of these feminine ordersare admirable and impressive.

The UGLE at first saw these bodies asirregular. Several applications made toGrand Lodge by the Order of Women

Freemasons were refused. Only in 1998did the UGLE, still refusing to give them


This is the first publication in English of an article written for vol 4 ofPapeles de Masonera, published (in Spanish) by CentroIbrico de Estudios Masnicos.

The Developm ent o f t he Craf t

in England in the Last Cent ur y

by Yasha Beres iner


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(Continued from page 3)

any recognition, formally admit that TheOrder of Women Freemasons and The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient

Freemasons were regular in practice(with the sole exception of their gender).

Masonic Ranking System (1908)An interesting and importantdevelopment in the London area in the

first decade of the 20th century was theinstitution of the new London Rank.From time immemorial, so to speak, anduntil October 2003, London Masonsmaintained a unique status by beingdirectly responsible to the Grand Master.This was in stark contrast to theirProvincial colleagues, where powerrested with the Provincial Grand Masterand allegiance to him led to rewards ofProvincial honours based on aprogressive system for which there wasno equivalent in London. Perhaps the

great privilege of immediate access tothe Grand Master was thought to besufficient. Nonetheless, in 1908 theestablishment of the London Rank was awelcome compensation to bring LondonMasons, to some limited extent, in linewith their Provincial colleagues. Fullcompensation and effective equalitycame with the establishment of theMetropolitan Grand Lodge of London inOctober 2003.

The Grand Rank system, that is thenational awards granted to Masons in

England, remains unique. At the Unionin 1813, the right of nomination of allGrand Officers was vested in the GrandMaster. Grand Officers are stillappointed annually and invested by theGrand Master or his representative at anAnnual Festival in April. The award ofpast rank was an English innovation,initially very sparingly awarding grandhonours and yet not requiring the holderto have previously held active office. Itallowed the recognition of long andfaithful service to the Craft by many who

could not be accommodated within thelimited number of available active GrandRanks. Today, though tensions are raisedat t imes , the processes of recommendation and selection continueannually, having been tried and testedand operated relatively impartially overthe years.

Return to the Fold (1913)England saw several splits andbreakaways since the inception of thepremier Grand Lodge in 1717. At one

stage we had four Grand Lodges runningsimultaneously. The 20th centurybrought to a happy ending the last of

these splits when, in 1913, the last lodgeof the Grand Lodge of Wigan rejoinedthe UGLE. Following on the foundationof the premier Grand Lodge in 1717, asearly as 1725 a date that remainscontroversial to this day a Grand Lodge of All England at Yorkwasfounded. It is generally agreed that thebody and its daughter lodges, warrantedin the North of England, had all died out

by 1792. In 1751 the formation of whatbecame known as The Grand Lodge of England According to the Old

Institutions (o r Antients) keptFreemasonry split for more than sixdecades, culminating in the Union of1813. Another major split occurred in1777. Several Brethren of the Lodge ofAntiquity (now No 2) under theleadership of their immediate PastMaster, the Edinburgh-born well knownMasonic scholar William Preston (17421818), seceded from the premier Grand

Lodge (or Moderns). They formed theGrand Lodge of England South of the River Trent, returning to the fold in1789. Finally, following the Union in1813, trouble began to brew inLancashire, in the North of England. In1821, Lodge No 31 of Liverpool wassuspended for their refusal to accept andobey the authority of the UGLE. A yearlater the lodge was erased for havingcontinued to meet while undersuspension. As a result, Lodge No 31,together with Sincerity Lodge No 486 of

Wigan and a few members of FriendshipLodge No 44 of Manchester, set up theGrand Lodge of Free and Accepted

Masons of England According to the OldConstitutions, popularly referred to asthe Grand Lodge of Wigan. They hadtime to constitute six daughter lodges,before John Mort was elected their lastGrand Master in 1886. He was an activemember of Sincerity Lodge, now No 1,the only remaining lodge on the registerof the Wigan Grand Lodge. Mortinsisted on the continuity of the status of

a Grand Lodge, which thus persisted foranother quarter of a century, beforefinally returning to the fold of the UGLEin 1913. We have not looked back since.

Wartime Hospital (1916)When war broke out in August 1914 andFreemasons were called to arms, theyfollowed in a long-established Masonicmilitary tradition. The earliest recordedlodges outside of England are attributedto Military lodges who met on foreignland and even on board ships, under the

authority of their Travelling Warrant.Meetings held by Brethren under theadverse conditions of prisoner-of-war

camps have been well recorded. Theycover the Napoleonic Wars and continueto the 20th century. The military recordof serving and fallen Brethren is a matterof pride and well commemorated by theinstitution.

In 1911 members of the MalmesburyLodge No 3156 first began to consider aMasonic Nursing Home and in 1916 theypurchased a property in Fulham, West

London, and, appropriately, named it theFreemasons' War Hospital and NursingHome. The establishment dedicated itselfto the treatment and welfare ofservicemen wounded in the varioustheatres of war. The impetus thus givento what was intended as an initialtemporary facility led to the formalopening of the Royal Masonic Hospitalby King George V and Queen Mary on12 July 1933. It was enthusiasticallysupported by the Fraternity and wentfrom success to success. It was soon

recognised for its excellence in allaspects of medical care andrehabilitation, including a sophisticatedtraining school for nurses.

The hospital was functioning at itspeak when the Second World War brokeout. Once more the hospital successfullycatered for over 8000 soldiers who weretreated and rehabilitated in the premises.Following the war, however, with theestablishment of the National HealthService in 1948, the fortunes of all thehospitals in the country began to decline.

The Royal Masonic Hospital was noexception. A successful appeal to theBrethren in 1960 was well supported, butsadly did not suffice to allow the hospitalto maintain the very high standards thathad been established in the past.Furthermore, one perennial problem,namely the location of the hospital inLondon, surfaced again. Families whohad to travel long distances and incurhigh overnight expenses in support of thesick members of their family werecritical of its location.

The remainder of this story is tragic.In his 1973 report, RWBro Mr JusticeBagnell indicated that the hospital couldnot continue to function as a generalhospital, and by the 1980s the hospitalwas making heavy losses. In September1984 the report of the Committee ofEnquiry which had been set up under theChairmanship of the Rt Hon Sir MauriceDrake coincidentally and fittingly, amember of Malmesbury Lodge identified a buyer for the hospital andrecommended a sale. To the dismay of

many Brethren, this was rejected atGrand Lodge in October 1984. Thehospital finally went into liquidation in


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1996, following an extended period ofcontroversy and acrimony. The functionsof the hospital are today filled by theNew Samaritan Fund and patients arenow treated near their homes.

Freemasons Hall (1933)In the three years following the end ofthe First World War in November 1918,some 350 new lodges were consecrated

in England. The founders consisted ofservicemen who sought continuity of thecamaraderie they had enjoyed duringtheir difficult wartime service.

In 1919 a decision was taken to erecta Masonic Peace Memorial, honouringthe 3225 Brethren who fell in the war.This was to become our presentFreemasons' Hall. The foundation stonewas laid by the Duke of Connaught,Grand Master, on 14 June 1927 and theHall was completed and dedicated in1933. It was the third hall built on the

same site. The first consisted of twoadjoining houses purchased in 1774 bythe premier Grand Lodge. The architectappointed to amalgamate the houses witha Grand Hall between them was BroThomas Sandby (17211798). Theresulting building had the FreemasonsTavern as a frontage. Considerablestructural changes took place after theUnion in 1813, when the Duke of Sussexinvited his friend, the famous architect ofthe Bank of England, Sir John Soane(17531837), to add extensions to the

building. Having submitted his proposalsas a layman, John Soane was sooninitiated, passed and raised on the sameday, and given the rank of Past GrandSuperintendent of Works, to add aMasonic dimension to the respect hevery much enjoyed as an architect. WhenBro Frederick Cockerell (18331878)built the second Masons Hall in the1860s he incorporated Sandbys originalGrand Hall of 1775 into his building and,sadly, much of John Soanes work wasreplaced. In 1908 the edifice was

demolished to allow the building of thepresent impressive Freemasons Hall.The art deco architecture of the

building, its Grand Temple and stylisedlodge rooms, the Museum and Library ofFreemasonry which it houses, are all asource of great pride to all EnglishFreemasons. The building, however, isalso a source of concern and anxiety. Itsannual maintenance absorbs much of themembership income of the 239,209Freemasons in England and the Districtsregistered on 1 May 2010, and, as we are

frequently reminded, the membership isdeclining.

250th Anniversary (1967)In England, charity is the pivot on whichFreemasonry rotates, and it is rich in itshistory and traditions. The concept,however, remains particular to BritishFreemasonry, as practiced by the GrandLodges of the United Kingdom. It is notemulated by European and other GrandLodges, certainly not to the same extent.European Freemasonry does not have a

centralised body coordinating oradministering charitable affairs. Eachlodge makes its own decision as to thedistribution of charitable donations,which are usually directed at non-Masonic institutions or events. InAmerica, for instance, organisationsbeyond the Craft, the Shriners being aprimary example, place emphasis on carein the community with hands-onactivities more in the style of Rotariansthan English Freemasons.

The long-standing English tradition of

charitable giving was manifest in the250th anniversary of Grand Lodge,celebrated on 14 June 1967 at the RoyalAlbert Hall in London. The centrepieceof the celebrations was the installation ofour present Grand Master, HRH PrinceEdward, Duke of Kent, grandson ofGeorge V and thus first cousin to QueenElizabeth II. A 250th Anniversary Fundwas created in 1967 by the contributionof 1 per head by all members of theCraft to commemorate the founding ofthe Grand Lodge of England in 1717.

The purpose of the Fund was to assist theRoyal College of Surgeons of England,to establish an annual grant for researchinto the science of surgery. The fund,supported by additional income, initiallyraised in excess of 500,000. Theincome from the fund is administered bya body of trustees in Grand Lodge whomake direct donations to the RoyalCollege of Surgeons. The total paid todate by the UGLE to the Royal Collegeof Surgeons is 3.9 million (Euros 4.5million). This is an outstanding and

excellent example of the application ofMasonic charity in England. Twenty-fiveyears on, on 10 June 1992, some 12,500Freemasons and their guests gathered atWest Londons Earls Court, to celebratethe 275th anniversary of Grand Lodge.For the first time press and televisionwere present at a meeting of GrandLodge. The event was featured ontelevision newscasts around the world.The year also celebrated, in addition tothe 25th Anniversary of HRH The Dukeof Kent as Grand Master, the 40th

anniversary of HM The Queensaccession to the throne. The BritishTelevision media could not resist the

temptation, notwithstanding the totallyovert nature of the celebrations, tobroadcast a covert strip of film depictingthe ceremony of initiation.

A Major Review (1971)The many aspects of the charitable faceof Freemasonry, which developed andsurfaced over the last two centuries,reached a climax in 1971. A committee

was set up by the Grand Master, to bechaired by the Hon Mr Justice Bagnell,to consider the rationalising of existingMasonic charities, in the light of recentdevelopment of the Welfare State andthe now active and accessible provisionof social security. Following exhaustiveenquiries, the committee published theirBagnell Report on 29 April 1974. Itwas well received and accepted by theGrand Master, who set up a steeringcommittee to implement therecommendations. The historic context

for the dramatic changes that were nowto take place reverted to the Union of theAntients and Moderns in 1813. Thegeneral funds of both Grand Lodgeswere combined into a Board ofBenevolence and Charity, whichcontinued as the predominant priority ofthe newly formed United Grand Lodgeof England. In January 1981, the originalFund of Benevolence, which could traceits roots to 1720, became theindependent Grand Charity. It was givenits own President, Council and

Committees, and continues today themost senior of the charities. Its annualdonations (exceeding 6.8 million in2008) are dispensed equally within andwithout Freemasonry. The RoyalMasonic Institution for Girls (RMIG),founded by Chevalier BartholomewRuspini in 1788, and the Royal MasonicInstitution for Boys (RMIB),amalgamated in 1986 to form the RoyalMasonic Trust for Girls and Boys. Todayonly the independentMasonic School forGirls survives, highly successfully. It

provides for the education of all childrenand grand children of Freemasons up toUniversity level. It is responsible forover 1600 young people, involving alsochildren with no Masonic connections.

Openness (1983)In 1983 the publication of StephenKnights (19511985) The Brotherhoodhad major repercussions on EnglishFreemasonry. It brought about afundamental change in the manner inwhich post-war Freemasonry presented

itself to the public. The book wasanother exposure, similar to the hundreds



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of similar attacks on Freemasonrypublished since Samuel PrichardsMasonry Dissectedsaw the light of dayin October 1730. The difference was thepublic perception of such exposures. Inthe 1980s conspiracy theories were rifeand popular, and the suggestion that thePolice and Judiciary were under the totalcontrol of Freemasons in England, was

received with credulity. It was theaftermath, led by a press crusade againstFreemasonry, that led the Grand Masterto launch his own campaign of openness,which continues to this day. Until 1984,since its foundation in 1717, the policyof Grand Lodge had been one of nocomment. Today the function of ourDirector of Communications is to ensurethat what the press says is accurate andfactual. The radical changes, therefore,leading to the appointment of a Directorof Communications, the nomination of

provincial spokesmen, use of theservices of a Public Relations companyand other measures to openFreemasonry to public scrutiny, was adramatic change indeed. Within theCraft, removal of the physical penaltiesfrom the ritual was formally approved byGrand Lodge and was a directconsequence of these unprecedentedchanges.

Prince Hall (1994)A long-standing and much discussed

issue worldwide reached its climax inEngland in 1994, when the Prince HallGrand Lodge of Massachusetts wasrecognised by the UGLE. The origins ofthe tension date to 1775, when anAfrican-American named Prince Hall,together with fourteen other African-Americans, was initiated in Boston,Massachusetts. On 29 September 1784,these individuals applied for andobtained a lodge warrant from the GrandLodge of England (Moderns) and formedthe African Lodge No 459. What

followed appears to be a comedy oferrors, with applications andcommunications of the African Lodgebeing ignored by the Grand Lodge inLondon. In 1797 the African Lodge,clearly without authority, allowed twonew lodges to meet at Providence,Rhode Island and Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. By 1813, though stilllisted on the register of the Grand Lodgeof England, all contact with the AfricanLodge had been lost. In 1827 the AfricanLodge declared itself an independent

Grand Lodge, later styled Prince HallGrand Lodge. In 1998, the Board ofGeneral Purposes of the UGLE agreed

that the philosophy and practice ofPrince Hall Masonry was regular. Indoing so ,it followed a practice that hasstarted some years earlier in Connecticutin 1989. In considering the applicationfrom the Grand Master of the Prince HallGrand Lodge of Massachusetts fromwhich, it was agreed, all Prince Halllodges derive their authority the Boardrecommended that this Prince Hall

Grand Lodge should be accepted asregular and recognised. The presentphilosophy of the UGLE is to favourablyconsider applications from Prince HallGrand Lodges that have been recognisedby the Grand Lodge in their ownterritory. Data compiled in 2008 showsthat 41 out of the 51 mainstreamAmerican Grand Lodges recognisePrince Hall Grand Lodges.

House of Commons Select Committee

(1997)

Government interference in Masonicaffairs in England has been mercifullymoderate; the Unlawful Societies Act of1799 that saw the first statue for themore effectual suppression of societies

established for seditious and treasonable

purposes, comes readily to mind as arare example. The decision, therefore, inDecember 1996 of the Home AffairsSelect Committee, to look intoFreemasonry and its influence on thecriminal justice system, was receivedwith considerable disparagement by the

fraternity. The conclusion that theperception that Freemasonry interferedin the criminal justice system wasunjustified paranoia was received withrelief and satisfaction. It was not,however, the end of the matter. In spiteof the conclusions of the committee thatthat when the (Masonic) oaths are readin context, there is nothing in them thatwould show a conflict between the oathtaken by a judge or policeman and thattaken by a Freemason, the text wasamended at the last moment on the

proposition of Chris Mullin MP, to arecommendation calling for policeofficers, judges, magistrates and crownprosecutors to publicly register theirmembership of the society. Until veryrecently, the Lord Chancellors formrequiring statements of membershiprequired all magistrates, police officers,legally qualified members of the CPS,prison staff, probation service staff andmembers of the judiciary to declarevoluntarily whether or not they wereFreemasons. This requirement was

finally and totally lifted by the HomeSecretary Jack Straw in November 2009,following on European Human Rights

legislation, resulting from the successfulcase of the Grand Orient of Italy in 2005,referred to as the Chamber judgement,Grande Oriente dItalia di PalazzoGuistiniani vs Italy (No 2) (ApplicationNo 267400/02).

Lord Northampton New Pro Grand

Master (2001)If one single Brother has had an impact

on changes in Freemasonry in the past100 years, it would undoubtedly be theBritish Peer, Spencer Spenny DouglasDavid Compton, 7th Marquess ofNorthampton (born 1946). On 14 March2001 HRH the Duke of Kent, GrandMaster of the UGLE, invested theMarquess of Northampton as Pro GrandMaster in succession to Lord Farnham.Lord Northampton came from twenty-eight generations of the family, theComptons, which they can trace in directmale descent back to at least 1204. He

was initiated into Ceres Lodge No 6977,in Northampton, in 1976. In 1995 he wasappointed Assistant Grand Masterresponsible for London, and kept thepost for five years. In many ways herevolutionised Masonic thinking,especially in London. He instigated theopen policy of Freemasonry and, mostimportantly, the establishment of theMetropolitan Grand Lodge. He was apopular and innovative Masonic leaderand totally dedicated to the Craft. Healso brought into the English Craft a

refreshing and much needed element ofself search and philosophic, if notesoteric, appreciation of aspects ofFreemasonry. In March 2008 LordNorthampton retired as Pro GrandMaster, having helped the fraternitycome through one of the most difficultperiods in its history. Sadly we have seenvery little of him since. He has left ahuge gap and he is genuinely andsincerely missed by Brethren of thefraternity at every level. MWBro PeterLowndes has taken over as Pro Grand

Master.

Metropolitan Grand Lodge (2003)As stated earlier in this paper, LondonMasons had, since time immemorial,enjoyed a special status by being directlyresponsible to the Grand Master, in theabsence of the equivalent of a ProvincialGrand Master for London. This was tocease on 1 October 2003, when theMetropolitan Grand Lodge of London(and Metropolitan Grand Chapter ofLondon) was inaugurated in the presence

of the MW the Grand Master, HRH theDuke of Kent, at the Royal Albert Hall.



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It has become a custom in manyMasonic lodges worldwide for there to

be more than one VSL open duringmeetings as a consideration for thediffering religions observed bysubscribing members.

This paper asks the question: Is thispractice in accordance with, or contraryto:

the Landmarks of Freemasonry,

the intent of AndersonsConstitutions, and

the ritual we have received?The answer depends on how the VSL isused by Freemasons and its customary

application in Masonic lodges. Thispaper seeks to examine these and otherrelated issues in an endeavour to create aMasonically correct definition of the roleof the VSL in lodges and how manyshould be placed on display.

This, then, may have a consequentialfinding on how Freemasons shouldregard each other on matters of personalfaith and how Freemasonry canunequivocally present itself to the widercommunity as: the harmonic meetingplace for men of spiritual belief where

their differing theological and politicalbackgrounds can reside in harmonyor,more simply: The worlds oldestfraternity, dedicated to religioustolerance and world peace.

Text or Symbol?By tradit ion and consequentproclamation, the VSL used by lodgesderived from the British observances isthe King James Version (KJV) of theChristian Bible and it is required that itbe opened at each lodge meeting.1 This

has led to a degree of assumption byBrethren (particularly in nations such asAustralia where the majority ofFreemasons come from a Judo-Christian heritage) that the Masonic VSLis the Judo-Christian text known as TheBible. This is certainly the view of manyfundamentalist Christian groups, whosay the Bibles contents and tenets arebeing used for the purposes ofFreemasonry and are being invokedunder a different name. This belief issustained by the use of direct references

from the KJV within the ritual andtraditional history of Freemasonry. Thishas, in turn, led Masonic lodges to

provide alternative Holy Texts forcandidates from a variety of faiths.

Let us take some time to examine andspeculate upon this practice.

This paper defines Freemasonry ashaving peculiar, universal, and spiritualsymbols and moral guidelines which areindependent of nationalistic flavour anddoctrinal considerations, where itscandidates and members are madewelcome on the main proviso that theyhave a faith in a Supreme Being.

Continuing adherence or reference toa members country of origin or religiousbeliefs become only of passing interestonce the application process has beencompleted and the lodge is tyled.Members are told they must leave theirnationalism and religious enthusiasmoutside the lodge room. Inside,considerable care has been taken toensure all the symbolism is universallyapplicable.

There is an argument, therefore, thatthe holy texts of differing doctrines

(including the Judaeo-Christian Bible)do not have a place within a tyled lodgeroom. Rather, that item of Masonicfurniture known as the Volume of theSacred Law is just as much a MasonicSymbol for contemplation andconsideration as the Wardens Level, theMasters Square, the Rough and PerfectAshlars and the pillars of Wisdom,Strength and Beauty.2

If this hypothesis is accepted, and acase will be made for doing so, then theappropriateness of items of national

identity in lodge rooms (such as nationalflags), and the singing of nationalanthems at Masonic meetings could also

be examined but not in this paper.Examining the use of the VSL is quite

enough.

Andersons ConstitutionsMuch has been written about thedecision in the early 1700s to moveaway from deliberate Christian imageryand content in Freemasonry. Whateverthe reason, the move attributed to theRev Dr James Anderson DD and thosewho worked to compile hisConstitutions was theologically braveand legally revolutionary; consideringthe religious and political climate of the

period.Unfortunately no papers have been

brought to light which chronicle theprocesses which led to the publication ofAndersons Constitutions.3 We are leftwith having to build a picture based onthe political and sociological climate ofthe times.

Some writers say it is unlikely theobvious intent of the Constitutions wasto remove Christianity as a requirementfor membership of a Masonic lodge. Thethesis is that the intent was to make

Freemasonry open to men from thedifferent Christian denominations. Thiswas no less a brave or radical stepbecause, at the time, the Church ofEngland was the Established legalchurch in the United Kingdom and beinga communicant member of a Church ofEngland parish was the requirement formany public offices and professional andsocia l acceptabi l i ty . 4 MakingFreemasonry open to all denominationswould have been just as innovative asmaking it clear that men practicing any

religion could join.Some say this occurred while

Anderson was on a frolic of his own,5others that he was seeking his own glory.

It is unlikely the placing of thequalifying phrase that Religion in whichall men agree in the section of theConstitutions covering membershipadmission for the new Grand Lodge wasmade without the approval of theMasonic leaders of the day.

It is known that both editions ofAndersons Constitutions were written

with the assistance or oversight of aGrand Lodge Committee.6


This was the Robin Hewitt Memorial Lecture, delivered to the Western Australian Lodge of Research on 27 May 2010. It isworthy of wider dissemination.

Th e VSL and Sym bol ismby Alan Gale


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At the same time it must beremembered Anderson was a dissentingminister,7 and the Deputy Grand Master,Desaguliers, was a Huguenot.8

Both men had intimate experience ofthe religious discrimination of the time,Desaguliers from his escape fromreligious persecution in France(reportedly hidden in a barrel)9 and

Anderson as a minister in one of theDissenting religions. It can be argued,therefore, both had a personal interest inensuring that Freemasonry did notbecome a Church of England menssociety, which is probably what it wouldhave become had it adhered to therequirements of the legal structures ofthe time. One is left to wonder just howmuch weaker Freemasonry would havebeen in its 293rd year10 had it been anAnglican institution rather than auniversal one, especially considering

the threat of schism and theologicalclamour currently railing through thataged Church at present.

It is worth repeating the relevantitem:11

A Mason is obligd by his Tenure, toobey the moral law; and if he rightlyunderstands the Art, he will never be astupid Atheist nor an irreligiousLibertine. But though in ancient TimesMasons were chargd in every Countryto be of the Religion of that Country orNation, whatever it was, yet tis nowthought more expedient only to oblige

them to that Religion in which all Menagree, leaving their particular Opinionsto themselves; that is, to be good Menand true, or Men of Honour andHonesty, by whatever Denominationsor Persuasions they may bedistinguishd; whereby Masonrybecomes the Centre of Union, and theMeans of conciliating true Friendshipamong Persons that must haveremaind at a perpetual Distance.

Whatever the stimulus for the processundertaken by Anderson, the eventualresult was clear. Craft Freemasonry was

stripped of any overt Christian contentand opened to all adherents of any Deity-based religion.

By using the readily appreciablesymbols of Operative Stone Masonry, itsconcepts and teachings were madeapplicable across the spectrum ofreligions whose adherents were asked topractice tolerance towards differingbelief codes.

This alone is the content of manypapers: the moral and spiritualsymbolism of Freemasonry. This paper

asks you accept: Freemasonry contains universally

applicable symbolic teachings onmoral conduct and spiritual belief.

These teachings are universallyapplicable across the range ofreligions.

Freemasonry has a universalappeal to adherents of the majorreligions because their adherentscan recognise elements of moraland spiritual symbolism in

Masonic ritual.Back to Anderson and his Constitutions.Whatever the intent, Freemasons quicklytook advantage of this widening of themembership qualifications.

The first members of the Jewishcommunity (who at that time were justbeginning to enjoy greater access toEnglish public life) were initiated byLodge Antiquity in 1721. The firstJewish Worshipful Master was installedin 1730.12

There has been much argument about

whether grass roots membership did ordid not support Andersons model.

The relatively rapid admittance ofJewish candidates shows that, whilstsome lodges specifically voted not toadmit them as a class, there must havebeen significant lodge-level support,because those first Jewish candidates hadto be admitted in regular fashion by thelodge members (which of courseconsisted of Masons with Christianbackgrounds).

Those Freemasons of Christian

heritage consciously voted to acceptgentlemen as candidates for Initiationwho came not just from a differentChristian denomination: but from acompletely different faith. Within 15years there were many Jewish GrandLodge Officers.

This consideration gives the lie to thetheory Anderson was running a one-man-agenda and confirms there musthave been widespread approval for amove which was deliberately inclusive.13I think this a crucially important point

when seeking to define the Ethos ofFreemasonry.

Anderson remains a controversialfigure in Freemasonry he is slated bysome and lauded by others. TheConstitutions are definitely inconsistentbut, to quote David Stevenson whoexamines Anderson and his process insome detail in his highly recommendedessay James Anderson, Man andMason:14

just as [Andersons] History hadChrist without acknowledgement of

his divinity, the Charges have religionand moral law, and a denunciation ofAtheists, without (except in the

heading) specific mention of God. Thisvagueness, if not ambiguity, hasexasperated generations of Masonichistorians, who have generallyattributed it to Andersonsincompetence, but again this ignoresthe context.

His task was to provide a broadframework, not lay down a new dogmafor a new denomination. Freemasonryexisted as an escape fromdenominational and factionalconstraints into a sphere into whichmen concentrated on what bound themtogether, not what divided them.

In not defining the Religion inwhich all Men agree Anderson isbeing evasive in one sense, but is alsoappealing to an ideal. Vaguenessbecomes a virtue, for any attempt atprecise definition would have beendestructive. His ambiguity shouldperhaps be seen as masterly.

The same deliberate theological strengththrough vagueness gave the Church of

England its role as a resolver oftheological conflict some 150 yearsbefore and it is of note that this liberalEnglish reformation theology isspecifically mentioned by Anderson inhis charge on Behaviour after the Lodgeis Over and the Brethren not Gone.

Therefore no private piques or quarrelsmust be brought within the door of theLodge, far less any quarrels aboutreligion, or nations, or state policy, webeing only, as Masons, of the

Catholick15

religion above-mentioned;

we are also of all nations, tongues,kindreds, and languages, and areresolved against all politicks, as whatnever yet conduced to the welfare ofthe Lodge, nor ever will. This Chargehas been always strictly enjoined andobserved; butespecially ever since the Reformation in Britain, or the dissent

and secession of these nations from the

communion of Rome.16

By requiring Freemasons to be tolerantof different spiritual beliefs and byneither requiring membership nor

adherence to a particular theology and,additionally, by casting aside matters ofnational identity; Andersons move laidthe foundation for a place whereChristian, Jew, Moslem and Buddhist;and English, French and German mencould meet on equal terms; where theonly Symbols present were thedesignated universal symbols ofFreemasonry: from which universalallegories and teachings were drawn tocreate a code of moral conduct. This thenallowed men of often violently differing

views to find a safe passage for theirdiscussions.The three degrees reveal an Ethos of


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Freemasonry which is common to allfaiths:

There is a Supreme Being whocreated the Universe,

Who established and revealed amoral law and commandsobedience,

To Whom we must all giveaccount in a life after this,

All of which can be revealed to

those who wish to explore thedeliberately universal symbolismand allegories of the Masonicdegrees,

Which promote the universalBrotherhood of Man, requiringFreemasons to actively practicedisinterested friendship in thegrand design of being happy andpromoting happiness, light andbenevolence.

Perhaps these could be termed the FiveTheological Points of Freemasonry and

they are certainly supported by materialfrom the lectures and related contents ofthe three Degrees, such as the discourseson the Working Tools and the TracingBoards.

Lodge FurnishingsThe purpose and place of the VSL isexplained in the First Degree TracingBoard Lecture.

When outlining the symbolism of theboard and describing Jacobs Ladder it issaid to reach

to the heavens, and rest on theVSL, because, by the doctrinescontained in that Holy Book, we aretaught to believe in the dispensation ofdivine providence, which beliefstrengthens our faith and enables us toascend the first step; this faithnaturally creates in us a hope ofbecoming partakers of the blessedpromises therein recorded, which hopeenables us to ascend the second step;but the third and last, being charity,comprehends the whole,

There are other references . . . and you

should all know them by heart!I repeat the credentials for

membership, as laid down by Andersonand adhered to by Grand Lodges eversince; that a candidate:

not be an atheist,

maintain a belief which is nothumanist, and

be prepared to meet peaceablywith men of differing faiths andnationalities, and

not try to enter into argumentabout or seek to change thereligious convictions of otherbrethren.

The Ritual, the VSL and the KJVFreemasonrys traditional history and theteachings contained it its rituals aredrawn from apocryphal, textual andcreated sources.17 The Freemasonry wehave received today takes examples fromlegend (known as Traditional History)and events recorded in the Judo-Christian Scriptures (J-CS) and mixesthem freely with symbolism linked to the

tools of Operative Stonemasonry tocreate a peculiar system of moralityveiled in allegory and illustrated bysymbols which is universally applicableto all who have a Spiritual Faith.

There is a case to be made that,because the J-CS are not the sole sourcefor Masonic degree symbolism, it is notsound to consider the Masonic VSL aJudo-Christian text; no matter that ithappens to be the King James Version ofthe Bible (KJV).18

The KJV was most likely chosen

because, in 1717, it was considered byEnglish scholars to be the most accurateand best presented religious andhistorical text available to them. TheKJV was not, to these men, just a bookof religious belief. It was also consideredan accurate source document chartingthe history of humanity.

It is of considerable importance thatthe textual references taken from theKJV and incorporated into Masonicritual used in Australia, England,Scotland and Ireland are not used to back

up theological dogma, but rather to givea foundation text for historical events,ritual excerpts which praise the ethos ofbrotherhood or to back up the referencesfor certain words and events mentionedin the ritual. It is used as a reference text,not a religious text.

The KJV was just as much a productof the enlightenment as was the notion ofa universal codification of faiths as aform for moral conduct which isFreemasonry.

Published in 1611, the KJV was the

result of a determined effort to removetheological and factual errors which hadcrept into use as well as what wasdeemed doctrinal bias from the Christianbase text to be used in English speakingchurches. The compiling scholarswanted to ensure it was the mostaccurate and reliable document that thescholarship of the time could produce.

The success of this desire is evidentthrough its longevity of use. It wasconsidered such a reliable document thatit was not revised until 1881 and even

then not until after 30 year revisionprocess instigated by the discovery ofmanuscripts pre-dating those upon which

the KJV scholars had relied and thestudy of which had revealed errors oftranslation and fact in the KJV.

At the time of the formation of theGrand Lodge of England and thecompilation of the Masonic rituals, theKJV was, therefore, not only the pre-eminent religious reference, but it wasalso the main historical text of its time.The beauty of its prose had caused it to

enter, as no book has, the very personalcharacter of the public institutions of theEnglish speaking peoples.19

Other Masonic observances havesince chosen to use a blank book as theirVSL, considering this as a moreappropriate symbol, being free ofdoctrinal overtones: however they tendto be humanistic versions ofFreemasonry, not requiring a spiritualbelief for candidacy.

Whilst the adoption of a blank bookVSL would remove the doctrinal bias

associated with the use of the KJV, thisis not advocated by this paper.The issue facing Freemasons in 2010

is that the KJV now only has a role as atheological text and is no longerconsidered a semi-historical text. Whenmost Australian Freemasons look at thebook on the altar or pedestal, they see aChristian Bible. They do not see auniversally applicable Volume of theSacred Law. This paper argues, simply,they are wrong so to do.

So much so, in one of the Australian

Constitutions, it has become the practicefor Brethren (and even for GrandMasters when taking their obligation ofoffice) to take their oaths from thefront or the back of the VSLdepending on whether they are Christianor Jewish. This totally rejects the call foruniversal symbolism in Freemasonry andis a sectarian practice, which is arguablya Masonic offence.

Such is the ingrained practice and thepower of the KJV as a religious text thatit is almost an impossible for many

Freemasons to consider the VSL asbeing anything other than a bookcontaining the Old Testament andNew Testament. Masonically itcontains neither.

The VSL as a Universal SymbolThe VSL has been, since the formationof the English Freemasonry we practicehere in Australia, a Universal Symbol inFreemasonry. In practice, it is not, andthat is to the detriment of Freemasonry.Therefore:

Does a universal symbol needaugmentation? (This paper argues it doesnot)


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If augmented by other religious texts,does it immediately cease to be auniversally applicable symbol? (Thispaper argues that is does).

Could the fact that Brethren augmentthe VSL and that some Constitutionsprovide individual VSLs for candidatesbe seen as a practice contrary to theintent of Freemasonry as a universal

code of belief free from sectarianqualification?In the cases where augmentation

occurs, has the VSL ceased to be auniversal symbol of the beliefs of all itsmembers present?

Has it, instead, become associatedwith the religious belief of localBrethren?

If so, is this is a departure from theLandmarks of Freemasonry envisaged byAnderson and which were so quickly putinto practice by the brethren of his

time?

20

This paper argues this is whathas happened, again to the detriment ofFreemasonry as a universal brotherhood.

It is essential that the VSL, whendescribed as such in a tyled lodge, berecognised as the symbolic codificationand explanation of the religious doctrineheld by every Freemason in that room. Itis not the codification of the beliefstructure of one or a group of memberspresent and therefore should not bechanged to suit the creed of individualcandidates.

If other holy books are admitted intoor used during Masonic ceremonies, it isargued the ethos of Andersons originalintent: that a lodge of Freemasonscontains Men of Honour and Honesty,by whatever Denominations or

Persuasions they may be distinguishd;

whereby Masonry becomes the Centre ofUnion, and the Means of conciliating

true Friendship among Persons that

must (otherwise)21 have remaind at a perpetual Distance has beencontravened.

To put it another way, Masoniclodges should contain men who havefound a common means to representindividual faiths: that Freemasonry is auniversal system of symbols whichenables Brethren to express a Friendshipwhich might otherwise not be realised toits fullest brotherly potential; whichwould otherwise have at the least keptthem apart and at worst resulted in opendisagreement with the potential forviolent verbal or physical disagreement.

One only has to consider the level of

worldwide argument over religiousdoctrine to understand the results of notadhering to this tenet in support of the

case not to introduce differing texts.The Tracing Board lecture makes it

clear that the obligation of candidatesdoes not to take place on only the VSL,but on the combined vehicle of the VSL,Compasses and Square.

The Obligation is made on a threefoldsymbol held to be a symbolic rule andguide for the faith each Freemasonbrings with him to lodge: as well as the

rule and guide for future conduct. Can itbe argued this a much more potentsymbol because it is held by everyperson present at the time the obligationis taken?

It becomes a very strong tie that bindsand is another reason to considerwhether the practice of taking individualobligations on personal religious texts isappropriate.

This symbolism is totally destroyedby the use of a personal VSL, whichthis paper holds to be an oxymoron. Do

we allow WMs to use personal squares(which may be round) or lodges to installextra pillars to satisfy the sectarianwishes of members? We do not. So, justas there cannot be personal squares orpersonal rituals, there cannot be personalVSLs. The only way the symbolism ofFreemasonry can remain universal is bypreventing it from being tampered withor personalised.

Consider these points: The VSL is the rule and guide to

our faith, because it is not the

book of one faith, but rather thesymbolic codification of allFreemasons faiths and is thereforeuniversally applicable.

The VSL is recognition that allmen in a Masonic lodge have apersonal faith.

Depending on the background ofeach Brother present, that faithcan, but might not be, codified in adiscreet volume.

The VSLs potency is its presencein the lodge as a symbolic

codification applicable to allFreemasons, whether or not theirpersonal faith has its own sacredtext.

Now, consider these questions:

By seeking to augment its presencein a lodge room by addingcodifications of dogmatic textsfrom one or several religions, hasthe universal power of itssymbolism been diminished orenhanced?

When placed alongside otherreligious texts, does the VSL loseits potency and become instead the

Volume of Masonic LoreaVMLrather than the Volume ofSacred Law, the symbolic volumefor all faiths present and held inharmony by overall effect of itsconjunction with the other symbolsof a tyled lodge room?

Does supplying Masonic Biblesplay into the hands of those criticsof Freemasonry who accuse us of

seeking to supplant recognisedfaiths with a mish-mash ofsyncretic symbols which draw menaway from their individual faiths?

Does carrying a Masonic Bibleallow these critics to argue there isa Masonic Religion because, tothem, we have created our ownversion of the Bible which hasbeen revised and edited to serveour own dark purposes?

Does maintaining the centrality ofthe symbolism of the VSL create a

better bond of brotherhood?o Can it be argued that, by taking

his obligation on the lodgeVSL, every candidate isacknowledging the faith ofevery Brother present in theroom?

o Is this the way he enters into

that symbolic bond of MasonicBrotherhood which is theMystic Tie that Binds?

o If he uses the text of his own

faith, is he no longer

acknowledging the centralMasonic requirement that,within a tyled lodge room,personal faiths are notrecognised?

o Instead, is he proclaiming that

his personal belief is differentfrom those around him andmaybe superior? That is not aMasonic attitude.

Universal Symbolism and the FutureJust as there was a need for universal

religious symbolism to heal the inter-doctrinal tensions of the early 1700s,three hundred years later the needremains, but is that universality beingsupplanted by sectarianism, displayed bythe use of individual and multiple VSLs?

For many members of contemporarysociety, the answer to the question Doyou believe in God can evoke anegative response, ruling them ineligiblefor membership. What is God to thecontemporary candidate? God is thedifferent God that belongs to each of the

Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Mormons,Hillsong evangelists and Muslims.Many have a personal faith not


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expressed by being subservient to a deitynamed God. For many members ofsociety, organised religions have anegative image and God has thereforebecome synonymous with their feelingsof negativity.22

Asking a young potential candidate aquestion such as do you believe in Godor a higher spiritual force can evoke amore positive response. Even asking do

you have a Spiritual faith may not beenough.23 The community no longer hasa high level of religious awareness.

Freemasons therefore need to rely ontheir universal language of symbolismwhen examining candidates about thefaith-based conditions for membership.No longer is it simply enough to askpotential candidates do you go tochurch?: 80 per cent of Australian mendo not.24

Freemasons need to ask universalquestions in support of their universal

acceptance of all personal faiths whichhave a Supreme Being (however it maybe conceived) and these new candidateswithout doctrinal belief need to enter anenvironment categorised by universallanguage and symbols typified by theuniversal VSL.

There is a theological chasm betweenthe average Freemason in Australian

jurisdictions and the young men seekingto join, particularly the X, Y and Zgenerations. However the averageAustralian Freemason is aged between

69 and 72,

25

comes from a Judo-Christian background, and views theSymbolism of Freemasonry from withinthat context. This includes decision-makers who may not have a deeptheological appreciation of their ownfaith nor have a full understanding of theuniversal power of the Masonic symbolcalled the VSL.

Freemasonrys appeal to the youngergeneration of potential candidates, whodo not come from the same spiritualbackground as current members, will be

increased by a more careful andthorough explanation of its universalityand lack of doctrinal requirement.

To repeat: Freemasonry is the worldsoldest fraternity, dedicated to religioustolerance and world peace.

Yes, it sounds like a line from MissCongeniality, but the definition issimple, powerful and universallyattractive.26 It is as simple and powerfulas the universally applicable symbolismof the VSL, Square and Compasses undiluted by sectarian texts and

consistent with our base text: AndersonsConstitutions.As it was in the 1700s, Freemasonrys

call for universal brotherhood, toleranceand forbearance is needed incontemporary society. Anderson and hiscolleagues deliberately removed thelabel of bible from the Masonic symbolchosen to represent the doctrinal beliefsof all Brethren present in a tyled lodgeroom. This is why the practice of addingadditional religious books and the impactthis has on the universal symbolism of a

Masonic lodge has to be closelyconsidered. This paper argues that thepractice should cease.

In conclusion, this paper suggests:

Craft Freemasons should take theirobligations only on the combinedsymbols of lodge VSL, the Squareand Compasses and not on theirown religious text or personalVSL.

Only the lodge VSL be displayed.No effort should be made toaccommodate the symbols of

differing religions, no matter whatthe ceremony.

The word God should beremoved from all Craft ritual and,in all cases, replaced by theuniversal terms for Deity containedin each ceremony (GAOTU,GGOTU, MH).

Contemporary men are attracted toFreemasonry when it is activelypromoted as the worlds oldest fraternity,dedicated to religious tolerance andworld peace. It is an organisation which

demands that its members leave theirpersonal religious beliefs outside thelodge room and pick up the universalsymbols of Speculative Freemasonry.

Why, then, allow the VSL to bereplaced by another religious book? Ifwe would not countenance a WorshipfulMaster replacing the lodges Square witha personal symbol, why allow a Brotherto supplant the lodge VSL?

Endnotes1 This paper limits itself to considerations

within Masonic lodges holden under Grand

Lodges claiming a descent from andconstitutional reliance upon one of the GrandLodges of England, Scotland and Ireland.

2 To name but a few. As all Freemasons know,a tyled lodge room is redolent withsymbolism.

3 A highly unusual occurrence worthy offurther investigation, considering the love aFreemason has for a good set of committeeminutes.

4 After the Restoration of Charles II,Parliament passed the series of laws knownas the Clarendon Code (166165) and theTest Act(1673), which required holders ofpublic office to take various oaths of loyaltyand to receive the sacrament of the Church of

England. These laws penalized Protestantnonconformists at whom, principally, theywere aimed, as well as Roman Catholics.

However, the Protestant dissenters continuedin their vehement anti-Catholicism andformed the backbone of the Whig party,which coalesced (167981) in the attempt toexclude the Catholic James, duke of York(later James II) from the succession to thethrone. The anti-Catholic movementculminated in the overthrow of James II inthe Glorious Revolution (1688), and the Billof Rights (1689) and theAct of Settlement(1701) excluded the Catholic branch of thehouse of Stuart from the throne. A TolerationAct(1689) relieved the Protestant

nonconformists of many of their disabilities(although they remained excluded fromoffice). See esp.Revolution and Rebellion:State and Society in England in the

Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, (JCDClark: Cambridge: 1986)

5 See especially Lionel Vibert, AndersonsConstitutions of 1722,AQC, vol. XXXVI(1923), p37.

6 Knoop D. and. Jones GP, The Genesis ofFreemasonry (London: 1947).

7 Dissenter is one of those wonderfullypejorative phrases which says as much aboutthe climate of the times as it does about thoseto whom it refers. The term dissenter (fromthe Latin dissentire, to disagree), labels one

who dissents or disagrees in matters ofopinion or belief. In the social and religioushistory of England and Wales, however, itrefers particularly to a member of a religiousbody in England or Wales who has, for onereason or another, separated from theEstablished Church (The Church of England,established by Act of Parliament). Originally,the term included English and Welsh RomanCatholics, whom the original draft of theRelief Actof 1779 styled Protesting CatholicDissenters. In practice, however, itdesignates Protestant Dissenters referred to insec. ii. of theAct of Toleration of 1689.

8 The Desaguliers family fled France in about1686 to escape the persecution of Protestants.

His father, Jean, was a Huguenot minister andwas admitted into the Church of England andordained Deacon and Priest on the same dayby the Bishop of London on 28 November1692. The same Bishop also later ordainedJohn Theophilus on 10 June 1710.

9 Stokes J Life of John TheophilusDesaguliersAQC Vol. XXXVIIIpp285ff.

10 This paper was written in 2010.11 Constitutions, 1723. It is worth pointing out

that stupid atheist is not an insult, but ratherthe traditional sense of the word: someonewhose senses are deadened.

12 Shaftesley JM, Jews in English Freemasonryin the 18th and 19th Centuries,AQC, vol.XCII(1979), p42.

13 See Knoop D. and Jones GP, Freemasonryand the Idea of Natural Religion,AQC, vol.LVI(1943), pp3857; Knoop D and. JonesGP, The Genesis of Freemasonry (London:1947), p187; Clarke JR, The Change fromChristianity to Deism,AQC, vol. LXXXVIII(1965), pp4973, and Ward E, AndersonsFreemasonry Not Deistic,AQC, vol. LXXX(1967), pp3657.

14 Stevenson, D James Anderson Man andMason in Weisberger RW, McLeod W, andMorris SB, eds: Freemasonry on Both Sidesof the Atlantic, (Boulder: East EuropeanMonographs, 2002). pp115,118.

15 Catholick here means universal and shouldnot be confused with the Catholic Church of

Rome.16 Constitutions 1723, with emphasis added.17 For example the J-CS does not contain the



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The glittering ceremonies were attendedby a full house that packed the stalls,balconies and galleries of the RoyalAlbert Hall, as Lord Millett was installedMetropolitan Grand Master. This

controversial innovation, the brain childof Lord Northampton when AssistantGrand Master, has had its fair share ofproblems. The complexity of the set up,the new ranking system, andappointment of Metropolitan GrandOfficers (ten Group Chairmen and tenDeputies) had to be revised, andconsiderable heart-searching reformscontinue to date.

Division of Responsibility (2006)Generations of Grand Secretaries of

Grand Lodge, before and after theUnion, have monopolised the effectiveadministration of the Craft. The name ofLaurence Dermott (17201791), thatmost extraordinary man and Freemason,Grand Secretary of the Antients, comesto mind, as does Samuel Spencer, hiscontemporary counterpart in theModerns Grand Lodge. Others includeThomas Harper, William White andJames Heseltine and, more recently, SirEdward Letchworth and Sir JamesStubbs, the last of that ilk of Grand

Secretary. After his passing in the year2000, the power of the Grand Secretarybegan to diminish, culminating in the2006 announcement by the Board ofGeneral Purposes that henceforth theoffice of Grand Secretary would bedivided. The new system saw three areasof responsibility instead of the singlerole of Grand Secretary: a ChiefOperating Officer whose responsibilitywould be the management ofFreemasons Hall in London; the GrandSecretary to remain responsible for all

matters Masonic in England and forDistricts and lodges overseas, and thenew appointment of a Grand Chancellorresponsible for external relations withother Grand Lodges on the continent andoverseas. These were major changes,allowing England to fall in step withlong-standing European practices.

European Grand Masters in London

(2007)In the light of the age-old acrimony andcriticism endured by the UGLE on the

subject of recognition and regularity, theLondon Conference of Grand Masters inNovember 2007 must have been

regarded as a revolutionary andcourageous event. It came about by theinvitation of the UGLE to EuropeanGrand Masters, several fromunrecognised Constitutions, to meet anddiscuss aspects of sovereignty,

communications, and regularity andrecognition. The 44 Grand Masters whoaccepted the invitation were formallywelcomed by the Grand Master, HRHthe Duke of Kent, at a highly cordialdinner. The two-day conference thatfollowed was chaired by the then DeputyGrand Master, Peter Lowndes. Thespeakers included the Pro Grand Master,Lord Northampton, the Grand Master ofAustria, Michael Kraus, and GustavoRaffi, Grand Master of the Grand Orientof Italy. It was an undoubted success that

has opened the door to futureconferences, the second being held inParis in 2009 under the auspices of theGrande Loge Nationale Franaise.

The Internet Age (2010)Our forefathers could not have visualisedthe success and universal expansion ofFreemasonry, let alone 21st-centurytechnology, which is beyond thecomprehension of the average Masontoday. Nonetheless, looking at presenttrends and recent developments,

Freemasonry appears well placed in thisvirtual age of cyberspace. The firstMasonic bulletin board was set up in1978, and by then some Masons hadalready been communicating by e-mail,the earliest record of which surprisinglyis in 1966. What revolutionised the thennew communication media was theintroduction of the modem in 1977. By1995 we had the (still active andpopular) UK-Mason List, now boastingsome 1100 brethren, and the foundationof Internet Lodge No 9659 in 1998, with

a membership of 300 brethren belongingto 75 different Constitutions, which ledus to the road of no return. Lodgesecretaries no longer need specialdispensations to send minutes andsummonses by e-mail, Grand Lodgesworldwide have their own websites, asdo many private lodges. So much is nowso readily available on the World WideWeb that, subject to filtering theinformation for accuracy, life hasbecome simpler and easierevenwriting this article!

Bibliography

Brown, Aubrey & Ors: Prince Hall, Myths,

Legends and Facts, Harashim # 15,July 2000.

Hamill, John M: And the Greatest of these isCharity. The Development of MasonicCharity (Prestonian Lecture 1993),AQC108 (1995).

McKeown, Trevor W: An Historical Outlineof Freemasons on the Internet, AQC121 (2008).

Pilcher-Dayton, Ann: The Open Door TheOrder of Women Freemasons, London2008.

Smyth, Frederick: A Reference Book forFreemasons, QCCC Ltd, London1998.


verse: I shall build this mine house that itstand fast forever.

18 Which came to be chosen as the item offurniture referred to as the VSL in all lodges

linked with the United Grand Lodge ofEngland.

19 Preface to the Revised Standard Version ofthe Bible, William Collins Sons and Co,London 1952.

20 See earlier reference to the initiation andinstalling of Jewish brethren very shortlyafter Andersons Constitutions were adopted.

21 My parenthetic addition.22 See works such as Bice, J,A 21st Century

Rationalist in Medieval America: Essays on

Religion, Science, Morality, and the Bush

Administration, (Chelydra Bay Press 2008);Hugh McKay,Reinventing Australia: TheMind and Moods of Australia in the 1990s(Allen and Unwin, Sydney 1993); John

Rickard,Australia: A Cultural History(Longman 2edn, London 1996) and GeoffreyStokes, The Politics of Identity in Australia(Cambridge University Press, Melbourne1997).

23 Fewer than half of Australias Generation Y(born 197690) identify with a traditionalreligion, according to the Spirit ofGeneration Yproject (200306). Conductedby Monash University, the AustralianCatholic University and the ChristianResearch Association, it found Generation Yrelies on family and friends as the sources ofits beliefs, values and social support; 48% ofGen Y participants believe in a god, 20%do not, and 32% are unsure. Two-thirds of

those who do not believe in God, or areuncertain, believe in some kind of higherbeing or life-force.

24 According to the ABS 2002 General SocialSurvey, 23% of Australian adults participatein church or religious activities. Women(26%) were more likely to than men (20%).

25 As at 2007 the average age of Freemasons inVictoria is 68, in WA is 72 and in NSW/ACT is 69 (information supplied by theseConstitutions on request of the author).

26 In the 2000 filmMiss Congeniality SandraBullock played a Pygmalionesque role: abutch FBI agent in a beauty contest whoamong many things (such as bathing suitsand evening dresses) had trouble expressing

the universal beauty questers greatest desire:world peace. Her oft stated greatest desirewas maximum sentences for all offenders(long pause) and world peace.

VSL & Symbolism

The Craft in England


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Issue 52 page 13

Corona Gladiorum: Transactions of theBristol Masonic SocietyAntony R Baker, ed.[http://www.bristol-masonic-society.org.uk/transactions.htm]Annual vol. UKP 7.50 + 4 p&p.

I have discovered an interesting factabout painting laundries with acrylicgloss. It takes an inordinate time to drybetween coats. A good rule of thumb isthat it takes as long to cure as it does toread the six volumes of the Transactions

of the Bristol Masonic Society.Actually it was a grey gloomy day

with a sky the colour of galvanized ironand the paint wasnt going to even try todry. So what better excuse to make adaily advancement. (My father/brothertold me after my initiation that I had totake the admonition seriously. I told Neathat I was required to spend at least 60minutes every day reading Masonicbooks. Its worked so far!)

The first volume is an anthology ofselected papers delivered to the Society

between 19922004, then follow annualvolumes for the years up to 200809.The URL above gives the contents. TheBMS website itself is what a Minister ofState directed that his Ministerial repliesshould be: clear, concise and helpful. Itis everything that the Quatuor Coronatiwebsite was not. (As of 9 September2010, QC has a new, much improvedand clear, concise and helpful website.But even Yasha agreed that the old onewas rubbish.)

Each volume has more than one

standout paper, but the first paper in thefirst volume had me sold from thebeginning. It was the inaugural addressdelivered in 1917 by Brother Cook, theSocietys first President. It started withwhat was, to me, a fascinating historylesson, went on to describe thedifficulties of steering the work of aMasonic research body and ended with afervent prayer of blessing upon the newendeavour with the hope and assurancethat it will in time come to be anunending source of enjoyment and

instruction for our brethren.Bro Cook stated there is abundant

material to keep us interested and

amused (for I hope we shall not neglectthe saving grace of humour) for verymany years to come, and I am confidentthat we have brethren amongst us whoare capable and willing to place theirtalents at our disposal.

It is not common for theentertainment value of a presentation tobe considered, and yet in the space oftwo paragraphs here we have referencesto enjoyment and instruction andinterested and amused.

Harry Kellerman said that if you caninform your brethren via a talk, then youare doing well, but if you can alsoentertain them, you have won them.

The new Instruction and GuidanceManual produced by UGL Victoria forspeakers operating in that jurisdictioncontains much of value, but nowherementions the use of humour as a tool ofeducation. Grand Lodges rarely offerproof that they have a sense of humour.

I dont know why its taken me solong to discover some of the Masonic

research bodies in the UK. Merseyside, Irecently found, is still operational. Andthere are others. In 2004, more than 30English Research Lodges andAssociations gathered to considerwhether and how things should and canbe improved (Jim Daniel, quoted inMQ, January 2005). I wonder if theyconsidered a body on the same basis asANZMRC? Who are the thirty-plus?

Bro John Acaster, in his review inMQ [Issue 3, October 2002] said ofCorona Gladiorum: an admirable

publication, deserving of a much widerreadership than merely around Bristol. Itis capable of charming the novice andalso the learned.

It certainly charmed me.The acquisition of a full suite of the

Transactions, as listed at the above URL,requires the investment of 47.50, plus14 p+p to the rest of the world. But itis an investment I doubt you will everregret.

Oh, and the covers are a lovelycolour. My laundry walls used to be that

shade!

NWM

Part 2Tonys take

Conference convenor David Ganondelegated much of the organisationalwork to local Masons who are notmembers of the research lodge, and hisfaith in them was well founded. But Ido have a whinge about the

recommended accommodation. Theapartments were good, but self-service



lodge meeting, whilst the second guestspeaker, WBro James Soutar fromThailand, gave his presentation ofFreemasonry in his country to a group offifty brethren and ladies on the Sundayafternoon. Seven Kellerman lectures,

from all the Australasian jurisdictionsexcept South Australia and the NorthernTerritory, were presented over threedays.

The Biennial General Meeting heldon the last day of the Conferenceresulted in the election of RWBro AndyWalker from Sydney, NSW, asPresident for the ensuing two years. Theout-going President, RWBro PeterVerrall, was elected as a Fellow of theANZMRC in recognition of his servicespread over many years as Western

Australias delegate, as a Vice Presidentand as President. He has also presentedthree Kellerman Lectures in the sixteenyears he has been involved with theANZMRC.

The former assistant secretary,VWBro Kent Henderson (Melbourne,Victoria), was elected as one of the threeVice Presidents and the newly appointedWestern Australian delegate, RWBroDavid Ganon, was elected as AssistantSecretary. The remaining ExecutiveCommittee members were re-appointed

by their respective jurisdictions and re-elected to their former office.

After eighteen years as Editor ofHarashim and the other publications ofthe ANZMRC, WBro Tony Pope(Queanbeyan, NSW) has handed overthis task to WBro Alan Gale (Perth,WA), with WBro Harvey Lovewell(Cairns, Queensland) as his assistant.

WBro Ed Robinson (Wellington, NZ)was appointed to the new position ofMasonic Digital Library Co-ordinator,once the Library Project was formally

adopted by the ANZMRC.The Eleventh Biennial Conference

will be held in Wellington, New Zealandin 2012.

Conference

Book Reviews


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page 14 Harashim

Wednesday 14 October

An early start today. At 0400 Bob Nairntook Cheryl and me to Canberra airportto catch our flight to Adelaide. Wearrived in Adelaide about 0730, to bemet by Richard Num. After leaving ourbags at the Wakefield Residence Hotel,Richard handed me the Wilberforcegavel he had brought from Darwin. Hegave us a quick orientation tour anddropped us off at Freemasons Hall inNorth Terrace and we went for a walk toRundle Mall more shops then off to alittle restaurant off Hindley Street thatwe had been to before, for some lunch. Ithen made my way to Freemasons Halland spent some time with GeorgeWoolmer, the Grand Librarian. ThenCheryl and I we made our way back toour hotel, had a very early light tea andcaught up on some lost sleep.

Thursday 15 October

We had a leisurely day, and in theevening Varlio Priori took us toLeonardo da Vinci Lodge 238, hostlodge for the presentation of Sacred

Space in Freemasonry. This lodge ispermitted to work the ritual of the GrandOrient of Italy, in English, and theOrator explained the first degree openingand closing ceremonies, a greatadvancement in Masonic knowledge forme. The 51 brethren present includedGrand Master Ray Clark, Mark GrandMaster Alan Pearson, First GrandPrincipal John Carter, RWBro ColinPreece (my tutor for the Mark Certificateof Masonic Education) and RWBro FredMartin (who designed the course). The

Master of the lodge, WBro SilvanoOrlando, instructed his director ofceremonies (RWBro Dario Priori, GDC)to present me with the Leonardo daVinci Lodge medal, and I also receivedmy Mark Certificate of MasonicEducation [reported inHarashim #49].

Friday 16 OctoberFriday was a day of relaxation, and mid-afternoon I met Marcin Stankewicz. Heis a member of my mother lodge(Awatea #258) and we keep in contact.We discussed his forthcoming fleetingvisit to New Zealand to occupy the Chairof King Solomon on our Past Mastersnight in November. Then he collected

his young son, Alexander, and we alldrove to Semaphore to see the old lodgebuilding and war fortresses. We went onto Port Adelaide and saw some amazingold buildings and the Masonic Buildingwith the hieroglyphic name. On aprevious visit I attended the PortAdelaide daylight lodge installationthere. We then went to the old AdelaidePrison and were fortunate to be given animpromptu guided tour, thanks to theefforts of Marcin.

Then it was back to the hotel, light

dinner, early night, needing to be up andready to go at 0400.

Saturday 17 OctoberRichard Num picked us up at 0445.Shortly after 0600 we flew to Melbourneand then changed flights and flew toHobart. George Sanders, Master ofHobart Lodge of Research, met us at theairport and took us back to his home atMidway Point just outside of Hobart.Georges home has absolutely stunningviews of the bay that you fly overcoming into Hobart, as well as mountainviews. George is a keen wood-turner andTasmania is known for its Huon Pine.We gave George his special marmalade

that Cheryl bought in Sydney [see

Harashim #50] then set out to SalamancaMarket in Hobart. This market is heldevery Saturday and has a large numberof stalls that close off the street. We thenwent on to Mures, a seafood restaurant atthe port. Whilst there we saw the SeaShepherddocked at the port. Hobart hasthe deepest harbour in Australia, anextremely picturesque area and the oldhistorical buildings that have beenrenovated are a sight to see. We thenwent back to Georges for a huge dinner;chatted for some time then to bed and

enjoyed a long awaited sleep.Sunday 18 OctoberBreakfast and off to see the sights fromHobart to Port Arthur. This area is aparadise of panoramic views, steeped inhistory, relaxing and educational. On theway we had to wait to cross a bridge thatis moved by a turntable which rotates theroad and allows the boats out to sea. Onthis lovely sunny Sunday a fishing boatwas making its way out. This was theDennison Canal at Dunalley.

We then stopped at a wildlife parkdeveloped solely for the preservation ofthe little Tasmanian Devils, an animal onthe verge of extinction. There is a formof cancer found in the northern area andthe southern ones appear to free of thisgene in their genetic makeup, so a veryadvanced conservation and breedingprogramme is underway to eradicate thegene and save the species. There werealso kangaroos, wallabies, geese, variousbirds, and it was the chance to walkamongst them that made this aworthwhile experience.

We arrived next at Eaglehawk Neck,well known for its impressive coastalrock formations of the Devils Kitchen,Tasman Arch and the Blowhole. Incolonial times this isthmus was guardedby ferocious dogs intended to ensure noconvicts escaped the Port Arthur penalsettlement. While little remains of theEaglehawk Neck historic site, theinfamous dog line has been marked by abronze dog sculpture. Eaglehawk Neckis approximately an hours drive or 75kilometres south-east of Hobart.

A further 25 kilometres on we cameto Port Arthur, a part of Australias mostsignificant convict heritage which holds

Illustrated report of the 2009 ANZMRC Lecture Tour of Australia by WBro Kerry Nicholls KL, DipMEd (SA), Hawkes Bay

Research Lodge, continued from issue 50. Two matters Kerry refers to, the Wilberforce travelling gavel and Lake Lodge(Tasmania), are the subject of separate articles, following Kerrys report.

Kerry Nicholls in Australia

Leonardo da Vinci Lodge medal, presentedby Dario Priori to Kerry Nicholls


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Issue 52 page 15

a deep history for punishment of difficultprisoners. Port Arthurs history began in1830 when approximately 150 convictswere first transported to the peninsula tochop trees and erect rough timber andbark huts. These were the first form ofbuildings in the area. Prisons wereerected by the prisoners, each brickindividually handmade, and to this daythe thumb prints in the bricks may be

seen very clearly. In total 12,500convicts passed through Port Arthurbetween 1830 and 1853. Those that diedwere buried on the Isle of the Dead(visible from Port Arthur) where nearly2000 convicts and free people are buried.The free people included soldiers,officials and their families.

Today there is a shrine in the oldrestaurant where the Port Arthurmassacre of 28 April 1996 took place.This claimed the lives of 35 people andwounded 21 others when Martin Bryant

entered the Broad Arrow Cafe and shotat the patrons before barricading himselfin a guest house. By the end of the day,35 people had been killed, including anelderly couple, a young girl, and a babyin its mothers arms - the worst peace-time massacre on record by a singlegunman. Bryant was captured by policeafter he set the guest house on fire.

On our return journey we found thefirst of two Masonic Secrets inTasmania: The Tessellated Pavement.This is located just north of Eaglehawk

Neck. It is one of the hidden mysteries ofnature and science, a rock formationlooking very much as if it were man-made, due to the very straight andparallel lines. A placard provided by theGeology Department of the University ofTasmania informs us:

The pavement appears tessellated (it'stiled) because the rocks forming itwere fractured by earth movements.The fractures are in three sets, one setruns almost north, another east northeast, and a third discontinuous setnorth northwest. These last two sets

produce the tiled appearance. Theflatness of the pavement is due toinitial erosion by waves carrying sandand gravel and, nearer to the cliff, tochemical action by sea water. Therocks which absorb sea water duringhigh tide dry out during low tidecausing salt crystals to grow and

harashim 52

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