F.Y.I.
Post date: Aug 30, 2011 8:58:29 PM
Three hundred years ago there was a close relationship and a significant common membership between the Royal Society and Fraternity of Free-Masons.
The Royal Society has remained true to its purpose: the study of Natural Science.
It published Newton, Franklin, and Darwin.
And when Einstein showed that Newton's Physics was not entirely accurate, no one tried to suppress the new insights with invocations of fraudulent "landmarks".
The Royal Society has advanced humanity's understanding over the past 300 years.
"Professor Uta Frith FRS, Chair of the Royal Society library committee, said: “I’m delighted that the Royal Society is continuing to increase access to its wonderful resources by opening up its publishing archives."
Professor Frith would not be welcome as a member of "Regular" Freemasonry today, because of those "landmarks".
Canonbury Masonic Research Centre
The GLCPO - Brock University Partnership Project
The GLCPO web site announcement:
http://grandlodge.on.ca/framesBrockProject.htm
The Sankey Lectures
http://sankeylectures.ca/lectures.html
The 2011 Committee Report (excerpt from the Preliminary Proceendigs)
[The official report is in the GLCPO Proceedings]
. . .
The Brock University Partnership Committee was newly formed this year. The mandate of the Committee is as follows:
To establish and maintain a relationship between the Grand Lodge of Canada and Brock University that will:
Perpetuate the Sankey Collection of Masonic literature and artefacts
Promote accessibility to Masonic literature for the use of students of Freemasonry and other interested parties
Jointly establish a series of annual lectures by world renowned and local Masonic scholars with an option for periodic multi-day conferences
Create and support a Brock University/Grand Lodge endowment fund to financially assist students in the study of Masonry with funding supplied by Grand Lodge
Encourage the Masons of Ontario to donate funds through the Masonic Foundation of Ontario to support the Brock University/Grand Lodge endowment fund
The partnership will also encourage active participation by Grand Lodge and Brock University in the staging and promotion of special Masonic related events mutually beneficial to both parties, such as, but not limited to:
the 2015 International Conference on the History of Freemasonry
In addition to the above, the partnership will pursue the long term goal of establishing an endowed Chair for Masonic Studies at Brock University.
To meet this mandate, the Committee worked on the following aspects during the past year:
The second lecture in Charles A. Sankey Lecture Series took place on Sunday March 20, 2011. Dr. Jessica Harland-Jacobs, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Florida, Gainsville was the guest lecturer. The lecture was very well attended with over 380 in attendance, although 450 tickets were reserved through the Brock University box-office. . . .
Sankey Lecture Website: We have completed the development and launch of the new website for the Sankey Lectures. ... There is a twofold purpose to the site. First to provide information about current lectures as well as an archive of previous lectures. The video of the first lecture given by Dr. Önnerfors has been posted on the site as well as the presentation by David Sharron, Head of Special Collections and Archives in the James A. Gibson Library, Brock University. The video of the second lecture is being edited and will be posted on the website by the end of June, 2011.
Future Sankey Lectures: We are currently in discussions with Brock regarding potential speakers for future years. 2012 is a special year for Brock University and the Niagara area as it is the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812. We are looking to tie this into the topic for next year. The success of the second lecture allows to us review the timing, promotion and other aspects of the lecture series to improve future lectures.
International Conference on the History of Freemasonry (ICHF): In October 2010, the Grand Master along with Committee members Gareth Taylor, Dale Graham and Charles Reid with met with Ewan Rutherford and Andrew Mushet from ICHF and Tom Arkell, Director of Community and Ancillary Services, and Norman Bradshaw, Senior Major Gifts Officer in the Faculty of Humanities, Brock University to discuss the possibility of hosting the 2015 ICHF conference at Brock. The 2011 conference is in Alexandria, Virginia, May 27-May 30. The Grand Master has indicated that our Grand Lodge is committed to hosting in 2015. Further discussions and negotiations are ongoing with the ICHF organizers as well as Brock University for 2015.
During Committee meetings, the longer term goals of the partnership with Brock were discussed as well as possible mechanisms for funding of the initiative at Brock.
Respectfully and fraternally submitted on behalf of the Committee, M.W. Bro. William Pellow, R.W. Bros. Alan Arbuckle, Patrick McGrenere and Charles Reid and V.W. Bros. Dale Graham and Iain Wates.
Gareth R. Taylor
Chairman
Georgia (USA) Mason is accused of Violating the Laws of Masonry by allowing a "non-white" man to become a Mason.
"The said Worshipful Master M_ J. B_ knowingly and willfully did allow a raising of a non-white man in February 2009, which has never been done working under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the state of Georgia. According to the old customs of the Grand Lodge of the state of Georgia which has existed continuously since February 21, 1734." ...
"did commit act or acts of destroying peace and harmony throughout the Craft of Masonry in the state of Georgia" (*)
(*) "Peace and Harmony" is defined in Mackey's Encyclopedia:
-- H.L. Haywood: "Peace and Harmony" in
Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Kindred Sciences, Supplement, p1331 1966
[A Georgia Mason recently expressed this view in a public forum: "There is nothing in the masonic code of Georgia that stops a black man from petitioning a lodge. What does stop him is the ballot box and that is a private thing with any brother that cast a ballot. We are admonished to not recommend a man unless we know or have reason to know that he be a member that will not disturb the peace and harmony of a lodge. That being the case, no one is permitted to ask how any brother cast his ballot nor why. Georgia in not a racist state, at least as far as the white masons are concerned."]
[Readers are urged to read the full story and refrain from jumping to conclusions.]
Update:
Royal Society meets Civil Society
The Royal Society has today announced that its world-famous historical journal archive – which includes the first ever peer-reviewed scientific journal – has been made permanently free to access online."