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Post by taylorsman on Dec 30, 2004 7:48:36 GMT
This will apply more to those of us in older lodges than to those founded in the last 20 to 30 years where some of the Founders may still be active Members.
In older Lodges the Founders will have died years ago and be to most current Members but a name on a PMs Board or the back of the Summons with a * by its side.
Social and other conventions and attitudes change and what may have been "the done thing" or "the norm" 50, 75 or 100 years ago may now be thought of at best as quaint or even unhelpful.
While many Lodges, retaining of course those matters in the Temple which do not change, have adapted to suit current Members in such matters as times of Meetings, the way the Festive Board is run etc, some others I have visited are still bound by the dead hand of their Founders in such aspects, I feel to their detriment.
My own views are quite clear, in peripheral matters a Lodge has to adapt or risk falling membership etc, and should not consider itself bound by those now departed.
What do you feel? Are Founders Guiding Lights even long after they have all died or merely Yesterday's Men of devout memory but no abiding influence?
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bod
Member
UGLE - MM (London), MMM RAM(Middx), OSM (London)
Posts: 1,296
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Post by bod on Dec 30, 2004 7:59:11 GMT
Being a 20th century lodge we don't have too many problems of this nature. One of our founder members is still with us (he's in his 90's and enviably sharp witted).
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Post by middlepillar on Dec 30, 2004 10:49:16 GMT
Steve
An interesting topic, one to look at from both sides I think.
Firstly a Lodge like one I visit regularly was founded 130 years ago. This Lodge meets on a Weds (like my own which is a daughter Lodge of this one) Because the Founders were all (without exception) Shopkeepers and Weds was half day! Now of course this is a Tradition that is no longer neccessary and irrelevant because they do not have one shopkeeper in there Lodge. But I like Weds afternoon Lodges and so do most of the members, so there are no plans to change.
But where the Founders have an influence which I like to see preserved are the Ritual practises because it is normally from the founders that we inherit the Lodge peculiarities. I know The Benefactum Lodge and its Daughter Lodge are the only 2 Lodges practising Benefactum Ritual because it was written by the leading Founder, I hope that it remains influenced by the founders for ever or its reason for existing will be lost!
Finally, I have been a Founder of 2 Mark Lodges and 1 Royal Ark mariner Lodge and at all three Concecration meetings, an agreement was always reached as to Customs these Lodges should adopt. Mostly about Standards of Ritual, Quality of Festive Board and Toasts etc at festive Board. I think where these remain relevant I would hope that they would last long after I am gone.
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Post by mrmason on Dec 30, 2004 18:24:40 GMT
Hi Steve, As MiddlePiller says it is a very interesing topic indeed. My own lodge was constituted in 1766 and we still work almost identical to the way our founders did all those years ago. Some parts of the ritual workings could be changed but no-one wishes to adjust them as it is part of our particular history. Even down to attendances, we are still working the same way as there is always a hard core of brethren who always go to the meetings and it seems to have been the same when you look at our early minute books. We have always recruited from the local community and still do today. one thing that has changed however is a yearly ladies night. We don't have them anymore as most of the brethren are younger and don't seem to like to idea of a ritual based,dinner suited, night out. We have exchanged this to have either race nights or other casual social events/get togethers, which suites everyone. Perhaps we have went back to what it was like all those years ago when the founding brethren socialised in the local pubs once or twicew a year.
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Post by Late Knight Chemist on Jan 3, 2005 12:55:21 GMT
My Mother Lodge is or was a services lodge, not so much at its inception but after a reincarnation. The original Kidderminster Lodge, Worcestershire, was struggling within a few years of it birth and the warrant was eventually taken on by a group of Warwickshire service volunteers and it eventually become a services lodge - despite opposition to such exclusive lodges at the time, 1895. The Lodge has since recently removed its service qualification. It is possible and necessary to make changes but perhaps Freemasonry is as it is because it has retained a good grasp of its history - that is since 1717.
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