Page 55 - MML - Journal - Centenary Edition - Vol. 01 / 2023

The most viable theory for the continuance of the Masters’ Lodges after 1750 till the Union of 1813 has been put forward by the great Masonic scholar Bernard Jones.
The Virtual Master’s Degree: Today it is only the three Principals in a Royal Arch Chapter that need to be Past Masters in the Craft. In the early days of Royal Arch Masonry, only Past Masters could become members. In order to facilitate ordinary Master Masons to join the Royal Arch, they were temporarily installed as ‘Virtual Masters’ and the Installed Masters’ secrets were communicated to them. They thus acquired the qualifications of an Installed Master and became qualified to join the Royal Arch. Bernard Jones postulates that this ceremony of temporarily installing a Master Mason as a ‘Virtual Master’ or ‘Constructive Master’ may have been the ceremony conducted in Masters’ Lodges up to the time of the Union. Please do take note that this practice is still in vogue under some Masonic jurisdictions.
Once the Union took place and the Royal Arch practices were standardized the necessity for Masters’ Lodges disappeared.
Conclusion: This is a fairly detailed recitation of historic Masonic facts pertaining to the ‘yesteryears’ of Installed Masters’ Lodges. Hope you enjoyed the recitation as much as I enjoyed my research.
Let me now digress for a few moments.
Masonic resources: Our Masonic teachings, its philosophy, its literature are of enormous worth and inestimable value, if only we would take the time to study and reflect upon them. I know of at least two full-length Masonic periodicals originating from our own Installed Masters’ Lodges: The Madras Masonic Journal of the Madras Masters’ Lodge; and the Landmarks of the Kerala Masters’ Lodge. There is also the Acacia from
the Chennai-based inter-jurisdictional study- circle. I have also discovered around six lodge newsletters: The LUMEN from Lodge University at Vizag; the Mount Tidings and Asoka Times - you know from where -; the fourth from Seven Stars at Coimbatore; another from the Karnataka Masters’ Lodge; and the sixth from the Goshamahal Baradari Masonic Building Trust Study-Circle. And of course, we have our second edition of the Grand Lodge of India’s Masonic Education Course, as well as the newly launched (June w24, 2023) Masonic Academy and its associated 24 Study Centres. What do we do with these enormous resources? If we do pick them up, we just put them in our pockets but never read them. We may take them home and lay them on the library table or leave them in the pockets until we send the suit to the cleaner, who dumps them in the rubbish bin. Why cannot we see that we have great treasures within them, which while beautiful, could be much more beautiful if used?
It is said of the Chinese that when you are trying to convince them of something, they listen intently, smile politely, applaud dutifully, and do nothing. That is what is happening in our lodges. We come, listen, applaud, and ignore!
Our trouble appears to be that we gladly and willingly take in candidates who are eventually raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason; but we do not work on the Master Masons now on our rolls, to make better Masons out of them.
The Purpose of Freemasonry: The purpose of Freemasonry is and always has been to takeagoodman–justoneatatime–andtry by our teachings to make a better man out of him. If each of us appoints himself a committee of one to remind our Brothers of the wording of some of our Obligations, some of the fine ideals we have pledged ourselves to observe, we may be able to
Madras Masonic Journal Vol. 01 / 2023 - Centenary Year Edition
A Publication of Madras Masters Lodge No. 103, GLI
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