🚀 go-pugleaf

This is in reply to TUP@CYBERSPACE.COM  who said:

T@SUBJECT:Re: Ryan C. Wallace/All Met S
T>Message-ID: <Pine.3.05.9407040211.A14329-d100000@cyberspace.com>


T>On Sun, 3 Jul 1994, Ron Boutwell wrote:

T>> This is in reply to RCW2@LEHIGH.EDU  who said:

T>> R>    what i am concerned about is the perception of racism in
T>> R>    the lodge.  i've heard people say that we are sexist and
T>> R>    racist, but they speak out of ignorance.  when a friend of
T>> R>    mine learned i was in the lodge, she asked me, or rather
T>> R>    told me, that masons exclude men of color.  this shocked me
T>> R>    to no end, for i know it is not true.  and so, i explained
T>> R>    to her that the prince hall affiliation was started to
T>> admit freed slaves

T>> (please correct me if i am incorrect on anything).  now, to my
T>> knowledge,
T>> R>    anyone can join prince hall, and the only reason it stil
T>> R>    exists outside the blue lodge is tradition.  yes, in some
T>> R>    parts of the country, i am certain that a black man would
T>> R>    find it impossbile to enter the lodge.  this is wholly
T>> R>    wrong. we all agree that men should be met squarely and on
T>> R>    the level, yet individuals hold their own prejudices above
T>> R>    all else.

T>   PMFJIH, Ron but you are incorrect.

Well, it would be pointless to argue the point because.....I didn't
post the above quote (G).  It was part of a response that contains
quotes from myself as well as several other people (BG).  It get's to
be a problem when a post is quoted and the quotes are later quoted
and on and on and and on (BG).



T>> I am in Indianapolis Indiana.  There is a fairly large black
T>> population here and a very small black (F&AM) Masonic population.
T>> In  fact I could count them on one hand.  Most black Masons are
T>> Prince  Hall.  True, there are still F&AM Lodges that would never
T>> accept a  black petitioner since the ballot box (being a secret
T>> ballot) hides  the identity of a coward who would never have the
T>> guts to vote  openly.  However, I also know several lodges that
T>> WOULD accept a  black Mason.  They have none though.  Why?
T>> Because it is a well  known fact here that if a black man joins
T>> an F&AM lodge, the black  community will go nuts because he did
T>> not join Prince Hall with all  of them.  It's an odd situation.

This part (above) I did say. haha

T>   When enough Prince Hall Masons and enough White Freemasons want
T>to change the status quo, it will happen.  According to my
T>information, and it is extensive, Pennsylvania will have mutual
T>recognition long before Indiana.

I agree.  You must remember, Indiana (not Louisiana, Alabama or
Mississippi) is the home for the National HQ for the KKK.
Unfortunately some of these sick puppies have found their way into
lodges and vote when the ballot box goes around.  Strangely enough,
they are to gutless to speak out publically and with integrity when
they do not wear a rediculously adolescent costume WITH A HOOD HIDING
THEIR FACES.

But, in such a state as Indiana, I must also say that I think it is
outstanding that minority masons do in fact get accepted in F&AM
lodges and rise successfully through the officers line.  I also think
it is great on the part of PH Masonry here in Indiana to admit
practically every white petitioner that comes along into their
system.

T>   BTW, one of the largest Prince Hall Grand Lodges in the Prince
T>Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana.  There are far more Prince Hall Masons
T>there than you realize.  The number does pale in comparison as it
T>does in every State but, it is still sizable.

Oh, no, I realize it.  I get approached by them constantly since I
have Masonic plates on my car (BG).  The facrt that they actually
APPROACH ME rather than sit back and wait for us to do it is a lesson
in Masonry (brotherhood) they teach us every day by example.


T>> R>    so, what is my point?  basically, that any prejudicial
T>> R>    feelings out there are wrong and any perceptions of the
T>> R>    lodge as a whole being bigoted are incorrect.
T>

T>> True!  Very true!  The individuals are predudice.  The system is
T>> not.   In fact the system is weakened by this attitude.


T>  In actuality, the Lodges are being extremely bigoted.
T>Freemasonry is not at fault.  The Lodges and Grand Lodges are.
T>These are ruled and governed by men with their own prejudices and
T>as long as there is one prejudices individual within the Lodge and
T>the blackball is in effect, the Lodge will remain prejudiced.


True.  I have heard of one GL Grand Master that showed up at a blue
lodge meeting where a black candidate was going to be voted on.  It
sems this lodge had a large contention of regularly active members
who were pulling FOR the candidate.  Strangely enough, this lodge had
a normal compliment of around a dozen members that showed up
regularly at meetings and it was always the same dozen.  Oddly enough
at this meeting over a hundred members showed up to vote.  It was
clear that most of them showed up to insure than no black men would
be admitted to their lodge and intended to vote that way.

It seems that just as the ballot box was about to be passed around
the Grand Master ordered the box to be put away.  The vote was to be
open and not secret.  A vote to accept the candidate would be
accepted no questions asked, however, if a man chose to vote no, he
should be prepared to explain his vote with references to how long he
has known the candidate personally and any character flaws the Mason
knows to be true about the candidate.  If the Mason chose to
blackball the candidate due to any other reason or for racial
reasons, the vote would not be counted.  It seems nobody had the guts
to vote against him and he was admitted.  Consequently a lot of
masons that showed up that night but had hardly if ever set foot
inthe lodge since their raising as Master Masons demited soon
thereafter.  This unfortunately did not happen in Indiana.  I wish it
would.
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 * CMPQwk 1.4 #648 * Teacher said it was dain bramage...