                      Fraternal Review

                        (9-l-94)                     NO. 699

FRANCE - CZECHOSLOVAKIA
From The Maine Lodge of Research bulletin announcing their June 25, 1994
meeting:

Rev. Brother Vladimir Strejchek, our man in Prague, was visiting in Maine and
reports much activity in the newly-renascent Grand Lodge of Czechoslovakia.
New lodges are being formed in many cities. On the down side, the Grand Orient
of France has introduced co-Masonry, and those regular lodges in the new 
Slovak Republic are probably splitting off on their own.

RAH: Must mean the introduction of co-Masonry in their own organization as co-
Masonry is over 100 years old.  France recently issued a postage stamp
commemorationg the 100th anniversary of co-Masonry in France.

POTPOURRI
If printers waited until they were sure whatever they printed would offend no
one, there would be very little printed.    Benjamin Franklin

DUES
"Can You Imagine" by Bob Catalano, W.M., in the July 1994 The Great Light, the
Consuelo Trestle Beard, Consuelo Lodge No. 325, Escondino, California:

Can you imagine what could happen if our Grand Lodge established a State wide
annual dues of $150 per year for every Master Mason.  $50.00 to be allocated
for Grand Lodge and the remaining $100.00 for the local Lodge.  Grand Lodge
would have the necessary funds to run a first class operation.  They would be
able to support the constituent lodges with training, inspections, public
relations and advertising.  Individual lodges would have adequate funding to
provide quality Masonic programs and real public programs.  Many of the poorly
maintained or run-down Lodges could renovate and renew their facilities and
become meaning forces in their community.

This is the first in a series of thought provoking articles entitled "Can You
Imagine" in which I will present some radical ideas for California Masonry for
the future.

RAH: In a recent conversation with a member of a lodge that had annual dues of
$12, I asked how he would handle an inquiry about Freemasonry that included 
the question of dues. If the answer was $12 a year might not the questioner 
reply that we sure must be a cheap organization? If so, your reply?

ROSE PARADE FLOAT
Recent mention was made as to the availability of a video covering the 1994
Float but no more information as I had not seen it. Now I have and you should
too for it is a wonderful program that should be seen by all of your members 
and I don't mean California only.  Interesting in that 11,000 hours of 
voluntary work was necessary for the flower application and here DeMolay, 
Rainbow Girls and Job's Daughters are seen doing nearly all the work. And 
their response was so great they were able to work on other floats.  The York 
Rite and Shrine furnished food while the local lodges furnished quarters. The 
logisitics of such a venture is quite an enterprise. And you or your lodge can 
purchase a copy by sending $13, including postage, to Robert C. Coe, PO Box 
661567, Arcadia CA 91066-1567, with check payable to Masonic Rose Float 
Committee.

Also available are picture post cards, 1992, 5 for $1, 1994 and 1995, 3 for 
$1.

SECRECY
"Is Freemasonry A Secret Society?" in the Newsletter of Georgia Lodge of
Research announcing their July 29th meeting:

Time to shock you all again.  For years we have been told Freemasonry is not a
secret society but a society with secrets. Some years ago I was present when a
brilliant young lawyer offered a very different view.

According to him, Freemasonry very definitely IS a secret society, and for 
your interest I give his reasonings:

He started off by asking: What is man seeking when he joins a "secret" 
society? He went on as follows:

Freemasonry is a secret society.  It is a secret society in the context of
religious, psychological, and anthropological inquiry, the term secret 
society, however, is not synonymous with terrorists, night-riders, and 
clandestine schemers.  Secret societies are not something evil.  Indeed, the 
early Christian Church was a secret society, and many of the secret society 
adjuncts remain today as Sacraments.

Freemasons habitually compose their own definitions for their own use, 
expecting the world at large to accept them without question.  We have self-
defined "secret society" to exclude the Craft, but we must realize double-talk 
does not change reality, anymore than you can repeal the Law of Gravity.

He pointed out that secret societies have six common elements.  (1) SECRECY,
particularly as to forms and ceremonies.  (2) EXCLUSIVENESS, with strict
admission requirements.  (3) HIERARCHICAL, requiring a progressive status
system.  (4) ORDEAL, calling for an Initiation trial of greater or less
rigorousness.  (5) MYTHIC ORIGIN, sometimes semi-factual, sometimes outright
imaginary. (6) SELF-CONTAINED, by separating themselves from the common world.

There are several pages on this subject but no space here to pursue it in 
full. I condensed the above substantially from the original.  This has been 
submitted to whet your thinking processes, but if it seems there is enough 
interest, perhaps I will update the full dissertation (The Brother died some 
years ago) for the next "Transactions."

How will I know there is interest?  From the fussing I will receive for daring
to question our hallowed - but not necessarily accurate - utterances.

Apparently written by the Editor, R.S. Sagar, 4556 Roberts Dr., Acworth GA
30102.  Telephone and Fax: 404-974-9841 (Fax 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. only)


