Droit Humain Celebrates 200 Years In United States

The centenary anniversary of the founding of the first lodge in the United States open to both men and women equally was celebrated by the Order of International Co-Freemasonry, Le Droit Humain, from 25 to 27 July this year, in Ventura, California. Alpha Lodge was created in the Orient of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, on 18 October 1903 with fifteen men and two women, with Louis Goaziou as its first Master. At its Annual Convention in Ventura Sisters and Brothers of the American Federation of Le Droit Humain joined to remember the work of Brother Goaziou and to mark the existence of the Order in the United States for 100 years.
    The Order of International Co- Freemasonry, Le Droit Humain was created in 1893 to correct what many saw as the social injustice of excluding women from masonic ceremonies. From its inception the Order has denounced all forms of racism and intolerance, and its lodges have been open to people of all nationalities, races and religions. In his address at the celebration, the Grand Master, Njördur Njardvik, said that such a view was extraordinary for the nineteenth century, and that underlying the Order’s principles ‘is the vital concept that humanity is one family, and carries the teaching of human compassion’.
    The International Constitution of Le Droit Humain states that ‘its members seek . . . . . to realize on earth the greatest possible degree of moral, intellectual and spiritual development for all people’. Lodges are free to work either in acknowledgment of a Supreme Being, or to the perfection of humanity, or both. The Order works degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite from the first to the thirty-third without interruption.
    The website of the American Federation is at www.comasonic.org

Liberia Freemasons In The Line Of Fire

Prince Hall Freemasons in Liberia have had to contend with more than their fair share of adversity in recent times and over the past years. The history of Freemasonry in this West African state has been a chequered one.
    The state of Liberia was declared an independent republic in 1847. Many founders of the republic were Prince Hall masons from the United States, and so it was natural, when Freemasonry first took hold, that it should be under the aegis of Prince Hall masonry. The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons was established in 1867 with Thomas Amos as first Grand Master. In 1980 there was a coup d’état and Freemasonry, under the new regime, came under attack. The Grand Master and other senior masons were murdered by the military government which had taken over, and Freemasonry was banned. A small number survived, and they cautiously kept in touch and planned for the day when the country would return to civilian rule.
    In 1985 there was a prospect of reactivating Freemasonry in Liberia, and a special Prince Hall meeting was held in 1987 in New Orleans in the United States for the purpose of installing a new Grand Master by the United States Prince Hall authorities. A Grand Convocation was held in the capital Monrovia in 1988, and gradually Freemasonry was reestablished, with the return of some of the funds lost in the coup.
    In the recent fighting this year Freemasons, in common with many of the population at large, were under attack, and Freemasonry Today received reports that many Brethren had fled the capital and had taken refuge in the outback. Now that there is a prospect of order being restored, it is to be hoped that normal masonic activity may be resumed.

Freemasons Centre Stage For Bushfire Appeal

New South Wales Freemasons took centre stage at a hastily-organised Celebrity Sports Night fundraiser in aid of Canberra’s Bushfire Recovery Appeal held earlier this year. To wild applause from the capacity crowd of 12,000, many of them victims of the devastating fires, Grand Master Tony Lauer presented a cheque from MasoniCare for $100,000, by far the biggest donation of the night. Further applause greeted the Grand Master’s announcement that the New South Wales Masonic Youth Welfare fund would also provide financial assistance to children of families affected by the fires to cover the costs of going back to school.
    In announcing the donations, the Grand Master emphasised the fact that charity, benevolence and involvement in local communities, irrespective of whether they are affiliated with masonic lodges, were a basic teaching of Freemasonry. ‘Our donation was clear evidence of Freemasons practising what we preach,’ the Grand Master said. He was speaking in front of a large gathering, the vast majority of whom were not Freemasons.
    ‘I was completely overwhelmed by the very emotional response from the audience and the tangible good will towards Freemasonry on the night, not only by the applause of the crowd, but also from the many nonmasons I spoke to during the evening,’ continued Brother Lauer. ‘It was an event that will not be forgotten for a very long time and neither will the Freemasons’ huge contribution to the whole community of Canberra and surrounding districts.’
    In his speech, the Grand Master also paid tribute to the spirit of those whose lives were devastated by the tragic bushfires, and in particular to the courage and superhuman efforts of all the services who fought so bravely against the forces of this horrific disaster.
    The event organiser, Peter Chapman, said that the night exceeded expectations in all areas. ‘We were looking for a great community gathering, and that’s just what we got. Our initial target was to raise $100,000, but with donation pledges, gate takings and food stall profits we were able to present $280,000 to the Canberra Bushfire Recovery Appeal.’
   With acknowledgments to New South Wales Freemason

America's Oldest Survivor Of Iwo Jima Takes Nostalgic Flight

As part of the 5th Marine Amphibious Corps that landed on Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945, Bro John Moon could scarcely imagine that after the ensuing battle, more than 6,800 of his comrades would lie dead. This was America’s first landing on what was considered traditional Japanese territory. It was the beginning of the end of the Japanese war. In this epic battle, the marines had superior force but the Japanese had unassailable positions. The geography topography and geology of the island guaranteed that the conflict would not be straightforward. Both sides were engaged in a test of physical and mental endurance and of will, which demanded their last reserves of strength and fortitude. It was the sort of battle during which undying bonds of comradeship are forged. John Moon will never forget those momentous days.
    Now, at the age of 87, he is America’s oldest survivor of that battle, a 52-year member of Macomb Lodge No 17 (Illinois) having been initiated in 1951. After leaving the service in 1953 he took flight lessons but never obtained his pilot’s licence due to lack of government funding. Duane Sorrells, Master of Macomb Lodge and himself a pilot, took Bro. Moon on his first flight in a small plane since that time.
    With acknowledgements to Illinois Freemasonry

Queensland Board Of Benevolence Works With Private Lodges

In 1997 the Grand Lodge of Queensland implemented a Dollar-for- Dollar subsidy scheme which ensures that private lodges get to fund their own pet charity projects even if they can’t raise all the money themselves. Every lodge can submit an application to the Grand Lodge stating that they have funds available or are actually fundraising for a specific project. ‘This could be anything from landscaping a children’s playground to a microwave for a meals-on-wheels kitchen,’ explained Gordon Blake, Secretary of the Board of Benevolence. The Board of Benevolence will then match their efforts on a dollar for dollar basis. Examples of projects subsidised to date include a closed circuit television monitor in a school for visually impaired schoolchildren, an electrocardiograph machine for a local hospital, two foetal Doppler units for a maternity hospital and radio and avionics equipment for the Medivac helicopter operated by the rescue service.
    A combined effort by the members of the Atherton Tableland lodges was so successful that with the assistance of the scheme, two electrically-operated beds, including special mattresses, were purchased on behalf of the local hospital.
    Another successful project, a testimony to the hard work of the lodge members, came to fruition for the Haughton Lodge when they successfully applied to the Board of Benevolence to buy a fire engine. This was a fully-equipped rural fire brigade vehicle for use in the Major Creek Rural Fire Brigade District.
    Due to schemes like this, the Grand Lodge of Queensland ensures that Freemasonry maintains a high profile in the community, and projects run by individual lodges are a visible reminder to the public at large that Freemasons care about their community.
    With acknowledgments to The Queensland Freemason

A Vision For The Blind

Armed with a penchant for electronics and a lot of empathy, an electronics graduate in Ahmedabad, India, is changing the lives of the visually impaired at the local Blind People’s Association. Such is the significance of Shreelal Jha’s inventions, that it will not be long before they are used on a wider world stage.
    His latest baby is a paper-free computerised braille language laboratory – the first in the world – that allows students to learn braille on individual electronic pads connected to a master panel. A signal on the master panel raises nodes on the students’ pads, allowing them to make out letters and words.
    ‘My visit to the Blind People’s Association made me realise how difficult life is for them,’ he said. ‘I thought, if I do have a gift for electronics, I should use it to make their life simpler.’ He quickly devised a way to transform a notice board in the Association into a talking notice board, so that more than one person could read it at a time. His next project was an electronic map of Gujarat, where a buzzer goes off the moment a student’s finger crosses the border line.
    On one of his visits, he learned about the problems facing braille teachers. Conventionally, only one student can be taught at a time; with the computerised laboratory, if a student needs help, he can press the ‘call’ button, sending a signal to the teacher. In this way, one-to-one tuition can be given without disturbing the other students.
    The multi-lingual laboratory has been christened Lodge Fellowship Braille Language Laboratory, in recognition of the assistance given by that masonic lodge, when it was inaugurated on 2 February this year. At present the facility is limited to English and Gujarati, but Jha is confident that it can teach any language in the world.
    With acknowledgments to The Ashlar of Western India