Publications
1.
The Loyal Toast in
Scottish Lodges in
A paper by Brother Ralph Doyle
P.M.1605
2.
The Masonic Historians of
Extracted from the commemorative booklet of the same title by
Brother Jack Harewood, prepared to mark the
inauguration of the Masonic Library and Museum at the National Library, Port of
Spain, on February 6th 2004.
3.
The Lodge Eastern Star
Charter and Its Consequences
A paper by Brother Jack Harewood, Hon.
Grand Librarian, Past Worshipful Depute District Grand Master, Past Master
Lodge Eastern Star, delivered at the meeting of Lodge Eastern Star on Friday
November 5th, 2004
The Loyal Toast in
Scottish Lodges in
By Brother Ralph Doyle P.M. 1605.
Although the
convocation describes the paper as “The
Loyal Toast” I must advise brethren that
the correct title is “The Loyal Toast in Scottish Lodges in
“LOYALTY”
A modern definition of “loyalty” as – “Faithful adherence to the
sovereign or lawful government” and,
“TOAST”
A
historical definition of “toast” as - “Any person, male or female whose health
is proposed and drunk to also, any event, institution or
sentiment, in memory or in honour of which a company is requested to drink; also the
call or act of proposing such a health 1746”. (Emphasis mine)
The learned lexicographers then give as an
example – “Success to
I am buttressed in my definition as the word
“loyal” has also been defined as – “steadfast in one’s allegiance to a person
or cause or to one’s country or sovereign” (Emphasis mine) – See
The Oxford Paperback Dictionary (1979).
HISTORY
I ask brethren to bear in mind the foregoing,
as we consider a little of the history of the loyal toast within our fraternity
in the context of “the etiquette of the
table”….
In
Brother William Preston Campbell-Everden’s “Freemasonry and its Etiquette” (a work
described by the Grand Lodge Librarian of the Grand Lodge Free and Accepted
Masons of the State of New York as “ the standard ready reference book for the
individual Mason desirous of improving his knowledge of the fraternity”) the
learned author states, inter alia:-
“The etiquette of the
table, or in old Masonic parlance ‘the
festive board’ Brethren are besought not to call it ‘the Fourth Degree’ –
differs in no material degree from the order and rules observed when a number
of men meet and dine or sup together upon any occasion…..
The
duty rests upon the Director of Ceremonies to see that the places at the table
for visitors and for members are assigned in accordance with their rank in the Craft;
allowing, of course, a certain degree of freedom of choice; that is to say, if
a distinguished visitor be assigned a place at, or near the top of the table,
and if he prefers a lower seat beside the Brother who introduces him, or with
whom he may be more or less intimate, his wish would, of course, be complied
with. On the other hand, it would be bad
taste for a Brother who bears no rank of any importance to aspire, on the plea
of sitting next to a friend, to occupy one of ‘the chief seats at feasts, lest
haply a more honourable man than he come in,’ etc.
Visitors should be ranged in the order of their rank
and precedence on the right of the Worshipful Master. The only exception is the Initiate, who on the
night of his initiation, takes precedence of visitors, Grand Officers included,
and sits on the immediate right of the Worshipful Master.
………The custom of proposing certain regular toasts,
and occasionally of drinking to the health of any particular Brother or
Brethren who may be present, if not universal, is still general as of old. Numbers of men advocate the entire
abandonment of the practice; and suggest that, as at military mess diners, one
toast only- ‘The Queen’- should be given.
It may well be doubted if the abolition, or even the
partial abandonment of the custom, or the serious curtailment of the lists of
toasts which we have been accustomed to find upon the programmes
of our Festivals, would be acceptable to any but a very small minority of the
Members of the Craft. The custom of
giving toasts and of drinking healths at social
gatherings, dinners, etc., in our own houses, is happily a thing of the past;
but with Masons the case is different.
We profess to be, and we are, very properly tenacious of ‘The ancient
Landmarks of the Order.’ The custom of
toasts at our festive meetings is so old as to have become a social landmark-
it should not be lightly abandoned, or tampered with to any serious extent.
Some of the peculiar Masonic toasts are said to have been ‘revived’ in
1719 by Dr. Desaguliers, who was then Grand Master.
The forms will necessarily vary to some extent in
different Provinces or Districts, or even in neighbouring
Lodges; but in their main features and in their order of sequence there is no
great variation.
Even in the same Lodge some difference is generally
made between the number of toasts given at an ordinary meeting and those
included in the list intended for an Installation dinner, or an Anniversary, or
any other special occasion.
At
the ordinary meetings of the Lodge, it is not expected that the full complement
of toasts shall be given, although, even then, a certain routine should be
observed, such as: ‘The King and the Craft’; ‘The high dignitaries and the
rulers of the Order, supreme and subordinate’;
‘The Worshipful Master,’ and some others at discretion, and in
accordance with the probable duration of the sitting.
The list of toasts, however, should not be
cut down to poor dimensions upon extraordinary occasions, such as Festivals,
Installations, and so on, when large numbers-members and visitors-are expected
to be present.
It is no uncommon thing to find on programmes of Festivals and other occasions ‘The Queen’ as
the first toast, without any reference to ‘The Craft’; this is wrong. In the
united toast, we express at once our loyalty to the Throne and our reverence
for ‘our ancient and honourable Fraternity.’ ‘The
Queen and the Craft’ is the original and very ancient form among Freemasons;
whereas ‘The Queen’ alone is the form used at ordinary meetings in the outer
world. We should retain the combined form by all means; and we should do so
whether the reigning Monarch is or is not a freemason.
Similarly, full Masonic Honours should be given
to the combined toast. A circular issued
in 1911 to Masters of Lodges on this subject concludes with the expression of
the Pro Grand Master’s hope ‘that the ancient form of toast “The King and the
Craft’ will be generally retained.” ” (Emphasis mine).
In addressing Cornwallis Lodge in December 1997 about “The Queen and the
Craft” Wor. Bro. J. Bourne had this to say……
“……Of
the eleven English sovereigns who have graced the Throne since Grand Lodge came
into existence in 1717, six have been Masons; yet the toast has always
been given with full Masonic honours. Some say it
is a landmark of the Order.
One can imagine, when Queen Victoria came to the
Throne in 1837, there could well have been some considerable confusion amongst
Freemasons as to the proper form and scope of the loyal toast. (The term ‘Queen and Craft’ had never before
been heard or spoken, and there was definitely no chance of this sovereign
being a member of the Craft.) But the
need to preserve the ancient custom does not seem to be in doubt. For the long period of 63 years – from 1837
to 1900 – the toast was “ The Queen and the Craft”; to be followed by another
51 years in the original form of “The King and the Craft” reverting again in
1952, on the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to our present “ The Queen and the
Craft”. An important point to note is
that the Grand Secretary of the “ Antients”, Laurence
Dermott, set out in the minutes of his Grand Lodge on two occasions the correct
toast to be given.
United Grand Lodge has
insisted in 1908 and again in 1935, that the toast takes priority, as
loyalty to the Crown is an essential principle of Freemasonry. King Edward VII was a Past Grand Master and
had the title of PROTECTOR OF THE CRAFT; he was succeeded by George V, who was
not a Freemason. George VI, who was a
very active Mason, came to the throne when Edward VIII, who was also a
Freemason, gave up his throne for Mrs. Simpson.” (Emphasis mine.)
Brethren, I am certain
that you have observed my generous references to the English Craft but, I
respectfully consider the same to be relevant to the topic under discussion
firstly, because of this country’s social and constitutional history and
relationship with Great Britain (to which I will soon advert) and, secondly,
using the words of the very learned and respected Brother L.A. Seemungal -“In Trinidad, because of the close association
between the English and Scottish Craft, many English ideas have seeped over to
the Scottish side. This was remarked on,
even by the Grand Master Mason of Scotland on his visit here in 1968.”
(1962 – 1976) A former British colony,
Trinidad and Tobago achieved Independence in 1962 and, by the Trinidad and
Tobago (Constitution) Order in Council 1962 the oath of allegiance of the
Governor General, the Prime Minister and other members of the Executive was in
the following form:-
“I,……….do swear that I will be
faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second,
Her Heirs and Successors, according to law. So help me God.” (Emphasis mine).
“I, ………….do solemnly and sincerely affirm and
declare that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth the Second, Her Heirs and Successors, according to law;”
(Emphasis mine).
In those circumstances, the loyal toast (both at harmony and in the outer world)
was “The Queen” – a toast in a
prescribed form and not subject to change without the authority of Buckingham
Palace.
1976-
Now brethren, as you are
aware, in 1976 Trinidad and Tobago became a Republic within the British
Commonwealth with an elected President as the Head of State and Commander in
Chief of the armed forces. As a
consequence, the loyal toast is no longer “The Queen” but, it has been observed
that there is inconsistency in lodges in Trinidad and Tobago at harmony as the
loyal toast varies from “The President” to “The Republic of Trinidad and
Tobago.” The question arises – Which
form is correct?
“Monarchy or Republic
138. There was almost unanimous agreement among those who spoke and wrote to us that the Monarchy with the British Sovereign as Head of State should be replaced by a Republic with an elected President as Head of State. All the political parties who came before us advocated the change, and so did the Chambers of Industry and Commerce, the Trade Unions, the Professional Groups and the Women’s groups. We are ourselves convinced that the time has come for such a change. It is no more than an expression of the fact that independence must involve the creation of indigenous symbols of nationhood. Among young people in particular the British Sovereign has no symbolic meaning. The thrust since Independence has been towards the discovery of a new identity which involves leaving behind the colonial heritage of subjection, imitation and external dependence. The oath which the Governor –General now takes on assuming office brings the problem sharply into focus. He swears to be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen. To most ears this is anachronistic. His oath quite obviously should be faithfully to serve the people of Trinidad and Tobago and to defend and uphold its Constitution. We recommend therefore that Trinidad and Tobago should cease to be a Monarchy and should become a Republic with an elected President as Head of State. (Emphasis mine)
…… 140. It must also be borne in mind that the change to the republican system need not mean the cutting off of all association with the United Kingdom. We recommend in keeping with the unanimous wish of all who addressed us that Trinidad and Tobago should remain within the Commonwealth. In this way we shall retain a symbolic link with the British Sovereign as Head of the Commonwealth…..”
Now, the above makes reference to the oath of the Head of State and, in freemasonry, as in the outer world, an oath is of particular significance (and, more so when it is an oath of allegiance) indeed, every EA, FC and MM is well aware of the penalty for a violation of that sacred obligation and, with the sanctity, solemnity and significance of an “oath” in mind I turn immediately to our Constitution as I think that the answer to the question may be gleaned from our Republican Constitution which provides that the following are the forms of oath (or affirmation) of allegiance and of office, to wit -
“ I, (A. B.), do swear by ……(solemnly affirm)
that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Trinidad and Tobago and to the best of my ability preserve and
defend the Constitution and the law, that I will conscientiously and
impartially discharge the functions of President and will devote myself to the
service and well-being of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”
“I, (A.B.), do swear by
……(solemnly affirm) that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Trinidad
and Tobago and will uphold the Constitution and the law, that I will
conscientiously, impartially and to the best of my ability discharge my duties
as…..and do right to all manner of people without fear or favour,
affection or ill-will.”
“I, (A.B.), having been
elected/appointed a member of Parliament do swear by ……(solemnly affirm) that I
will bear true faith and allegiance to Trinidad and Tobago, will uphold
the Constitution and the law, and will conscientiously and impartially
discharge the responsibilities to the people of Trinidad and Tobago upon which
I am about to enter.”
Thus, from the President to
the elected members of Parliament, allegiance is sworn (or affirmed) to
Further, when one bears in mind that His Excellency the President is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces it is noteworthy that under the Defence Act every officer, non-commissioned officer and private of the Volunteer Force takes and subscribes an oath of allegiance in the following form:-
“I, A.B. do sincerely promise and swear that
I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Trinidad and Tobago, and
that I will faithfully serve Trinidad and Tobago for the defence of the same against all its enemies and opposers whatsoever, according to the conditions of my
service. So help me God.” (Emphasis mine)
Prior to our Republican status the oath of allegiance was in the
following form:-
I have also noted that where Cadets previously promised:-
“ I, Cadet ………., promise to honour
God, my Queen and my country and to do my best to serve them loyally and
honourably at all times through the (Cadet Unit) to which I now belong “(Emphasis
mine)
today, the promise is as follows:-
“I, Cadet………., promise to honour
God and my country and to do my best to serve them loyally and honourably at all times through the ……(Unit) of
Indubitably, the pendulum has swung from loyalty to the Head of State to loyalty to the State itself.
DISTRICT GRAND LODGE OF
(TOASTS AT HARMONY)
Interestingly enough, with effect from January 22nd
2001, the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad and Tobago has directed all District
Grand Office - bearers, when dressed in District, Grand regalia, whether at
Communications of the District, or on official visitations to Daughter Lodges
and to other Constitutions, to follow its Directions on Masonic Etiquette and
Usage including, that at harmony, the toasts by the Right
Worshipful District Grand Master will take the following form:
(i)
“Brethren,
the National Anthem” followed by “The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,”
(ii)
“The
Grand Lodge of
(iii)
“The Craft.” (Emphasis mine.)
CONCLUSION.
THE MASTER AT HIS INSTALLATION
I stated above that I think that the answer
to the correct form of the loyal toast in Trinidad and Tobago may be gleaned
from the Constitution of our Republic, and I am fortified in this view as it is
the Master of the lodge who proposes the loyal toast – a toast of allegiance -
and it must be remembered that at his installation, the Master of a Scottish
Lodge (who is the “expert brother elected from among the members of a lodge to
preside over it”) agrees, inter alia –
“….to conform to the laws of the country in which (he) resides ….” and
“…..to submit patiently to the decisions of
the Supreme Legislature”.
Now, in
“ This Constitution is the supreme law ofTrinidad and
Thus, bearing in mind that –
(a) Our Republic’s supreme law (“the
Constitution”) does not provide for allegiance to a sovereign ;
(b) The Constitution does not provide for
allegiance to a Head of State;
(c) The Constitution prescribes allegiance to “
(d) Scottish freemasonry inculcates in each of
its members the duties of loyalty and citizenship;
(e) The Charges and Regulations at Installation,
including conformity to the laws of a country and submission to the decisions
of its Supreme Legislature must of necessity guide the course of a lodge by
its Master’s actions both in the Temple and at harmony;
(f) “the loyal toast” is an integral part of our
harmony;
(g) in its directions on Masonic Etiquette and
Usage the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad and Tobago has officially adopted
“The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago” as the loyal toast at harmony (and, to be
preceded by the National Anthem of Trinidad and Tobago which itself includes
the words “……This our Native Land, We pledge our lives to Thee …..” (Emphasis
mine) ), it is respectfully submitted that the correct form of the loyal
toast to be proposed by the Master of a Scottish Lodge in Trinidad and Tobago
is “The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago” a toast consistent with the principle
that a member of a Scottish lodge “ must never be remiss in the allegiance due
to the sovereign or constituted
authority of his native land.”
R.W.M., brethren, I thank you, and I take my
seat with the words of Francis Bacon in my mind, “Be sure to leave other men
their turns to speak.”
Ralph M. Doyle.
The Masonic Historians of
Extracted
from the commemorative booklet of the same title by Brother Jack Harewood, Honorary
Grand Almoner, Past Depute District Grand Master
Freemasonry was brought to
Most of these early happenings would have been
permanently lost had not the first Masonic historian appeared in
Seth
(Beach) Driggs
The first chronicler
of Trinidad Freemasonry, Brother Seth (Beach) Driggs,
was an American only 27 years old. He was born in
Of immediate interest to us is that he printed
and published, in 1819, the first Masonic book in
The copies of his book were lost or destroyed,
only one copy remaining, to fall into the possession of Brother James Mac
Donald Reid, in 1867. He died in 1914, and in 1924 the book was given, by his
family to Brother C B Franklin, who used it a starting point for his researches.
No other Masonic
historical record is known to have been published in
Were it not for the practice of newspapers,
during that period, of writing up Masonic events, we would know little or
nothing about many important developments in Masonry. No permanent records were
kept, and many Minute books were lost or destroyed over the years, especially
those of lodges which became extinct, and in one case, because the Lodge with
all its records were destroyed by fire.
There were three saving graces during this
long period: (a) a considerable quantity
of data on Freemasonry in Trinidad and the West Indies appeared in Masonic
journals and in newspapers published during the nineteenth century, in England
and the United States of America; (b) the famous Mason, Brother Daniel Hart,
wrote a spate of articles for the Freemason’s Quarterly Review in London,
preserving some knowledge of the events of that time; and (c) the equally
famous James Mac Donald Reid, had begun the important task described below.
i.
On
On that day, he read a paper entitled “A Brief
History and Progress of the Royal Prince of Wales Lodge No. 867 E. C. with
statistics compiled from the records preserved in that Lodge”. That original paper
is still preserved in the archives of the Lodge, but is in need of repairs.
ii.
Edwin Elliot
In the same year –
1891 - Edwin Elliot was initiated, and in November 1892, was elected as
Secretary for the year 1893 – his very first office.
Brother Elliot
immediately sought to compile a complete register of past members of his lodge.
He was amazed to find that the other members were in almost total ignorance
about its pre-1856 history.
In 1896 learning that
Freemasonry was introduced into
iii.
Elected
secretary in 1897, Brother
Further
diligent enquiries by Brother
i.
The Historical
Committee (1898-1899)
In the year
1898, Brother Webb was installed as Master of Lodge United Brothers. He supported
and joined in Brother
From the
information received, the lodge decided to celebrate its Centenary in
ii.
Centenary of Lodge
United Brothers (1898)
For the
occasion, the Historical Committee produced an excellent Summary of the Lodge’s
history with a Preface setting out how the information was obtained. Copies of
both preface and summary have survived. The Centenary celebration and the
History generated tremendous enthusiasm among all the lodges in
E – The Starlight (1899-1925)
i.
Frederick Owen Webb
Frederick
Owen Webb was one of the most loved and revered figures on the Masonic scene in
the first half of the 20th century, who achieved every known office and rank.
Interested in Masonic research and scholarship, he freely shared his knowledge
and gave encouragement where needed. He amassed by far the best personal
Masonic library ever known until then.
From the
viewpoint of historical research, his most vital role was the encouragement of
two young students who were to labour on parallel
tracks for many years – Brothers Blazini Gregor Montserin and Conrade Bismark Franklin.
ii.
Blazini Gregor Montserin
Brother Montserin was initiated in Lodge Arima
No. 899 on
F – Full Blaze of Day (1925-1950)
i.
Conrade Bismark Franklin
C. B.
Franklin, a printer, who was born in
Brother
Franklin’s tenacious and untiring devotion to Masonic research was undoubtedly
encouraged by his producing an Annual Yearbook of general and historical
information on
He
dedicated himself to putting in order and binding the documents and books in
the archives of any lodge to which he had recourse; he went to the greatest trouble to rescue material of defunct
lodges in
Among the
more important of his acquisitions in 1924 were the Masonic effects of Brother
James MacDonald Reid,
The
irreplaceable files of Brother Franklin might well have been dispersed or lost
forever, were it not for the generosity and far-sightedness of his close friend
and brother, Brother Harry Dow. Though himself, with leanings to Masonic
research, within a few months of Brother Franklin's death, he offered to hand
over Brother Franklin's papers to Brother Dr. Waterman.
ii.
Brother Frederick William (or Willoughby) Penny of Uxbridge,
Middlesex, was initiated in Royal Connaught Lodge No.
3266 E.C. on the 19th March, 1920, and joined St. Andrew Lodge No. 3963 E.C. of
San Fernando in 1921. However, he returned to
From that
year to 1926, he transcribed many important items of information from the
Library and Archives of the United Grand Lodge of England for Brother C. B.
Franklin, until 1924 when his work took him out of
iii. Philip Crossle (of
Brother Crosslé ranks among the four greatest Masonic scholars
produced by
Brother Crosslé's contribution to Brother Franklin's collection on
Freemasonry in the
G – Focussing the Light
(1950-1972)
i.
Dr James Arnold Waterman
Through the
kindness of Brother Harry Dow, we saw that the work of Brother Franklin was
saved from loss or destruction by being put into the hands of Brother Dr.
Waterman. There still remained the danger that the Elliott-Leon-Webb-Montserin stream of research might be lost. Brother Webb
had died in 1947, but he had already shared out his researches between Bros.
Franklin and Montserin. Brother Montserin
took the precaution, as has been said above, of passing over, sometime before
his death, his rough notes on Lodge United Brothers to Brother Dr. Waterman.
Though
Brother Dr. Waterman was by far the most learned Mason for many years before
his death on
The reason
is that he had innumerable interests in many widely-separated fields –
including Freemasonry, his medical profession and his community concerns.
Accordingly, though he laboured over 18 hours per
day, he never found time to reduce his many addresses and papers delivered
before lodges into a coherent form for presentation to the lodges' archives.
Indeed, his
own labours have yet to be ordered, sorted and
catalogued and this task is being done by his son – Brother J Arnold Waterman.
The importance of Brother Dr. Waterman in the field of historical research is
that - quite apart from his own contributions - he focussed
the work of predecessors into one collection and zealously guarded any
dispersal or loss of these.
ii.
José Angel Acosta
Initiated
on the 7th March, 1934 in Lodge United Brothers, Brother Acosta has not only
preserved many valuable books and documents from loss and destruction, but has
quietly and unobtrusively laboured for many years at
a task for which future Masonic historians will bless him. The old histories,
Masonic or otherwise, were limited to events and organisations.
The modern approach is to "flesh out the
personalities". For this, Brother Acosta has notebooks with personality
sketches of many present and past Masons, meticulously compiled in his own
hand. Their preservation for future Masonic historians is a matter of the most
vital importance.
Conclusion
Those of us
of today, and indeed of the future, have a bounden duty to see that this light,
so painfully relit, may never allowed to dim or go out. The Grand Orient
records and those of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania will certainly never again
be available to reconstruct that which was lost. It will be lost forever.
Brother
Lionel Augustine Seemungal, Q.C. CMT (Gold)[3]
L A Seemungal - The Mason
Education
Lionel Augustine Seemungal
attended Queen's
Because World War II intervened, he spent two
years (1943-1945) at
Professional
Activities:
Returning to
His dazzling and illustrious career has
included formidable contributions to Trinidad & Tobago, for which he was
awarded the Chaconia Medal (Gold) in 1978. His professional
activities are far too exhaustive to be even hinted at here. To mention
just three, he was: Chairman of the
Sugar Cane Prices Commission (1966: Chairman Designate of the Eric Williams
Medical Sciences Complex (1979 -1989); and First Chairman of St Augustine
Campus Council of The University of the
The Mason
Craft Masonry
Brother Seemungal
was initiated into Lodge Royalian, 1605 SC, on
Other Degrees:
He became a Royal Arch Mason, joining as well
both the Lodge and Council and Cryptic Council in 1970/1971. He was
invited to be a member of all the
"Higher" Degrees then existent in Trinidad and Tobago, and joined all
except the more recent -The Trinidad Aquarius Conclave of Rome and Constantine.
However, dedicating himself to research and teaching, he did not accept the
Chair in any of these degrees.
Other Masonic Bodies:
Brother Seemungal
has used his training and vast legal and general experience to make most
significant contributions to a number of autonomous Masonic organizations. One
of these is of particular interest to us now - The Trinidad and Tobago Masonic Library.
This first and most ambitious attempt at
setting up a Masonic .library for all Masons was started (on the initiative of
Brother Dr. Waterman) by the District Grand Royal Arch Chapter in 1944. In 1971, in response to a call from Brother
Waterman, Brother Seemungal single-handedly cleaned
and repaired and made a Master Catalogue of all the books and publications in
the library. Despite their best efforts, however, the library ceased to operate,
and eventually, in response to a proposal by Brother Jack Harewood,
The District Grand Royal Arch Chapter donated their library to the fledgling
C.M.E. Lionel Augustine Seemungal Masonic Library
(see later).
Researcher,
Historian and Teacher:
Brother Seemungal, a
most assiduous, authoritative and accomplished Masonic historian and
researcher, has written over 240 Masonic papers, of which about 80 are about
Masonry in Trinidad and Tobago, a further 30 deal with the Caribbean, and the
remainder are on varied general Masonic topics.
A number of these have been published in
In addition, he has prepared a number of
papers and notes, at the request of others, including eminent Masons and
Masonic scholars. But a large number of his papers remain unpublished, many
because they were prepared for teaching or further research.
As teacher, Brother Seemungal
has given innumerable papers to Lodges, Chapters and other Masonic bodies in
the country. He was always willing to address Brethren on invitation, as well as
to hold discussions with them on the vast areas of his Masonic knowledge.
His Outstanding Private Masonic Library:
Brother Seemungal
has built up, over a period of 30 years, at his personal expense, an immense
Masonic library, consisting of thousands of books, periodicals and research
documents. Many of these are extremely old and rare; a few are one of a kind –
undoubtedly one of the world's outstanding private Masonic libraries, which has
greatly impressed eminent Masonic visitors from Scotland and elsewhere. The
story of this Library is continued in the paper on “Continuing Masonic
Education”
THE LODGE
EASTERN STAR CHARTER
AND IT’S CONSEQUENCES
by
Jack Harewood,
Past Master
Right Worshipful
Master and Brethren, I received your invitation a short while ago to address
our lodge on the 150th anniversary of its Charter. I took this
request literally knowing that it was not the 150th anniversary of
the Lodge that I was being invited to discuss, since I had attended the 100th
Anniversary of the Lodge only 48 years ago, but the 150th
anniversary of the Charter, which was granted on 6th November 1854 –
that is 150 years ago tomorrow.
There is a vast
volume of written material about the history of Lodge Eastern Star from its
conception to the present, that is now available. Included are: “History of
Lodge Eastern Star No. 368” prepared and delivered by W, Andrew Rose at the
Lodge’s 100th Anniversary and published in the Lodge’s 1991 Year
Book; “Jubilee 125” by Desmond Wardrop, prepared for
the 125th Anniversary and published in the 1992 Year Book; the Two
Year Books just mentioned which contain much information about the Lodge – past
and present; Lionel Seemungal’s
papers on Lodge Eastern Star - now part of the C.M.E. collection - and his book
on District Grand Lodge, and the Papers of the 1995 C.M.E. Masonic
Bi-Centennial One Day Seminar, as well as all but the 1st Minute
Book of the Lodge and other sources.
I shall talk
tonight only about the Lodge’s Charter –
who applied for it and why etc. and about the
Lodge’s formation and activities to the extent that these may be the result
of the circumstances surrounding the Charter.
A - THE CHARTER
In 1854 when
our Charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, there were two Masonic
lodges operating in Port of Spain: the first - Lodge United Brothers - had been
operative in Trinidad since 1795; the other was Philanthropic Lodge, then 585
E.C., which had been erected and consecrated in 1835 but had been in abeyance
from 1842 to 1849. There was also a lodge at San Fernando but that lodge does
not concern us here.
Lodge United
Brothers was, by virtue of its long, uninterrupted existence, the premier lodge
of Trinidad, and it might well have been expected to be the principal supporter
of the second Scottish Lodge in the island. Instead, the petition to start this
new Lodge was signed by seven founders – 3 from Philanthropic Lodge (then 585
E.C.); 2 from Lodge United Brothers (251); 1 from Lodge de la Paix of Guadeloupe (under the Grand Orient of France); and
1 from an unknown lodge. Moreover the
two from Lodge United Brothers were not representing L.U.B. but were rather
opponents to their Lodge’s opposition to the new Lodge. But we are running
ahead of ourselves.
From Seemungal’s papers on Lodge Eastern Star, and the paper by
Max Awon on the ‘Development of Scottish Freemasonry”
in the Bi-Centennial Seminar Report, we learn that, in fact, the reason that
Lodge Eastern Star was created was to
break the stranglehold on Scottish Freemasonry in Trinidad imposed by Lodge
United Brothers. In fact there had been a proposal to start a Scottish
lodge in San Fernando some years earlier, but the request for L.U.B.’s support had been denied because Lodge United
Brothers saw no need for another Scottish lodge.
To understand
this remarkable situation, we must go
back a bit in history, and review: (a) Lodge United Brothers in those days; (b)
William Stephenson, the Scottish Provincial Grand Master of the “Province
including the Caribbean”; and (c) Daniel Hart Snr.,
who Seemungal identifies as the person responsible
for creating Lodge Eastern Star. Let us now look at the parts played by each of
these in obtaining for Lodge Eastern Star Charter.
Lodge
United Brothers – The Premier Lodge in Trinidad.
Lodge United
Brothers had received it first Charter as Les Frères Unis from the Grand Orient of France in St Lucia (then
French) in 1787. The Master in 1795 – Benoit Dert –
and many other French aristocrats had
fled the West Indian aspects of the French Revolution, and brought the Charter
with him. Joined by a number of his compatriots he reformed the lodge here and
has operated uninterruptedly since. By the early 1820’s, It had changed its
Constitution twice; first from France to Philadelphia in 1798, and in 1813 to
Scotland. It had erected its own lodge building in 1804, and had repaired after
it was destroyed by fire in 1837; it is still substantially the same.
The Lodge then,
was well established, and in 1822 it applied to be made the Scottish Provincial
Grand Lodge for the Region. It indicated that it was the only Scottish Lodge in
the South Caribbean and South America and could do much to spread the Scottish
Craft in these territories. To the Lodge’s surprise Grand Lodge did not agree,
probably because the Lodge consisted of Frenchmen and still did all its work
and kept all its records in French.
Nevertheless,
L.U.B. continued to hope that Provincial Grand Lodge status would be granted,
but in 1837, the Lodge erupted in a fury when Grand Lodge appointed a young
lodge – Lodge Caledonia No. 324 of Grenada - as Provincial Grand Lodge of the
Caribbean including Trinidad, with Brother the Honourable
Dr William Stephenson of Grenada as Provincial Grand Master. Since the
appointment of Dr Stephenson as Provincial Grand Master would lead to the
warranting of Lodge Eastern Star, let us deal a bit with the man.
The
Hon. Dr William Stephenson – Provincial Grand Master
Dr Stephenson
was born in Scotland in 1781 and migrated to Grenada in 1802. In 1818 he was
initiated into an Irish Lodge - St George’s. In 1827 he founded Lodge
Caledonia, which was warranted by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, with himself as
the first Master. Ten years he was appointed Provincial Grand Master of
Trinidad and the other islands in the Caribbean.
L.U.B., with its wealth of senior members
responded badly to this appointment of a junior Mason in a junior lodge as
Provincial Grand Master, and decided to give Br Stephenson only the minimum
support required and also to oppose the formation of any further Scottish
lodges in Trinidad.
Dr Stephenson,
in return, on his first visit to Trinidad as Provincial Grand Master in
February 1840, spoke disparagingly about “the neglected state of the Masonic
Order in our island”, since L.U.B. was the only Scottish lodge here. This state
of affairs ended with the warranting of Lodge Eastern Star largely through
Brother Daniel Hart as indicated below.
Daniel
Hart Snr.
Daniel Hart was
born in England in 1806 and came to Trinidad in 1825. He eventually so
dominated English Freemasonry in Trinidad that it is not generally known that
he was originally a Scottish Mason, he having been initiated in January 1832 in
Lodge Caledonia (see above), a Scottish lodge in Grenada, by Dr William
Stephenson of whom we just spoke.
Hart, on his
return to Trinidad, was affiliated to Lodge United Brothers - another Scottish
lodge - but took no active part in the activities of that lodge – almost (Seemungal opines) as if his joining was in the nature of reconnoitre. Brother Peter Salvary
has however pointed out that Daniel Hart, an Englishman, would not have been
welcome in L.U.B. and was probably accepted only because he was recommended by
his friend the Provincial Grand Master Dr Stephenson. Moreover, L.U.B. operated
and did all its business in French, a language which Hart did not speak.
On June 24,
1837 Hart affiliated to Philanthropic Lodge which was having serious
difficulties with membership at the time, and that lodge became dormant from
1842 to 1849. When the lodge started to work again, Daniel Hart was Junior
Warden in 1849 and Master in 1850, and for the next four years embarked on what
Seemungal has termed “an unparalleled fury of
activity, including – strengthening the membership of the lodge, building a
Temple, founding the Trinidad Masonic Benevolent Institution, and much more.
In 1854, four
years after he was Master of Philanthropic, Daniel Hart used mainly members of
Philanthropic to start a new Scottish Lodge – Lodge Eastern Star – to end the
hegemony of Lodge United Brothers and to support his old friend Dr Stephenson.
Lodge United Brothers did not take the threat to start a new Scottish lodge
seriously partly because they considered him an upstart, and partly because
they were misguidedly confident that Grand Lodge would not accept a proposal
from English Masons to start a Scottish lodge.
In this Lodge
United Brothers was wrong for the Constitution
and Laws of Grand Lodge required only that the applicants must be members
of an acknowledged lodge, not a Scottish lodge. Daniel Hart therefore
succeeded, Lodge United Brothers failed, and Lodge Eastern Star was granted its
Charter.
Another
Consideration – the Decline of Lodge United Brothers
Brother Max Awon in his paper “The Development of Scottish Masonry”
delivered to the Bi-Centennial Seminar cogently argues that “Lodge Eastern Star
was formed in 1854 because it could not have been formed before.
He describes its
Members at that time as: seasoned
veterans in the profane and they or their immediate forbears had gone through
the terrors of the French Revolution, with the threat of the guillotine hanging
over their heads. They had found it necessary to serve under three Grand
Lodges. They considered that they had royal blood in their veins and were
consequently arrogant, haughty and proud. In the land of their adoption they
had become successful in agriculture and commerce and had become wealthy. To
their aristocratic background they added economic power.”
In other words,
L.U.B. at that time consisted of French aristocrats who did not allow any but
their kind to be Freemasons – neither the growing number of English speaking
men, mainly from Britain, now in the island nor, worse yet, men of colour, including their own illegitimate sons who had been
educated and had joined Freemasonry in France. Eastern Star was to fill this
breach, particularly for non-whites. Undoubtedly, as Seemungal
surmised, it was this attitude of restriction that caused Grand Lodge to refuse
them Provincial Grand Lodge status, and fired Daniel Hart to start Lodge
Eastern Star.
According to
Max Awon, “it was only by 1854 that the stranglehold
on Freemasonry by L.U.B. was weakened enough to allow the formation of another
Scottish Lodge”. By that time the domination of the French Aristocrats had been
whittled away by the emancipation of slaves, the declining economic dominance
of the French, the start of Philanthropic Lodge accepting non-French candidates,
the dilution of the population by non-French stock, especially from Britain the
new colonizers, and other related influences.
This, Brethren,
ends the summary of how and why the Lodge Eastern Star Charter came about.
Since I have had to omit much, I am willing to assist anyone wishing to go into
the matter in detail, to obtain the references I have mentioned.
B – The Effects of the Charter on the
Lodge.
I will close this paper with some
musings on how the circumstances of the Charter may have affected practices of
Lodge Eastern Star, dealing in particular with: (a) the Laws and Constitution
of the Grand Lodge of Scotland; (b) The Use of Rituals and our ritualistic
work, and finally, (c) Scottish Usage,
Let us go back,
in our imagination, to the state of Scottish Freemason in Trinidad at the time
that Lodge Eastern Star received its Charter.
There was only one Scottish lodge in Trinidad – Lodge United Brothers -
and it was hostile to Provincial Grand Lodge and to any new Scottish lodges
being started in Trinidad. There was also a newly formed Provincial Grand Lodge
in Grenada for the Caribbean including Trinidad and Tobago L.U.B.
Bearing these
points in mind let us consider the Charter and Scottish Masonry.
The
Laws and Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Scotland
Lodge United Brothers as we know became
a Scottish lodge long before the request for a Charter for Lodge Eastern Star
was made. As far as I have seen, apart from occasional late reporting to Grand
Lodge, the indications are that at the beginning of its existence and during
its long life, Lodge Eastern Star has faithfully sought to follow the Laws and
Constitution of Grand Lodge, and in this sense it has been truly Scottish.
The
Use of Scottish Rituals
The situation here is interesting. There
does not appear to have been any printed Scottish Rituals at the time. At the
outset all lodges had their own unprinted Rituals. The first printed English
ritual appeared in 1838; the Scottish did not follow until many years later. In
fact the only printed Scottish Rituals now in use in Trinidad and Tobago are:
the Standard (first printed in 1927
I think); the Lewis (first printed 1956), and long used by Lodge Eastern Star,
but which we are now told from Scotland is not in fact Scottish); and the Modern (first published 1960); all
quite recent. I have heard, but in the
time available I have not been able to confirm, that Lodge United Brothers had
obtained a hand-written copy of a Ritual from a lodge in Scotland sometime
before the formation of Lodge Eastern Star. If this is true, given the strained
relations between L U B. and the founders of Lodge Eastern Star, it seems
unlikely that this Ritual would have been made available to the new lodge.
However, because of the close relationship between the District Grand Master,
Brother Dr. Stephenson, and Daniel Hart, the latter may have got a cannot trace
this. The other possibility is that Daniel Hart and the Philanthropic members
who started Lodge Eastern Star may have brought with them their English
rituals; certainly they would have been at least have been greatly influenced
by them.
Whatever the reason, there is evidence
that Lodge Eastern Star has adopted English practice in our Lodge. See below.
Masonic
Practice and Masonic Etiquette
Among the myriads of Masonic practices
in our Lodge, are those which are considered Scottish Masonry, in that they are
the practice of the lodges of Scotland. Because, for reasons well-known, Grand
Lodge does not publish much material about itself, there is little published guidance
to Scottish lodges and Masons, apart from what exists in the Constitution and
Laws and Scottish Rituals. This impacts negatively especially on isolated
Scottish lodges outwith Scotland. In Lodge Eastern
Star and the early Scottish lodges – Rosslyn, Arima and Alexandra, which were all started by English
Masons - the influences of English practices are evident.
It is since the formation of our Grand
Lodge in 1958, the many visits to these shores by Grand Master Masons and other
senior Office-Bearers of Grand Lodge, the visits of local Masons to Grand Lodge
under District Grand Master Garvin Scott, and the visits to and from Provincial
Grand Lodges and Daughter lodges in Scotland and elsewhere when Brother Peter Salvary was District Grand Master, that we have become
conscious of Scottish usage.
We made a big step forward, in this
connection, when Brother Peter Salvary, then District
Grand Master, brought to the attention of all Scottish lodges in the District,
George Draffen’s excellent paper “Masonic Etiquette
and Scottish Usage” in the Yearbook
of 1966 – many years before.
I will not go into this in more detail
here, but will give a few examples of differences between Scottish and English
practice in which Lodge Eastern Star appears to have adopted the English
approach:
1. In Scottish Masonry, the forms of
address “Right Worshipful” and “Worshipful” relate to the office, not the name of the holder of that office. Yet in Lodge
Eastern Star, up to the time of District Grand Lodge in 1958, we often see “Wor. Bro.” in the
Minutes, referring to a Scottish Past Master. Incidentally, these terms should
only be used as terms of address.
2. A deputation (Scottish) or delegation
is received not admitted as in other Constitutions. Lodge Eastern Star did this
correctly at its 100th Anniversary. In addition, according to
Scottish practice, the Lodge does not “admit the Right Worshipful District
Grand Master and his deputation”, as we so, but “receives the Deputation headed
by the Right Worshipful District Grand Master”, we also toast the District
Grand Lodge not the District Grand Lodge. In Scotland, the Master often comes
to the floor of the lodge to welcome and seat senior members of a deputation.
3. The names of Offices should never be
abbreviated; for example, use District
Grand Director of Ceremonies, not
DGDOC or any such. We abbreviate.
4. The incoming Scottish Master-Elect
selects who will install him and he need not be of the same lodge. A team of two is often used. In this lodge,
the outgoing Master performs the Installation ceremony as of right – English
These are
examples of the influence of the circumstances of the Charter. Yet, they, and
the Charter remind us that the Grand Lodge of Scotland does not interfere with
its lodges’ activities so long as they are in accord with the Constitution and
Laws and the Landmarks. Any such non-Scottish practices, therefore, need only
be changed if the Lodge wishes. Be aware then of your Constitutional rights and
Constitutional responsibilities. Remember Law
205 of the Constitution and Laws which states that:
“When a Lodge is visited by Grand
Master Mason … or, in his absence, by the Provincial or District Grand Master …
whether heading a Deputation or otherwise, he is entitled to instruct (the
Lodge in) all arrangements for his reception.”
C
- CONCLUSION
Right Worshipful Master, accept my
thanks for inviting me to give this paper. I have enjoyed it and I hope that
the Brethren have benefited. Finally, I thank Brother Padmore
for bringing me tonight, since I no longer drive myself.