recognition

Grand Lodge Of Arkansas On The Warpath Again

December 21, 2012 by Fred Milliken 49 Comments

The seemingly prejudicial Grand Lodge of Arkansas is at it again.

Once again a Grand Lodge, this time the Grand Lodge of Arkansas, has taken steps to make Freemasonry exclusive rather than inclusive; parochial instead of universal.

In past moves around the Masonic spectrum we have seen African Americans blocked, Pagans and non Christians ejected, those employed in the liquor industry removed, women obviously barred, Democrats and Liberals prohibited access, Catholics and Jews prohibited. Now it seems members of Shrine International are out. Pretty soon, if you stand there and let them get away with this nonsense, you will be out.

This is the Grand Lodge that declared a generic Prince Hall produced Masonic license plate clandestine. This is the Grand Lodge that prohibited its members from E-Mailing or communicating with one another electronically with one another. This is the Grand Lodge that deliberately shut down its own website (you can see a review of the original site here).

Notice once again that if you violate the Grand Lodge you must SELF EXPEL yourself.

If you choose not to then they will expel you WITHOUT A MASONIC TRIAL . That’s the same choice they offered Derek Gordon.

Do northern Grand Lodges not see the light after Florida? And now this? What will it take to create some kind of mutuality of purpose and means?

These rouge Grand Lodges are practicing a kind of bogus Freemasonry AND MAINSTREAM MASONRY NEEDS TO PULL RECOGNITION FROM THEM!

The letter from the Arkansas reads:

The M. W. Grand Lodge of Arkansas
Free and Accepted Masons

November 1, 2012

M:.W:. Robert L. Jackson
Grand Master
700 Scott Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201

To: All Master Masons of Arkansas
To: All Subordinate Lodges in Arkansas
To: All Appendant Masonic Bodies in Arkansas
To: All grand Jurisdictions
To: Shrine International

After carefully considering the facts, I have made the determination that the Imperial Shrine has essentially engaged in the creation of clandestine masons. The reasoning is that the Imperial Shrine requires as a prerequisite to membership that the person be a Master Mason. When this Grand Lodge, and others, has taken action to expel a man from the Fraternity, the Imperial Shrine has made provision to keep him as a member. Essentially, they create the expelled person a Master Mason. This very action is in conflict with the Ancient Landmarks, and the Laws of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas. As a mason creating organization, the Imperial Shrine is not a setting member, or recognized by the Conference of Grand masters of North America, and is therefore itself clandestine.

Given our long-established prohibition against clandestinely made masons, it is my decision, and I so order that no member of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas may fraternally associate or communicate with, or be a member of any club, temple, center, or subordinate body of the Imperial Shrine. Further, according to past affirmed decisions of the Grand Lodge, to do so constitutes the penalty of immediate expulsion from our Fraternity. I remind you that each Master Mason is charged by his Obligation to safeguard the Fraternity.

Further, I order all Grand Lodge Arkansas negotiations and communications cease with the Imperial Shrine until such future time as the delegates of an Imperial Session may vote to correct the actions of the Imperial Shrine and seek recognition of this Grand Lodge. Let me make this position very clear, this is not an issue that can be negotiated to make allowances for the Imperial Shrine to continue the actions that led to this end. Correction of this situation will require the legates of an Imperial Shrine Session to restructure their laws to align with principles of the Masonic Fraternity, particularly relating to the sovereignty of the individual Grand Lodges within their respective jurisdictions.

A copy of the Masonic agreement with the Imperial Potentate Al Madsen, Shriners International and the Grand Master of Arkansas is being sent to each Lodge Secretary in this Grand jurisdiction for your reading. It s a document we had agreed to, but Shriners International would not allow him to sign the agreement.

Therefore, Master Masons of this Grand Jurisdiction must make a choice to either be a Master Mason or Shriner by December 15, 2012. If you choose to be a Shriner, and you are a Master mason of only the Grand Jurisdiction of Arkansas you will be required to Self-Expel to avoid violating Masonic Law and being Expelled from the Fraternity. If you are a Master Mason who holds dual masonic Membership with another Grand jurisdiction as well as your Arkansas membership and you want to remain a shriner in another jurisdiction, then you will be required to withdraw membership from the Arkansas lodge or Lodges. Thus no Arkansas Mason will be a member of the shrine. This must be done to safeguard our membership from violating our Masonic Law.

Fraternally,
Robert L. Jackson
Grand Master of Masons in Arkansas

The Shrine International made their case in a video published on December 11th, 2012, on the matter, which is no longer on the web.

You can find the full report of the Shrines reaction in a report published on the Shriners Hospital website.

Challenges Of The 21st Century

May 27, 2012 by Fred Milliken 4 Comments

If we are to grow and if we are to meet the challenges of the 21st Century, we must have a national approach for Freemasonry

Have you talked to today’s generation lately?

I am referring to someone who was born say in 1990. Have you noticed what kind of values they hold, their idealism, what they will not put up with, how they communicate? Do they seem to hold a higher level of tolerance and a much less judgmental attitude from their fathers and grandfathers?

Here is an article from 1988. The bold section has been added by this writer.

The Bee Hive is indebted to Canadian Brother Wayne Anderson for another great article. Brother Anderson operates a weekly Masonic Newsletter. Each Sunday he sends out a new article.

To get on Brother Anderson’s list, at no cost, E-Mail him at wda_572@sympatico.ca

DEALING WITH OUR MASONIC DESTINATIONS
by Francis G. Paul Sovereign Grand Commander
AASR Northern Masonic Jurisdiction
THE NORTHERN LIGHT November 1988

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see,” someone wrote, “when you take your eyes off your goals.”

One of the best, most efficient ways to stay where you are or even go backward is to focus on the obstacles. They are the distractions that keep us from becoming the best we can – both personally and as a fraternity.

When you and I take a risk, we test ourselves. When we decide to solve a problem, we face the possibility of failure. When we step out to break new ground, we know the voices of the critics will be raised. Safety is certain, at least for awhile, if we do nothing.

Yet, Masonry teaches us to be dissatisfied – discontent – with the status quo. Freemasonry challenges us to reach for the ideals of justice, brotherly love, and improvement – individually and as a fraternity.

In its annual report to the Supreme Council in September, the Committee on the General State of the Rite broke new ground. While applauding our many successes, the committee urges us to set our eyes on our destinations, our goals.

Race and ethnic groups. “This committee carefully searched our constitutions and ritual,” the report reads, “finding nothing to indicate that we should deprive membership in our fraternity to any man because of race, color or creed.” Pointing out that this is indeed a difficult subject, yet it is one “that has been avoided for too many years.”

The report continues, “It is the committee’s opinion that unadmitted, residual racial bias hurts us, sapping our strength, and depriving us of men with strong leadership ability.”

Although long overdue, the Supreme Council has elected the first black member to receive the 33rd degree at our next annual meeting. “In today’s society, we can no longer ‘stone-wall’ this vital issue if we really intend to practice what we preach – brotherly love – in this wonderful nation of people with many and diverse origins,” states the committee report.

Sovereignty of the Grand Lodges. Noting that the framers of our U.S. Constitution recognized that the survival of the young nation depended on a balance of authority between the individual states and a federal government, the committee indicates that “there is a lesson to be learned” for our fraternity.

The committee has stepped forward with a call for “some central governance group – a policy-setting body with executive power to provide cohesive, coordinated management of the total Masonic fraternity.”

If we are to grow and if we are to meet the challenges of today and those of the 21st century, we must have a national approach for Freemasonry.

Penalties of the obligations and balloting. “It is becoming increasingly apparent that thinking candidates are having trouble giving honest assent to the current penalties contained in the obligations,” reports the committee. “Oaths required deal with ‘ancient’ penalties which are obsolete, unbelievable, unacceptable and simply not relevant in today’s society.”

Oaths taken anywhere on a Bible are not “symbolic.” Our credibility as a fraternity suffers when we attempt to “explain away” our ancient Masonic penalties. As a result, the committee urges all Bodies of Freemasonry to commence an “orderly rewrite and substitution of the onerous penalties in the various obligations of our order. “

Finally, the committee addressed the balloting issue. “With our prevailing procedures of admitting new members only by unanimous, favorable ballot, we leave too much room for private pique and spite, all of which serves to deny true liberty and justice.” In order to rectify this situation, the committee has called for the Supreme Council to amend its Constitutions to require three negative votes to reject a candidate for all of our degrees, and urges all Masonic Bodies to give this suggestion immediate attention.”

For men whose eyes are on the goals, there are no obstacles, just opportunities to lead the way. The committee report received a standing ovation. Evidently, we are ready to move forward.

We may never achieve perfection, but we can find more perfect ways for justice, brotherly love, and improvement to prevail in Freemasonry – and the world. When you think about it, the only frightful obstacle is our unwillingness to act on our Masonic ideals.

Wayne Anderson, FCF, MPS
Alle Menschen Werden Brueder
2B1 ASK1

If Freemasonry is to gain wide acceptance among the current generation and the next it needs to do two important things.

Communicate using today’s technology
Have the same purpose, values, virtues and principles throughout the entire nation

Today’s high tech generation living in the highly mobile society of the Information Age is no longer grounded in one state. The days of a family tracing back its ancestry to the same town in the same state are long gone. The days of the Moon Lodge and most Freemasons walking to Lodge are also extinct. Today’s American thinks country not state moving many times to different regions of America.

Today’s generation and future generations will not join Freemasonry if there is a segment that discriminates against African Americans or turns its nose up to non Christians or shuns the foreign born-foreign speaking.

THE IDEALS OF FREEMASONRY ARE UNIVERSAL BUT THE AMERICAN PRACTICE IS PAROCHIAL.

The words of Sovereign Grand Commander Paul 34 years ago are here reiterated:

If we are to grow and if we are to meet the challenges of today and those of the 21st century, we must have a national approach for Freemasonry.

The South did not become integrated by leaving it up to the states. Federal enforcement became necessary. If Freemasonry is to meet the expectations of the current and future generations it must put a stop to racial discrimination, expulsions without a good reason and without a Masonic trial, overbearing Grand Lodge mandates, requirements that exclude, overly moralistic prohibitions against alcohol, gambling and independent Masonic thought & expression and intrusions into the private lives of individuals.

American Freemasonry must think American, be American and in the process insist that certain basic requirements and practices are met everywhere, otherwise the practice ceases to be Freemasonry. We must have a national approach to Freemasonry as Paul suggests. American Freemasonry needs to be Universally American not Parochial. The parts of American Freemasonry that do not live up to Freemasonry’s ideals cannot be allowed to drag down the reputation of the good parts that practice true Universal Freemasonry.

We have allowed 51 fiefdoms, under the tradition of non interference into another jurisdiction’s affairs, to corrupt Freemasonry in some quarters thereby resulting in versions of Freemasonry that are no longer Freemasonry. They call themselves Freemasonry but they have so distorted the basic principles of the Craft as to be actually practicing some sort of heresy.

To that end some sort of national enforcement is necessary. The bureaucracy of a National Grand Lodge would be fraught with the same cronyism and ineptitude that is indicative of many jurisdictions. The vehicle of enforcement is already in place, The conference of Grand Masters. This Conference could, insisting on a two thirds majority, codify basic cornerstones of American Masonic beliefs and practices. This would not interfere with the sovereignty of each state jurisdiction. The affairs of state would be administered by the individual states. But the overall cornerstone upon which the rest of American Freemasonry rests would now be the same from state to state.

Those jurisdictions who refused to comply with the two thirds rulings of The Conference of Grand Masters, remembering here we are only talking about basic cornerstone beliefs and practices, would be declared clandestine and Recognition of them would be removed. There would then be only one version of Freemasonry in the United States, American Freemasonry, governed by 51 jurisdictions.

American Freemasonry needs to liberate itself from the confines of CONTROLLED THOUGHT AND ABUSIVE POWER. It must police itself before it turns off future prospects who will look upon the corruptions of Freemasonry with disgust.

Healing The Hurt And Moving On

February 15, 2011 by Fred Milliken 11 Comments

The Old Guard just doesn’t get it. The young Masons do. There is a cancer in Mainstream Masonry and it is in need of chemotherapy and radiation. The cancer is the capricious use of unbridled power by Grand Masters across the land. Oh, not all of them govern their Lodges in such a tyrannical manner but enough do to sully the name of Freemasonry.

But the Old Guard is turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to the problem as they tell us: Number one if it is out of their jurisdiction it is none of their business. Number two bringing problems out in the open and publicizing them only destroys Freemasonry. And number three there is a process in place in most Grand Lodges to address grievances and the vote of the entire sitting Grand Lodge can overturn bad policies and remove bad Masons. So what’s the beef?

The Catholic Church has had a problem with pedophile priests. And they used to have the same Old Guard mentality. If molestation occurred in another diocese than it was not the business of congregants to mess in another territory. Bringing the problem out into the open would allow the press to have a field day with the church and destroy it. And above all the Church must be protected even if doing so causes human suffering. And there was a grievance policy in place to address problems.

Why can’t we just keep it in house, so say the Freemason Old Guard, so say the Catholic Church Old Guard? Just keep your mouth shut and we will reprimand the abuser and fix the problem.

But what about the people who were abused? In the case of the Church, what about the children who were traumatized by being violated by those who were supposed to be their protectors? Did the Church provide them therapy to help them return to a normal life? Did the Church comfort them and counsel them? Did the Church bring the matter to justice and provide the afflicted and families with closure?

NO, NO and NO. The Church could not admit any wrongdoing on the part of its clergy lest the Church come under attack and be diminished or destroyed. Above all, at all costs, the Institution had to be protected against anything that would hurt it. So it was necessary to declare the stories of Priest abuse unbelievable. Later when overwhelming evidence to the contrary was unmistakable, the Church demanded that there be total silence and would not help those abused for fear of admitting them right. Don’t you dare go to the police or civil courts the molested were told.

Oh the shame, the human suffering that was not attended to. All those children sexually molested, entire families traumatized, the abused judged as guilty and the abusers left to run free. Oh the shame of it all!

But the course of action by the Church to hush it up and try to handle it internally without allowing the civil police to investigate and attorney generals to prosecute and the press to publicize backfired on it. And when it all came out into the open it was that much harder to deal with and that much costlier to settle with the abused.

Mainstream Masonry is following the same path. It thinks only of the Institution and the good name of Freemasonry not on the unjustly and unfairly expelled Brethren who have been libeled, slandered and abused – and kicked to the curb in the process. What about David Lettelier? What about PGM Frank Haas? What about Mike McCabe? What about Derek Gordon? What about the thousands of other Freemasons who are the victims of Grand Lodge abuse? Do they not deserve to have their good name restored, for justice to prevail, to be reinstated wherever they want to continue their Masonic journey? They are human beings with feelings and emotions. Why must they be forgotten and unsupported, left to flounder on their own after having done nothing wrong? Do we care about human beings in Freemasonry? Do we care what’s been done to these men?

Oh the shame of it all! Freemasonry is so wrought with rules and regulations that it cannot permit itself to right a wrong. Yet Justice is one of the Five Cardinal Virtues.

Not only will Freemasonry not stoop to aid the abused, it will even criticize those who try to help themselves. It’s, “We can’t mess with somebody else’s problem.” Really? Is that what the Volume of Sacred Law on our altars tells us? “How dare a Freemason take his case to civil court.” “It is not healthy for Freemasonry to air its dirty laundry in the public venue.” Hush up, be silent. We don’t care about you we just want to make sure that nothing besmirches the good name of Freemasonry – at all costs.

So what is an unjustly punished man to do? What course of action has he left? Where can he turn? Who even gives a dam?

And if he should sign on to continue his Masonic journey in unrecognized paths, how is he treated? Is his life not one of scorn and ridicule for finding company with those “irregular,” “clandestine” folks? What Freemasonry wants is for him to pass quietly into the shadows while it regards him as a leper.

Oh the same of it all!

But as the numbers of unjustly and unfairly expelled Masons grows the unrecognized avenues available increase. All those Masons in power bemoan the continued rise and popularity of so called “bogus” Freemasonry. Yet it is the very same who help create these alternatives by purging their Grand Lodges of everybody but ass kissers.

Well unrecognized Masonry may be taking on a new respectability. In a recent issue of the Phylaxis Magazine we can find these words?

“Within the Craft of today, ‘regularity’ is of the same substance as religious ‘salvation,’ and more dependent on the magical effects of ‘belief’ and ‘faith,’ than objective considerations. No Mason can provide one definition for regularity without setting aside excuses to account for the numerous cases which would fall outside of the definition.

“They are the same ‘mental muscles’ as are required to articulate the anhypostasis-enhypostasis formula, that are employed to concatenate and articulate the formula for ‘regularity.’ The most honest definition for regularity, which would survive and ‘test’ without caveat, would be to admit that regularity is whatever the sovereign in question says it is, and that one sovereign can not pass upon the regularity of any other; they can only either extend or withhold recognition. It requires one to lay aside commonsense notions to rely on some ‘authority,’ which supersedes reason.”

“Due to the fact that all grand lodges are sovereign, there is no outside ‘authority’ to which any GL owes any deference; likewise there is no basis for any one grand lodge holding another accountable to any particular set of rules or regulations. Except ‘political’ and other types of pressure, the only retribution that one GL can enact against another is to withdraw ‘recognition.’ The complaint is often voiced regarding a grand body not following ‘established’ or ‘agreed upon’ rules, but the fact is that there are very few ‘treaties’ or ‘agreements’ actually in place between grand lodges, and thus the notion that there is some ‘established law’ that binds all Masons is fanciful at best. Neither the Regis Manuscript, Anderson’s Constitution, Mackey’s Jurisprudence nor any other expression of ‘Masonic Law’ is binding upon any Mason individually unless his grand lodge has officially accepted such as binding.”

“For example, like in Christianity, where a man does not receive ’salvation’ as a result of any good deeds or service to humanity, but through his faith that Jesus the Christ is ‘the Lord;’ within Prince Hall Masonry, regularity is not achieved through diligently pursuing the Masonic Principles, but that it is through the ‘blessings’ or ‘authority’ of the Grand Lodge of England, (Scotland or Ireland) that regularity is achieved. This formula for regularity is a ‘witch’s brew,’ used as a ‘strong arm tactic’ to abrogate the Doctrine of Assumption, and force any new Masonic organization to require the assistance of other regular bodies in order to achieve a ‘legitimate origin,’ and ergo ‘recognition.’”

“The Doctrine of assumption is a convention within the natural law which codifies the concept of ‘free will’ and the right of self determination which are inherent within humanity. It was through this doctrine that the first grand lodges, England, Scotland and Ireland were formed. Simply stated, this doctrine would permit any group of men to form any type of lodge or grand lodge whenever and wherever they should so choose. It is this same doctrine which validates African Lodge No. 459’s actions in ‘copying’ its English charter to be shared with other lodges, and for eventually declaring sovereignty in 1827 to ‘legally’ issue charters to lodges thereafter. The only legitimate question that any GL can put to another after it is formed is whether to extend or withhold recognition.”

“Once you consider all the of the ‘hoops’ an organization must jump through in order to get ‘recognition’ without the imprimatur of England, Scotland or Ireland, only an irrational ‘faith’ or ‘belief’ could support any expectation of achieving the designation. For these reasons, many non-Prince Hall African American bodies, several of them over 100 years old and still in existence, have ‘by any means necessary’ fabricated histories which could cause an unsuspecting prospective member to ‘believe’ them ‘recognized.’ Still many others have resigned to ignore or otherwise forego the coveted distinction, and relying instead on the Doctrine of Assumption and the merits of their practice, have formed ‘spurious’ Masonic organizations. Although the ability to claim regularity is a ‘big deal’ within Masonry, it is difficult to state any actual benefits that flow with the designation besides ‘bragging rights’ and the fettered right to visit other regular lodges.” (1)

So we have across the nation thousands of expelled Masons, many of whom were treated unjustly and unfairly. Yet Freemasonry proposes to do nothing about stopping the continuing Masonic purges nor offer any solace for the expelled. Not only will it not stop the injustices but it even refuses to speak out against Grand Lodges who are acting un-Masonically. Mainstream Freemasonry refuses to police itself.

What it does do through the Rite of Exclusive Territorial Jurisdiction and by other means is to maintain a Mainstream monopoly on Freemasonry in each state. Monopolies in business are notorious offenders. Keeping out competition is the essence of maintaining control and being able to operate without being responsible or answerable or held accountable to anyone, most especially the little people. What better way to do this than to declare all other formations of Freemasonry in that jurisdiction clandestine and irregular and thus refuse to recognize them. But the day is coming when the government will step in to regulate Freemasonry and the public, especially prospective candidates, will not care about such distinctions. What they will care about is how well an organization they choose to belong to operates and whether it does so in a legal and moral manner.

(1) Prince Hall The Christ, by the Ruffians, The Phylaxis Magazine, Third Quarter 2010, pages 14-15.

The First Joint Ceremony of Black & White Masons In America

September 2, 2010 by Fred Milliken 6 Comments

The article is unsigned but very likely written by the author who was a Prince Hall Mason as was his grandfather, John Hale (1846-1921), who is the subject of the book.

(Transcribed by D. DeCoster, August 31, 2010 from a copy borrowed from The Seattle Public Library. Spelling is in the original.)

THIS IS TRUE

It happened in the City of Destiny, Tacoma, Washington, on Saturday afternoon October 2, 1982, at 1:30 p.m., on the sight of the $44 million Sports-Convention Center, known as the TACOMA MINI-DOME. Right before the eyes of those in attendance, under a partly clouded sky, through which the sun sprinkled its rays of sunlight, enabling those of us who did not wear our long-john’s to withstand the antagonizing winds that swept from Mt. Rainier. For over two hours, we stood eight abreast, with a depth of some two blocks, clothed with dark suits, white shirts, shod with shoes of black and proudly wrapped with lamb’s skin aprons. Not one of us dared break rank, for this was truly not only an auspicious, but an historical occasion. An occasion where upon, the most worshipful Grand Master, George Brodewick of the Grand Lodge, Free and accepted Masons of Washington (White Masons) had invited their Black brothers, the most Worshipful Grand Master, Johnny Allen, of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Washington and jurisdiction to participate with laying the Dome’s cornerstone.

Never before in the history of Prince Hall Masonry in America has there been such recognition and fraternization accorded us. Having received orders from our Grand Marshal, Berry Carter, to proceed toward the speakers platform, and as we approached we were greeted along the way with spontaneous applause that caused many of our elder Brothers to “straighten up and fly right.” You should have been there to have seen our Brothers “strut their stuff”. They really put on the dog, and rightly so, for to them this was the dawning of a new day in Masonry. A day where in all men of our order shall here after not by their race, or color, but by their deeds, predicated upon truth and justice, for all men are but God’s divinity, wrapped in human flesh, and we are our brothers keepers. Having arrived just in front of the speakers platform, we could clearly observe the platform’s dignitaries. The Mayor of Tacoma, Doug Southerland, Master of Ceremonies, who had requested the Grand Loge, Free and Accepted Masons of Washington, to lay the cornerstone. Sharing the platform with him were the most Worshipful Grand Master George Bordewick and his officialdom. The most Worshipful Grant Master Johnny Allen, of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Loge of Washington and Jurisdiction, with his guest, The Most Worshipful Grand Master Thomas Brown of the Oregon Jurisdiction, and the Honorable Russell S. Gideon, Sovern Grand Commander of the United Supreme Council of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rites of freemasonry P.H.A. Northern Jurisdiction U.S.A. Inc. In introducing his guest Grand Master Johnny Allen was most eloquent, affective, and at his best. Grand M<aster Bordewick said, “this was the largest public gathering of Masons in Washington since the dedication of the Seattle Masonic Temple in 1916, “ and that constitutional problems have long prevented Black and White Masons from joining in a single order. “Someday, maybe we can solve these problems.” Grand Master Allen said, to his knowledge, the Tacoma ceremony was the first time Black and White Masons have gathered together for a joint ceremony anywhere in America. When presented the working tools of a Master Mason, the plumb, the level, and the square, Grand Master Bordewick layed the cornerstone with its cavity bearing the various memorials of our time, current newspapers, names of city council and other civic bodies including documents of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Washington and Jurisdiction. The crowning words of the day were those spoken by the Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Washington (White). Brother Warren Murphy said, “Our membership can boast of great statesmen, societies, explorers, and men distinguished in every walk of life. However, it is not limited to the great or wealthy, but rather to all men, because every man of good reputation and character is eligible to petition for membership. In fact Masonry regards no man on account of this worldly wealth or honor, but because of his personal integrity as a matured man.” Mayor Southerland of Tacoma, and Grand Master Brodewick, stretched their necks to the end of their cable towes. The Prince Hall Masons with the aid and assistance of the Grand Architect of the Universe will vouch safely their voyage through this stormy sea of life. The historical event was brought to close by prayer from Bishop Tolbert, of the Methodist Episcopal Churches Dist. No. 1.”

Prince Hall, Myths, Legends And Facts

November 10, 2009 by Fred Milliken 5 Comments

Complied by
Aubrey Brown, MPS, Kevin Gembarosky MPS, David Gray, MPS, Nelson King, FPS.

The late Allen E. Roberts wrote “For more than two centuries Prince Hall Freemasonry has been the most lied about organization in the world. Caucasian Freemasonry has misstated the facts about it; Black Freemasons and their supporters have exaggerated its history and its hierarchy.” We will dispel those myths, legends and lies.

MYTH: Prince Hall was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, B.W.I. His father Thomas Prince Hall, was an English leather worker, and his mother, a free colored woman of French extraction.

FACT: To date there has never been any proof of the birth place, or who the parents of Prince Hall where. To date there has only been speculation.

MYTH: The Initiation of Prince Hall and fourteen other men of color was illegal.

FACT: What constituted a legal Mason prior to the formation of the Grand Lodge system in USA? There were none before 1778 when the Grand Lodge of Virginia was instituted. Before then there were Provincial Grand Lodges–several of them. In Massachusetts there were two such bodies. One held allegiance to the “Modern” Grand Lodge of England; the other, the Grand Lodge of Scotland. Studying the works of Henry Wilson Coil, Melvin Maynard Johnson, J. Hugo Tatsch, Harry Carr and many others we find there were hundreds of “illegal” Masons in the early days of Freemasonry in America.

For example, where were the members of the lodge that met in Philadelphia in 1731 (and perhaps earlier) made Masons? Was Benjamin Franklin, who was made a Mason in this lodge, illegal? No of course not.

MYTH: African Lodge which the men of color formed was illegal.

FACT: Freemason’s proudly proclaim the supremacy of the Grand Lodge of England. It was the Grand Lodge of England that granted a warrant on September 29, 1784 for African Lodge No. 459, and this warrant is still in
existence.

MYTH: African Lodge had no right to warrant other lodges and form a Grand Lodge.

FACT: Let us look at the Lodge at Fredericksburgh VA. It warranted two lodges: Falmouth and Botetourt. Those Lodges helped form the Grand Lodge of Virginia, and both are still in existence. What did the only lodge in
Massachusetts do after 1733? Did it not form a Provincial Grand Lodge and then warrant other lodges, and not only in Massachusetts? Why should African Lodge be refused the same privilege?

MYTH: African Lodge’s Warrant did not give them the right to Make Masons.

FACT: Africa Lodge No. 459’s Warrant was no different from any other Warrant issued by the Grand Lodge of England.

Below is a copy of that Warrant.

TO ALL AND EVERY
Our Right Worshipful & loving Brethren, we Thomas Howard, Earl of Effingham, Lord Howard, etc. etc. etc., Acting Grand Master under the authority of His Royal Highness, Henry Frederick Duke of Cumberland etc.etc. etc., Grand Master of the Most Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons, sends greeting:

KNOW YE, that we, at the humble petition of our right trusty and well-beloved, Brethren, Prince Hall, Boston Smith, Thomas Sanderson and several other Brethren residing in Boston, New England in North America do
hereby constitute the said Brethren into a regular Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, under the title or denomination of the African Lodge, to be opened in Boston aforesaid, and do further at their said petition, hereby appoint the said Prince Hall to be Master, Boston Smith, Senior Warden, and Thomas Sanderson, Junior Warden, for opening the said Lodge, and for such further time only as shall be thought proper by the Brethren thereof, it being our will that this our appointment of the officers shall in now wise affect any future election of officers of the Lodge, but that such election shall be regulated agreeable to such by-laws of said Lodge as shall be consistent with the general laws of the society, contained in the Book of Constitution: and we hereby will and require you, the said Prince Hall, to take special care that all and every the said Brethren are or have been regularly made Masons, and that they do observe, perform and keep all the rules and orders contained in the Book of Constitutions; and further, that you do, from time to time, cause to be entered in a book kept for that purpose, an account of your proceedings in the Lodge, together with all such rules, orders and regulations, as shall be made for the good government of the same, that in no wise you omit once in every year to send to us, or our successors, Grand Masters, or to Rowland Holt, Esq,. Our Deputy Grand Master, for the time being an account in writing of your said proceedings and copies of such rules, orders and regulations as shall be made as aforesaid, together with a list of the members of the Lodge, and such a sum of money as may suit the circumstances of the Lodge and reasonably be expected, toward the Grand Charity. Moreover, we hereby will and require you, the said Prince Hall, as soon as conveniently may be, to send an account in writing of what may be done by virtue of these presents.

Given at London, under our hand and seal of Masonry, this 29th day of September, A .L. 5784, A. D. 1784.

“By the Grand Master’s Command,
R. Holt, D. G. M.”

“Witness
Wm. White, G. S.”

Read: Prince Hall And Mainstream Masonic Rapprochement And The Expression Of Brotherly Love

MYTH: African Lodge was erased by the United Grand Lodge of England.

FACT: So was every lodge in America still on the roles of either of the rival Grand Lodges. This included about half of the lodges in Massachusetts!

Has any critic dared claim all other American lodges erased from the roster of the United Grand Lodge of England are clandestine?

MYTH: African Lodge was dormant for a number of years and therefore is illegal.

FACT: So were numerous other lodges. Research the anti-Masonic craze beginning in 1826. Check out the vast number of lodges giving up their charters. Hundreds of them came back into the fold with no condemnation. Why
should they be privileged and African Lodge not?

MYTH: Prince Hall Grand Lodges are not Regular:.

FACT: Prince Hall Freemasons as do all Regular Freemasons adhere to the “landmarks”.

l. its Brethren must believe in a Supreme Being [the GAOTU];

II. Obligations must be taken on or in full view of the VSL.;

III. it must display the three Great Lights of Freemasonry when it or its Lodges are open;

IV. discussion of religion and politics in its Lodges must be prohibited, and

V. its membership must be male, and it must have nothing to do with mixed or women’s Lodges.

MYTH: Prince Hall Grand Lodges only accept men of color, and “Mainstream” Grand Lodges only accept Caucasian men.

I. John Pine, a black Freemason, who in 1769 designed the frontispiece for Anderson’s Constitutions.

II. Canadian Grand Master by the name of Charles Lightfoot Roman, Grand Lodge of Quebec, was a black Freemason.

III. The proceedings of The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York, 1871 provide us a record of a Lodge of German Jews working under the authority of this Prince Hall Grand Lodge.

IV. Alpha Lodge No. 116, F. & A. M. Grand Lodge of New Jersey [Mainstream] is comprised of Black Masons.

V. The United Grand Lodge of England, The Grand Lodge of Scotland, and The Grand Lodge of Ireland have had Provincial Grand Lodges through out the world, and their membership is not restricted by color.

MYTH: Prince Hall Grand Lodges only accept men who are Christians.

FACT: This is a question of Regularity. Since it has already been determined that Prince Hall Lodges are Regular, for us to practice or teach this would be against the Ancient Landmarks of our order. [see Landmarks above] In 1787, Prince Hall forwarded a copy of “The General Regulations of the African Lodge to D.G.M. Roland Holt in London, with the very first item declaring, “. yet at the same time allow every man to join his own religion so that they be men of Honour and Freeborn.”

MYTH: Prince Hall Grand Lodges have women members.

FACT: That would be a violation of the Landmarks and Prince Hall Affiliated Freemasons adhere to the Ancient Landmarks [see Landmarks above]

MYTH: Prince Hall Lodges have sexual orgies in the Lodge Room

FACT: Again this would be a violation of the Landmarks. [see Landmarks above] It is unfortunate that there exist in this world spurious and even out right clandestine organizations who dare travel under the name of Freemasonry and use the most immoral and un-Masonic acts in her name and in the name of Prince Hall.

MYTH: William Harry Grimshaw’s, “Negro Freemasonry… ” and books that quote this book are a reliable source for information about Prince Hall Freemasonry.

FACT: Grimshaw’s purpose was sound when he wrote this book. Grimshaw theorized and wrote what had been handed down to him from years of word of mouth teaching. Unfortunately, his theories and teaching were corrupted. An
accurate comparison would be the ritual, which has developed in North America. There is no question that word of mouth rituals are not the same ritual dictated to Ben Franklin.

MYTH: Prince Hall Grand Lodges have chartered Lodges in other Grand Lodges’ Jurisdictions.

FACT: Prince Hall Grand Lodges have chartered military Lodges in Germany, Italy, Turkey, and Korea to name a few. The traditional act of chartering a Lodge to service members traveling abroad is well recorded in Masonic history. This has been a practice in Freemasonry since the very beginning of the rebirth in 1717. United Grand Lodge of England, The Grand Lodge of Scotland, The Grand Lodge of Ireland, and many other “mainstream” Grand
Lodges have Charted Lodges though out the world in other Grand Lodges’ Jurisdictions.

MYTH: Prince Hall Masons intermingle politics and Masonry.

FACT: Again this would be a violation of the Landmarks [see Landmarks above] However, it is only natural that many prominent black politicians are or have been Prince Hall Masons. Prince Hall Masons by nature are inclined to be involved in their communities, and this extends to the political working.

This is done as individuals and not as masons. Prince Hall Masonry has had within it’s membership some of the preeminent Blacks in politics. The lists includes such notables as Harold Washington, Chicago; Thomas Bradley, Los Angeles; Andrew Young and Maynard Jackson, Atlanta; all former mayors.

Douglass Wilder, the first black elected governor, Thurgood Marshal, and Jesse Jackson, to name a few.

MYTH: Prince Hall Grand Lodges do not enjoy full recognition from their Caucasian counterparts.

FACT: Most Prince Hall Grand Lodges and their neighboring Regular counterparts do in fact enjoy full recognition. Most of the misunderstanding perhaps is due to the fact that Prince Hall Grand Lodges do not allow dual
or plural memberships. This means that members of recognized Grand Lodges can’t join as full members. Some Prince Hall Grand Lodges allow honorary memberships. These have a number of their “Mainstream” counterparts as
honorary members. Most Prince Hall Grand Lodges do allow their members to belong to Research Lodges. Many Prince Hall Masons belong to national and state Research Lodges.

MYTH: Prince Hall Masonry does not contribute to charitable activities.

FACT: All branches of Prince Hall Freemasonry support charitable activities. From individual lodges to the Prince Hall Conference of Grand Masters, The Supreme Councils [ SJ & NJ], To the Shrine. Prince Hall Masonry has
contributed millions of dollars in such charitable activities as scholarships and medical aid and research.

MYTH: All Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodges are Regular.

FACT: Not all Regular Prince Hall Affiliated Grand Lodges are titled as such. The Regular Prince Hall Grand Lodge in the state of Mississippi is, The Most Worshipful Stringer Grand Lodge, F.& A.M. [Prince Hall Affiliated].

The Regular Prince Hall Grand Lodge in the state of Florida is, The Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, PHA. There are irregular Black Grand Lodges in both these states using the title of Prince
Hall Grand Lodge. There are also other such outfits operating around the country. They will usually delineate somewhere in there title Prince Hall Origin.

MYTH: Prince Hall Masonry has never bothered to take Irregular Black Grand Lodges to court.

FACT: There is a long history of Prince Hall Grand Lodges taking irregular Black Masonic bodies to court. In many of these cases, their Caucasian counterparts, have filed “Friend of the Court” briefs supporting the Prince Hall Grand Lodge’s stance. In fact, Prince Hall Masonry has taken every major black Masonic body to court in one state or another and has won injunctive relief in all such cases. These suits span back as far as the 20’s and include such bodies as, The Internationals or Banks Organization, The Most Worshipful Universal Grand Lodge; also known as the John G. Jones
Grand Lodges, and the John A. Bell Grand Lodges. Virtually all major irregular bodies are the offspring to one of the afore mentioned bodies.

There are of course numerous smaller bodies that spring up virtually over night without any governing body. Today Prince Hall Masonry for the most part, has chosen to use it’s funds for the betterment of the community as
opposed to costly legal battles.

MYTH: The Prince Hall Conference of Grand Masters has never or only recently embraced its Caucasian counterparts.

FACT: Even before recognition, Prince Hall Grand Masters have met, worked with, and received their Caucasian counterparts in informal as well as formal and public Masonic events. There is documentation going back to 1970
stating the Prince Hall Conference of Grand Masters received such prominent members as the Grand Master of Mass. AF&AM, and the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council, N.J. at it’s meeting.

MYTH: Prince Hall and its Caucasian counterparts have only recently began to meet formally.

FACT: There is much documentation showing that the two bodies have often met formally as far back as 1923 when the two Supreme Councils [N.J.] met. This meeting resulted in the Prince Hall body deciding to change its name to
United Supreme Council and add the suffix, Prince Hall Affiliated to it’s name to distinguish the two. After the meeting, the Supreme Council [N.J.]

Caucasian, issued the following press release.

Offer of “Informal Co-operation”
Boston, Mass. Sept. 22, 1923

An offer of “informal co-operation” was extended last Wednesday by the Supreme Council A. A. S. R. Masons Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in session in this city to the United Supreme Council [Prince Hall Affiliated] representing Negroes in the United States. Although no official recognition was adopted by the convention, the Supreme Council voted it’s policy of co-operation after hearing a report of the legal aspects of the situation arising from the similarity in the names of the two organizations which existed until recently. The United Supreme Council changed its name in order to distinguish it from the organization meeting here. In appreciation of this action and to put itself on record of racial toleration the Council decided to adopt an attitude of co-operation that was generally felt would be advantageous both for the Negroes and the community at large.

The work of the two organizations is said to be approximately the same and the colored fraternity which is chartered in Pennsylvania is the Grand East for this organization.

These two bodies met again on May 19, 1944 in New York City where a similar resolution was made. The key addition made at this time was the Supreme Council acknowledging that the Prince Hall bodies were legally descended from the Grand Lodge of England and Regular in all Masonic aspects.

Published by Nelson King

What’s left to comment on is the The Right Of Exclusive Territorial Jurisdiction or the American Doctrine. It is called the American Doctrine because only in America is it practiced. It’s not a subject we haven’t been over before.

It’s always been against Masonic etiquette for a new Grand Lodge to enter an established Masonic territory as a Masonic Raider. But that is not the case in the early development of American Mainstream and Prince Hall Freemasonry.

Some scholars say that they can trace back into the mid to late 1700s where the ROETJ was already a standard practice even in England. Some of these same scholars say that Prince Hall uses the same doctrine against its own – battling rogue Black Masonic Grand Lodges and declaring them clandestine. The two assertions are interconnected and wrong.

There is a big difference in refusing to recognize and to take action against irregular Freemasonry which does not follow the Landmarks and refusing to subsist with a peaceful, regular Grand Lodge in the same territory. The actions our early Mainstream forefathers took in battling other Grand Lodges was, for the most part, a fight against irregularity. So is the battle Prince Hall wages against its knock offs.

But this whole separation and question of the ROETJ need not have happened. It could have been avoided by Mainstream Masonry accepting Prince Hall into the family when the Antients and the Moderns reconciled. The fact that this was not done leads to conjecture that the ROETJ was created specifically for the purpose of disenfranchising Black Masonry and to have a legal basis to declare it clandestine and illegal. For it is precisely in this period in the first quarter of the 19^th century that the American Doctrine came to be widely used. So you still have Southern Mainstream Freemasons saying that – well if they weren’t a separate Grand Lodge in the same territory we would recognize Black Freemasonry. Yet they and their ancestors are the very people that refused to embrace Blacks in Freemasonry, forced them to go their separate way and then created a Doctrine which made their continued separate existence illegal. So if you set up roadblocks and codify separation so that you won’t accept Black Freemasonry inside Mainstream Grand Lodges nor allow them to exist separately legally without declaring them clandestine then which way did those setting up these rules expect Black Freemasonry to go? The answer is they expected it to go away.

For those of you who might be tempted to say – well Blacks can just join Mainstream Grand Lodges where Prince Hall is not recognized today, you could be accused of having your head buried in the sand. You would not have remembered the battle of Frank Haas in West Virginia, the scandal of the Grand Lodge of Georgia against Gate City Lodge No. 2 and the recent shenanigans now coming to light in Arkansas.

Southern white Freemasonry and that’s what Southern Mainstream Freemasonry is – white, a WASP society, cannot have it both ways. It cannot refuse to recognize Prince Hall because of some legal mumbo jumbo in the ROETJ while at the same time black balling every non white applicant. But that is precisely what it is doing.

How much longer are the states who now do recognize Prince Hall going to sit back and do nothing while a minority of the Craft in one region of the country smears the reputation and good name of the Craft? How long are the good guys going to hide behind the good old boys understanding that one does not interfere in another jurisdiction’s business? How many members of the next generation do you think will want to join an organization which can truthfully be labeled racist?