Post by staffs on Jul 13, 2005 5:55:17 GMT
LE DROIT HUMAIN INTERNATIONAL
The International Order of Co-Freemasonry "LE DROIT HUMAIN" (which roughly translated means Human Rights) was built out of a marvellous dream, to unite humanity despite all the barriers, ethnic groups, geopolitics, religions and cultures.
It has about 27,000 members spread throughout 60 countries in the world, and on 5 continents.
Each national Federation is self-governing and Lodges work in their native language.
An International Convention is held every five years in Paris, where delegates elect the Supreme Council. The Supreme Council, in its turn, elects its committee whose members are called "Officers", and its President "the Grand Master".
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Similar in many respects to your own literature - Le Droit Humain maintains that Freemasonry was born out of the Master builders of cathedrals who travelled continuously from one building site to another, freeing themselves of the authority of the corporations, of the nobility and the Church.
The importance and influence of these Free-Masons developed from the 12th to 14th centuries but thereafter gradually faded out until the dawn of the Renaissance. This was when Galileo, basing himself on science and mathematics, opened up a new world for the research workers of his time, and proved that the Universe seemed infinite. As we are all know, science progressed rapidly at this time in history and soon a separation was established between the dogma of religion and the world of reason. Man started to see that the Universe seemed to operate according to immovable rules - this led to the notion of a Creator like a "Grand Clockmaker" or a "Grand Architect".
In the 18th century, two events were to make for the development of speculative masonry.
• First - there was a marked secularisation. This secularisation contained a base on which all men could agree: Deism - a kind of natural religion, free of all inhibition and seeking happiness for all mankind.
• Second - a tendency for universality which showed itself through an increasing appreciation of the thoughts of the Enlightened which was characterised by the respect for tolerance and fraternity.
The French Revolution went on to consecrate this state of mind, which was manifested by many masons, with the defence of the Rights of Mankind and of the Citizen and the rejection of all dogmatism. This rejection of all dogmatism will probably explain why, in the French workings (which are different to our Australian workings) they do not display a V.S.L. or work to the Greater Glory of the Architect - they work solely "to the Perfection of Humanity". Here in the Australian Federation we work the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite and work both to the Greater Glory of the Architect AND to the Perfection of Humanity.
This brings us to the 19th century. The 19th century proved to be the battleground for the extension of many rights, but most notably, a mutual respect for the thoughts of other people and the right of women to obtain equal civic rights.
It is with this background that, by creating the International Order of Co-Freemasonry "LE DROIT HUMAIN", Maria Deraismes and Georges Martin were going to shatter the established order of many centuries and begin the liberation of women.
Maria Deraismes (1828-1894) Georges Martin (1844-1916)
Maria Deraismes was a journalist and fighter for the rights of women and children and Dr. Georges Martin was a Senator, a General Councillor for the Dept of the Seine and a Municipal Councillor of Paris who undertook campaigns in favour of:
• the civic and political rights of women
• the defence of the rights of oppressed children
• opposition to clerical intolerance
• the establishment of a neutral school respecting the ideas of everyone
Maria Deraismes was proposed, approved and duly initiated - on 14th January 1882 - into Lodge "Les Libres Penseurs" of Pecq, a small village to the west of Paris. Whilst having the support of many of the members of the Lodge I do believe that she underwent similar experiences to the first female Rotarians and Lions when they were finally accepted into those respective organisations - that being - she was well accepted by the more enlightened but rejected out of hand by others - merely because of her sex.
Eleven years later, on 4th April 1893, Maria Deraismes and Georges Martin, who was himself a well known mason, created the first Co-Masonic Lodge in Paris which firmly established the equality of men and women. It was out of this Co-Masonic Lodge that the International Order of Co-Freemasonry "LE DROIT HUMAIN" was born.
Maria Deraismes died on 6th February 1894, and the task of organising and developing "LE DROIT HUMAIN" fell on Dr. Martin. His energetic will placed him beyond frontiers, ethnic groups, religions and cultures, and he very quickly founded Lodges in Switzerland and in England. The Order then spread throughout Europe before sowing itself in other parts of the world.
******************************************
Not being quite the perfect ashlar myself as yet - I cannot resist the temptation to quote Annie Besant, who was a well-known English feminist and scientist and a member of LE DROIT HUMAIN, who has this to say..............
"If it is true that it is the English who brought masonry to France, then it is the French today who bring it back to England - invigorated, completed and strengthened by the admission of a woman into the Lodge at the side of a man".
A Talk presented to the Lodge of Research in Adelaide (being duly opened, then closed) - February, 2005.
The International Order of Co-Freemasonry "LE DROIT HUMAIN" (which roughly translated means Human Rights) was built out of a marvellous dream, to unite humanity despite all the barriers, ethnic groups, geopolitics, religions and cultures.
It has about 27,000 members spread throughout 60 countries in the world, and on 5 continents.
Each national Federation is self-governing and Lodges work in their native language.
An International Convention is held every five years in Paris, where delegates elect the Supreme Council. The Supreme Council, in its turn, elects its committee whose members are called "Officers", and its President "the Grand Master".
***********************
Similar in many respects to your own literature - Le Droit Humain maintains that Freemasonry was born out of the Master builders of cathedrals who travelled continuously from one building site to another, freeing themselves of the authority of the corporations, of the nobility and the Church.
The importance and influence of these Free-Masons developed from the 12th to 14th centuries but thereafter gradually faded out until the dawn of the Renaissance. This was when Galileo, basing himself on science and mathematics, opened up a new world for the research workers of his time, and proved that the Universe seemed infinite. As we are all know, science progressed rapidly at this time in history and soon a separation was established between the dogma of religion and the world of reason. Man started to see that the Universe seemed to operate according to immovable rules - this led to the notion of a Creator like a "Grand Clockmaker" or a "Grand Architect".
In the 18th century, two events were to make for the development of speculative masonry.
• First - there was a marked secularisation. This secularisation contained a base on which all men could agree: Deism - a kind of natural religion, free of all inhibition and seeking happiness for all mankind.
• Second - a tendency for universality which showed itself through an increasing appreciation of the thoughts of the Enlightened which was characterised by the respect for tolerance and fraternity.
The French Revolution went on to consecrate this state of mind, which was manifested by many masons, with the defence of the Rights of Mankind and of the Citizen and the rejection of all dogmatism. This rejection of all dogmatism will probably explain why, in the French workings (which are different to our Australian workings) they do not display a V.S.L. or work to the Greater Glory of the Architect - they work solely "to the Perfection of Humanity". Here in the Australian Federation we work the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite and work both to the Greater Glory of the Architect AND to the Perfection of Humanity.
This brings us to the 19th century. The 19th century proved to be the battleground for the extension of many rights, but most notably, a mutual respect for the thoughts of other people and the right of women to obtain equal civic rights.
It is with this background that, by creating the International Order of Co-Freemasonry "LE DROIT HUMAIN", Maria Deraismes and Georges Martin were going to shatter the established order of many centuries and begin the liberation of women.
Maria Deraismes (1828-1894) Georges Martin (1844-1916)
Maria Deraismes was a journalist and fighter for the rights of women and children and Dr. Georges Martin was a Senator, a General Councillor for the Dept of the Seine and a Municipal Councillor of Paris who undertook campaigns in favour of:
• the civic and political rights of women
• the defence of the rights of oppressed children
• opposition to clerical intolerance
• the establishment of a neutral school respecting the ideas of everyone
Maria Deraismes was proposed, approved and duly initiated - on 14th January 1882 - into Lodge "Les Libres Penseurs" of Pecq, a small village to the west of Paris. Whilst having the support of many of the members of the Lodge I do believe that she underwent similar experiences to the first female Rotarians and Lions when they were finally accepted into those respective organisations - that being - she was well accepted by the more enlightened but rejected out of hand by others - merely because of her sex.
Eleven years later, on 4th April 1893, Maria Deraismes and Georges Martin, who was himself a well known mason, created the first Co-Masonic Lodge in Paris which firmly established the equality of men and women. It was out of this Co-Masonic Lodge that the International Order of Co-Freemasonry "LE DROIT HUMAIN" was born.
Maria Deraismes died on 6th February 1894, and the task of organising and developing "LE DROIT HUMAIN" fell on Dr. Martin. His energetic will placed him beyond frontiers, ethnic groups, religions and cultures, and he very quickly founded Lodges in Switzerland and in England. The Order then spread throughout Europe before sowing itself in other parts of the world.
******************************************
Not being quite the perfect ashlar myself as yet - I cannot resist the temptation to quote Annie Besant, who was a well-known English feminist and scientist and a member of LE DROIT HUMAIN, who has this to say..............
"If it is true that it is the English who brought masonry to France, then it is the French today who bring it back to England - invigorated, completed and strengthened by the admission of a woman into the Lodge at the side of a man".
A Talk presented to the Lodge of Research in Adelaide (being duly opened, then closed) - February, 2005.