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BACK NEXT Autumn 2005 Issue 34 Letter from the Editor News Briefing News and Views On The Level News Beyond the Craft International News Julian Rees Community and Brotherhood Philip Duke of Wharton The Heart of Freemasonry Masonic Paintings in a Berkshire Church Beyond the Brain Built by Freemasons Internet Enjoying Irish Freemasonry Brother Lightfoote's Journal Letters to the Editor Review: Discovering Friendly & Fraternal Societies Review: Turning the Hiram Key Review: Did You Know This, Too? Review: Stone Age Sound Tracks Canon Richard Tydeman Copyright 1997-2010 Grand Lodge Publications Ltd Designed and Maintained by: Cyberpoint

FREEMASONRY TODAY Autumn 2005 - Issue 34 - Index Letter from the Editor - Michael Baigent There is much debate in the United Kingdom and elsewhere about how different people can live together in harmony. There are those who think that they should, there are those who think that they shouldn’t, and there are those who think that everyone should believe as they do whether this brings harmony or not. In this issue of Freemasonry Today we have an interview with former Police Superintendent, David Webb, who was in charge of the ethnically disparate and explosive Handsworth District of Birmingham during the worst of the troubles there in the 1980s. One very interesting act he performed, as a Freemason, was to help found a masonic lodge ... News Briefing: Pro Grand Master Visits South America — East Lancashire Welcomes New Provincial Grand Master — Grand Charity General Meeting News and Views: New Provincial Grand Master for Buckinghamshire — Welcome From Dean of St Albans — Developments at Library and Museum — London to Paris by Bike — Dorset Celebrates 225th Anniversary — Devon Freemasons Give £30,000 to Local Charities — Masonic Baltic Cruise — Air Ambulance Helped by Warwickshire Royal Arch Masons On the Level: Bedfordshire's Gift of Teddy Bears — Support for Youth Football — Birds of Prey in Lodge — Derbyshire Spreads Charity — Canonbury Masonic Research Centre — Centre for Research into Freemasonry, Sheffield University — The Cornerstone Society — Quatuor Coronati News Beyond the Craft: More Success for Mark Masons — Knights Templar Family Church Service at Lincoln Cathedral International News: Masons Build a Free-Masonry Home in New Zealand — British Federation of Co-Freemasons Le Droit Humain hosts Colloquium — Regular Grand Lodge of Italy Meeting — Supreme Council Scholarships at George Washington University — Australian and New Zealand Freemasons Assist Sri Lankan Tsunami Victims — Academic Research in The Netherlands Julian Rees Freedom is regarded, in our century, as a precious and absolute right. That is as it should be. And, in an earlier century, the American Declaration of Independence tells us how highly freedom was prized then. ‘We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness...’. The founding fathers of the American republic certainly understood that liberty, freedom in an individual and in a social sense, was vital and essential. Those who have freed themselves from political, religious or military oppression have an appreciation of the value ... Community and Brotherhood Toxteth, Southall, Moss Side, St Pauls, Brixton and Handsworth all send a shiver down the spine of anyone who was about in the 1980s. The list of names reads like some War Memorial to the inner city riots that swept across the country over twenty years ago: synonymous with inner city tension as our urban communities came to harsh physical terms with the then growing problem of non-integrated multi-ethnic communities ... Philip Duke of Wharton, Grand Master 1722-23 In May 1722 the French government informed their British counterparts of a plot: a planned rising by the supporters of the Stuart cause, the Jacobites. It was to be aided by Irish regiments based in France and Spain. Details of the plot were not immediately known but the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and Secretary of State, Lord Townshend, transformed Hyde Park into a military camp, requested Dutch military assistance and recalled troops ... The Heart of Freemasonry The Cornerstone Society was formed to encourage and help masons to learn of the meaning and deep inner spirituality of our masonic ritual. As Freemasons, we are heirs to a complex and rich heritage which both carries and communicates a wisdom which is ageless. Often we need to be guided towards the philosophy and spirituality which this heritage preserves and we soon find that we have made our first steps on a journey towards the discovery of ... Masonic Paintings in a Berkshire Church Charles Edward Keyser, 1853 - 1929, was a highly successful late Victorian businessman looking for a country seat when his sister, Agnes, drew his attention to Aldermaston Court which reminded her of Sandringham where she had been a guest. Offered for sale by auction at The Hind’s Head in the nearby village of Aldermaston, it comprised over 2500 acres of parkland, meadows and farms, and boasted a lake as well as a splendid mansion ... Beyond the Brain Acrucial philosophical struggle is taking place within science about the nature of the mind and its place in the physical universe. The outcome of this will determine the future course of human destiny, and so should concern Freemasonry which, behind its social, secular activities, its fellowship and philanthropy, has philosophical principles as its integral guiding lights. The side that currently has the upper hand in this philosophical discussion within science ... Built by Freemasons There are few towns which can boast of being planned by a resident masonic lodge but Paraty, on the Brazilian coast south of Rio de Janiero, is one. This profound philosophical and spiritual heritage is publicly proclaimed at the road junction leading to the main access route: in the roundabout stands a large masonic Square and Compasses. Paraty (pronounced Para-chi) is one of the oldest towns in Brazil. It was an important harbour at the end of the stonepaved ‘Caminho do Ouro’, the ‘Gold Road’ which reached over 1,200 kilometers into the interior of Brazil ... Internet It is becoming more and more evident that Freemasonry at ‘Provincial’ level is realising the benefits of the internet as a medium for keeping in touch with its members. It enables them to cascade, in a real time situation, information and news as it happens. The internet is clean, quick and once set up, a low cost method of communicating. Speaking personally, my own Province (Worcestershire) strongly believes in keeping in touch with our brethren. We produce a regular Newsletter entitled The Worcestershire Source which is superb, but - isn’t there always a but - the cost is high, the information is there until the next issue, whether accurate or not at the time of printing, and ... Enjoying Irish Freemasonry Of the dozen or more trips the Editor of Freemasonry Today and I have enjoyed photographing and writing this series of articles on masonic museums, our visit to Dublin will certainly remain the most outstanding of our travels. In organising the visit with Rebecca Hayes, the Archivist and Morgan J McCreadie ... Brother Lightfoote's Journal I’ve never had that much love for horses, though some, I note, are quite infatuated with the silly, smelly creatures. Whilst I am content to be drawn by them in a carriage, I generally avoid sitting astride them as the act demeans both parties and tempts providence. The best way to avoid falling off an ‘oss is not to get on it in the first place, just as the most efficient way to avoid being eaten by sharks is not to swim where they are. I have little sympathy, therefore, for those who complain about having fallen off horses or having been eaten by sharks; their misfortune ... Letters to the Editor Common Aims — Promotions — Membership — Reading of Obligations — For the Discerning Reader — And In The Air Review: Discovering Friendly & Fraternal Societies Review: Turning the Hiram Key Review: Did You Know This, Too? Review: Stone Age Sound Tracks Canon Richard Tydeman Just two hundred years ago the famous signal was issued by Admiral Lord Nelson, reminding the fleet that England was expecting every man to do his duty. And as we know, every man did, and many of them - including the Admiral - gave their lives in so doing. ‘Duty’: it is a word that we don’t hear so much these days. Everybody wants their ‘rights’ but few will acknowledge their duties. However, Freemasonry leaves no doubt in the minds of its members that duties play an important part in our conduct. The Charge given to a candidate after Initiation recommends the serious study of the Bible, for therein we learn of the important duties we owe to God, neighbour and self ...   Issue 34, Autumn 2005 © Grand Lodge Publications Ltd 1997-2010