Cross Keys October 2017 (Freemasonry)

The Cross Keys October 2017

Number 203

The Monthly Newsletter of Lodge Houstoun St. Johnstone Cross Keys October 2017

From the Editor Although the 300th Anniversary of English freemasonry is being celebrated, the first article shows that 1717 was not the birth of the Craft even in England.

The first of four articles covering Russian Freemasonry, this one about the period before 1750 includes the Scottish influence.

I am trying to make the articles as varied as possible, so again, if any brother comes across an item of masonic interest, please let me know.

Freemasonry and many lodges are working hard to retain its membership and ensure a future. Unfortunately, it is too easy to lose members for many reasons so we must all work together to ensure the future of the Craft as a whole.

If your lodge is doing something well and it might help other lodges, please share it. I am happy to make it into an article if you send the basic info,

The Cross Keys is a free magazine distributed across the many countries in order to spread the good (and sometimes not so good) qualities of the Craft. All views are of individual brothers and not any organised body.

Editor: Bro. N. Grant Macleod PM of Lodge Houstoun St. Johnstone No. 242 PM of The Anchor Lodge of Research No.1814 Past Provincial Grand Secretary of the Province of Renfrewshire East.

In this issue: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 16 17 18 19

Early English Masonry Russian FM before 1750 Art and the Craft James Y Keanie, builder Archibald Clements Mountain Man Degree Team Duke of Clarence Oak Island Minute Book Lodge in Fiji Lodge in Russia Murals Football Lodge (UGLE)

October Meetings Thursday 12th Exemplification of EAD

Thursday 27th AGM

Proof Reader: Bro. Allan Stobo PM of Lodge Houstoun St. Johnstone No. 242 All Scottish Constitution.

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7.30pm start

English Masonry before 1717 There has been a great said and shown about 300 years of speculative Freemasonry in London. However, brethren should be aware that this is a small part of the story.

Scotland has a transitional stage from operative to non-operative to speculative and should be considered as the same entity evolving over time.

England is perhaps slightly different and most English scholars prefer to talk about their freemasonry being born in 1717 with the four founding lodges. Clearly these lodges already existed and therefore speculative freemasonry existed before 1717!

It’s easy to get bogged down in the language, but it’s one of the areas that many brethren argue over.

Prior to the 1720s, the word ‘Freemason’ and its variants were applied virtually synonymously to mean a stonemason of the first rank. Examples of this usage both in England and across Europe date from before the thirteenth century and extend through to the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They include, for example, Henry VIII’s papers for 30 September 1526, which set out the detailed building accounts for Cardinals’ College, Oxford: ‘to the master masons, 12d a day each; to the wardens, masons, and setters, 3s 8d a week; and to every other free mason, 3s 4d’.

An interesting exposure is Samuel Pritchard’s Masonry Dissected from 1730 in London. He is supposed to have been a member and from what he has written, he certainly knows about the Craft degrees.

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"The terms of free and accepted Masonry (as now it is) has never been heard of till within these few years: no constituted lodges or quarterly communications were heard of till 1691, when lords and dukes, lawyers and shopkeepers, and other inferior trades (many porters not excepted) were admitted to the mystery, or no mystery."

Now isn't this interesting? For those still brought up to believe that English Freemasonry really began in 1717, and that it was then that constituted lodges and quarterly communications began, these words of Prichard must sound very odd indeed.

Why 1691? This stated that "this day (May 1691 the 18th being Monday after Rogation Sunday) is a great convention at St. Paul'sChurch (sic) of the Fraternity of the Accepted - Masons where Sr. Christopher Wren is to be adopted a Brother: and Sir Henry Goodric...of ye Tower, and divers others".

Confirmation of this statement rests on the close friendship of Aubrey and Wren, the fact that they were both members of the Royal Society and this item was found in that body's archives. Further, this item was recorded by the Clerk to that Society some time after the event described so had it not been true it would surely have been amended.

Russian Freemasonry before 1750 The first details of freemasonry in Russia relate indirectly to Bro. Capt. John Phillips in the minutes of the Grand Lodge of England in 1731. He is recorded as being appointed Provincial Grand Master (PGM).

for the most outstanding civilian or military merit. St. Andrew is the Patron Saint of both Scotland and Russia.

Generally recognised as the founder of freemasonry in Russia is Bro. Lt Gen James Keith (below) from the Aberdeen area of Scotland.

He is appointed as the second PGM in 170 by his cousin Bro. John Keith, 3rd Earl of Kintore Grand Master of England at that time and also Grand Master Mason of Scotland 1738-39.

Although he is credited as the first master of the lodge in St. Petersburg in 1732, there is no evidence remaining to proof this as fact.

Although he was PGM of Russia, Germany and Dominions due to the small number of lodges this would be a natural remit. Even the first PGM in Scotland covered the Counties of Renfrew, Argyll, Stirling, Dumbarton Clydesdale and Inverness.

Keith is a very colourful character. He had to leave Scotland after the failed 1715 Jacobite Uprising moving to France and Spain to offer his military services. Realising that being a Protestant would not lead to promotion in the Catholic countries, he went to serve Russia under Peter II in 1728.

He learned the Russian language and successfully commanded a number of regiments of foot. During the Russo-Swedish War, he commanded the occupying Russian forces and became the civil administrator for Russia in Finland. As a result he was awarded the top Russian honour—the Imperial Order of St. Andrew (see crests)—which has now been re -introduced in 1998. It is only bestowed in a

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In 1750, the first names of Russian lodges are recorded. Now this is after the tenure of Keith who, as a Jacobite, probably ignored any English influence or authority. Therefore, the path of these lodges would lean towards a German system of freemasonry rather than the 3 degrees of England. Scotland is not included here as many Scottish lodges at this time conferred additional degrees such as Royal Arch and Knight Templar along with the three degrees of the Craft.

The scene is now set for the third PGM and the first Russian, namely Bro. Ivan Elagin (also Yelagin) who was a key figure during the reign of Catherine the Great. However, British freemasons remained active with Russian brethren during this period.

Art and the Craft It’s not often the art world and the masonic world overlap, but the old Scottish Rite building in Los Angeles has merged the two very nicely. The Marciano Art Foundation has taken over an old Masonic temple on Wilshire Boulevard and turned it into a massive contemporary art museum. Though it's mainly a means for Guess co-founders Maurice and Paul Marciano to store and show off their private collection, the brothers also intend for the space to be an artist's playground. In turn, they've birthed a museum that balances traditional white-walled gallery spaces with cavernous halls whose only limitation is an artist's creativity.

It's only appropriate that the museum's first show mines that Masonic legacy. "Jim Shaw: The Wig Museum" presents a comprehensive collection of the local artist's politicallyfueled drawings and sculptures. Shaw, whose work has regularly responded to the borderline occult aspects of movements like the Freemasons, found a perfect match with the Marciano Art Foundation; he's repurposed theatrical backdrops found inside the museum's building and augmented them into what he refers to as a "Hieronymus Bosch-like hell." The result is a surreal collection of dramatically lit tapestries overlaid with comic book-like drawings, all staged within the bones of the temple's old auditorium.

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Bro. James Y. Kennie James Young Keanie was born on February 27, 1871, in Lochwinnoch where his father owned a small building business. The company moved to Johnstone around 1896 to build homes for thousands of workers pouring into the factories like John Lang's, Fyfe Donald's, McDowall’s and many more. The thriving firm specialised in private housing which was much in demand for factory managers and company directors as well as other members of the professional classes looking for bungalows, villas and high-class accommodation in a semi-rural environment readily accessible via regular bus and train services to their offices in commercial centres like Paisley and Glasgow.

By this time James was well in his thirties and married to his sweetheart, Isabella Logan Hunter, whose family owned the Calder chair and furniture works in Lochwinnoch and Beith. The couple lived in what was known as the Belgravia of Johnstone at elegant Laigh Park House, Park Road, in what was the Quarrelton area.

During the following decades, Keanie's erected around 4000 homes in the Johnstone and Paisley area. The firm was based in Floors Street, close to the site of a long-demolished textile-mill once owned by Lochwinnoch resident Henry MacDowall of Garthland House. At its peak, Keanie's employed around 700 workers.

He was very interested in local politics and served first as a Johnstone town councillor from 1914 till 1923 then as Provost between 1923 and 1925. He was a member of 242 for much of his life, regularly attending meetings and installations at the temple in Collier Street, next door to the municipal buildings where he worked so assiduously as a councillor and Provost.

Bro. James was a member of Johnstone East Church in Walkinshaw Street, Johnstone, which he supported financially as well as by

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acts of worship, generosity and kindness towards his fellow humans. Keanie Hall now survies in the new St. Paul’s Church with a wooden plaque commemorating Bro. James.

He died at Laigh Park on May 24, 1931, shortly after returning from a visit to Italy and France to raise his spirits. He was aged just 60 and was buried Abbey Cemetery, Elderslie, where his coffin was lowered into the grave near the burial ground entrance by six men from Keanie's work force wearing traditional boots, dungarees, overalls, jackets and cloth caps.

Officiating minister at the committal was East Church minister the Reverend Bro. William Runciman, who was also a member of Lodge No. 242 (seen in the group photo in the foyer) and served as Provost of Johnstone from 1931 to 1934.

The grave is marked by a masonic tombstone known as an ashlar. This is a large smooth, rounded rock symbolising the transition of the natural man from a world of spiritual darkness and ignorance to a state of divine illumination and enlightenment where he is elevated to a pillar of goodness and righteousness in the temple of the Great Architect of the Universe.

Poignantly, Bro. James lies alongside his wife, who died in 1966, in her 94th year, and their son, Bro. Norman Young Keanie, who passed away in 1988, in his 85th year.

The tree-canopied tomb lies just half-amile away from Keanie Park, which is situated on land which his family provided for Johnstone Burgh Football Club more than half-a-century ago.

Bro. Archibald Clements Within 24 hours of arriving in Auckland NZ in 1864, Bro. Archibald Clements had joined the Commissariat Transport Corps of the Militia and was engaged in transporting rations and supplies.

Archibald (Regiment Number 1645) and his brother, William (Number 1679) joined the 3rd Waikato Militia in 1864 where he was in charge of the Military canteen stationed at the Cambridge wharf for some time.

He established the Masonic Hotel in 1866 and joined the Alpha Lodge No.449 under the Grand Lodge of Ireland the same year. The

lodge met in the hotel before surrendering its charter in 1877.

He then spent 28 years in Cambridge becoming a general storekeeper and merchant, and serving towards the general improvement and development of the town.

He helped petition for the Catholic Church in Cambridge and in 1877 became a Justice of the Peace - serving in the local Court for over 20 years.

He became Mayor in 1888 and retired to Auckland where he became a House, Land, Financial & General Commission Agent.

Bro. Archibald died in 1927 aged 91.

Masonic Blackmail!

According a story on the Ekstra Badet website, a 67-year old Norwegian man has been arrested in Oslo pending extradition to Copenhagen, Denmark and is being held by authorities for attempting to blackmail Danish Freemasons. Details of the case have not been released, but the story reveals that the man secretly videotaped Masonic ritual ceremonies in Denmark and Norway in 2016. In April, he threatened to publish the videos, but attempted to blackmail the Danish fraternity for 33 million kroner (equivalent to ÂŁ4 million) in return for not making them public.

A closed-door court hearing was held in Oslo last June to determine potential charges of extortion. It is not being revealed publicly whether the Masons actually paid the man, nor if he is a current or former member himself. It's unclear from the story whether this involved a single lodge, the Grand Lodge of Denmark, or even Norwegian Masons, as well.

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Masonic Mountain Man Degree Team

Last month looked at the Mississippi Confederate Degree Team—this month it’s the turn of the Mountain Man Degree Team. Part of their mission statement is “… to create enthusiasm, participation, membership, growth and interest in Mississippi Masonry and Masonry in general by exemplifying the work in authentic period correct pre-1840.”

the things that degree attendees say makes the presentation exciting, unique and inspirational. The MMMM degrees are indicative of how our masonic Forefathers would have performed degrees by campfire light as they trapped and travelled the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains of North America.

The minimum mountain man outfit consists of a Customized Authentic Handmade Wool Trade Blanket Capote, Handmade Elk hide moccasins and masonic apron, period correct Handmade Osnaburg shirts, pants and a possible bag. Accessories may include other items and clothing normally used by the mountain man prior to 1840. All attire is authentically produced to represent the actual mountain man dress from the period of 1804 to 1840. All participating members of the degree team confer the degrees in authentic attire. The authenticity of the outfits is one of

The MMMM degree team is limited and consists of only twenty-four active members. Several members have retired and/or relinquished their active status but remain inactive members. Members must be Past Masters, be proficient in the adopted work and recommended, elected and accepted by unanimous vote of the degree team active members.

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In order to retain brethren today, it is necessary to have a varied workings of the degrees and this certainly is different.

Bro. Duke of Clarence & Avondale There have been many Royal Freemasons who have been influential in the Craft, but one who is known to have been a freemason for perhaps the wrong reasons.

Avondale Lodge No.2395 Clarence & Avondale Lodge No.2411

In addition, there have been Mark lodges and RA Chapters name in his honour.

A summary of his masonic activities is:

Bro. HRH Prince Albert Victor of Wales, later the Duke of Clarence & Avondale was accuse of being Jack the Ripper!! Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary with him being present at formal court meetings, some authors have claimed he was involved. I have no doubt this was done to make their books more sellable, but many conspiracy theorists love it an who would let facts spoil a good story.

Sadly, he died before he was thirty years old due to the flu virus that developed into pneumonia, but his 6 years in the Craft are surprisingly busy. So much so, he has some lodges named after him: Albert Victor Lodge No.1773 Albert Victor Lodge No.2328 Albert Victor Lodge No. 2370 Clarence Lodge No.2386 Avondale Lodge No. 2389

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1885 March—initiated into Royal Alpha Lodge No.16 June—advanced into Isaac Newton University Lodge of MMM No.112 Sept—Honorary Member of Union No.52 December—affiliated to Philanthropic Lodge No.107 1886 April—affiliated to Aldershot Army & Navy Lodge No.1971 July—elected Senior Warden Royal Alpha Lodge No.16 October—elected Senior Warden Aldershot Army & Navy Lodge No.1971 1887 April—appointed Senior Grand Warden in UGLE May—perfected into 18th degree June—appointed Senior Grand Warden in Mark July—Honorary Member of Studholme Lodge No. 1591

Bro. Duke of Clarence & Avondale (ctd) 1888—91 May—Master Royal Alpha Lodge No.16 August—Founder Albert Victor No.2338 1890 April—Honorary Member of Albert Victor No.2338 April—Founder Albert Victor Lodge No. 2370 Created a Duke December—PGM of Berkshire: drawing to the right to commemorate the occasion.

1891 January—elected master of Studholme Lodge, but died suddenly that month.

This short but very active masonic career may well have been due to his father, The Prince of Wales and also the Grand Master of England. A young Duke is seen with his father in the regalia of the Grand Master while attending a meeting in Brighton in 1886. It is unsure whether he attained these ranks due to his ability as it was well known that he was ‘educationally challenged’ or whether there was the craving of a title to be head. The success of his tenure will never be known due to his untimely death, but at least it cannot be said he did not devote a great deal of his time to the Craft.

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Oak Island Links have been made by many between the treasure of Oak Island and the Knights Templar, precursors for the Freemasons. By drawing parallels between the mystery of Oak Island’s Money Pit and the rituals of the Freemasons, evidence can suggest heavy Masonic involvement in the creation of the enigmatic pit.Masonry first arrived in North America in the eighteenth century, being defined by its “peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols”. It now appears that the Masonic Secret Vault allegory holds some significance in the mystery when considering the placement of peculiar signs and signifiers.

The “strange markings” reportedly carved on the oak adjacent to the Pit can be seen to invoke Masons’ Marks, inscribed signs by which Masons are identified. The three alleged discoverers of the Pit can be seen to represent the Three Worthy Sojourners, where Daniel McGinnis represents the Principal Sojourner, known for discovering the Secret Vault in the Royal Arch degree. In such a ritual, the aspirant is lowered on a rope through a succession of trap doors. It does not take much to recognise the similarities in this act with the workmen who were on occasion hauled up and down the Money Pit shaft.

Interestingly, the tools used by the diggers, such as spades, pickaxes, and a crowbar represent the three Working Tools of the Royal Arch Mason. Indeed, when in 1803 workers probed the bottom of the Pit with a crowbar and struck what they thought was a treasure chest, their actions recall the Royal Arch degree in which the Secret Vault is located by a sounding blow from a crowbar.

Further still, other recovered artefacts can be seen to hold ritualistic significance. These include the stone triangle and great “Christian Cross” as well as “a hand worked heart-shaped stone”, all Masonic symbols. It could be suggested that the immense amount of time and energy needed to lie out the large cross could have been part of a Masonic ritual.

Other artefacts found are not so obvious in their signification, such as the inscribed stone cipher stone, which disappeared about 1919. Its text has allegedly been preserved in a variety of forms and decipherments, the most accepted translation being, “Forty Feet Below Two Million Pounds Are Buried”. Given the nature of the masons, relying on a “peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols” (to return to the initial definition), such a cipher message would hold a place in this tradition.

It has been argued by most Oak Island researchers that the stone is a hoax but it must be considered

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that the stone was mentioned in early accounts of a variety of expeditions. It is significant however that a cipher message, often with a key is found in the Secret Vault, is a central aspect of Freemasonry’s Royal Arch degree.

To assign Masonic signification further still, the discovery of an old metal set square at Smith’s Cove may simply be an innocent finding but when considered alongside the Secret Vault allegory, it must be recalled that three small squares were among the items found. Indeed, the square is one of the major symbols of Freemasonry which, united with a pair of compasses, comprises the universal Masonic emblem.

In 1967 evidence of a Masonic stone (below), a granite boulder, was overturned by a bulldozer and on its underside was the identifiable emblem of the letter ‘G’ in a rectangle. ‘G’ denotes the Grand Geometer of the Universe God, the focus of masonic teachings and is the most public of all symbols used.

The presence of this symbol on Oak Island, coupled with its location in the east which is considered the source of light in Masonic teaching serves as further evidence that freemasonry is almost certainly involved in the mystery.

Recent attempts to link the Holy Grail to Oak Island are compounded by the evidence of Masonic ritual apparent on Oak Island. In any event, the evidence indicates a strong Masonic connection to the Oak Island enigma, whether as the original concealers of the assumed treasure, or even originators of the legend as a farce, or means to attract funds.

The above text was written with reference to Joe Nickell’s article ‘The Secrets of Oak Island’ which still has not revealed any treasure.

On 14th August, 1916, a letter from the Grand Lodge was read in open lodge and then written into the minutes in full referring to what is now called the Enquiry Committee.

The following points were stated as essential to all enquiries: •

• •

The candidate must be well known to the master masons recommending him for membership They must be “sufficiently conversant with his character” The committee must NOT rely on the proposer and seconder alone, but ascertain for themselves information about him from all the brethren

•

•

Especial care must be taken for a candidate who only recently resides in the area in which case, enquiry should be made in that district as to his character The committee then submits a report in open lodge detailing all this information

Fairly recognisable today although it appears a more rigorous process for the committee than it is today.

Prior to this, 242 used a very similar method for candidates called the Vigilance Committee. It would appear much more difficult to get into a lodge in those days!!

A Double Take Yes I did have to look twice when I saw the name of this lodge! Dacula (no ‘r’ in the name) Lodge No.433 under the Grand Lodge of Georgia is located in Dacula not too far from Atlanta.

Come across any other strange names you care to share? Please send me the information or the images.

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Masonic Walk in Warwick Around 70 Warwickshire Freemasons have paraded, in full regalia, through Stratford town centre, for the first time since 1923. They were joined by Stratford Mayor, Cllr Victoria Alcock, for the parade from Shakespeare’s Birthplace, in Henley Street to Shakespeare’s New Place on Sunday, 2nd July.

Forged in bronze at Morris Singer Foundry, the oldest fine art foundry in the world, Shakespeare’s Desk and Chair is an integral artwork at the newly-presented site and serves as a focal point where visitors can contemplate and make a personal connection with Shakespeare. The desk and chair have been donated by the Freemasons of Warwickshire, to mark their commitment to the community of Stratford.

The Anchor Lodge of Research No.1814 Installation of Bro. Tommy Trotter on Friday 6th October at 7pm.

The master will give a talk on: A Case for Change Meeting in the Masonic Hall, West Stewart Street in Greenock.

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PGL Banquet to its OBs (29th January, 1874) The Substitute Provincial Grand Master of Glasgow, Bro. Steel held a banquet for his Officer Bearers at his home in 302 St Vincent Street, Glasgow. The “worthy host dispensed his hospitality with unsparing hand” and masonic matters were then discussed. The topics ranged from the forthcoming visitations to the daughter lodges to the development of their resources.

After various musical items, the brethren left.

Strangely Worded Advert The article (right) for the Glasgow lodge Clyde No.408 appeared in the newsletter below, published by the Antient and Primitive Rite of Masonry in 1882, describing the affiliation of a French mason.

• Why the use of titles of another order?

• How did this primitive Rite get a hold of the advert?

• Why use it?

Perhaps they found it in a local Glasgow paper or perhaps the French mason belonged to the Rite. And hence the lodge felt it should ‘boast’ about the ranks of their senior OBs. Any ideas?

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The Masonic Hall, Glasgow The photo below was taken at the laying the foundation stone ceremony of Lodge Eastmuir No. 1126 at 1543 Shettleston Road on 20th October 1928 by Bro. A.A. Hagart Spiers of Elderslie, D.L., J.P., Provincial Grand Master of Glasgow.

Can any brother shed further light on this event?

The White House While many acknowledge the White House as a national symbol, few know what its outer walls are made of.

he were being paid for the job, would take a chisel to the back or end of his last stone and inscribe his trademark, or “banker mark”.

Lime-washed Aquia Creek sandstone, harvested in the late 18th century, continues to form the exterior of our country’s most beloved icon. However, these stones reveal an interesting story about the men who laid the walls within the more than 200-year-old Executive Mansion.

These symbols could range from a variety of designs, perhaps reflecting the culture and background from which the stonemason descended. In any case, the stonemason trademarks that adorned the interior walls of the White House in 1798 (portions of which survive today) are a testament to the craftsmanship of these workers.

As the lengthy and arduous process of setting the walls of the White House drew to a close in the 1790s, Scottish stonemasons ensured that generations to come would remember their work. These skilled stonemasons completed their task by thinly spreading mortar upon a bottom stone, then raising the free stone into place on the mortar.

Workers tapped and pushed down on stone until it was firmly entrenched to safeguard it from shifting.

At that point, the individual stonemason, if Cross Keys October 2017

A number of these stones survived the 1814 burning of the White House by the British. In recent years, they have been stripped of their paint, cleaned, and thinly repainted. A group of stones with “banker marks” were discovered during the Truman renovation of 1948-52 and some were given to Masonic Lodges across the country. Others remained in the White House as a testament to the skilled stonemasons who built the intricate President’s House some 200 years earlier.

A Unique Ending to a Lodge?

In 1875, a sailing captain named Alexander Barrack established Freemasonry in Levuka in Fiji and later built the Masonic Lodge in classic Greek style. Businessmen, top government officials and distinguished gentlemen quickly became members.

Historians at Levuka's Department of National Heritage, Culture and Arts Suliana stated there were a lot of misconceptions about the practices of the Freemasons. It was nothing more than a club. A place where successful people came together to discuss issues including progress of the society they were in, but their practices were nothing as what is rumoured to be. In fact, the Freemasons were responsible for the development of Levuka.

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They had organised funds for needy school children and have played an important role in shaping Levuka. Unfortunately, many Fijians who did not know or were ignorant not to find out and understand came up with ideas and theories contrary of what was happening in Masonic Lodge.

The Masonic Lodge was burnt in 2000 by some villagers on Ovalau. Their action provoked by the thought that the Freemasons were a Satanic cult and were dangerous, often drinking human blood at meetings.

Clearly, many uneducated people who lived by superstition rather than in reality.

Sadly the building is in ruins and the island has fewer visitors then ever.

Russian Lodge Last October in commemoration of the masonic lodge The Golden Key No. 88 in Perm under the Grand Lodge of Russia, various celebrations took place which involved guests from five countries and fifteen masonic lodges. The lodge was established during the time of the second in the capital, Catherine the Great, but due to freemasonry being banned in 1822, it ceased to function and became dormant. However, it has been resurrected and is 5 years old.

Freemasonry is taking off again in Russia and the Grand Lodge of Russia is an independent body recognised by over 70 other grand lodges. Over the next couple of editions starting now (P.4), there will be a brief history of freemasonry in Russia.

The photos show the lodge banner (with the golden key in the centre) and the layout prior to the start of the meeting.

Happy 60th Birthday Congratulations to Bro. Eddie Gray who was 60 last month while at the same time retiring after a long and distinguished career with the Fire Brigade. Bro. Eddie in 242 about to cut a superb cake.

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An External Lodge Mural Coastal Carolina University art students were given the go-ahead to paint a lodge building from the Council and so they gave Grand Strand Lodge No. 392 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA a face lift with masonic mural. Probably be a tourist attraction now.

Chinese Plate Proof that not everything out of China has to be rubbish. Here is a porcelain plate, exported from China in the 1760’s, decorated with a variation on the theme of Solomon inspecting the building plan.

Taken from the collection at Grand Loge de France museum in Paris.

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Specialist Lodges Specialist lodges have always existed and have probably been more popular in England than Scotland. Scottish lodges have included school lodges such as Edinburgh Academy Lodge, military such as Ayr St. Paul’s No.202 (after Ayr & Renfrew Militia) and more recently St. David’s No.36 is now linked with a university.

The master parades in carrying a football from WW1, the ritual is linked to football with football tunes sung at the festive board with masonic words. 280 attended its consecration and they are oversubscribed with candidates. Perhaps more thought into specialist lodges should be given in the future.

However, in England there have been lodges for poets, writers, university, regimental, internet, etc. This is becoming popular again and last year saw the introduction of a football lodge with the father of England star Adam Lallana as master of the new lodge (with boot shaped gavels!), Football Lodge No. 9921 in the province of Hampshire & the Isle of Wight. This is actually the fourth in four years within the province—the other three being scouts, rugby and motorsports.

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To submit an article or want added to the mail list or Facebook group, contact the Editor, Grant Macleod: E-Mail:

sec242pm@yahoo.co.uk

Website: http://lodge242.bravesites.com/

Cross Keys October 2017