Table Lodges and Small Masonry
16 April 24
By W Bro Martin Bowen
On 7 July, as part of its ongoing research into ritual history, the Discovery Lodge of Research No 971 presented a Table Lodge from circa 1785. What started as a historical investigation however soon took on a contemporary application. It turns out that small numbers attending a lodge meeting is nothing new.
The lodge opened and closed their regular meeting with minimal business in Lodge Room Five, and then proceeded to erect trestle tables and chairs for 20 members. The room proved far too small, and after a similar failed attempt in Lodge Room Three, ended up in Lodge Room Two (with the centre management staff’s help).
The tables were set out in a u-shape with the WM seated at the top table and the wardens at the top of each spigot. As narrator, W Bro Martin Bowen set the scene and described the pub’s ambience and the upper room where the meeting took place. While the work was ‘loosely’ based on the Bromley and West Kent lodge rituals, it was indicative of most masonic meetings anywhere in the anglophone world at the time.
Changes were made to accommodate references to the NSW Grand Lodge and abridged to allow members time to have a meaningful discussion on what they had witnessed, including the pattern and form of the lodge. Under the direction of the WM VW Bro Neil Morse and Secretary VW Bro Ian Shanley, the members of Discovery enthusiastically became actors and hammed it up, playing along as the officers of the lodge often in period language of the 1780s. The ceremony progressed with W Bro Luke Spickler playing the part of the candidate.
After the opening and a few toasts, the ceremony of initiation was exemplified.
This finished with an open discussion led by the WM on what they had seen. As you would expect from a Research Lodge, this included notes on historical points and the details of the ritual itself. The evening concluded with what would be a very familiar closing and the Tyler’s toast, and ‘a good night was had by all’.
However, as well as being a glimpse into our ceremonial past, the physicality of the table lodge experience gave the members of the Discovery Lodge of Research insight into how the Masonry of old worked with restricted space and numbers, and the possible applications it can have in our current day.
Even since before COVID-19, members were aware of the declining attendance levels in lodges. While it cannot be denied there are some highly successful lodges in terms of member engagement and attendance, the majority of masonic bodies (in all Orders) have significantly lower average attendance these days.
W Bro Luke Spickler played the role of a candidate for the meeting
Although we’ve all heard the stories of the glory days as late as the 1990s when 70 brethren would attend a typical suburban lodge, this look into Freemasonry through the table lodge shows us that most lodges were initially held in the back room of a coffee house, hotel or pub. By the very nature of the space available, there might only be a dozen or so members seated around a table. This was the norm. They conducted degrees and discussed philosophy, ethics, and the liberal arts and sciences. When the first recorded masonic ceremony in Australia occurred on a French ship, (likely a form of the AASR), space would have been equally premium. We know that as our ceremonies evolved with deacons accompanying the candidate and the officer list growing – physical space was as much a driver as anything. The move to dedicated temples allowed more freedom and accommodated the larger membership of that era, including the post-war booms.
Maybe we are once again in the era of small Masonry – which arguably was the norm for most of its 300 years. Maybe we need to leave the ideal dream of large Masonry behind and be content with a dozen members present for meetings. Large numbers are great, but we should be aware that procedures once existed for much smaller regular attendances.
The brethren enjoying an opportunity to stretch their acting muscles!
The lessons of the past have a role in us thinking about how we take our Masonry into the next 100 years. Understanding where we came from is key to understanding where we are going. Certainly, a sizeable individual lodge membership has not always been the norm, and a large lodge membership model is not essential to successful and meaningful Masonry.
Discovery Lodge of Research intends to repeat this event in the coming year. When it does – take the opportunity to attend, step into the past and look into the future. Remember you will need to book early because seating is limited!
Freemason Magazine April-June 2024 Pages 16/17