Knights Templars

[Fouro]

Here is an important article worth reading.

Click on to html below.
https://www.myfreemasonry.com/thread...orge-vi.13081/

Regards from,
Fouro.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Many of the so called secrets are or can be similar to all organisation's
/ companies EG: the boardroom - much occurs behind closed doors.

Our local Lodge:

HISTORY OF THE BARRY LODGE BELL.
ABSENT BRETHREN.

It has been customary in The Barry Lodge at, or as near as possible to 10.00 p.m. during the After-Proceedings to drink a Toast to all Absent Brethren, and to STRIKE FOUR BELLS on the Ships Bell, which is always placed in front of the Worshipful Master on the Dining Table.

The Bell was presented to The Barry Lodge by the late Brother GEORGE HUDSON, who was a Master Mariner, and who personally provided the Lodge with the history of the Bell.

In 1936 I was lying in the port of ABU ZENIMA in the Sinai Peninsula with Mount Sinai in the distance. One morning when ashore on ship’s business, I watched the British Manager of the firm for whom I was taking a cargo, as he cast a cover for a valve on one of the locomotives. When he tested the casting for cracks it emitted a beautiful bell-like sound and I intimated to him that I would like a Bell of the same metal.

When he found out the use to which the Bell would be put, he gladly undertook the task, and put twenty-one pounds of Bell Metal into the casting.

He then made himself known as a Past Master of a Lodge in Bedford.

The Bell finally came to rest in The Barry Lodge No. 2357 in July 1938.

In December 2002, the Bell was completely stripped, cleaned and polished by W.Bro Don Oliver, himself a past member of the Merchant Navy, and a member of the Penarth Lodge. to whom the Brethren of The Barry Lodge are very grateful.

To Order Brethren, as we observe the Toast –

( FOUR BELLS ARE RANG )
“TO ABSENT BRETHREN.”

K.

[j.sabourn]

Every Lodge has a history as well as the members of the lodge it is. Held by the grand lodge.where they iLive in the shire of Rockingham it was named this because of a sailing ship .A picture of same hangs in the lodge rooms . Wonder if anyone has a picture of same, will more than likely be on google or elsewhere. For anyone looking for people of the past and they were a mason. It may. Well be worth. Their while to approach the grand lodge of that area to see at least the Masonic records of their family member. Lewis if you remember his father was a mason and if he hasn’t already done so couldapply to GL for his records,although Lewis may have done so already or already has his fathers past degrees in parchment form. Lewis by the way is an old Masonic word which is not so true today as. It was, It meant and still does to a son of a Freemason who was a member of the fraternity and under 21. A son of a. Freemason had the privilege of joining at 18. Today however anyone of the age of 18 can join in WA at least don’t know about other countries. So another. Dark Secret exposed ? The press would have a field day here. JS

[Keith at Tregenna]

Another supposed secret: Who is this tyler and what are his duties?

The tyler is specifically warned to "observe the approach of cowans and eavesdroppers" and not allow their entry into the lodge. What is a "cowan"? Theories abound in the Masonic literature about the word's derivations from one of several languages, with diverse meanings such as "dog", "wretch" or "silly fellow."

One theory comes from a book entitled "Proces de Templier", which discussed early French knighthood. While Chapter meetings were being held, a sentry known as the "Tuiller" was posted on the roof, on the tiles. From this lofty position he could easily observe the approach of any unauthorized person. It is thought that the English adopted this French custom for the craft lodges. Although their functions are similar, it seems somewhat far-fetched that our "guarder of the door" was derived from the "sentry on the roof"!

As ever many just fear what is unknown to them.

Simples.

K.

[j.sabourn]

Your a Cowan Keith. Obviously you are getting your information 3rd.and 4th hand from the usual nit. Wits who have nothing better to do than make up plots. That don’t exist. When you got married did you not have a groomsman and if so did you know what his duties of old were. Did those on passenger ships not have master at arms. ? .. As to the guard on the roof ..good practice for the crows nest. Myself at home I used to rely on theginger tom from next door. JS..

[robpage]

Having been a tiler for a couple of years when I was practicing I read an awful lot of well sourced literature and it's amazing how much rubbish is out there for the general public to read when people talk about the actual secrets of freemasonry if you look at it closely you will find that the only actual secrets are a selection of words but because masonry never seems to defend itself people can just rattle out any nonsense that they feel like

[happy daze john in oz]

If you were a mason Louis you would know that was poppycock. Chances are some may be masons , but for total different reasons. The ones I know are bricklayers , carpenters, refuse collectors , shopkeepers. You name it. JS

The guy who got the bus for us is just a builder, bit overweight, but a real nice guy with no fancy ways with him.
I have met others in the same vein, normal everyday people who do not make any reference to their association with the Masons.

They are, like many other such entities, good men doing good work for the benefit of the community.
The best of men do such without any fanfare not wishing to fly their flag as it was.
Unlike so many so called charities they do the work without personal gain, unlike the CEO of so many such as OXFAM and others.

[j.sabourn]

#56 ditto Rob.. found that you never kept up to date with what was happening inside, other Lodges asked you to act as Tiler at their installations. Now the treasurer and find looking after others money is harder than looking after your own. Never found enough of an excuse for running one of these Cowans through with the sword though, and they wouldn’t let me put a decent point on it to do so if had to do. Ah well that’s life as Esther Ransome used to say. This post started off with the Knights Templar and has come back to the Craft Lodge. Should have just said from the start to be a Templar the admission price was to be a master mason, and also a RA mason. Lodge rooms are all totally different in appearance for each order in freemasonry. But now this is the big but, they all have these indescribable persons called Cowan’s. Some then rise to the occasion and get the title of pilgrims for a while though. Cheers JS

[robpage]

I think one of the reasons that I and many other Masons although I have currently non-practicing don't make a business out of advertising it is because if you're in a room with non Masons you'll always get the idiot that knows more than you know about it I have been told everything from the craft masonry involve satanic rituals homosexuality is endorsed and all kinds of absolute other nonsense because they've read it in a book somewhere . When I joined originally in the 1970s it was still on the Old punishments which I found absolutely intriguing I think they were modified in the early 1980s . I stopped practicing around 1988 , when a new Master declared that he was changing the times from a 7 start which meant you normally got home around 11 to a 5 a clock start so he could get home earlier at night and the majority who were retired or working locally in a shirt and tie job agreed with him this was totally impossible for me I didn't finish work till 5 then I had to drive home get changes everything else and 7 was actually pushing it so I stopped going . I was SD at the time and maintained chapter for a few years but it seemed quite Bazaar on its own so I eventually just faded away , I would say it's a wonderful charitable organisation that never shouts about the work it does and for that alone is totally praiseworthy besides that I always had the belief that if I was dealing with a brother I would dealing with somebody that was going to be truthful . That has proven wrong on very very rare occasions
.

[j.sabourn]

#59 With Kalgoorlie being recently mentioned , I usually go up there every year on the train mostly as have free tckets for same. The wife and I usually make a weekend of it and stay at the railway hotel. Having the wife with me don’t get the advantage of visiting some of the pubs of old like Brian talks about. I have the excuse of going up there though as a member of the grand team of the Knights Templar and Knights of Malta. Also the same with Geraldton.i have never found Freemasons prudes by any means, but are probably the most moralistic group of men on earth today. Whenever a supposed best selling book on masonry and the satanic threads attached to same, the membership always increases. So there is a bit of good comes out of the false information put out. Maybe thats another reason for not saying too much. However I have found that most who approach me about membership there are usually long ago family who were members of the fraternity , so they know what it entails and the morals associated with such. Cheers JS