THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY
usually meant there was something being presented at any time that would appeal to your interests. The first plenary lecture of the conference set the tone for the weekend. If we are to encourage the scientific and academic study of Freemasonry, said France’s Pierre-Yves Beaurepaire, we must nurture authentic, scholarly courses in universities. Freemasonry is a social and historical movement that must be studied in its proper context, and not just down the dead end road of “masonology.” The goal Masonic scholars and researchers must strive for, argued Beaurepaire, is academic legitimacy. Papers presented covered a far-reaching range of topics, on history, ritual, material culture, and the role of Masonry in society throughout the centuries. Even an exhaustive history of the legendary “lodge goat” was given by University of North Carolina’s William D. Moore. The variety of papers on Masonic history and customs stretched from the U.S. and Britain, Mexico and Japan, to Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The Masonic Society was well represented at the Conference by attendees and presenters. Brother Adam Kendall presented his paper, “Klad in White
TMS’ Mark Tabbert, speaking American “Scottishness.”
about
Hoods and Aprons: The K.K.K. and the Infiltration of California Freemasonry.” England’s John Belton (with his co-author Bob Cooper) presented “Scotland’s Masons - Membership and Occupations of Freemasons 1800-2000.” Mark Tabbert gave a presentation on “Prince Hall, African Lodge # 459 and the American Masonic Landscape of the 1770-80s.” In addition, Mark spoke about the digital archives project at the George Washington Masonic Memorial. Mark was also called upon to read the paper of an absent presenter, but when the paper also failed to show up, he gave an off the cuff presentation about the changes in ethnic perceptions in American history, how “Scottishness” was defined over the years in the U.S., and how both Burns and Scottish heritage have been adapted for use by Freemasonry over time. Brethren visiting Edinburgh were given the unique opportunity to sit in lodge meetings at Robert Burns’ lodge, Canongate Kilwinning Lodge No. 2, and Lodge of Edinburgh, Mary’s Chapel No.1, the oldest extant Masonic lodge, with records dating back to 1599. Nearly 100 brethren packed Mary’s Chapel No. 1 lodge room for the conferral of an Entered Apprentice degree on the Monday night after the conference’s end. The prevailing hope is that the 2011 conference will be held in Alexandria, Virginia at the George Washington Masonic Memorial, and then in a variety of European cities every two years. But Edinburgh is the conference’s spiritual home, and rightly so, with the city’s rich history of Freemasonry and its role in the origins of the modern fraternity.
TMS’ Adam Kendall answers a question as Todd Kissam and James Daniel look on.
TMS members David Naughton-Shires, Martyn Greene, Chris Hodapp, Leif Endre Grutle, and Adam Kendall enjoy a coffee break between lectures. (Photo by Adam Kendall. All others by Christopher Hodapp.) SUMMER 2009 • 31
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