This 19th century Masonic powder horn, made from cow horn, is going under the hammer at Bonhams on August 20 with an estimate of £200-£300.
The brass circular lid is engraved with thistles and centred with a compass and divider motif and 'Pr Kay'.
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Powder Horn
The brass circular lid is engraved with thistles and centred with a compass and divider motif and 'Pr Kay'.
Friday, 17 July 2009
Masons Jailed in "sorcery" Outrage
This from the New Zealand Herald, as reported across the world.
A New Zealand man spent a "wretched" night in a Fiji prison cell after frightened residents and police raided his Freemasons meeting, suspecting witchcraft and sorcery.
The man, who didn't want to be named, blamed "dopey village people" for the raid in which 14 members of the Freemasons Lodge of Lautoka were herded into police cars and jailed for the night.
Police also seized lodge paraphernalia, including wands, compasses and a skull.
Yesterday, the man told the Herald that Tuesday night's meeting was "interrupted by a banging on the door and there were these village people and the police demanding to be let in".
Nothing sinister had been going on but "such is the nature of life in Fiji" they were taken to a nearby police station, he said.
The Masons were told nothing of the allegations against them, but were warned that under Fiji's emergency decree, they could be jailed for 48 hours without charge.
The lodge secretary showed police a copy of the permit allowing the meeting, but was told the permit was not the problem.
The commanding police officer then disappeared, leaving the 14 men to spend the night in the cells.
"It was hot and wasn't very comfortable, because there was nowhere to lie down," the man said. "The officers who were guarding us were pleasant, though, chatting away to us."
At 8.30am yesterday, an officer let them go, saying the Prime Minister's office had ordered they be released.
The man said he was outraged that overly suspicious villagers had been able to convince police to "totally abuse their power".
He said the police should have told the villagers to calm down.
"The stupidity is overwhelming. Virtually unlimited power is placed in the hands of bungling police, who have no judgment or sense of balance, so, at the whim of an uneducated villager, 14 senior members of society had to spend a night locked up."
A police spokesman said the men were arrested because police had been tipped off that a meeting was being held and there were "some strange goings-on".
A New Zealand man spent a "wretched" night in a Fiji prison cell after frightened residents and police raided his Freemasons meeting, suspecting witchcraft and sorcery.
The man, who didn't want to be named, blamed "dopey village people" for the raid in which 14 members of the Freemasons Lodge of Lautoka were herded into police cars and jailed for the night.
Police also seized lodge paraphernalia, including wands, compasses and a skull.
Yesterday, the man told the Herald that Tuesday night's meeting was "interrupted by a banging on the door and there were these village people and the police demanding to be let in".
Nothing sinister had been going on but "such is the nature of life in Fiji" they were taken to a nearby police station, he said.
The Masons were told nothing of the allegations against them, but were warned that under Fiji's emergency decree, they could be jailed for 48 hours without charge.
The lodge secretary showed police a copy of the permit allowing the meeting, but was told the permit was not the problem.
The commanding police officer then disappeared, leaving the 14 men to spend the night in the cells.
"It was hot and wasn't very comfortable, because there was nowhere to lie down," the man said. "The officers who were guarding us were pleasant, though, chatting away to us."
At 8.30am yesterday, an officer let them go, saying the Prime Minister's office had ordered they be released.
The man said he was outraged that overly suspicious villagers had been able to convince police to "totally abuse their power".
He said the police should have told the villagers to calm down.
"The stupidity is overwhelming. Virtually unlimited power is placed in the hands of bungling police, who have no judgment or sense of balance, so, at the whim of an uneducated villager, 14 senior members of society had to spend a night locked up."
A police spokesman said the men were arrested because police had been tipped off that a meeting was being held and there were "some strange goings-on".
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Tick tock
This trianglular clock is up for auction at George Kidner of Lymington, Hants, on July 23, with an estimate of up to £500.
The catalogue description reads: "A Swiss silver cased masonic triangular pocket watch, the mother-o`-pearl face with masonic symbols replacing numerals and the legend `Love your fellow man, lend him a helping hand`, the movement signed `Schwab & Brandt` and numbered 885, the case with relief decoration of masonic symbols."
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Masonic Race Row
This from Atlanta, Georgia.
There are a few prerequisites for anyone applying to be a Freemason: You must be a man, you can't be a slave, you must have good character and you must have faith in a supreme being.
Those broad rules have allowed some of the more progressive chapters in the centuries-old fraternal organization, such as Atlanta's Gate City Lodge No. 2, to fill their ranks with diverse members.
The chapter's leaders say that racial harmony was threatened recently when other Freemasons sought to revoke the lodge's charter for allowing Victor Marshall, who is black, to join up. The dispute has drawn the normally secretive group into a rare public battle.
The chapter sued the Grand Lodge of Georgia on June 18, claiming the charges are based on "racial animosity and hatred" and violate the organization's principles.
"I hope we'll be victorious and that Freemasonry will come out in a more powerful light," said Marshall, a 26-year-old Army reservist. "But of course sometimes the bad side can overwhelm the good side."
As with other fraternal and exclusive organizations, race historically has been a source of division within the Freemasons. All-black lodges sprouted up across the country for decades as whites sought to ban blacks from joining the organization.
Some of the lodges were integrated in the aftermath of the civil rights movement, and Masons adopted a code in the 1990s banning them from objecting to potential members based on race, color or religion. While Freemasons say they don't keep statistics on the ethnic or religious makeup of their members, they claim their organization has grown diverse enough over the last 50 years that there are American lodges that speak Spanish, Farsi and other languages.
Richard Fletcher, the executive secretary of the Masonic Service Association, said discrimination complaints have dwindled as the organization has opened its doors.
"These are very, very rare," said Fletcher, who has been a Freemason for 52 years. "We're a cross-section of the country, so we're not devoid of sin. I'm sure there are people who are racially motivated, but not to the extent that it used to be."
The Georgia dispute arose in February when Marshall and other members across the state visited a lodge in Savannah for a celebration. Some apparently were surprised that Marshall and other nonwhite members were at the event, and questioned whether he was a member.
The state organization's leader, J. Edward Jennings, sent out a memo confirming that Marshall was a legitimate member after a lodge in north Georgia requested an emergency meeting to discuss the situation, the lawsuit said.
The message apparently didn't quiet the critics.
The lawsuit claims members then filed "spurious" charges within the state organization against the Atlanta chapter's leader, Michael Bjelajac, claiming he violated the group's rules because he allowed a nonwhite man into the group. They say he violated the "Laws of Masonry" and the "moral law," according to the complaint.
The charges seek to oust Bjelajac and revoke the chapter's charter, according to the lawsuit.
The Georgia chapter's attorneys, who are also Freemasons, said the lawsuit is one of only a handful against Freemason organizations in recent years. In 2008, a West Virginia Freemason leader sued, claiming he was defamed after he changed membership policies to make them less discriminatory and racist.
"It's an unusual and frankly unfortunate situation," said David J. Llewellyn, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit in DeKalb County Superior Court.
The Grand Lodge of Georgia is tightlipped about the lawsuit, which seeks to block the organization from punishing the Atlanta chapter. Donald DeKalb, the state group's secretary, said the Freemasons don't discriminate.
"There's nothing in our Masonic law that restricts any nonwhites from joining," he said.
DeKalb refused to comment further. The group's leader and several lodge officials named in the lawsuit also did not respond to phone and e-mail messages.
Marshall said he was hurt by the charges, especially since the society's openness is one of the reasons he decided to apply for membership last November. He's told himself it won't let it frustrate him.
"I think this issue is a lot larger than me," he said. "I've met too many positive people to allow something like this to make me stand back. Freemasonry itself is built on morality. And I've never looked back. I'll continue to strive on."
There are a few prerequisites for anyone applying to be a Freemason: You must be a man, you can't be a slave, you must have good character and you must have faith in a supreme being.
Those broad rules have allowed some of the more progressive chapters in the centuries-old fraternal organization, such as Atlanta's Gate City Lodge No. 2, to fill their ranks with diverse members.
The chapter's leaders say that racial harmony was threatened recently when other Freemasons sought to revoke the lodge's charter for allowing Victor Marshall, who is black, to join up. The dispute has drawn the normally secretive group into a rare public battle.
The chapter sued the Grand Lodge of Georgia on June 18, claiming the charges are based on "racial animosity and hatred" and violate the organization's principles.
"I hope we'll be victorious and that Freemasonry will come out in a more powerful light," said Marshall, a 26-year-old Army reservist. "But of course sometimes the bad side can overwhelm the good side."
As with other fraternal and exclusive organizations, race historically has been a source of division within the Freemasons. All-black lodges sprouted up across the country for decades as whites sought to ban blacks from joining the organization.
Some of the lodges were integrated in the aftermath of the civil rights movement, and Masons adopted a code in the 1990s banning them from objecting to potential members based on race, color or religion. While Freemasons say they don't keep statistics on the ethnic or religious makeup of their members, they claim their organization has grown diverse enough over the last 50 years that there are American lodges that speak Spanish, Farsi and other languages.
Richard Fletcher, the executive secretary of the Masonic Service Association, said discrimination complaints have dwindled as the organization has opened its doors.
"These are very, very rare," said Fletcher, who has been a Freemason for 52 years. "We're a cross-section of the country, so we're not devoid of sin. I'm sure there are people who are racially motivated, but not to the extent that it used to be."
The Georgia dispute arose in February when Marshall and other members across the state visited a lodge in Savannah for a celebration. Some apparently were surprised that Marshall and other nonwhite members were at the event, and questioned whether he was a member.
The state organization's leader, J. Edward Jennings, sent out a memo confirming that Marshall was a legitimate member after a lodge in north Georgia requested an emergency meeting to discuss the situation, the lawsuit said.
The message apparently didn't quiet the critics.
The lawsuit claims members then filed "spurious" charges within the state organization against the Atlanta chapter's leader, Michael Bjelajac, claiming he violated the group's rules because he allowed a nonwhite man into the group. They say he violated the "Laws of Masonry" and the "moral law," according to the complaint.
The charges seek to oust Bjelajac and revoke the chapter's charter, according to the lawsuit.
The Georgia chapter's attorneys, who are also Freemasons, said the lawsuit is one of only a handful against Freemason organizations in recent years. In 2008, a West Virginia Freemason leader sued, claiming he was defamed after he changed membership policies to make them less discriminatory and racist.
"It's an unusual and frankly unfortunate situation," said David J. Llewellyn, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit in DeKalb County Superior Court.
The Grand Lodge of Georgia is tightlipped about the lawsuit, which seeks to block the organization from punishing the Atlanta chapter. Donald DeKalb, the state group's secretary, said the Freemasons don't discriminate.
"There's nothing in our Masonic law that restricts any nonwhites from joining," he said.
DeKalb refused to comment further. The group's leader and several lodge officials named in the lawsuit also did not respond to phone and e-mail messages.
Marshall said he was hurt by the charges, especially since the society's openness is one of the reasons he decided to apply for membership last November. He's told himself it won't let it frustrate him.
"I think this issue is a lot larger than me," he said. "I've met too many positive people to allow something like this to make me stand back. Freemasonry itself is built on morality. And I've never looked back. I'll continue to strive on."
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Masonic sale
This apron is being sold by Adam Partridge of Chesire on July 9 and is listed as a19th century embroidered and jewelled silk apron. It then adds "possibly masonic".
It came from the Langley Silk Printworks and has a pre-asle estimate of £60 to £100.
At the same sale this apron, with provenacne traced through John Smith, Mayor of Macclesfield in 1953-84. It too has an estimate up to £100.
Also in the sale is this fine 19th century mahogany Masonic box... it is "carved in relief with numerous Masonic emblems and symbols, made for John Smith of Langley near Sutton, then in the care of William Eric Whiston of Macclesfield."
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Royal Sussex Lodge
This is coming up for sale at Christies on July 21 and the catalogue description reads:MASONIC INTEREST: A LARGE WILLIAM IV SILVER PRESENTATION GOBLET MARK OF EDWARD TURNPENNY, BIRMINGHAM, 1832 Chased with scrolling foliage, flowers and cartouches on each side, one with masonic emblems, presented by the Royal Sussex Lodge No. 690 to Brother George Mugliston W.M. in 1832; also a large silver quaich, London, 1922, handles with basket-weave design; and a Victorian electroplated two-handled tray with pierced foliate bordersthe cup 7 1/8 in. (18.2 cm.) high weighable silver 34 oz. (1,054 gr.) (3)
It is estimated to go for up to £800.
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