I am one of that rare breed - now an endangered species: a Pre-War Mason. Having been initiated in 1937 when the Duke of Connaught was still our Grand Master, it makes me now by far the oldest member of my Mother Lodge, a position which has the disadvantage that there is nobody left to share my memories of things as they were then.
    And how were things then? Well, to start with, at every meeting we wore full evening dress or dinner jackets with stiff shirt-front, bow tie and stand-up collar - none of your soft shirt stuff. Lodge meetings couldn’t start before six, to give brethren time to go home and change after finishing their daily jobs. With the dinner afterwards we mostly drank bottled ale, light or dark according to taste. Champagne might sometimes be seen at Installations, but otherwise I do not remember wine being much in evidence until well after the war. Mind you, we still ‘took wine’ with the WM, even though the wine was beer, and in those days it was customary also to ‘take wine’ with each other, all challenging brethren half way across the room to drink with you; this resulted in undignified and deafening pandemonium and mercifully the practice has now entirely ceased in most lodges.
    However, these changes are really only of minor significance; the most remarkable thing is to see how much has not changed at all: our ritual is just the same as it always has been, with the exception of horrific penalties in obligations; Brotherly Love continues to attract good men to our ranks and pervades the atmosphere of every lodge; Relief has greatly extended its range to embrace not only the families of masons but the families of the world at large through our Grand Charity, and Truth remains the ideal to which we strive - not always with success, but we have become much more honest with ourselves: no one can hide under the banner of Masonry and expect thereby to escape justice; brethren found guilty of crime are branded as such, and take the consequences.
    Perhaps the next most notable change is the enormous increase in membership of the so-called ‘side degrees’ which in my early days were considered, rather patronisingly, as ‘amusing little extras for masons who haven’t got enough to occupy their minds’. There were certain Provinces then in which there were no other degrees outside the Craft and Royal Arch, and certain Provincial Grand Masters who actively opposed their introduction. I think we now realise that every degree has something to teach and something worth learning, and to make “a daily advancement in masonic knowledge” means more than just attending Lodge of Instruction.
    Thus far I have spoken only of the past and the present; so what of the future? We stand now on the threshold of a new millennium, and what difference will that make? There has been so much nonsense spoken in the build-up to the year 2000 that the reality is going to be rather a shock to many people. For when you think about it, apart from having to alter all those registers and presence books that are already printed with ‘Date... 19..’ there is going to be no difference at all: the sun will continue to rise and set and the world will continue to revolve on its axis in its orbit, just as if we were still in 1999!
    But just as we make New Year Resolutions and New Century Resolutions I suppose we should consider new Millennium ditto. What should Freemasonry be resolving to do? First and foremost it must continue to develop the policy of openness. Our Grand Master, the Duke of Kent, has given us a splendid lead in this, and it is up to us to demonstrate to the world the value of our personal membership of the Craft. I am never tired of repeating that the world will judge us by what they see in us and not just what we see in each other. We have to live our Masonry in such a way that people will know they can rely on us for love, relief and truth at all times. A candidate is required to affirm that he seeks membership by “a favourable opinion pre-conceived of the Institution”; now I ask you, how is he to achieve an opinion - favourable or otherwise - if he doesn’t know who masons are and what they do? We must not be so shy about our membership.
    Another important resolution is to see that our brethren - particularly our recently raised brethren - really understand what the ritual is all about and the lessons it is intended to convey. That “daily advancement” can be assisted by the provision of lectures, talks, demonstrations and, of course, books for further study. “Oh dear,” one hears only too often, “we haven’t got a candidate for our next meeting; whatever are we going to do?” In fact, the absence of a candidate affords the ideal opportunity for an evening of instruction, of discussion, of correcting false impression and stimulating interest. Masons are encouraged to learn the words of the ritual; they should also be encouraged to learn the meaning of those words too, and how to put them into practice. The London Grand Rank Association and many Provinces have lists of speakers and talks on all these subjects, and every lodge contains brethren whose learning and experience is only waiting to be called on.
    It has just occurred to me that some of you brethren who are reading this magazine will still be around in 50 or 60 years time. You will then be able to say, ‘I am one of that rare breed - a Pre-Millennium Mason’, so perhaps the Editor will then invite you to write an article like this! I wish you well!

The Reverend Canon Richard Tydeman was awarded the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry in 1988 and promoted to Junior Grand Warden in 1989. In Royal Arch he was Grand Scribe Nehemiah in 1971 and Grand Superintendent in and over Suffolk 1980-1987. He holds high rank in many other Degrees and Orders.