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Article GERMAN FREEMASONRY. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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German Freemasonry.
Such , briefly stated , are the reasons why Masonry is not honored in Germany with the appellation of " ancient . " So much I thought it might be of interest to say . To enter into any discussion in regard to the matter , however , it is neither my purpose nor my province to do . Entertainments , called " Schwestemclubs , " are given in some German
lodge-rooms , once each fortnight , during the winter season . To those , the members invite their lady friends . Intellectual food is the only kind served at such gatherings , and this the ladies assist in providing ; it rarely consists of Masonic "hash . " It usually is made of lectures , readings , essays , poems , etc ., on miscellaneous subjects , interspersed with vocal and instrumental music . Long before the date fixed for
such an entertainment , two brothers are appointed to arrange the programme and superintend the festivities . The same members are not asked to officiate more than once during a winter . The ladies bring some kind of fancy work with them , and sit at tables extended across the lodge-room .
I cannot speak too highly of such gatherings . Indeed , I know of nothing more pleasing than to watch the kindly faces and flying fingers on such occasions . Wh y not transplant those German entertainments to our Masonic vineyard ? They would surely root and flourish there . To insure their success , it would only be necessary for our brethren
to insist upon the ladies coming tvith their worli . " Schwestemclubs " without needle-work , crocheting , or knitting , would be like life without song , or toasts without wine , or soup without salt .
Our Order is honoured by the membership of many of Germany ' s most illustrious sons . The Crown Prince was , for several years , Grand Master of the " Grand National Mother Lodge , " in Berlin , and , while such , delivered a number of Masonic addresses . At the present time , he is " Deputy Protector of Masonry , " the Emperor ,
himself , being the " Protector . " If our Order has reasons to be proud to-day of its adherents in the Fatherland , it can point , with no less pride , to those who . have gathered with it in the past . Not only has it been honoured by the membership of such rulers of men as Frederick the Great and Blucher , but by such kings in the realms of mind as
Goethe , Lessing , Wieland , Herder , Mozart , Fichte , and Riickert . Truly may we say that our fellow craftsmen , by their cunning handiwork , have fashioned the very keystone of German greatness , and , by their wondrous skill , chiseled their names into the adamantean memory of mankind , and set their stars of fame in the
resplendent galaxy of the world ' s imperishable . " INCREASE AND MULTIPLY " is not one of the unwritten laws governing Masonry in Germany , x
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
German Freemasonry.
Such , briefly stated , are the reasons why Masonry is not honored in Germany with the appellation of " ancient . " So much I thought it might be of interest to say . To enter into any discussion in regard to the matter , however , it is neither my purpose nor my province to do . Entertainments , called " Schwestemclubs , " are given in some German
lodge-rooms , once each fortnight , during the winter season . To those , the members invite their lady friends . Intellectual food is the only kind served at such gatherings , and this the ladies assist in providing ; it rarely consists of Masonic "hash . " It usually is made of lectures , readings , essays , poems , etc ., on miscellaneous subjects , interspersed with vocal and instrumental music . Long before the date fixed for
such an entertainment , two brothers are appointed to arrange the programme and superintend the festivities . The same members are not asked to officiate more than once during a winter . The ladies bring some kind of fancy work with them , and sit at tables extended across the lodge-room .
I cannot speak too highly of such gatherings . Indeed , I know of nothing more pleasing than to watch the kindly faces and flying fingers on such occasions . Wh y not transplant those German entertainments to our Masonic vineyard ? They would surely root and flourish there . To insure their success , it would only be necessary for our brethren
to insist upon the ladies coming tvith their worli . " Schwestemclubs " without needle-work , crocheting , or knitting , would be like life without song , or toasts without wine , or soup without salt .
Our Order is honoured by the membership of many of Germany ' s most illustrious sons . The Crown Prince was , for several years , Grand Master of the " Grand National Mother Lodge , " in Berlin , and , while such , delivered a number of Masonic addresses . At the present time , he is " Deputy Protector of Masonry , " the Emperor ,
himself , being the " Protector . " If our Order has reasons to be proud to-day of its adherents in the Fatherland , it can point , with no less pride , to those who . have gathered with it in the past . Not only has it been honoured by the membership of such rulers of men as Frederick the Great and Blucher , but by such kings in the realms of mind as
Goethe , Lessing , Wieland , Herder , Mozart , Fichte , and Riickert . Truly may we say that our fellow craftsmen , by their cunning handiwork , have fashioned the very keystone of German greatness , and , by their wondrous skill , chiseled their names into the adamantean memory of mankind , and set their stars of fame in the
resplendent galaxy of the world ' s imperishable . " INCREASE AND MULTIPLY " is not one of the unwritten laws governing Masonry in Germany , x