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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

FREEMASONRY IN TAIWANby Shih-ho (Simon) chao ....Page 3

FREEMASONRY IN RUSSIAby LEON ZELDIS ....page 4

THE HISTORY OFFREEMASONRY IN TURKEY

by CELIL LAYIKTEZ ....Page 9

FREEMASONRY IN THE ISLAMICWORLD

ByCELIL LAYIKTEZ ....page 14

A EUROPEAN VIEW OFMASONIC GROWTHby MICHEL L. BRODSKY ....Page 16

BRIEF HISTORY OFFREEMASONRY IN JAPAN

by LEO L. NOEL ....page 28

volume 9. issue 1 - Special edition - winter 2007

INTERNATIONAL MASONIC REVIEW PUBLISHED BY BONISTEEL MASONIC LIBRARY

OUR BROTHER

OUR PRESIDENT

Brother Masons, Family and Friends,

Death and the dead are with us again,

my Brothers; teaching us the brevityand uncertainty of human life and

the instability of human fortune, and

demanding of us the last sad offers of

charity and brotherhood.

The nations 38th president and the only one not elected to the ofce or the vice presidency died at his desert homeat Rancho Mirage, California on Tuesday, December 26, 2006. He was 93. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth

Betty Ford. They had three sons Michael, John and Steven, and a daughter, Susan. His life was lled with loveof God, his family and his country, his wife, Betty, said in a statement shortly after his death.

Our beloved Brother Ford was born on July 14, 1913 as Leslie L. King, Jr. He was later adopted and took the nameof his mothers second husband who was also a Mason. He was sworn in as president on August 9, 1974 following

the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Ford received the degrees of Masonry in Malta Lodge No. 405, Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was the 1974 recipientof the New York Grand Lodge Distinguished Achievement Award. Brother Ford was the latest Freemason to serve

as president.

Bro. Gerald R. Ford was Initiated in Malta Lodge No. 465 in Grand Rapids, Michigan on September 30, 1949.Columbia Lodge No. 3, District of Columbia, conferred the degrees of Fellowcraft and Master Mason on Brother

Ford as a courtesy to Malta Lodge on May 18, 1951. Brother Fords father, Gerald R. Ford Sr., a 33rd degreeMason presented the lambskin apron.

He received the Scottish Rite degrees in the Valley of Grand Rapids in 1957 and created a Sovereign GrandInspector General, 33rd degrees, and Honorary Member of the Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdictionin 1962. He was awarded the Gourgas Medal by the Supreme Council on February 17, 1975. This is the highest

honor that can come to a member of the Supreme, A.A.S.R. Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. Joined Saladin ShrineTemple, A.A.O.N.M.A.S. in 1959. Member of Court No. 11, Royal Order of Jesters. Honorary Member, DeMolay

Legion of Honor.

His rst services to Freemasonry came way before this when he was selected for the Eastern Team on the ShrinersEast West Crippled Children game at San Francisco. This was on Janua ry 1, 1935. He was a member of the Universityof Michigans undefeated national championship football teams and in 1934, played in the Shriners East-WestCrippled Childrens benet classic in San Francisco.

QUOTES BY BRO. FORD -

Truth is the glue that holds government together. Compromise is the oil that makes governments go

FACTS OF BRO. FORD PRESIDENTIAL YEARS

In July 20, 1976 - The rst NASA mission, Viking 1, Lands on Mars and transmits pictures and data from outer space.

September 27, 1976 - First presidential TV debate between President Ford and Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter debate domestic

issues before a live audience.

BONISTEEL MASONIC LIBRARY

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IN NEXT ISSUE:BEST OF THE BEST

MASONIC AUTHORS
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WELCOME TO

THE SPECIAL EDITION

Winter 2007 RISING POINT

The Bonisteel Masonic Library announces

the Winter Edition of Rising Point featuring

Masonic Scholars from European and

Asian Lodges. The brotherhood will be

able to learn about the active participation

of Freemasons in Taiwan, the rebirth of

Freemasonry in Russia, the Turks and

their Masonic Lodges, Freemasonry aspracticed in Islamic countries, a history ofFreemasonry in Europe, and the inuence

of Masons in Japan. On the back cover is

a special tribute to Brother Gerald R. Ford

the 38th President of the United States.

The Bonisteel Masonic Library prints

multiple color hard copies and distributes

to Lodges around the world.

Karl W. Grube, Ph.D., 32

PresidentBonisteel Masonic Library

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330

Winter 2007 THE RISING POINT Winter 2007 THE RISING POINT

stationed in England from 1900 to 1906and became a member of the Craft, whilein England. The Anglo-Japanese Alliancewas concluded in 1902 and he signed thistreaty on behalf of Japan. He was initiated inEmpire Lodge No 2108 in February, passedto the Second Degree in March and raisedto the Third Degree in May. Bro Hayashibecame the Master of the lodge in January1904. His rapid progress to that ofce

was due to the lodge members wishes toacknowledge his high ofcial position andshi possible departure from England in thenear future for appointment to some otherpost. As the Japanese mission in Londonwas promoted to the legation to an embassy,he became the rst Japanese Ambassadorto Great Britain. Japanese nationals wereinitiated in some other countries as well,e.g., the United States and the Philippines.

The outbreak of warThe situation began to deteriorate fro

Freemasons in Japan in the late 1930swhen the government authorities beganto crack down on the fraternity, especiallyafter the outbreak of war in Chinain 1937. In the early 1940s the anti-Masonic movements intensied and allthe lodges had to cease their operation.

After the warAfter the war, Masonic activities wereresumed. One English and two Scottishlodges survived. The Grand Lodge ofthe Philippines began to found lodgesin Japan. During a 10-year period from1947 to 1956, 16 lodges were founded.Gen Douglas MacArthur, who was theSupreme Commander of the Allies whichoccupied Japan after the war and himselfa mason, was very supportive of Masonicactivities in Japan. Eventually Masonicmembership became available to Japanesenationals. Seven Japanese men includingve Diet members were initiated in 1950for the rst time in Japan. In March 1956,15 Philippine lodges operating in Japanformed the Grand Lodge of Japan. Themembership of its roll steadily increased,reaching 4,786 in 1972. Since then,

however, the membership has been on thedecrease and it now stands at just over 2,000.the current list of lodges and their locationsare found in an attached sheet. Today, theGrand Lodge of Japan is in amity with morethan 150 Grand Lodges around the world.

In addition to those lodges operatingunder the Grand Lodge of Japan, there areseveral other lodges in Japan which were

in existence at the time of its formationin 1957 one English lodge, two Scottishlodge, two Philippine lodges and oneAmerican lodge (Massachusetts) which,originally founded in Shanghai, China, wasreactivated in Tokyo in 1952. There areseveral more lodges which meet in Japanunder the charter of the Prince Hall GrandLodge of Washington, with which theGrand Lodge of Japan established fraternalrelationship in 1998.

Leo L. Noel, PM, SecretaryFrom the booklet published in 1963

to commemorate the 15th Anniversary ofFar East Lodge No. 1, F & AM

Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons ofJapan.http://japan-freemasons.org/modules/wfchannel/index.php?pagenum=13

For Long History of Masonry in Japan pleasevisit page at: http://japan-freemasons.org/modules/wfchannel/index.php?pagenum=57

FREEMASONRY IN TAIWAN

By Shih-Ho (Simon) Chao, Ph.D.

Freemasonry in Taiwan originated fromMainland China. The rst lodge appearedin China in 1767 in Canton (Home Stateof Dr. Sun Yat Sen), the No. 407 Yi Lodgewhich belonged to the Grand Lodge ofEngland. All the Masonic membership

in that Lodge wereforeigners withoutMasonic descent. Itwas not until March 18,1949, that the GrandLodge of China wasestablished in Shanghai,under the sponsorshipof the Grand Lodge ofPhilippines. However,all Masonic activitieswere suspended in1951 due to civilwar between Communist Government

(the current Chinese Government) andKMT Government (The Government inTaiwan before 2000). The Grand Lodgewas reactivated in Taipei in 1954 after theKMT Government retreated to Taiwan.Under the excellent leadership of all theGrand Masters, including many from theUnited States and General Chiang, sonof Chiang Kai-Shek, the Lodges grewstronger. Currently, there are 13 Lodgesin Taiwan, with thousands of brothers. Itis worth mentioning that the No. 7 LibertyLodge is composed of Brothers all ofwhom are from other countries. Some of

them were already Masons in their MotherCountries but needed to keep their light inMasonry growing and glowing. In additionto all the Lodges, the other Masonic bodiesin Taiwan include:1) The Ali Shan Oasis Shrine Club ofTaipei, working on the care and foundationof Crippled and Burned Children); 2)YangMingShan Chapter No. 5, O.E.S. TheOrder of the Eastern Star is not an auxiliaryof the Masonic Order but is an independentorganization of its own. Its members arethe wives, daughters, widows, mothers andsisters of Master Masons. 3) The Ancient

Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry ofthe Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A. Valley

of Taipei, Orient of Taiwan. There are now816 members in total and 32 Brethren havebeen coroneted with the Thirty-third degree(33 ). At this time, due to the businessactivities between China and Taiwan, a hostof Brethren have stayed in China, mostly in

Shanghai. The formerWorshipful Master ofNo. 9 Tang Lodge, theauthors Blue Lodge,just went to Shanghaion Nov. 1st, 2004, andserves as the mangerof a Company. It hasbeen proposed by somebrother in Shanghaithat a regular Masonicmeeting be begun sothat they can continue

the Masonic activities. Hopefully, Masonic

bodies can return to Mainland China in thenear future.

Bro. Shih-Ho (Simon) Chao

is member of No. 9 Tang

Lodge, the Grand Lodge of

China. Marshall, No. 262 Ann

Arbor-Fraternity Lodge, and

32 Masons of the Valley of

Detroit.

Bro. Simon Chaos Joint Installation of the GrandLodge of China, Taiwan. Summer , 2002

Photos by Bro. Simon

Continued from page 29

The Magus Of FreemasonryBy: Tobias Churton

His writings help solve thedebate between operativeand speculative originsof Accepted Freemasonry,demonstrating that symbolicFreemasonry existedwithin the Masonic tradebodies. Ashmole was oneof the leading intellectualluminaries of his time: afounding member of theRoyal Society, a fellowshipand later academy of naturalphilosophers and scientists;alchemist; astrological

advisor to the king; and the creator of the worlds rstpublic museum. While Isaac Newton regarded him as

an inspiration, Ashmole has been ignored by manyconventional historians.


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4 29Continued from page 28


There are manyfascinating legendsabout the beginningsof Freemasonry inRussia. In this articleI shall try to separate

legend from historicalfacts. Here, in brief,is what the mostwidespread stories tell.According to them,Czar Pavel (Paul) I

was initiated in Freemasonry as soon ashe reached the right age, even, accordingto some, in the presence of his mother,Catherine the Great. However, when heascended the throne, Paul I banned Masonryin Russia. His eldest son, Alexander I, bornin 1777, who governed between 1801 and1825, continued the anti-Masonic policy

of his father, but after investigating thenature and principles of Freemasonry hecompletely changed his opinion and askedto be initiated himself.

This is the legend. Unfortunately, it haslittle to do with reality. The rst reliabledocument concerning our subject is therecord of a session of the Grand Lodge ofEngland - the Premier Grand Lodge, alsoknown as the Moderns, founded in 1717- dated 24 June 1731. There it is writtenthat the Grand Master (Lord Lovel) and hisGrand Dignitaries signed a document given

to Very Worshipful Brother John Phillips,Esq., appointing him Grand Master ofFree, Ancient and Accepted Masons in theEmpires of Russia and Germany and theircolonies and territories, and they raised atoast to the health of Freemasonry in thoseplaces.

Truth is, the appointment was as ProvincialGrand Master, but the existence of thisdocument does not prove that a GrandLodge did in fact exist in Russia orGermany, nor even the existence ofindividual Masonic lodges there. Coming

down to it, we have no evidence allowingus to assume that Phillips created even one

lodge in the vast territory entrusted to him.There are some references about a lodgein the Free City of Hamburg in 1733, butno document demonstrating a connectionbetween this lodge and Phillips has beenfound. On the other hand, we should not be

overly fastidious and should remember thatlack of proof is not proof to the contrary.In other words, the issue remains undecideduntil concluding evidence appears tosettle it. Masonic life in those times wasextremely uid, Masons moved freely formone country to another, taking with themdegrees and ceremonies that are avidly triedby lodges unencumbered by Grand Lodgecontrols. Grand Lodges then were hardlycapably of imposing their discipline overtheir lodges, and certainly not on individualmembers.

Nine years later, in the minutes of GrandLodge of England of 28 March 1740, thepresence is recorded of James Keith, aGeneral in the service of the Empress ofRussia. That must have been Czarina AnnaIvanovna, who ruled between 1730 and1740. Keith was a Scotsman, cousin ofGrand Master John, Earl of Kintore. In thatopportunity, Keith received the appointmentas Provincial Grand Master for Russia.There is no mention of what happened toPhillips. James Keith was a brilliant soldier,but he had supported the wrong side in thewars between Scotland and England. After

the defeat of the Stuarts, he ed to Spainand served in the armies of king Philip II.In 1728 he moved to Russia and there hedistinguished himself by his leadership. Hewon many battles, and the same year of hisappointment as Provincial Grand Master, theCzarina named him Governor of Ukraine.

Freemasonry, established by Baron vonHund in Germany about 1755. From there,the rite spread rapidly in Central and EasternEurope, where it enjoyed great popularity.The situation in Russia became even morecomplicated in 1771, with the arrival of the

Zinnendorf Rite, also a knightly rite with aChristian character.

FREEMASONRY IN RUSSIA

By Leon Zeldis

The end of isolationWhile Japan was in a state of isolation,foreign vessels frequented its coasts fromtime to time. In the rst half of the 19thcentury, their encroachment becameparticularly noticeable. They urged Japanto open ports. Eventually the governmentopened the country and concluded treatieswith foreign powers. The treaties included

extra-territoriality by which foreignresidents in Japan came under the legaljurisdiction of their own countries consuls.The abolishment of seclusion policy threwthe country into turmoil. The unequal treatieswith those countries, rampant inationlargely due to the commencement of foreigntrade and other unfavorable factors resultingfrom the opening of the country caused someJapanese, especially samurai (professionalwarriors), to entertain the idea of SonnoJoi (unifying the country under the imperialrule and repelling the incursions caused byforeigners). Dissatised with the government

policy toward foreign countries, somesamurai took advantage of the situations andassaulted foreigners in order to harass thenow-weakening government. Such attacksbecame frequent in the late 1850s and early1860s. As a result, foreign powers lodgedstrong protests. In 1863, the JapaneseGovernment agreed to have the Britishand French troops stationed in Yokohama.

The rst lodge in JapanIt was during this period that the rstMasonic lodge was introduced to Japan.

A military lodge called Sphinx Lodge No.263, Irish constitutions, came to Japan witha detachment of the British 20th Regimentwhich arrived in Yokohama in 1864. Whilein Yokohama, the lodge held meetings andadmitted civilian members. Being a militarylodge however, it could not operate in Japanlong. It held its last meeting in March 1866.

The formation of local lodgesMeanwhile, those brethren living inYokohama felt it desirable to form alodge of their own and they petitioned fora formation of such a lodge to the UnitedGrand Lodge of England. Thus the rst

local lodge, Yokohama Lodge No. 1092,came into being, holding the rst regularmeeting on June 26, 1866. A total of sixEnglish and three Scottish lodges wereformed in Japan before the last war. Withthe abolishment of the extra-territorialityin 1899, the brethren held their meetingsin accordance with he gentlemensagreement with the Japanese Governmentthat the government would not interfere

with the fraternitys activities as long asthe membership were conducted withoutostentation. The members included thosewho contributed to the modernizationof Japan, e.g. Bro E. Fischer, a Germanmerchant involved in the development ofKobe; Bro. William G. Aston, a Britishdiplomat and scholar of Japanese literaturewhose works introduced Japan and itis civilization to the English-speakingworld; Bro. A. Kirby who built the rstiron-clad warship in Japan; Bo. ThomasW. Kinder, a Briton who was in charge ofthe Mint Bureau in Osaka; Bro. John R.

Black, a British journalist who publishedan English-language newspaper, theJapan Gazette and Japanese newspapers,Nisshin Shinhishi and BankokuShibun,and wrote and important book,Young Japan; Bo. William H. Stone, aBritish telecommunications engineer;Bro. Paul Sadra, a French architect; Bro.Edward H. Hunter, a British shipbuildingengineer; Bro John Marshall, a Britishport captain; Bro. Felix Beato, a Venetian-born British photographer; and Bro.Stuart Eldridge, an American doctor.Anyway, all the members of the lodges

in Japan in those days were foreigners.

Japanese masons before the warHowever, some Japanese joined the Craftabroad prior o the last war. Among themwere two Japanese scholars Amane Nishi(1829-1897) and Mamichi Tsuda (1829-1903)- who studied at the University ofLeyden in Holland from 1862 to 1865under Professor Simon Vissering who wasa Freemason. Nishi was initiated in LaVertu Lodge No. 7 in Leyden in October1864 and Tsuda in November 1864.Count Tadasu Hayashi (1850-1913), acareer diplomat and later a statesman, was


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Finally, in 1776 a Grand Lodge of Russiacame into existence, working a system ofseven degrees. As we can see, there wasno uniformity in Russian Freemasonry,and most of these lodges and Grand Lodgewere not recognized by the Grand Lodgeof England. A new division occurred in1779, when a District Grand Lodge ofthe Swedish Rite was established, headedby Prince Gagarin. A great number of

Russian aristocrats and intellectuals thenjoined the Masonic lodges. An authorstresses the popularity of Freemasonry inthe aristocratic circles of Russia with thesewords: so many prominent Russians wereFreemasons in the second half of the 18thand beginning of the 19th centuries that itwould be easier to number those who werenot than those who were.

This did not nd favour in the eyes of theEmpress Catherine II, the Great (governedbetween 1762 and 1796), who distrustedthe secret nature of the lodges and feared

they could be used for political purposes.Her natural aversion to all forms ofmysticism was exacerbated after the revoltof Yemelian Pugachov, that took placebetween 1773-75, and which threatened thestability of the regime. In 1782 Catherineoutlawed all secret organizations, butexempting Freemasonry for the time beingThe main domestic enemy of Catherinewas her own son, Grand Duke Paul, whohad become a Mason. On the foreign front,her principal foe was Emperor Frederick IIof Prussia, also an active Mason (the GrandConstitutions of 1786 which form the

foundation of the Ancient and AcceptedScottish Rite are attributed to him). It isnot surprising, then, that Catherine couldconsider Freemasonry as a permanentdanger. In 1794 the Empress took a naldecision and banned all Masonic activitiesin her realm.

When Catherines son, Paul, ascended thethrone in 1796, many expected that theban on Freemasonry would be lifted, buthe did nothing of the sort, although he didnot persecute the fraternity either, and itbegan to organize again in a clandestinefashion. Pauls successor, Alexander, helda more favorable opinion of Freemasonry

and he lifted the ban ofcially in 1810. Thefraternity then experienced its golden age,and the Grand Lodge of Russia was createdthe same year. Internal divisions, however,continued and developed. While somelodges wished to become regular, that is,establish fraternal relations with the GrandLodge of England, most had no interest inthis and preferred to delve into mystical,rosicrucian and knightly traditions.

Despite their division, Russian Masonsfought valiantly against Napoleon. MarshallKutusov, the military hero who defeated theFrench army, was a Mason, as were many ofhis ofcers. An irony of history is that manyof the French ofcers were also Freemasons.A further division took place in 1815, withthe creation of two rival Grand Lodges: aDistrict Grand Lodge of the Swedish Rite,and Grand Lodge Astrea, which claimedjurisdiction over the three symbolic degreesonly, leaving its members freedom to joinany higher degrees.

In a few years, the Masonic situationbecame chaotic; unsuitable personsentered the lodges and turned them intopolitical or religious cells. In 1820, IgorAndrevich Kusheleov was elected GrandMaster. He was an honest Mason, whowitnessed with horror the multiplication ofsubversive movements under the mantle ofFreemasonry. In an attempt to correct thissituation, Kusheleov sent a report to theCzar, explaining what was happening, andsuggesting that the fraternity be put underpolice supervision, to prevent their misuse

for political purposes. The result wasunexpected. On 1 August 1822 the Czarprohibited Freemasonry throughout theRussian empire.

Although some lodges continued operatingfor some time in a clandestine way, this wasthe end of Freemasonry in Russia duringalmost a century. In the famous RymantzevLibrary of Moscow are many documentsrelating to Masonry, and Leo Tolstoy madeuse of them when writing War and Peace,where he describes the initiation of itshero, Pierre Bezujov. The ceremony wasdescribed by Tolstoy in a negative light.A revolutionary movement took place in

The success of the growth of EuropeanFreemasonry does not depend on changewithin the Craft, but in having happy andprosperous Lodges with a large number ofyoung enthusiastic Brethren.

Michel L Brodskyhttp://internet.lodge.org.uk/library/res-brodsky.php

BRIEF HISTORY OFFREEMASONRY IN JAPAN

Leo L. Noel, PM

The pre-modern eraJapan being separated by water from t4hAsian Continent, its civilization developedin relative seclusion in pre-modern days.Foreign cultural inuence graduallyreached the then country mainly throughthe neighboring countries of China andKorea. The rs Westerner to reach Japanwere Portuguese traders who landed onTanegashima, a small island in southernJapan, in 1543. Subsequently othernationals arrived. In due course the thenruling shogunate became concerned aboutthe growing foreign inuence on its people.In 1639, it virtually secluded the countryfrom the rest of the world, which conditionlasted for more than two centuries until1854. Under these circumstances onlyProtestant Dutch and non-Christian Chinesewere allowed to do business with Japan.

The rst Freemason to visit JapanAmong those Dutch traders who cameto Japan during this period was IsaacTitsingh. He was believed to be the rstmason to visit Japan. He was initiated inBatavia in 1772 when he was in the serviceof the Dutch East India Company. He cameto Japan three times 1779 to 1780, 1781to 1783, and 1784 and headed the Dutchtrading post in Nagasaki. Bro. Titsinghmade acquaintance with many Japanese inhigh place and Japanese scholars of westernlearning. His books, Crmonies usites auJapon pour les marriages et les funerailles(1819), Mmoires et anedcdotes sur ladynastie rgnante des djogouns, souverainsdu Japon (1820) and illustrations of Japan(1822), are valuable sources of information

on Japan and its people and customsin the latter half of the 18th century.



Detroit Masonic Temple

January 2007

Bro. Richard H. Sands

Bro. Karl Grube


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1825, attempting to introduce democraticreforms in the autocratic imperialregime. The revolutionaries, known asDecembrists were young men, inspiredby the ideals of the century of lights(that was also the time of the wars ofindependence in South America). As onehistorian notes, most of the Decembristswere Freemasons, members of lodgesbelonging to the Grand Lodge Astrea of

Saint Petersburg. The Decembrist activitieswere stamped with the Masonic ideals ofsocial progress, philanthropy, intellectualperfectibility and the use of secret means toachieve moral ends.

A brief revival took place in 1908, whentwo irregular lodges, belonging to theGrand Orient of France, were established inSaint Petersburg and Moscow. The GrandLodge of France also established severallodges in the two capitals mentioned andalso in Kiev and Nizhni-Novgorod. Atthe break of the rst World War there

were some 40 lodges dependent from theGrand Orient of France. Many disappearedduring the war, but others survived, andsome of their members took active part inthe Marxist revolution of October 1917.The White Russian Masons, opposed tocommunism, ed to exile in France, wherethey established a Russian-speaking lodge.

After the Bolsheviks had gained power,Masonic lodges were tolerated for a time.This situation, however, did not last long. In1922 the Fourth Communist Internationalformally declared that Masonry was

contrary to communist ideology. Somelodges immediate closed doors, whileothers continued a precarious existence.

Four years later, a strange request from theMason Astromov to the dictator Stalin, toallow Masonry to operate under ofcialsanction, resulted in the arrest, tortureand imprisonment of known Masons.Freemasonry disappeared totally during theremaining years of soviet rule. Astromovhimself was detained, interrogated,revealed all he knew to the secret police,and died soon after his release. In 1937,during the infamous public trials organizedby the Stalinist regime to liquidate its real

or imaginary opponents, an agent in theservice of the secret police was used todisclose the secrets of Freemasonry. Theagent, a certain V.V. Arnold, was instructedby the prosecutor Vishinsky, who presentedhim as an expert Mason, but his answersrevealed complete ignorance of Masonicprocedures, making it clear that he hadnever been initiated in a Masonic lodge.Thus remained matters until the collapse

of the Soviet regime, which allowed therebirth of Freemasonry in Russia and theother countries comprising the formerSoviet Union.

A rst step was taken by the French NationalGrand Lodge, the only recognized GrandLodge in France, which on 14 January 1992consecrated in Paris Lodge Harmony: No.698, with George Dergachov as its rstMaster. The Senior Warden was BrotherAlexander Rimsky Korsakov. In Septemberof the same year the lodge moved to Moscowand there it initiated 14 new members.

These were the rst initiations in Russiain modern times. Three other lodges werecreated in the following years: Gamayonin Voronezh, Zotos in Moscow and NewAstrea/Sphinx in Saint Petersburg. Therst Chapters of the Ancient and AcceptedScottish Rite were also organized.

The efforts of the French National GrandLodge to reestablish regular Freemasonryin Russia culminated on 24 June 1995,when Grand Master Claude Charbonniaud,accompanied by a large delegation ofdignitaries and ofcers, formally consecrated

in Moscow the Grand Lodge of Russiaand installed George Dergachov as GrandMaster. The author of this lines also had theprivilege of being present on that occasion,while leading a delegation of Israeli Masonswho were visiting Eastern Europe.

On 6 July 1996. The Supreme Councilof the 33o. Degree of the Ancient andAccepted Rite was created in Moscow bythe Supreme Council for France, headed byits Sovereign Grand Commander, Henri L.Baranger. The rst Sovereign Commanderof the new body was Victor Kouznetsov.The historical study of Russian Freemasonryis only beginning, since only after the

authentic war against the Masonic Order.The main ammunition was prepared by twofamous authors: LAbb Augustin Barruel(1741-1820) in French and Professor JohnRobison (1739-1805) of the University ofEdinburgh. Their books (Memoires pourservir a lHistoire du Jacobinisme, 4 vols.and Proofs of a Conspiracy against all theReligions and Governments of Europe)were both published in 1797 and bundled

together Freemasonry and the Order of theIlluminati, accusing them of collusion toplot the French Revolution.

To defend themselves and their liberal socialvalues the freemasons had to counterattack.Therefore they had to convince their ownmembers of their innocence. That was easy!Then they had to convert them to supportsuch projects as universal free education forall children and the general improvement ofthe people of the country. Finally, they had toresort to political action. Without importantmodication of the inner working of the

Lodge, a new system of instruction wasintroduced for the benet of the members.In France and in Belgium the practice ofthe ritual was never considered importantenough to warrant the memorisation of thetexts. Reading the rituals is still today normalin the majority of the Lodges. And, as timebecame available, other meetings wereused for lectures or conferences. Initially,they would cover educational or scienticsubjects. Then ethical questions tookover and the sense of social responsibilityevoked. This led to plain politics!

One should realise that in France, until theend of the reign of Napoleon III in 1870,all political discussions, whether in publicor private meetings, were banned and onlyGovernment newspapers were authorised.In France, after the Franco-German Warof 1870, a period of seven years followedbefore the Third Republic was nallysecured, against a minority of Royalistsand Imperialists who were supported by theCatholic Church. The Lodges of the GrandOrient de France, whose survival dependedon the whims of the Ministry of the Interior,supported an involvement into politics.After the Convent of 1877 mentionedabove, the GOdF considered itself, with

good reason, to be the conscience of theRepublic. Thus it declared its right toinuence national politics.

In Belgium the Catholic Church wasanxious to obtain a monopoly of educationand opened the hostilities againstFreemasonry in 1837. These degeneratedinto a complicated warfare. In 1854 theGrand Orient de Belgique abolished Article

135 of its Constitution forbidding politicalor religious discussions in its Lodges.They became hotbeds of politics. If oneexamines the lectures given in BrusselsLodges during the period prior to 1914one nds a program that would be validfor a popular university. There were somepapers on Freemasonry and discussions onvarious projects presented in Parliamentconcerning education, compulsory militaryservice and falsication of testamentsby too well intentioned confessors etc.European Lodges in general favourabove all intellectual work. The nature

and import of symbolism and philosophyin general are major subjects, while theirregular Lodges have a tendency to studyand sometime support social causes fromenvironmental problems to the Third Worldneeds. The management of the Lodges, theexamination of the candidates les, theexamination of the candidates as describedoccupy long evenings leaving less and lesstime for degree work. But for the youngmen joining Freemasonry this opens twochallenges.

On the human side, there is the challenge

of integrating themselves in a very specialsociety which assemble on the Levelpersons of different ages and socialconditions. On the intellectual side there isthe challenge to learn how to express onesconcepts concisely and briey on subjectsthat are new to them and especiallyMasonic symbolism.

If the Masonic work pleases them and theyenjoy it, they talk about it to their friendsand incite them to apply to Initiation.Good young Freemasons contribute tothe growth of Freemasonry as the moralinuence of the Craft radiates throughtheir personalities.



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collapse of the communist regime haveRussian archives and libraries been opento researchers. Leightons book is the rstto make use of these new opportunities,consulting the Masonic material in thearchives of the Russian Literature Institute(Pushkin House) in Saint Petersburg andthe Lenin State Library in Moscow.

Bibliography:

1. Batham, Cyril N., Russian Freemasonry 1731-1979, Grand Lodge of Scotland Year Book 1985.

2. Zaf, Nisan, Habniyah Hahohshit BRusia mi 1792

vead Yameinu (Russian Freemasonry from 1792 to

our day), The Israeli Freemason, 2-1994.

3. Troyat, Henri, Catherine la Grande, Flammarion,

Paris 1979.

4. Troyat, Henri, Tolstoy, Dell, New York 1967.

5. Zelchenko, Henry, Freemasonry in Russia, The

New Age, February 1973.

6. Southern California Research Lodge, Fraternal

Review No. 663 (15-1-1993).

7. Rich, Paul, Freemasonry in Russia: Springtime

for Decembrists, The Plumbline of the Scottish Rite

Research Society, USA, Vol. 4, No. 3, September1994.

The article is copyright to Leon Zeldis, all rights

including any redistribution rights are reserved

by the copyright holder. Permission to quote from,

redistribute or to otherwise use these materials must

be obtained from the copyright holder directly by

contacting Bro. Leon Zeldis.

Leon Zeldis, FPS, 33PSGC, Supreme Council

of the Scottish Ritefor the State of IsraelHonorary Adjunct GrandMaster.

ABOUT R.W. BRO. LEONZELDIS.

He was born on June 20 th

in 1930 in Buenos Aires. He was the fth child

of his parents, who were Russian Immigrants.His family moved to Chile in 1931. He grewup and was educated in Valparaiso, Chile.

He graduated as a Textile Engineer from

Philadelphia University in 1952. He alsograduated in Linguistics, History and Business

Administration. He married Luisa Drapkinin 1956. They have four children and tengrandchildren. The family immigrated to Israelin 1962. He retired as Quality Control Engineer.

As an Academician, he has been the Professor ofPhilosophic and Masonic Studies in La RepublicaUniversity, Santiago in Chile from 1996, VisitingProfessor Universidad Complutense, Madridand Professor of Textile History and Technology,State Technical University, Santiago up to 1962.

The Chilean Government has appointed him asHonorary Consul of Chile in Tel Aviv from 1963and awarded the Order Bernardo OHiggins.Hewas initiated into the mysteries and privileges ofFreemasonry in America Lodge (No.86) Chile.

He was a Founder member of La Fraternidad,Lodge( No 62 )of Tel Aviv (1970),which was therst Spanish-speaking lodge in Israel, working

in the AASR.and of which he became the W.M in1971. He had held various ofces in the Grand

Lodge of Israel, of which he is the HonoraryAssistant Grand Master from 1995. In RoyalArch, he was installed as the First Principalof Har Sinai Chapter in1985. He held various

ofces in R. A. Grand Chapter, including thatof Grand Chaplain. He has taken the Degreesof Captivity, Royal Select and Super-Excellent

Master Degrees and Royal Ark Mariner. . InScottish Rite , he was elevated to 4th Degree

AASR in 1969, Coroneted Active Sovereign GrandInspector General 33 in 1991.He has servedas Grand Secretary General in 1993-1995 andelected as Sovereign Grand Commander in1996-1998. He is an active member of various Masonic

Research bodies as follows. Founder Member,Chair of Philosophical and Masonic StudiesDr. Ren Garca Valenzuela, Universidad La

Repblica, Santiago, Chile., Fellow, Philalethes

Society, Contributing Member, Scottish RiteResearch Society (USA), Member, Society ofBlue Friars and Correspondence member,Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, England.

Honorary Member of Rey Salomn Lodge No105, Lima, Per (1982), Supreme Council for

Italy (1996), Academia Manica de Letras dePernambuco, Brazil (1997), Salem Lodge ofPerfection N 12, Haifa, Israel (1997),SupremeCouncil for France (1998) ,King Solomon

Lodge of Perfection N 13, Raanana, Israel(1998), Monteore Lodge N 753, Glasgow,

Scotland (1999). Hermes Lodge N 13,Madrid, (2000), Max Polliack Rose-Croix

Chapter N 4, Raanana, Israel (2002), andLzaro Crdenas del Ro Lodge N 57, Mxico

only the Ancient (Scottish) and AcceptedRite was known. Many Brethren joined thisOrder one year after their Raising. At least10 years are needed to reach the 30th Degree,provided a candidate attends punctuallythe various ceremonies of the intermediateDegrees and delivers the required essays atstated intervals. Then he may be selected toreceive the 32nd and later the 33rd Degrees.From the day of his initiation to the 33 rd

Degree if ever reached, it requires a constantmasonic devotion during at least 20-25years. Since 1960 other Degrees have beenintroduced in Belgium from England andFrance but the path of a young freemasonis slow and requires the fullment of manyduties, not only in the Lodge, but also onlectures, visits and teaching, etc.

Despite the fragmentation of Freemasonryin Western Europe, the general level ofmembership is satisfactory. Where guresare available and published one nds thatthe actual increase in membership is around

3 to 4% net in the Lodges. We have goodreason to believe that these gures are validwhatever the masonic afliation. Why thisis so, is difcult to analyse, but obviouslythe attraction to Freemasonry is importantamong men aged between 30 and 45. Theyare often university trained and wish tomeet other men having similar intellectualneeds. Television or sports are compatiblebut when one considers the distancestravelled by members to attend Lodge onemust conclude that they really nd theresomething they cannot nd elsewhere.

The reasons of this situation belong tothe history of the European Lodges sincethe beginning of the 19th century. This isneither the time nor the place to present thisstory which will be part of a paper to bepresented at the Canonbury Masonic Centreon 24 November 1999. Briey, amongthe elements which modied the relationsbetween the members of the Lodges andwhat was included in England as Pureand Ancient Masonry played an importantrole. Among them was the importance ofthe Higher Degrees and especially the(Scottish) Antient and Accepted Rite whichwas introduced into France from Americain 1804. It includes the four Orders of

the French Rite to arrive to a total of33 Degrees, many already known andpractised before the Revolution of 1789.

This tted very well in the Empiressocial system instituted by NapoleonI. After 1815 most of the institutionsestablished by the revolution and theimperial regimes were kept intact, withthe exception of the Austro-Hungarian

Empire where Metternich enforced apersecution of the freemasons especiallyin the Italian provinces under Austrianrule. For their part the Italian freemasonsplayed a leading role in the long ghtfor their countrys independence andunication. In the Russian Empire, theTsar Alexander II abolished all masonicactivities in Russia, Poland and Finlandin 1821. None revived until 1919 andeven then with the exception of Finlandit was for a very short period only. InGermany the three Prussian Grand Lodgesenjoyed the protection of the state and the

King, later Emperor. Strictly reservedfor Christians, they survived until 1933.Other Grand Lodges existed, among themthose in Hamburg, Dresden, Bayreuth andFrankfurt. After the Treaty of Vienna in1814-15, Freemasonry was perceived bythe very conservative regimes as a hotbedof revolutionaries or secret societies. Itis true that some freemasons belongedto secret societies that were intent at theoverthrow of the regimes, but they weresimply worms within a healthy apple.A general trend appeared to have usedLodges time to examine the status of

citizens, propagating what they thoughtwas freemasons duty to be involved in theimprovement of society. The charitableand convivial English type of Freemasonrywas slowly and surely replaced by a patternwhere the duty of Freemasonry was to actas a lever or a motor for the good of thecitizens. Politics were not very far away!In the 19th century the main cause of theinvolvement of European Freemasonryin politics originated from the actionsof the Catholic Church. Renewing thecondemnation of the previous century,the Church was no longer hindered inits action by the all-powerful monarchsof France and Austria. It engaged an



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City (2002), Mount Moriah Rose-CroixChapter N 2, Jerusalem, Israel (1975), RamatGan N 6 Lodge of Perfection, Ramat Gan,

Israel (1978), La Esperanza N 72 Lodge,Haifa, Israel (1978), France Lodge N 77,Jerusalem, Israel (1993), Jerusalem LodgeN 909, Paris, France (1995), JerusalemLodge N 91, Roma, Italy (1996),IgualdadRose-Croix Chapter N 3, Tel Aviv, Israel(1998) and Galilee Lodge N 31, Nazareth,

Israel (2003) He was the Representative of theGrand Lodge of Chile near the Grand Lodge of

Israel (1976-1993), Representative of GrandChapter of South Carolina near the GrandChapter of Israel (1983), Representative of theSupreme Council of Ecuador near the SupremeCouncil of Israel (1991). Representative ofGrand Lodge of Spain near the Grand Lodge of

Israel, He was awarded Tiradentes Medal, bythe Supreme Council of the Federal Republicof Brazil (1992).Besides all those distinctions,he enjoys the unique reputation of an erudite

Masonic scholar and a prolic writer and

has presented many papers in the Research

Lodges. Many of his articles have been postedin the premier Masonic website Pietre Stones

Review of Freemasonry. He maintains thewebsite www.freemasonry.org/leonzeldis/ inwhich his articles have been posted. Visitsto that website is earnestly recommended foracquiring great Masonic knowledge.He has

presented the following papers in InternationalConferences.1. Spanish-speaking lodgesin Israel in International Symposium onthe History of Spanish Masonry, C ceres,

Spain, June 1991.2. Education as the Keyto Tolerance in European Conference ofSovereign Grand Commanders, Berlin, May

1994.3. Freemasonry in the 21st CenturyinFirst World Reunion of Grand Masters,

Mexico City, March 1995.4. Masonic Bluein International Congress of Masonic Historyand Geography, Goiania, Brazil, June 1995.5.Projection of the Values of Freemasonryin its Actions for the Benet of Society,

Inaugural lecture at the foundation of theChair of Philosophical and Masonic StudiesDr. Rene Garcia Valenzuela, University La

Rep blica, Santiago, Chile, September 1996.6.

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion inInternational Seminary on Anti-Freemasonry,Santiago, Chile, October 1997.7. The Scottish

Rite Tradition and its Present ActualityinEuropean Conference of Sovereign Grand

Commanders, Paris, May 1998.8. Presenceand Evolution of Freemasonry in the 21stCenturyin International Seminar Masonry:

Myth and Reality, University La Rep blica,

Santiago, Chile, October 1999.9. Antisemitismand Freemasonryin International Conferenceon The Historiography and Methodology inthe Study of Freemasonry, Canonbury Masonic

Research Centre, London, November 1999.10.Freemasonry and Society in the Middle

Eastin Summer Colloquium, Grand Lodge ofChile, Santiago, January 2000.11. Lookingback - Moving forwardin Philalethes AnnualConference, Washington, February 2000.12.Facing the Future of Freemasonryin

Academy of Masonic Knowledge, Grand Lodgeof Pennsylvania, October, 2000.13. Anti-

Masonry and Anti-Semitism, 9th Symposium onthe History of Spanish Masonry, Segovia, Spain,October 2000.14. Iconography of the Tracing

Boards in The Visual Arts and Freemasonry,Third International Conference, Canonbury

Masonic Research Centre, November 2001.15.Freemasonry in the Middle Eastin Grand

Lodge Valle de Mexico, Mexico City, February2002.

His illuminating articles have been posted in his web

site http://www.freemasonry.org/leonzeldis/

Please visit that site to peruse his articles.

We are very thankful to this great Masonic Scholar

for kindly permitting us to post this article in our

Publication and web site.

what he conceives to be his duties to God,to mankind, his family and his country. Heanswers the questions put to him and aftersome time he is led, always hoodwinked,into the Lodge meeting in the Temple. He isseated and questions are put to him. Whenthe Master of the Lodge decides that theLodge is sufciently informed about him,he is released and taken outside the Lodgebuilding. In the Lodge a debate about his

merits follows and the nal ballot taken. Ifthis is in his favour, the candidate receivesan invitation to attend for his Initiation.

More than one candidate can be initiatedtogether at the same meeting. Oncebecoming Entered Apprentice he becomesa full member of the Lodge, but he mayonly vote when he becomes a MasterMason. Until that moment many monthsmay pass.Generally, it takes one or two years for anInitiate to be Passed and about the sameperiod of time to be Raised. Meanwhile,

as Entered Apprentice, he is under thesupervision of the Junior Warden and, as aFellowcraft he is under the tutelage of theSenior Warden. These ofcers main dutyis precisely the masonic instruction of theiryounger brethren and they are usually freeto deal with it as best as they can. SomeLodges provide patterns or syllabuses ofinstruction but no standard rules apply.

Before Passing and Raising, all candidatesfor those Degrees should present a paper inLodge enabling the elder Brethren to judgetheir progress in masonic knowledge. It is

not meant as an examination but as a test toexamine the integration and the intellectualwork done by these new members. Ofcourse, the level of the work presented variesenormously between the Lodges accordingto the composition of the membership. Thelevel of education is never a pre-conditionfor membership, but obviously large cityLodges tend to have a high percentage ofmembers with higher education such aslawyers, bankers, engineers, doctors oruniversity professors; but some membersare artisans and tradesmen.This long process often takes ve years

or more between the original application

and the Raising and it creates among theyounger Brethren a strong attachmentto their Lodges. They discover newperspectives in symbolism and are taughtto apply the principles of Freemasonryto their daily lives. The other membersof the Lodge spend time educating theiryounger Brethren because they representthe investment in the future of the Lodgeand of Freemasonry. Symbolism plays an

important role in his process and all theelements present during the ceremoniesof the three Degrees are explained to therecipients for their future benet.

This is a general view of the education ofa young freemason who may, in somecases, be a mature or even an old man.Once he is a Master Mason he is ofteninvested with the duty of junior ofcerof the Lodge. Great variations do exist inthis respect. Some Lodges have the sameofcers for three years; others changeevery two years and some annually. Some

Lodges have 20 members and othershave 200 so their policies regarding therecruitment and training of the youngBrethren varies accordingly. But Lodgesactivities are also more extensive and formore than 150 years there existed and stillexist forums of discussion. In France andin Belgium, where political activity wasintense in the 19th century, the ritualisticpart of the activities was often reduced toa subsidiary rank.

Presently, whatever the Lodgesafliations, if social and humanitarian

subjects including environmental problemsare often presented in the lectures, purepolitics is rare. But it is known that thereare Lodges where politics play a big part.This educative role may assume anotherface. In some Belgian Lodges seminarsare given occasionally to those interestedin subjects which are not exactly masonic.These seminar groupings of anythingbetween ve and ten members of the sameLodge meet once a month in the home of amember and an expert leads the discussionon philosophy, music, arts, etc. A largenumber of Master Masons carry on theirsymbolic quest in joining the so-calledHigher Degrees. In Belgium until 1960

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1721 1826A lodge which name is lost, operatedin Istanbul, somewhere near the Galatatower, during the reign of Osman III (1703 1730). The lodge was founded probablyaround 1721 by Levantines (mainlyGenoese people) living in the towerquarters. The rst known Turkish Masonis Sait elebi, ambassador to France andlater grand vizier. The French ofcer,Count de Bonneval, after some intrigues inthe French Court during the reign of LouisXIV, emigrated to England and later cameto Turkey to reorganize the Turkish army.Count de Bonneval took a Turkish nameand became Kumbaraci Ahmet OsmanPasha. It is said that he was a mason.Another known mason in this period isIbrahim Mteferrika, who together withSait elebi, started the rst printing pressused by Muslim subjects of the OttomanEmpire. (The Christians and Jews alreadyhad their own printing presses).

10 years after the excommunication offreemasonry by Clement XII in 1748,Mahmud II came under the pressure fromhis Christian subjects and also the Muslimclergy to take similar action. It was thoughtthat the Pope would not charge a fraternitywith atheism in vain, and freemasonrywas outlawed in the Ottoman Empire. AnEnglish lodge was sacked by the police,but as the British ambassador gave noticein due time, the list of members had beenrescued. In the Vatican archives, there is aletter by the Pope congratulating the FrenchCardinal Tencin, and wishing that the samecould be done in Naples.

According to Gould, Alexander Drummond,the British Consul in Aleppo, had beenappointed as District Grand Master for theOrient by the Grand Lodge of England.Later in 1764, Dr. Dionysios Menassehad been appointed District Grand Masterfor Asiatic Turkey and Armenia. In 1786a second charter had been given by the

Lodge Saint Jean dEcosse in Marseillesto the Lodge Saint Jean dEcosse des

Nations Runies in Izmir. The rst charterhaving been lost during the great Izmir re.According to the correspondence, this lodgehad been consecrated after 1751 and before1778, and was closed in 1826. In the lastdecade of the eighteenth century, Selim IIIsmother, Nakshidil Sultan happened to bethe cousin of Josephine, Napolons wife.Under her inuence, lodges from differentobediences prospered in the OttomanEmpire. However in 1826, MahmutII abolished the Janissaries to create amodern army and outlawed the order of theBektashis to which they belonged. Thus itwas possible to describe Freemasonry as akind of Bektashism, and as a consequenceit was also closed and the known Freemasonswere sent into exile.

1826 1856Mustafa Reshit Pasha, Grand Vizier, hadpromulgated the Reform Edict of 1839. Itis said that he had been initiated while hewas Ambassador in London although noevidence has been found for his Initiation.His lodge is not known and as there wereno family names in usage at that time.Thus any search for the names of Reshit andMustafa could be anyone of that name (thepractice of having xed names for familieswas only introduced by Kemal Ataturk inthe twentieth century). His good friendthe British Ambassador in Istanbul, LordReading, was however a known freemason.

After 1839, with the unofcial permissionby the Grand Vizier, freemasonry underwenta slow revival in Turkey.

The Crimean WarThe arrival of British, French andPiemontise expeditionary forces anddiplomats in Istanbul and Izmir in 1856 ledto an explosion of lodges under a variety ofobediences. In 1857 the short-lived GrandeLoge de Turquie was founded in Izmir bythe Grand Orient of France. After the endof the Crimean War, with the departureof foreigners, this grand lodge came to an

end.

T H E H I S T O R Y O F F R E E M A S O N R Y I N T U R K E YCelil Layiktez

constituted and recognised by Englandin December 1979. It is the only regularmasonic body in Belgium, but there are twoLodges, in Brussels and Antwerp, workingunder Warrants from the Grand Lodgeof Scotland. There are also a FdrationBelge du Droit Humain and a Grande LogeFeminine de Belgique similar to their Frenchcounterparts. Some of the distinguishingcharacteristics of these bodies and of those

found in Italy, Switzerland, Spain and todayin some eastern European countries aresimilar.

In the Netherlands only the Groot Oostder Nederlanden, which is in amitywith England, has any importance. InGermany the Vereinigde Grosse Loge vonDeutschland, also in amity with England,has ve subsidiary Grand Lodges:Die DreiWeltkugel (The Three Globes) using a oldGerman ritual, the Freimaurer Orderen furDeutschlandwhich works the Swedish rite.Both were originally part of the old Prussian

Grand Lodges until 1933. The AFAM is thelargest Grand Lodge and there are also anAmerican-Canadian Grand Lodge and aBritish Grand Lodge whose members aremostly afliated to the former Occupationarmies and the civilian services attached tothem. In Europe the Lodges meet at leastonce a month except in the holiday monthsof July and August. Some have twicemonthly or even weekly meetings. Theymeet in dedicated buildings approved by theGrand Lodges.

These are owned either by the Grand Lodges

or by the local Lodges. A few Lodgesmeet in hotels or restaurants where theyhave access to discreet and secure rooms.Some premises are large and magnicentbuildings. Others are converted garagestransformed by the members of the Lodges.Catering facilities are essential becausethe meals and banquets are an integralpart of the development of fellowship. Theno solicitation rule in force in English-speaking Freemasonry is unknown inEurope. On the contrary, applications thatare not supported by masonic sponsors arerare and sometimes are seen as suspect andmay even be refused. This is due to the longfeud between freemasonry and the Catholic

Church, in many European countries. Noxed rules exist concerning the contactsand probably most candidates discuss thematter with Brethren who disclose theirmasonic afliations and introduce themto the Craft. Once a candidate decidesto apply for Initiation he must normallyhave two sponsors. Both should beregular members of the Lodge and theyare supposed to assist him in his masonic

progress.

The Committee of the Lodge examinesthe application and transmits it ofciallyto the Grand Lodge. Then begins a longinvestigating procedure. A candidate hasto provide references of persons who knowhim and who are likely to be members ofthe Craft. In France a certicate issued bythe municipality and stating that he hasnot committed any criminal offence isrequired. A number of investigators areappointed by the Lodge. They visit thecandidate, if possible in his home where

they usually have a conversation withhis wife. This may sound curious butmaintaining happiness in a marriage isimportant and some wives may not like theabsences of their spouses, or in some casesthey may have objection to Freemasonrybecause of their Catholic upbringing. Eachinvestigator prepares a report that is readin the Lodge but without revealing thename of the respective author. A debateregarding the merits of the particularcandidate is followed by a rst ballot. Acandidate is then often invited to meet theCommittee of the Lodge. He has there and

then an opportunity to explain his motivesfor applying to join the Craft.

In many Lodges the next step is aninvitation for the candidate to attend avery special meeting. He presents himselfat the door of the building. He is then ledblindfolded into a small darkened roomwith a small table and a chair. This roomis called le cabinet de rexion or themeditation room. It is decorated withemblems of death, a skull, salt and otherimplements. He is invited to write hisphilosophical last Will and Testament.Standard questions are put to him on a sheetof paper on the table. He is asked to write

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The creation of an irregular Irish GrandLodge: In 1856 Captain Atkinson, anIrish ofcer in the 47th British Regiment,claiming to possess an Irish warrant createdthree lodges in Izmir and then The GrandLodge of the Ancient and HonourableFraternity of Free and Accepted Masonsof Turkey. (The constitution of thisGrand Lodge is in the Irish archives). Thiswas however a fraudulent commercial

enterprise - Atkinson initiated some 200masons and then disappeared with thefunds.

The creation of the District Grand Lodgeof Turkey (English Constitution) Theirregular masons started to visit or joinEnglish and French lodges. There wasliterally a panic in London and in a swiftmove, the Grand Master, Lord Zetlandordered the foundation of the ProvincialGrand Lodge of Turkey, in Istanbul. Therst Provincial Grand Master being theBritish Ambassador Sir Henry Bulwer.

The consecration ceremony taking placeon the 24th June 1862 in the Embassy.The Supreme Council of Turkey (1861)The founder (1861) and rst SovereignCommander of the Scottish Rite in Turkey(1864) was Prince Abdlhalim Pasha,or shortly, Halim Pasha, Brother of theKhedive (Governor of Egypt, then part ofthe Ottoman Empire). Halim Pasha wasuncle of the Khedive Ismail Pasha underwhose rule the Suez Channel had beenopened. Halim Pasha was also GrandMaster of the Provincial Grand Lodge of

Egypt (English Constitution). In 1869 thisSupreme Council was recognised by theAmerican Southern Jurisdiction.

The extinction of the Provincial GrandLodge of Turkey In 1869 Lord Bulwerhad been recalled to London and at thesame time Halim Pasha was in exile inIstanbul. Having good relations with theSultan, he was proposed as ProvincialGrand Master. But as his prociency ofthe English language was insufcient, anAmerican, John Peter Brown, Secretary atthe American Embassy and known writer

and researcher of the Islamic mysticismwas elected in his place.

Hyde Clark, the P.D. Regional G.M. in aletter to a Bro. Harvey (I could not readhis family name) in London, proposes thatthere would be simultaneously two GrandMasters. This proposition was not carriedon for obvious reasons. After Brown, BroStephen Scouloudi was elected GrandMaster in 1873. The Provincial GrandLodge was run inefciently; dues werenot or could not be collected. Thus in 1884

when Scouloudi resigned, no one waselected in his place. At that time there werefour English Lodges in Istanbul and sevenin Izmir.

Lodges at the end of the 19th Century Atthe end of the nineteenth and beginningof the twentieth centuries, there werein total 11 English, 7 Scottish, 2 Irish, 1Polish, 2 Spanish, 5 German, 15 Italian,2 Greek, 6 French and 1 Hungarianlodges - plus a few chapters attached tothe English, Scottish and Irish lodges inIstanbul, Izmir and Thessalonica alone.

{There were many lodges in the rest ofthe big cities of the Empire too (in theprovinces of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine,Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia andalso in different cities of Anatolia) butas they were not relevant to the creationof the Grand Lodge of Turkey, I did notinclude them in this study.

Constitutional MonarchyThree sons of Sultan Abdulmedjit, thePrinces Murat (later Sultan Murat V) andtwo of his brothers, Nurettin and Kemalettinhad been initiated in the French Lodge

Prodoos. Five Grand Viziers, includingMidhat Pasha who masterminded the rstConstitutional Monarchic regime, Turkishambassadors to European countries andforeign ambassadors to Turkey, famousfreedom writers and poets were membersof this lodge. Louis Amiable, FrenchLawyer and politician, writer of the historyof the Lodge les Neufs Soeurs cradleof the Encyclopedists in Paris beforethe Revolution, was the Orator of theLodge. (He was in Istanbul on contract toreorganize the Turkish Bar Association).After the suicide (?) of Sultan Abdulaziz,

Prince Murat acceded to the throne on the30th May 1876, but due to a mental illness,

de France is irregular, but the Groot Oost(Great East) of the Netherlands is regular.The Grand Orient de France took its nameafter the foundation of the National GrandLodge of France in 1773, and originally thewords designated its seat of power, Paris.Since the old Grande Loge de France stillexisted then, the new name was adoptedgenerally.

Another important factor is the almost totaldisappearance of Freemasonry in Europebefore, during and after World War II.Freemasonry was forbidden under theCommunist and Fascist dictatorships beforethe War and this was, of course, extendedto the occupied countries. In most countriesfreemasons were patriots and opposed theenemy. Even when the German secretpolice did not systematically prosecutethem, the lives of any freemasons arrestedfor any offence, or if their eventual Jewishorigin was known, they were at great risk.In France, the lists of freemasons published

in the Ofcial Gazette were used to expelcivil servants from the State Service and toexclude Brethren from many professions.The myth of the Judeo-Masonic-Communistplot causing the defeat of France in 1940became an ofcial doctrine of the Ptainregime.

The interruption of masonic activities fromve to nearly fty years, as in the formerCommunist-dominated countries, created avacuum, which even today is not yet fullylled. Most of the facts mentioned in thispaper relate to masonic practices in France

and Belgium and, as far as the presentwriter is aware, they apply more or less tomost Grand Lodges in the other Europeancountries. In France the Grande LogeNationale Franaise is the only regularbody in amity with the United Grand Lodgeof England. It accepts only men and a beliefin a Supreme Being is the essential conditionfor membership. Its Lodges work accordingto different rites: the Ancient and AcceptedScottish Rite, the Scottish Rectied Rite, theModern French Rite, the York Rite and theEmulation working of the English Rite.The Grande Loge Nationale Franaise has

over 1000 Lodges and 28,000 members.

The GrandOrient de France is the oldestpermanent masonic body in France andhas never been recognised by the UnitedGrand Lodge of England. In 1877 itdropped the references to the Deity in itsConstitution and lost nearly all its foreignmasonic relations. It has circa 45,000members and over 1,000 Lodges in Franceand overseas. The third body is the GrandLoge de France, which rose from the

Craft Lodges working under the SupremeCouncil of France at the end of the 19thcentury. It is irregular and not recognisedby the United Grand Lodge of England. Itstill has very strong ties with the SupremeCouncil of France and authorises dualmembership with the Grand Orient deFrance.

The Droit Humain, known in Englandunder the denomination of Co-Masonry,accepts both men and women as members.Its peculiarity lies in the fact it is theunique universal masonic body. Legally

each of its national bodies is one memberof the Central Federation whose seat is inParis. Their membership and number ofLodges are not known. The most recentlyestablished body is the Grande LogeFeminine deFrance, whose origins are theancient Adoption Lodges working underthe protection of the Supreme Council ofFrance. They became an independent bodyafter World War II. Obviously they haveonly women as members. The estimatedglobal membership of all these bodiesis circa 100,000. There are also manysplinter groups issued by secession from

one of the main bodies and the membersof these bodies are barred from regularLodges. Regular freemasons may not visittheir Lodges. The situation is more orless similar in Belgium, where the oldestand largest body is the Grand Orient deBelgique. The Grande Loge deBelgiqueseceded from it in 1959 to re-establishregular Freemasonry in the country.Recognition from the United GrandLodge of England was obtained in 1975but, unfortunately, had to be withdrawn inJune 1979 because of some irregularity inmasonic practices. Therefore, the Regular

Grand Lodge of Belgium was immediately



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was deposed three months later andhis brother Abdulhamit was enthroned,but only after bargaining with Bro.Midhat Pasha, and promising to start theconstitutional process. He was not long togo back on his promise. On the 5th February1878 Abdulhamit sent Grand Vizier Bro.Midhat Pasha into exile in various places,but nally to Taif (port city of Yemen,then a province of the Ottoman Empire)

arranging his death by poisoning there.On the 13th February 1878 Abdulhamitadjourned the parliament indenitely,starting a period of absolute despotism,which lasted 30 years. Cleanti Scalieri,W.M. of the Lodge Prodoos plotted abloody but unsuccessful kidnapping ofMurat V from the Ciragan Palace, torestore him on the throne. (Articles on thesubject by Bro. Rizopoulos and myself inthe Ars Quatuor Coronatorum Volumes104 and 107 respectively

A Masonic political party: Union and

Progress, created according to the modelof the Carbonaries in Italy.After the model of Young Italians, YoungGermans and Young Swiss, the YoungTurks organized in Paris with the aim ofbringing back the constitutional monarchy.But the Young Turks talked a lot but didnot act. Five freemason, military studentsin the faculty of medicine started arevolutionary party that later took the nameof Union and Progress. Their model wasthe Italian quasi-masonic revolutionarysociety, the Carbonaries. In the secondhalf of the nineteenth century, the main

European powers had obtained animmunity for their subjects living in theOttoman Empire. This immunity systemwas called capitulations. The Turkishpolice did not have the right to search ahouse belonging to a foreign subject.Thus the members of Union and Progressin Thessalonica were able to plot theirrevolution in Italian, French and Spanishlodges gathering in houses belonging toforeigners. To get around the Capitulations,the police organized a robbery in thetemple of the lodge Macedonia Risorta,were the archives were kept, to obtain

the members lists, but a Freemason inthe police force tipped off the Worshipful

Master of the lodge in time. The frustratedpolicemen took revenge on the furniture ofthe temple. The police tried also to harassthe members by waiting in the street forthem to leave the building.

Abdulhamit and FreemasonsAbdulhamit knew very well whatfreemasonry was about. As stated above,three of his brothers were Freemasons.

The princes Kemalettin and Nurettin werein line for the throne. Most of the Europeanpowers were governed by Freemasonkings and ministers. For these reasons,Abdulhamit did not want to alienate theFreemasons. Therefore, while persecutingthe lodge members of the Italian, Frenchand Spanish lodges in Thessalonica, hegave large donations to the charity effortsof English Lodges in Istanbul.

He even planned the creation of a GrandLodge in Istanbul, of which he would bethe Grand Master. This lodge would act

as a senate, assembling the leaders of thedifferent warring communities in Istanbul,(mainly Turkish intellectuals, the membersof the Italian, Levantine, Greek, Armenianand Jewish communities). This project wasnever realised but shows the intricacies ofthe way Abdulhamits mind worked.

The Second Constitutional MonarchyA great number of high ranking ofcerswere Freemasons and as well as beingmembers of the Union and Progress Party,low ranking ofcers were not requiredto become Freemasons to be accepted

into the Union and Progress Party, butthey hoped to get a quicker promotion ifthey would be initiated rst. The actionof the Union and Progress Party, and itsthreat to invade Istanbul with the armiesstationed in Thrace, obliged Abdulhamitto promulgate once more a ConstitutionalMonarchy on the 23rd July 1908. Thereaction was not long to come. On the31st March 1909 the fundamentaliststook control of Istanbul. The Freemasonsin Thrace, mainly from Thessalonica,organised an army of reservists. Almostall ofcers were freemasons. There were

too many ofcers so some actually joinedthe expeditionary force as simple soldiers.

European Lodges in general favour aboveall intellectual work. The nature and importof symbolism and philosophy in general aremajor subjects, while the irregular Lodgeshave a tendency to study and sometimesupport social causes from environmentalproblems to the Third World needs. Themanagement of the Lodges, the examinationof the candidates les, the examination ofthe candidates as described occupy longevenings leaving less and less time fordegree work. But for the young men joiningFreemasonry this opens two challenges.

On the human side, there is the challengeof integrating themselves in a very specialsociety which assemble on the Levelpersons of different ages and socialconditions. On the intellectual side thereis the challenge to learn how to expressones concepts concisely and briey onsubjects that are new to them and especiallyMasonic symbolism. If the Masonic workpleases them and they enjoy it, they talkabout it to their friends and incite them toapply to Initiation. Good young Freemasonscontribute to the growth of Freemasonryas the moral inuence of the Craft radiatesthrough their personalities.

The success of the growth of EuropeanFreemasonry does not depend on changewithin the Craft, but in having happy andprosperous Lodges with a large numberof young enthusiastic Brethren. August1999 Michel L Brodsky A global view ofMasonic membership in Western Europe

is difcult to embrace, so this paper willendeavour to describe the main trendswithin part of Europe only. One of the mainobstacles lies in the impossibility to obtainaccurate gures concerning membership andthereby calculate growth ratios. In nearlyall European countries different groups ofFreemasons share Masonic authority. Eachclaims exclusive authority and regularitywithin its country. There is, however, onlyone Grand Lodge in Norway, in Icelandand in Sweden. Elsewhere fragmentation ofthe Masonic phenomenon originates eitherfrom historical reasons as in Germany or

from the different approaches to the basicprinciples of Freemasonry as in France,

Belgium, Italy, etc. In 1877, the GrandOrient de France abolished all referencesto the Deity in its Constitution. They werereplaced by a formula called the totalliberty of conscience. The Grand Orientde Belgique preceded this move in 1872.Other Masonic bodies in Italy, Switzerlandand elsewhere followed this example withvariable success. A similar situation nowoccurs in the east European countrieswhere Freemasonry was only recentlypermitted by law. There are a numberof Grand Lodges founded after 1900 inwhich men and women are members onan equal footing. Similarly, since the endof World War II,

Grand Lodges that are open to womenalone were instituted in a few countries.All of these bodies differ for manyreasons, although within particularcountries they are very similar in terms ofMasonic customs and practices. The maindifference lies between the Grand Lodgesrecognised by the United Grand Lodge ofEngland and the others.

The former are usually called regular, theothers are called irregular. Whether thisis semantically correct is questionable. Inpresent day practice the words regularand irregular describe their ofcialconnections with the United Grand Lodgeof England, and do not reect on theirregularity of origin. In daily life, it meansthat members of the regular GrandLodges do not visit irregular Lodges

and the regular Lodges do not admitas visitors the members of the irregularGrand Lodges.

In each country all Lodges share a commonnational culture and the same languages.Usually their origin may be traced to oneoriginal Grand Lodge. Often, the ritualsthey use have a common origin. TheirRegulations show similarities and theyshare many social habits. Freemasonswithin one family may be membersof different Grand Lodges. To dispelconfusion, it may be useful to state that the

words Grand Orient and Grande Logehave the same meaning. The Grand Orient ContinuedONp

age12



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The army recaptured Istanbul from thefundamentalists, there were bloodybattles and hangings, and Abdulhamit wasdethroned by a committee of ve deputies,all of them Freemasons. As a result of allthis, Freemasons became the target for thehatred of fundamentalist Islam.

The Masonic StateAccording to the French historian Thierry

Zarcone, the period from 1908 to 1918could be called The Masonic State.The Union and Progress Party in powerused freemasonry in its foreign relations.Deputations of mason parliamentarianswent to Italy, France, Hungary andGermany. The Freemason deputiesclaimed that with their effort, democracy,that is the French slogan of liberty, equalityand fraternity, was prevailing now inTurkey and that the European powersshould be of assistance. The Albanianshad revolted against the Ottoman ruleand the Italian parliament was about to

vote an aid program for the rebels. Afterthe intervention of the Grand Lodge ofTurkey, the Italian Freemasons in theparliament were effective and the motionfailed to be carried.

Eleven months later, at the end of 1911,after Italys expedition to Libya (whichwas Ottoman territory at that time), thesame scenario was repeated, but naturallythis time the Grand Orient of Italy couldnot act against its own government. Inanswer to the letter from the Grand Lodgeof Turkey, the Grand Master issued a very

general statement on the 29th September1911 (Per lImpresso di Tripoli, RivistaMassonica, 1911, No. 15-16) and therelations between the Italian And TurkishGrand Lodges were severely affected.

The Creation of the Grand Lodge of Turkey(Ottoman Grand Orient) On the 3rd March1909, the dormant Supreme Council ofTurkey (1861) was revived. This SupremeCouncil rst consecrated 4 Turkish lodges.These 4 lodges plus 3 Italian, 2 French,1 Spanish and 2 Egyptian lodges (Oneof them, Resne, English Constitution)

assembled to form the Grand Lodge ofTurkey on the 13th July 1909, and elected

its rst Grand Master, the Minister of theInterior Mehmet Talat S. Pasha, who laterbecame Grand Vizier (Prime Minister).This Grand Lodge was consecrated by theSupreme Council.

The closing of lodges in 1935This Grand Lodge gave charters to a totalof 66 lodges, mainly in Turkey but alsoin Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Greece, Lebanon

and Palestine. In 1935, the year whenFreemasonry decided to hibernate, 6ministers, the President of the Parliament,more than 60 deputies and many stategovernors, were Freemasons. Ataturksprivate doctor, M. Kemal Oke, was aPast Grand Master. In 1935 the English,Germans and Russians transformed Turkeyinto a vast stage for propaganda andespionage. The Nazi propaganda machinewas also stressing the Judeo-Masonicdanger. The Ministry of the Interior, SukruKaya, a 33 Scottish Rite Mason, in orderto curb these activities passed a law from

parliament closing all clubs and societies.Freemasonry was not mentioned in thetext, but the minister warned his brothersthat it would be wiser to stop the activity ofFreemasonry by its own free will. Thatshow things happened and the reasonwhy Freemasonry was able to recover itsbuildings after the war.

All lodges did not close. The SupremeCouncil continued its activity behindclosed doors, even chartered 3 new lodges.Craft lodges met at the homes of brothers.The police showed a knowing tolerance

to all this, with the tacit approval of thePresident of the Republic Ismet Inonu,who even gave a little nancial aid to theSupreme Council. The awakening (1948)Turkey wanted to be accepted by the U.N.The Turkish diplomats were told thatTurkey was not a democratic nation andthat even Freemasonry was closed, as itwas in all the totalitarian regimes.The President approached his personaldoctor, Supreme Grand Master M. KemalOke, the same doctor who looked afterKemal Ataturk, and told him that the timeto resume ofcial working had come.

In 1948 lodges, under the SupremeCouncil, started to labour in Istanbul and

After the Treaty of Vienna in 1814-15,Freemasonry was perceived by the veryconservative regimes as a hotbed ofrevolutionaries or secret societies. It is truethat some freemasons belonged to secretsocieties that were intent at the overthrowof the regimes, but they were simply wormswithin a healthy apple. A general trendappeared to have used Lodges time toexamine the status of citizens, propagating

what they thought was freemasons duty tobe involved in the improvement of society.The charitable and convivial English typeof Freemasonry was slowly and surelyreplaced by a pattern where the duty ofFreemasonry was to act as a lever or amotor for the good of the citizens. Politicswere not very far away!

In the 19th century the main cause of theinvolvement of European Freemasonryin politics originated from the actionsof the Catholic Church. Renewing thecondemnation of the previous century,the Church was no longer hindered inits action by the all-powerful monarchsof France and Austria. It engaged anauthentic war against the Masonic Order.The main ammunition was prepared by twofamous authors: LAbb Augustin Barruel(1741-1820) in French and Professor JohnRobison (1739-1805) of the University ofEdinburgh. Their books (Memoires pourservir a lHistoire du Jacobinisme, 4 vols.and Proofs of a Conspiracy against all theReligions and Governments of Europe)were both published in 1797 and bundledtogether Freemasonry and the Order ofthe Illuminati, accusing them of collusionto plot the French Revolution. To defendthemselves and their liberal social valuesthe freemasons had to counterattack.Therefore they had to convince their ownmembers of their innocence. That waseasy! Then they had to convert them tosupport such projects as universal freeeducation for all children and the generalimprovement of the people of the country.Finally, they had to resort to politicalaction. Without important modicationof the inner working of the Lodge, a new

system of instruction was introduced forthe benet of the members. In France and

in Belgium the practice of the ritual wasnever considered important enough towarrant the memorisation of the texts.Reading the rituals is still today normal inthe majority of the Lodges. And, as timebecame available, other meetings wereused for lectures or conferences. Initially,they would cover educational or scienticsubjects. Then ethical questions took overand the sense of social responsibility

evoked. This led to plain politics!

One should realise that in France, until theend of the reign of Napoleon III in 1870,all political discussions, whether in publicor private meetings, were banned and onlyGovernment newspapers were authorised.In France, after the Franco-German Warof 1870, a period of seven years followedbefore the Third Republic was nallysecured, ag

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