Lodgeroom UK

I stopped attending the FBs many moons ago.

At first I found the camaraderie just the ticket, but I soon discovered that all was not what it seemed on the surface. The amount of stuffiness became intolerable, and I often left early with some excuse or other. The more senior Brethren LIVED for the FOOD, and lodge ritual became frowned upon, especially if it got in the way of early evening food and drink. Even the Masonic Fire became looked on as a time-wasting event.

Personally I would now ditch those FB meals, make light snacks, say a beverage or two (and a pie!) Get rid of the stuffy sitting down to dine routine, and get back to basics.
I am reminded of the following poem entitled "The Knife and Fork Degree" (attributed to A.J.Disbrow).


I don't attend the meetings,
for I've not the time to spare.
But every time they have a feast,
you'll surely find me there.
I cannot help with the degrees,
for I do not know the work.
But I can applaud the speaker,
and handle a knife and fork.
I'm so rusty in the ritual,
that it seems like Greek to me,
But practice has made me perfect,
in the Knife and Fork degree.

S&F, Colin

The Festive Board completes the experience, a chance to talk without spoiling the proceedings, catch up, chat with visitors. Listen to a good speech, suffer a bad one, but above all enjoy the fellowship.

BEHAVIOUR after the LODGE is over and the BRETHREN not gone.
From Andersons Constitutions 1723

You may enjoy yourself with innocent Mirth, treating one another according to Ability, but avoiding all Excess, or forcing any Brother to eat or drink beyond his Inclination, or hindering him from going when his Occasions call him, or doing or saying anything offensive, or that may forbid an easy and free Conversation for that would blast our Harmony, and defeat our laudable Purposes. Therefore no private Piques or Quarrels must be brought within the Door of the Lodge, far less any Quarrels about Religion, or Nations, or State-Policy, we being only, as Masons, of the Catholick Religion above-mention’d ; we are also of all Nations, Tongues, Kindreds, and Languages, and are resolv’d against all Politicks, as what never yet conduc’d to the Welfare of the Lodge, nor ever will. This Charge has been always strictly enjoin’d and observ’d ; but specially ever since the Reformation in BRITAIN, or the Dissent and Secession of these Nations from the Communion of ROME.

Lazza21 wrote:The Festive Board completes the experience, a chance to talk without spoiling the proceedings, catch up, chat with visitors. Listen to a good speech, suffer a bad one, but above all enjoy the fellowship.....

Great in theory... but unfortunately Im sure Im not the only one to experience both business and politics brought into the FB arena.
My first couple of FBs went fine, then they became tainted, and that stayed with me years later.

I can however see your point about fellowship. Just the printed word is often alot different to the world made manifest.

S&F, Colin

It strikes me that the success or otherwise of the FB varies from Province to Province and in many ways depends on how much of a 'family' the individual Province happens to be. Here in Cambs, with less than 30 lodges, everyone pretty much knows everyone else so FBs tend to be like family get-togethers with banter between tables and sometimes one end of the room to the other. Having said that, I've attended FBs in one of the neighboring Provinces where I've actually been tempted to get up and walk out as, with my host (at the time) being a steward and therefore up and down, I was pretty much ignored when he was up doing his steward bit. Curiously (or maybe not ...) when I visited the same lodge a number of years later and was by then wearing PProvGReg/ProvAGSec regalia, the welcome was somewhat different ...

Richard's right. Here in Cambridgeshire, festive boards are great, as we do all know one another, and convivial dining is a big part of the provincial ethos. There’s no way we’d do away with that!

Couldn't agree more - I live on the boundary between two sizeable provinces. One has over 250 lodges and although it has been split into several 'areas' or sub-provinces, the amount of hierarchical overload is quite unnecessary, with visits by the various 'chairs', deputy 'chairs', area 'vice-chairs', 'cabinet' members, 'visiting officers' and assistant PGMs, not to mention all the grand officers, it's a wonder we still get even a minimal amount of freemasonry at the meetings! Oddly, there seems to be very little inter-lodge visiting.

The other slightly smaller province has now, since a change in PGM, introduced 'visiting officers' and looks like heading down the same road. My mother province, up country, is much smaller and has no need for all that stuff and nonsense. Another very small province within an hour's drive is very friendly and informal.

Although I hold a so-called 'rank' in two provinces but go unnoticed in my scruffy old undress pinny, and because I both speak and provide music at many lodges and chapters in these provinces, I get an unfettered fly-on-the-wall view of what's happening. Sometimes a meeting breaks my heart, particularly so in large provinces, but mostly a reasonable time is had by all.

At the provincial level as well as at the lodge level, the old dictum holds: 'The more the merrier; the fewer the better cheer'. The inter-personal bond is at the centre of freemasonry and that is what you get in smaller groups both inside and outside freemasonry.

Trouillogan wrote:Couldn't agree more - I live on the boundary between two sizeable provinces. One has over 250 lodges and although it has been split into several 'areas' or sub-provinces, the amount of hierarchical overload is quite unnecessary, with visits by the various 'chairs', deputy 'chairs', area 'vice-chairs', 'cabinet' members, 'visiting officers' and assistant PGMs, not to mention all the grand officers, it's a wonder we still get even a minimal amount of freemasonry at the meetings! Oddly, there seems to be very little inter-lodge visiting.

Given your location, and the description, I can only assume you are referring to my own Province of Hampshire (not forgetting the Isle of Wight)...

While splitting the Province into six Areas (each with their own APGM and team) may seem like an overhead (and Jobs for the Boys), it should be noted that each Area is still bigger than many other Provinces! Meanwhile, the Centre-level Vice-Chairmen are there to promote relationships between Lodges (and other Units) within the Centre.

While I am still ascending the Ladder to the Chair of King Solomon for the first time, I am not (yet?) worthy of preferment, but experience suggests these roles are a positive step.

Likewise, I can only disagree with your comment about the lack of visiting... both our Area APGM and Centre Vice-Chairman are very regular visitors to my Lodge, and we have a steady flow of other visitors (from within the Farnborough Centre, within our Area and further afield).

Perhaps I can extend a invitation for you to visit Mercury Lodge?

That is most kind of you Andrew and 24th Feb for inst. is free in my diary. For the first time you will then be able to represent your lodge at Grand Lodge Communications. A similar invitation is extended to you any time for Lodge of Union which meets on the 1st Thurs, Oct - May (inst. - Feb).

What I'm getting at is the twenty-nine individual provincial officers micromanaging private lodges, just for your particular area of your province! I call that a definite overkill particularly in the context of B of C rule 155. The several Craft lodge secretaries and RA SEs that I know and see regularly, constantly complain of the the feeling of interference and overbearing, never mind the multifarious reports demanded from them and from other of the private lodge officers. A number have refused the province's demand to appoint a 'membership officer' on the grounds that to do so would be contrary to rule 104(a) (' . . . but no others.'). It is only in the last decade or so that provinces have started to become intrusive. Prior to then, they provided valuable advisory services to inexperienced secretaries in dealing with day to day issues and that is what they were set up to do and nothing more. Today, there is no more that is required of provincial advisers. The overall size of a province, either in number of lodges or number of brethren, has some small bearing on provincial office advisory staffing but that is all. The only other area of significance used to be the co-ordination of charity activities but now that is centralised at GQS, provinces have no essential input.

I think it's high time to down-size some provincial headquarters and pawn the chains!

Private Message send, Trouillogan :-)

I look forward to meeting you in February - although be warned, some of those hangers on will be present too :-) - and I will endeavour to reciprocate

The Uninitiated wrote:Private Message send, Trouillogan :-)

I look forward to meeting you in February - although be warned, some of those hangers on will be present too :-) - and I will endeavour to reciprocate

Reply PM sent and we'll discuss reciprocity.

Trouillogan wrote:
I think it's high time to down-size some provincial headquarters and pawn the chains!

Now thats not a bad idea....

Its fuuny is the wife and 60 degree