A CONSPIRACY THEORY
by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
"A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry"
“While you here do snoring lie, Open-eyed conspiracy His time doth take.”
- Bro. William Shakespeare, The Tempest (Ariel at II, i)
On the Internet, it is not uncommon to hear a lot of grousing
about politics in Grand Lodges. One in particular though caught my attention
recently and
raised the ire of many in the jurisdiction. It involves how a political machine
has taken control over a Grand Lodge and wishes to maintain its sovereignty.
Let me explain.
The Grand Secretary's job, like the Craft Lodge's Secretary,
is one of those jobs very few people apply for. But as we all know, the Secretary
is the power
behind
the throne and tends to the important administrative affairs of the Lodge.
It is not uncommon for the Master to lean on the Secretary for advice and
guidance,
particularly since the job typically goes to a Past Grand Master. And unless
he commits some heinous error, the job is his in perpetuity until he finally
decides
to retire. Nonetheless, the position of Grand Secretary is an elected position,
not appointed. If he decides to retire or resign before the end of his term,
the Grand Master appoints a Grand Secretary pro tem to serve out the remainder
of the term. If the Secretary pro tem is so inclined, he will inevitably
be elected to the position at the next election. All of this is perfectly legal
and many Grand Jurisdictions follow suit.
But if you have a political machine in power, they will be determined
to maintain the continuity of their agenda. To do so, the succeeding Grand
Secretary
is
anointed well before the next election and instead of risking a close race,
the machine allows the incumbent Grand Secretary to accept another term
and then gracefully retires in the middle of his tenure, whereby the incoming
Grand Secretary is appointed and the machine keeps rolling uninterrupted.
The Craft is typically kept in the dark over such shenanigans
and believes everything is being performed on the "up-and-up." But if such long-term planning is indeed
going on, it is most definitely a conspiracy, and means the members of the Grand
Line are guilty of collusion. Maybe I'm naive, but I do not believe this is something
we need in this fraternity, particularly since it means that the Craft is being
treated like sheep. The sad thing is that the Craft will never know about it or have
an opportunity to thwart such maneuvering.
I do not believe this incident is without precedence either.
Having just reviewed Harland-Jacobs' new book, "Builders of Empire," a historical review of the growth
of Freemasonry in the British Empire, it appears such conspiracies were commonplace
over the years. Nonetheless, it doesn't make it right. The Craft is supposed to
run the Grand Lodge, not a political machine with an agenda.
Just remember, "there is no politics in Freemasonry."
"Secrecy, being an instrument of conspiracy, ought never to be the system of a regular government."
- Jeremy Bentham
Keep the Faith.
NOTE: The opinions expressed in this
essay are my own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of
any Grand Masonic jurisdiction
or any other Masonic related body. As with all of my Masonic articles herein,
please feel free to reuse them in Masonic publications or re-post them on
Masonic web sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add the following:
Article
reprinted with permission of the author and www.FreemasonInformation.com
Please forward me a copy
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Copyright © 2007
by Tim Bryce.
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