FREEMASONRY EXPLAINED ROTARY CLUB OF ADELAIDE Inc ADDRESS M.G. (Fred) Trueman, Director Masonic Education, SA & NT INTRODUCTION Thankyou for inviting me to speak to the Rotary Club of Adelaide, at the Adelaide Oval, about Freemasonry, three important South Australian icons. Whether, I can unmask Freemasonry, in a mere 15 minutes, is quite another task, so I intend to approach it by: outlining the origins of Freemasonry and its centrality to the establishment of South Australia; explaining Freemasonry s purpose and general practice. Before responding to any questions you may have may I commence by: conveying the greetings of our Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Stephen Michalak to you; expressing my respect to the traditional owners of the land upon which we meet AND urging us all to emulate the harmony with which they co-existed within the Created Order. THE ORIGINS OF FREEMASONRY. Modern Freemasonry across the world, or Speculative Freemasonry as we call it, originated with the establishment of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717 C.E., later to become the United Grand Lodge of England in 1830. Speculative Freemasonry appears to have developed from about 1600 C.E., thus spanning the Renaissance, Enlightenment and Modernity, and to have (curiously) evolved from Operative Freemasonry, the guilds of practicing Stonemasons. The two key points to be drawn from this are that Speculative Freemasonry: was a progressive movement which rejected religious dogma and the divine right of monarchs, and promoted the development of humanism, rationalism and scientific reasoning, which are now the assumed values of modern Liberal Democracies; evolved as an institution interested in progressive philosophical ideals AND influencing men to practice those ideals in their private and professional endeavors. Central to Freemasonry was the idea of Universal Brotherhood, to be shaped within a fraternal society undivided by the religious, political and class divisions, which were dividing general society. 1
Curiously, Speculative Freemasonry evolved from Operative Freemasonry - the stonemasons who had formed themselves into Guilds during the Middle Ages. Stonemasons travelled across Europe the universal world of their culture at that time - and the Guilds operated as institutions of professional training, accreditation and hospitality. As skilled workers, the Stonemasons held ceremonies of initiation and passages of rite. Castles and cathedrals were their primary objects of construction and their work assumed sacred status because of their purpose and the mystical knowledge of their trade mathematics and physics (as expressed through Geometry ). The Operative Freemason s work, and Guild practices, were legitimated by an Old Testament metanarrative linking them to King Solomon s building of the First Temple. This immersed them in the ideas of antiquity and a cosmology that regarded the universe as divinely and harmoniously created, such that through the perfection of their work they were enjoined in the divinely inspired human project. Speculative Freemasonry extended this idea with the view that men should work together, in their moral renewal and social practice, in the constant pursuit of Enlightenment (i.e. wisdom). THE EMBEDDING OF FREEMASONRY WITHIN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Freemasonry s idealism was characteristic of the Enlightenment and happily coincided with the free colony of South Australia. The United Grand Lodge of England therefore established the South Australian Lodge of Friendship, No. 613 E.C., in 1834, two years before the Colony s proclamation. At the South Australian Lodge of Friendship s first meeting in London, in a home in Adelphi and near the office of the South Australia Company, only those travelling to South Australia were allowed to join the South Australian Lodge of Friendship. When South Australia was proclaimed in 1836, the South Australian Lodge of Friendship and numerous other Lodges operating under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodges of England, Scotland and Ireland, were active. From amongst them, Sir John Hindmarsh and Sir George Gawler were early Governors of the State. When the South Australian Lodge of Friendship met in South Australia, for the 1 st time in 1844 the following ranked amongst its members: Sir George Strickland Kingston, Sir John Morphett, Captain John Finnis, Thomas Gilbert, Sir Richard Hanson, Governor George Gray. Some of the members following the 1 st meeting included: Dr. Benjamin Archer Kent, Frederick Thomas Percy Wells, Saul Solomon, Joseph Harris and Sir James Penn Boucaut. Their historical contribution is for others to make, but their names remain connected with Adelaide streets or establishment Adelaide families. Within 50 years of settlement, there were 33 Lodges operating under the authority of the Grand Lodges of England, Scotland & Ireland. The Grand Lodge of South Australia, was formed in 1884 and most of these Lodges amalgamated under the Grand Lodge of South Australian. The South Australian Lodge of Friendship, No. 613 E.C. (ie English Constitution), established in London in advance of the Colony then became the Lodge of Friendship No. 1 S.A.C. (ie South Australian Constitution) Sir Samuel Way, Chief Justice & Chancellor of the Adelaide University, whose statue stands near the junction of North Terrace and Pulteney Street, was installed as thefirst Grand Master. Many prominent men have filled those, and other Masonic roles since and Freemasonry has thus, from the beginning, played a pivotal role in the development of South Australia. This is not well known and is a study in itself. 2
However, one of the reasons for this is that Charity of disposition, and charity of action, are central values that Freemasons are expected to unpretentiously practice. Classically, Charity is about selflessness and not self-promotion and this is one positive sense in which Freemasonry promotes secrecy a term for which it has otherwise paid a heavy price. THE PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE OF FREEMASONRY THE UNIVERSAL AND NOT THE PARTICULAR. At its simplest, I believe Freemasonry is best understood as offering a philosophy of life with a particular focus on our common moral identity. Freemasonry offers to impart the universal principles, learned from long human experience, which will enable men to lead a good and flourishing life without directing them on the particulars of their good and flourishing life. The rites of Freemasonry are referred to as degrees. The first three degrees, constituting Craft Freemasonry, are: Entered Apprentice; The first degree, the degree of initiation, introduces Initiates to the foundational Cardinal Virtues of good moral character (i.e. virtuousness). Its purpose is to teach the Initiate that virtuousness is learned and that morally good men are not distinguished by emotionalism, unrestrained self-ego or excesses of modern individualism. As reason and rationalism are the basis of virtuousness, so the Entered Apprentice is exhorted to make a daily advancement in consciously developing his moral character. Fellowcraft; The second degree, the degree of passing, which introduces the idea that developing his mental capacities knowledge and reasoning is the second step of developing his moral character. Drawn from the age of classical learning, Freemasonry values men who develop a broad understanding of the social and natural universe. Multi-disciplinary knowledge, theoretical and practical, is the aspiration of the morally good man and the classical Liberal Arts and Sciences are the acknowledged source of this. Epistemology changes over time, as knowledge develops, and the Liberal Arts and Sciences therefore function as a metaphor to encourage Freemasons to pursue a broad social education, regardless of their professional, technical or scientific, expertise. An integrated world view worldliness should designate a Freemason. Master Mason; The third degree, the degree of raising, introduces the Candidate to the idea that his personal faith (i.e. spiritual identity), combined with the virtuousness and mental development encouraged by the first and Second Degrees, will develop his insight and guide his conscience, so that he acts as a morally good man, ever seeking wisdom. As the culminating degree, of Craft Freemasonry he is recognized as having the skills for his daily moral renewal, to be enjoined with other Master Masons in this quest, and to guide and instruct Fellowcraft and Entered Apprentice Freemason s in their quest. Each degree involves a specific ceremony, utilizing set ritual which is usually learned and delivered by memory, set in a Lodge Room depicting King Solomon s Temple. The ritual and symbolism is drawn from antiquity, the Renaissance and Enlightenment, and to the inexperienced, is all quite strange. Freemasonry describes itself as a peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory, which is a reference to the unusual learning experience it seeks to impart by the ritual and symbolism 3
figuratively applied in King Solomon s Temple. In classic initiatic tradition, the purpose of this strangeness is to disrupt the Candidates accustomed cognitive processing with a new experience and to establish new and deeper insights. It is unlikely that any Candidate fully understands these experiences. It is only by repeated exposure, discussion with brethren and study, that the moral teachings are discerned by the Candidate. In that sense, and the sense of the 3 degrees, Freemasonry is a progressive science of moral and social development. The reality is that few Freemasons readily grasp the full meaning of each degree ceremony and this reinforces their need to continuously work on the perfected development of their character in the same way that Operative Mason s worked on their Craft. The idea of each degree is to introduce them to the principles of their self-development and, most essentially, to make an ongoing commitment for their self-development. Much of the secrecy of Freemasonry relates to honoring these undertakings amongst their brothers and maintaining the confidentiality of the ceremony so that its effect upon successive Candidates is not diminished. CONCLUSION. I have outlined the origins of Freemasonry, its historical connection with South Australia, and the purpose and practice of a Craft Lodge where the first 3 degrees of Freemasonry apply. Ultimately, there are 33 degrees, which can be pursued by joining other Orders, within Freemasonry. They extend the moral teachings, based on legends derived from the Old Testament, and it is in this sense they serve to provide deeper self-reflective insights. There are also Women s Orders and I expect you will be questioning me about women and Freemasonry. I hope: that I have clarified that Freemasonry is essentially a moral fraternity of men, freed from the constraints of religion and politics; that I have negated some of the bizarre claims made against us largely because of our excessive secrecy; that I have established that whilst Freemasonry is exclusively a male fraternity, its aim is to be inclusive of women and non-masons within general society, acting through the value of Charity. Most importantly, I hope that you might appreciate the continuing relevance of Freemasonry in the so called age of anxiety. We are living in an age where our social cohesion is fraying because of the general absence of belief and trust in a transcendent common good. Freemasonry is a well-established system which promotes the development of moral virtues and fraternity for the benefit of society of large. Understood correctly, it provides: continuity with our past (i.e. a lens to understand the historical world shaping our current world); a source of personal meaning and identity; the optimism to influence social outcomes personally or collaboratively. 4
Ultimately, Freemasonry cherishes pragmatic idealists. Men prepared to actively and harmoniously work together in harmony for a greater good. Its faith is in the moral goodness of men and it leaves each man s spiritual or religious faith for him to determine. Thank you for your attentiveness. Should you ever wish to tour our Grand Lodge Building, you are welcome and I would be pleased to assist you. (Delivered at the Rotary Club of Adelaide, Thursday, 22 nd June 2016) 5