Richard George wrote:Whilst it's a good idea, the problem as I see it is verifying the legitimacy of members. Whilst some of us may be able to verify the legitimacy of UGLE members - and probably Scots can do the same, what about other Constitutions? Who would be happy answering some of the questions that may arise via PM that could be regarded as a violation of Obligations?
As I've told members of the forum, too many times no doubt, that I hail from British Columbia. Officially the
Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. We use four rituals, unlike our American cousins who are saddled with one only and it has to be word-perfect and they understand little of it''s history as each state uses its own brand of most the Webb-Preston ritual. A ritual taken from William Preston's work and Americanised after the War of Independece. Some of the original 13 colonies kept their own rituals.
Now for those that have beared with me so far will see that things went okay for the USA until about 1820 when the Morgan affair occured. Many many many Lodges had to close down. They even had an Anti-Masonic Party run and fielded a canadidate one year for President. The American masons deciided something must be done, so they didn't let any mason beccome a member until he was raised. (In either 1843 or 1848 {senility is fun with numbers and last names]. Of course after the gold rush in Californnia in '49, our American cousins looked Northward to the gold fields of British Colunbia and the Klondike, which was a hardy trek with no roads, railways and the many rapids of the Fraser River)
Onto BC & Y. One of our four rituals was American rite, although it was called many different names throughout the years: Ancient, Scotch, York, Anccient York etc.
Since I've been I,P, & R'd the rules have changed here. Now we can open in any degree as the two traditional Lodges I presently belong to, always have. In my day the only time I was allowed into a Lodge-room was for the the Three Degrees of Craft Masonry bestowed on me. After being raised I could visit any Lodge I wished to,
After that long-winded introduction; one of the spots I found on the Internet before I was raised that I considered to give legit advice, history, philosopy and proper floor-work (depending on the individual lodge of course) was LodgeRoomUK. And so my brethren, companions, Fraters etc; I am one mason that learned or was directed to the proper books to read on the huge subject of Freemasonry, BTW the MM-only rule stayed in BC & Y for several years afterwards, but I still consider myself a mason that was mentored on the Internet by the sole trust I had in some former and some present members of the Craft that use this A-1 source.
If it wasn't for this forum and several other sites I would never have gone through the chairs and become a PM of the only strict Emulation Lodge that remains on the BC Lower Mainland or asked by the WMGM to sit as a DDGM (District Deputy Grand Master) this year. 17 days to go.
PS: Never confuse Canadian Lodges or Grand Jurisdictions with those South of us.