Tessellated Tales - Winter 2019

TESSELLATED Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

TALES Winter 2019

Tessellated Tales District Communications of The District Grand Lodge of the North Island New Zealand The upcoming District Communication are to be held at the Wairakei Resort Hotel, Wairakei, just outside of Taupo, on the weekend of the 1st to the 3rd of November 2019.

The District Grand Lodge consists of the Present District Grand Officers, and the Masters and Wardens of all Lodges under this District Grand Lodge, and also (so long as they respectively be both members of the Grand Lodge and subscribing members of a Lodge under this District Grand Lodge) Past District/Provincial Grand Officers and the Past Masters of any Lodge under the United Grand Lodge of England.

Master Masons are cordially invited, and encouraged, to attend the meetings of District Grand Lodge, and all Masons, the social functions of District Grand Lodge.

Registration is required, and members should register as soon as possible to enable the District Office to have an estimate of the numbers attending.

The Weekend’s Events Friday the 1st of November 1:30pm – 3:00pm 2:00pm – 2:45pm 3:00pm – 4:30pm 6:00pm – 7:30pm

Saturday the 2nd of November 9:30am – 10:15am 10:00am – 10:15am 10:30am – 12:00 noon 1:00pm – 2:00pm 1:30pm – 2:00pm 2:00pm – 2:15pm 2:30pm – 4:30pm 6:30pm – Late

Registration and Regalia Collection.

Chapter Committee of General Purposes.

Craft Board of General Purposes.

Meet and Greet

Registration and Regalia Collection.

Chapter Communications Rehearsal Chapter Communications Membership Workshop NIEMDCT AGM District Communications Rehearsal District Communications Pre dinner drinks, Dinner and Entertainment

Black tie is preferable for the dinner and dance on the evening of the 2nd

Accommodation is available at the Wairakei Resort Hotel. When making a booking with the hotel, you can either fill in a registration form that has been provided with the notice paper, or you can ring the resort on (07) 374 9004 and tell them you are booking for the “Freemasons District Grand Lodge November 2019”. We have been given a special rate for the weekend.

W Bro R Pemberton DGSec

Ten little Masons, sitting in a line; One wife objected, then there were nine.

Nine little Masons, never were they late; One didn’t pay his subs, so then there were eight.

Eight little Masons, were told the Lodge is ‘Heaven’: But one caused dissention, so then there were seven.

Seven little Masons, now rising rather quick; One wouldn’t rehearse, so now there were six.

Six little Masons, busy as a hive; One got cold feet, so now there were five.

Page 1

Five little Masons, all are ‘on the floor’; One moved to another town, so now there were four.

Four little Masons, climbing up the ‘tree’; One couldn’t learn his lines, so now there were three.

Three little Masons, now they were so few; One felt too much pressure, so now there were two.

Two little Masons, all the rest have gone; One jibed at the Warden, so now there was one.

One little Mason, the Master’s chair did gain; Then he became a PM …and was never seen again!

Author Unknown

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

Tessellated Tales

Wellington Lodge No 1521 You Haven’t Finished Your Soup, The first (dis) course on Emulation Ritual INTRODUCTION At each of our meetings we employ a ritual which is known as Emulation ritual and which until 1969 was not committed to print. It had survived for one hundred and forty-six years by being committed to memory and by the on-going Lodge of Instruction that is from October until June, the weekly demonstration of the ritual by the Emulation Lodge of Improvement in London.

W Bro Murray Alford will tell you that in his project to catalogue the collection of rituals held by the Grand Lodge of New Zealand, he is dealing with perhaps as many as one hundred and fifty rituals.

Of those at least fourteen are readily available from current Masonic suppliers in the United Kingdom and include: Westend  Universal  Taylors • Standard or Stability Emulation Alternative or Malta  Goudielock  Logic Metropolitan Oxford Revised  Ritus Oxoniensis  Sussex  Standard Scottish.

There will without doubt be many more in current use but not supplied in the United Kingdom.

The United Grand Lodge of

England does not impose any particular ritual on private lodges, provided it does not breach the Landmarks of the order.

This short paper is intended only to outline the origin and background to Emulation Ritual, which has always been the ritual used by Wellington Lodge.

ORIGIN OF OUR RITUAL Ritual had always been the basis of lodge ceremonial from the earliest times. In its original form it was most likely to have been a series of questions and answers based on the Old Charges and not dissimilar to the questions which are put to candidates at the beginning of the Second and Third Degree ceremonies, or to the format of the openings and closings in each degree. Emulation ritual has its own special history.

The Premier (or first) Grand Lodge was formed in London on the 24th of June 1717. In the succeeding sixty years, three other English Grand Lodges were established, two of which did not survive. They were the Grand Lodge of All England in York from 1725 until 1792 and the Grand Lodge South of the River Trent from 1779 until 1789. In 1751 another and more enduring Grand Lodge was established. Masonic history originally regarded this as a breakaway group, but more recent study, indicates that it was simply formed from lodges which had never joined the Premier Grand Lodge. There were certainly differences of opinion between the two, not least of which was in the matter of ritual. The 1751 Grand Lodge regarded itself as the “Antients” and by contrast characterised the Premier Grand Lodge as the “Moderns” Ultimately, the Duke of Sussex,

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

as Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge was able to steer both Grand Lodges towards amalgamation in 1813 when the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) was established. One of the most important issues to be resolved was uniformity in ritual. To that end both Grand Secretaries together with nine experienced past masters from each of the originating Grand Lodges were tasked with developing that uniformity.

Their Lodge of Reconciliation took from the 27th of December 1813 until the 20th of May 1816 to formulate the ritual for all three degrees, which they then demonstrated to the Grand Lodge. It was approved by the UGLE in the following month.

Prior to 1717, English Masonic ritual was thought to be based on only two degrees and it was at about the time of the formation of the Premier Grand Lodge that the three degrees emerged. The other important aspect of early ritual was that it was Christian in character and it was probably at the time of the Lodge of Reconciliation that most of those Christian references were removed from the ritual. In the intervening years there have been remarkably few changes to the ritual. The most significant perhaps has been the changes to and finally removal of the references to the ancient penalties from the obligations in all three degrees which occurred in 1964 and again in 1986.

EMULATION Emphasis is placed on the fact that the ritual was demonstrated. Indeed it was forbidden to print or even manuscript ritual and the ability to preserve the approved ritual depended entirely upon the memory of those participating.

Page 2

Tessellated Tales It seems that the original demonstrations were witnessed

by Preceptors from lodges and indeed lodges of instruction existed from 1817 when the Lodge of Stability was founded.

It is the oldest lodge of instruction in existence. When the Lodge of Reconciliation completed its task of uniformity, it was closed. The Emulation Lodge of Improvement was founded in 1823 under the sanction of the Lodge of Hope.

Since 1830 it has operated under the sanction of the Lodge of Unions. One of its members did publish a ritual or notes on ritual in 1833 and again in 1836, which in itself seemed entirely at odds with the resolution of the UGLE not to commit ritual to print. Those books continued to be published until 1873. Two years before that “The Perfect Ceremonies” appeared in print, purporting to be Emulation Ritual although it contained a number of errors. Stability finally published in 1902 and Emulation in 1969. Michael Barnes in his article in Masonic Quarterly notes the existence of some forty rituals, Emulation being the most widely used.

RITUAL IN NEW ZEALAND Some work has been done on the history of masonic ritual in New Zealand. The fact that we have four constitutions active in this country points to a diversity of ritual that has been acknowledged by the Grand Lodge of New Zealand (GLNZ) in allowing lodges in existence before 1913 to continue to practice their traditional ritual.

Thereafter, they are required to use the ritual approved by GLNZ, which is broadly based upon Emulation. Visiting will quickly identify where these differences exist!

It is perhaps important to see ritual in this country in the Page 3

context of the settlement of New Zealand which chronologically is not very far removed from the 1813 union of the Antients and the Moderns. It may also be remembered that leaving Britain for a twelve thousand mile, three month voyage to the other side of the world, was largely an adventure for young men and women.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that there were meeting of freemasons in the ships bringing settlers to New Zealand and certainly there were lodge meetings here, before any Grand or Provincial or District Grand Lodges were ever considered. Those early meetings were undoubtedly attended by members of at least three constitutions; English, Irish and Scottish and the ritual would with equal certainty have been a blend of the ritual of all three.

In some lodges that have been in existence for more than 150 years, it is possible to witness some quite unique ritual even though the underlying base is probably Emulation.

W Bro A E Currie in his history of the Wellington District Grand Lodge notes that in 1874 (which is about the time Wellington Lodge was established) the ritual used was probably close to that now approved by the GLNZ for lodges established after 1912 but containing a small number of charges derived from sources other than the usual London workings and probably from English provincial workings or those of the Antients that were excluded during the 1813 uniformity of ritual. They were however often preserved in the Irish and Scottish constitutions.

He observed that for such a long time there was little contact between DGL and country lodges so that little was really known of their ritual and

ceremonial. The DGM in 1935 RW Bro R W Burnett noted that “Ten years ago, no two lodges worked alike in this district. The reason is interesting. In the beginning some lodges were founded by brethren from the (United) States; another variety of working came from Bristol just about a century ago; printed rituals were unobtainable. The Master usually relied on his memory and the result was somewhat extraordinary.”

W Bro Currie goes on to record that in 1878 New Zealand Pacific No 517 (now No 2 NZC) and Wellington Lodge No 1521 formed a joint lodge of instruction under a warrant from New Zealand Pacific and that this lodge worked continuously for two decades. Wellington Lodge Minutes for the 15 February 1878, do record that on the motion of Bro P B Ross it was resolved to do that.

RW Bro Alfred de Bathe Brandon is credited with the drive in the Wellington District for uniformity of ritual. In 1906 or thereabouts he told the lodges that; “uniformity of ritual must be a special object for the several lodges and that the practice of the Emulation Lodge of Instruction is to be adhered to”.

At that time a report from the Auckland DGL was received and circulated for comment. It was referred to the Wellington District Board of General Purposes (DBGP) which was in communication with all other English district grand lodges in New Zealand, with the result that the following year they expressed the unanimous opinion that lodges should practice the ritual of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement, London.

The Auckland DGL particularly endorsed Emulation ritual. The

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

Tessellated Tales District Grand Secretary W Bro W W Daw was noted for his very valuable assistance in the study of uniformity of ritual and he was to feature in a later review that was prompted by the observation of the DGM RW Bro Sir Alfred Robbins that there were marked differences in the ceremonies practiced by lodges.

The 1925 review was claimed to have corrected that situation.

Yet again in 1933 the matter of uniformity was addressed and while the DGL acknowledged that like the UGLE it could not dictate which ritual was used, it favoured and encouraged the use of Emulation. In 1936 when the issue was again raised, it was acknowledged that lodges could and should retain their traditions provided there was no divergence from principle but that same year the Auckland DBGP whilst not wishing to interfere with lodge traditions, earnestly desired lodges to practice Emulation in the interests of uniformity.

W Bro Alan B Bevins in “A History of Freemasonry in North Island New Zealand” notes that in the Wellington District, the matter of uniformity of ritual was discussed at a meetings of the District Grand Lodge (DGL) chaired by MW Bro Alfred de Bathe Brandon. It was considered that all lodges should work as nearly as possible to Emulation ritual as demonstrated by the Emulation Lodge of Improvement. On 11 October 1905, the DGL discussed the extent to which lodges imposed the requirement for a candidate to be divested, noting that in those days trouser buttons were often made of metal! (adding credibility to the belief that the nylon zip was invented by an Entered Apprentice) The DGL conferred with its counterpart in Auckland (there being two

DGLs at that time) and received a copy of a multi-page guide to ritual that had been circulated to Auckland lodges in 1906. The following year the Wellington DGL minuted “considerable discussion” on ritual. Alan Bevins goes on to record that the Auckland publication was probably based on one of the unofficial ritual publications in the England and that Auckland DGL set up a ritual committee to direct what lodges would do in respect to ceremonial, only to discover it did not have the authority to do so and resorted to gentle persuasion A policy which was suspended in 1994 by the then current District Grand Secretary.

In recording the history of the Auckland DGL after 1921, Alan Bevins, notes the recent formation of a committee of preceptors. There is good reason to believe that this occurred in the years prior to 1925 and that the committee comprised W Bros Furby, Jenkins, Daw and Foster, who endorsed the notes of W Bro John Warren, PDGW and Preceptor of the Alexandra Lodge No 1188 in Hamilton.

W Bro Warren was formerly a member of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement. The Auckland DGL set up another committee to review ritual following the visit of the Grand Secretary VW Bro James Stubbs between the 31st of January and the 11th of March 1960. He observed that some aspects of the ceremonial he witnessed during his visits to New Zealand lodges, were not practised in England and took him by surprise! The result of that review was circulated to Auckland lodges shortly afterwards.

VW Bro Stubbs did not visit Wellington Lodge – Clearly the matter was raised in Wellington, however, for that same year the

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

DGM RW Bro T V Anson noted that he was not concerned with variations in ritual provided that did not transgress the Landmarks, and that whilst we were able to enjoy the variety of ritual of the four constitutions, we should be careful to contribute to that diversity by preserving the character of our own ritual.

In 2005 District Grand Lodge NINZ, made amendments, not specifically to Emulation ritual but to the way in which we received distinguished visitors, particularly at Installation meetings. Those changes were made following the visit of RW Bro David Williamson, Assistant Grand Master (UGLE) to New Zealand.

One needs to be very clear about the parameters under which Emulation ritual works It is solely concerned with the ceremonial of the three degrees; in their opening and closing ceremonies, it the degree workings of Initiation, Passing and Raising and in the ceremony of Installation of a Worshipful Master. It concedes that there are alternative pieces of ritual that are practiced and it records those in the published book of Emulation ritual, but as appendices at the back of the book. It contains a concise introduction to the ritual and to the structure and conduct of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement which every Master Mason should read carefully. It is a ritual which is almost 200 years old, substantially without change during that time. It is worth the considerable effort required to ensure that it is delivered accurately and with all of the understanding that its text so rightly warrants.

W Bro R M McKillop PADGM Page 4

Tessellated Tales

The Jewels of the Craft

Part Six: Charity Festival Jewels

For the major Freemason’s charities in England and Wales, the primary source of funding has been charity festivals.

Hosted by a nominated province, a festival would run for a period of up to five years, during which time the members of lodges within that province would attempt to raise as much money as possible for their nominated charity.

Some remarkable amounts have been raised with recent festivals achieving total donations in excess of £4 million.

Patron or even a Grand Patron.

For example, in the Province of Surrey Charity Festival which ended in 2017, donations of

£500 were required to become a Steward, £600 to become a patron and £1,200 to be a Grand Patron.

And if a Freemason donated sufficient to be appointed a Steward or higher, they were then entitled to purchase the special jewel minted for that Festival.

In most cases, the jewels for Patrons and Grand Patrons were identical to those for Stewards but with the addition

Royal Masonic Institute for Girls, Steward Jewel 1888

Royal Masonic Institute for Girls, Steward and Ladies Jewels 1927

of an appropriate bar. On some occasions, a different jewel was struck for Patrons etc.

Partners of Freemasons were encouraged to participate in their own right and they could be entitled to a special Ladies jewel.

Prince of Wales Steward Tasselled Jewel 1859

By donating a specified minimum amount, freemasons were entitled to become a Steward of the Festival. Greater levels of donations would entitle the mason to become a Page 5

Royal Masonic Institute for Girls, Steward Jewel 1910

In addition, members of the Festival Committee could be issued with a Festival Jewel with the “Steward” label replaced by “Committee” or “President”.

The earliest jewels were, from 1859, tasselled jewels worn

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

Tessellated Tales

Royal Masonic Institute for Girls, Case for a Ladies Jewel 1927

Royal Masonic Institute for Girls, Plastic and Metal Steward Jewel 1945

war, the jewels were made Royal Masonic Institution by the staff of the festival, from cardboard and after the for Girls (RMIG) members of the committee and war often from plastic until the working stewards at the festival late 1940s when base metal, The Royal Institution for Girls enamelled or gilded, became was the first of the major functions. masonic charities. Founded by the norm.

An example of a tasselled jewel Chevalier Ruspini in 1788, its aim is shown in Fig 1. This example In earlier years only a few was to support the daughters was worn by a steward from hundred were made but in the Prince of Wales’s Lodge No. later years 10,000 or more were 259. These generally fell out of produced. Currently, an average of 3,000 to 5,000 are produced favour from 1878. for each festival.

Starting in 1869, steward jewels were produced in silver. This Most of the jewels are in the continued until the start of traditional form with a ribbon World War Two. During the although some jewels were designed as badges.

These jewels are considered permanent masonic jewels and may therefore be worn after the period of the festival by those entitled to them.

Royal Masonic Institute for Girls, Steward and (Blue & White) Patron Jewels 1972

of Freemasons who had died or who were otherwise unable to support their children.

Royal Masonic Institute for Girls, 150th Anniversary Steward Jewel 1938

Royal Masonic Institute for Girls, Steward Badge 1938

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

A school was Rickmansworth

founded in and until Page 6

Tessellated Tales recently, the main activity of the Institution was to operate the school. In more recent years, it was found that support was better provided in the community, so the school was changed into a private, fee-paying school so that the

The Magic of the Mark Degree

Royal Masonic Institute for Girls, Steward and Ladies Jewels 1973

Institution could focus support in the community.

on

In 1986, the Royal Masonic Institute for Girls merged with the Royal Masonic Institute for Boys to form the Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys.

The usual colour of the ribbon for the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls was white.

The plastic jewels came in various colours due to variations in manufacture.

Holders were later able to swap their plastic jewel for the metal jewel shown.

Next - Part Seven: Charity Festival Jewels continued W Bro Tony Mansfield DGReg Page 7

Those readers fortunate enough to be members of the Mark and Royal Ark Mariner, will know the particular magic that those two degrees weave about us in the Lodge Room when they are worked. It is often said that the Mark and RAM degrees are the fun degrees and they certainly are, because whilst being beautiful and dignified ceremonies full of meaning and history the story they tell is intriguing and uplifting. The Mark Degree tells the story of a Brother Mason who as a junior, gets his Masonic Mark enabling him to mark his work with his own unique mark so that he can be recognised and rewarded for his craftsmanship.

The Mark degree was originally an extension to the second or Fellow Craft degree in traditional Masonic practice because, without giving away too many details of the ceremony, at one stage of the ceremony

the candidate is addressed as follows “In former times it was custom in all Fellow Craft Lodges for each Fellow Craft to choose a mark by which his work might be known to his Overseer, the mark selected being one not previously chosen by a brother of the same Lodge, and the Triangle always excepted, that being the Mark Master’s mark of approval.” This mark was vital because without a mark on the work the Fellow Craft

The Mark Tracing Board would not be paid for the work they had completed. Nowadays the qualification to join the Mark is to be a Master Mason something I am sure almost every reader already is.

The Royal Ark Mariner degree is a particularly lovely degree because it harks back to the time of Noah and tells the story of Noah’s covenant with God. The story of Noah’s ark and the flood is found in Genesis 6:1-11:32. God saw how great

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

Tessellated Tales wickedness had become and decided to wipe humankind off the face of the earth. But the one righteous man among all the people of that time, Noah, found favour in God’s eyes.

With very specific instructions, God told Noah to build an ark for him and his family in preparation for a catastrophic flood that he would send to destroy every living thing on earth. God also instructed Noah to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, both male and female, and seven pairs of all the clean animals, along with every kind of food to be stored for the animals and his family while on the ark. Noah diligently obeyed everything God commanded him to do and never wavered from it After they had entered the ark, rain fell for a period of forty days and nights. The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days, and every living thing was wiped out. After the waters subsided. God said to Noah, “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of

Royal Ark Mariner Ritual

all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

June Sir Donald McLean 1064 Mark meeting 1.30pm followed by a Mount Egmont 670 EC Craft meeting at 3.00pm followed by a dinner with the ladies, August Mount Egmont 1064 RAM meeting at 1.30pm followed by the Mount Egmont 670 EC Craft Installation at 3.00pm followed by a dinner with the ladies, October The Sir Donald McLean 1064 Installation meeting at 1.30pm followed by a Mount Egmont 670 EC Craft meeting at 3.00pm followed by a dinner with the ladies, December Mount Egmont 1064 RAM meeting at 1.30pm followed by a Mount Egmont 670 EC Craft meeting at 3.00pm then the combined Craft, Mark and RAM members will enjoy a Christmas Dinner with their ladies.

Mark Masons Hall in London is fully supportive of us in this initiative and I know it will be a huge success.

I am going to be an active member of these two fine Lodges and look forward to many years of their success in the new format.

Sir Donald McLean and Mount Egmont Royal Ark Mariner Lodges.

For all Taranaki Masons and Masons as far south as Wellington and as far north as Auckland, two historic lodges in New Plymouth, one Mark – Sir Donald McLean 1064 and one RAM – Mount Egmont Royal Ark Mariner 1064, have recently been reinstated, and will meet on the second Saturdays of the following months in the excellent De Burgh Adams Lodge Rooms.

The meetings will be as follows: February Sir Donald McLean 1064 Mark meeting at 1.30pm followed by a Mount Egmont 670 EC Craft meeting at 3.00pm followed by a dinner with the ladies, April RW Bro Jeremy Eggleton The Mount Egmont 1064 RAM District Grand Master, Installation meeting at 1.30pm Grand Lodge of Mark Master followed by a Mount Egmont 670 EC Craft meeting at 3.00pm Masons of England and Wales and followed by a dinner with the its Districts and Lodges Overseas. ladies,

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

Page 8

Tessellated Tales broadly speaking, that web content is static:

the creator of the website adds content which can be viewed by others, but not significantly

interacted with. While websites provide a one-

way method for dissemination of information,

Grand Lodge’s Social Media Policy Summary Social

media

platforms

have

become

an

social media platforms are by nature vehicles

for conversations about any content shared, as anything posted to them can be commented on

or re-shared to other members’ networks. The

increasingly popular channel for communication purpose of this document is to emphasise the

in the 21 st century. They provide ways to share highly public nature of social media channels, and

content with a wide audience, and as such are ensure Freemasons use these powerful channels excellent tools for sharing information about

for public conversation in a responsible way.

Freemasonry and Masonic activities. However, Digital Ambassadorship

as with any powerful tool, social media need to As a citizen, every Freemason has a duty not to

be used with caution, as incorrect use can have engage in conduct which is contrary to the law of a damaging impact on Freemasonry’s public image, and therefore on Freemasonry itself. This

the Land. As a Freemason, he also has a duty not to engage in activity which may bring Freemasonry

document has been written to assist individuals into disrepute. Excerpt from Rule 179 of the Book and Masonic units to use these platforms of Constitutions

effectively, confidently, and within the compass It is important to note that any interactions a of propriety.

Freemason has on social media may be visible

Scope

to restrict the audience of one’s posts, it is not

Social Media and Freemasonry

to anyone in the world, for, while it is possible

This policy applies to posts made by Freemasons possible to control how someone will react on all social media platforms, whether those

to them. A private post can easily be shared

platforms are open to the public (such as and reposted publicly by anyone who has Facebook and Twitter), or just to Freemasons access to it. Even if an original post is deleted (such as Porchway, a web-based portal set up or edited, someone could already have shared

by the Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London). it in its original form. As far as social media The term ‘post’ refers to any action taken on

are concerned, everything one does or says is

making a comment on content someone else

as a truly private post.

social media, whether sharing original content, permanently recorded, and there is no such thing has shared (including ‘liking’ Facebook posts Therefore,

acting

as

an

ambassador

for

and Tweets), or re-sharing content to one’s own Freemasonry online is part of a Freemason’s connections.

duty. Rules (civic and Masonic) and expectations

Masonic websites do not fall within the scope that apply to one’s daily conduct apply equally of this document. The reason for this is, within the digital sphere, as comments may be Page 9

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

Tessellated Tales taken out of context and used as representative

Freemason without his explicit consent, such

England.

else covered by the New Zealand Privacy Act

of the views of the United Grand Lodge of

as address, telephone number, or anything

Here is a list of behaviours and topics to avoid when posting on social media. These apply to

of 1993 •

personal accounts, as well as to accounts that

attempt to use Masonic channels as a vehicle for personal profit, or for any other form of

individual Freemasons may manage on behalf of a

self- promotion

Lodge, Province, District, or other Masonic entity.

•

himself as a Freemason online, whether he is

Best Practice

This list is not comprehensive, but is intended

of content to share using social media platforms.

They apply to any Freemason who has identified posting in Masonic or non-Masonic channels.

criticise UGLE or any other legitimate Masonic authority

This section provides some guidance on the kinds

to act as an introductory guide to topics or This is by no means an exhaustive list — rather, behaviours that are considered inappropriate for it is intended to stimulate the mind to consider posting to any audience on social media.

what other types of content might be interesting

Freemason must not:

Freemason may share content or participate in

When posting on social media platforms, a to one’s social media audience. That is to say, a •

produce, link to, or refer to any content that is conversations online as long as the content or illegal, defamatory, or likely to offend others

•

conversation presents Freemasonry in a positive

cause or contribute to any hostile or light, does not contravene any of the principles unproductive arguments, or exercise any outlined in the Digital Ambassadorship section

private piques or quarrels (that is to say, above, and is relevant to the channel in which it good-natured debate is fine, but one should is being posted. be prepared to abandon the exchange if it Subject Matter ceases to be friendly) •

A Freemason may publicly share any Masonic

discuss or allude to any of the Masonic Signs, content that contributes to a positive public image Tokens, or Words (see the Obligation of the of Freemasonry, such as charitable work and

•

First Degree)

events, good causes supported by Freemasons,

a Lodge, a Province or District, a charity or

Social media channels can also be used to

claim to speak for any Masonic body (e.g. and information about Masonic history.

committee, or UGLE) on whose behalf he share information only relevant to Freemasons, is not expressly authorised to speak (for but care should be exercised to use a more instance, membership of a Lodge in London

restricted channel, such as a closed or secret

behalf of Metropolitan Grand Lodge)

Topics that might be discussed here include:

does not give one the authority to speak on Facebook group (see the guide in the appendix).

•

identify anyone else as a Freemason without •

discussions about Masonic allegory and

contain any personal information about any

any Masonic Signs, Tokens, or Words)

his explicit consent •

symbolism (as long as there is no mention of

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

Page 10

Tessellated Tales •

background

information

about

other

summary of the contents of that site, to

ruin the experience for those who are not

to visit the page in question or not. When

Masonic Orders (as long as it does not

enable viewers to decide whether they want

members) •

sharing news or engaging in conversation,

unusual visits to other Lodges (e.g. for a

keep to the point. Brevity is one of the

special ceremony, or because a group of

fundamental principles of all social media

members of a Lodge, Province, or District

platforms: Twitter limits all messages to

have travelled a long distance to visit another

140 characters, and Facebook only shows

Lodge)

the first few lines of a post by default (these

Style

A good guide to whether content will be enjoyed

can be expanded, but a casual viewer may

by one’s audience is the acronym RICE: content •

should be relevant, interesting, concise, and entertaining.

•

Relevant: posts not about Masonic topics

(or not involving Freemasons)

do not

belong on Masonic social media channels.

This includes (but is not limited to) the news, sports, and general history (unless those involved

are Freemasons). In addition,

Freemasons who are members of multiple

Masonic Facebook groups should resist the temptation to share their posts to all such

not be engaged enough to do so).

Entertaining: social media are, by definition,

intended to be sociable. This means that content shared and topics discussed should engage (and in some cases amuse) the

reader. Lengthy diatribes about a niche topic are unlikely to fall into this category;

although there is nothing wrong with discussing these topics, it is better to do

so conforming to the principles above, and provide links to external content for anyone who wishes to read in greater detail.

Appendix

indiscriminately, choosing only to post to The appendix introduces the concept of social

channels where the information is of direct media, and provides a brief explanation of relevance to the purpose of the group (for some of the benefits of using social media instance, information about appointments

platforms in a Masonic context. It also contains

belong in a group set up to discuss ritual).

popular social media platforms, Facebook and

within one’s Province or District does not •

a guide to getting started with two of the most

Interesting: posts should include content Twitter, as well as a list of Masonic social media others would want to read. That is to say, channels to help you see how other Freemasons one should avoid posting for no reason, or are using social media. sharing content that is inaccessible or difficult to digest.

•

Concise:

social

media

are

frequently

As this appendix runs to several pages it will not be presented here, however the full document

consumed by busy people who are on the is available from the District Grand Secretary. move, so posts should be to the point. If (secretary@freemasons.org.nz) linking to an external site, provide a brief Page 11

W Bro R Pemberton DGSec

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand